Frequent Word Meditation

Matthew 23:8 - But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters.

No depth of knowledge or endeavour is worth pursuing if it is not able to save our soul. Period. 

Mark 8:36- For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

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When Lord Jesus Christ claims to be the ONLY Teacher for all mankind, He speaks in the power and will of His heavenly Father. He is the ONLY teacher Who has not only shown the way to eternal life but He Himself is the very source of eternal life and the Life-giving Spirit to pour into the souls of all who believe in Him.

John 14:6 - Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

1 Corinthians 15:45 - So also it is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” The last Adam was a life-giving spirit.

The Life-giving Spirit, that is the Gift of the Holy Spirit opens the flood gates of heavenly realm for the believers to recieve heavenly wisdom, knowledge, rightesouness and glory in the purest form. Spiritual growth thus is a revelation from above through the Spirit and not interpretation by human intellect because it is not even able to do so. Revelation by the Holy Spirit continues to delve the soul into the depths of His marvelous revelations pertaining to His glory, His nature, His might, His will, His Presence and His counsel. 

1 Johm 2:27 -  And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31- 

 But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Spiritual growth thus is a simultaenous process of crucifying more and more of us on the cross and magnifying more and more of Christ in us. 

Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.

1 Peter 5:6- Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,

Surrendering before His Presence is not an act of loss but the beginning of gaining more and more of Christ 

Philippians 3:7-8- But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, or whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ,

Lord Jesus Christ as our Teacher,  imparts to us His own life as His Spirit so that we progressively continue to live in Him, walk in Him, think with His mind, feel with His emotions and accomplish His will for our life - which is to glorify Him. 

No other teacher of human flesh has the capacity to reconcile anyone unto Himself. Lord Jesus Christ came to reconcile us first to Himself and then in us, become our life-long and everlasting Teacher as one of His supreme roles. 

He and the Father are One. And He reconciles each one of us Who belives in Him so that we may be in Him and His Word may abide in us. 

John 10:30 -  I and the Father are one.”

John 17:21-23-

That they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22 The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one;23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.

Lord Jesus is the inseparable part of the spiritual body, His church of which He is the Head - The Head imparts all knoweldge and guidance pertaining to life, godliness and heavenly glories to each member of His body, the Church 

Colossians 1:18a- He is also the head of the body, the church; ..

Colossians 2:3- in whom (Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

As disciples of Christ, we live our lives inside out. We do not acquire knowledge from outside, for it to be processed and interpreted. Rather, Christ Who is the center of our innermost being reveals to us His will, His heavenly treasures of wisdom, knowledge, counsel, might, will, nature and glory to guard and guide our thought, emotions and will. The goal is to continue to sanctify and hone us into the nature and stature of Christ, in increased proportion. 

As disciples of Christ, we are called to magnify Him so that no one may boast. 

1 Corinthians 1:25-31-

For the foolishness of God is wiser than mankind, and the weakness of God is stronger than mankind.

26 For consider your calling, brothers and sisters, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no human may boast before God.30 But it is ]due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Lord Jesus Christ is the Only Teacher, the life-giving Spirit, The living Saviour and the Lord of all Creation:

1) True Light: John 1:9 - This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person.

2) Light of the World: John 8:12 - hen Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

3) The Resurrection and the Life: John 11:25-26- Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies,26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

4) The Way, The Truth adn The Life - John 14:6- Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

Fear (Reverential Trust) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...Proverbs 1:7

Every soul needs salvation. Every soul has sinned. Every soul needs to be reconciled to the Lord. And hence, every soul needs Lord Jesus Christ as their Teacher to enlighten their eyes, be saved and grow in Him through His revelation and not our interpretation, in Truth and in Spirit. 

The greatest misconception we live in futility as fleshly beings in search of potential essence of "God" within, is the fact that we can create our own peace by the efforts of our mortal flesh.

We are far from reality of our true nature and also from what awaits for each one of us, not as a result of our pursuit or hunger but as a Gift of God. We find His Gift of salvation, our sanctification and subsequent gift of perfect peace through His Holy Spirit at the feet of the cross. It is at the cross, when we personally encounter Lord Jesus Christ where our hunger is satiated - hunger for Truth, hunger for liberation and hunger for perfect peace. We must allow Him to cleanse us first before we can experience His Presence within us as His Gift, experience the Presence of the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). 

Scriptures have declared and made it clear that all mankind falls short of the glory of God. All have sinned and there is none who is righteous in the eyes of the Lord in their own strength. (Romans 3:23). 

Salvation of our soul is the plan of God. The plan has been perfectly accomplished and finished by Lord Jesus Christ on the cross followed by His resurrection and realised by every believer fully upon His glorious second coming. The breaking of the veil between the holy and the most holy place in the tabernacle at the end of Christ's crucifixion opens access to all who believe into the most Holy Place where the Lord dwells. Through Christ, we, who have recieved Him have made perfect peace with the Lord. Through Christ's precious blood, we are introduced to the Creator of this universe as our heavenly Father. 

Communion with the only true and living God in truth and in spirit is real peace. That's why Lord Jesus Christ calls all who are heavily laden with sin to find rest in Him and allow Him to give peace to our souls.(Matthew 11:28-30). There is real peace and rest in the NOW. Without Christ, we cannot rest in peace (RIP) after our soul departs from our body without the Holy Spirit. 

Without our sanctification, we cannot see God (Hebrews 12:14). We cannot be sancitifed except through Christ (John 14:6). 

He calls ALL to be holy FIRST because He is Holy (1 Peter 1:16). He IS peace. Peace that surpasses human understanding. Peace that comes with His Presence within us. Peace is the by-product of the blessed Gift of His salvation. It is the fruit of His Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-24). He has promised peace to all who recieve Him which cannot be found in this world (John 14:27)

We cannot find peace because our pursuit is in the wrong direction. Let the pursuit be for the Truth and let us prepare our heart to listen to the calling of the Lord to offer us salvation. Rest follows through automatically. (Matthew 6:33). 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. - Matthew 5:8

Let the Lord make us pure , let Him remove our filthy garments of dead works and allow Him to clothe us with Christ so we may awaken and see! 

Here are a couple of excerpts from the book itself:

"You must know by this time that I have a philosophy of faith. To begin with, I cannot recommend that anyone have faith in faith. We have a good amount of that notion abroad right now.
There are preachers who devote themselves completely to preaching faith. As a result, people have faith in faith. They largely forget that our confidence must not be in the power of faith but in the Person and work of the Savior, Jesus Christ. So I have to confess that I cannot preach that way. I never have, and I never will. I know better." - Page 34

"I have never been against human reason. I have only expressed myself against human reason's trying to do the things that human reason is not qualified to do. In every area where human reason is qualified, I say, "Turn human reason loose." You have a can opener is your house, and reason guides you in its use. In other words, you use the opener on cans, not to mend your little boy's socks. Nearly every home has a hammer and a saw in the garage or work room. We know what they are for and how they should be used. We do not use them to paper the living room walls or to sweep the porch! If human reason is qualified, I say, use it. But there are some things human reason cannot do-things that are beyond its capacity.
Reason could not tell us that Jesus Christ should be born of a virgin, but faith knows that He was.
Reason cannot prove that Jesus took upon Him the form of a man and that He died for the sins of the world, but faith knows that He did. Reason cannot prove that on the third day Jesus rose from the dead, but faith knows that it happened, for faith is an organ of knowledge. The rationalists take the position that the human brain alone is the organ of knowledge, but they either forget or overlook completely that feeling is a means of knowledge, and so is faith.
When the temperature outside is hot, we know it. Feeling is a means of knowledge. A young man loves a young woman. How does he know? Does he read the encyclopedia in order to base his love on reason? No, he listens to the ticking of his own heart. He knows it by feeling.
So, along with reason, feeling is a means of knowledge, and faith can be placed in the same cat-egory. This means that the person who has put his or her confidence in God has access to knowledge that the person who merely thinks and reasons cannot have.
Reason cannot say, "I know that Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead," but faith knows that He will do so. Reason cannot say, "My sins are gone," but faith knows that they are forgiven and forgotten. Faith simply ignores reason and rises above it. Intellect comes struggling along behind, like a little boy trying to keep up with his dad.
This is exactly why the word wonder often appears in the New Testament. "They wondered at him." "They wondered at him, and they all mar-velled." Faith was going ahead, doing wonders, and reason was coming along, wide-eyed and amazed.
This is the way it should be, always."- Page 40

Faith:

Hebrews 11:1-3:

Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old gained approval. 3 By faith we understand that the world has been created by the word of God so that what is seen has not been made out of things that are visible.

As seen in the photo, just how a branch cannot bear any fruits without abiding in the nutrients withdrawn from roots through the trunk, those who are in Christ Jesus cannot do anything of eternal value without staying rooted and grounded in the Life of Christ that is imparted to each believer through the Holy Spirit. 

The two emojis of love and joy imply that we cannot experience real joy without abiding in the love of Christ. 

Here are the relevant verses that encourages each believer to grow in the newness of His life by abiding in Lord Jesus Christ :

1) Abiding in His love: Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. - John 15:9

2) Abiding in His joy: These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. - John 15:11

3) Fruitfulness in and through Him alone:  Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.: John 15:4-5

4) Allowing the Lord to renew us daily : Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:1-2

5) Cleansing and renewal is a daily excercise even for those who have been washed by the blood of Christ: a. Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. .." - John 13:10a

b. The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end,For His compassions do not fail.23 They are new every morning;Great is Your faithfulness.Lamentations 3:22-23

6) Identifying with His death and resurrection: Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. - Romans 6:4

7) New self (gifted to us by His anointing)  must continously replace the old self: that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. - Ephesians 4:22-24

8) Renewal through the mind of Christ given to us by His gracious gift of the Holy Spirit - For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.- 1 Corinthains 2:16

May the grace of Lord Jesus Christ, the love of our heavenly Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit enable each of us who are in Christ Jesus to walk progressively in the newness of His life.

Rain and the fulfillment of the purpose of God in and through His Word:

Isaiah 55:10-11-For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it produce and sprout,
And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.

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Rain and raining down of His mercy to refresh and rejuvanate the soul and bring peace that none can take and none can give but Him. His name is Lord Jesus Christ:

Psalm 72:5-7

May they fear You while the sun shines,
And as long as the moon shines, throughout all generations.
6 May he come down like rain upon the mown grass,
Like showers that water the earth.
7 May the righteous flourish in his days,
As well as an abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.

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Rain and the blessing/generosity of the Lord to fulfill the needs of all - regardless of whether they personally know Him or not.. 

Leviticus 26:3-4-

If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, 4 then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.

Matthew 5:45-46-

for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same?

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The Lord who gives rain is the Creator, the only true and living God. There is no other:

Jeremiah 14:22:

Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain?
Or can the heavens grant showers?
Is it not You, Lord our God?
Therefore we wait for You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.

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Rain and the "rain" of the Holy Spirit down on those who admit their need for the Savior, believe in Lord Jesus Christ and confess their sins receive the unending eternal life in their being as His Spirit like rain pouring down from the heaven:

Hosea 6:3-So lets learn, lets press on to know the Lord.
His appearance is as sure as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
As the spring rain waters the earth.”

Joel 2:28-29-

“It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will have dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
29 And even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

Acts 1:8-

 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

Isaiah 44:3-

For I will pour water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring,
And My blessing on your descendants;

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Rain and Lord Jesus Christ ,the source of the fountain of living water:

John 4:13-14-

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”

John 7:38-39-

The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." 39 But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Colossians 1:19-20:
For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

POV:

1. Family:
   Matthew 12:50 - "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother."

2. Friend:
   John 15:12-17 - "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
   13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.
   14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.
   15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
   16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
   17 This I command you, that you love one another."

3. Food:

• John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty."

• Matthew 4:4 - But He answered and said, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.'"

• Psalm 23:4 - "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows."

• Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."

4. Roof:

1. Psalm 91:1-2 - "One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty.
   2 I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!'"    

5.True Riches (Real Treasure):

• Matthew 6:19-21 - "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
  20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
  21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

• 2 Corinthians 4:7 - "But we have this treasure in earthen containers, so that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves."

• James 1:17 - "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

• 2 Corinthians 9:15 - "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

Vanity. All fleshly efforts and endeavours are futile and vain, when pursued in a state of spiritual death, void of the Holy Spirit

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How can we be born again? (was the question the elderly, learned and the most knowledgable Nicodemas asks to Lord Jesus Christ in John Chapter 3)

I pray that may this article strike the inner chords of your being to tune to be receptive to the abundance of the mercy and grace of the Most Holy and Righteous Lord from the cross calling each one of us unto Himself.

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What is the kindgom of God?

Romans 14:17:for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

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Who can see the kingdom of God?

Matthew 5:8:“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

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How can we be pure?( because: Romans 3:23 tells us that " for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,")

Believe, Just believe:

Titus 3:4-7:But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to thehope of eternal life.

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May His mercy and grace through His heavenly calling reconcile you back to where we belong; to God through Lord Jesus Christ alone

1 Peter 2:25:For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

The ONLY Way because there is no other: John 14:6: Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

🤍🙂

This piece of blog is fruitful for those of us who have primarily chosen to enter the Door and feed on His pasture. 

Salvation is the Lord’s doing and cannot be labored through our own strength whatsoever. The primary gift of Salvation opens the heavenly treasures for us, revealing and appropriating God’s precious promises to never leave us, never forsake us, always provide and protect us and progressively reveal to us His grace, glory, character, purpose and eternal life in increased proportion until we see Him face to face when we will see Him as He is. 

It is impossible to stay rooted and grounded in Christ without applying the gift of discernment in this wayward and perishing world. The video below is a beautiful and simplified explanation by Charles Spurgeon for the children of God to pay better heed to the Lord’s voice over and above ALL else. 

Before giving ear for what Charles has to say, let me share with you a few relevant verses (some as prerequisites)  that the Lord reminded me of. May the verses speak with you and bless you abundantly:

* The Door: John 10:9-10:I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

* The flock: John 10:27-28: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

* The Anointing (The Holy Spirit), our Teacher: 1 John 2:27:And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, [a]you remain in Him.

* Soft voice of the Lord:Isaiah 30:21-Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

* Lord is a Lord of peace and clarity and not confusion: 1 Corinthians 14:33-for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

Allow yourselves to be found by Him. Lord Jesus Christ is waiting patiently for you to look unto Him, behold His perfect love, grace and mercy, believe in His redemptive work and receive Him in your heart. Let not Satan, who binds you, confuse you through your flesh,in the name of  the voice of intuition (falsely called as the inner voice) or by playing well with your emotions through various circumstances. 

Receive first, the gift of freedom and redemption from our Saviour:

1. John 8:36-He says, “So if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.”
2. 2 Peter 3:9- The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

Now click on the link below with a believing heart. God bless you abundantly:

Click on this link: The clear difference between God’s voice and your thoughts

Lord Jesus Christ also tell us in Mark 4:9, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear"

While I was reading through this poem, a verse was recalled in my heart in each line and so I will be sharing the same to bring glory to God even more.

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The Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16: Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?)

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"I am, "- (Exodus 3:13-14-"...Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM".)

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"God? Who?" - (John 1:1:In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. | John 1:3:All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.)

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"Why? For you?" - (John 3:16:For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.)

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"So, you may believe" - (Hebrews 11:6-And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.)

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"Depend on Him to live" - (John 15:4-5-Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.)

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"And as you count your cost" - (1 Corinthians 6:20-You were bought with a price you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.| Matthew 13:44-The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. )

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"You are saved from being lost" - (1 Peter 2:25-For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.)

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"Puzzled you start struggle" - (Galatians 2:16-know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.)

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"Making no sense of all the trouble" (Ecceleciastes 1:14-I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.| Eccelciastes 2:11-Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.)

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"Then as a tiny seed, He plants faith" - (Matthew 13:31-32-He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”| 1 Peter 1:23-For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.)

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"Like a tree it grows towards heaven's gate" - (Psalm 1:3-He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,Which yields its fruit in its season,And its leaf does not wither;And in whatever he does, he prospers.)

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"His blood He pours, saving us from destruction" - (1 Peter 1:18-19-knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.)

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"His Word He leaves for your everlasting instruction" - (2 Timothy 3:16-17-All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.| 1 John 2:27-And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him.)

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"And then you discover, He really is the Almighty Lord" - (Matthew 16:16-17-Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.| Galatians 4:6-7-Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “ Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir| John 3:3- Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”)

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"Heaven and earth are His, your Saviour and your God" - (Colossians 1:15-20-He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, bothin the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.)

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Mark 4:9- ..."whoever has ears to hear, let them hear..."

1 Thessalonians 5:17:pray without ceasing

Prayer is the most effective and the only replacement to worry for the children of God. 

There are multifaceted reasons and benefits of prayer. In fact, we are exhorted and encouraged to”pray without ceasing”(1 Thessalonians 5:17), almost as frequent as the rhythm of breathing, which is always on involuntarily, yet without pausing from other daily activities; making prayer an inseparable part of everything that we are and do. Lord Jesus Christ is our All in all.

Remedy for worry is one of the many reasons for having communion with our heavenly Father. Others reasons (sometimes one of the reasons is no reason at all except to enjoy His Presence) are:

1. Enjoy His Presence
2. Cleanse any area of our being to restore the joy of our salvation
3. Seek His will as prayer humbles us and expresses our all-time dependence on Him because of our reconciliation to Him. 
4. Fulfill our worldly or spiritual needs
5. Seek His protection,guidance, wisdom or discernment. Allow Him to speak to us through His Word to shed His light on the area of our life that we consciously lay bare before Him.
6. Adore Him,worship Him, praise Him and thank Him for all He is and what HE has done and continues to do in our lives
7. Seek His strength by remembering His irrevocable promises from His Word
8. Casting our cares and both worldly and spiritual burdens on Him - waiting patiently on Him to deliver us, set us free, reveal to us His glory and fill us with more of Him. 

Outcome of an effective prayer is reception of His peace, reassurance of His sovereign presence, stronger establishment in faith, fulfillment and contentment in our being, realignment of our purposes with His will, experience of lightness because of the release of our burden on the One Who cares for us and Who alone is able to carry them and completion of our joy to name a few.

Praying to our Savior, our Shepherd, the only true and living God, our heavenly Father and to our Creator in itself is a very comprehensive area of our spiritual life to deeply look into and grow in, progressively. Some of the areas of prayer to meditate upon are how to pray, effectiveness of a heartfelt prayer, attitude of prayer, personal prayer and group prayer (with family and with fellow believers). 

In this blog, I simply intend to highlight the reasons to Pray in place of worrying (Worry - an utter waste of time and an expression of our lack of faith in the sovereign care and control of our heavenly Father over our lives and needs): 

As children of God, it is good to be aware that regardless of the purpose of our prayer, the couple of truths about prayer are unchangeable. One is that we pray in truth and in spirit (John 4:24) and second, we pray in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our High Priest, our only Mediator and our Intercessor sitting at the right hand of the throne of grace(1 Timothy 2:5-6, 1 John 2:1). .We know that as our Savior, He alone is the Way, the Truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but through Him. (John 14:6).

Here are a few verses that the Lord reminded me of to meditate upon prayerfully and seek His grace in time of anxiety and worry and thus cast our cares upon Him because He alone cares and is able!

1. Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He will make your paths  straight.
2. Philippians 4:6:Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
3. Matthew 11:28-30:“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”
4. Romans 8:26-27:Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the [p]saints according to the will of God.
5. John 15:7:If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
6. Psalm 55:22:Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
7. Romans 8:32:He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
8. 1 Thessalonians 5:17:17 pray without ceasing,

Jeremiah 32:27:Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”

Prayer humbles us before the sovereign Hands of the Lord Almighty (Colossians 1:15-17:He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.). His name is Lord Jesus Christ.

He came to die for you and me so that through His death we may begin to live forever through the Gift of His resurrected life, that is, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16).

Lord Jesus Christ- the very source of the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45-48:So also it is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” The last Adam was a life-giving spirit.46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy one, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly one, so also are those who are heavenly.|2 Peter 1:3-4:for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.4 Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.)

* Christ - the eternal life (John 3:16|1 John 5:12| John 10:10)

* Christ - the true Light ( John 8:12 | John 1:9)

* Christ - the resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

* Christ - the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

* Christ - the True Vine (John 15:1)

*. Christ - the good Shepherd ( John 10:11)

* Christ - the Door (Jhon 10:9)

* Christ - the bread of Life (John 6:35)

* Christ - the Lord of the lords, the King of kings. The Alpha and the Omega. (Revelation 17:14| Revelation 22:13)

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It is impossible to emulate the virtues of Christ in our own strength … as impossible as hoping a dead body to move or hoping a dead seed to bear any fruit. He pours His life in us through His death and resurrection so we may truely live! (Romans 5:5:and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.| Mark 10:27: Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”| 1 Corinthians 1:30-31:But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”)

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I would like to share with you  videos in the links below with which I resonate as a believer and also as a sinner saved by the grace of God in Christ Jesus . I pray the Truth blesses you abundantly ! 

Merry Christmas!

Click on the links below 👇🏻:

a) The REAL Meaning of Christmas Revealed by John MacArthur

b) The Real Ways to Celebrate Christmas | CH. Spurgeon

To receive the love of God through Christ Jesus is to begin to know God, the only true and living God personally. 

We cannot love Him without personally knowing Him and having established a relationship with Him,the Creator of the universe, as our heavenly Father(John 1:9-14) and our Savior (John 3:3). It is impossible to know Him without receiving His love that He desires to pour in each of us in His only begotten Son and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:5)

It is Christ Who takes the initiative to call us to Himself. Always. It is because it is not Him Who is lost but we all are. 

Before knowing Him, receiving His love humbly reconciles us to Him first through faith alone(2 Corinthians 5:17-21).. We partake of His love thereafter (John 3:16); and His life (John 14:6|1 John 5:12) and of His Light, the only true Light (John 1:9| John 8:12)

To know Christ is the only way to know God personally, as our living God, heavenly Father, good Shepherd , living Saviour and closest companion. 

We cannot find Him if we first try to seek only things that He freely and abundantly offers; outside of Him - that is seeking real peace, real joy, real freedom, Truth, Light, heavenly wisdom, His strength, guidance, protection, safety, contentment to name a few..all of this is available in Him alone as we receive His all-encompassing love and eternal life- Free, limitless and abundant. 

R.C. Sproul and Charles Spurgeon beautifully explain the secret of loving God! (more so from personal experiences) . Click on the links below:

Youtube link 1:

R.C. Sproul: Love the Lord your God with all your mind

Youtube link 2:

The Secret of loving God!- Charles Spurgeon

I noticed this page in my pocket bible few days back, the mini bible I have been carrying with me since almost a decade....only to realise that I would not have appreciated what this page says that much until I had allowed the Lord to continue His work in me, for me to be able to experience His living Presence through His living Word - which most delightfully will never end...until we see Him face to face :) - Philippians 1:6

Perfect explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gS_dIzrVi4M?si=9llencwswKpWKVlb

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Perfect personal reflection:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9FG1Ran2axU?si=Jr1OAvbwokMS7Mtq

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Resonance of the pic above with the verses that God reminded me of ; the Word that I have tasted in my life over and over again.... Just picking a few that I was recalled of...

"It is a traveller's map - Psalm 119:105 ..

The pilgrim's staff - Psalm 23:4...

The pilot's compass - Psalm 32:8...

The soldier's sword - Ephesians 6:17...

The Christian's charter - Ephesians 1:14...

Paradise is restored - Psalm 16:11| Psalm 23| Revelation 22:1-5| Romans 14:17

Heaven Opened - 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 | John 14:6

and the gates of hell closed - Matthew 7:13-14|  John 10:9-10| Jude 1:23"

** https://the-plain-truth.org/my-poems/when-mercy-calls/ **

Mercy - protection of our soul from that which we deserve ( wrath of God) by the power of His 
Grace - gift to our soul , that, which we do not deserve , that is, His eternal life by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Sharing some of the verses that seemed to resonate while reading through this poem:

* Liberation of our soul: Freedom: John 8:32-and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.| Truth: John 14:6- Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

* Receiving mercy is followed through by forgiveness of all of our sins (past,present and future) : 1 John 1:8-10: If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

* When He calls, let us listen and receive: Titus 3:4-6:But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior

* Each day with our Savior thereafter is a day of renewal and growth in Him till we see Him face to face : 

1. Lamentations 3:22-23-The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end,
For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

2. 2 Peter 3:9-The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

3. Isaiah 41:10-Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will also help you,
I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.

4. 2 Corinthians 3:18- But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Conclusion : Salvation is a gift of God . 
Gift: Lord Jesus Christ , Yeshua. 
(None can accomplish by works whatsoever but must humbly receive Him through faith for reconciliation with Him) 

1. Romans 3:23-for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

2. Romans 3:10-“There is no righteous person, not even one"

3. Ephesians 2:8-10 - For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

4. Isaiah 64:6- For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.
 

5. John 6:28-29-Therefore they said to Him, “What are we to do, so that we may accomplish the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.

6. John 19:30-Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

7. John 10:8-10-But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a personbelieves, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

 We must live in the now through the eyes of eternity. The Lord Himself desires to be our Shepherd so that He can lead us to His(and our) eternal home.  When we know Lord Jesus Christ personally, as our Lord and Savior, we live and know eternal life as He begins to dwell in us by the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. It is only when we are born again(John 3:3| John 1:9-14), that we can see the kingdom of God and live our now, the present day, through Him and are assured through His presence that we belong to Him. 

The picture above is right outside my house that I took after the rain storms subsided. Around the same time on that day, one of my dear uncles sent me this beautiful poem. 

I have made an attempt to share with you the verses that the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance while I was reading this poem and connected it to the fallen tree that once was a shelter to my car. : 

1. Eternal consequence of every human soul is real: 

Hebrews 9:27-28:And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

John 5:24:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him Who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

2. There is none righteous whatsoever to please God fully. God desires to impart His righteousness in and through His Son so we can live through Him:

Romans 3:23-24:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus

Romans 8:10:If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness.

1 Corinthians 1:30-But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

3. God desires reconciliation of every soul to Himself by the redemptive work of His only begotten Son on the cross:

2 Corinthians 5:20-21: 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him

4. Jesus is the ONLY way to Father God which is why those in Christ are already home with Him with or without the body:

a. Only Way: 

John 14:6:Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

Acts 4:12-And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.

b. Salvation is a Gift of God by His grace and cannot be earned by our works. Work of Salvation is fully accomplished on the cross and appropriated in us through the Holy Spirit given to us who believe and receive Him because of His resurrection:

Ephesians 2:8-9- For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

5. Our eternity  in and with Him matters because Christ has risen, He is alive and is the only Life-giving Spirit:

2 Timothy 2:8-9-Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, 9  for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

2 Corinthians 6:2-for He says,

“At a favorable time I listened to you,
And on a day of salvation I helped you.”

Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”—

1 Corinthians 15:32-33-If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19- Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. 15 Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most to be pitied.

 For human understanding, before coming to know Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord, Lord Jesus Christ compares the Holy Spirit to several things as an analogy to seek the real nature of His Personality through the Holy Spirit that He gives us when we choose to be reconciled by Him in His Son. The Spirit of God is a Person with His mind, His emotions and His will. The more we yield to His anointing, the more we are able to communicate with our heavenly Father in Truth and in Spirit and the more we are able to imbibe the absolute Truth through His Word. 

In John 7:37-40 and in John Chapter 4 in His conversation with the Samaritan woman, we know He compares the Holy Spirit to the living water that once consumed, quenches all of our thirst, yet causes us to hunger for more and more of Him, the infinite Source of the living water, that is, eternal life found in Christ Jesus alone. 

Our Creator has also created kidneys in our body to show us that filtering removes toxins and retains the essentials to circulate in our body for nourishment and growth. 

As we grow, we manifest in our daily walk what is inside of us. We are called to manifest His Light in our words, deeds, emotions, works and all our relations. He enables us in our creative expression for His glory and channelises our passion  towards fulfilling His purpose in our life. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

I am going to share with you the several verses that the Lord brought to my remembrance as I was filtering my  coffee today, that keeps my senses awake as I sit at His feet to pray and meditate on His Word in truth and in Spirit. His Word is often bitter like this coffee I have, but He truly awakens us to our delight always!!

1. 2 Corinthians 10:5-6-We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
2. Mark 8:36-For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
3. Ephesians 4:29-Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
4. 1 Peter 2:1-2-Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation
5. Galatians 5:1- It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
6. 2 Corinthians 2:15-17-For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
7. James 1:17-Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

As we choose to nourish ourselves submissively and wholeheartedly through faith in His saving Word after having received Christ Jesus in our heart through faith, confession and acceptance of forgiveness all of our sins, He brings about this transformation in us progressively:

He enables us :

• to create all that we do, to glorify Him
• to express His thoughts that imparts His grace and Life to those who choose to believe and receive His Word in their hearts
• to walk in a manner that witnesses His Presence in us more and more
• to produce fruit of His Spirit, including joy(that makes us full (John 15:11), that is way apart from worldly happiness that only leaves us empty and lost
• to progress in a manner which is in alignment with the Lord’s will for us, drawing us closer to Him with each passing day
• To think and perceive by the leading of the mind of Christ progressively more and more. 

Psalm 139:23-24-Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

Enter His Rest:

Hebrews 4:1-3,16

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When to enter:

2 Corinthians 6:2

Romans 10:8-10

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He takes our burdens so we can walk freely and lightly:

Matthew 11:28-30

1 John 1:5-10

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Daily walk with Him:

Isaiah 41:10

John 10:27-29

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Our Helper:

John 16:13

John 14:18-27

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Our Home:

John 14:1-6

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2 Corinthians 6:2 - for He says ,“At a favorable time I listened to you,
And on a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”—

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Psalm 90:12- So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

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Walking with our blessed Saviour and the only begotten Son of the One and True Living God and our heavenly Father(for believers) ,  begins with actually crawling behind Him at the moment that we are born again(John 3:3).. Crawling would also be a progression to first only yearning for the pure milk of the Word like a newborn baby from his or her cot (1 Peter 2:1-3). 

The most beautiful part of walking with the Lord is that the more we choose to walk in His Light(1 John 1:5-10|Galatians 5:16), because He IS the only true Light (John 1:9), the more we yearn to walk closer and closer with each passing day! The abundance of His grace knows no limitations overflowing our cup of salvation with heavenly treasures(Ephesians 1:14) of which He makes us (His children) joint heirs along with His Son Jesus Christ,  as per the need of our day - love,mercy,kindness, compassion, forgiveness, knowledge, wisdom, holiness,peace,joy,rest,discernment, righteousness, rebuke, disciplining patience,longsuffering,....). He IS our All in all (John 6:35). 

The more we offer ourselves in His Hands to lead us according to His will through faith produced out of our love for loving us and reverence for Who He Is, the more we amaze ourselves as we look into ourselves in the mirror  of our soul - where the Lord desires to see less and less of us (worldliness and fleshliness) and more and more of His Son Jesus Christ Whose Holy Spirit He has poured in us Who have believed in Him! (John 3:30|Romans 5:5).

As I have been growing and flourishing in the Lord by His grace and mercy ALONE over the past 12 years (and God willingly will never cease until I see Him face to face), on the one hand, it makes me thankful and blessed to have allowed the Lord to find me when I was lost in the perishing world by His calling through His powerful,simple,enduring and eternal life-giving Word (Romans 10:8-10|John 3:16|1 Corinthians 1:18-31|John 6:68-69). However on the other, as the rift between the trends of this world and the “trends” of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ keeps getting broader in my life, my heart burns for souls on the other end of the shore and calls to them in the name of and on behalf of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It’s not that the journey so far for me with the Lord has been pretty straightforward because I too have been unruly, stubborn, wayward (1 Peter 5:8-10) and often unfaithful to the Lord myself. But one thing I know, rather two, that the Lord, my God!! Is faithful!! And all of His promises to His children are indeed amen in Christ Jesus(2 Corinthians 1:20)  because of which He restores to me the joy of salvation each time I run back to Him. (2 Timothy 2:13|Lamentations 3:22). The good news is that the percentage of my waywardness keeps on decreasing with each passing day as He keeps on delivering me from concealed defilements by His grace and strength which I never used to even see with my own eyes - He gave me His eyes so now I can see myself as He does -I am simply a product of His grace,mercy and love(1 Corinthians 15:10).

So here I want to share just a few timeless and heavenly “trends” that the Lord has revealed to me through some of my  life experiences over the course of the years that I have come to know Him as my heavenly Father, Lord and Saviour. And by the way, we can only be “trendy” in His eyes and make Him smile over our conduct by the power of the Holy Spirit that He has gifted His children. For without Him we can do nothing just how a branch cannot bear its own fruit without being rooted to the ground (John 15:1-5)

Heavenly trends: (which I too strive prayerfully with Him by my side, to let the gracious Lord lead me into perfection with each passing day):

1. Humbling ourselves in a world where majority of people take pride in their own “achievements”/knowledge/theories or doctrine/even creativity that are empty in the eyes of God at the first place without His inclusion (with regards to salvation,eternal life and godliness) - James 4:10

It is the love of Christ alone that can humble us to see our death on the cross in His crucifixion so that the life we live thereafter is the resurrected life of Christ that He imparts us through His Holy Spirit upon believing in Him and receiving Him. It is the grace of God that can humble us to acknowledge that we are sinners and we need forgiveness. We need salvation until which we are in bondage.

Without humility, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. (Romans 3:23|1 John 3:23). 

1. Trusting and obeying God above anyone else, including our own selves. The world, our pride, often self-conceit and ego has put us into this habit of conditioning our mind with something that our thoughts naturally agree with as the “truth for us” without knowing the absolute Truth and then trying to defend it, live by it or sometimes even justify it. - Proverbs 3:5-6. We hear more of “self confidence”, “believe in yourself” in the world we live in. However the narrow gate of heaven opens and continues ONLY with what I call “Godfidence” (We are called to enter the narrow gate and not make our own or even open the gate. Jesus is the door and His Himself is the Way walking us through the narrow gate:( John 10:9-10|Matthew 7:13-14)
2. Being Holy! - I never knew what holiness was in the eyes of the Lord, until I saw myself at the feet of the cross, received forgiveness of sins as the Holy Spirit convicted me, embraced the incomprehensible love of Christ and received His anointing of the Holy Spirit as His everlasting Gift! (I do not want to get into the worldview of holiness as it bears no similarity to the standard of God Who is absolutely Holy)- 1 Peter 1:16
3. Decreasing ourselves to increase Christ in our life - John 3:30. We mostly hear people saying they are “truly humbled” when what they are actually doing is “self-glorifying” themselves while talking about their accolades.. And for what? As Paul pens down by the Spirit of God, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21|1 Corinthians 10:31)
4. Living a Christ-centred life (Christ- taking preeminence over and above everything else)- We see this world is giving shout-outs to “living life of your dreams”, “being able to do what one wants”,so basically fulfilling the desires of their “heart” even if it drifts one away from knowing the Truth no matter how “noble” the desires may seem to be(the world would not “sense” it until they receive the absolute Truth)- John 14:6. The Lord has promised to make our joy full (John 15:5) and put an end to all our hunger and thirst because He alone fills our emptiness as our ALL in all (Jeremiah 29:11|John 6:35|John 7:37)
5. Patient endurance - This trend is almost outdated and old-fashioned, and often looked down upon. The voice of this world mostly tells us to “stand up for ourselves”, “women’s rights”, these rights, that rights, have your “own” voice to sum it all. What is this “own” voice? That which takes us away from the voice of God. Those who have experienced the power of the Lord, the Creator of this universe, know how to fight their toughest battles on their knees, so that we let go and let God, the Mighty Warrior - this pertains to our spiritual battles mostly) - 1 Peter 2:20-23
6. Becoming a fool for the sake of Christ - None would know that the fullness of our emptiness in our soul is sufficed when we become fools for the sake of Christ. The exemplary life of Paul, who penned down most of the epistles of the new testament shares his own testimony of considering suffering loss of all things that he “achieved” in his strength as rubbish to gaining the surpassing riches of knowing Christ and His kingdom. (Philippians 3:4-10). The only source of true and real wisdom is the gift of God to us in Christ Jesus our Lord - (1 Corinthians 1:26-31|Ecclesiastes 12:12-13)
7. “Hard Work” cannot “achieve” Salvation for us - It is because of our faith in the grace of God in Christ Jesus and in His  work of redemption that has been accomplished fully, once and for all on behalf of us on the cross that we are saved. Satan entered mankind through pride. It is pride and often rebelliousness that forbids unbelieving souls to accept the most blessed and gracious Gift of God in His Son - salvation of their soul, by grace and not by works. (Ephesians 2:8-10|Romans 3:23). Salvation is a complete infinite Gift, with the Gift of His eternal life as His Holy Spirit. Nothing more and nothing less. So no one may boast except in the Lord.
8. Real contentment comes from ONLY single source - The bread of life and the living waters - Lord Jesus Christ (John 6:35|John 7:37). Lord Jesus Christ IS the life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). We live in a world where flesh is captivated by acquiring more - more the better. That also includes our pursuit for the absolute Truth, finding the real purpose of life and filling of the void in our soul through human resources (intellectual void, emotional void or spiritual void) - the answer to all three is knowing and having a personal relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The more knowledge we acquire in the view of becoming more aware of the meaning of life or with the purpose of having a better insight or a broader perspective on the chief concerns of life(by increasing our knowledge and creating our own false and futile perspectives), the more it entangles us. All thoughts of men regarding salvation of our soul are futile and like “dead works” in the eyes of the Lord.  It is only the good news of the gospel that is essential|vital|necessary|suffices. Lord Jesus Christ sets us free and opens the door for us to commune with the only true and living God, the Creator of this universe as our eternal Father. (John 15:5. John 8:36).

      9.  Truth is a revelation of God in the face of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and not a creation of mankind: 

Truth - John 14:6|John 1:14|John 8:44|1 Corinthians 2:14

It is the Holy Spirit that reveals the absolute Truth and the eternal Life of the Lord in us - 1 John 2:27|John 14:16-19.

We cannot understand or “acquire” truth through human intellect or emotions or rather any dimension of our finite being.  We receive the Truth by the anointing of the Holy Spirit (that is the life of Christ Himself that has mind, emotions and will) only through faith - faith like that of a child that opens the heavenly gates of infinite life, absolute Truth, heavenly wisdom ,knowledge and everything pertaining to eternal life and godliness in us. (Matthew 18:4).

In this world, Satan has distorted the meaning of the Word Truth. In fact, people come up with terms like “real truth” and “real love” which ironically makes little sense because Truth is always real and Love is always true and real. They are inseparable. Also, no amount of human endeavour can enable us to “realise” the Absolute Truth and Eternal Life that are found in Christ Jesus alone. They can be realised and appropriated by the anointing of the Holy Spirit alone. Hence Truth and Love and heavenly riches that follow must be received by faith in the Son of God. They can neither be created nor discovered within us. 

      10.  Love of God like His Truth must be humbly received. It cannot be earned,created or duplicated.: Love, mercy, kindness, truth,salvation, eternal life and His wisdom and knowledge are all packed in One package- Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest Gift of God to all mankind without Whom we perish and enter into the judgement of the Lord.  

It is only once and for all sacrificial offering of His only begotten Son that suffices the need of the just and holy yet merciful and compassionate God to redeem us from all our sins and impart us with His own life (John 3:16|Romans 8:32). 

The world is full of counterfeits which the Lord had already warned to His disciples. But the Holy Spirit also imparts us with the spirit of discernment to know what is from the Lord and what is not. Just how each seed is known by its fruits, each spirit that does not acknowledge Christ as the Lord is not from God. (1 John 4:3)

        11. The Lord is a Lord of reconciliation - meaning He unites, He reconciles, despite ALL diversities we can possibly think of, in His Son Lord Jesus Christ:

(Galatians 3:28|2 Corinthians 5:18-21|1 Corinthians 12:13).

The world falsely manages to create a  so-called idea of “unity” amidst diversity by promoting the false idea of unity of various thoughts/philosophies/ideas/disciplines leading to the same Lord, trying to seek some commonalities or complying with each other in the name of “mutual respect”(and some do not even acknowledge the existence of a God!). Some just drift aimlessly, boxing in the air, sufficing their own temporal desires, without any real aim, goal or purpose, drifting them further away from the Truth in the process. 

       12. The only true voice within us is - the voice of the Holy Spirit, which is the gift of God, Who is but Spirit, to all Who believe and receive His Son as their personal Saviour and God; as long as we yield to His voice, obey His Word and prayerfully seek  the revelation of His will for us: 

The Only Teacher and Father and Saviour: Matthew 23:8-10|1 Peter 2:27|Jeremiah 31:33)

Until we come to the knowledge of the Truth, the world we live in diverts our minds and hearts and keeps us entangled to things like “inner voice”, intuition, instinct, inner self,imagination, often whimsical thoughts ,dreams and visions, all of them are empty and void of the Presence of the Lord Himself. 

In our daily walk with the Lord, the guidance of the Holy Spirit reveals to us numerous things which if I keep penning down would not fit in this page and will run short of time. 

       13. Speaking the Truth in love is the will of God(Ephesians 4:14-15) - the perishing world proclaims “doctrines” in the name of “truth” , never able to open the ears or eyes of the soul and never able to bring the soul from death to everlasting life, from darkness into His marvellous Light. (Colossians 1:12-14).

Ulterior motives and fear of being offended or rejected always takes precedence in matters that are worldly and not pertaining to the absolute Truth anyway for the majority.The same value system is carried through in seeking and proclaiming the absolute Truth. Also, the flesh in its natural state seeks to strengthen its ego by feeding on the lies that it already perceives as truth and staying entangled in it. It is only Jesus Christ Who breaks the chains of Satan, death and  darkness by His absolute Truth (John 14:6). 

Lord Jesus Christ had already warned of rejections and hardships for the children of God. The Word calls them blessed Who suffer for His name. (Matthew 5:10-12). As the Scripture tells us, “This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers,“A stone which the builders rejected,This became the chief cornerstone, 8 and,“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offence”;for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this they were also appointed.”- 1 Peter 2:7-8.

Yet, we MUST, continue to speak the truth in love so that His will is done - “Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”-Jude 1:22-23

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But the bottomline to all of the above is that there is only ONE solution to transit from worldliness to godliness, from the perishable to the imperishable and from that which is mortal to that Who is immortal - ABC

A, Accept our incapacity before the Lord because of our sinfulness that He shows us and acknowledge our need to be forgiven and our need to be redeemed by Him to first bring us to where He is - by washing and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. If we had no need of cleansing and redemption then the scriptures say ,”Christ died needlessly” which is contrary to the plan and purposes of the Lord which are never without a goal and meaning. 

B, Believe in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord by tasting His love and mercy which is beyond the comprehension of human intellect

C, Confess our sins and receive Him in our hearts by the anointing of the Holy Spirit and be born again as a child of God , according to His calling, His will and His doing in Christ Jesus. 

1 Timothy 2:3-4:This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

May the above trends that never go out of style in the heavenly realms enable you to know Jesus Christ personally as Lord and Saviour, and enable you to seek and abide in His love,guidance and protection. He alone is the source of all heavenly treasures, heavenly wisdom, knowledge and understanding, of eternal life and absolute Truth (John 14:6|Ephesians 1:14).

My earnest prayers for all who desire to seek and receive the Truth. Jesus Christ , the only True God loves you enough to die for you and set you free and bring you into the kingdom of His everlasting life. 

John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

May the grace and mercy of God be with you all. Amen :)

Those of us who have come to the knowledge of the absolute Truth through faith in His grace and provision will surely acknowledge that Love - is a verb and an act of God, for God IS love.

The perfect display of His  love for each of us can be seen on the cross -  where He went through the act of excruciatingly painful death so that through His death and resurrection, we may be brought to life, His life, the life everlasting. (1 John 3:18:“Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth” ).

We begin to love our Lord (and others through His love thereafter),  because He first loved/s us - "We love because He first loved us"- 1 John 4:19.

Abiding in the love of Christ is all we need as our Center to take charge of everything else - our thoughts, our emotions, our will, our decisions, our actions and our behaviour. The ultimate purpose of our being is to glorify Him alone,more and more, through us (1 Corinthians 10:31).

So what is the love of Christ? And why do we need His love as the vital essence of our being? - In a jist, life without Christ is like having an expensive car without fuel in it, or a perfectly healthy body with a malfunctioning heart/brain or a costly perfume that has lost its aroma or more realistically, a soul that is fed with all empty things that are dead but has no life in it. 

Love of Christ, IS the life giving Spirit. (So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.- 1 Corinthians 15:45) and 

There is no eternal life in us in the absence of His Holy Spirit dwelling in us (Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.- 1 John 5:12).

Here is an attempt to give a very limited biblical explanation of the love of Lord Jesus Christ,  from His living Word, which is  understood only by experiencing His love through faith: (as it surpasses understanding,i.e.- human intellect). - (Ephesians 3:16-19: that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.)

Love of Christ and “its” efficacy/power:

• 1 John 4:16:So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-13: Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
• 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 9 For we know in part and prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
• Romans 5:8-9:But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
• Philippians 2:5-8:Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but ]emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and ]being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.

What is our need for which the love of Christ is All-Sufficient?- Need is something that is crucial, vital and mandatory for our existence. 

(Acts 4:12- And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.

John 14:6-Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.)

• Our need to be saved: The beauty of the matchless love of Lord Jesus Christ is that His mercy and grace saves us from His righteous judgement. He has paid in full, nothing less and nothing more. He has said ,” It is Finished!”-John 19:30

Romans 3:23. Ephesians 2:8-9.

All our other needs are made full as a consequence of receiving Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord. Primarily:

1. Our need to be set free (Free from death, darkness, satan and spiritual blindness)- John 8:36
2. Our need to know the absolute Truth- John 8:32
3. Our need to fill the emptiness of our soul through the gift of His life-giving Holy Spirit: Psalm 23:5
4. Our need to synchronise the purpose of our life with that of our Creator - to glorify Him, to belong to Him and to reconcile to His eternal abode.:Ephesians 2:8-10|2:13
5. Our need to make our joy full (that does not leave us empty) - Psalm 16:11|John 15:11.

Conclusion: Until we choose by faith to receive forgiveness of our sins, believe in our heart that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, He is the only begotten Son of the true and living God and that He was raised from the dead, we cannot be saved. Until then, the closest we can come to may be meandering around the different facets of the partial truth or common “truths” without actually receiving the same and letting Him be the anchor of our soul instead. 

Concluding verses:

• Hebrews 6:19:This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil
• 1 Corinthians 10:8-10: But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
• 2 Corinthians 6:2:for He says,“At a favorable time I listened to you,
  And on a day of salvation I helped you.”Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”—
• Isaiah 55:1-2:“You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;And you who have no money come, buy and eat.Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,And your wages for what does not satisfy?Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,And delight yourself in abundance.

On the face value, we are reminded that the word of the cross to unbelieving souls will appear as foolishness(1 Corinthians 1:18) , but it will render the power of God unto those who are being saved. It is the living word of God that “puts” the Word (1 Peter 1:23-25)  that became flesh (John 1:14) into our being as His Holy Spirit, that is His eternal life to dwell in us forever. (John 14:16-17).

Basically, the image verse is one of the foundational words of the gospel that summarises the purpose for which Lord Jesus Christ came on the earth - to display and accomplish  the efficacy of His redemptive work on the cross for each of us so that through His death, we may live, we Who believe in His name and receive Him through faith as our Lord and Saviour personally. While the world on the “broad highway”, thoughtlessly celebrates just the birth of our Lord (emotionally without any spiritual experience), few of the Lord’s remnant ones in His narrow path have tasted His kindness by being partaker of “His flesh and blood” through His death on the cross followed through with His subsequent resurrection. The latter ones celebrate the spirit of Christmas every single day if we choose to live in the power of the Holy Spirit fearfully, prayerfully, mindfully and through His grace that never satiates, 

So technically, honouring the birth of our Lord would never give us the taste of the living bread of life (John 6:35) until we believe in His death for the forgiveness of all of our sins and place our faith in His resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit for our justification and rendering us righteous before the Lord. The complete “recipe” of the living bread of life, that is the eternal life, is hence believing in the purpose of His manifestation in the flesh, in His death, in His resurrection and in the undeniable living hope of His second coming. 

Clearly, Lord Jesus tells each of us of our voidness and emptiness without the eternal life to reconcile us to the Lord without partaking of His flesh and blood for our redemption: “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.” - John 6:53

We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Salvation is a free gift of God which cannot be wrought by works or realised through any practices. (Ephesians 2:8). Good works that follow through our salvation only manifest the fruits of the Spirit with which we are anointed through faith, as a pledge of our heavenly inheritance. 

Below verses may enable us to understand better and connect well with the enduring power, everlasting nature and unchangeableness of the living word of God: the Word that saves, Word that became flesh. Word that is sown in the “soil” (hearts) who believe and receive Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Word that is the bread of life. 

1)  And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14

2) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life.- John 6:63

3) for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.- Romans 14:17

4) That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’- John 3:6-7

5) for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.- 1 Peter 1:23

6) Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.- John 6:35

7) But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”- Matthew 4:4

8) Why do you spend money for what is not bread,And your wages for what does not satisfy?Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,And delight yourself in abundance.- Isaiah 55:2

9)Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was raised because of our justification.- Romans 4:23-25

10) And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood.”- Luke 22:19-20

So we see how the flesh and blood of Lord Jesus Christ is real food and real drink for our soul, bringing us from death into His life by the gift of His Holy Spirit. 

"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and thatyour joy may be made full."- John 15:11

"Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going  to take  your joy away from you."- John 16:22 .this is the joy of the Holy Spirit that He had promised His Father would send in His name once He goes back to His Father, our Father, His God and our God. (John 20:17)

It is important to be prayerfully mindful at all times that Lord Jesus Christ is our “life-giving spirit” and we are called to walk in Him. We know we have His life because “He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son does not have the life” (1 John 5:12). We are called to grow and manifest the life of Christ that is gifted to us as His Holy Spirit in our daily walk.

In whatever situation the Lord calls us, we are called to glorify Him and serve Him. Lord Jesus Christ while on the earth gives first place to His heavenly Father over and above everybody else and everything else. He is grounded in the house of God regardless of where He is and with whomever He may be.

When we accepted Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord and received His Spirit in our heart through faith having reconciled to Him, we are born again. As we are born again (1 John 3:3), it is important to seek and follow through with our new identity in Christ Jesus. This is our new identity in Him:

1. New creation in Christ Jesus: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.”- 2 Corinthians 5:17
2. Children of God: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.”- John 1:12-14
3. Salt of the earth: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.”- Matthew 5:13
4. Light in the Lord:”You are the light of the world….Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”- Matthew 5:14-16
5. Ambassadors of Lord Jesus Christ:”Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”- 2 Corinthians 5:20

Our new identity in Him is spiritual. Our purpose is to know our Saviour and Lord more and more personally. As we nurture the inner man and abide in Him, He reveals to us more of His love, His life, His light, His grace, His wisdom, His strength,His nature (His glorious and infinite attributes in increasing proportions) and His mercy (His lovingkindness). 

The more we fill ourselves with Him, the more He reveals to us of Himself.”Jesus answered and said to him, “The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him……If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.”-John 14:21,23

Likewise, we are able to live in our new and permanent identity in Him as we choose to dwell in the place where we belong - that is in the heavenly abode. Heaven is not just the “hereafter” as we know, but our entry to everlasting life and heavenly abode begins the moment we are born again. This is where we belong as believers:

1. “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”- Colossians 3:1
2. “See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him.”- 1 John 3:1
3. “ Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love”- Ephesians 4:1-2
4. “ you also, as living stones, [j]are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light;10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy..”- 1 Peter 2:5,9

Lord Jesus Christ being perfect God and Man Himself, knew from where He came, to Whom He belonged and where He was going to go (back). He knew the purpose for which He was sent by His heavenly Father on the earth. He neither spoke nor did anything in His own initiative but only that which was directed to Him by His Father above and that which was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. 

That is why as the verses in the image above affirms, He continued to grow in the favour of God and men. As our heavenly Father watches over our lives as His beloved and blessed children, He desires for us to walk in the Spirit too, each day, everyday. Here are a few verses that came to my remembrance(many from the life of Lord Jesus Christ while He was on the earth) that may help us as children of God to grow in favour of God and men as far as it depends on us within the will of the Lord:

1) “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.””- John 14:7

2) “I and the Father are one.”- John 10:30

3)”For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. 50 I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”- John 12:40-50

4) “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”- John 6:38-39

5) “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.””- Matthew 12:50

6) “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.”- Romans 12:18

7)”Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you,leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”- Matthew 5:23-24

8)”He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to[sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”- 1 Peter 2:22-25

9) “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,”- 1 Peter 2:1-2

10) “1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly.”- 1 Corinthians 3:2.

It is the Word of God, living and true,  that is of nutritional value to our soul through the Holy Spirit sown in our being. It is infinite, wholesome and produces fruits of His righteousness more and more. There is no want or need for anything more when the Giver and the Source is the Lord Himself.

11) “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;- Ephesians 4:14

12) “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”- Ephesians 2:10. (Amen!). 

May the sweet and worthiest name of our Lord be glorified. 

In continuation to my previous blog, here are the thoughts to the question # 3 above.

Worldliness is that which defiles us as His children, and puts us into the danger of backsliding and setting “enmity” with our Lord, if we do not make ourselves prayerfully vigilant. Worldliness is any thought, desire, behaviour or curiosity that lures us away from the thoughts of our Saviour, dries out our desire for knowing Him more, compels us to behave that is contrary to the Word and will of God and causes us to chase knowledge that deviates us from the absolute Truth found in Christ alone. (John 14:6). Worldliness puts water on our Spirit within that is meant to set our being on fire for worship and prayer and ignites hunger in our heart to feed on our spiritual food, that is the Word of God.Worldliness is one of the three main opposing forces to the growth of the Holy Spirit within, the other two being our flesh and satan obviously.  

It is the utmost will, desire and pleasure of our heavenly Father to not only make us holy, but keep us sanctified and preserve us in Him as His blessed children. Lord Jesus Christ walked amidst the world without letting the world inside of Him. He pulled us out of this miry clay of the world and set our feet on the everlasting rock, that is Jesus Christ Himself so that we may stand on His ground and not be swayed, entangled and sinked into the deceitful schemes of satan,into the weakness of the flesh and in the passing pleasures of this perishing world. 

The closer our walk with the Lord in the Spirit through prayer, abiding in His Word and listening to the softest whispers of the Holy Spirit and acting on it immediately, the better we are able to discern and identify tints of worldliness even if they come to us in disguise of innocence, “truth” or “godliness” for us to be ok with to accept or embrace. We must be aware and know that the best parameter for us is the Word of God. It is the Word of God that has set us free and also keeps us free in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;the living Word of God Who came in the flesh and was taken up in glory. 

Lord Jesus Christ dealt mercifully with sinners like us, but Himself was without sin.  I am constantly reminded of Romans 5:8 …”but God demonstrates His own love toward us , in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”. Lord Jesus Christ died to set us free from our slavery to sin, satan and this world. Galatians 5:13 reminds us that we have been called to freedom, not to turn our freedom into an opportunity for the flesh , but we are called through love to serve one another. 

Let me share with you a few of my personal experiences that the Lord has recalled to me from several past instances over a span of few years through which the Lord has not only strengthened me, matured me, disciplined me through, but most importantly has delivered me from several pitfalls while being with me so faithfully as long as I continued to seek Him diligently:

Here are a few “checkpoints” to assess from time to time to prevent the entry of worldliness in the gifted “godliness” to us from our Lord and Saviour in the Spirit:

1. We forget who we are in Christ Jesus: We often take our calling lightly or take our precious Gift for granted and begin to live like worldly people, the way we were before having come to know the Lord personally. 

We have a treasure in our vessels of “clay” that we are called to preserve and manifest in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not a burden, but a privilege, an honour and a responsibility. 

• 1 Peter 2:9- “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light;”
• 2 Corinthians 5:20-21- “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
• It takes patience to tread our Lord’s narrow path even if we are blessed with suffering for His Name’s sake, blessed and not otherwise. Here is why: 

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”- 2 Peter 3:9

2. We display sheer laziness/casual living/carelessness in our walk in the Spirit and often begin to walk in the flesh(our love for our Saviour is taken for granted with practice of poor spiritual exercises): The flesh yields to the world and is opposed to the Spirit at all times. 

• Galatians 5:16- “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh”

3. We sometimes get “infected” by this disease of “pleasing people” over and above pleasing our good Lord which sometimes do not synchronise.- This disease is triggered because of lack of spiritual immunity to combat the “virus” in the name of fear. Fear of exclusion, fear of being rejected or humiliated and fear of loneliness or being left out. So we compromise the Truth! Truth that saved us. Truth that sustains us. Truth that endures forever! Truth that unchangeably loves us and is faithful to us. Truth Whose name is Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of all that we see and the living Word that became flesh and walked amidst us.

If our soul had two feet, it is impossible to keep one on the everlasting rock, that is Lord Jesus Christ  and another in the sinking sand of this world. Imagine the line between the world and the holy ground of the Lord to be a fence. Not only it is very uncomfortable to sit on the fence for long with both legs hanging on either side, but it is impossible to thrive that way. 

• Matthew 11:6- “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.””
• John 15:8- “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
• 1 Samuel 15:24- “Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.”
• John 15:21-”They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.”

4.We forget our discipleship to our Saviour as a soldier:

We sometimes let our “guards” down and begin to imbibe other things along with the Truth, thus defiling and diminishing the power,beauty and efficacy of the same.For example, seemingly “true” philosophies of this world that undeniably depend on the power of the flesh in some way or the other takes us away from abiding in His Truth that He has gifted to us freely in His Son. There is a reason why every child of God is equipped with the armour of God by His heavenly Father! It is not on “paper” or for the closet, but is meant to be worn and used the moment we open our eyes in the morning up until we close them at night.

• 2 Timothy 2:4- “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.”
• Ephesians 6:13- “Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand”

5. We allow sin to flirt with our flesh not realising until it consumes us: The most common cause of this slack attitude is a prayerless life. We become less and less sensitive to sin until our heart becomes callous and begins to respond in a manner that grieves the Holy Spirit within. 

• Galatians 5:9 - “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.”
• 2 Corinthians 11:14- “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
• 1 Peter 5:8- “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

6. We take disciplining of the Lord Who is also our heavenly Father, with a wrong attitude: An attitude of rebellion, stubbornness, unbelief, pride and often fearlessness(which spiritually is born out of our foolishness)- 

• 1 Corinthians 1:25- “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
• Hebrews 10:31- “ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

The Lord disciplines Whom He loves (Hebrews 12:6- “For whom the Lord loves, He disciplines,  and He punishes every son whom He accepts).

So what is the solution? 

For those of us who have become “lukewarm” in our devotion to Christ - Repent and return to the Lord. Seek His face. Call on His name with a sincere heart. (1 John 1:5-10). Pray. 

For those who have not known the Lord Jesus Christ personally yet:

There is only one solution to overcoming the world. To believe and receive Him Who has loved us enough to overcome the world on our behalf. Through Him alone we are set free. We cannot see Him, without seeking forgiveness for our sins that He shows us at the feet of the cross and believing that He died for our sins and was raised to justify us and pour His life in us , into those who believe and receive Him. (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

• John 16:33 - “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
• Revelation 12:11-12 - “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.
• Jeremiah 29:12-14- “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will let Myself be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

Clearly, on the face value of these priceless verses, we would wonder why the Lord is against “friendship with the world” (James 4:4) for “He so loved the world”(John 3:16) in the first place!

A connecting verse between the two verses above would surely make sense to every child of God, that is, every believer. That verse is: “19 We love, because He first loved us.”- 1 John 4:19. Amen! 

“20 If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”- 1 John 4:20, in continuation with the previous verse. 

“We love, because He first loved us!”. This explains the beauty that lies between the apparent contradiction between verses John 3:16 and James 4:4. What 1 John 4:19 tells us is that those of us who have placed faith in Christ Jesus as our Lord and personal Saviour by believing in His name , in His redemptive work on the cross for us and through repentance have not only tasted the kindness of God first hand, received eternal forgiveness of sins but are made to permanently abide in His love through the Spirit that has been poured in our hearts as His gift.  His Presence within us thereafter, compels us to love God and worship Him with reverence and also love others through His love in us. The perfect manifestation of this love from the flesh , that is , love towards God and love towards His neighbour was made through Lord Jesus Christ while He was in the flesh until He was taken up in glory. 

As His children, we are made to walk through life in the Spirit within us so that we can grow and share this love of God that He has loved us with, with others and primarily with God Himself.(Matthew 22:37-40: The greatest commandments of all). Worship is the only thing that we can give to God which He has not first given to us. All other things that we give Him apart from worship is something which we have first received from Him. (1 Corinthians 10:31).

While I was churning on the above two image verses, three questions came up in my mind as I was self-examining the quality of my love towards God and towards other people.

First question was, how closely do I love God the way Jesus loved the Lord, that is His heavenly Father?. Since He has given us all that He is through the gift of His life, that is His Holy Spirit, we are left without any excuse.

Second question was, do I love others the way Jesus loves them?

If the answer to the above two questions brings clarity to us of where we stand, giving us the willingness and humility to allow the Lord to correct and shape us where needed, our intention is set right before the Lord. 

As we keep walking with the correct intent, it is very difficult to rebel against the Lord, resisting everything that the world offers that would set our course against the one that the Lord has already set for each of His children (Ephesians 2:8-10). 

However, the third question that still occurred to me was this: How do I or rather we as believers at times unknowingly fall into mingling with worldliness , that defiles us as His children and puts us into the danger of backsliding if we do not make ourselves prayerfully vigilant. 

While I was penning down the thoughts related to the above three questions, the content became pretty weighty for me to comprehend at a stretch. 

Hence, I will be continuing with answers to questions 1 and 2 along with this passage and shall God willingly continue to answer the third question in the next blog update. 

#1 The  first question was, how closely do I love God the way Jesus loved the Lord, that is His heavenly Father while He was in the flesh as cent percent God and cent per cent perfect Man of God?. 

The nature of the love of Lord Jesus Christ towards God and towards all obviously is experienced through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. However, as we meditate on the Scriptures prayerfully, we are able to understand the love of our Lord Jesus Christ towards His heavenly Father more and more.Here are the three things that the Lord recalled to me regarding the love of Christ towards the Lord God, His and our (who believe) heavenly Father. 

Number 1: Lord Jesus Christ always seeked the will of His heavenly Father prayerfully. He chose to abide in the will of His Lord God in each moment of His life. - He embraced each moment as allowed by the Lord for His good pleasure,for His glory and for accomplishing His supreme purpose always. Here are just a couple of many verses : 

•  Prayer to His heavenly Father a night before He knew His time to take up the wrath of the world on Himself had come:”Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”... He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink from it, Your will be done.”- Matthew 26:38-39,42

““My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him Who sent me and to finish His work.”- John 4:34

Number 2: He emptied Himself on the earth.He left heavenly glories and humbled Himself from being God and Creator Himself to having become a servant of God for you and me:”Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. 9 For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”- Philippians 2:3-11

Number 3: His love for His Father and Lord was always filled with reverence for Who the Lord always is: as He chose to spend long hours of time with His Father in prayer alone, not because He needed anything, not because He was in need of spiritual strength, but just out of reverence.

We too, as we find delight in worshipping our Lord, heavenly Father in truth and in Spirit, He reveals to us His attributes that are so absolute, mighty, unfathomable and constant that it humbles us with reverence towards Him making us realise how blessed we are to surrender our being, our life to Him, to serve Him, obey Him and to seek His will. 

He reveals to us gradually in increased proportion His sovereignty over the universe and over our lives, His holiness, His faithfulness, His justice, His Omniscience, His righteousness, His mercy, His compassion, His Truth, His patience towards us, His goodness at all times, His comfort, and much more…

He is the Lord who is true, He is living, the ONLY true God, who cannot lie(Number 23:19) and Who is good at all times. (Psalm 34:8|Psalm 145:8-10). He is worthy of all the glory, honour and praise and thanksgiving!

As we examine our devotion and love for our Saviour and for our heavenly Father through Him in the light of the love of Christ for His heavenly Father, we are encouraged in the Spirit to grow our love and reverence for our Lord more and more in alignment with that of our Saviour with each passing day. 

#2 Second question was, do I love others the way Jesus/Heavenly Father loves them?

As children of God, having been qualified only by the grace and will of God, we are always on the receiving end of all good things that are given to us from above (James 1:17). And so, as the faithful stewards of the goodness of God overflowing in our being, we are chosen to conduct ourselves and love others the way Lord Jesus Christ would love. Not only in words, but in deeds and in truth (Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18)

Lord Jesus, primarily having come to do the will of God on the earth, preached the Kingdom of God. He is the only Lord Who came from above to take us to where He is,the very same moment we place our faith in Him and believe that He was raised from the dead.(Romans 10:8-10) As we receive His resurrected life, that is His Holy Spirit immediately, He begins to dwell in us, making us citizens of the Kingdom of God. 

Here is how Lord Jesus Christ continues to love us, the love which He “burdens” us with to share with others as it overflows in our being:

1. His love is an expression of deliverance of every soul from eternal wrath of God and reconciles each to Himself. Does our love express the same concern?: 

• “..save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.24 Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy,..”- Jude 1:23-24
• “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”- 2 Peter 3:92. 
• 2 The intent of His love as the Lord of our life:”This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us”- 1 John 3:23
• 3 The intent of His love as our Saviour: “The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”- John 1:29
• 4. The intent of His love as our heavenly Father (to know Him personally and have an everlasting relationship with the only true, living and loving God):
• “See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him.”- 1 John 3:1
• “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also ]believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first instalment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”- Ephesians 1:13
• 5. The intent of His love as our Shepherd, our Provider: Psalm 23:1-6
• 6. The intent of His love as our Companion, our Helper, our Comforter through the promise of the Holy Spirit: “ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever;”- John 14:16

As we set out prayerfully in this perishing world (of which we were once a part, lost and separate from fellowship with the Lord), walking in the Spirit, we can gauge in the light of the Lord prayerfully as He continues to speak with us, provided we listen and abide, the shortcomings of our love and surrender to His will and work in us to align us more and more into the likeness and stature of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the Spirit. 

Having pondered and meditated on the two above questions, the Lord has served me with yet another “delicious platter”, which I will be happy to serve in the next meal. That is, the Question number 3 that had occurred to me while I was  pondering through James 4:4 and John 3:16: I will conclude with this question as part 2 of this meditation: How do I or rather we as believers at times unknowingly fall into mingling with worldliness , that defiles us as His children and puts us into the danger of backsliding and setting “enmity” with our Lord, if we do not make ourselves prayerfully vigilant??

The Lord saves, He sustains, He provides, He strengthens, He protects and He blesses:

..particularly when we know that He does not allow the feet of His loved ones to slip?(Colossians 1:15-20 - “........-all things have been created through Him and for Him…He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead so that He Himself will come to have the first place in everything”.. Second, we know that in everything that He allows, He not only provides but is also Present - “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the Lord your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.””- Deuteronomy 31:6

Worship ( in spirit and in truth - John 4:24) and spiritual warfare is an ongoing, yet the most joyous and fulfilling part of the life of every believer. Victorious life in warfare is not possible without allowing the Lord to exalt us in Christ Jesus through worship. The only ground of “zero conflict” is the one which is being prepared by Lord Jesus Christ with His own hands (John 14:1-6). We either fight within us the “good fight of faith” or we keep struggling vainly on the shaky ground of sinking sand. (He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.-Psalm 40:2|”Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses”.- 1 Timothy 6:12). The Lord who is the Prince of Peace, keeps us and upholds us as our faithful Shepherd and Saviour, as  we choose to abide in Him. (Isaiah 9:6|John 14:27)

The Triune God is always at work in us to establish His magnificent works in and through our life. It is He Who deserves the honour,glory, praise, thanksgiving, obedience and surrender for Who He is, what He has done and what He continues to do in the life of each believer. If we want to let Him, then we must learn to walk with Him more and more: walk with God our heavenly Father, by dwelling in the shelter of the Most High;walk with Lord Jesus Christ, our loving Saviour by abiding in His love and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us,as a faithful soldier by obeying His commandments. 

We see in the book of Daniel the fervence with which He prays to the Lord in the most trying times resulting in honour and glory of the only One, true and living God. The same Lord dwells in us as the Holy Spirit post resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ so that when we pray through Him in His name as believers, people may be able to see, fear and trust in His name and most importantly receive Him to become Whole and saved from being perished. 

Let us partly look at the first element (Worshipping the Lord) of a believer’s life through two events of the life of Daniel as I happen to reach this inspiring  book of the Bible in my daily read. . He and His friends were rescued from the fiery furnace in the first event and he was safe in the ferocious lions' den in the second event. Daniel was thrown into the furnace with His friends because they refused to bow down to the golden image of the king. Daniel later on was thrown in the lion’s den because he continued to offer prayers to the Lord three times in a day even though a decree was sent to not offer prayers to anyone except to the king for thirty days. (Daniel chapters 3 and 6 respectively). 

In the first case, we see that although Daniel was thrown in the furnace with two of his friends, the king and his officials would see four walk through the fire not only safe but with no smell of smoke when taken out. We do know the fourth Person was the living Lord Jesus Christ Himself walking through the fire with them. In the second case, none of the ferocious lions in the den were able to do any harm to Daniel even though he was left there for the whole night. In both the cases, Daniel resorted to prayer, complete dependence on the sovereignty of his Lord, and resorted to being faithful to God and His Word. Although the Lord encourages us to honour the authority, the governing authority or any authority under which we are placed by the Lord, our compliance should never be at the cost of dishonouring our Lord and His Word. Daniel did just that. In the first case, the Lord walked with Him through the fire to rescue him and his friends  and in the second case, the Lord protected Him from any harm. So we see, as we choose to humble ourselves and express our dependence on the providence and protection of the only true and living God, Lord Jesus Christ, in worship and in prayer, we are exalted on His ground in truth and in spirit, where He reveals to us His Presence, His glory, His righteousness, His will and His beauty. As long as we abide in His will, He never puts our faith to shame and wroughts us through the fire or within the fire that He may allow to purify us, strengthen us, mature us, shape us and beautify us on His ground. The outcome is nothing but magnifying His Presence and His glory in and through our life more and more. So it is about Him. Always. 

The second inevitable element in a believer’s life is spiritual warfare. Worshipping the Lord prepares us to equip ourselves with His resources to overcome spiritual adversaries by the power of the Holy Spirit. We know that our battle is not with flesh and blood but with spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12). Worship prepares us for three states of our being which enables the Lord to work through us mightily. Those three states are: brokenness of our spirit, humbling ourselves with patience and longsuffering for the sake of the Lord and igniting the fire of the Holy Spirit within to put His flame to our thoughts, words and actions. 

Let me share three examples from the Bible of the above three states of our being that equips us better to be soldiers of our Lord Jesus Christ:

           1. Brokenness of our spirit - emanates the sweet aroma of Christ through us:

Ref: “....and a woman came with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the vial and poured the perfume over His head.”-Mark 14:3

This act of breaking the vial is a beautiful expression of offering all that we are and have to honour and magnify the Lord in us Who died and was raised for us on the third day to impart to us His life. It reminds me of the song that goes “... love so amazing so divine demands my soul, my life , my all..”

Also, this verse reminds me of Psalm 34:18 that says ,”The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”- saving us from going astray, saving us from our adversaries and saving us from our own weaknesses that take us away from the Lord at the first place. 

      2. Humbling ourselves for His Name’s sake- decreases us so that Christ is magnified through us. (He must increase, but I must decrease.- John 3:30)

Ref: “the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their cloaks on them; and He sat on the cloaks. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 Now the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord;Hosanna in the highest!”-Matthew 21:6-9”

So we see here how the Lord uses the colt to magnify His Presence. It is about Him and Him alone. This reminds me of this verse where we see how God chooses the lowly,poor and humble people in the eyes of the Lord to exalt Himself to shame the “wise” . 

..“but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no human may boast before God.-1 Corinthians 1:27-29”

“At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in Your sight.”- Matthew 11:25-26

      3. Igniting the fire of the Holy Spirit within - to be better equipped to overcome the inevitable spiritual adversaries 

Ref: “ Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and a fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.”- Judges 6:21

We know that Lord Jesus Christ is our everlasting rock. What adds fuel to the fire of the Holy Spirit is our prayer in spirit and in truth, our worship, fasting with prayer and obedience to His Word. 

So it is in the beautiful hour of worship that we are adorned with the armour of God by the Lord Himself : “Therefore, take up the full armour of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view,]be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,“- Ephesians 6:13-18

What is Parallel:

a.  Discipline in itself is not an act of feat unless the reason for allowing ourselves to be disciplined is substantial. - the answer is love. Agape love that compels us and that surpasses human understanding.(Ephesians 3:19| 1 John 4:19).

Similarly, disciplining my body for  play is out of my love for this game.

 Disciplining the body through spiritual perspective is also vital knowing that our body is nothing but a temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16) meant to be nourished and preserved to glorify Him. 

Ref:”And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”- Romans 5:3-5. 

b. The process may not be “joyful” but it surely does bear fruits of righteousness. 

Ref:” For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God's will and purpose”- Hebrews 12:11

c. Both are cleansing,nourishing and strengthening processes:

 Just how we need to  choose the right food and fitness regime, we cannot expect to get the best fitness and performance results by feeding on “pseudo” nutrition, synthetic or quick fix food. Synthetic food is dead and so are the results. They do not last very long especially without side-effects for the most part.

Same way only the Word of God imparts life. His Word is God-breathed and is a life-giving Spirit. 

Ref:  1. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”- 2 Timothy 3:16-17

       2.  “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,”- 1 Peter 2:1-2

      3. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”- Hebrews 4:12

d. Results are impossible without focus and practice:

Ref: 1. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also”.-James 2:26

         2. “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”- Hebrews 12:1-2

       3. “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 5Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.”- 2 Timothy 2:4-5

      4. “9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.Practice hospitality.”- Romans 12:9-13

e. Starving of mental,physical and emotional habits that bring “grief” to fitness and performance is essential. Same way, we starve the ego/our fleshly realms and surrender to the Holy Spirit that is poured in us so as not to bring grief to it:

Ref: 1. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”.- Ephesian 4:30

        2.  “ And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him.”- 1 John 2:27

          3. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”- John 14:16-17

          4. “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice,]acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”- Romans 12:1-2

f.  I cannot perform on court without the confidence and courage that comes with disciplining. Same way spiritual disciplining empowers our being with the Holy Spirit to stand on His ground with boldness and  fearlessness but without being reckless or disrespectful. 

Ref:       1. “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.”- Ephesians 3:12

      2. “ but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in sleeplessness, in hunger, 6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8 by glory and dishonour, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; 9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.”- 2 Corinthians 6:4-1

g. Both processes produce better results when done in the correct fellowship.There is no fellowship unless the headship belongs to Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual disciplining is negligible without fellowship:       

Ref: 1. ““As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”.”- Proverbs 27:17

      2. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.But pity anyone who falls

    and has no one to help them up.”- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

       3. “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”- Ephesians 2:20-22

What is Strikingly Different between Spiritual and Bodily Disciplining:

a. Unlike bodily disciplining, spiritual disciplining decreases us, hence magnifying the Lord: 

Ref:        1. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”- John 3:30

b.  Spiritual disciplining is of eternal value unlike bodily disciplining:

Ref:       1.”for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”- 1 Timothy 4:8

    2. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

c. Spiritual disciplining is impossible without receiving the Holy Spirit, that is the life of God. Just how bodily disciplining begins with conceiving the body,after which it is nourished and then disciplined as it grows,  spiritual disciplining begins after receiving the life of Christ that is the Holy Spirit as His gift. 

We are all born “spiritually dead” because of our sinfulness in the flesh. It is Christ Who imparts us with His resurrected Life as His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, reconcile with Him and begin to walk with Him, as the true and living God. 

Ref: 1. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”- Romans 3:23

          2. “And you were dead in your offenses and sins,2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience…But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead [i]in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”- Ephesians 2:1-2,4-7

     3 .“for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”- 1 Peter 1:23

         4. “Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.”- John 3:3,6-7

          5. “because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”- 1 Peter 1:16

The verse below summarises the story:

“Do not quench the Spirit, 20 do not utterly reject prophecies, 21 but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good,”- 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21

I gave myself liberty to share a real-life extraordinary story of an ordinary girl. Just because it is worth it. Just because I can empathise with her at times. Just because no further explanation is needed. Just because it is very encouraging and inspiring for those of us who love God and want to continue to walk according to His purpose. 

So the above verse came to my remembrance after reading her story today from this book “Living above the average” by William MacDonald, Pg. 32-34

***

“Chapter 11: My Captain:

A public school teacher in Melrose,Massachusetts,had assigned her pupils to memorise “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley and recite in class. This poem is generally considered a classic of English literature and she thought that her students should be familiar with it.It inspires unthinking people by its spirit of power,independence and bravery.The title of the poem is the Latin for “Unconquered”.

Actually Invictus is thoroughly without faith. It questions the existence of God and scoffs at Him if He does exist. The author boasts of His own self-sufficiency. He needs no God to determine his fate or to tell him what to do< He defies the Almighty. Here is the poem:

Invictus:

Out of the night that covers me, 

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud;

Under the bludgeonings of chance,

My head is bloody but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years,

Finds, and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishment the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

Those words posed a problem for Edith Vail, a Christian girl in the class. To recite this poem publicly in class would be a denial of what she believed. It would be dishonouring to the One whom she acknowledged as her Master and Captain.

In fact, she felt that it would be blasphemy against her Lord and Saviour. 

There was only one thing to do. She went to the teacher and courteously explained her situation. She was neither combative nor disrespectful. The teacher tried to reason with her.She explained that Edith did not have to agree with the sentiments of the poem,but she should know it as a great piece of literature. It was useless. Edith had drawn a firm line. Her convictions were not negotiable. 

The teacher felt that here was a case of real insubordination. She reported Edith to the school administration, but it did not stop there. Someone reported it to the local papers, and soon it was a cause celebre (a famous statement). It was splashed on the front pages: a student who stubbornly refused to obey her teacher. Edith was compared to Jehovah’s Witnesses who refuse to pledge allegiance to the flag. She was obviously a member of a rebellious and possibly anti-American cult. 

Christians throughout the area prayed fervently for Edith. Then a believer came to her rescue with a brilliant suggestion. She told her that there is a Christian version of Henly’s poem by Dorothy Day. Perhaps the teacher would allow her to recite it in place of the offensive one. And that is what happened. Edith took the Christianized version and showed it to her teacher. Much to her surprise, the teacher agreed. 

Edith stood before the class and recited the following:

My Captain

Out of the light that dazzles me,

Bright as the sun from pole to pole,

I thank the God I know to be

For Christ, the Conqueror of my soul.

Since His the sway of circumstance

I would not wince or cry aloud.

Under that rule which men call chance

My head with joy is humbly bowed.

Beyond this place of sin and tears

That life with Him!And His the aid

That, ‘spite the menace of the years,

Keeps,and shall keep me unafraid.

I have no fear though strait the gate,

He cleared from punishment the scroll;

Christ is the Master of my fate,

Christ is the Captain of my soul.

God had made the wrath of man to praise Him. He had vindicated a courageous young believer who was willing to suffer verbal abuse for her loyalty to Christ. He had brought a great many people face to face with the inescapable Christ. 

It takes backbone to be true to Jesus when all the world seems to be against you. Edith Vail was one of those who had what it takes.”- 

(Living above the average” by William MacDonald, Pg. 32-34)

***

Actually believers like Edith bring the living word of God to life in and through His indwelling Presence prayerfully, fearfully, faithfully and obediently:

• “ I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”.-Philippians 4:13
• “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”- 1 John 4:4

We know that our Lord was not spared in facing and enduring the worst possible means of doubt,unbelief,rejection and ill treatment;but He came to do His Father’s will and to fulfil the Scriptures and so He did! The same life,that is, the everlasting life is brought to dwell in us for us to seek strength from Him, “the author of our salvation” to witness,stand, honour and glorify Him. He cannot increase without us decreasing. 

The Pharisees, being self conceited,doubtful and hypocrites themselves, accused Lord Jesus Christ of casting out demons through the ruler of demons.

“But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”25 And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he has become divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if by ]Beelzebul I cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”- Matthew 12:24-28

So we see that no one can confess Jesus as the Lord except through the Holy Spirit. 

*”Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”-1  Corinthians 12:3

Believers can fall into this sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit in a careless and self-indulgent behaviour. Thanks be to our merciful Lord Who relentlessly forgives from the throne of Grace, interceding for us by sitting on the right Hand of God. (1 John 1:5-10). As a child of God it is almost impossible to blaspheme the very life-giving Spirit which has brought us from darkness into His marvellous Light, from death into everlasting Life and from sinking sand to an everlasting rock!

We are rebuked by the Lord if our heart gets callous to sensitivity to sinfulness,careless about grieving the Holy Spirit that dwells within us and continually engages in habits that do not give Lord Jesus Christ the first place; whether habits of our thoughts, our heart or our will. 

Trials on the other hand are supposed to build us in Him, which is why we are called to rejoice in the trials that are allowed by the Lord in our life for our good. 

However, the book of lamentations was quite an eye-opener for me, teaching me not to take disciplining of the Lord lightly, else it gives way to His heavy rebuke in our life. 

Rebuke of the Lord is obviously painful and causes us to suffer. However, if we yield to His suffering, we allow Him to accomplish His work of restoring us, so we may resume our joy of salvation and are able to rejoice in the Lord again. There are either of the three things that our Lord God and heavenly Father desires to accomplish within us through His rebuke. They are:

1. Spiritual healing: Our Lord Jesus Christ is also our true and only Physician/Surgeon for our soul. No surgery is without pain or anticipation. However, it is only when a patient puts His faith in the ability of the physician that he can prepare himself to put himself under the skillful hands of the surgeon. Same way, it is only when we place our cent per cent faith in the sovereign hand of our good Lord is when we are able to bring ourselves under His “work station” and let Him treat us for our permanent healing and restoration. (“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”- Jeremiah 17:14). 

        2. Sculpting of our soul: Our true and living Lord is also the best and the only Sculptor or Potter of our soul. He has all the tools to remove everything from our life that profanes the shape of our being, tools to purify us of all defilements and to shape us more and more in the stature and nature of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Who dwells within us. In the process of sculpting, we are called to just stand still. It is in this stillness that we experience deliverance, cleansing and growth. (“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the Potter; we are all the work of your hand”- Isaiah 64:8)

       3. Restoration of our soul: The Lord cannot restore us without breaking us fully. It is only in the brokenness of our spirit, in our nothingness, in our weakness and in our humility that we are close to our Lord. It is repentance in our brokenness that enables the Lord to gather us together;only more established, more mature, more sanctified and more prepared to be His useful vessel. (“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”-Psalm 34:18)

Each step of the Lord’s rebuke, if yielded to, brings us to the next level of our spiritual journey with Him.Deliverance from the Hands of the Lord is permanent and irreversible. We are equipped more to be a useful vessel to the Lord (Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work”- 2 Timothy 2:21)

So even after being born again, having tasted the kindness of the Lord and having entered His Kingdom, we must beware of our lukewarm state and that of spiritual dryness that leads to backsliding. When we embrace the rebuke of the Lord, He exposes to us our “hidden” areas from where we need restoration and deliverance. (“For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.”- Hebrews 4:12-13)

So suffering as a result of the Lord’s rebuke upon us is something we ought to endure. Endurance leads to ignition of our love and reverence for our Lord, humbling us immediately. Rebelliousness before God is like trying to hold a burning piece of coal in our hand.(“All day long I opened my arms to rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes. “- Isaiah 65:2)

We must remember that our good Lord is always for us. He finds no joy in placing His heavy Hand upon us. His goal is our holiness. His thoughts towards us are always for our good. His innate nature is full of patience, long suffering and endurance towards us. His loving kindness, compassion and mercy knows no bounds. However, we can partake of His kindness only when we return to the Lord when He calls us. Rebuking makes our deaf ears sensitive to His calling and blind eyes sensitive to what He wants us to see. 

(“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”- Psalm 145:8-9

“and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”- 1 Chronicles 7:14)

It is vain to rebel against the all-knowing and righteous Lord against Whom nothing whatsoever can stand. 

These are some of the most comforting verses that bring me permanent solace. The state of our humility, repentance and breaking before the Lord as an expression of our faith and dependence on Him even when we are rebuked is the only fruitful way to comply with our heavenly and faithful Father:

* “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted”- Matthew 5:4

* “For His anger is but for a moment, His favour is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”- Psalm 30:5

* “For as high as the heavens are above the earth,So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.12 As far as the east is from the west,So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”-Psalm 103:11-12

..As apostle Paul continues in verse 18, he says, “For it is not who commends himself who is approved, but whom the Lord commends”. (His testimony before and after knowing the Lord being the perfect testimony of how Lord transforms Him from Saul to Paul and how he ends up penning down by the power of the Holy Spirit, most of the epistles of the new testament!). 

How true it is to acknowledge that Lord Jesus Christ (the Resurrection and the Life Himself)  is the source of absolute heavenly wisdom, heavenly riches and sovereign might, all three of which are insatiable for a believer to imbibe as joint heir of this inheritance  in its potential fullness in this lifetime. The greatest and the only meaningful journey on this earth begins and grows from the point we are born again (John 3:3) and are brought into the realms of His kingdom in truth and in Spirit upon accepting and receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord through faith and repentance. This journey has no expiry date. 

Boasting in our own accolades ceases the moment we receive Him. When we receive Lord Jesus Christ, we are putting our own accolades, accomplishments, “strength” and intellect at His feet having been convinced that they are nothing but rags to the Lord as long as godliness and salvation is concerned. Jesus Christ alone is the true source of the living water of life. (John 7:38-39). 

The more we begin to know our Lord, the more we are able to taste His patience,endurance and mercy upon us as an outcome of His lovingkindness. The more we know Him thus, the more we are humbled before such a just,righteous and holy Lord. We are brought face to face with the nature of our living God, Creator and Heavenly Father in the sweet hour of prayer. There is no denial in the fact that He is the only Judge before Whom no unrighteousness can prevail. If it were not His mercy that we who believed received, we would be far consumed beyond remedy in the Day of Judgement. It is His mercy that protects us from that which we deserve (His judgement) and it is His abundant grace that gives us that which we do not deserve (that is His eternal life to dwell in us as His Spirit)  no matter what we do in our own strength. Salvation is His gift bestowed on us as a result of His grace. It cannot be earned. Hence, we must stop striving. Stand still. And know Who He is,listen when He calls us from the cross, humble ourselves before His mighty Hand and thus respond willingly, faithfully and believe. 

Our walk in the Spirit after having received Him keeps us within the realms of this truth about Who our Lord is, how we are related to Him in each moment of our life as His beloved children and enables us to seek and abide in His will to bear His fruits and glorify Him. This brings delight to our Lord Who actually fills our hearts with joy, peace, life,light ,rest and contentment that we can never receive outside of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In the pursuit of worthless things outside of Christ, we must take care to preserve four treasures that we receive from Him  the moment we accept Him as our personal Saviour and Lord. Those four treasures are:

1. Hand of the Lord : We must continue to live in the experience of our Lord’s mighty Hand holding ours, thus keeping us from falling. (John 10:29)
2. Hedge of the Lord: This is our protection from all the spiritual forces of darkness that the Lord has given us; that is the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). We must never forget to put it on from the moment we wake up to the point we go to sleep. 
3. Helper from the Lord: That is the Holy Spirit. We are called to make every effort to not grieve the Holy Spirit poured in us as our companion and our Comforter. (Ephesians 4:30)
4. Hope in the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ is our living hope and it is our faith that upholds us in Him and actualises His irrevocable promises in our life. (Colossians 1:23)

So we see, outside of this, boasting in anything of personal value and in the strength of our flesh is vanity. 

Let me share few contextual verses for our better understanding:

* Ecceleciastes 2:11,16: “ So I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labour which I had exerted, and behold, all was futility and striving after wind, and there was no benefit under the sun.”;”For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, along with the fool, since in the coming days everything will soon be forgotten. And how the wise and the fool alike die!” (Penned down by the Spirit of God through the hands of King Solomon who was bestowed by the Lord with abundance of wisdom and knowledge, the most wise being on the face of the earth at that time according to the scriptures)

* 1 Kings 4:32-33: “He also told three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005. 33 He told of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he told also of animals, birds, crawling things, and fish.34 People came from all the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.” - Still he claims it all to be vanity of vanities

* Psalm 30:9- “What gain is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?”

* Mark 8:36 - “For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”

Know Jesus, Know Life. No Jesus, No Life :) (1 John 5:12)

He is the Only Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). 

Nothing more and nothing less. He is the Absolute. (Acts 4:12). We cannot have Him and the passing world. (It only leads to diluting, defiling and compromising the Truth and hence making it a lie by default.- 1 John 2:15-17)

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord”.

I thank the Lord for gathering strength in me to enable me again to articulate the treasures from His treasury after a long time(Ephesians 1:14). Although I have read through and also meditated on this verse before, this time the Lord gave me the opportunity to just stop at this verse. I could not move further until I spent enough time to digest His nutrition from this “million dollar” verse both for believers and hungry unbelievers. I paused, meditated, churned and regurgitated this verse to chew on it over and over until I could assimilate it all to my capacity at this stage. 

The Lord talks about four main aspects of the spiritual state of every believer before the Presence of the Lord that opens the gates of His grace like a flood within us. They are: Returning to the Lord, Resting in the Lord, Quieting in His Presence and Trust in the Lord. These four states of our being were also the same when we first heard the good news of the gospel and came to the knowledge of the truth by believing in and receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and personal Saviour. It is the Lord whose grace breaks us and compels us upon hearing His Word to return to Him, to find rest that is real in His Son, cease all our vain deeds and surrender all that we think we are to Him to receive all He is; that is His eternal life as His Holy Spirit. And He is enough!. So, Isaiah 30:15 to me is  also a few of  the most powerful verses of the good news of the gospel. 

Let us look into what the Lord desires for us to willingly give up in each of the above four aspects in this verse. 

Firstly,as we are called to return to the Lord, we are called to give up our own will. Our own will is always prone to sinning, getting entangled in the world, getting deceived by the lies of Satan and yielding to the weakness of the flesh. We are fueled to give up our will through repentance, breaking before the Lord and seeking His mercy to cleanse us through His precious blood and restore our fellowship with Him in His Light from Whom nothing can be hidden. 

Second, resting in the Lord is not possible without giving up our own vain activities. We are brought to the awareness of the truth that our Lord is a living Lord, a Helper in the very Present time of our each need. It is vanity of vanities (as King Solomon often repeats in his book of Eccelciastes) to rely on our own deeds to set ourselves free from the entanglement of our own sinful state. In the eyes of our Lord, our deeds are like nothing but “filthy garments”. There is no point in trying to “beautify” that which is already dead,dark and ugly. Deliverance from all of it is the work of the Lord! Salvation is His gift!The Lord calls us to “enter His rest” through His Son Jesus Christ Who calls us from the cross to repent and hence return to Him because He has fully accomplished the Word of our Salvation on the cross! 

Third, we are called to rest in His presence in the state of quietness. This quietness of our being is not possible without giving up our own thoughts. The more we behold Him, on His ground, as we return and rest in Him, the more we allow Him to reveal to us of Himself- through His Word as we open the ears of our heart to His Word. The more His thoughts magnify in us, the quieter our fleshly mind becomes. 

Fourth, we are called to trust in Him. This wholehearted trust in His being is made possible as we choose to give up who we are. As we surrender to Him, not because we have no other choice but because in His Presence, in the magnitude of His grace,mercy,love,sovereignty, faithfulness, omniscience,glory and absolute holiness, we are humbled automatically. We know that God is opposed to the proud but He gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6). In this state of humility before His Presence, we are empowered by His Holy Spirit to accomplish His will in everything that we are and do. 

Prayerful meditation of this verse is a great way to recharge our being before His Presence and prepare ourselves to align our day to fulfil His will in our life and bear fruits for Him, the very reason for which we are called by Him in the first place. This verse makes way to receive nourishment from all the other infinite Word of the Lord. 

Here are a few related verses and references that may help us to better connect with the essence of this verse:

* “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”- Romans 1:16 (In other words to all mankind, both the Jews and the Gentiles, biblically) 

* “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”- 2 Peter 3:9

* “I certainly believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.14 Wait for the Lord;Be strong and let your heart take courage;Yes, wait for the Lord.”- Psalm 27:13-14

* “For we walk by faith, not by sight”- 2 Corinthians 5:7

* “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance and victory belong to the LORD.”- Proverbs 21:31

* “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”- Isaiah 55:8-9

* “You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;And you who have no money come, buy and eat.Come, buy wine and milkWithout money and without cost.Why do you spend money for what is not bread,And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,And delight yourself in abundance.”- Isaiah 55:1-2

* “For all of us have become like one who is unclean,And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;And all of us wither like a leaf,And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.7 There is no one who calls on Your name,Who stirs himself to take hold of You;For You have hidden Your face from usAnd have surrendered us to the power of our wrongdoings.8 But now, Lord, You are our Father;We are the clay, and You our potter,And all of us are the work of Your hand.“- Isaiah 64:6-9

* “The Lord will fight for you, while you keep silent.”- Exodus 14:14

*  “ Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united with those who listened with faith.”- Hebrews 4:1-2

So we see, we all have gone astray, we all need to return to the Lord, enter His rest, silence our thoughts so we can hear Him after becoming His children through our only Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, surrender all that we are to Him through trust as He never puts our faith to shame and then see the salvation of the Lord daily - that is, His power working in and through us for His glory ! 

Here’s a new song I recently heard whose melody is in tune with the essence of this verse:

How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure, That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss, The Father turns His face away,

As wounds which mar the chosen One, Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon a cross, My sin upon His shoulders,

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice, Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there,Until it was accomplished,

His dying breath had brought me life, I know that “it is Finished”.

I will not boast in anything, No gifts, no power no wisdom,

But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer,

But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom.

Return to the Lord, Enter His rest, Quiet your thoughts and Trust in Him. 

The Lord God gives purpose to our daily labour, real joy to our pleasures and meaning to acquisition of knowledge. It is vanity and “striving after the wind without Him”. I personally believe that trying to make meaning outside of Him is emptiness, deceiving and drifts us further away from the true knowledge and awareness that are found in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour alone. 

The Book of Ecclesiastes is another ocean of insight like any other books of the bible. It holds a special place in my heart as the Lord progressively teaches me to see Christ in each of its chapters. The irony of this book is that although the words were penned down by the hands of King Solomon, who was bestowed with wisdom and discernment to rule his kingdom righteously by the Lord Himself, he deciphers all of his gain put together as “vanity of vanities”. We see how the only thing of permanent value and meaning that remains after filtering it all through the eyes of eternity that the Lord Himself “gives” His children is fear of the Lord and keeping His commandments. Both brought forth out of reverential trust in the Lord and love for the Lord in and through Christ Jesus. 

As children of God, this Word of Lord Jesus Christ truly humbles me, secures my feet on His ground and encourages me to abide in Him more and more : “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”- John 15:4-5

As our sense of belonging keeps rising in greater proportion from the worldly to the heavenly realms with progressive spiritual growth(Colossians 3:1-2), it continues to magnify His desire in our heart to glorify Him, decrease in our own strength and increase Him in deeds and in truth. 

In Christ Jesus, the vanity vanishes as He assures us to make our joy complete as we choose to yield to Him, abide in Him, obey Him, submit to His sovereign indwelling Presence and seek Him at all times. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”- John 15:11

He desires His children to live a joyful, contented,peaceful and purposeful life that cannot be found outside of Him. “Whoever has the Son has life, whoever who does not have the Son does not have the life”- 1 John 5:12. This life that He speaks about is the eternal life of the Lord revealed by the Holy Spirit in increasing proportion as we continue to nourish the seed that He has implanted in us through His Word. 

The book of Ecceleciastes talks about the life of Solomon in the first couple of chapters where we see Him labouring in the strength of His flesh and in the power of his intellect. He seeked to not only labour well in his strength but also acquire the tangible results of his striving. He managed to gain more wealth. He also “ventured” into various avenues to seek worldly pleasures and was “successful” in acquiring the same. He also added a tremendous amount of worldly knowledge and insight during the course of his life. Yet, he summarises all to be a failure and emptiness in his heart knowing that the end of all means is the same. 

This failure turns into bliss, sorrow into joy and emptiness into fullness as we allow our true and living God Jesus Christ to participate in our endeavours (not as an end to our means but vice versa), seek to please Him before all else in our act of doing and allow Him to teach us to apply knowledge in a way that glorifies Him. As we build our personal relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, stronger with each passing day, what He does is this:

He turns our mundane to meaningful by: 

1. Teaching us to care about heavenly treasures more than the earthly ones (Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”- Matthew 6:19.)
2. Making our joy complete as we diligently listen to Him and yield to His will(These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”- John 15:11)
3. Enabling us to offer all that we are and have in terms of our knowledge and abilities that He has bestowed upon us to use them to glorify Him, offer His grace to others and become more spiritually fruitful instead of just seeing tangible knowledge and talent bringing tangible results. (“as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.11 Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”- 1 Peter 4:10-11)

So here is why, as Paul says, we must too reverberate the same in our hearts, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord”- 1 Corinthians 1:31

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I have just begun to meditate yet again on words from one of my favourite books of the bible, the book of Proverbs which is the book of heavenly wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The interesting revelation in all the chapters is that the source of wisdom from above is through none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ even though the word “God” is not mentioned even a single time in the entire book! (“that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”.- Colossians 2:2-3|But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,)

Although wisdom from above which is pure, undefiled and full of mercy(James 3:17)  is received as a gift from above,which is “free” because Jesus has paid the price for us to offer us His Spirit that gives us the understanding (1 Peter 2:27), we cannot benefit from His wisdom if we do not have the desire to receive the same regardless of the cost it takes to allow the Lord to reveal the same to us. The more we digest His Word, the more we realise how apostle Paul pens down considering all his gains as “rubbish” in exchange for gaining “Christ”. (Phiippians 3:8)

When the Lord calls us, and places us safely in His ship of Salvation carrying us across the world, it is foolishness, harmful and destructive to try and balance ourselves by placing our other leg on one of the counterfeit ships of the world no matter how “good” it may seem (as it will never bring us home without Christ in it, holding the rudder). Only prayerful seeking of discernment gives us the grace, understanding and strength to flee and cling to our Anchor and Author of our Salvation, Lord Jesus Christ. 

As we know spiritual growth is an unending yet an exciting journey with the Lord, leading us, providing us and walking with us, being disciplined by the Lord is an  inevitable process He desires each one of His children to go through. 

The fruitfulness of our growth and effectiveness of His disciplining depends on our willingness to pay the price for the same. Here is a brief reminder of the “cost” it takes to acquire heavenly treasures that are way more precious than fine gold and silver. 

• Cost for maintenance of our sanctification and growth in His righteousness: discipline of the Lord, our heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:6)
• Cost of relishing the goodness of the Lord: acknowledgement of our sinfulness (Hebrews 4:16)
• Cost of receiving the grace of God: Humility of Spirit (James 4:6)
• Cost of allowing the Lord to daily cleanse us and reveal to us more of Himself: Obeying His Word (John 15:3)
• Cost of receiving and increasing in  the everlasting life of God: Faith in His Word and Being (2 Corinthians 3:18)
• Cost of acquiring more of His wisdom: Fear (“reverential trust”) of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10)
• Cost of rejoicing in the Lord: Repenting and mourning before the Lord as the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, seeking forgiveness(Matthew 5:4)
• Cost of allowing the Lord to satiate us with choicest of His meals (bread of life and living water through His Word) : Disposing our hunger and thirst before the Lord for His Word and His Presence (Matthew 5:6)
• Cost of seeking the absolute Truth: Giving up lies of this perishing world (John 8:44)
• Cost of walking in His Light: Confession of our sins (1 John 1:9)
• Cost of producing the sweet fruits of the Spirit: Allowing the Lord through faith to implant His seed, that is His Word in us. (1 Peter 1:23|Galatians 5:22-23)
• Cost of pleasing the Lord: Forsaking all that is displeasing in His sight(Ephesians 4:30)
• Cost of magnifying the Lord: Carrying our own cross that helps us to die to Self more and more (Matthew 10:38|John 3:30)
• Cost of learning from His Word: Acknowledging Christ as Lord, the living Word Who became flesh for us! (John 1:14|1 Thessalonians 2:13-14)
• Cost of being able to see Him: Repenting before the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)
• Cost of reconciling with the Lord: Seeking and receiving forgiveness for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
• Cost of seeking worldly blessings from the Lord: Allowing Him to take care of our spiritual needs first (Matthew 6:33)
• Cost of tasting the sweetness of His Word: Honouring His Word through faith in deeds and in truth (Psalm 119:103-105)
• Cost of belonging to Him: Believe in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ! (John 1:12-13|Acts 412)

So really, the cost it takes is actually what He makes of us in and through His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Doer, the Sculptor and the Potter and the Provider,  if only we have the willingness to yield to His will through all of our being. 

Psalm 121 is a beautiful Psalm that brings us “face to face” with the Creator of this beautiful universe and reminds us that the same Maker is the very Keeper of our soul, our Saviour in and through our Lord  Jesus Christ Who dwells in us as His Spirit from the moment we received Him personally as the indescribable Gift of salvation from God, our heavenly Father now for believers. 

All of His promises for the new covenant believers are amen in Christ Jesus. The Lord has promised that “He will never leave nor forsake us”, exhorted us to “never be afraid”, “uphold us with His righteous right Hand” ,always have “His eye upon us” and “carry our burdens because He cares for us”. These are just a few of the many assurances that He consistently gives to His people throughout the scriptures.

The only little but significant part we need to play to allow the Lord to keep a watch over us is to walk in His Light. It is only when we walk in His Light that He continues to enable us to see. As we taste His kindness through faith, it is only through faith out of love and humility of the spirit that we are able to obey Him by the power of His grace. He works on our behalf if we let Him. Some of the verses that I recalled pertaining to yielding to the Lord to allow Him to keep us in our daily life are:

*  “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”- 1 John 1:5-6

*” Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.”- John 15:4

* “16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh”- Galatians 5:16

* “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”- Ephesians 4:30

* “16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”- Ephesians 6:16

* Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”- James 4:6

* “No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”- 1 Corinthians 10:13

Psalm 121 describes the attributes of the mighty Lord to Whom we yield through faith for keeping our soul. He is the One who helps us in the very present time of need and help. That is, the Maker of heaven and the earth is our Helper Who is only one prayer away in the precious name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He is the One Who tirelessly works without “sleeping or slumbering”. He is the One Who delivers us from our weaknesses, defends us from all evil, protects us, guides us and enables us to walk steadfastly in Him. The doing is His. Yielding to Him is on us, yet not through our own strength and will but through His grace and power of the Holy Spirit. 

The outcome of our spiritual walk is beautiful. We find the joy in the Lord, peace in the Lord, rest in the Lord, purpose in the Lord and closeness with the Lord. As we allow Him to keep our soul on a daily basis, His works are manifested through us more and more to glorify Him through our lives. It is a beautiful “transaction” or way of living; rather the Only Way. 

Here is how the Lord appropriates His Works through us as we choose to yield to Him effortlessly in humility of faith, love and obedience: 

* And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”- 2 Corinthians 12:9

* “You are my hiding place; You keep me from trouble;You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;I will advise you with My eye upon you.”- Psalm 32:7-8

* “Although the Lord has given you bread of deprivation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher.21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”- Isaiah 30:20-21

*  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and his is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”- Ephesians 2:8-10

First of all, the Lord Himself places a new song in our heart as we believe and receive Him as our personal Saviour and Lord in our hearts. 

Second, offering sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving in truth and in spirit brings us on His ground where He is seated without any barrier in the presence of His holiness and glory. This is a gift of God as an outcome of His grace and mercy  and it cannot be earned. 

More importantly, declaring His mighty deeds for our soul not only humbles us but makes known to others the intent of the true and living Lord, the extent of His love and grace, the concern He has for rescuing our soul personally and the joy and peace He desires to bring to every individual soul by imparting His own life of abundance and absolute Truth is a privilege, responsibility and “task” for which the Lord Himself equips each of His children. 

Basically, as we choose to live our life and conduct ourselves in a way that magnifies our heavenly Father, we decrease our own selves so that others see Him and not us. It is important to manifest that the work of salvation is His doing. Lord Jesus Christ has performed the mighty work for us and it has been marvellous in our eyes. It is He who rescues, He delivers, He cleanses, He pours His abundant life as His Spirit in us, He continues to nourish us, sanctify us, discipline us, protect us, establish us and grow us into His fullness. It is ALL of Him that we praise so that the humble may see, fear, believe and trust in Him and be reconciled. 

Here is Who the Lord makes of us (and desires to make of all who listen to His calling and choose to belong to Him in His Son)  that compels us to make our lives an unstoppable offering of praise, thanksgiving, honour and worship to our living Lord as our Saviour and heavenly Father:

* “and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no human may boast before God.30 But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””- 1 Corinthians 1:28-31

* “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light;10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”- 1 Peter 2:9-10

* “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ;”- Philippians 3:20

* “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances”- Ezekiel 36:25-27

* “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”- 2 Corinthians 5:17

* “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.”- John 1:12-13

* “ knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ..for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”- 1 Peter 1:18-19,23

* “ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

* “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.”- Philippians 1:6

The point of the mighty work of Salvation of our soul in and through the redemptive work of Lord Jesus Christ is primarily to change our ground from:

1. Darkness to His Light (Colossians 1:13-14)
2.  Slavery to sin,death and Satan to being set free to being reconciled to the Lord (John 8:36)
3. Miry clay/sinking sand to the everlasting Rock (Psalm 40:2-3)
4. Ground of Law (where all fail-Old Covenant) to the Ground of His grace (New covenant)- (Ephesians 2:14-16)
5. Old wineskin to New wineskin (As new wine will tear apart the old wineskin..)(Matthew 9:17)
6. Old garments with a tear to New garment of His righteousness (Matthew 9:16)

The goal of His calling: The Lord calls us basically so that we may walk with Him humbly. He calls us to save us from our own sins which lead to death and eternal separation from the Lord. He calls us so we may know Him personally. We may belong to Him by entering into His rest. The only reason He convicts us of our sinfulness is to enable us to see His holiness, to bring us to where He is through His Work (offering forgiveness of all our sins and regeneration of our being through His Spirit) and enable us to enter His joy, life, light, peace and rest forever. 

The mighty Lord God desires for us to walk lightly and freely - which is possible only when we give our burdens to His Son Lord Jesus Christ and take His yoke upon us which is light, but gives rest to our soul. (Matthew 11:28-30)

“He has told you, mortal one, what is good;And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness,And to walk humbly with your God?”- Micah 6:8

Prayer through faith to the true and living God, as our personal Saviour strengthens us by the power of His Holy Spirit within us. Prayer draws us to live in His light. Prayer exposes all our vulnerabilities and the deepest parts of our lives and beings that are impossible to conceal from the light of the Lord. Prayer opens the avenue of our heart to humble before the Lord and allow His mercy and forgiveness to cleanse us. Prayer allows His love and righteousness to restore us. Prayer is the best place to let the Lord through the Holy Spirit alone convict us of all our fleshly weaknesses and iniquities so that He may enable us to realise that ”His power is perfected in our weakness” alone. It is in the sweet hour of prayer that we acknowledge that we need Lord Jesus Christ within us to enable us to overcome our weaknesses, temptations and tendencies to sin through His victorious Spirit. It is on His ground, He teaches us to be still, take refuge in Him and wait for Him to deliver us from our “enemies” that are too mighty for us to win over. Enemies of the spiritual realms. 

When Paul exhorts the believers  to “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, he literally means to pray like we breathe, effortlessly, yet consciously. 

Prayer keeps us from being deceived by the schemes of Satan. Prayerful attitude keeps our spiritual eyes and ears open to see and listen to the will of God through the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. Prayer ignites our understanding and spirit of discernment to choose that which is acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. 

Prayerful seeking of the countenance of the Lord and supplications in prayer  transform into joyful thanksgiving,praise, honour and worship to our mighty God and Saviour, as we are set free progressively more and more from our entanglements that keep us from standing firm on His ground. 

The more we allow the Lord to expose us to our weaknesses, the more we will run to Him to be girded by His strength. This transaction can only happen in the sweet hour of earnest prayer. As our oscillation gradually settles more on His ground, His love and sculpting Hand beautifies us more and more like His Son Jesus Christ Who dwells in us. What a faithful, patient,long-suffering, covenant-keeping, everlasting, unchangeable and loving God we have as our heavenly Father, merciful Saviour and compassionate Helper!

Here are a few related verses:

* “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,To behold the beauty of the Lord,And to meditate in His temple.”-Psalm 27:4

*  “But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit”.- 2 Corinthians 3:18

* “Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins;Let them not rule over me;Then I will be innocent,And I will be blameless of great wrongdoing.14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heartBe acceptable in Your sight,Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”- Psalm 19:13-14

* “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”- Romans 7:24-25

* “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.:- 1 John 4:4

* “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”- John 16:33

As I was reading through and meditating on the experience of King David from his musical and poetic book of Psalms from chapters 1 through 18, it struck me how the Lord in His foreknowledge and as our Creator is aware of our weakness and knows that without Him we are nothing but dust. “From dust we were created and to dust we shall return!”. However, this has never been the desire of the Lord to see us end up in Sheol since the conception of all mankind. 

As it is impossible for the just, holy and righteous Lord to deny Himself(“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself”- 2 Timothy 2:13), that is His holiness, justice and righteousness before which no man can “stand” without being redeemed, we are able to behold the unfathomable love of the Lord on the cross where we see that He desires to protect each of us from His wrath through the self-sacrificial offering of His own self for our justification. He imparts to us His righteousness in “exchange” for our sins and His life in “exchange” for our deadly state of being because of sin. Hence, we are protected from His judgement as we take refuge in Lord Jesus Christ Who not only instantly forgives, but saves us from our sins, that is our weakness by clothing us with His righteousness as we choose to yield to Him more and more. This marvellous exchange is a personal and individual “transaction” with the Lord facilitated by His only begotten Son and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as the ONLY Mediator. It is a personal response to His calling from the cross through His living Word. (“ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”- 1 Timothy 2:5-6)

As unbelievers, these psalms may speak with us and humble us to realise that no scheme of man can stand before the judgement of the Lord. No amount of righteousness that is man-made in the power of the flesh can ever please God. Each soul is in need of redemption and in need to be set free that only the Son can materialise in our soul. (“So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”- John 8:36)

As believers, these psalms besides humbling us serve as anchor for our soul through Lord Jesus Christ, encourage us to walk in His righteousness, impart joy to us as we begin to experience His blessings, strengthen us by His might as we are awakened to stand on His ground at all times and make us feel absolutely secure and protected in His Sovereign and glorious Presence. 

Victorious life over the worldly schemes, Satan and sinfulness due to weakness of the flesh can only be lived in and through the gift of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Victory belongs to Him, who has already defeated our greatest enemy, that is, Satan and brought us out from death and darkness into His marvellous Light! 

(“13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”- Colossians 1:13-14

“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”- Romans 7:24-25)

Sin is a storm for our soul. It is like if king David was trying to vainly defeat goliath, the giant in his own strength, which would have been impossible. However, he defeats Goliath in the mighty name and strength of the Lord. 

Becoming conscious of our inherent sinful nature is a blessed first step as the Holy Spirit convicts us when we bring ourselves at the feet of the cross. Acknowledging the need for our deliverance from the same is the next one. Accepting our incapacity to overcome in our own strength is when the grace of God begins in and through Lord Jesus Christ as we choose to see that the work of our redemption has already been accomplished on the cross for us - awaiting for us to believe, receive Him and claim our gift of salvation. 

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of Godhas been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”- Romans 3:19-24

The outcome of our faith as we humble before the Lord- “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. “- 1 Corinthians 1:27-30

We cannot see God without being sanctified - “Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”- Hebrews 12:14

When the Lord places us in the rock bottom of our life, it is only His Hand that is able to lift us up by the power of His grace as we choose to humble and look upon His glorious and beautiful face. It gives us a fresh reminder of our original state of being which was worse than being at the rock bottom - in miry clay that was taking us down like in sinking sand, helpless and inevitably in need of our Saviour to bring us out, cleanse us and anoint us with His eternal life.(Romans 3:23)

This is what happens to Job post his phase of murmuring, reasoning and complaining hopelessly. 

None of us who have tasted the kindness of the Lord for the very first time through repentance, breaking of our heart and receiving Christ as our Personal Saviour and Lord is ever able to forget our joy, peace, freedom and overflow of His abundant life that we experience on His ground. Reconciliation to the Lord through Jesus happens simultaneously along with our deliverance from clutches of Satan, eternal wrath of God and justification by death and resurrection of our Saviour. 

It is the joy of meeting our first love and the intent of the Lord for us  is to abide in His love diligently in the same manner of innocence, devotion and faith like that of a child. ( 1 Timothy 1:5- “ But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.”)

As we pilgrim in the perishable tents of our bodies, home and this world, we realise like Job that all of our tents are temporary, perishing, fading and cannot impart us with anything of eternal value outside of the gifted indwelling Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. The "anxious" waiting of being clothed with His righteousness, mortality being fully swallowed by immortality, putting on the body of our resurrection and finding delight in our daily renewal of His Spirit within us in our weakening bodies teaches us to look upon our living hope in whose safe Hands and control our life is set- this life and more importantly the life to come. 

In this Light, what do we learn from Job's insightful response to the Lord's proclamation of His dominion over all of His creation?

We simply learn to acknowledge the Lord's dominion not only over all Creation but over our life in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We learn to look unto ourselves in His Light as the Holy Spirit convicts us of our fleshly sinful nature from which we need deliverance as Lord Jesus calls us to reconcile unto Himself. Reconciliation is just the beginning of our wonderful walk with our Saviour. It is then that multiple times of our restoration with the Lord continues to grow us, mature us, cleanse us and prepare us to embrace all that is of eternal value more and more - eternal body, eternal home and heavenly realm. The outcome is progressive renewal of our being in His likeness and increased usefulness of our life for His glory, through the sacrificial offering of all that we are and have through faith to Him 

We learn to find delight in walking in His light which is not possible without confessing our sins on a daily basis, that is keep washing our feet before His Presence as we have already taken a "bath" through the cleansing by His precious blood. (John 13:10)

We learn that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord - that is, trusting Him reverentially. (“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”- Proverbs 9:10)

Here are some contextual verses which will help us to connect with our Saviour and Lord personally as we prayerfully continue to ask Lord for Him to enable us to see Him and be able to listen to Him directly (regardless of whether our soul is in need of restoration like Job or reconciliation in the first place):

* “6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,”- 1 Peter 5:6

* “14 And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,‘You shall keep on listening, but shall not understand;And you shall keep on looking, but shall not perceive;15 For the heart of this people has become dull,With their ears they scarcely hear,And they have closed their eyes,Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,Understand with their heart, and return,And I would heal them.’16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.”- Matthew 13:14-16

*  “ Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,‘A stone which the builders rejected,This has become the [b]chief cornerstone;This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?...And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”- Matthew 21:42,44

* “Therefore they said to Him, “What are we to do, so that we may accomplish the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”- John 6:28-29

* “And after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?.They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”- Acts 16:30-31

* “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He ]commanded us.”- 1 John 3:23

* “for He says,“At a favorable time I listened to you,And on a day of salvation I helped you.”Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”—“- 2 Corinthians 6:2

* “The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.”- Matthew 12:30, Luke 11:23

* “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”- Acts 3:19

* “But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ,9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead''- Philippians 3:7-14

* “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”- Matthew 6:19-21

Despite having read the book of Job several times, in my most recent meditation of the first 20 to 23 chapters of this book,  the Lord deepened my understanding of rejoicing in the Lord and holding onto His faithfulness in times when He allows suffering in our life for His Name’s sake. It is surprising how Job is looked onto as a righteous, God-fearing and humble believer,which is praiseworthy,  but his murmuring and complaining attitude towards the Sovereign and Omniscient Lord is not focused upon often.

As Job continues to relentlessly complain about all aspects of his situation, his condition, his losses, justice of God, uselessness of human counselling, lack of hope and solace from the Lord and prosperity of the wicked, I could not help but think of encouraging verses proclaimed by apostle Paul in the new testament in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Just like the pen of Paul, the book of  Job too has been penned down by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We are in no place to “analyse” and place one part of scripture “above” another. All was written for our nourishment and correction. We do know that the book of Job was the first book of the bible written, and it is the oldest. So, while Job was writing down his life experiences, not only the Comforter, that is the Holy Spirit had not been sent before the resurrection of Christ, but Laws were not inscribed until the time of Moses, as he met the Lord. 

Suffering for His Name’s sake silently brings us into the sweetest hour of prayer where we get closest to the unchanging sweetness of Christ, get to experience His sovereignty, His all sufficiency and His omniscience. The trials teach us to “walk by faith” and not “by sight”. We learn to proclaim His promises through faith that we are unable to “see”- that is His justice, faithfulness, mercy, providence, healing, restoration and renewal. 

The Lord has given us Life - eternal life, in His Son (John 3:16).  This life is a life of abundance,heavenly riches, joy, peace, hope, true Light (John 8:12,John 1:9) and real freedom (John 8:36). His Gift is irrespective of what He allows outside of us; which is also always for our spiritual good (Romans 8:28). 

Paul tells us that our Lord is a “God of all mercies and Father of all comforts” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). He has sent His Holy Spirit, our Comforter to live within us, just as He promised; sent to those who not only repent before His Presence but also receive Him as the true and living Lord and personal Saviour of their life within their hearts. 

On the other hand, Job’s murmuring at times reminded me of the complaining and thankless attitude of the Israelites post exodus from Egypt, even after witnessing and experiencing the mighty deliverance from slavery by the hand of God. Job’s rebellion teaches us the correct attitude towards our merciful Saviour in suffering - surrendering to His will and purpose for our life. Surrendering before God is not a sign of weakness but of greatest strength - Strength of God put to life. The Lord tells us to “humble before Him, and He will exalt us at the proper time” (James 4:10). We surrender before the One Whom we know personally - as our Creator, heavenly Father and our Saviour. He is in control. Always. Instead Job relied on his own erroneous reasoning just like any human reasoning that is limited to comprehend Lord’s unlimited thoughts and ways. Second, he expected solace and comfort from his three friends, ending up confusing him and making him even more miserable. Instead, our primary source of solace and comfort must always be our Lord and Saviour Who richly supplies us with His spirit of discernment besides supplying us with His peace in His refuge. 

Here are several verses I would like to share pertaining to seeking blessings of suffering, strength in trials, fulfilling God’s purpose through joyful surrender, enduring through seeming scarcity and finding true riches in poverty. All these good gifts are from above, neither created nor found outside of Christ. (James 1:17):

Encouragement from the pen of apostle Paul:

* “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”- 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

* “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.”- 2 Corinthians 6:10

* “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”- Philippians 1:21

* For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”- 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

* Even if the fig tree does not blossom,And there is no fruit on the vines,If the yield of the olive fails,And the fields produce no food,even if the flock disappears from the fold,And there are no cattle in the stalls,18 Yet I will triumph in the Lord,I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.19 The Lord God is my strength,And He has made my feet like deer’s feet,And has made me walk on my high places.”- Habakkuk 3:17-19

* “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever;”- John 14:16

* or we walk by faith, not by sight—2 Corinthians 5:7

*  For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf”- Philippians 1:29

* “I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”- Phlippians 4:12-13

* “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”- 1 Peter 3:17

* “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”- James 1:2-5

* “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God”- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

* “My confidence in you is great; my boasting in your behalf is great. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts on the outside, fears inside. 6 But God, who comforts the discouraged, comforted us by the arrival of Titus;” -2 Corinthians 7:4-6

* “ He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”- 1 Peter 2:22-25

* “Looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”- Hebrews 12:2-3

* “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.”- Philippians 1:6

*  “If the world hates you,]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.”- John 15:18

* “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”- Romans 8:18

* “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”- Romans 8:28

* “ And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”- Romans 5:3-5

So we see that suffering that He allows in the life of every believer is nothing but a blessed opportunity to fill ourselves with the abundance of His life through His Spirit enabling Him to  work out our salvation more and more perfectly. We must never forget that personal time of prayer, worship, meditating on His Word is crucial and sometimes more important than communal worship, prayer and word sharing. After all, the Lord always calls individuals and not groups unto Himself. We cannot have fellowship with fellow believers until we first allow the Lord to establish personal relationships with us through HIs Son. As members of the body of Christ or living stones of His temple, it is He Who places us perfectly as seems fit to Him in the body of Christ, that is the Church and it is He who first imparts His life to dwell in us before placing us as a living stone in the living temple of which Lord Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. 

So, rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice always! (Philippians 4:4)

As I was reading through the book of Esther, several verses caught my attention as it revealed to me how the Lord is faithful in fulfilling His promises in the lives of His people. Second, I learnt that there is not a single moment in the life of a believer that can be ever regretted if it is lived to please the Lord, our heavenly Father. Third, the Lord is able to use us for His glory and bless us spiritually as we diligently and consciously choose to yield to His will and seek strength from above, being strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit that He has poured in us. 

I will be sharing little and impactful incidents from this book of the bible that taught me deep spiritual lessons:

1) Esther was coronated as submissive and humble queen to fulfil a very specific God ordained purpose in the kingdom of King Ahaseurus; which was to rescue her people, the Jews, that is the people of God:

I learnt that if the Lord leads us to fulfil His work in our lives, He provides and we are never left devoid of His grace or resources. Queen Esther desired to wholeheartedly depend on the Lord’s provision alone to fulfil this matter and decided to approach King Ahaseurus without breaking any code of conduct. Although it was a life-threatening risk for her, she found courage to move forward through fasting and prayer along with her people - giving herself fully to the cause for which she was chosen to be the queen in the first place. 

“ For if you keep silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants also will fast in the same way. And then I will go in to the king, which is not in accordance with the law; and if I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him…..When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the courtyard, she obtained favour in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter.”- Esther 4:14-17,5:2.

Here we see a prototype of how grace of God surpasses His law when Esther intercedes for her people. Lord Jesus Christ fulfils the law perfectly, thus nullifying the same through His grace for us, as He intercedes for us so that we can approach God and be rescued from His wrath and be reconciled to Him. 

2) Over the course of events, as justice is rendered to the Jews through Queen Esther, they rejoice:

“For the Jews there was light, joy, jubilation, and honour. 17 In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree arrived, there was joy and jubilation for the Jews, a feast and a holiday….”- Esther 8:16-17

“The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches, honor, and life.”- Proverbs 22:4

“When a person’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,He causes even his enemies to make peace with him.”- Proverbs 16:7

3) Queen Esther chooses to cling to the Lord alone during the course of the entire task assigned to her regardless of all her challenges. Justice was rendered to her and her people as she chose to seek and abide in the Lord, Who alone has the ability to turn the table 180 degrees:

“So they hanged Haman on the wooden gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.”- Esther 7:10

“Let destruction come upon him when he is unaware, And let the net which he hid catch him; Let him fall into that very destruction.”- Psalm 35:8

“Though they intended evil against You And devised a plot, They will not succeed.”- Psalm 21:11

“No evil will happen to you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you, To protect you in all your ways.”- Psalm 91:10-11

4) Esther offers perfect hospitality to Haman (the one who had devised the nasty plot to kill all the Jews):

“And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow.”- Esther 5:12

“ Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”- Romans 12:19-21

5) Esther and her people cannot forget the day that the Lord turns their mourning into joy.This joy is the prototype of the everlasting joy of salvation that we enter into as Lord Jesus Christ turns our spiritual mournful state into everlasting joy, when we repent, seeking and receiving forgiveness of our sins and Him as our Lord and Personal Saviour. The joy is appropriated by the gift of His blessed indwelling Presence as a gift from God through His Holy Spirit:

“because on those days the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was turned for them from grief into joy, and from mourning into a holiday; that they were to make them days of feasting and rejoicing, and sending portions of food to one another, and gifts to the poor.”- Esther 9:22

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”- Matthew 5:4

“You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;You have untied my sackcloth and encircled me with joy,12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”- Psalm 30:11-12

6) The testimony of Esther’s righteous conduct is a result of her upbringing by her uncle, who raised her in the fear of God, to seek His will and honor Him always. His life was set as an example before her, for her to follow the trail and honor God. Just like Esther, we too cannot partake of His eternal life and the manifold grace of God unless we seek to know Him and receive Him personally, wholeheartedly through placing our faith in Lord Jesus Christ as our Personal Saviour:

“For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his entire nation.”- Esther 10:3

Mordecai Himself lived a life that was spiritually fruitful, seeking good of his people:

“For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit.44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”- Luke 6:43-45

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves;”- Philippians 2:3

So the book of Esther will serve  as  a timely powerhouse for any child of God who is aware that they are nothing but a worker of God, in His field, that is the world, to accomplish His work, which is not possible independent of His Presence, providence and grace, for He says in John 15:5 that “...for apart from Me, you can do nothing”... for He is the Vine and we His branches, as His children. 

As children of God, the Lord has warned us beforehand to always be on the alert. For every child of God, making sincere efforts to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, there are three main oppositions to his or her spiritual walk - the world, the flesh and Satan. All three are living realities. Satan knows and acknowledges God as Lord Jesus Christ even though He is a defeated enemy  and acts in opposition to the will and word of God always. He knows us as much as the Lord Himself looking out for every opportunity to devour us from our sincere and innocent devotion to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Our heavenly Father, Who is our greatest Provider continues to equip us with His resources so that we can stand with His might within us. (1 John 4:4- You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world). Regardless of the task that the Lord assigns us with, wherever we are placed, work to glorify Him at all times, work to edify the local church, that is the body of Christ through the spiritual gifts that He has bestowed to each of His children or works of restoration of fallen state of our own spiritual state or any part of the church for spiritual upliftment which was the case here in the book of Nehemiah. 

Hindrances, obstacles and deceitfulness in various junctures is inevitable. However, all the Lord desires of us is to continue to seek Him and stay awake. Pray without ceasing. Walk fearfully and humbly. Meditate on His living Word and act on it. Rejoice in His fulfilling Presence. Worship Him in spirit and in truth.  And most importantly know that if our faithful Lord guides, He provides us. Nothing can stop the Lord from accomplishing His perfect will in and through our lives. 

Here are a few relevant verses, quite a few, that the Lord brought to my remembrance for better understanding of being aware of and using His discernment and resources to walk steadfastly in His narrow path:

* But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night….Now when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.”- Nehemiah 4:9,15

* For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practise the very evil that I do not want.20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts.24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”- Romans 7:15-25

* "No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him."- 2 Timothy 2:4

* "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE BY THEIR CRAFTINESS”;"- 1 Corinthians 3:19

*  “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.”- 1 John 2:15-17 

The world in the book of the Bible is basically the perishing realms, visible and finite under the control of the ruler of this temporary world - Satan, the defeated enemy of God, defeated on the cross and to be bound on the final Day to eternal destruction. 

* “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice,]acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and ]acceptable and perfect.”- Romans 12:1-2

* “ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”- 1 Peter 5:8-10

* “Put on the full armour of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places…….And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”- Ephesians 6:11-12,17

* “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will advise you with My eye upon you.Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwisethey will not come near to you.”- Psalm 32:8-9

*  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”- Ephesians 2:8-10

When we thus continue to walk in the goodness of the greatness of our dear God and heavenly Father in and through His Son, we keep moving from overwhelming to abundance of His victorious life. 

Although we know that there is no end to the enduring and everlasting mercy of our gracious Lord and heavenly Father, we often take His attribute for granted, ending up losing our innocent fellowship with Him. We lose the experience of the joy of our salvation that we have received as a gift when we fall in sinfulness so often without prayerfully bringing ourselves in His holy Presence that the very act becomes callous to our heart. We also find our spiritual state of being dried and devoid of His life, thus removing the joy,peace and contentment away from us when we begin to give Lord Jesus a second place or no place at all in all areas of our life. When we begin to live in the power of our flesh again (the old way of our dead existence) in vanity and pride, we begin to set our mind on things below and lose the focus of our eyes and ears from above where Christ is seated. The less spiritually fruitful our lives begin to become, the more miserable we get. It is good to turn to the Lord as often as we can and it is good to “pray without ceasing” as His Word tells us so that it becomes an effortless part of our life like breathing. As Lord Jesus tells us “Abide in Me, and I in you”. Our Lord is a Lord of simplicity yet tremendous profoundness. 

Reconciliation to the Lord is His redemptive work through His Son which is irrevocable and irreversible. However, fellowship with the Lord is an outcome of putting our faith into work through His grace and spiritual exercise that keeps us “fit”. Knowing our weakness in the first place, we have a beautiful opportunity to restore our joy of fellowship with the Lord by exposing all of our vulnerabilities to Him and letting Him lift us. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit that exposes to us all that needs to be cleansed, realigned, put away with or rectified as we willingly choose to earnestly bring ourselves humbly before His Presence in the precious hour of our prayer. The Lord seeks honesty,faithfulness and obedience and nothing else. 

As we see here, the temple at Jerusalem was brought into ruins, was defiled, and the service to the true and living God was negated. Instead, a counterfeit, impersonal and dead “god” like”Baal” (like all the other gods of this world- man made) was worshipped that does nothing, sees nothing and hears nothing! Post-resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ, we are the temple of God. We need restoration as often as needed to make sure that just like any temple, our being and lives manifest the glory of God. 

The only way to restore our joyful and pure fellowship with the true and living Lord and our Saviour is disposing ourselves with a contrite and broken heart that alone can draw us near to Him and renew us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Brokenness before the throne of grace with Lord Jesus Christ as our everlasting Mediator and Intercessor is the greatest blessing of all. When we express our earnest desire to diligently seek Him and His will, to obey His Word by revering the same in our heart, confess our iniquities and our inability to overcome them in our own strength and offer our whole being for Him to use as His vessel, He is ready to forgive, to cleanse, and to restore us in no time. 

Experiencing our restoration with renewed peace,joy and life of the Lord abounding in us, is that which cannot be expressed. It always produces stronger resolve than before to diligently and steadfastly walk in His narrow lane, holding His hand, thus establishing us in Him more and more with each progressive restoration. 

Let me share with you just some of the several verses brought to my remembrance at the moment, that I find relevant to my experience of restoration with my Saviour, several times over the span of past 12 years of having accepted Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Saviour (Acts 4:12). And each time, my Lord keeps taking me forward and higher, no matter how hard I might have fallen. Healed and renewed, with no scars or wounds - this is the beauty of His restoration alone: 

*  Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need. - Hebrews 4:16

* The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,For His compassions never fail.23 They are new every morning;Great is Your faithfulness. - Lamentation 3:22-23

* A stone which the builders rejected,Has become the chief cornerstone.- Psalm 118:22

* Truly, truly I say to you that you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy!- John 16:20

* Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this  temple, and yet You will raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking about the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. - John 2:19-25

* The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.- Psalm 34:18

* For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus. - Philippians 1:6

*  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it.- 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

* Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?.- 1 Corinthians 3:16 

* If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.- 1 John 1:8-10

* Samuel said, “Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice,
And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. - 1 Samuel 15:22

* I have treasured Your word in my heart, So that I may not sin against You.- Psalm 119:11

The purpose of this section of my blog overall has mainly been to share my daily walk through the bible with the Lord,with believers for growth and nourishment and unbelievers to whom it may begin to benefit if they read with an open and hungry heart through faith, acknowledge and realise the primary need of their soul and how none but Christ can suffice the same . I am thankful that I have been able to do so, that is share my bit by His grace so far, as I prayerfully chose to begin my meditation on His Word from The Book of Genesis in January 2023 and hoping God willingly to walk all the way through The Book of Revelation progressively, again, by the end of this year. We know as children of God that the Word of God is not like the words of people. It is True, living, infinite, unchangeable, indestructible, efficacious, enduring, irrevocable, cleansing, sanctifying, empowering,transforming and concealed with the life of God in His eternal seed (1 Peter 1:23-25). We will not get enough of His God-breathed Word until our last breath and/or until we meet Him in His coming and see Him as He is. 

However, I was compelled to share my Day 1 at San Francisco, visiting my sister, where four effortless and timely encounters sweetly reminded me of prayerfully, mindfully and consciously walking in the light of the Lord, seeking Him, magnifying Him and fulfilling His will wherever we are and whatever we may be doing. 

Indeed, in the life of a truly born-again Christian, nothing is accidental but rather made intentional by the sovereign and omniscient Lord - may be unexpected, but embraced and yielded to by faith. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

So here are all the four encounters I will be sharing in the order in which I came across them on the very first day of my current visit:

First Pic: The one at the bottom says “Are you prepared to meet Jesus?”  (the green billboard).

This is the question each one needs to ask oneself and answer. The Lord desires none to perish but come to the knowledge of the Truth through repentance. (2 Peter 3:9). There is no absolute Truth outside of Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). When we choose to believe in Him and His redemptive work on our behalf personally, confessing our sins and acknowledging Him as our Lord, we are reconciled to the Lord that very moment.(2 Corinthians 5:17-21). It is then we are prepared to meet Lord Jesus Christ Who no longer will be coming in the flesh but in the fullness of His glory. 

Here are a few verses that came to my heart:

1) Ask, and it will be given to you;seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. : Matthew 7:7-8

2)“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”- Revelation 22:7

3)“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”- Matthew 24:36

4) for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— 2 Corinthians 6:2

Second Pic: “Genuine Christians Love their enemies” (the red and white billboard)

 This is nothing to boast about but humble ourselves even more knowing our worth with and without Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible to follow His Word, not only the above statement(also a biblical verse), without His indwelling Presence and enables only through the power of His grace working mightily through the Holy Spirit prayerfully and fearfully. 

Here are a few related verses:

1) “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life”.- Romans 5:10

2) “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you.”- Luke 27-28

Third Pic: “Learn more about the Bible” (on the visiting card)

The person who happened to give me this card on a crossroad also had a standee that said they were free bible classes. 

Learning more about the bible is first for my own self, then for the edification of the body of Christ, that is the church, having known that teaching His Word is His gift to me and third, giving out freely to others out of love, joy and care that which we have freely received from the Lord.

Sharing a few related verses below:

1) “Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path”.- Psalm 119:105

2) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”- 2 Timothy 3:16-117

3) “You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,And delight yourself in abundance.”Isaiah 55:1-2

4)”.....Freely you received, freely give.”- Matthew 10:8

Fourth Pic: “The Lord is with thee” - Luke 1:28 (inscribed on top of the dome shaped gate in the top pic)

The Lord is with you. The assured Presence of the true and living God wherever we are is that which makes all the difference. 

The Lord IS with us not because we have gained His favour through merit. The Lord walks with us not because we have managed to find Him. On the contrary, He is with us because we have allowed ourselves to be found by Him, reconcile to Him, belong to Him and thus know Him more and more only through His only begotten Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

He is with us when we choose to walk in His Light. He is with us when we open our heart to receive Him through faith so that He may dwell in us through the anointing of His Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16). This is the closest He can ever get and there is no other way or place to know Him and belong to Him personally. He is with us when our relationship with the Lord as our heavenly Father and our Saviour is enjoyed in the present moment till eternity as we choose to walk with Him as our good Shepherd. He is with us as His good Word is brought to life day by day progressively more deeply in us, leading to the revelation of His very nature, life,will and fulfilment of His promises.

Here are a few related verses:

1) Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.”- John 14:23

2) Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”- Matthew 1:23

3)  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”- Joshua 1:9

Strength,courage and fearlessness are attributes of the Holy Spirit that compels us out of reverential love and trust to listen to and obey our Lord as our heavenly Father. “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” - 2 Timothy 1:7.Our flesh seeks our self-gratification of our ego but the Holy Spirit given to us (new testament believers) desires to yield to His Word, surrender to His will and obey His voice, resulting in abounding of His glory and growing revelation of His Truth, that is, His life and His nature. 

The Holy Spirit, our Helper teaches us to continue to respond more and more spiritually over responding emotionally or intellectually. The  Spirit of God desires to take pre-eminent place over all three areas of our lives - our mind, our emotions and our will. 

It is easy to listen and yield to those whom we know personally, whom we love, whom we trust and who are faithful, in human terms. Same way, walking with God becomes our delight when we get to know Him personally through Jesus Christ as our Heavenly Father Who loves us, Whom we trust the most as our Sovereign Lord, our merciful Saviour, our faithful Shepherd and our omniscient and all-knowing God. He is unchangeable and He alone is eternal. He has poured His life in us as His Spirit so that we may first know Him, belong to Him and thus listen to Him. 

When we are called to be in His Presence as a gifted privilege, we are called with the responsibility and honour to serve Him wholeheartedly. Serve Him in everything we do and all that we are. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time”- 1 Peter 5:6. The more we yield to Him, the more we are filled with the entrance into the eternal life of God. 

“ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”- Galatians 5:16. This is the only way to walk closely with the Lord. Effortless, joyful, meaningful; but prayerful and precautious. Hence, wilful obedience to God is not by compulsion or force but by affection and strong desire to walk closely with our Lord. 

“For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”-Romans 8:5-9

The more we obey, the more He discloses Himself to us. “The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”- John 14:21.

“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him.”- Matthew 11:27. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”- 2 Peter 3:9.

So our Lord Who cannot lie (Numbers 23:19)  and Our God Who is impartial (Romans 2:11) in all He is, in His love, His provision and in His justice desires all to know Him, believe in His Son and belong to Him. “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.”- 1 John 3:23

So the conclusion of the beginning of our walk with the true and living God is to behold,believe,be ready to receive Him in our hearts and belong to Him. Salvation is a gift of God received through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is not an act of the flesh. Our works before knowing Him (in an attempt to please Him or seek Him) are like filthy garments to the Lord (in our ignorance). “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”- Isaiah 64:6. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”- Romans 3:23. Our true and living hope for our salvation and redemption is through the sacrificial offering and resurrection of His only begotten Son and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ alone, Who was, Who is and Who is to come. The way of Grace because there is no other Way. 

Here are a few verses brought to my heart regarding believing before knowing, faith before works and tasting His kindness first and firsthand, that enables us to see and understand:

• Taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! - Psalm 34:8
•  
• My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.- John 10:27-29
•  
• He has told you, mortal one, what is good;And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?- Micah 6:8
•  
• The steps of a man are established by the Lord,And He delights in his way.24 When he falls, he will not be hurled down,Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.- Psalm 37:23-24.
•  
• So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.- Romans 10:17
•  
• and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.-Matthew 18:3
•  
• Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness.- Genesis 15:6
•  
• and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no human may boast before God.30 But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption”- 1 Corinthians 1:28-30
•  

So as we choose to receive Him through faith first, He gives us His wisdom and righteousness to discern between good and evil, truth and lie, enabling us to be spiritual and not emotional and/or intellectual towards Him first and then in our outlook. (John 4:24)

King Solomon is one of my favourite persons from the old testament believers (although ideally there should not be any “favourites”),for all was penned down by the Holy Spirit for our correction and learning. King Solomon’s life and conduct is both inspiring and encouraging on the one hand and also gives us timely lessons from his downfall and drifting away from the Lord. 

It is always better to learn from the downfall of biblical heroes and turn to the Lord beforehand than experiencing it ourselves all over again and facing the consequences of the heavy Hand of the Lord Who rebukes,corrects,disciplines and yet upholds His people. “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”- 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

We observe and realise the two major reasons for the downfall of King Solomon. First, he became too comfortable with worldly riches,power and pleasures bestowed upon him by the Lord Himself so that the sensitivity of his heart towards sin,steadfast walk in the Lord,his blessed gift of discernment and obedience to the Lord started to diminish until his heart became callous to sin resulting in other sinful acts. Not only did he take wives for himself from the land of idol worshippers, but they turned his heart towards offering sacrifices to their idols as well! Clearly, this verse was apt in his life, “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands…. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them”- that is spiritually dead. Psalm 115:4,8. King Solomon probably penned down the book of Ecceleciastes after his downfall for he speaks about the vanity of vanities of everything that happens under the sun, that is in the perishing world. And here is what he concludes with: “But beyond this my son be warned:the writing of many books is endless,and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person…..”- Ecclesiastes 12:12-13.

In the context of our present times, we may not be directly worshipping idols or be involved with having set our hearts on other men or women as such, but anything that takes away the preeminent first place of our Lord from our life becomes our idol (in disguise). Here are a few relevant verses that can be meditated upon for our learning and awareness:

* We were created in Him as a new creation to worship the true and living God our Creator and not His creation! We are called to reconcile to Him and not His creation:

All creation glorifies the Lord, all that we see is meant to be praised and enjoyed in the light of His grandeur, but we are called to reconcile to the Creator. We cannot be reconciled to the creation whatsoever because the Lord is Spirit and it is the children of His spirit that can call upon Him as “Abba! Father” (Romans 8:15) as He reconciles us to Himself and not to His creation that is perishing.: “Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools.And instead of worshipping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshipped idols made to look like mere people, and birds, and animals and reptiles.”- Romans 1:22-23.

* Lord Jesus Christ is the source of all Wisdom from above. All we think,hear, perceive and receive must be gauged in the light of His Word and wisdom from above and not vice versa: “Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”;”- 1 Corinthians 3:18-19.

* Beware of Satan, the defeated enemy of our Lord, who is but a reality, awaiting to deceive us: “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”- 2 Corinthians 11:14. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”- 1 Peter 5:8

* Use of our tongue to impart His grace to others, else it leads to folly: 

“When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable, But one who restrains his lips is wise.”- Proverbs 10:19. “Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”- Ephesians 4:19.

*  Not to trade the fountain of living water for broken cisterns that do not hold water:

“For My people have committed two evils:

They have abandoned Me,

The fountain of living waters,

To carve out for themselves cisterns,

Broken cisterns

That do not hold water.”- Jeremiah 2:13.

“The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”- John 7:38

* Jesus alone is the life-giving Spirit. Beware of “thieves” in whom we have no hope:

“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”- John 10:9-10

* Truth can be added only on the foundation of the absolute Truth(John 14:6). We must take care and not defile it with any “true seeming” lies:

“I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.”- 1 John 2:21

So we see, King Solomon began greatly when he was blessed  by the Lord as he saw himself as just a little boy before His glorious Presence. We too begin as sinners saved by grace and walk humbly as His child qualified by His grace alone. As we grow in Him more, we can boast in Him alone as nothing is of ourselves. Let us take heed so we may not fall.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”- 1 Corinthians 10:12.

John 10:27-29..

The Lord is for us and not against. (Romans 8:31)

When Solomon encounters the Lord, although he knew that the Lord was fulfilling His faithful promise of continuing the reign from the throne of David, his father, through him, He sees himself as just “a little boy” bestowed with a massive responsibility on his shoulders. Do we humble ourselves before the Lord when we are on the receiving end of His grace? We know that the Lord is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. He also wants us to carry none of our burdens on our shoulders but handover to Him for He promises to give rest to our souls when we only carry His yoke on our shoulders which is light for He is humble and meek in spirit. (James 4:6-7. Matthew 11:28-30). The primary approach to receive anything from the Lord is truly humbling ourselves through wholehearted faith in the provision of His mercy and forgiveness of our sins that opens the gates of our soul for His Light in the first place enabled by the abundance of His grace. 

As we receive Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour after confessing with our mouth, as our Lord and believe Him to be the only begotten Son of the true and living God Who was raised from the dead, we are bestowed with the inheritance of all of the heavenly riches by our anointing with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom from above, is one of these several gifts that we are called to grow in prayerfully, asking faithfully from the Lord and abiding in it. Lord Jesus Christ in us, Himself becomes our Wisdom, our Righteousness and our Sanctification! (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). 

The Book of Proverbs in the Bible written through King Solomon for the most part is mainly about the wisdom of God, the wisdom from above. We know who have come to know Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the only source of true wisdom from above. His Word becomes living as we allow the Holy Spirit within to teach us, guide us, speak with us and apply the same in our life so that the Lord can reveal to us more and more of Himself, His will and His treasures. (“that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”- Colossians 2:2-3).  So the greater Gift of all Gifts is the Gift of God Himself, the Gift of salvation in His Son, the Gift of the Holy Spirit through Whom we receive Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts. 

So the conclusion behind seeking wisdom from above is seeking God first. We cannot seek God but can only allow Him to find us as He calls us personally from the cross to forgive us, sanctify us, justify us, anoint us , redeem us and reconcile us to Himself. When we are reconciled to Him, we become joint heirs of all the heavenly treasures through Jesus Christ Himself for He also says, “ All that is Mine is yours…”. (“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first instalment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”- Ephesians 1:13-14.

As we receive Lord Jesus Christ, we experience hunger for His Word like a new born baby yearning for his mother’s milk. The more we satiate with the same, the better we grow in the body of Christ, that is the church, where each part is bestowed with one or more spiritual gifts to edify each other for a stronger growth in the nature, stature,knowledge and truth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, His body. (“and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”- 1 Peter 2:2-3). 

Here are a few verses that the Lord brought to my remembrance about receiving the life of God and hence the wisdom of God:

* “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”- Proverbs 1:9. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.”- Hebrews 11:6

* “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”- James 1:17

* “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”- Matthew 25:29. “Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.”- 1 Corinthians 3:18

* “Train up a child in the way he should go,Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.”- Proverbs 22:6. The Way- John 14:6.

* “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”- James 1:5-6 . “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened….​​ So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”- Matthew 7:7-8,11.

* “ But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive study is ]wearying to the body.13 The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”- Ecclesiastes 12:12-13

* Wisdom under the Sun is all vanity(that is worldly wisdom) talked about by King Solomon too, who was bestowed with wisdom from God: “ For there is no [a]lasting remembrance of the wise, along with the fool, since in the coming days everything will soon be forgotten. And how the wise and the fool alike die! 17 So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was unhappy to me; because everything is futility and striving after the wind.”- Ecclesiastes 2:16-18. 

However Wisdom from above: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.”- James 3:17

* “But ]seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.”- Matthew 6:33. “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”- Romans 14:17

* “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.”- 1 John 2:15-17

So when we receive the Greater Gift, the abundant life, the eternal life of Lord Jesus Christ, His life-giving spirit, abounds like springs of living waters within us awaiting to refresh us with all that the Lord IS, has and desires to give us- that is more of Himself. All else follows through because the Lord becomes our Shepherd and heavenly Father and He cares for us like no other.

The Greater Gift:

* The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”- John 10:10

* “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”- John 3:16

* “The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”- John 7:38-39

* “So also it is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” The last Adam was a life-giving spirit.”- 1 Corinthians 15:45

God’s word tells us that fellowship between two people lasts when the Lord is in the centre of the fellowship.(“And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”- Ecclesiastes 4:12).  When God directed Samuel to choose David as the ruler of Israel and anoint him, David was chosen not because of his outward appearance that was short and ruddy, but because the Lord had examined his heart. He was not afraid to call the Lord as his God, the true and living One. Jonathan, the son of King Saul at that time had witnessed the defeat of the giant Goliath of the Philistine by David, not by his might but in the name of the Lord, by a sling shot of a mere stone. 

Jonathan loved David as his own self which is why when his father was devising evil schemes against David, Jonathan informs and guides David and protects him from danger, not once but many times over. “Now it came about, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that Jonathan committed himself to David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.”- 1 Samuel 18:1.In the first instance, Jonathan appeases the anger of Saul. “Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, David shall not be put to death.” 7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.”- 1 Samuel 19:6-7. 

Jonathan adored David out of their common reverence, love and faithfulness towards the Lord, so much so that he gave the most valuable thing he had, his royalty rights to David. “Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his military gear, including his sword, his bow, and his belt.”- 1 Samuel 18:3-4. 

Clearly, Jonathan’s faith in David was manifested in all that David did. He prospered because God was with him. “14 David was successful in all his ways, for the Lord was with him.”- 1 Samuel 18:14. 

Before they part, they make a beautiful covenant of friendship in the presence of the Lord. We see later that in His kindness, the Lord is able to enable David to show his kindness to Mephibosheth, the limping son of Jonathan, even after Jonathan’s death.

“ Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in safety, since we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’” So David set out and went on his way, while Jonathan went into the city.”- 1 Samuel 20:42.

We see David takes care of Mephibosheth for the sake of his friend Jonathan, just like his own son. “Then David said, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul, so that I could show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”- 2 Samuel 9:1. "Then David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will assuredly show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the and of your grandfather Saul; and you yourself shall eat at my table regularly.”- 2 Samuel 9:7

David displays his perfect godliness, the primary reason why Jonathan’s heart was knit with him when David forsakes himself from killing Saul,Jonathan’s father, even when he clearly gets an opportunity to do so. David’s primary reason for withholding himself from killing Saul, who had become his enemy at that time, was that Saul was the anointed one of the Lord. “So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the LORD that I would do this thing to my lord, the LORD’S anointed, to reach out with my hand against him, since he is the LORD’S anointed.”- 1 Samuel 24:6. 

David mourns badly upon hearing of Jonathan’s death and expresses his deep love for his friend Jonathan. “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;You have been very pleasant to me.Your love to me was more wonderful

Than the love of women.”- 2 Samuel 1:26

Here are some verses that came to my heart about strength of a bond established by the Presence of the Lord in it:

* “ Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? 15 Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are]the temple of the living God; just as God said,

“I will dwell among them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”- 2 Corinthians 6:14-16

*  “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing ]in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might ]make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; 16 and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility.17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father”- Ephesians 2:14-18

* “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”- John 15:15. “ Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends”- John 15:13.

*“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in  Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first instalment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”- Ephesians 1:13-14. “And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him.”- 1 John 2:27

* “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”- Ephesians 4:15-16

* A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.”- Proverbs 17:17

For any believer who has tasted the kindness of the Lord first hand, prayer is not “plan B” but the beginning and end of each endeavour,of a  day or rather of each moment. When Jesus tells us that “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life . No one comes to the Father except through Me”- John 14:6, we know as children of God that we are able to approach the throne of grace of our heavenly Father personally only in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

It is clear from the prayer of Hannah that just like prayers of many old testament believers, the spirit of God was “upon” her in her prayer. We on this side of the resurrection of our Saviour have been called not only to worship the Lord in truth and in spirit but also commune with Him in the same way by the Gift of His Holy Spirit that has been poured within our hearts. 

Hannah poured her heart to the Lord in her prayer without uttering a single word from her mouth. “As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were quivering, but her voice was not heard…”- 1 Samuel 1:13. We know that the Lord is the One who delights not in outward appearance but He examines the heart. “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”- 1 Samuel 16:7. Also, as we learn to commune with the Lord (which is more personal,two way and more intimate), the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf even when we do not have words to express.”Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;”-Romans 8:26. 

We also learn from her prayer that the most important ingredients in our prayer are persistence and faith without a doubt. Hannah prayed as though her prayer was already answered. It is important to know the Lord personally before we pray in the first place. When we know that our Lord is the Creator of the universe and through Christ He has become our heavenly Father and knows us by name, we know we are praying to the true and living God, for Whom nothing is difficult or impossible. “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”- Jeremiah 32:27.Establishing a permanent relationship with the Lord through Jesus Christ is crucial to begin our communion with the Lord in the first place. The primary step in our asking to the Lord must be to ask through faith to receive Him as our Lord and Saviour through faith and repentance. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”- Matthew 7:7-8.

Personal devotion to the Lord sets our feet on His path at the first place. Our prayers become effective as we would know Whom we are praying to personally. Through Christ we not only have a communion with the Lord but also through Him with fellow believers. Through Hannah’s prayer we learn it is important that we ask in prayer according to His will. “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”- 1 John 5:14-15. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask ]with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.”- James 4:3

This is the Supreme Will of the Lord for each of us to begin with. “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.”- 1 John 3:23. When we are established in Him first, He teaches us, reveals to us and guides us to pray. 

Our prayers like Hannah when done in humility of faith and total dependence on the grace and ability of God with no ingredient of self-efforts from our end, our hearts must be filled with gratitude and praise for the ever-Present Lord committing in advance gesture of thanksgiving and honour towards our Lord Who listens,answers,rescues and delivers us. She commits and fulfils her vow to dedicate her child to the Lord in service We however are not called to make any vows any longer but just to “let your yes be a yes and a no be a no”. “Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin.”- Matthew 5:36-37.

The most comforting experience beyond expression or comprehension of human intellect comes when we get up from our prayer with the confidence that the Lord has heard us. Hannah's face was no longer sorrowful immediately after her prayer as she knew that she was heard.”She said, “Let your bond-servant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”- 1 Samuel 1:18.

Here are a few verses that came to my heart regarding our attitude in our personal prayers to the Lord, our heavenly Father:

* 7 “And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”- Matthew 6:7-8

* And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you for your offenses.”- Mark 11:25

* Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”- Philippians 4:6-7

* “​​One who turns his ear away from listening to the Law,

Even his prayer is an abomination.”- Proverbs 28:9

* “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.”- Matthew 6:33

* “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”- Romans 14:17

Asking for our spiritual needs first fulfils the rest of our material/worldly needs.

* “For what benefit does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”- Mark 8:36

We know that Samson was foreknown and chosen one of God, just like each of us Whom God knows even before we were conceived in the womb of our mother says the Lord!(Jeremiah 1:5).Samson, in the foreknowledge of God, was chosen to be a Nazirite, separated for the service of God, to fulfil a specific purpose in the life of the people of Israel. We see Samson to be the strongest man, probably in the world in his time, the strength being imparted by the blessing bestowed on him by the Lord to avenge the Philistines who disobeyed the Lord and had no fear of Him. Although the Lord fulfils His purpose through Samson, Samson, in his fleshly weakness, loses his blessing as he does not value the pricelessness of his strength that was given to him by the Lord in the length of his hair. He trades the permanent blessing of the Lord for the passing , perishing and abominable pleasures of the world. 

However, the Lord Who is just and holy, in His infinite mercy and faithfulness listens to the genuine plea of Samson in his lowest, and enables him to gather his strength to fulfil the final feat before his death, the purpose for which he was chosen by the Lord in the first place .

We no longer are chosen as vessels in the hand of the Lord for the display of any physical acts of courage or for avenging anyone or anything. Simply because, the battle has already been won on our behalf once and for all on the cross, and the resurrection of our Lord being the perfect testimony of the Lord’s victory over death,Satan and darkness. 

We are now bestowed with the gift of the Holy Spirit to rejoice in the Lord through the gift of our salvation, to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord through the heavenly riches of which we are made joint partakers(“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first instalment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory”.- Ephesians 1:13-14) and to “fight the good fight of faith” by the power of the Holy Spirit to combat our enemies in the heavenly places, being aided by the armour of God (“Therefore, take up the full armour of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”-Ephesians 6:13).

Also, the Lord has given specific spiritual gifts to each of His children from the moment we receive Him, ready to be used once we are prepared and equipped for the same for the edification of the body of Christ, that is the church. Same way, we are called to live a life worthy of the calling with which we have been called to display His living Presence in the world, not to seek attention for self, gain respect through the same or to fulfil any other selfish ulterior motives. The gift of the Holy Spirit when employed in each area of our lives must decrease us so that He increases!(“He must increase, but I must]decrease.- John 3:30). When He increases, others must be able to see the invisible Christ, fear God, believe in Him and be saved(By the grace and mercy of the Lord alone-Ephesians 2:8-9). Often in our spiritual walk, when we tend to fall into the worldly trap misusing His Gift for selfish motives,we begin to become callous to the gentle voice and Presence of our Lord, eventually losing the joy and peace that we find in our sweet fellowship with our Lord. 

However, just like Samson, humble and genuine confession before our Lord and a personal choice to turn back from our own ways restores our joy of being a child of God through the anointing of the Holy Spirit which we had received. Indeed, the mercy and faithfulness of our loving heavenly Father endures forever! 

A sign of spiritual drought occurs when we do not experience a desire to worship our Lord, or do not experience the joy in the very act of communing with the Lord through prayer, fellowship or even while reading and meditating on His Word. That is the time to squeeze out the world from our heart that absorbs our spiritual strength and makes us weak. We know that a “little leaven leavens the whole dump of dough” (Galatians 5:9). So it is good to beware of the leaven prayerfully by asking the Lord to give us a spirit of discernment and show us in His Light the hidden areas in our lives where we need His cleansing. 

Our job as a field worker of the Lord is to share His gift of the living waters by first satiating ourselves daily to the point that it overflows from our being to share with others that which we received for free from the Lord( “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”- John 4:13-14.

“The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”- John 7:38-39)

Our work for the Lord cannot be fruitful if we have grieved the Holy Spirit and have not restored our fellowship with the Lord yet. But our Lord restores us, at the throne of His grace. Always. The closer we walk with Him, the more difficult it is for us to fall. 

Here are a few related verses that came to my heart while reading through the passages on the life of Samson:

* No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.- James 1:13

* And if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fiery hell.- Matthew 18:9

* “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.”- 1 John 2:15-17

* “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”- Philippians 4:13

* “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”- John 15:5

* “Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”- 1 Peter 4:11

* “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”- Psalm 34:18

* “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”- 2 Corinthians 12:9

* “For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.””- Hebrews 12:6

*  “8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”- 1 John 1:8-9

* “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”- 2 Corinthians 11:14

The One leading us Himself is The Way - it is not blind leading the blind or the dead leading the dead. As we pass from the period of Law into this blessed period of Grace through the redemptive work of our Saviour that we claim by walking through the way of the cross alone, righteousness begins to work from within and is no longer an external matter. (Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”- John 14:6. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture”- John 10:9). 

We see in the case of Joshua how he settles the people of Israel in the Promised Land leading them through the instructions received from Moses who in turn had received from the Lord. Leader,Instructor,Teacher and Father, whichever way we may refer to our Lord, Joshua’s leadership is just a prototype of the leadership of our Saviour and Shepherd Who takes delight in leading and providing for His sheep.( “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”- John 10:27-29).

After the death of Joshua, we see in the book of Judges how people of Israel went astray as soon as their respective appointed judge was dead until a new judge was set before them. They again went through the pain of slavery in the hands of a foreign ruler until they cried to the Lord. The Lord in turn would pay heed, have mercy on them, deliver them and their relation with the Lord will be restored only to fall into sin again. This was a vicious cycle from which each soul needed freedom. 

However, in our case, that is believers post resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, we know that our Judge is alive. He also serves as our Mediator and our everlasting High Priest pleading and praying for us always. What a wonderful provision. At His throne of grace, we not only find mercy, but also strength,wisdom and willingness to walk steadfastly through Him alone on His way. (“ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus”- 1 Timothy 2:5. ). Lord Jesus Christ, being the Perfect man and Perfect deity in bodily form for a time being. 

So our courage to walk uprightly comes through our humble and prayerful walk with our Lord with our continuous dependence on the grace of our Lord. We are continuously encouraged to walk in the Spirit which has been given to us. (“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”- Galatians 5:16.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 After a little while, the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. 21 The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”- John 14:18-21). 

Here are a few related verses to better understand the effortless,fearless,restful,peaceful and willing spirit of obedience that the Lord graciously offers to His children:

* “This is what the Lord says: “Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”- Jeremiah 9:23-24

* “so that no human may boast before God. 30 But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 1:29-31

* “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;I will advise you with My eye upon you.”- Psalm 32:8

* “I will lead those who are blind by a way they have not known,In paths they have not known I will guide them.I will turn darkness into light before themAnd uneven land into plains.These are the things I will do,And I will not leave them undone.”- Isaiah 42:16

* “A highway will be there, a roadway,And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.The unclean will not travel on it,But it will be for the one who walks that way,And fools will not wander on it.9 No lion will be there,Nor will any vicious animal go up on it;They will not be found there.But the redeemed will walk there”- Isaiah 35:8-9

* “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”- Jeremiah 31:33

* “And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him.”- 1 John 2:27

Blessings of obedience are pure joy,peace and righteousness in the spirit, that is, the increase of the abundant life, that is the eternal life in us (John 10:10). (“For You bless the righteous person, Lord,You surround him with favour as with a shield.”-Psalm 5:12. “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”- 2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”- Romans 14:17

Our Lord God, is also our mighty Redeemer, Saviour and Warrior. Victory over the city of Jericho is a story of our salvation and of our ongoing conduct to live a victorious life over sin,world and Satan, our defeated enemy through Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Lord had already announced the victory of the people of Israel over the city of Jericho even before they executed the plan ordered to them through Joshua. When the plan was revealed to them by the Lord, Joshua and Israel believed in the battle plan. Joshua with the people followed the plan exactly as it was ordained to them. They were able to move forward courageously, despite many dangers because they knew who was defending them.They endured in the follow through of the plan persistently for seven days although there was no result for the first six days. Finally, the walls of Jericho broke on the seventh day exactly according to the plan of God Whose ark they carried with them throughout the execution of the battle plan from morning till evening. They trusted that victory belonged to the Lord alone by His strength. It was impossible if they ventured through worldly methods and carnal scheming. 

Similarly, we know that the word of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing but is the power of God for those being saved. (1 Corinthians 1:18). We are also familiar with the story of Noah and how he and his family was saved with every single species of creation in his ark despite he was made fun of throughout the seemingly “illogical process” of building an ark when there was not a single sign of rainfall. 

Breaking of the walls of Jericho happened as effortlessly yet completely and in a timely fashion as the veil from our hearts breaks effortlessly as we choose to place our faith in the work of salvation for our soul that has been completely accomplished by Lord Jesus Christ on the cross giving us access to His Presence in our heart through His Spirit that we receive to dwell in us as children of God.(Ephesians 2:18.Ephesians 3:11-12). Repentance is the key. Faith in Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning and also the endless means to all of His grace,growth and more of His life. 

Here are a few related verses that came to my heart that encourage us who have believed to live a victorious life in Lord Jesus Christ through Him, and not in our own strength:

* “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”- 1 John 4:4

* “The horse is prepared for the day of battle,But the victory belongs to the Lord.”- Proverbs 21:31

* “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”- Isaiah 55:8-9

* “having cancelled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”- Colossians 2:14-15

* “But My righteous one will live by faith;And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.39 But we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.”- Hebrews 10:38-39

* “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”- Philippians 4:13 (All things according to His will). 

The first experience of anyone who tastes the kindness of the Lord first hand,repents and comes to the knowledge of the Truth is that they are humbled to nothing. When we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord over our life and receive Him through faith, we experience through conviction that we belong to Him.(“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”- Romans 8:15).

When The True Light (“This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person”-John 1:9) comes to dwell in us, our heavenly Father does not desire for it to be hidden. ( “nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven”-Matthew 5:15-16). When we are “grafted” in the True Vine as His branch, the Lord desires for us to bear fruit for Him so that others may taste the sweetness and believe (“I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing”.John 15:5 ).We know that Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what the fruits of the Spirit are. The anointing of our soul by the Holy Spirit is the sweetest aroma that He desires for us to spread through our sacrificial offering of service, worship, obedience and reverence of our Lord. ( “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”-2 Corinthians 2:15). We are made to be the salt of the earth. Salt, that works as a preservative and salt that becomes the essential yet inconspicuous ingredient of any dish.(“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people”-Matthew 5:13). 

The love of Christ is self-sacrificial and an offering from God as a ransom for all. He lived,died and rose again to offer the life-giving Spirit to all mankind. We as children of God are called to share the joy,life,light,fragrance,sweetness and “saltiness” of the Presence of Christ in us, as His anointed Ones and declare the great things the Lord has done in our lives, what He continues to do and what He desires for every soul. That all may be saved, and none perish without Him. (“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”-2 Peter 3:9). We are also called to share with His sufferings for His Name’s sake in the flesh. (“...but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.”- 1 Peter 4:13). He has given us joy and peace in Him that nothing and no one can take away from us. The life of Christ, the grace of Christ,the mercy of Christ and the love of Christ is magnetic. The souls who draw near to Him through faith; faith as the ingredient that can be compared to a material similar to iron automatically clings to the magnet, that is the grace,love,mercy and life of Christ that is available in abundance! Reconciliation to God is His gift and we are called to share the gift that we have first received. 

Here are a few verses that were brought to my heart that remind us as children of God the privilege,honour,responsibility,accountability and joy that God has given us to share His life and gift with others so that they too may believe, receive and are saved. 

* “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? 15 But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”- Romans 10:13-17.

* “but ]sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;”- 1 Peter 3:15

* “ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light;”- 1 Peter 2:9

* “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;”- Matthew 5:14 (In Christ Jesus)

* “ For all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is ]neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”- Galatians 3:27-28

We cannot hide what we are made to wear.

* “8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”-Acts 1:8

We are able to glorify Christ not in our own strength but by the power of Him Who dwells in us. 

* “Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before people, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”- Matthew 10:32-33

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”-2 Timothy 2:13

We are able to confess Him only after we have received Him first. 

* “He has told you, mortal one, what is good;And what does the Lord require of youBut to do justice, to love]kindness,And to walk humbly with your God?”- Micah 6:8

It is Jesus Who humbles us. And it is Jesus Who reconciles us to the Lord as our Father so that we may begin to walk with Him.

* “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, so that we may follow all the words of this Law.”- Deuteronomy 29:29

The mystery of the Lord and His riches is revealed to us in Christ alone

Our daily walk with our God, as it becomes the way of life, becomes meaningful and fruitful for His glory only when the primary ingredient in everything that we do for Him is the Presence of His love that He has poured in us. Without His love brought to life in us reverentially and prayerfully, our works for Him are as good as dead. 

“If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.”- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

We are called to share His love and Truth not in our own strength but through the love with which He fills us  at the first place.

Deuteronomy 5:31

The teachings and commandments of the Lord are a follow through of knowing Him first and allowing Him for us to belong to the place that He is preparing with His own Hands. He Himself is the way to the Father (John 14:6), where He is seated right now, preparing a place for us, and in the meantime, has given us His Holy Spirit to bring to our remembrance all that He has taught us and all that He desires to speak with us, so that we may walk in Him. We must be born again. “Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”- John 3:3.

“13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”- John 16:13. 

Each book of the scriptures points to Christ or reveals Christ as our Lord and Redeemer , and the plan of salvation that the Lord has accomplished at the right time for all mankind. Moses too is a prototype of the ministry of Lord Jesus Christ for the deliverance of our soul. Law was given to Moses only to show us our utter failure in achieving the righteousness of God in our own strength, that is through our works, as we walk by sight. All mankind, doomed to Judgement and wrath of God has been rescued by the accomplished work of our salvation by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin…..but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles,...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”- Romans 3:19-23.

The mystery that was hidden for ages from the hearts of man but claimed through faith is now unveiled and revealed to us post-resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. 

“26 that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His]saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person ]with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.”- Colossians 1:26-27

The Lord desires none to perish but all to come to repentance and come to the knowledge of the Truth. To see their need for forgiveness at the feet of the cross, the acceptance of the redemptive work already accomplished by our merciful Lord and receiving Christ as personal Saviour and Lord of our lives. He takes us from the foot of the cross to where He is seated now, on the right hand of the throne of grace in truth and in spirit. 

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance”.- 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and ask Him in faith. Hunger and thirst of the soul and its emptiness is satiated by the gift of the Holy Spirit that can be received and appropriated through faith alone. 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”- Matthew 5:6

“The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”- John 7:38-39

As we choose by the grace of God after being saved to share the Truth and heavenly riches with others out of joy,love and burden that the Lord gives us, real giving and receiving is made possible when the agenda,purpose and intention of the process is the same and aligns with the will of God. Agenda must be to glorify God. Purpose must be to enable each  other’s edification through the gift that the Lord imparts us in Christ Jesus. Intention must be to save souls only through the grace of God and not through our own efforts as grace of God cannot be enforced but only manifested. Even the place of sharing the Truth doesn't matter as we can see how Paul, while imprisoned, rejoiced in the Lord and wrote most of the epistles of the New Testament from Jail. Not only that but the Word of God never stopped its work through the mouths of many for it cannot be chained. 

Worldly learning on the other side is a different ball game where learning and sharing is promoted through willingness to learn and understand. However, those self-imposed,deep and valuable learnings surely have its limitations just like all other human endeavours that can never ever satisfy. When human efforts end, the grace of God begins.Grace of God to accomplish the ultimate will of the Lord for each of our lives, which is to impart us His eternal life so that we may belong to Him and not perish. He desires to qualify us as citizens of heaven so we may witness Him as brand ambassadors of Christ Jesus!

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”;”- 1 Corinthians 3:19

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ;”-Philippians 3:20

“ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”- 2 Corinthians 5:20

Therefore, Lord Jesus desires to take the first place in each faculty of our life. Not only mental,but also emotional,our creative faculties(Lord Jesus,also the Creator of the universe and hence the best artist of all time who created everything out of nothing),in our will,actions and in our intentions. We do not find perfect peace unless we allow Him to enter and lead us in each space so He is magnified. When the love of Christ controls us in everything that we do, we are never free. We are either enslaved to personal will, that is the will of the flesh or Satan or to the will of God through Jesus Christ when we allow Him to set us free. 

On the other hand, through sharing, when we seek acceptance,affection,acknowledgement and appreciation by others or our own selves outside of Christ, they are silent killers of our approach to the absolute Truth and massive feeders of our ego leading to deceptiveness and blind walk. On the other hand, when we are accepted in Christ, we become children of God. In Christ when we are acknowledged, we become joint inheritors of His heavenly riches. In Christ when we are appreciated, God is glorified, yes He is magnified! 

However a natural man is not able to understand Him, but the spiritual is able. 

“But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”- 1 Corinthians 2:14

We are made spiritual in and through Christ Jesus by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit opens the eyes and ears of our heart so we may be able to see, hear and understand. 

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.”-John 14:26

Here is the narrow gate to enter laid before each of us that leads to life and peace. (Matthew 7:13-14). 

“ For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”- 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

When we believe,accept, acknowledge and receive Christ Jesus as our personal Saviour and Lord through faith, we are born again, beginning our journey of eternity with Him. It is when we believe and receive Him that the veil between us and the Lord is removed unlike at the time when Moses in the verse in the image read the commandments of the Lord. We now can behold His glory “face to face” in truth and in spirit. 

“But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts; 16 but whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled faces, looking in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”- 2 Corinthians 3:15-18

"For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."- Jeremiah 31:33

"And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him."- 1 John 2:27

Numbers 12:3

Yet it is not our faith that saves us but faith in His grace available and appropriated in the face of the only begotten Son of God that convicts us of our sinfulness, His righteousness and judgement that humbles us and compels us to confess and accept Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. It is His abundance of love and mercy that saves us so that “whoever that boasts may boast in the Lord alone”.

Moses was humbled in the wilderness by the Lord to show him that he cannot accomplish the mighty task of delivering the people of God by His own fleshly strength no matter how noble his intentions may be. He could only fulfil the will of God, just like all His children by the might of the Lord, on His way, His direction and His Presence before Him. 

The Lord teaches through several examples like that of Moses that we can fight all our battles on our knees.The Lord refers to Moses as His “faithful servant who is faithful over all His household”. Do we have the confidence of such a noble testimony from God of being faithful over all the matters He has handed over to us as His servant/steward? Do we have the conviction of hearing the Lord when He speaks to us mouth to mouth openly like He did with Moses?

Humility gives way to the extraordinary power of God to work in the lives of ordinary sinful people like us.God is in the business of calling us, cleansing us, dwelling in us and progressively transforming us into the likeness and stature of His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. He makes the process peaceful, joyous, contented,meaningful and often “tough” for our good always.  It is important to consider our heavenly and holy calling over and over again, which is what we do when we partake of the Lord’s supper as often as we meet as believers, that is once a week. Humility is the clearest expression of the acknowledgement of our inability to cure the disease of our soul, that is our sinfulness in our own strength, and thus resort to the only Physician Who is not only able but has already accomplished our redemption and through His resurrection is able to impart us His life and thus uphold us in Him through His righteousness. Our flesh however, being weak as it is, is at war with His Spirit in our soul. Like Moses, God gives grace to the humble but is opposed to the proud who dispose themselves before His Presence with a rebellious spirit. With great humility comes greater responsibility from God. Moses was charged with not only delivering the people of Israel from slavery but also to lead them to the Promised Land and declare to them the Ten Commandments, other Laws and ordinances of the Lord that He communicated to him one on One. Humility of spirit,  is an expression of our trust and dependence on our Saviour for all of our needs, the spiritual ones first, and acknowledgment of our nothingness without Him and the fact that we are but like dust, vapour or grass which is today, but gone tomorrow. (Psalm 103:14: “for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”. James 4:14:You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away”. Isaiah 40:7-8:“The grass withers and the flowers fall,because the breath of the Lord blows on them.Surely the people are grass.8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,but the word of our God endures forever.”). When we humble before His mighty Hands, He pulls us out from miry clay and sets us on His everlasting rock forever. That rock is Lord Jesus Christ. 

Humility makes prayerful asking effortless and easy. Moses was humble before God knowing his nothingness without the Lord and was faithful before Him out of reverence, love, submission to the Sovereign Lord Who alone is just and righteous. 

Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest example of humility. “5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”- Philippians 2:5-8.And what was the outcome of His humility needless to say? “9 For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”- Philippians 2:9-11.

Humility wins the affection of our heavenly Father so much so that God listened to Moses when he interceded on behalf of the people of Israel, pleading for mercy over His judgement. This is just a prototype of Lord Jesus Christ being our everlasting High Priest, seated on the right hand of the throne of Grace interceding for us continuously as our Mediator and Intercessor!. 

The more we prayerfully express our need of His grace to walk in the Spirit, the more humbly we will be able to walk with our heavenly Father in and through Christ Jesus our Lord. Here are a few related verses that came to my heart while meditating on the humility of Moses:

* “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”- John 15:4-5

* Humility is nothing but dying to self so that Christ is magnified: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”- John 12:24

* “and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”- Matthew 20:27-28

* But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.”- James 4:6

* “4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”- Philippians 3:4-7

* "26 For consider your calling, brothers and sisters, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no human may boast before God.30 But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."- 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

*” But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive study is wearying to the body.13 The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” - Ecclesiastes 12:12-13

Numbers 5:26

As the redeemed children of God by the precious blood of Christ, we begin our continuous process of renewal of our being the moment we are saved and anointed with the Holy Spirit. As we offer our mind,heart,strength and all we are and have as a sacrificial offering to the Lord, Who dwells within and Who desires to take nothing but the first place in our life, continues to preserve us, sanctify us, keep us and prepare us more and more for His glory and to receive Him at His second coming. (Romans 12:1-2). Sanctification is the Work of the Lord in us, for His Name’s sake. He imparts us with the spirit of discernment in every step of our life so we may not go astray or be deceived. “But examine everything carefully;hold fast to that which is good;abstain from every form of evil.Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete,without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He Who calls you and He also will bring it to pass.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:21-24.

After having been partaker of the fountain of living water poured in our innermost being through our faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ assured by His promise that has come to pass in every believer, (John 7:38-40),we at times try to dig our own fountains or well that cannot hold water. “For My people have committed two evils:They have abandoned Me,The fountain of living waters,To carve out for themselves cisterns,Broken cisternsThat do not hold water.”- Jeremiah 2:13.This vain effort, that not only leaves us empty but takes us away from our undefiled and pure devotion to our Lord Who preserves us in the first place. This state of our soul makes the Lord jealous. Jealousy that is holy,just and seeks nothing less than unhindered reverential trust in our Saviour to meet all our needs. 

In the verse above and in the chapter, we learn that nothing,absolutely nothing can be hidden from our heavenly Father. Holiness is the primary step that the Lord seeks of us, makes of us, so that we are able to see. The Law of God justifies unholiness with nothing less than the judgement of a curse. Lord Jesus Christ has taken our curse on the cross so that Law is nullified and we are continuously sanctified by His grace as we draw near to Him,humble ourselves before the throne of grace when the Holy Spirit convicts us of even the slightest hidden iniquity, confess what is revealed to us and are restored by Him to enjoy our fellowship with our merciful Lord. 

Although the humongous and all consuming grace of God is never enforced by our Lord, unfaithfulness in our walk does deprive us of His grace and thus of the joy of our salvation. He has promised to be our All in all. He, as our covenant keeping God imparts to us all good things, pertaining to life and godliness from above, in which there is neither shifting of shadow, nor there is any more want. (James 1:17. John 6:35. Psalm 23:1). It is very important for us to not only believe in His promises but also claim them in our life diligently. “You will make known to me the way of life;In Your presence is fullness of joy;In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”- Psalm 16:11. Also, Lord Jesus tells us that ,” These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”- John 15:11. 

Lord Jesus, Who is our life, eternal life, is the One Whom we worship, is the One with Whom we are reconciled,that is, He takes pre-eminent place in our life. (1 John 5:12). When we sometimes try to walk by sight instead of by faith in our vain  fleshly strength, we often give importance to His creation over and above our Creator, Who alone is worthy of our worship, honor,devotion and obedience. Anything that takes precedence over our Lord as central place in our life is idol for us hindering our close fellowship with our Saviour - a person, a profession, things of this world or any other worldly aspiration. We must prayerfully use the spirit of discernment to diligently seek the wisdom that is from above and also learn to rejoice in our trials brought our way by our loving Father for our disciplining. “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”- James 3:17. Wisdom from the pure milk of the Word, without any contamination, that wroughts our salvation as children of God. (1 Peter 2:1-3). 

Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the Spiritual body, that is the church, in whom He is All in all, and there is no male,no female,no Jew, no Greek,no slave and no freeman. (Galatians 3:28). As we choose to worship God, Who is but Spirit, in truth and in Spirit, (John 4:24), He reveals to us more of Himself so that we may abide in Him. Knowing our Creator is what imparts us His life and not just adoring His creation. His creation cannot reconcile us to our heavenly Father. Adoration and admiration of His being and His marvelous creation is part of worship but not the foundation. Faithful devotion,self sacrificial obedience and reverence towards who He is, after knowing Him personally through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, is the key. The former is a follow through of the latter and not vice versa.”For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”- 2 Corinthians 11:2-3. 

We must prayerfully strive to remain awake. We know that without forgiveness of sins, atonement for the same, it is impossible to draw near to the Lord, know Him personally, establish relationship with Him and hence worship Him! As our Lord, the ONLY true and living God, our Creator and our Saviour. 

Scripture is clear that He is the Lord of all creation. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” - (Colossians 1:16-20).

“20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonoured among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed  forever. Amen.”-(Romans 1:20-25).

We have tasted His kindness and progressively been partaker of His absolute virtues. Lord Jesus Christ imparts us life, He sustains us and HE establishes us. All else perishes.(1 Peter 1:23-25). In Him, the Lord has given us free will of choice. To choose between life and death, riches and poverty, Truth and lie, gain and loss,clarity and confusion,fullness and emptiness,freedom and entanglement and Light of life and darkness. (Mark 8:35-39. 1 John 2:15-17). If we ask, He helps us to use His spirit of discernment by the abundance of His grace to use our free will of choice to yield to His will for us. 

Let us hold on to Lord Jesus alone as the anchor of our soul, the only Author of salvation, the True and living Shepherd, in Whom there is no want. (Psalm 23:1). 

Psalm 119:103

We know Lord Jesus Christ testified about Himself to be the bread of life (John 6:35) and assured us that whoever believes in Him shall never be hungry or thirsty. His Word is life and peace. Meditating on His Word is like chewing a piece of bread. The more we chew the bread, the sweeter it tastes and the more it can be assimilated in all parts of our body. 

Purpose of reading His Word even for hours is not acquiring and analysing tons of knowledge with human intellect. Meditating in His Word, which is alive, enables the children of God to walk with Him. His Word is His conversation to His children. His Word is the weapon to perform various “surgeries” in our soul. As we give importance to understanding His Word over and above gaining knowledge from it, we begin to come closer to knowing what His Word is. His Word is Lord Jesus Himself that became flesh for us.(John 1:14). Through the utterance of His enduring and everlasting Word, everything that came into existence , came into being. His Word is the light of all mankind and He Himself came as the True Light for us to receive Him.  (John 1:3-5,9)

Even after we are saved by His grace, our spiritual growth depends on the clarity with which we prayerfully continue to churn  His Word and spend time with Him. If we want to taste the sweetness of His Word, it is important to be clear about the goal of our meditation of His Word. 

1. The Purpose: The main purpose of reading His Word is to enable Him to reign over our mind and heart so that we, through the gift of His Holy Spirit, can begin to think with the mind of Christ and comprehend and love with the heart of Christ.

* Understanding the Word of God is the work of the Holy Spirit gifted to those who believe and receive Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts :”14 But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”- (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

* His Word takes us deeper into the dimensions of the love of God which are beyond measure, His love that surpasses knowledge: “16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.”- Ephesians 3:16-19

2. Our Approach to reading His Word: Prayerfully, we must ask without hesitation to our heavenly Father to give us the understanding without a doubt through the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. 

*   “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”- James 1:5-6

* 11 “So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”- Matthew 7:11

3. Praying for each other for  edification in the spiritual body of Christ,that is, the church, of which Christ is the Head:  Word of God is digested and assimilated in fellowship as we are made to build that way by our Builder and Father God- interconnected and interdependent in the body of Christ. Keeps us humble and hungry for more. 

* “16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”-Ephesians 1:16-17

* “15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ,16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”- Ephesians 4:15-16

4. Understanding His Word makes obedience easy and effortless leading to growth and fruitfulness in His time: The Lord gives us grace to wait patiently on Him as we allow Him to work in us to bring  fruitful growth and also continue to deliver us from our sinful habits that the Holy Spirit shows us. (Sin is anything that takes us away from our close fellowship with our Lord. The closer we walk, the more sensitive we become to the smallest area where there is defilement. The Holy Spirit reveals to us by the light of His Word).

The more we obey His Word, the more He reveals Himself to us. The more blessed our life becomes with His heavenly riches that are ours in Christ Jesus

* “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”- 1 Corinthians 3:7

* “Wait for the Lord;Be strong and let your heart take courage;Yes, wait for the Lord.”- Psalm 27:14

Thus, knowing what His Word is, Who His Word is and approaching the Word with reverence, faith and submission, activates our palate to enable us to taste the sweetness of His Word and allow ourselves to be found by Him. 

Leviticus 10:3

In the verse above, we see during the course of the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness lead by Moses and Aaron to the Promised land how the two children of Aaron are consumed by the fire sent by the Lord on account of taking the commandment of the Lord lightly and thus defiling His holy ground with their vain and “self-created” offerings. We know that the Lord is an “all -consuming fire..”- Deuteronomy 4:24.  

We will look at two of the many other such similar examples from the scriptures that teach us that we cannot stand before the holy Presence of our Lord by taking our own “virtues” to Him. First example is that of Isaiah, when He is taken before the Presence of the Lord.

Then I said,“Woe to me, for I am ruined!Because I am a man of unclean lips,And I live among a people of unclean lips;For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.”6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin.”(Isaiah 6:5-7)

Second example is that of Apostle John when He was taken to heaven by the angel while he was on Patmos island. “16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun [a]shining in its strength.17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,..”- (Revelation 1:16-17.)

Without the sacrificial offering of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on our behalf, it is impossible to bring ourselves in the Presence of God our heavenly Father. “who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might forever. Amen.”-( 1 Timothy 6:16). Lord clearly tells us to “be holy for I am holy”- 1 Peter 1:16. “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”- (Hebrews 12:14.)

Lord Jesus alone has made atonement for all our sins. The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!- John 1:29. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us,always. In His Presence, through faith, we are called to become holy. “And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgement:”-(John 16:8).

Our compassionate Lord knows, understands and enables us to do away with all our weaknesses progressively. He desires for us to approach the throne of His grace (Hebrews 4:16) through humility and faith. Receiving eternal forgiveness from Him sanctifies us and brings us in His Presence through our reconciliation to Him in truth and in spirit (John 4:24). “As far as the east is from the west,So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.”-(Psalm 103:12). Removal of our transgressions is the Lord’s doing. Lord Jesus beseeches His disciples to not hinder the children coming to Him for He says,” the kingdom of heaven belongs to those such as these”-Matthew 19:14 

Lord Jesus Christ put an end to the sacrificial offerings year after year needed for the atonement of sins. He nullified the Law by its complete fulfilment once and for all. Those Who come to Him have eternal security in Him and are not consumed in His glorious Presence but are reconciled to Him! “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”- (Hebrews 10:14). Even though the children of God may go through “fire”, they are not consumed but their eternal lives are secure in Christ Jesus. Our works too must be wrought in Him so that they are not consumed like hay but pass through like metals. “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.”- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. Before work however, the security of our soul takes precedence!

Our soul is secure in the Lord through the sacrificial offering of our Saviour alone. Our own works for this purpose are like filthy garments before the Lord. “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.”- Isaiah 64:6. “19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God;”- Romans 3:19.

So those of us who are already found by Him, must not take our disposition before the Lord lightly. In His Presence, we are continuously filled, shaped, disciplined, cleansed, blessed,wrought in salvation and preserved until His coming. For those of us still seeking Him, there is but One way. Lord Jesus Christ saves us and makes us able to stand before His Presence, on His ground. 

Therefore, the Lord says,”I love those who love me;And those who diligently seek me will find me.”- Proverbs 8:17.”And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”- Jeremiah 29:13.

Exodus 34:28

The Word of God serves as nourishment for the seed implanted to wrought us in salvation (1 Peter 1:1-2) for those who are already born again and it works as a sharp two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12) both for believers and unbelievers to draw us close to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Believers need inevitably for restoration(1 John 1:5-10)  and unbelievers for reconciliation!(2 Corinthians 5:17-22)

We know that Lord Jesus, when in the flesh,  had answered in one of His three temptations by Satan after He finished fasting and praying for 40 days and nights that, “ It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” in Matthew 4:4 (recollecting the verse from the old testament). 

Scripture is clear that the “Word became flesh” in the gospels,  that Jesus imparts us eternal life when His Word, that is the Word of God (which Jesus claims is “life and peace”) is implanted in our hearts as His eternal seed (1 Peter 1:23-25). 

In this historical event where Moses is called again on the mountain in the Presence of the holy and glorious Lord, after having broken the two tablets with the commandments the first time, he is fasting for 40 days and nights while he was spending time with the Lord and preparing to get the ten commandments inscribed again on brand new tablets. This time, as he walks down the mountain with the commandments inscribed on the tablets by the finger of God, having spent 40 days and nights in His Presence, His face is shining like a mirror, so much that it was not possible to speak with him unless he had a veil on his face. This implies that in the old testament, the people of God could not directly see or behold the glory of God. 

However, we see post resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ that in Him, the veil is removed, in the ratification of the new covenant. The Holy Spirit enables us to directly be in the presence of the glory of God. “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”- 2 Corinthians 3:25-26

Man indeed, cannot live on bread alone. Moses’s face was shining after 40 days of fasting for he was filled with the glory of God in the process of inscription of the ten commandments in the Presence of the Lord. The first set of tablets were broken by him into pieces. This signifies bringing all our failures before the Presence of the Lord, breaking before Him, and seeking His help. We cannot obey the commandments of the Lord in our own strength. It only leads to more frustrations and self-criticism. But when we turn to the merciful Lord, Who is always there to not only forgive us and leave us there, but uphold us firmly in His righteousness, leading to progression of His life,joy and peace within us. The second set of tablets is the implication of the promise of a “new heart, a heart of flesh and not of stone” that the Lord Himself gives us, if we are willing to take. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you, your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”- Ezekiel 36:26. God also says, “As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”- 2 Corinthians 6:16. This eternal fellowship/companionship/Comforter is the gift of the Holy Spirit promised and given personally to all who believe and receive Him as their Lord. 

Here are a few related verses that were brought to my heart, that enhanced my understanding of the meditation of the above verse image: 

* But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice  food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself…. So he listened to them in this matter, and put them to the test for ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their appearance seemed better, and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16 So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.(Daniel 1:8,15-16)

*  So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him.-( John 6:53-56)

* Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.(John 6:35)

* Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.(Matthew 6:31-33)

* And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”-Matthew 4:2-4

* The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.- 1 John 5:12

*  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”- Matthew 5:6

* Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by other people. 19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.-(Romans 14:16-19)

* "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."-Psalm 34:8. "“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments"- John 14:15(This verse from a spiritual perspective and not emotional is meant for our spiritual edification and growth in His life and love within us. Obeying our heavenly Father is effortless and  goes hand in hand with loving and trusting Him above all else)

So getting back to the question, are we eating the word of God well? Faith through humility and brokenness opens our heart to receive,imbibe, digest and assimilate the word of God. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”- Psalm 34:18.

The second set of tablets with which Moses comes down from the mountain after 40 days and nights of fasting are not broken again.

Exodus 30:30

We know in the old testament ordinances shared with Moses,the Lord tells Moses how to exactly make the perfect anointing oil with the mixture of specific spices meant to make the tent of meeting, the ark of testimony,the table, the utensils, the lampstand, the altar and Aaron and his sons (chosen to be priests) holy by consecrating it all with the anointing oil. One of “His” kind. Impossible to replicate or duplicate. Irreplaceable and unalterable. 

The Anointing oil purifies,sanctifies and preserves the soul. It gives access to the priests, that is the Levites in the old testament to worship the Lord and come before His holy Presence on His holy ground. The Lord sanctifies to separate people by His grace to worship Him and follow Him as though they belong to Him, as they truly do through the holy anointing. There is zero communication with the Lord without the anointing. 

Let us look into the relevance of the anointing oil as it throws light on its significance for the new testament believers. Anointing Oil signifies holiness for all the children of God. The Lord tells us to be holy for He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). Post-resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, everyone of us who have believed in Him and have received Him is born again and is anointed with the Holy Spirit at the moment we placed our faith in Lord Jesus Christ as our God, as Son of the true and Living God, as our personal Saviour and believe that He has risen from the dead. So our anointing, like the anointing oil, is a gift of God meant to manifest the sweet aroma of Lord Jesus Christ. The cost of the Holy Spirit is incomparably priceless as opposed to the anointing oil for the old testament believers (its prototype). It cost our Saviour His precious and sinless blood and suffering of eternal death on the cross before He was raised. The Holy Spirit is our promised everlasting Comforter(John 14:16)  and our eternal life-giver. (1 Corinthians 15:45. John 7:38-40). 

With the “pen” of the Holy Spirit, He has inscribed His law on our hearts(Jeremiah 31:33)  and no longer on the tablets like He did the ten commandments in the old testament. The redemptive work of Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law on the cross so that whosoever desires to approach the Lord cannot through the law, as vain as it was proven by human flesh to “achieve” the righteousness of the Lord, but can through the grace of God by faith in Lord Jesus Christ. 

As we diligently walk in the Spirit, we gradually put the desires of the flesh(in the absence of God’s will and opposed to His Word) to death and the grace of God enables the sweet aroma of His Presence to increase in its “concentration”. Here are a few verses that came to my heart pertaining to self-examining the state of our heart, the degree of the fullness of the Spirit working in us and dealing with hindrances to His manifestation through His grace alone, His might, His mercy, His cleansing power and His renewal:

* “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”- Ephesians 4:30

* “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light”- 1 Peter 2:9

* “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”- 2 Corinthians 2:15

* “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart”- Luke 6:43-45

*”Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be an implement for honour, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”- 2 Timothy 2:21

* “...The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”- 1 Samuel 16:7

* “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about ourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”- 2 Corinthians 13:5

*”And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you remain in Him.”- 1 John 2:27

* “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.”- 1 John 2:20

Exodus 4:2

We know that the Lord qualifies the  unqualified. We received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour as we placed all of our qualification whatsoever accomplished in our fleshly strength at the feet of the cross in “exchange” for the gift of the Holy Spirit with which we were anointed through our sanctification and redemption by the priceless blood of Christ. (“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.- John 1:12-13).

The Lord asks us to reconsider our calling so that we remember that we were plucked out when the Holy Spirit convicted us of our sinfulness and that we were pulled out by the mighty hand of the Lord. In and through Christ Jesus, He has become our wisdom, righteousness,sanctification, and our redemption so that we have nothing to boast about but in Him alone! (25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.- 1 Corinthians 1:25-31)

Paul, amongst all the disciples of Lord Jesus Christ is a classic example of how he was humbled by Lord Jesus Christ in every way before he believed and received Him. “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;  as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ.”-Philippians 3:5-7. Apostle Paul ended up writing the majority of the epistles of the new testament by the power of the Lord.

In the current case, Moses found himself unworthy in the sight of God for the mighty calling to give deliverance to the people of Israel. His weakness,lack of faith and unwillingness to yield to the voice of God is a prototype of human tendency to not exercise faith in the accomplished work of Christ as our Lord and the Son of the living God for our deliverance from sinfulness, offering of forgiveness for the same and entering into the newness of His life ready to be poured as living waters, that is the Holy Spirit in the innermost part of our being. However, the Lord accomplishes His will by humbling Moses, sharing with Him the “blueprint” of His plan first to prepare and encourage him and then performing miracles before the people of Israel first and then before the Pharaoh so that they may ultimately fear Him, acknowledge Him as the true and living God and let the Hebrews go. This release of the Heberews and their crossing of the Red Sea over a dry land depicts the picture of our Salvation as well - a realistic miracle that brings every believer on the other end of the shore in truth and in Spirit. 

Same way, through Daniel, king Nebuchadnezzar also was humbled as Daniel chose to abide in the truth with love and fear of God, gather strength in his prayers and just found protection of the Lord, the same unchangeable and living God in all His fiery trials that came his way;- in the lion’s den, in the burning furnace and even when they were fed with normal food as opposed to others who were given to share  a feast with the royal food). 

Our personal prayer to our heavenly Father endows us with His strength and wakefulness that enables us to stand firm and still so that He can work through us. Through Moses in Exodus 14, He tells the people to stand still, so that they may see the salvation of the Lord!

His mighty works humble us, instigates fear of His sovereign and living Presence which is necessary to reverentially trust him, preserves the sanctity of the Holy Spirit that is given to us so that we may always remain awake and overflows our being with love for our Saviour. We also know that fear of God (out of awe and reverence for Who He is and what He has done for us) is the beginning of wisdom. Christ being the source of all wisdom. (that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge-Colossians 2:2-3)

In His infinite wisdom He allows justice in the nations by executing His might after displaying His uttermost patience,grace, forgiveness and plenty of opportunities to either return to the Lord or fear Him(reverentially trust) in case of the gentiles. As He is the Creator and Sovereign Lord of all the creations we see, He desires to rule over our heart as our Lord as we choose to receive Him and give Him the first place in everything . The more He reveals to us His attributes and nature, the more we understand His unfathomable love, grace, mercy on the one hand and holiness,justice,righteousness,sovereignty ,omnipotence, omnipresence,omniscience and His might on the other.(The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9)

The same Lord, humbles Himself in the flesh,leaving the heaven's glories, to perform the extraordinary redemptive work into the souls of ordinary, petty and perishing souls. He renders our souls priceless in His eyes because of which He purchases them with His precious and sinless blood . 

This is the Lord's doing …. Transforming us from ordinary to extraordinary progressively  through His Hands… so none may boast but in the Lord ,our Saviour! In Christ Jesus, there is eternal unity despite all the external differences . He breaks them all. (Galatians 3:28 , 1 John 5:12, Ephesians 2:14-18!)

The Lord’s extraordinary feats are internal as our enemies are also internal, that is in Ephesians 6.Jesus says “I have overcome the world”.Jesus says “..the one within us is mightier than the one outside”.Jesus says ,”daily renewal helps us to move from glory to glory”.

So when we walk with Him, the boasting vaporises. We have not found Him but He has found us. There is no discovery by our strength but only progressive revelation to us through the Holy Spirit that He has given us. 

Like in the case of Moses, we too are called to magnify Him. He is at work for  His good pleasure, for His glory. In Him, there is no lack but on His right Hand, (right hand of God is Lord Jesus Himself , “for He and the Father are one”) there are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

Exodus 2:15-25

We know that the strength of the Lord is perfected in our weaknesses through His grace alone. Lord tells apostle Paul specifically, which is why Paul boasts in his weaknesses so that the power of God is perfected in Him! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Receiving salvation as a complete and accomplished Gift of God in and through His Son and our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ, through faith, is the only way to live through the strength of the Lord for His glory and to do His will. Salvation belongs to the Lord. (Revelation 7:10,12).Also He says,  “...and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.”(Exodus 33:19)

Now in the case of meditating on this event in the life of Moses, the Lord has told us,the new testament believers, that the events of the old have been recorded for our learning and for equipping us better in the Lord. “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”- Romans 15:4

So we learn from this event in the life of Moses where he is compelled to flee from the sight of the Egyptian Pharaoh that something crucial was missing in his very act of doing even what was right in the sight of the Lord. Although Moses had compassion on his fellow Hebrew brothers who were being treated as slaves by the Egyptians, he was ordained by the Lord to set them free and deliver them all from slavery to the Egyptians after the counsel of the Lord, according to His will and through His might. Murdering the Egyptian worker, that is, by using the strength of his flesh and without counselling the Lord did not do much good to Moses. He was sent to Midian, to be broken and humbled from within and be shaped to do greater works for the Lord by His might. During the course of 40 years of disciplining Moses, the Lord provides him with all his needs and also continues to bless him for his labour. Similarly, in our lives, where we may “see” stagnancy by our own sight, the Lord “Who neither sleeps nor slumbers”(Psalm 121:1) is always at work on our behalf, continuing to prepare and sanctify us if we choose to walk by the eyes of faith as His children. 

So when the time was right, as mentioned also in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, for the Lord to act for the deliverance of the future Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians through Moses His faithful servant, He calls him, reveals Himself to him and also equips Moses with His might and guidance to present himself to the Pharaoh and make request on behalf of the Hebrews and also to perform miracles in their sight so that they may be humbled and they may fear and acknowledge the true and the living God.  Exodus, from the land of Egypt to the land “flowing with milk and honey”, the promised land of God, Israel, is a prototype of our salvation and our subsequent journey with the Lord from the time we are born again to our eternal home;that is to eternity. If God has delivered, He provides. The Israelites take 40 years instead of 11 days to reach the promised land because of their disobedience and unbelief on the way, and their lack of humility and hardness of heart. Yet, the covenant-keeping, faithful and merciful Lord accomplishes His will.

We too, like Moses, must learn to rejoice in not only our periods of performance but more so in periods of “preparation”, the preparation of our being in the mighty and beautiful Hands of the Lord. We are hence called to rejoice always! (James 1:2-3)

Here are a few verses that were brought to my heart while meditating on this particular event in the life of Moses that teaches us to wait on the Lord, submit to His works within us, and appropriate His strength to use us for His works and His glory! 

* Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.(Psalm 27:14)

*  for it is God who is at work in you, both to [a]desire and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13)

* …Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.(2 Chronicles 20:15)

* But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever.(Exodus 14:13)

*If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.(1 Corinthians 13:1). Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.(Ephesians 4:15)

* Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.(1 Peter 4:11)

As we humble ourselves like Moses in our journey with our mighty Lord, may we allow Him to do His Works through us so that He may increase and we decrease!

Genesis 50:20

The true and living God who was with Joseph, is also our unchanging and everlasting Lord Whose faithfulness,mercy,kindness,justice and promises endure forever, towards those who seek Him,find Him in and through His Son and receive Him!

God indeed speaks and God indeed lives. Post-resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God desires to live through us, when we receive Him as our personal Saviour, and are thus anointed with the gift of His Holy Spirit. There is only one Way to know God, which is to know Christ, our Saviour, as  He tells us that “no one comes to the Father except through Him” (John 14:6). And how does He come to us? Through faith. How does faith come? Through hearing? And hearing, by the Word of Christ. (Romans 10:17). Lord Jesus Christ has come into this world to save sinners (Romans 3:23), by offering forgiveness of all sins, redemption through His precious blood,  justification through His resurrection,sanctification and imparting of His righteousness through the subsequent gift of His Holy Spirit. The Lord tells us to first “Be holy. For I am holy”, says He in 1 Peter 1:16. The gift of Salvation is nearer than before. If we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus is the Lord and the Son of the true and the living God, we are saved. (Romans 10:10).

Life of Joseph is a prototype of mercy,grace,kindness and humility of God that is portrayed in Lord Jesus Christ. The uncanny parallel events in his life with our Lord foreshadows the coming of our Lord Jesus as the Messiah. Moreover, the faithful and God fearing life of Joseph despite all the odds that are brought his way encourages each believer to live a godly and Spirit filled life that empowers us to lead a victorious life in and through Him for His glory and to be a blessing to many. Indeed Joseph,like many other exemplary believers in the Bible lived this Word out serving as an example to all the children of God: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”- Romans 8:28.

We, as the new testament believers even more so, are left without any “excuse” as we are lavishly endowed with the fountain of living waters that has sprung in the innermost part of our being, that is, the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit that never fails to satiate us and  uphold us in His righteousness and holiness provided we choose to yield to Him through the Spirit given to us as His blessed Gift. (John 7:38)

Please click on the link below to meditate on the critical events in the life of Joseph that have a striking parallel with that of our Lord Jesus Christ. By His grace alone, put to life by the Holy Spirit, we too, like Joseph, are encouraged to live a discerning yet Spirit-filled Christ-like life in all circumstances permitted by our Lord Himself.

https://www.onepagebiblesummary.com/pad/pad_17.php

Genesis 33:20

A Personal relationship with the Lord is established by Lord Jesus alone, the Son of God, sent as a Lamb for us,to redeem us,anoint us with His Spirit and render to us His righteousness: (John 14:6). The “privilege” (although God shows no partiality either in His blessings or in His justice), that the new testament believers have over the old testament believers is the beautiful fact that we can confidently call upon the name of the Lord not only as our own true and living God but also as our heavenly Father!. As His children and thus joint heirs of His inheritance, we are able to enjoy His riches while in the “flesh” which the old testament believers will appropriate after the second coming of our Saviour.  “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”Galatians 4:6.”The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”(Romans 8:15). 

Oftentimes in our doubt,impatience and unbelief we impersonalise our heavenly Father’s place in our life,more so in our hearts,because of our short-sightedness and impatience. We tend to rely on our limited thoughts (most often selfish if conceived from the flesh) than those of the infinite and unchangeable God. 

As we are permanently endowed with a Helper, our Comforter, that is, the very life of our Saviour, through the Holy Spirit, we are now left without any excuse if we dispose ourselves in the Spirit and prayerfully before the Lord’s Presence. Before Jacob could acknowledge the Lord as his very own God, he had a lot of “if”s placed before the Lord, awaiting to be fulfilled in his life before acknowledging Him as His own God. However, in His patience and forbearance, the Lord, Who is the covenant-keeping God fulfils everything that He had promised to Jacob and blesses Him with all that He had revealed to Him. We see therefore once Jacob settles in Shechem and buys his land, and builds an altar of the Lord God, he calls him his God, that is, the God of Israel (his new name given to him by the Lord Himself). Earlier, He referred to the Lord as “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac”. This switch of relationship with the Lord brings us from the realm of rebellion and being demanding to surrender,trust and service to our Lord. 

Likewise, the Lord calls each of us individually so that we can have a secure and personal relationship with the Lord through Christ and thus know Him personally, and become partakers of His very nature, His promised heavenly inheritance and of the living hope of our salvation in Him alone as there is no Other or another Way(Acts 4:12)!. Acknowledging Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour is one thing, but receiving Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour is the beginning of our walk with the true and living God. We begin to live when we receive Him (1 John 5:12).

Here are a few “pointer verses” that will throw light in our hearts as we choose to consciously walk with our Lord as our personal Saviour, a heavenly Father who cares, a Shepherd Who protects and provides and a Comforter Who never, never leaves nor forsakes us. 

* Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” - Luke 4:12

*  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.”- Matthew 6:33

*” The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”- Ephesians 1:14

* “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." 2 Corinthians 1:20

* “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”- Romans 8:32

* ..“for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”- 1 Corinthians 2:16

So for those of us who have received Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and have confessed Him as the Lord, we must fearfully, prayerfully and reverentially treat Him as our own God and heavenly Father through faith from Whom absolutely nothing can be hidden. 

For those who have not received Him personally yet, here is how one is made able by the grace and mercy of God alone by using the free will of choice that God has given to each of us through faith alone. “But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”- Luke 18:16-17

Let us delve into the ABC of knowing our great God personally- 

A- Acknowledge ourselves as sinners when the Holy Spirit convicts us

B- Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross personally for my sins and was raised on the third day

C- Confess with our mouth that Jesus is the Lord, the Son of the true and living God

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”- 2 Peter 3:9

Life with Christ is so magical and miraculous, as He continues to make the impossible possible in our lives. In His magic and miracles, there is vibrant reality! Human heart seeks to find pleasure in empty escapades(as they are temporary) through creative and imaginary activities in the name of art,poetry,music,creative writing etc, all of which is great when used to glorify Him(the works that will last when they will be tested with fire (1 Corinthians 3:13-14)); the reason for which He calls us to Himself, to declare His excellencies as He brings us out from darkness into His marvellous Light! 

Christ IS peace

Christ IS love

Christ IS Grace

Christ IS Truth

Christ IS kindness

Christ IS joy

Christ IS Eternal Life

Christ IS the source of Wisdom (from above)

Christ makes us full. Nowhere else. Nothing else. Hallelujah!

Genesis 22:18

Abraham listened, when God called Him. He listened because he believed. He believed God; God to be the Creator of heaven and the earth. He revered God in awe and obeyed God when the Lord called him, called him as a true and living God.He found grace in the sight of God because of  his meekness, humility,lowliness and gentleness. 

Believing in the Lord was his greatest “virtue” because God rendered him righteous because of his faith! Therefore all his blessed descendants thereafter, that is those who believed God, are children of faith! We must pray to God (through faith) to give us a heart to believe in Him and be able to receive His grace and mercy through faith in the Sonship,deity and finished work of His Son Jesus Christ for us. 

What followed through over the course of the events in Abraham’s life are as follows:

* Abraham leaves his country to move to the promised land of Cannan (Genesis 12:1-2) along with his family because God called him and asked him to do so. He obeyed God reverentially and without a doubt. 

* The Lord provided,protected and sustained Abraham with his people, even at the time of famine. The Lord blessed him and His family with abundance. (Genesis 12:17-20)

* Abraham is blessed much more than Lot even after he lets Lot,his nephew, choose the land he wanted to take his herd and settle with. Abraham trusted God and was always content with His providence. Not only that, but He always acknowledged the blessings of God by building an altar wherever he settled next in his journey to honour and thank his Lord. (Genesis 13:18)

* When Lot was in trouble because of the war situation, Abraham rescues and delivers him from his enemies because God was with him. He takes nothing from the king of Sodom because he wanted to give all praise and thanksgiving for his victory to God alone. He has undying faith in the provision of God after he defeats the king of Sodom. (Genesis 14:23)

* Abraham intercedes prayerfully on behalf of the sinful people of Sodom and Gomorrah for God’s mercy. The Lord keeps the righteous ones, including Lot and his family from His destruction by giving them time to flee. Hence, He listens to Abraham’s request and answers him too. (Genesis 18:33).Indeed the prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much, says His Word. (James 5:16).  Abraham never forgot that he was only dust and ashes without the Lord and still had the privilege to speak with the Lord because it was God who had first revealed Himself to Abraham. Same way, we who have listened to God’s calling through Christ Jesus, must never forget that we love God because He first loved us. We can speak with Him because He opened the eyes and ears of our heart through His anointing. 

* Isaac, his son, is born to him as per the promise of the Lord in his advanced age. Abraham never doubted the promise made by God to him. God’s plans are always perfect and for our good. Nothing can take away from us what God has planned to give us. (Genesis 21:1-2)

* God tests the faith of Abraham by asking him to offer Isaac as a sacrificial offering. Abraham obeys. He gives first place to God in all that he did which is why God was pleased to see that Abraham did not fail His test. Isaac is spared and immediately God also arranges for a ram to offer in the altar that Abraham had made. (Genesis 22:13-14)

* God makes a promise with Abraham to bless all nations through his seed, like sands of the seas and stars of the sky. He promised through His seed and not seeds. That seed, we know is Christ Jesus. Sand implies Abraham’s natural descendents and stars imply spiritual descendents through faith in the grace of God like those of us who are saved. (Genesis 22:17. Galatians 3:16).

* Abraham finds a place to bury his wife Sarah in a foreign land. He was honoured for his integrity even among strangers. (Genesis 23:5) 

* Abraham arranges to find a wife for his son Isaac from his people alone. The Lord was with him. Abraham kept the promise God had given him to keep Isaac in the land where God had taken him and blessed him there and had faith that the angel of the Lord will guide his oldest servant in his journey to Abraham’s native land to look for a wife that the Lord would provide for his son Isaac. Indeed God again blesses Abraham in this as well. (Genesis 24:50)

* Abraham lived as a sojourner on the earth from the time God called him. He built altars for the Lord God to worship Him but he always lived in tents knowing through faith that the Lord had prepared a city for him whose architect and builder was God Himself. (Hebrews 11:9-10). We learn that we must hold all that we think we have on this earth lightly and continue to set our hearts on the treasures above. God tells us that “where your treasure is, there your heart is also”- Matthew 6:21. We are also encouraged to set our minds on things above, where we belong and where our Saviour is seated, alive and interceding for us. (Colossians 3:1). 

Abraham honoured God always. He never forgot the favours bestowed on him in each step of his life which is why he built an altar for the Lord to worship Him wherever he sojourned by the guidance and providence of the Lord. Acknowledgment of our Lord, His grace and His provisions, humbles us and keeps us in tune with His will and continues to make us partakers of His manifold grace. Indeed, there is no greater Giver than our good Lord and heavenly Father Himself. (Romans 8:32)

Genesis 11:6-7

We learn a lot from the event that happened post God established His covenant with Noah. We read in Genesis 9:1 that the Lord commanded Noah to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Despite the Lord’s blessing through His Word and will, Noah’s generation, in their vain pride, self-conceit and rebelliousness, decided to use human strength,all might and resources together to do what pleased them, and brought glory to them, even if it was against the will, plans and provisions of the Lord Almighty. 

We must remember in our lives that the Lord has gathered people to Himself to rejoice in Him, bring glory to Him and worship Him. Reconciling to God means living through Him. Tower of Babel, as a work of men according to their will, defied the word of God as its goal was to reach the highest heaven through personal works. We know from His Word that “no man is justified by works alone” and that “we are saved through faith in His grace”. So technically, man cannot reach heaven, but when heaven descended on the earth, that is, when Lord Jesus walked on the earth, He came to preach about the kingdom of God,so that through Him, we are reconciled to the eternal home, with salvation as a gift of God and never through works of men. As Abraham’s descendants, we too know that God rendered the faith of Abraham as righteousness. 

Third, the Tower of Babel represented the uniformity of mankind, in one language, one mind, one strength and one heart. However, Lord God’s plan was never uniformity in His absence, but unity despite all diversity! That unity in oneness of mind and heart is accomplished by Christ alone. How His Word endures forever! So Lord God, scatters the tribe giving them different languages they could not understand, so that His blessing to Noah would continue, their plan to establish village near the tower of Babel and reach “heaven” in their own strength may fail and the Lord’s eternal plan for salvation and reconciling the world to Himself through Christ may continue. Here are a few verses that reveal God’s highest intention for each of us - to not strive in making “our own tower of babel”, but in humbly receiving His plan and provision.

1. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.(Galatians 3:28)- experience of salvation in the present, that is in the flesh.

2. After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands;(Revelation 7:9)- prophecy yet to be fulfilled, but will be fulfilled like all else in His time. The reason why the plan to build the tower of Babel failed. 

We learn from this that God gives grace to the humble, but is opposed to the proud. (James 4:6). We also learn to yield to His will which is for our highest good and live reverentially before God Who alone is omniscient and sovereign.We learn that for children of God, it is not about conceitedness but bringing glory to our God. Always.  

Lastly, we remind ourselves that our plans must never be “tomorrow we will do this and that, and make business” (James 4:13), but plan keeping the Lord’s will at heart (James 4:15)

Genesis 9:16

The Lord God our Creator and our heavenly Father to those of us who know Him, is a covenant-keeping God. Before the Noahic Covenant, the world had witnessed the judgement of the Lord against sin, unrighteousness and wickedness. Also, the world had witnessed the sovereignty, power and authority of the Lord over all His creation when He utterly destroyed the earth through the rains and the flood, yet He preserved the remnant through Noah, who is testified to have done “all that the Lord commanded Him”- Genesis 7:5. The Lord’s “wrath” on the earth and the deliverance of Noah, his family and two from each species is a prototype of salvation of all mankind through Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is merciful. The Lord is patient. The Lord loves us. None of these must be taken for granted. Rather His care must be acknowledged and feared at the same time through faith, humility and gratitude. 

As we see in the verse in the image above, once the land dried after the floods and life began, the Lord makes a covenant with Noah to never bring destruction on the earth until it was made to exist, that is, as we know now, until the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The patience of the Lord is what we can neither comprehend, nor fathom. Through faith we, as children of God must learn to appropriate the same mercifully, lovingly and empathetically! He desires none to perish, tells His word to us in 2 Peter 3:9, but He wants all to come to repentance and to the knowledge of the truth, which is in Christ Jesus. 

As children of God, our primary “task” during our time on the earth is to walk with Him, grow in Him and let the Lord preserve our soul into the nature and stature of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Who dwells in us. To be more like Him, glorify Him and witness Him. The Lord cannot use us for His works and to proclaim the gospel if His Word does not progressively come to life in our daily walk with Him. He honours faithfulness and reverence and abhors hypocrisy. 

So oftentimes the Lord allows situations in our lives in which we are made humble. We are made to empty to the last dime so that the Lord may fill us with His patience,longsuffering, endurance and gentleness so that He is glorified through us. It is only when we yeild to the Holy Spirit that is made to dwell inside us through His anointing at the time we were saved that compels us to obey Him over and above all aspects of our flesh,world and schemes of Satan that tries to draw us away from Him. There is no beauty in this world except the beauty of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ - the beautiful One!. He knows that we need His help and hand to take charge of us and our being if we run to Him alone. If we embrace such situations with an attitude of rejoicing in Him through faith, these situations bring us closest to our Lord, revealing to us His greater treasures and comforting us with an everlasting comfort. 

Just how Lord Jesus Christ suffered being just Himself for the unjust, righteous for the unrighteous, suffering for the sake of His name brings glory to God. (1 Peter 3:18).In His infinite wisdom, we are chiseled, sharpened and polished to be like Him more and more. This means we are made alive more in the Spirit. We are made to behold Him more closely and prayerfully in such situations making us realise that just like the Author of our salvation(Hebrews 5:9), our focus must not be to commend ourselves but on the fact that it is about whom the Lord commends!(2 Corinthians 10:18). Also, the greatest joy for every child of God is and must be over time that the Lord knows us! We have come to know that He knows us because we have tasted His love and kindness firsthand. We have tasted His kindness because at the feet of the cross, we were made to humble and empty ourselves of all that we thought we “knew” so that we may be found in Him. Hence, such situations are a reminder to ourselves that all that matters is that we love God wholeheartedly, because He knows us, recognises us, He is on the throne, He allows all that comes our way and it is for our good always. (Romans 8:28). 

We are thus made to love others with His love, His patience, His mercy, His compassion,His truth and His longsuffering, so others too may be saved,made full and have their joy become complete in and through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour alone. (Jude 1:23)

1 Corinthians 8:1-3

The verse 1 Corinthians 15:10 ,is so humbling yet so elating and so empowering. My Lord and Saviour and the only begotten Son of the true and living God , that is, Jesus Christ has poured His life to freely offer me salvation and keep me safe forever. He assures me that none can snatch me out of His hand and that I have His eternal life.(John 10:28).What a promise. What a refuge. He tells me that if He sacrificially offered His Son for me, how is it possible for Him to not freely give me all things? (Romans 8:32).It is on His right hand that there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). If I set Him continually before me, He is at my right hand and hence nothing shakes me (Psalm 16:8). 

His love alone builds me  up. It is only from His shoulders, the mighty shoulders of my heavenly Father that we get the most beautiful view. He has the power to change the bitter waters of the river Marah into sweet waters (Exodus 15:23-26). This is His redemptive work that He has worked and is working through His Son in me. 

He wants to use me and the life He has gifted me as a precious and holy vessel to enable others to be partakers of His manifold grace! To tell others how much the Lord loves them. The power of the Holy Spirit alone enables us to first abide in Him and become partaker of His divine nature more and more each day (2 Peter 1:4). He then compels us to give freely what we have received freely. (Matthew 10:8). 

I love Sundays because in the wisdom of my Lord, He finds delight if we set it aside for Him - to spend time with Him, because we love Him and so that we can find delight in His undefiled,unchangeable,ever-cleansing,enduring,all-inclusive and everlasting love! Sunday is a day of offering all that I am and have to Him, because by His grace “I am what I am”. We do not come to God because I want anything from Him (as if He doesn't know our needs) but because I have tasted His kindness. I have relished the sweetness of His Word, that is sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103). I have seen His glory amidst the midst of His people, in the sweetness of the fellowship of His children in truth and in spirit, sharing spiritual gifts with one another to edify each other , sharing His love with each other to make each other full and worshipping our Lord and Saviour in truth, in Spirit, in oneness of mind and oneness of heart. 

The more I remember that the reason for my existence is because of His grace alone, the more it humbles me, empties me, decreases me, as well as strengthens and encourages me to make my life a declaration of His love, His goodness, His greatness and His provision for each one and all mankind. As He tells me through His Word, His wisdom renders my worldly wisdom foolish before Him. He reminds me that “I must become foolish so that I may become wise”.(1 Corinthians 3:18-19). 

There are times when love for the world and the things of this perishing world exceeds my love for the Lord. May it never be ideally, and may it always be the opposite always(1 John 2:16-17).. That way, I am able to love others better. The contrary situation entangles me in empty chatter and void talks that only takes me away from my sweet and innocent devotion to my Shepherd and heavenly Father (2 Timothy 2:16). My weak and fleshly nature seeks commendation from the world forgetting for every child of God, it is not about who commends himself or herself but whom the Lord commends! (2 Corinthians 10:18). Blessed are the ones whose trust in the Lord and whose trust IS the Lord . Contrary is also true, for the ones who trust in human flesh including trusting our own selves. (Jeremiah 17:5-7)

“By the grace of God I am what I am”, I remind myself again. If I am what I am by the grace of God, oftentimes I take off the garments of my Lord Jesus Christ, especially when I carelessly “put off” my armour of God that He has given me! (Epehsians 6:11. Romans 13:14). No garment in this universe or anything under the sun is worthy of being traded for the clothes of Jesus Christ that the Lord has clothed us with. None whatsoever. 

When I make the joy of the Lord my strength (Nehemiah 8:10), I am able to make the most of the priceless grace that I have received from Him. He makes me fearless and steadfast, not because I am able, but because He is! 

He is able.  He is mighty. He is holy. He is righteous. He is just. He understands! He renders all accountable to Him. My task is to be partaker of His grace and it is His task alone to protect, to provide and to render His justice. (Romans 12:20).

Matthew 6:34

It is beautiful how today’s verse perfectly compliments my previous meditation of the Word from Jeremiah 29:11. That is why the Word of God is Whole and Complete. We have no need to seek anywhere outside the infinite word of God to understand and comprehend the same, or rather anything pertaining to eternal life and godliness. 

The Lord has not chosen us in Christ Jesus to worry. Worry is the manifestation through the flesh as an expression of our lack of faith in the true and living God in His Son Who dwells in us. He has chosen us in Christ Jesus to reveal His utmost care for our lives, each day and everyday. Obedience to His Word and humble dependence and walking with Him daily reveals to us more of His providence,faithfulness, mercy, grace,care and all the other attributes of our living Lord. 

The greatest misconception or misunderstanding of the Word of God at heart is brought about when the true,living,enduring and indestructible Word of God brought forth from the breath of the mouth of God is taken just as a literal, empty and perishing word uttered from finite beings. 

Words of people are understood through finite capacities of human intellect. Word of God is yielded to in and through the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit alone. Unbelief in His Word prevents the entry of His kingdom first hand in an instance. Efforts to comprehend His living Word through human efforts, intellect, emotions and will only leads to frustration and rebelliousness as the Word is not brought to life in us without the anointing of our being with the Holy Spirit. 

Lord Jesus Christ tells us that His Word is full of His Spirit and Life in John 6:63. Romans 8:6 tells us that the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. We are not able to submit to the Word of God by the power of the flesh. It is placing our faith in the Person, work and deity of the Son of God for us personally that sows His eternal seed, that is His Word in us (1 Peter 1:23-25) that thereafter can be nurtured in us by His living Word. It is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that imparts us with the understanding and wisdom of Lord Jesus Christ and gives us the hunger for His Word and willingness to obey the same.  It is the wisdom imparted to the children of God through the Holy Spirit that imparts us the understanding of His Word and experience of His life, love and peace. If we consider His disciples and apostles, none were qualified in their own strength. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 we learn about the calling of the Lord. He calls the lowly, the shameful, the hopeless, the meek and weak people of this world (or as the world perceives), to exalt them and shame the “wise” so that none may boast in anything except the Lord! 

Worry begins to cease as the life and peace of God begins to magnify through His Word by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit in us. That is our calling. Establishing peace with God through our Saviour and living freely,burden-free, yet fulfilled,content, full and often  overflowing with His Presence, the indwelling Presence of our heavenly Father, in His  Son, through the Holy Spirit. Worshipping the Lord and praying to the Lord is a spirit filled expression of the new song that Lord has sown in our life expressing reverence,love,joy,fear,dependence, praise,thanksgiving and honour towards our heavenly Father and Saviour Jesus Christ. The more we walk with Him, abiding in His Word, the closer we get to know Him and the more deep and spirit filled our prayer and worship becomes with each passing day. 

Below are the related verses that help us to walk worry-free with our merciful and caring Lord Whose eyes are always set on His children:

Philippians 4:5-7

Matthew 11:28-30

Psalm 55:22

Romans 7:22-25

Jeremiah 29:11

He establishes our peace in the present because He is in control if we let Him. He reigns from above, He walks amidst us when two or more of us call upon His name and He walks with us because He dwells within us! The Father, the Son and the Spirit always desire to walk in harmony! The most melodious, seamless, impeccable and perfect harmony. 

In His perfect peace, His grace enables us to do His will and be most receptive to His Word. When we abide in His Word and He abides in us, He listens when we call Him and answers anything that we ask Him in prayer. What an amazing and powerful God and our Mighty Father!(John 15:7)

As we meditate on the verse in the image above, He wants to reveal each of the elements in the verse from a spiritual context - His Plan, prosperity,hope and future. These may inevitably synchronise with manifestation of His life on earth in little things too in a manner which is always, always for our good. We may not comprehend in the now, but in retrospect, always. 

• Plan: He says, He knows. That is enough for us. His plan is always the best and perfect. Not only does He make our plans, but He establishes them in our life. Our humble walk with Him, powered with wholehearted love and trust in His providence, removes worry completely from our life. All He desires for us is to walk in His plan - what a revelation, that keeps us grounded in Him, and fruitful in Him. 

Ephesians 2:8-10.

Isaiah 55:11

• Prosper: Our only true and living God, the creator of all things and our heavenly Father neither sleeps nor slumbers. Our lives prosper because He is continuously at work within us. 

Psalm 121:4

Philippians 2:13

• His plans are always for our good and not for harm: We know this as we experience His living Word brought to life daily - we rejoice in His assurances and in His faithfulness as we see in the verses below when we meditate on them

James 1:17

Romans 8:28

• Hope: Lord Jesus Christ is our living hope. All the promises that our Lord had given to His people have been “amen” in each of the believers today in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our hope in Him for our salvation is accomplished through faith already. Our hope for the redemption of our body, for our resurrection at His coming and of all that He has planned and prepared for us as we meditate in the book of revelations. Not a single stroke of the letter of His Word has gone without accomplishing its purpose, says His word. What perfection and what assurance! 

1 Timothy 4:10

1 John 3:2-3

• Future: Book of Revelations reveals to us all that the Lord has planned and is preparing for His people besides all the other events that are bound to happen in His perfect time as always. We are hence called to stay awake prayerfully and fearfully and not sleep. We are led to move forward in this direction as His sheep because our Shepherd tells us that only His sheep are able to hear His voice. The Holy Spirit gives us the ears to hear and eyes to see. We are lead more and more into the entrance of the heavenly kingdom, our eternal home, where Lord Jesus Christ is continuously preparing a place for us. 

John 10:27

John 14:3

Revelation 21:1

Our journey in the present, on a daily basis is secure, peaceful, is made full in its essence(“the substance belongs to Christ” - Colossians 2:17) and fruitful in Him because He lives, He leads and He fulfils His purpose.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Being saved by Lord Jesus Christ and being born in His kingdom (Matthew 6:33. 1 Peter 2:1-2) ignites in us hunger for more of His spiritual food. Our daily communion with the Lord keeps our first love for Him and innocent devotion towards our Lord and Saviour alive. 

Trusting in the Lord with all our heart is a precursor for abiding in the first of the two commandments , which is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. It is impossible to love our heavenly Father without abiding in His Word. We cannot abide in His word in a state of double-mindedness. In that state of our being, we cannot expect to receive anything from the Lord, when we are tossing like the waves of the sea, says His Word in James chapter 1. Double-mindedness is the outcome of submitting to the Lord on the one hand and vainly relying on our own limited and narrow understanding on the other. Worldly wisdom is rendered foolish before the Lord because it is empty, lacks substance and is perishable. Word of God tells us that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of the Lord is stronger than men”. So truly this verse teaches us that relying on our own understanding without the counsel of the Lord is foolishness. Not only that but His Word also tells us that “no weapon will be able to prosper before the children of God” in the book of Isaiah. We are able to discern the thoughts of God only through the Holy Spirit , for the Lord is Spirit and through Christ we are able to understand. (1 Corinthians 2:16). 

 It is only the understanding of our omniscient Lord that is perfect and righteous. We are not expected to fathom all at once but the Lord upholds us in His righteousness by the power of His grace through which we are able to appropriate His unchangeable attributes (His love,faithfulness,promises, presence, purpose, and providence). We are called to feed on our daily manna from Him that keeps us stable and steadfast in Him (Psalm 119:105). Our prayerful reliance on His thoughts and ways (that are higher than ours- Isaiah 55:8-9) overflows our being with tremendous peace that leads our heart and mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7). 

As we prepare ourselves to lean on Him, we make way for Him to take the first place in each and every area of our lives. When we give Him the first place in everything that we do or are, He leads us as our faithful Shepherd, wise instructor and humble leader. The more we acknowledge Him, the more He reveals to us of Himself. As He becomes our leader, He becomes our Waymaker through His sovereignty and His might to fulfil His highest purpose through us.As we choose to carry our cross daily, that is choose to die to self, we are able to rejoice even in our suffering for His name’s sake. 

The Lord is able to make a Way for us because He IS the way.(John 14:6).  If we tread on His path, we are bound to be safe and well directed. “Consider what God has done. Who can make straight what He had made crooked?”- Ecclesiastes 7:13. The vice versa also holds equally true. When God is the Waymaker for us, nothing is too difficult for Him. We see in Isaiah 43:15-16 that the Lord is able to make way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters for His people, for those who trust Him, those Who acknowledge Him and those who choose to lean on Him over and above all the other understanding that are brought to us in several ways. “Behold, I am going to do something new, Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.”- Isaiah 43:19. (Matthew 5:6. John 7:38-39).

So as we choose to walk faithfully behind Him, making a way forward and upward is not something we have to worry about because our Mighty God IS the way and the Waymaker!

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Unlike the worldly way of reflecting back on the previous year, reflecting on the “status” of our faith and our intimacy with our Lord is different. It is not always measured by something that is tangible or visible; neither does its value depend on the magnitude of what we intend to measure. Even the works that we do for the Lord, to serve Him, to share His Word or even pray for miracles in His name has no value if our intent is not right ,intent,which is measured by whether we appropriate the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit without which we can do nothing for the Lord. As Jesus Christ, our True Vine of which we are the branch, tells us, “For without Me, you can do nothing”..also gives us this encouraging assurance that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” in Philippians 4:13!

Our Lord is interested not in the size but in the quality of our faith. He does not look into the outward presentation but looks into the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7). He finds zero interest in our outward expression of worship, if our daily walk is not with Him, if we are not abiding in His Word or not walking in the Spirit.(Matthew 7:21-23). Obedience to God through faith is an effortless outward expression of our love for Him. We love Him because He first loved us and He tells us that if we love Him, “keeping His commandments” is  not burdensome but our expression of our love for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (John 14:15).

Walking in the newness of His life is a daily experience. As we choose to daily walk humbly before His Presence, acknowledging His Presence reverentially, abiding in His Word, doing good, manifesting His kindness, acting justly, (Micah 6:8), He reveals to us more and more of His heavenly treasures, renewing our Spirit, transforming our soul, sanctifying us, making us more complete in Christ Jesus, making us whole. Each day of the entire year is a walk of our renewal in Christ Jesus ! (2 Corinthians 4:16. 2 Corinthians 3:18).

As two natures war within us, 1 John 4:4 imparts us with His strength as we choose to yield to the One who dwells within us to overcome all else of Satan, the flesh and the world to live a victorious life in Christ Jesus alone. 

Walking in the newness of His life is a progressive life that enables us to overcome sinfulness progressively. Victory of Spirit over flesh is progressive. Victory of light over darkness is progressive. Victory of new nature sown over our old nature is progressive. Victory of keeping our eyes focused on the things above over things of this world is progressive. Victory of letting go of old habits to embrace the new in Christ Jesus is progressive. And this progress, growth and maturity in Christ Jesus happens at God’s speed according to His will. It has no timeline. But assured evidence, joy and fulfilment to live for Him. Victory of decreasing oneself and increasing Him through us is also progressive. 

As long as we keep walking in His Light(As we choose to walk by faith and not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7), in the newness of His life, we are allowing Him to do His works in and through us wondrously.(Philippians 2:13). 

For those of us who have not yet received Him, primary is to receive Him and then walk with Him. (John 1:11-13).

Related Verses:

Colossians 3:1-17.2 Corinthians 5:17-21.Romans 6:4. Mark 2:21-22. Psalm 119:105

Psalm 18:2:

Those of us who have tasted the kindness of the Lord through our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, have been bestowed with the sweetness of experiencing joy in the Lord as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit sown in us and share the same with others. (Galatians 5:22-25). 

The joy in the Lord abounds with the living hope ,fulfilment and revelation of all His promises that are amen in Christ Jesus towards each of us as believers of His redemptive gift and of His Sonship and deity. Lord Jesus Christ in His Word in John chapter 15 has promised to make our joy complete in Him as we choose to abide in His Word and remain in Him. 

The experience of rejoicing in the Lord always surpasses and overrides the circumstances that we are placed in. Joy in the Lord and love of the Lord is something that no one can take away from us - this assurance is promised to us beautifully in Romans 8:38-39. Also Lord Jesus before fulfilling His perfect work on the cross, shares the coming of the Holy Spirit that His and now our heavenly Father would send after His resurrection that will bestow us with the joy that no one can take away from us - “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going to take your joy away from you.”- John 16:22.

Therefore, rejoicing in the Lord is always a blissful mixture of His living Presence, the revelation of His purposes for His glory and for our good even in the most trying times. Rejoicing in the Lord enables us to appropriate His grace that empowers us in our weaknesses, gives us the strength and willingness to look unto Him for comfort, trust, dependence and revelation of more of His nature as we humbly choose to obey His Word to rejoice in Him at all times. 

When we rejoice in the Lord, our hearts are set not on the matters of this world but on our Lord, in truth and in spirit , Jesus Christ, Who is alive and seated on the right hand of the throne of grace. We experience that He is all sovereign and He is in control for He is on the throne. He teaches us to discern through His eyes and wait upon Him alone, Who fights our battles and Whose unchanging love compels us to rejoice in Him always. Even in times when we have no words to express before His Presence, the Spirit within intercedes for us and communes with our Father through our Mediator Lord Jesus according to His will on our behalf. (Romans 8:26-27)

So when we rejoice in the Lord, there is no despair. Rejoicing in the Lord is not indifference or lack of empathy, but abounding in hope filled with thanksgiving because of the providence of the Lord laid before us for each of us who chooses to believe. Our joy is in beholding the face of the Lord and the fact that we can be in the presence of His glory because of His abundant mercy, grace and love despite He being absolutely just, holy and righteous! We cannot comprehend the former without acknowledging the latter attributes of our Creator as well. When the Creator of this Universe becomes our heavenly Father through our Saviour Jesus Christ, we are able to see and appropriate both of His virtues as we behold His love on the cross. 

Related Verses:

Psalm 42:11.Psalm 99:5.1 John 4:4. Habakkuk 3:17-18. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. John 4:24. Psalm 27:4

John 8:36

The Godly meaning and purpose of freedom is in contrast with the worldly meaning and purpose of freedom. 

Worldly freedom is independent of the counsel of the Lord or at times even that of other people and is subject to self-will at the end of everything for the most part. Godly freedom keeps us close and in subjection to our Redeemer and Saviour Lord Jesus Christ Who alone has totally set us free in the first place. Freedom in Christ increases as He keeps setting us free from our own self. 

It is good to recall and meditate on what and why has the Lord set us free from and why He desires to set all free too.(2 Peter 3:9).  Faith in Lord Jesus Christ, in the Person,deity  and His work on the cross and through subsequent faith in His resurrection as we turn our heart to Him to behold and see what He has done for us, sets us free. We are set free from the clutches of Satan, from eternal separation from the only true and living God, from the Judgement of the only Judge our Creator, from lies of Satan that had blinded our hearts at the first place and from burden of our sins that the Holy Spirit convicts us of as we choose to place our faith in the redeeming work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

The Lord desires to set us free simply because He has loved us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3). He knows that no flesh is justified by works in His sight (Romans 3:20). Our holy and just Lord is abundantly merciful and compassionate. Hence, offering salvation as a Gift of God has been in the eternal plan of the Lord for every human soul even before the foundation of the world.(Ephesians 2:8-9. 1 Peter 1:18-20). 

He desires to set us free so that we are reconciled to Him. Reconciliation with the Lord implies having established peace with the Lord, being a partaker of His life, His love and His Spirit, (for God is Spirit) and enjoying manifold grace of God as our blessed inheritance that enables us to know Him and abide in Him more and more. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20. Ephesians 1:14,17).

We have been called to freedom from eternal death not to use our freedom to cover up any evil but to be bonded to Christ and to walk in His light. (1 Peter 2:16. 1 John 1:5-10). We have been called to freedom not to give any opportunity to the flesh but to serve one another with love. For He says that the entire Law is covered in this verse that “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Galatians 5:13-14). 

As our paradigm is automatically shifted by our Lord Jesus Christ from living under the authority of Satan to under the authority of our heavenly Father, it is Christ Who must take the first place in anything and everything we do. Our freedom in Christ Jesus is measured by the parameters of His wisdom, His righteousness, His redemptive power and degree of sanctified life that we have received from Him. (1 Corinthians 1:30). More spiritual fruitfulness automatically enables us to enjoy more of our freedom in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

Freedom in Christ Jesus gives us abundant liberty, and a victorious one too always. No lie is able to stand before the Truth or before our Lord (both are synonymous rather).  How wonderful and comforting is this blessed eternal security we have in our Saviour. (2 Corinthians 3:17. 2 Corinthians 10:5). 

The closer we walk with our living Saviour, the greater this joyful, precious and blessed freedom we experience and the more purposeful our life becomes for His glory, according to His will. Lord Jesus Christ was brought “low” for this very purpose, to exalt us to where He is and while we are in our flesh, to enable us to walk in truth and in Spirit. (Isaiah 7:14). That’s why He is called “Emmanuel”, God with us. God who is true, is living and is Spirit desires to be with us by choosing to dwell within us (John 7:38) , be amidst us when two or more people gather in His name (Matthew 18:20) and above us as our risen Lord and our heavenly Father seated on the right hand of the throne of grace!(Acts 2:33).

So when the Son sets us free, we are free indeed - freed by Him, for Him, through Him and in Him. 

Romans 11:36

This is our greatest joy and privilege . To walk with our loving and living Lord upholding us and picking us each time we fall. 

We are called not only to live by the Spirit but also walk by the Spirit. (Romans 13:14 and Galatians 5:25-26). 

The first part of the verse tells us that we were born of His will, that is, from Him(John 1:12-13). Indeed we are anointed and clothed with the garments of Lord Jesus Christ . That is our gracious Gift from God. Keeping the garment on is the arduous “work” that compels us to walk humbly with our merciful God. It is interesting how the Lord provides us with all resources in the analogy of the armour of God (Ephesians 6:11), which helps us to face all elements of this world that tempt or deceive us to take off His garment in exchange for more attractive looking “clothes”. However , we are called to “walk by faith and not by sight”. It is Lord Jesus Christ Who keeps us safe in Him and keeps our eyes and ears open so that we are able to see and hear Him. It is His strength (1 John 4:4) that compels us to abound fruitfully in His work (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). We cannot offer Him to others without eating the bread of life ourselves.

The second part of the verse tells us that we exist through Him. Lord Jesus Christ is the reason for our existence daily. We have life because we are in Him.( 1 John 5:12). This truth compels us to walk with a merciful and watchful heart that helps us to conduct ourselves with His spirit of discernment and righteousness. Our walk is never about us but Him and Him alone.  All that we do is acceptable to our Heavenly Father as we choose to treat the same as our sacrificial offering to Him in the name of His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ . (Colossians 3:17) 

The third part of the verse tells us that all things are to Him. He is the righteous Judge. The compass of each moment of our life must point to Him. Even if we deviate, we are compelled prayerfully to realign ourselves back to Him. As we continue our walk forward and more importantly upward, witnessing Him becomes effortless as His Presence make invisible Christ visible. The whole purpose of our calling is so that we decrease and He increases. We are called to give others what we have received freely. “Freely you must give for freely you have received “. (Matthew 10:8. Daniel 12:3 . Isaiah 55:1). 

It is only the glory of Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord, Saviour and Creator that is worthy of beholding,being a partaker of and most importantly manifesting the same in all that we do.(1 Corinthians 10:31)

John 10:9 - I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and will find pasture

Our identity in Christ Jesus begins when we enter through Him into everlasting life through faith. After having received salvation as our priceless gift in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, it is good to remind ourselves of this utmost Truth that He is our All in all. He alone is enough, as our Creator, Provider, Redeemer, Saviour, Shepherd, He the “I  AM” and He is Alpha and  Omega, Who is, Who was and Who is to come!

Although as children of God,  the Lord commissions us with His work on this earth by default through revelation of His will daily, it is of primary importance for us, His redeemed ones to first become full in Him alone, daily. 

Repeatedly this verse from Nehemiah reminds me that “The joy of the Lord is your (my) strength” - Nehemiah 8:10. In all of our weakness that floods in our being carelessly, we find strength in the pasture of our Shepherd, Lord Jesus Christ. He makes us watchful,wakeful and helps us through the spirit of His discernment. As the Lord tells Paul, “My  grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” - 2 Corinthians 12:9, it is impossible for us, as His sheep, to thrive in this world in the absence of His grace. Salvation that was brought to us by the grace of God is sustained in us by His grace alone. 

As we grow in the Lord for increasing in His life through maturity, He teaches us to know more and relish more what real joy is. As we choose to listen to Him over and above our own voice or that of the world which is equivalent to noise for our soul, He makes our joy complete that no one can take away from us. (John 15. Psalm 16:11). How rightly His word tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always!” in Philippians 4:4. We are able to rejoice in the Lord always for He allows all in our life for our good (Romans 8:28), He never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5), His faithfulness and love endures forever, His mercies renew each morning and the living hope in Him and His coming through His promises is irrevocable. It is His sovereign Hand with which He upholds our right Hand that we are able to rejoice in Him always. 

Also, no matter how mature we become in and through Lord Jesus Christ, at the end of the day, we are His sheep, which is why He tells us that “Without Me  you can do nothing”. We need His protection and we need to be in His Shelter to stay untouched and unstained by the world. Not only that but He cleanses us of worldly defilements each time we are shown our hidden faults;lovingly through His precious blood so that our walk in His Light remains unhindered. (1 John 1:5-10).

At times our spiritual growth may instigate pride in us to move forward independently and we forget that Satan is our defeated enemy in Christ alone and  we are only a branch in the True Vine of which Lord Jesus is the root! Grace of God stops where pride begins. A sheep knows about its nothingness in providing good pasture, protection and direction to its way home by itself unless it listens to and follows the voice of its shepherd and chooses to walk through the narrow lane. The rewarding race(race because only in a race, the lane has to be maintained not for speed necessarily but for direction) has to be finished to eternity, but in His lane (1 Peter 5:4,8. Matthew 7:13-14). 

As long as we give our all as our delightful offering to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we are renewed daily by Him in accordance with that which is pleasing and acceptable in His sight (Romans 12:1-2). He desires nothing more of us than we are able. Not only that but He understands our weaknesses and with each temptation He also provides us with a means of escape. As we enter through the only Door and dine with Him and He with us (Revelation 3:8,20-22. John 14:21), we are filled,protected,cleansed,strengthened,nurtured, cheered, guided and most importantly, made alive in Him.

Galatians 6:8

Word of God in Ecceleciastes 11:1 tells us to “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days”. We are called to share the goodness and greatness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in every situation we are placed in, regardless of the instant outcome.Our Lord tells us that “My ways and thoughts are higher than yours”. (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Reaping everlasting life as we read here implies being manifold partakers of His life, that is, His glory, His nature and His peace that He has sown in us as His eternal seed, at the time we received His enduring Word through faith in Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:23-25). 

In contrast to Moses, who despite making the tabernacle of the Lord just as He was commanded, could not enter the tent in the presence of the glory of God. The Lord was in the midst of His people but they could not become partakers of His glory simply because the veil was not removed from their hearts yet. (Exodus 40:34-35). This veil is removed only by the work of redemption finished by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which is why, those of us who are of faith after the resurrection of our Lord do not only experience His Presence in our midst when we gather in His name as He had promised but we also are made partaker of His manifold glory as we are able to behold His face just as we behold in front of the mirror(2 Corinthians 3:15-18)  as the veil of sin has been removed once and for all by Lord Jesus Christ on the cross after which we see Him in truth and in Spirit for the Lord is Spirit. (John 4:23-24). 

When we are called to sow to the spirit,the Lord  sets our eyes on the joy set before us in Him, the joy of snatching out one more soul out of fire (Jude 1:23) and the endurance to have mercy on others. Lord Jesus too, endured the cross, despising the shame because of the joy that was set before Him, that is the redemption of our souls who believed! (Hebrews 12:2). Lord rightly tells us, over and over, to not spend money on food that does not satisfy. Jesus satisfies. Lord Jesus alone is the bread of life, the everlasting life. 

Labouring for the Lord is not an act of self gratification or earning “merit” from the world but an act of love, love for the Lord Who first loved us and love for others through the love with which the Lord has loved us and continues to love us. The Lord shuns us from spending time in vanity, especially once we have tasted the kindness of the Lord. “Why do you spend money on what is not bread, And your wages on what does not satisfy you? Listen to me carefully and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance…Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near”- says the Lord in Isaiah 55:2,6.

Even when we labour for the Lord from His ground(1 Corinthians 3:9), as His field workers, He being faithful and just rewards us through more of His abundant life and keeps our living hope in Him alive keeping us firmly established in His promise of transforming our humble state into His total conformity at His coming. (Philippians 3:20-21). 

Psalm 19:1-4

As children of light, we are called to share His Light through our lives and witness His indwelling Spirit by His strength and grace. (Matthew 5:16). We were created as part of the new creation of the Lord in Christ Jesus to declare His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9-10) as our new nature in the newness of His life poured in us. 

After coming to the knowledge of the Truth, that is, at the time we turned to the Lord through repentance and came to know Who He is personally, that is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the only true and living God, declaring His excellencies initially begins first as joy expressed in thanksgiving and praise in humble worship. We grow later on to reveal His divine nature,heavenly knowledge and wisdom as we are nurtured by Him,into growth,maturity and fruitfulness of the Spirit. 

God initially created man in His image from dust giving His life through His breath but sin separated us from Him eternally leading to death. However we through faith are reconciled with the Lord according to His eternal plan for our salvation through Lord Jesus Christ, the exact image of God (Hebrews 13:1) and the unblemished Lamb of God for us.Through Him we find strength each day to overcome the world, flesh and Satan so that as we decrease, we are able to magnify Him through us more and more. This way of life is lived through worship, prayer, meditation of the living Word of God and fellowship.

Worshipping and witnessing the Lord is a matter of utmost joy,privilege,honour, responsibility and an effortless way of life. It overflows our being with more of His love and our life with His rewards (that no one can take away from us). Worship does not occur in one place or at a certain hour of the day,but it must become a way of life more and more. 

The best part of Christian walk is the opportunity we have to make invisible Christ visible (Acts 1:8), by the power of the Holy Spirit. This manifestation occurs as effortlessly in the way in which  birds are created to sing or chirp,  the sound of the sea waves is soothing, the winds whistle amidst its way through the trees, the water gushing its way down the waterfall,the effortless and perfect rising and setting of the majestic sun or even the glory of the starlit sky at night where our Creator has named every star by name (“He counts the number of stars, He gives name to all of them - Psalm 147:4). He promises to put a “new song” of praise in our heart as well which is difficult to stop. His Presence makes our life a beautiful melody, reason for our existence and our utmost joy. (“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord - Psalm 40:3).

So as we worship the Lord through our life,worshipping Him through different aspects expresses different reasons for our worship:

• Worshipping the Lord is joyful: As we offer Him thanksgiving from our heart for what He has done for our soul, and continues to do with His tender care and mercies. (Psalm 47:1. Psalm 100:3-5)
• Worshipping the Lord is a matter of honour and privilege: We came to know Him not because we loved Him but because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19). So when we boast, we boast in the Lord always in our worship praising Who He is, His attributes, His magnanimity, grandeur, sovereignty and power as our Creator and His love,care faithfulness, holiness,righteousness, mercy,compassion,omnipresence, omniscience and providence as our Heavenly Father, Saviour and Shepherd.
• Worshipping the Lord through our works: This is our basic responsibility and the reason for our existence. (Ephesians 2:8-10). 
• Worshipping the Lord as a way of life: When we walk in the Spirit and do not carry out the desires of our flesh, we allow Him to guide and communicate with us to the point where we choose to obey Him even if it is against our personal (human) reasoning. His Word must take precedence always. 

The outcome of this God-centric life with Lord Jesus as our head is that our cup overflows with His love, that is our innermost being. (Ephesians 5:25). He never puts our faith to shame. (Romans 10:11). Riches, honour and life (in the Lord) follow us all the days of our life. (Proverbs 22:4). Living in the house of the Lord forever becomes our greatest refuge and security (Psalm 23:6. Proverbs 13:21)

Matthew 23:9-10 - “...You have One Father, Your Father in Heaven; You have One Teacher, The Lord Jesus Christ”

Wisdom of God is no longer a long list of righteous laws from above meant to be strictly followed. As new testament believers, we do know, we have experienced and our experience is backed by His Word, that as much as the Laws of God in the old testament were perfect and complete, they were written to shut the mouths of every soul brought under it knowing that it is impossible to achieve the righteousness of God through self-works. “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God”.(Romans 3:19). Lord Jesus Christ has nullified the entire Law by its perfect fulfilment once and for all on the cross. Hence, Salvation is a gift of God by grace and  not of  works. Unlike the old testament Laws where the Lord speaks to us in terms of “You shall…”, we see in the new testament, He reveals to us His righteousness by saying “I will…”. As prophesied several times earlier, and fulfilled by the Spirit of God, the Lord in His faithfulness and eternal plan for each of us who choose to receive Him in Christ Jesus has told us that “I will put my Laws in their mind and write them on their hearts;and I will be their God , and they shall be My people” - Hebrews 8:10. So everyone who turns to God can do so, through faith alone, beginning from Abraham, the old testament believer who was rendered righteous by the Lord through faith. 

So all things pertaining to life(eternal life) and godliness, is enough as we choose to respond to the calling of God to belong to Him through reconciliation that is found in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is nothing that needs to be added and nothing to be removed in His revelation. His infinite wisdom is revealed to us more and more as we become partakers of His eternal life sown in us(through faith in Lord Jesus Christ)  more and more. Growth in His wisdom goes hand in hand with revelation of His divine nature and hence becoming partaker of the same, more and more. 

Let us briefly delve into the source and nature of the wisdom of God:

• The Universe was created by the wisdom of God. Everything came into existence by His Word. (John 1:1-3)." And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth".(John 1:14)
• We Who are in Christ Jesus are exalted by His wisdom :  Whoever that was called through hearing by faith the word of Christ (Romans 10:17) were brought low first. Became foolish at first. Acknowledged their helplessness and need of redemption first. Confessed the weakness of their flesh and folly of their being first. This great plan to humble us to bestow us with His wealth was to shame the “wise” and the clever of this world so that all who boast may boast in the Lord alone, that is the Truth - for He says, in Christ Jesus alone, we have become the wisdom of God and the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24)
• We must become foolish in order to become wise (1 Corinthians 3:18). This is the only way and the rest is deception: King Solomon too, who was blessed by God with abundance of His wisdom falls badly in the absence of the Lord’s countenance and declares everything “under the sun”, that is all that is worldly and all the matters of this perishing world as vanity, and vanity of vanities in the book of
  Ecclesiastes. 
• Understanding the knowledge and wisdom of God is His revelation as He speaks to us through His Word, aided by the Holy Spirit that He has given us, and not a matter of intellect:

          “But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are        spiritually discerned.:- 1 Corinthians 2:14. So is the word of the cross to them, in its face value without faith - foolishness, but to those who believe, the power of God! (1 Corinthians 1:18)

• Lord Jesus Christ alone, our Lord, Saviour,Heavenly Father and Creator,  is the source of all heavenly knowledge and wisdom: “...in Whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge” - Colossians 2:3. Seeking His treasures is a gradual revelation of the mystery of God found in Christ alone. The Lord just like any loving and generous father is awaiting to offer us generously the rich source of His life and wisdom, that is the Holy Spirit provided we ask, we seek and we knock.  (Matthew 7:7). Faith in Christ, is a response to His calling that begins His life in us. 
• It is the anointing of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, that teaches us all things and guides us into His Truth: “ As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” - 1 John 2:27
• We must keep our spiritual hunger alive through daily nurturing: Lord Jesus Christ has told us that He is the bread of life(John 6:35) and our hunger for all else will cease as long as we feed our hunger and thirst through Him alone. Wisdom of God leads to our growth in things pertaining to salvation, just how the pure milk of  a mother and then solid food causes our physical growth. “...

“...like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,  if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”- 1 Peter 2:2-3.Assimilation of solid food is given to us depending on the readiness of our heart. This readiness is not bound by our biological age but on our willingness to seek, yield and obey His Word. “..I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able,”- 1 Corinthians 3:2

God gives our heart ears to hear and eyes to see by His grace alone through our faith in His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord:

Just how a sheep can hear the voice and follow the voice of its shepherd, we too in the fold of our Shepherd can listen to Him through the Holy Spirit which He has  given us, to guide us in His truth. (John 10:27 - “My sheep listen to my voice; I know  them and they follow Me”). Also we see in 1 John 4 what the Lord says about our understanding of His Word: “ We are from God. He who knows God listens to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error…Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Lord, God abides in Him and He in God” - 1 John 4:6,15.

Nature of heavenly wisdom: “But the wisdom from above is pure,then peaceable,gentle,reasonable,full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering,without hypocrisy - James 3:17

Concluding thoughts of wisdom from above, the Lord has declared from the cross that He alone has the key to it. It comes like rivers of living water (Holy Spirit) as we allow Him to open our heart and let Him in. (John 7:38-40)

As Paul rightly pens down the words of the Spirit, “The love of Christ controls us”.(2 Corinthians 5:14).  So should it control us in everything. Dead to the world implies being unaffected by the schemes of this world. Dead to the world implies overcoming the world through Lord Jesus Christ. Dead to the world implies remaining alive, and more so in abundance progressively in Christ Jesus. Dead to the world has nothing to do with insensitivity or indifference. Dead to the world enables us to love more with the love of Christ - not in words but more so in deeds and in truth :) (1 John 3:18). 

Here are some means by which the Word of God shows us our 180 degree transformation of our “status” in Him and the hope we have in Him when we are saved. However, it takes each day to labour in the newness of life, not by our own strength but by His grace working through faith as we walk with love found in Him. 

• Setting our affection above: We must nurture that affection that the Lord has set in us to above, where Christ is seated so that although we live for the time being in the flesh, we might act based on our affection that is set in Christ, to do everything pertaining to life and godliness faithfully (Colossians 1:1-3)
• Putting on new garment daily: This metaphor of being dead to the world has been illustrated (and happens as a reality) as we choose to put off our old self and put on new garment gifted to us, that is the garment of Christ Jesus daily,created in His holiness and His righteousness. (Ephesians 2:22-24)
• Giving ourselves as sacrificial offering to God: Our lives must be presented as a living sacrifice before the Presence of the Lord for with such sacrifices the Lord is well pleased. He accepts such offering and works in us to continue to remove all that leads us to “dead” life and brings us more to life in the spirit, that is the life of His Son Lord Jesus Christ. (1 John 5:12).
• Living as a new creation in Christ Jesus: We must remember that as we received Christ Jesus in our heart, we were born again by the gracious will of God. (John 1:13). In order to be born again, our “old life” was put to death with the death of Christ on the cross on our behalf. And the life that we now live, we live to God by the life we have received because of the resurrection of our Saviour Who has overcome death.(2 Corinthians 5:17)
• New Creation in us cannot be mixed with the old: The Lord created us anew from scratch. He has made us alive in Lord Jesus Christ from nothing. This beautiful illustration, yet a real one, is given by the analogy of how new wine cannot be contained in old wineskin and how a piece of unshrunk cloth cannot mend an old garment as that would result into a worse tear. (Matthew 9:16-17)
• Denying self so He is magnified: This implies carrying our own cross daily to put to death deeds of the flesh so that we may be made more alive in the Spirit by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit within. (Luke 9:23)

Anything that inflates us and sabotages beautiful Christ within us is from this world. Anything that we allow which magnifies Him through us is from the Lord. So we must prayerfully seek the will of God by asking for His discernment, many times  is extremely subtle and it is impossible to know the difference unless we hungrily and wholeheartedly seek His guidance. 

So as we live a life dead to the world, we choose a life that God wants us to live, and a life that God has called us to live. That is, to live through Him. A sanctified life. A sanctified life is not a secluded life. Rather, it is a life of universal inclusion yet staying unstained and untouched by the world. (Matthew 5:16. James 1:27).

As we choose daily to live in humility and reverential fear of the Lord, we are continuously delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit from dead works so that we are made more and more alive in Christ Jesus, our Lord, our Saviour and most importantly, our life-giving Spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)

What is the kingdom of God in which we have made a “free” entry through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, The Way, The Truth and the Life (John 14:6)  - The Word of God tells us and works in us that the Kingdom of God is not flesh and blood but righteousness, joy and peace in the Spirit.(Romans 14:17). We have received this wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption in the Spirit through Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour Who has become our wisdom, righteousness,sanctification and redemption(in this progressive order) through the anointing of His resurrected life that we have received as His Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). As we increase in the abundance of His righteousness, joy and peace within us through faith, obedience and prayerful diligence, the conviction of His indwelling Presence serves as a fuel for us to continue labouring for the Lord despite the inevitable oppositions of unbelief,humiliation, rejection and ridicule that we face in this perishing world from which we were plucked out at the first place. 

Labouring for our Lord as His worker in the field, which is this world ,is compared to the growth of a seed sown in the soil to bear its fruits in the parable of the sower. 

We see in the parable four cases of the same seed sown in four different conditions of the soil (Matthew 13:1-9,18-23). 

1. Seed thrown on the road: Is picked immediately by the bird signifying Satan not letting the seed of the Kingdom of God, that is His Word enter into the heart of the hearer.

2. Seed that sprouts immediately on the rock but fails to thrive: Is like the one who tickles his ears after listening to the Word but fails to receive and hence get rooted

3. Seed that is sown, grows initially but becomes stagnant due to suffocation caused by the surrounding thorns that fails it to bear the fruit: Is like the one who acts on the Word through faith and receives the same but is entangled by the worries of this world and deceitfulness of wealth that chokes it and so cannot bear fruit

4. Seed that is sown in the fertile soil and hence bears much fruit! - is like the one who hears the Word, understands it, receives it and hence brings forth plenty of fruit by nurturing the same through various resources available from above. (1 Peter 1:23-25)

We who have received this seed like in case of 3) for some of us and 4) for some of us, eventually are pruned, nurtured and disciplined to labour for the Lord and share His seed with others through our lives.Laboring for the Lord is meant to be a joyous and fruitful work if we seek to find grace, strength and joy in the Lord alone. The Lord has supplied us with His abundant life, that is, the eternal life that has no end (John 10:10). There is endless growth in our holiness, sanctification and so in His righteousness, His peace and His joy as we choose to labour for Him. This experience is enlarging our entrance into the Kingdom of God. Let us look into how increasing our entry in these three aspects is helpful:

a. Righteousness of the Lord: Anything that grieves the Holy Spirit is sin and is unrighteous. As we seek holiness in everything for God tells us to “Be holy, for He is holy”, He helps us to overcome and eventually deliver us progressively more and more from our sinful habits in all areas of our being. As we grow in His righteousness, yielding to sin becomes difficult and walking in His light (1 John 1:5-10) and manifesting the same (Matthew 5:16) relatively more and more effortless. Worrying about our worldly needs and greed for acquiring more wealth are both sins when this tendency surpasses our concern and hunger for seeking the righteousness of the kingdom of God. Our heavenly Father has promised to suffice us with all things we need even before we ask provided we first seek His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33. Romans 8:32)

b.  Peace of the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ had promised beforehand that even if He leaves His disciples, He shall leave His peace with us through the Comforter that our heavenly Father would send us, that is the Holy Spirit. (John 14:27). This peace is not the one that we receive from the world, because we never will. But this unmovable peace that we receive in Christ Jesus helps us labour for the Lord amidst oppositions and suffering for His name’s sake. It only results in abounding glory and thanksgiving for what He continues to make of us in the process. Moreover, His peace gives us endurance to stand firm on His promises. (Psalm 126:3,5. Galatians 6:9)

c. Joy of the Lord: Indeed how Nehemiah tells in His Word that “The Joy of the Lord is my delight”. When pleasing the Lord becomes our first delight, He fills us with  His joy that no one can take away from us and that He makes it full. Our joy is made full in Christ Jesus alone. (John 15:11). As we increase in His joy, we are able to rejoice in the Lord in situations like trials(James 1:1-3), when we have to suffer for His name’s sake(1 Peter 3:14).  Lord Jesus Christ, being our forerunner, the author of our salvation Who suffered outside the city gate to bring many sons to the knowledge of the Truth by healing them and making them holy in Him through faith. (1 Peter 1:3). Hence, knowing that we are nothing but products of being partakers of His abundant mercy, we know that salvation is the gift of God which is supposed to be received humbly. 

Hence, by increasing our entrance into the kingdom of God likewise, we are fueled by the Presence of the Lord Himself to keep the love of God in us ignited within us to take precedence over all else as we choose to labour for Him and His glory. 

Daniel 6:16: “The Lord Whom you serve continually, He will deliver you”

Daniel, we know, was a devoted man of prayers in the land of the unbelieving. He was bestowed with the wisdom of discernment and revelation to interpret the king’s dreams and to enable him to take charge of his kingdom righteously and in the fear of the only true and the living God. 

Each time his faith was tested by the king in various ways, He came out stronger by denying what was against the Word of God. He was even “disciplined” for his very act, but each time he was mightily rescued by the Lord Himself. First we see, when he along with his friends were put under a regular diet of simple vegetables for ten days compared to his contemporaries who chose to indulge in the rich foods from the king’s platter, the faces of the former shone and were bright compared to the others. His priority was to honour His Word and worship Him alone. Second, Daniel came out harmless from the burning furnace in which he was thrown along with his friends for refusing to bow down before the image of the king. We see the presence of the fourth figure in the furnace, Lord Jesus Christ. Third, Daniel was put in the den of lions for breaking the decree of the king and chose to continue to pray to the Lord three times a day. Finally the king was humbled and fearfully, yet reverentially brought to the knowledge of the truth. 

The secret treasures of the Lord that must have enriched Daniel in the den of lions are the same treasures available to us today in situations we may be placed in:

1. The Lord’s courage and protection in His promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 brought to life would have made Daniel’s heart fearless. The Lord sends His angel to shut the mouth of the lions.

2. As long as our conduct is delightful in the eyes of the Lord we have nothing to fear. More importantly, the Lord has made available to us His throne of grace at all times (Hebrews 4:16) where we may approach Him without hesitation to return our heart back to Him each time He shows us that we have gone astray. It is at the throne of His grace that we find the abundance of His lovingkindness that always restores us to our close fellowship with Him. Daniel must have found comfort and rest amidst danger because of this abundant lovingkindness of the Lord. We too are able to partake of His mercies daily in Christ Jesus, our Lord and God of Daniel as well.(Lamentations 3:31-32)

3. In such trials and temptations like that of Daniel, we are compelled to be brought on our knees prayerfully before His Presence with spiritual hunger and thirst that is satiated through the revelation of more and more attributes of the knowledge and wisdom of God found through Christ Jesus, the source of wisdom and the beginning of heavenly knowledge. Daniel is seen to use this wisdom of discernment to declare the truth embedded in the king’s dreams and also later on we see him leading the charge of the kingdom because of his loyalty and righteousness. We too are made righteous and bestowed with His wisdom in Christ Jesus alone. (Ephesians 1:17-18. 1 Corinthians 1:24. Colossians 2:3). 

4. Just like Daniel, the most blessed experience in our trials is we get to be closest with our Lord in the brokenness of our Spirit. In our weakness, we experience His strength and the darker the darkness, the brighter the light we see for God IS Light. His Word reminds us that the “Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

5. We learn vigilance and stability of faith from how Daniel dealt with all the tests and trials he went through. These words are brought to remembrance that gives us the strength through His Spirit to stand firm. His Word tells us that “It is better to suffer,if it is God’s will  for doing what is right..” -1 Peter 3:17. Second, we learn from the silent confidence of Daniel who inevitably was aware that he will be rescued by His faithful and mighty God. The same Lord rescues us as assured by His Word in 1 Corinthians 10:13. The Lord imparts to us the vigilance to sense any trial or temptation and give us timely wisdom to resist the same in His name so it may flee. These temptations prowl like a roaring lion says His Word. (1
Peter 5:8).

So as Paul pens down the words of the Spirit, in such situations, we may be poor, but we are called to make many rich, riches not earned but inherited graciously and hence called to share freely, what we have received freely..(2 Corinthians 6:10 - the beautiful verse of contradictions!). 

His Word tells us that the Lord is not concerned about outward presentation but about what is in the heart(1 Samuel 16:7). Neither is He interested, rather He despises lives that are like “white washed” tombs that are actually dead from the inside(Matthew 23:27). It is sin that leads to death, says His Word, that is separation of our soul from the Lord. 

Even after having come to know the Lord, faithfulness in our fellowship with the Lord enables us to “help Him” to maintain the sanctity of our soul(1 John 1:5-10). Our heavenly Father is always concerned about the quality of our works for Him as opposed to the magnitude or grandeur of it. In His eyes, one saved soul is more precious to Him than all the riches of the world combined, says His Word! Too sad that this perishing world ruled by Satan has blinded the hearts of people and so it is the blind leading the blind unless we personally allow the Lord to unveil the blinds of our hearts in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and let Him in, the True Light! (John 1:9). 

Second, 1 Corinthians 13 tells us the futility of all works done for the Lord in the absence of the essence; the Essence being the love of God poured in the very act, brought to life by His grace, enabled through His Holy Spirit. 

Our part as children of God in the process of allowing the Lord to maintain and preserve the sanctity of our soul is to let Him reign in all areas of our life and allow His Light to enter into each “room” of our being so that we can have close fellowship with Him as we choose to walk in His Light. Here are three ways the Lord desires to work in us to keep us sanctified and useful for His works that He has planned for us beforehand (Ephesians 2:8-10)

1. Daily cleansing of our “worldly dust” before His Presence to make sure that there is nothing that hinders His Light from being manifested in our daily life. (1 John 1:5-10).Lord Jesus Christ has already cleansed us, yet daily washing of our feet and each other's feet is crucial, in Christ Jesus.(John 13:10).The way is sitting prayerfully before His Presence where He reveals to us through the Holy Spirit or through His Word ,hidden iniquities which we are unable to see otherwise. Also, this quiet time with the Lord gives us the opportunity to confess and repent for anything through which we may have grieved the Holy Spirit. Grieving the Spirit of God may not always be blatant, visible or obvious. It is only when we break all our vulnerabilities and dispose of all of our being openly before our merciful Lord that we are able to see in His Light and immediately repent for even a small thought or intent or seemingly petty act that may have grieved His Spirit within. (Hebrews 4:16). Our Lord does not desire for us to keep any of this burden on us, but handover to Him immediately. He desires honesty and faithfulness from us and nothing else. This practice enables us to return to the Lord closely and prepares us to reflect His Light in everything that we do. (2 Timothy 2:21)

2. The Lord desires  to build us more and more firmly in Christ Jesus. It is very important for us to stay rooted in Him alone - Lord Jesus Christ being the root Himself. The more we are rooted in Him, the more we are nourished by Him and the greater our growth in Him and the more fruitful our life becomes for Him. Shaping us into His likeness is the work of our heavenly Father Who has created us in the first place. He can do His best work in the soul which willingly and with wholehearted faith stands still before His Presence. Just as a Potter works with clay or a Sculptor works with a huge piece of stone, we too are called to be before His Presence like a clay or a stone,to be yeilding and still(Romans 9:20-21). We must be willing to yield to His will and give ourselves with an act of surrender for Him to renew us completely, yet progressively so that we are no longer carried away by the winds and doctrines of this world that are fleeting and empty. (Romans 12:1-2. Hebrews 13:9)

3. The Lord is able to accomplish marvellous works in and through our lives in a way that is beyond our capacity or strength so that His living Presence is witnessed through our lives. This is made possible only when we humble ourselves before the Mighty Hand of God so that He may be able to exalt us at the proper time. (James 4:6-7). The Lord purposely brings us in situations where the only option left for us is to confess our inability and rely on His grace completely -  the Lord’s work begins where our last effort ends. This is exactly how we who have believed and have received the gift of Salvation from the Lord as we chose to submit all our personal efforts and “credentials” at the feet of the cross. We are the strongest in the Lord, when we are on our knees before Him. He equips us with all the resources and becomes our strength for defence and protection. (Ephesians 6:10-17).

Being useful for the Lord thus is a daily walk of living our lives inside out. The cleaner our inner being, more glorified, powerful and mature our walk with Him will be. We have heard in His Word that “Faith without works is dead”. However, He also says that “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him”. (Hebrews 11:6). So faith in the saving work of our God and relying on His grace alone is the precursor of all that we are called to do for Him and for His glory. 

Related verses:

John 8:12

Hebrews 3:4

Joshua 3:5

Galatians 2:20

Now that we are able to “see” the duality of our existence in flesh and in spirit (for the time being until we see Him as He is) and the ongoing spiritual warfare as His Word tells us that “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). The intent must be to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit always. 

If we look at the perfect work of the Lord for redemption of our soul, “it is finished”. He has accomplished it all and continues to keep all His covenant promises as He, our Creator is also the covenant keeping God. He has also given us all resources of the heavenly inheritance to be ours and for us to employ and He has withheld nothing from us. His Word is complete and endures forever. He has poured in abundant life to dwell in us. So we are left without excuse to continue now in further sinfulness, to walk in darkness and in deceptiveness. We cannot put Christ to open shame or crucify Him again. A truly saved person cannot continue in sin as he is born of God tells His Word. Most importantly we are endowed with a Helper, the Holy Spirit,  from above Who sustains us in faith and brings to our remembrance His Truth. 

Here are some ways to self-examine and discern the purity of our faith prayerfully; to seek help from God from all areas of our life from where we need deliverance and victory. He is able. He shows and He helps us. He has kept us on this earth after saving us for this very purpose - to witness Him (Acts 1:8), display His works (Ephesians 2:8-10) and to grow in the love,life and riches of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our life must display the gospel:

• The Lord tells us there is no fellowship of light with darkness. Are we walking in the Light ? In what areas are we falling to do the same. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18. 1 John 1:5-10). There is a difference between walking amidst darkness and walking with darkness. There is a difference in associating and having fellowship. It is the Lord’s discernment that continues to teach us to take care, beware and not fall.

• He who has the Son has the life;he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1 John 5:12). We were dead in our tresspasses earlier and we are made alive in Christ Jesus through faith so we may see. We must not walk as dead and blind as we were before. (1 Peter1:3. Galatians 5:24)

• Our life must be a constant progressive victory of Spirit over the flesh and not vice versa. Is our conduct progressively declining in our tendency to sin? Are we becoming more and more sensitive to sin that grieves the Holy Spirit? Are we listening and paying heed to the whispers of the Holy Spirit as we pray or read through the scriptures? Are we acting on His guidance?

• Where does our care and interest lie now? At the place from where we were pulled out, that is from the miry clay of the perishing world or on the heavenly realms where we belong and where our Saviour Who is alive and is sitting at the right hand of the throne of God? (Colossians 3:1-3). 

• How ardent is our desire daily as we wake up to follow the heart of God like David and seek to do His will alone? Are we seeking to please the flesh, the world and gratify the lust of our eyes? Or are we hungrily seeking for God to reveal His purpose for us to accomplish for His glory? Do we have the hunger and desire to increase in the abundance of His life? (1 John 2:15-16)

• Is our daily toiling world-centric or God centric? Are we working for our earthly pay checks or the rewards awaiting from our faithful heavenly Father? What is the definition of our daily fulfilment? Is it acknowledgment, praise and accolades of the world or commendation from our good Lord? Is it compromising on His Word to please the world and flesh or carrying our cross daily to deny our own selves? (Luke 9:23. Zephaniah 3:20. Proverbs 22:4)

• Contentment. What defines our contentment? Are we able to see through the broken cisterns of the world (Jeremiah 2:13) and the vanities that so easily used to entangle us (Ecceleciastes 1:14-15)? How hungry are we for the bread of Life, that is His word?(John 6:35). Are we exercising prayerful and fearful self control and disciplining to stay detangled with the awareness of who we are in Lord Jesus Christ? (2 Timothy 2:4).

• Conduct. What is evident from our conduct? Deeds of the flesh or fruits of the Spirit? (Galatians 5:19-26)

• Wisdom. Whose wisdom are we employing daily? That of the world or from above that has been freely gifted to us in Christ Jesus? (James 3:15-17).

• Worship. Is our life a manifestation of our devotion to our living God in truth and in spirit or are we worshipping an idol? (anything that takes precedence over and above our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?)

• Investing and prioritising our time and thoughts. Where does our investment go? We know there is no truth in Satan and he is the father of lies. Jesus tells us He is the Truth, the Way and the Life and that no one comes to the Father but through Him(John 14:6). But Satan has deceived us from the beginning until we were set free in and through Christ Jesus. Are we still consciously putting ourselves to the deceiving schemes of Satan by taking our faith lightly only to regret later and finding nothing but emptiness  or are we being watchful in prayer to pay heed to our Lord? 

Our faithful Lord does not leave us without hope because He says He has overcome the world and so can we (through Him). John 16:33. 

The world vainly talks about "resting in peace" (RIP) after the soul departs from the flesh. But the Word of God clearly tells us that there is no rest for the soul unless "it" finds peace with God through God Himself, for God IS peace. Lord Jesus Christ has established our peace with God in Him, on the cross and through His resurrection to bring us to where He is now. 

The Lord calls us to His place of resting in peace while we are in the flesh because He is the Lord of the living and not of the dead (both physically dead and spiritually dead). (Mark 12:27). 

How do we enter His resting place of peace? The answer is clear and simple and "child-like". Through faith alone.Lord Jesus Christ tells us that the “kingdom of God belongs to children as these”(pointing to those who were approaching Him-Matthew 19:14). What He implied was those who believed in Him without any doubt like a heart of a child, who is neither ashamed to depend on his or her father and mother nor stubborn to confess his need for a Saviour. 

How do we exercise faith? The Lord tells us in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ”. Faith is the confidence of things hoped for and the assurance of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). 

When is the right time to exercise our faith in Christ? The Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:2 that “In the time of my favour I heard you and on the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the day of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation”.

Entering His rest implies  rest for our soul from all the toil to set “itself” free. This is made possible when we handover our burdens to Lord Jesus Christ, Who alone has carried them all on the cross on our behalf and has given us His life to dwell in us in “return” as His gift, that gives rest to our soul. There is no rest in sinfulness. And we all need freedom from the burden of our sinfulness through forgiveness of the same, justification before our righteous Lord and regeneration through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 11:28-30. John 8:36). The purpose of resting in peace is to be able to begin to live His life, a.k.a, eternal life or the abundant life and to know Him more and more. 

If we have entered His rest, how do we remain in it daily? By becoming a continuous partaker of His insatiable and manifold grace. Who is qualified to receive His grace? His Word tells us that “The Lord opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”(James 4:6). We also know that all good things come from above, from the Father of lights. (James 1:17). This means that we have not earned but only received everything from above, eternal life, redemption, heavenly inheritance and living hope for our salvation as His blessed gift. His word tells us that even in our abundance of giving, there is nothing to boast about except in the Lord  because we are giving what we have received from the Lord and are made faithful stewards of. (1 Corinthians 4:7). When we remain in His rest, uneasiness for gratification, self-embezzlement, acknowledgement and praise ceases. The Lord tells us that it is not about who commends himself who is approved but the one whom the Lord commends.(2 Corinthians 10:18). Hence, all of our giving must focus on pleasing our heavenly Father and no one else. (Matthew 6:3)

In the same way, if we have entered His rest, we cease to complain knowing that on His ground, He is in control and He allows everything in our life for our good always (Romans 8:28). Also, it is in His restful place that we are bestowed graciously with His patience in difficulty, His joy abounding in hope and His faithfulness in our prayers. (Romans 12:12).

Our place on His ground remains unshakeable because we are built on the foundations of which Christ Jesus is the Chief cornerstone.(1 Peter 2:7).Moreover, the more we build ourselves by abiding in His Word and acting on it, we become like a house built on solid foundation that can weather everything and still stand still. (Matthew 7:24-25). 

We are able to find pleasure forevermore on His right Hand as we remain in His rest. We know that it is Lord Jesus Christ Who sits at the right hand of the throne of grace. (Psalm 16:11. Romans 8:34) 

So as we remain in His rest, we are able to employ more of His heavenly resources that are ours in Christ Jesus, as our very own inheritance and are able to glorify Him. 

We cannot rest in glory with Him if we do not enter His rest at the first place through faith in Him now. (Hebrews 4:1-3)

What is this zeal of Lord Jesus Christ- It is His Spirit with which He existed, He conducted Himself and He lived. He said,"He and the Father are One". He has given us the same Spirit to dwell in us, who have believed in Him and received Him. 

The Spirit of Lord Jesus Christ is manifested through three aspects in us and in our worls - our mind, our emotions and our will. 

Here are some verses to meditate on and pray through to enable us to work with the zeal of our Lord Jesus Christ progressively more and more:

1. He did nothing to grieve the Holy Spirit of His heavenly Father within Him. What grieved His heavenly Father, grieved Him! (Ephesians 4:30)

2. He lived as the servant of God, in total submission, despite being Lord Himself. He left heavenly glories to humble Himself in flesh and blood to the point of death, death on the cross. He lived every moment on the earth according to His heavenly Father's will, abiding in His Word. (Philippians 2:7-8)

3. He only did everything out of looking into the interests of others, considering them more important than His own Self. (Philippians 2:4-6)

4. He decreased so that the Lord would increase and be glorified. Always. John the baptist revealed that purpose in him as well, "I must decrease and He must increase" (John 3:30)

5. He employed the strength and intent of His heavenly Father in all His works,dealings and decisions through intimate and personal prayer time. Without guidance from the Holy Spirit that He has given to dwell within us, we cannot drive our flesh through self-will to serve Him. Lord clearly tells us that He has chosen(rather qualified by His grace and mercy through faith) true worshippers who will worship Him in truth and in spirit for God is Spirit. (1 Peter 4:11. John 4:23-24)

6. His prayers were void of any selfish motives. They were according to the will and Word of God always. He only waited on the Lord, His and our heavenly Father(Isaiah 55:8-9). Pleasing His heavenly Father was His first or rather His only priority. Everything He did was born out of greatest love and highest intent possible even if that meant suffering for the sake of accomplishing His will - which was to make all crooked paths straight and to generate rivers of living water for He alone is the life-giving spirit. (Isaiah 40:3. John 7:38-40.Genesis 18:14)

7. The Spirit of Lord Jesus Christ towards His heavenly Father, while in the flesh , was meek,gentle, humble, faithful, obedient, submissive, prayerful, enduring, perservering, longsuffering, patient, compassionate and most importantly full of His love, love that saves, love that enlightens, love that is fulfilling, love that gives eternal life.  The cross therefore displays the greatest possible love in the universe ever displayed - love, not in words, but in deeds and in truth. (1 John 3:18). Love that displayed mercy and grace of our Lord on the One hand and holiness,justice and righteousness of the Lord on the other, both accomplished fully in us through His perfect work for us. 

This perfect redemptive work was accomplished with a spirit of joy as His last prayer was "Not my will, but let Yours be done!" to our heavenly Father. (Luke 22:42). 

8. Whatever He did on the earth, was for and through His heavenly Father in the heaven knowing that He came forth through Him to accomplish His will. Same way, our "reward" and acknowledgment also comes from our just,faithful,encouraging, gracious and comforting heavenly Father Who not only gives without measure(more of His abundant life, more of His fullness)  but also enables us to work through Him, when we seek to work for Him through the Spirit of Christ that He has given us. 

Our Lord is true, living, gracious, merciful and calls each one to taste His love through faith in His only begotten Son so that we may humble, and believe and receive, be saved from His wrath and begin to truly live.

1 Peter 2:9

Reconciliation with the Lord is His doing. We have the life of Christ in us because as His word tells us we were grafted in the True Vine (that is, Lord Jesus) as a wild branch in order to abide in the life of Christ.(Romans 11:17-18). Another analogy in the Bible is that of a body where we all are placed by His grace as individual members with Christ as the Head for the glory of God and for mutual edification of each member of the body of Christ through spiritual gifts bestowed to each one of us by Him.(1 Corinthians 12:27). Yet another analogical understanding is given to us for our experience and fulfillment in 1 Peter 2:5 of our place in the temple of God. We are placed in the spiritual temple of God with Christ as the Chief Cornerstone and each believer as a living stone, and placed according to His will to build up the Church for the glory of God and to offer spiritual sacrifices to the Lord through Jesus Christ. 

Spiritual walk with Lord is a walk of fellowship with others. When we are made part of the new creation (1 Corinthians 5:17) by His gracious work on the cross, we were sanctified and made One in Christ Jesus - eradicating all the differences. His Word tells us that in Christ Jesus, there is no male, no female, no Greek, no Jew, no slave, no freeman, but we all are One in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Although the Lord has called us to be holy for He is holy, and compels us to walk as Children of Light for He is the True Light (John 1:9) amidst the world, we cannot be effectively fruitful for the Lord unless we are active members of the body of Christ, that is the Church, wherever He may have placed us. The Lord has pledged heavenly inheritence in Christ Jesus individually to every member of the Church, each one that is connected to other like joints, bones and ligaments so that each grows through faith in love with the gifts imparted to each one by the Lord for edification. (Ephesians 2:19-22). As one of my dear elderly uncles in the church shares joyfully, that Fellowship is not a lonely ship but it is a big ship. The body of Christ most importantly is One, and so is the Church. The place to stay centered to Christ Jesus, to serve and glorify God, to share His love, to grow and most importantly, to exist. The Church is universal and spiritual. 

Lord Jesus Christ, "the Son of Man", and Lord Himself tells us that He came to serve and not to be served. His resurrection established the church at pentecost through the Holy Spirit, where He places us as individual members of the body of Christ in truth and in Spirit to get the taste of the heavenly realms(that is the abundant life of Christ, the eternal life) more and more progressively on the earth until we see Him as He is at His coming. 

By grace we are made to experience more of His lovingkindness, His peace,His protection,His nature and all that He is and reveals to us because we are made to be partakers of the same. The more we are spiritually strengthened, the more fruitful we are made to become for His glory. 

Related verses:

Numbers 6:24-26

Psalm 17:7

1 John 3:8-10

Joshua 24:15

The Lord has called us in Him through Lord Jesus Christ for us to experience and manifest His goodness and His Presence. His Words tell us that "Beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" in Romans 10:15. None can pay heed to the good news if it is not proclaimed. None who have tasted His kindness can proclaim unless it is out of the joy that the Lord continues to give us. 

In order to rejoice in the Lord always as He says, (1 Thessalonians 5:16), we need to remain in Him and His Word needs to remain in us so that He can reveal more of Himself to us. We know that flesh and blood do not enter the Kingdom of God but the Kingdom of God is righteousness,peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Paul has talked to us about the flesh that wages war against the spirit at all times whereby the spirit is willing but the flesh opposes. In prayer, we are called to employ the might of the inner man that dwells within us, the life of our Saviour Who has overcome the ruler of this world, rendered victory over death and all the dark forces of this universe and let Him fight our battle through His might. (1 John 4:4). As we know that justice belongs to the Lord, we have become partaker of His mercy and have been justified by grace through faith in His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. He desires the same for all until the time of His Day to execute Judgment over all (2 Peter 3:9). We must continue to find our security and undisturbed safety under His refuge Who  not only has the power over our physical being but over every soul and is able to destroy the same (Matthew 10:28). However, that is not His will, although He is able.(2 Peter 3:9. Jude 1:22-23). 

For every child of God, Satan is a defeated enemy. The Lord does not want us to face temptations in our own strength simply because we are not able. It is crucial to equip ourselves with His armor that He has provided us (Ephesians 6) to "fight the good fight" and stand firm in Him. At His discretion, many times He teaches us to resist the temptation, at other times flee from the same and during other, helps us to overcome and deliver us. In any case, each benchmark leads us to experiencing more of His might leading to His praise and glory through our lives as a display of His care and faithfulness. 

We must take consistent help of the Helper that He has provided us , that is the Holy Spirit, to bring to our remembrance His Truth in the time of our need. Our Lord never lets anything or anyone snatch us from His hand, the assurance of which is clear in His Word(John 10:27-29). Moreover, He knows how to rescue us from all the evil forces, plans and works which are beyond our comprehension or reach as He watches over us like the apple of His eye His Word tells us (Psalm 17:8. Deuteronomy 32:10). His help comes to us from the heaven above when we call upon His name, to Him Who is the Creator of the heaven and the earth as our very own heavenly Father. (Psalm 121:1). 

So our walk in this world is secure and firm in Him. Over time, He matures us to be watchful, to stand firm, to yeild to Him, to wait upon Him alone, to depend and hope in Him and to boast in our weaknesses so that His might is displayed through us (For His grace is enough and His power is perfected in our weaknesses - 2 Corinthians 12:9). 

Such awareness is overwhelming of Who He is and what He does for us, yet is comforting and encouraging for each of us who choose to walk in the only narrow lane that bring us in His Presence at all cost. We must be willing to pay the price for He alone is worthy.

Related Verses:

Psalm 9:1

Luke 2:10

2 Timothy 4:18

1 Corinthians 1:19

We are able to confidentally yet humbly say that "It is not I but Christ Who lives in me" as we see in His Word. In His holy Presence, we are compelled to acknowledge our foolishness so that we may become wise in and through Him.When we walk closely in His Presence, He is magnified and we decrease. Our Mighty Lord upholds us in His righteousness at all times. The outcome of our fellowship with the Lord is always revelation of more of His mercy, goodness and lovingkindess compelling us to stay grounded in the house of the Lord forever.

In His Presence we know that there is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11). This is made real as we abide in His God-breathed Word so that His joy is made full in us as assured by our Lord Himself (John 15:11). Acknowldgement of His indwelling Presence enables us to let Him take the first place in eveything we do so that His purpose is fulfilled in our life. Our close association with the only true and living God works for our good as through Him we are able to do works for His glory that He has prepared beforehand so that we may be able to walk in it. Such knowledge is beyond our reach. However, through faith we claim as ours and we are convinced through application of the same through obedience. (Ephesians 2:8-10). 

When we walk in the Spirit, we are brought to the remembrance of the truth that we are of His doing. In Christ Jesus, we have been brought to Life. Hence, without Him, we are nothing but dust. But through Lord Jesus Christ, we are children of God! This assurance is given to us by the pledge of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us for our heavenly inheritence, to preserve us in faith in our flesh until the time of our redemption at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is only when we are brought low in His mighty Presence that He is able to exalt us. Walking close to Him compels us to put at His feet all that we "think" is ours, yet it is like dead works and torn garments (as His Word says) without Christ in it - whatever we think is righteousness, good works, wisdom, truth, joy and hope in our own strength must be put at His feet. He exalts us from that very state of our being through the power of the Holy Spirit that He has given us to display His Truth so that we may boast in Him alone. (1 Corinthians 1:27-31). 

Our loving Shepherd also gently continues to reveal to us our hidden faults in our daily walk with Him that He desires to cleanse us from so that our reconciliation with Him in our fellowship is unhindered. Just how Moses,Ezekiel and apostle John prostrated before the glorious Presence of the Lord, as we behold the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in truth and in Spirit, we are humbled to honor His magnanimosity, His holiness and His sovereignity. We know that nothing filthy, of this world, unrighteousness or unholy is able to stand before His Presence. We are compelled to break, confess and repent to offer our being to be cleansed by His precious blood (although we are eternally forgiven) so that we may continue to walk with Him in His Light without any hinderence. 

Our walk with our Mighty Lord holding our right Hand as our heavenly Father and drawing us to follow Him at each step in His narrow lane that He has opened and paved for us like a faithful, caring and protective Shepherd is an experience of fearlessness amidst danger, courage amidst opposition, comfort amidst perplexity,peace amidst turmoil, stillness amidst instability, purpose amidst confusion, contentment amidst emptiness and permanant refuge amidst all else that is perishing! 

Prayerful walk, obedient walk and humble walk with our Lord makes Him our All in all in everything. The more we empty all of us at His feet, the more He fills us with Him, that in turn is ours in and through Lord Jesus Christ. (James 1:17)

Related verses:

Psalm 23:6

Isaiah 29:14

Ephesians 1:14

Ephesians 2:4-6

Lord Jesus Christ tells us in John 10:10 that He came to give us life, a life of abundance. This life of abundance is His eternal life, the unending and everlasting life. His life through faith in Him is ours to claim from the moment we receive His eternal seed, which is His saving Word.(1 Peter 1:23-25). And the saving Word is Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 

Despite being born again,we often begin to live in the strength of our flesh and in it's will like before. This life is hostile towards the Lord, His will and His Word. This fleshly life of self conceit and pride is not willing to become a partaker of the manifold grace of God, to yeild to His will and to obey His Word. 

However the Lord has told us to take full advantage of our stand in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus and to continue to pray without ceasing. Every child of God has this beautiful privelege to frequently bring our being to the remembrance of our Lord's sovereign Presence in our heart as His Spirit  in prayer, that desires to rule over our mind, emotions and will. 

We are enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit to live in His strength when we remind ourselves that the eternal life that dwells in us is the gift of God to us for us to preseve in its holiness and sanctity through our being. Our eternal Lord, Who neither has beginning nor end "chose" to suffer death, eternal death in the flesh to release all other humans in flesh from bondage to eternal death, sinfulness and from Satan. This reminds us that our life in the flesh which was separate from God because of our sin has been crucified along with the Lord's death for our sins and the life we now live,is the resurrected life of Christ, the everlasting life, the victorious life, that has been poured in us as His Holy Spirit. 

Not only are we gifted His life to unite us with our heavenly Father, but Lord Jesus Christ raised and alive, sitting on the right hand of the throne of grace is also given the ministry of mediating for us, praying for us and interceding for us, in our weaknesses, in our fallbacks and in our supplications in truth and in spirit so that we may stand firm in faith and continue to keep Christ as the center of our being.

As we walk in the knowledge of His indwelling Presence, it is difficult to sin or disobey Him. It becomes effortless to abide in His Word, not out of compulsion but out of love working through faith. As He has promised several times in His Word that He shall write His Law no longer on the tablets of stone(the usefulness of which was made obsolete by the initiation of the new covenant in Christ Jesus) but on the tablets of our heart through the Spirit, making Christ Himself our righteousness and sanctification and wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Law is rendered weak and useless in our flesh because of sin. Hence, the perfect Law of God is nullified on the cross through its perfect fulfillment by the redemptive work of Christ Jesus, opening the door of salvation no longer through works but through grace , working through faith. 

Setting our mind on the Spirit is responsible and accountable living, bringing to life all His promises. The more we walk in the Spirit, the more of His life and peace is revealed and manifested to us and through us. 1 John 5:16 tells us that whoever has the Son has the life, whoever does not have the Son does not have the life. This life spoken of is the eternal life. Lord Jesus Christ has promised revelation of more of His Truth, His Peace, His Joy, His comfort , His divine nature, His Wisdom and understanding of heavenly knowlege through the Helper or Comforter He promises that His heavenly Father would send us in His name after His resurreection. 

His life and His peace do not eradicate external turmoils and challenges. Yet we are grown and taught by Him to rejoice in Him alone. We are honed in His character more and more, we learn to rejoice in the experience of His unshakeable faithfulness , we are comforted by His consistent love,care and protection  towards us and progressively enabled to overcome sins from our lives making us more and more like Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 

We are called to deny our own selves so He is magnified. We are chosen in Him by His grace so that we may decrease just so that He may increase. We are prepared more and more to live for Him and through Him. We are disciplined thus to set our mind on the things above, by letting our mind be ruled by the Holy Spirit given to us. 

Related Verses:

Revelation 1:18

Romans 8:26

Psalm 119:2

1 John 1:5-7

The first waking thought in the morning for every child of God must spotaneously be the thought of being blessed in Christ Jesus and the overwhelming thoughts of gratitude towards our heavenly Father, for His love for us and for how He has reconciled us to Himself in His Son. Reconciliation to God in and through Christ Jesus also implies simultaneous separation from the world and from slavery to sin leading to death and from the clutches of Satan. 

This life of freedom from all entanglements is a Gift of God through placing our faith in the redemptive and perfect work of His only begotten Son Christ Jesus on the cross. In Him, we died to self and to the fleshly life of sins and the life that we now live, we live to God through the resurrected life of our Saviour that has been poured in us as His Holy Spirit.

As we walk in the newness of His life in us, we are sanctified, rooted and hence established strongly, nurtured, matured and made fruitful for His glory more and more with each passing day. Yeilding our flesh to the Holy Spirit that desires to take central place in our being is a daily conscious practice we must delightfully indulge in empowered by praying ceaselessly, meditating on His Word and abiding in His Word in our daily thoughts, works and emotions. The more we choose to live in the power of the  Holy Spirit, the more our being becomes sensitive to even the slightest "quantam" of sinfulness or a chance of slipping back into the deeds of darkness and defilement from where our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had pulled us at the first place. 

Least assured, the gift of Salvation, our Lord's irrevocable promises and our living hope is permanant despite our fallbacks because of the undying and renewed mercy of our Saviour Who also serves as our everlasting High Priest and Mediator sitting on the right hand of the throne of grace in heaven.However, walking in His Light enables us to find joy of having fellowship with Him, contentment in fulfilling His will and delight in obeying the word and will of our Lord on a dialy basis. The peace, joy and contentment in this life of obedience to the Lord is what makes us full and there is no emptiness or shifting of shadow in it. In the process, the Lord continues to reveal to us more of His divine nature, His wisdom, heavenly knowledge, His might, His attributes and His love none of which can be created through self practices but are purely gifts of our heavenly Father as joint partakers of the heavenly treasures and the manifold grace of God in the Spirit (James 1:17. Ephesians 1:14). The One Who gives birth to us in the Spirit by His will in His Son (John 1:13:15) is the One Who consequently supplies us abundantly with both our heavenly and worldly needs thereafter (Matthew 6:33)

Our Lord and heavenly Father preseves and keeps us in the flesh after saving us for salvation , to manifest His life , eternal love and light through our lives for God IS Light and God IS Truth. Both are received through Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the True Light (John 1:9) and the Truth (John 14:6). It is not possible for the children of God to indulge in the passing pleasures of the perishing world and be faithful to our heavenly Father at the same time. We cannot do the work of God faithfully by participating in the deeds of darkness and seeking "fulfillment" (leading to further emptiness) from this perishing world ruled by Satan, the defeated enemy of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour. 

When we walk in His Light, powered by the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are compelled out of love and willingness to obey our Saviour Who walks with us in His Light to walk in further holiness and deeper into the knowledge of the absolute Truth. As He grows us in His courage, steadfastness , endurance, longsuffering, patience and perseverence, we are refined more and more and prepared as a useful vessel to proclaim the works, goodness and greatness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ through the endurance of His living Word ,the mighty works that He continues to accomplish and display through our life and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

We are commissioned to proclaim that Lord Jesus Christ alone is the Lord of Reconciliation for all mankind, not counting our trespasses against us but offering eternal forgiveness of all our sins and eternal life to begin to exist in us  and walk in the Spirit with Him thereafter. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

Related Verses:

Mark 15:16

Colossians 2:13

Ephesians 5:8

Psalm 19:14

When this happens, magic begins. We are under the realms of experiencing unchangeable love and unshakeable anchor of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are called to Him for sanctification. He is closest of all because He has loved us the most when we deserved the least and continues to shower His unfathomable love not only because He is forgiving but He desires us to be holy for He is holy. Only in holiness, we can behold Him and grow in Him more and more. He is strongest of all because it becomes almost impossible for us to fall despite any adversity that we may face or He may allow to test our faith as long as we allow Him to hold us with His Mighty Hand. The outcome of confiding in Him more and trusting in His strength in all adversities filters all the "dirt" from us in our feiry trials leading to shaping us more like Him and purifying us more and more into Him. We can neither shape ourselves unless we allow Him to sculpt us through His perfect Hands nor can we overcome and deliever ourselves from our temptations and iniquities unless we yeild to the gift of our inner man, that is the Holy Spirit which has overcome all temptations, sinfulness which would have otherwise lead us to eternal death and a life enslaved to Satan.

We cannot begin to live or progress thereafter to have a spiritually victorious life without receiving the eternal life of our victorious Warrior, Lord Jesus Christ as His blessed Gift within us. We must realise that being born again in His kingdom as a child of God through faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is just the beginning of our recruitment as a soldier in the spiritual battlefield. It is an inevitable, God-planned simultaneous blessing that we receive. Our training and disciplining in the hands of the Lord becomes a joyous and a fruitful process if we humble ourselves before His Mighty Hands. 

The more of His grace we experience in our life, in retrospect we realise that He allows trials, temptations and adversities in our life only for our good (Romans 8:28). Each trial reveals to us deeper aspect of His love. Each temptation when confessed to our Saviour in prayer reveals to us greater aspect of His might. Each adversity that we face with Him reveals to us the depth of His heavenly riches that keeps us rooted in Him. 

As we walk with Him from faith to faith likewise, we are shaped to become better witnesses of our Lord Who dwells within us because of His mercy and not because of our works, as His Gift to us, because of what He has done to offer us His resurrected life as His Spirit.

Over time, it is a humbling and the most contented experience to live with this Truth that indeed, Lord Jesus Christ is our All in all - our Lord, Saviour,Creator, Shepherd, Teacher, Friend, Close Kin, Heavenly Father, Redeemer , living hope and The covenant-keeping God. 

Nothing is worth receiving in exchange of "losing" even an iota of Who He is to us and what He has offered to us just so that we can be His. Even the thought of compromising anything of Him for the world must terrify us, even if it for a moment. :) However, what brings us permanant consolation is this ultimate Truth that "..even if we are are faithless, He remains faithful as He cannot deny Himself!". 

Related Verses:

Malachi 4:2

Proverbs 17:17

Hebrews 2:18

Ephesians 4:30

What praying ceaselessly means and does:

It implies having very frequent communion with the Lord in truth and in spirit.

It is an expression of our continous dependence on the grace of God to keep us firm in faith

It is a way of constantly seeking the will of God to accomplish His purpose through our lives daily

It is the only way to experience the indwelling Presence of our Lord that keeps us in His peace

It helps us to be ready to listen to the Lord in the time of need immediately

It makes us more receptive to the living Word that compels us to yeild to the same revealing to us the power of God and the wisdom of God more and more progressively

It keeps us from falling and/or enables us to  reconcile quickly with spiritual reslience as the mighty Hand of the Lord is available to pick us up immediately

It empowers us to accomplish His will by abiding in Him through His Word even in the most challenging situations so that we decrease in the process and He increases in us

It humbles us as we experience the Mighty Hand of our Lord and His sovereignity over our lives. A humble heart becomes a continous partaker of the manifold grace of God resulting in abundant thanksgiving and praise of our heavenly Father producing joy within us in His Presence

It fills our heart with reassurance of His promises, some of which we have become partakers of and some we look forward to with conviction and anticipation

It keeps us safe in Him as He astonishes us with His unshakeable faithfulness leading us to live a fearless, courageous and steadfast life in Him alone

Most importantly, praying ceaselessly accomplishes the work of the Holy Spirit in us to keep us sanctified and undefiled , so that we can walk in His Light and have fellowship with Him and other believers

Related Verses:

1 Thessalonians 4:7,5:17

1 Corinthians 1:24

Luke 6:28

2 Corinthians 5:7

Children of God are transformed and renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit poured in us when we let the all sovereign Lord take charge of the treasure entrusted to us for its manifestation!  He alone is worthy of all of our sacrificial offerings for Him to lead us - to lead our mind, our heart and our strength. We must let Him even if it “hurts” our flesh for His Name’s sake temporarily. The hope of the revelation of more of His glory and righteousness inevitably, will lead us to rejoicing in Him with praise and thanksgiving.

We know that our Lord is God Almighty Who neither sleeps nor slumbers. Everything under His creation functions according to His will and providence. His Kingdom alone is the kingdom of righteousness and justice that will endure forever by the power of His everlasting Word. It is of this kingdom, the new heavens and the earth (Book of Revelation) that we are made “citizens” when we accept Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord. 

We are giving charge of our life to the all powerful and mighty God as our loving and caring heavenly Father Whose weakness is stronger than men and Whose foolishness is wiser than men, says His Word! He has chosen us not because we were knowledgeable in our own intellect but because we “became foolish before Him so that we may become wise”. Lord has chosen  the hopeless, lowly and ignorant of this world to exalt them and to shame the wise who boast in their own knowledge and wisdom says His Word. That is why apostle Paul too, the most qualified Jew and a Pharisee Himself, Who despised Christ himself until he was humbled and called by Him tells us that He would rather boast in His weaknesses so that the grace of God may work mightily in Him and that He considered all things that he was willing to lose as rubbish in order to gain Christ! Amen. 

We make the mistake as limited beings to try and understand God in our own strength. Without the removal of the veil of sin, we can neither see nor know God unless we are born again of the Spirit of God. Lord Jesus Christ alone has broken the veil for us forever to give us free and direct access to our heavenly Father in the Spirit. The Lord Who has freely given to us His Son as a sacrificial offering to save us and to bring us to where He is, He gives all things freely with no lack when we ask Him, says His Word in Romans 8:32. We are able to sustain His heavenly treasures of which He has made us joint heirs with Christ only by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Our transformation in His likeness, our usefulness to Him for His glory, our zeal for sharing His Truth and His unfathomable love and our ability to fulfil His will in our life on a daily basis depends on our degree of offering all of ourselves to Him wholeheartedly, by seeking Him, abiding in His Word, acknowledging His indwelling Presence and trust His Sovereign Hand at all times - This walk of faith and not by sight throws the light of His Word like a lamp in our every step and light on our Path. 

Most importantly and assuredly, the Lord has assured us that He will never put the ones who have placed their faith in Him to shame nor will He ever allow anyone to snatch us from His Hand. What assurance! What security! What strength! What care! What preservation!

Related Verses:

Psalm 103:19

2 Timothy 1:14

Romans 12:2

Ephesians 2:17-18

Hence, our Lord is alone the Lord of reconciliation. He reconciles us to Himself in His Son and not through our own works. 

Lord Jesus Christ came on this earth only to reconcile all unto God through Him. God Who is but Spirit can be seen, worshipped and received only through the gift of the Holy Spirit alone, offered generously to each of us Who believe and receive the gift of salvation through His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no freedom from death(eternal separation from God) and subsequent peace with God without forgiveness of our sins and standing justified before our merciful Lord Who is most importantly holy. It is to our Creator with Whom we must reconcile and not to His creation which is perishing and transient. The Lord alone is eternal and unchanging and so is His Word that is God-breathed. 

We are able to stand on His holy ground and commune with Him in the Spirit because we have been anointed by the Holy Spirit and have been cleansed by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ through faith and repentance for our sins that the Spirit convicts us of. We must humble ourselves before our living and only True God remembering that there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood. We know that from the day sin entered mankind through Adam and Eve, none could stand before the holiness of God thereafter until the Lord Himself made an offering of the skin of the lamb that was sacrificed to make a covering for them so that they could stand before His Presence. This mystery is great and the redemption through the sacrificial offering through Christ on our behalf is progressively revealed to us by the Holy Spirit alone, which is the resurrected life of Christ. 

It is a humbling, sanctifying, peaceful, powerful and joyful experience to walk in fellowship with the living God as our heavenly Father. Love that is eternal and love that is so pure, true and edifying. Love that only gives that is good for us, enriches us with heavenly wisdom and upholds and glorifies God in and through us as His children. 

Our diligent effort must be to daily walk in the power of the Holy Spirit as we are confined in this flesh for sometime on this earth. Our Lord has opened our spiritual eyes through His indwelling Presence to look unto Him, where He is seated, alive, risen and interceding for us always. That place, the everlasting ground where Christ is seated is our home, our belonging, our refuge and our fortress. We live through Him, for Him and by Him. 

He prepares us during our walk on the earth to meet Him at His second coming, using us to further His Kingdom. We become partakers of His blessings beginning with the gift of His life, His Promises, His wisdom, His knowledge and His nature because through faith we are brought near by the blood of Christ by claiming the work of our salvation that Christ has accomplished on our behalf. We are able to see and be made to belong to the kingdom of God because we have entered in truth and in spirit as we are born again. (John 3:3). 

The more we behold our Saviour as in a mirror from faith to faith, the more we are transformed from glory to glory so that none may boast except in the Lord and in His might. It is impossible to see His glory or even be in His holy Presence without being sanctified and cleansed. We must therefore draw ourselves near to Him with a thankful heart knowing that even when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts which is removed only in and through Christ Jesus. 

(Related Verses:Colossians 3:3.Matthew 28:6.Titus 2:13.2 Corinthians 3:14-16.Hebrews 9:22 .Genesis 3:21)

Lord Jesus Christ in His life on earth used to often spend hours in prayer with His heavenly Father and our Father God, to seek His will, to seek strength and to seek rest. 

These verses in the image from the book of Ephesians are a great daily encouragement and reminder to ourselves that the reason for our existence as children of God is because we have been born of God according to His will which is why we exist to fulfil His purpose through our lives and not our own. It is only through faith that we could receive His eternal seed through His Word and were born again. This truth alone must prepare us with a thankful and humble heart to begin to live by faith and not by sight as the Word clearly tells us that the works in which we must walk have been prepared beforehand by our heavenly Father. Such wisdom and thought is great and beyond our limited reach. However, we find peace in treading His path step by step through faith alone as the Lord tells us in the book of Isaiah that His ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and our thoughts. 

As we choose to walk in the Spirit with the Lord, there are many distractions and discouragements on the Way; the Way which by itself is a narrow lane as we all know. However there is certainty of life and peace only on this lane that is offered by our Shepherd and Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ Who walks with us and before us. As we choose to give our Lord the first place in everything we think, say and do, overtime we learn that there is no immediate gratification. This helps us to live only to please the Lord even when our life goes unnoticed by people around us. There may be discouragements when we are misunderstood, our intentions are questioned and when answers to prayers are delayed. We may even stand the risk of having to receive hatred for sharing the incomprehensible love of God on His behalf! All these experiences must not come as a surprise to us as we choose to hold onto the anchor of our soul, Lord Jesus, and continue to grow in Him.We know that He too died for the ones who crucified Him! 

Our Lord is a just Lord, a rewarding Lord, a merciful Lord and a mighty Lord for Whom nothing is too difficult. He wants us to carry none of our burdens on our shoulders. As He teaches us in Matthew 11:28-30, we will continue to find rest for our souls as long as we carry His yolk which is light on ourselves and handover to Him all of our burdens for Him to carry and transform them into His blessings. We must get into the habit of confiding in Him, rejoicing in Him, focusing our eyes on our living hope that is the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ, standing still before His Presence to let Him accomplish His work in us, receiving encouragement from fellow believers and seeking strength and nourishment from His living Word. God enables us to persevere to walk firmly by sometimes delivering us on our behalf and sometimes letting us work through the power of His Spirit, which in 1 Timothy, apostle Paul says is the spirit of power, love and discipline and not of fear. 

So the One Who has created us is fully responsible and in charge of what He desires to accomplish through our lives for our good and His glory. He is on our side! What do we have to fear?

(Related Verses: 1 Corinthians 8:6. Galatians 6:9. Matthew 10:22)

We must remember that the holy nation above is a kingdom of God and not a democratic nation. As the Lord assigns us to be brand ambassadors of Lord Jesus Christ, He also enables us to exercise His righteousness through the  Holy Spirit that He has given us by having written His law not on any paper or tablet but on our hearts. 

As much as it is an honour and privilege to represent Christ, it is also a responsibility and a life of accountability the Lord has bestowed on us not because we were righteous in our own strength but because we received His mercy and were justified. This privilege thus must be exercised humbly, God fearingly and with continuous dependence on His grace to conduct ourselves worthy of our calling faithfully, fearlessly and courageously. 

Our courage and security lies in the fact that we are in constant care and guidance of our heavenly Father Whose eyes are always upon us and that His heart is always inclined towards us. Second, He has created us in Christ Jesus in such a way that not only are we reconciled to Him in truth and in spirit but He has placed us as living stones in His Holy temple along with other believers so that the work of the Lord is accomplished only by staying connected to each other through the Lord with Christ being the Chief Cornerstone, by supporting each other with the gift that God has individually bestowed upon us, by edifying each other for the service and glory of our God and by keep Christ alone as the centre of this temple for all the activities that are conducted. 

To live as citizens of heaven, implies to walk as His light in the world steadfastly, knowing that we are walking with the Creator of this Universe as our loving Shepherd and our caring heavenly Father!

(Related verses:2 Chronicles 7:16. Ecceleciastes 4:9. Philippians 4:20)

We are children of God because of the heavenly calling, the holy calling and the high calling with which the Lord Almighty has called us through His Son Jesus Christ from the cross of Calvary. The reason why He has bestowed on us the right to become joint heirs of all the heavenly treasures along with His son Jesus Christ is because He has loved us and faithfully kept His promise that He had given to Abraham and was confirmed by David in the abundance of His mercy. It is the resurrected life of Christ, that is the Holy Spirit, which appropriates all of His promises and enables us to equip the heavenly treasures for our edification and usefulness for His glory. 

The Lord Who is holy, glorious and righteous in Whose Presence it is impossible for any man to stand in His own strength has marvellously made it  possible through faith in the merciful and mighty redemptive work of His Son on our behalf on the  cross to pull us out of darkness into His Light so that we may walk with Him. Lord Jesus Christ has become our righteousness, wisdom and sanctification through the work He has accomplished on the cross followed through with His resurrection to write His law through the Spirit on our hearts. 

It is the work of the Spirit that continues in us by His grace that continues to grow us, establish us and keep us sanctified. There is no spiritual growth or fruitfulness without us yielding to His will through the Spirit, obeying His Word, acknowledging and honouring  His Presence and sovereignty over our life and making Him the first priority in all that we are and do. The more we offer our thanksgiving to our Lord and heavenly Father for His goodness and greatness, the more He empowers us with His strength by opening the gates of our heart for His grace to enter. 

(Related Verses:Colossians 1:13.Acts 13:34.Hebrews 13:6)

As Nehemiah aptly says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength”, we too as His children and fellow soldiers in Christ will find life’s greatest purpose,meaning and strength in pleasing God. We also know from Ephesians 2:8-10 that we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Such knowledge and mystery is profound and great. 

The Lord as our caring Shepherd and heavenly Father, through His heavenly calling in Christ Jesus has placed us in His fold of sheep so that we may become His responsibility for all our needs, our growth, our protection and for using us for His glory. We must inculcate this constant habit of listening to His voice by walking in the Spirit and listening to His Word. Our immediate response to His voice must be to abide in it and continue to follow Him. It is His desire for us to keep walking in the narrow path (Matthew 7:14-15) whose gate He has opened for us through Lord Jesus Christ to be able to find more of His life and peace with each passing day. The more we give our Saviour the first place in everything we do and submit to His Word willingly and wholeheartedly, He has promised to make an abode in us and reveal to us more of Himself and His Father, and now our Father as well. As we grow more in the fullness of His nature and stature with our roots firmly established in Him, our life will manifest Christ-likeness effortlessly for others to see, taste and draw themselves close to the only true and living God and our Saviour, sometimes without having to even utter a single word.

As we increase in our spiritual fruitfulness likewise, our roots in Him also get stronger. The Lord uses His faithful soldiers to accomplish feats that at times seem impossible in our own strength which is exactly how it is supposed to be. The Lord directs us to witness Him in some of the most challenging situations and circumstances where the only way to gain strength will be through His grace and remembrance of His promises of being there with us at all times and upholding our right hand with His presence. 

When we abide in Him and He in us, we realise that we decrease and we allow Him to increase through us. As we fill ourselves likewise with more and more of Him, it is His Presence in us that imparts us with strength and courage to bear fruits for Him even when a situation outside of us feels like drought. When we bear His fruits in such situations especially, not only us but others also may be able to taste, see and fear the only true and living God and give glory to Him.

(Related verses: Psalm 23:1-2.Galatians 5:22-23.Deuteronomy 31:23)

The most joyful yet the most humbling experience for any believer is the experience of growing more and more deeply in the abundant life of God - through more of His grace. Growing more in His love, in His nature, in His wisdom, in His righteousness, in His holiness, in His meekness, in His faithfulness, in His glory,in His knowledge..and the growth is indefinite until His second coming. 

The simple secret that continues to enable God to have a strong hold on us as our anchor is our reciprocation to His calling through wholehearted faith followed through by diligently seeking and hungrily seeking more and more of Him. We cannot find Him when we are walking in the darkness ourselves. We cannot see Him if we are not willing to let go of things that He shows us in His Light  that keep us away from Him if we cling to those things. We cannot experience Him if the eyes of our heart are set in the world, entangled in the schemes of Satan. 

The contrary is true too, which keeps our heart close to our Saviour. As we know that “faith without works is dead”, prayerful confession of our need to be filled with His spirit must be made sincerely, persistently and wholeheartedly. We must acknowledge that our participation in letting the Lord fill us with more of His life is nothing except for our willingness to trust Him and yielding to the Holy Spirit. The grace of God does not work even with an iota of pride in our heart. When we yield to the Holy Spirit, our heart and mind is prepared to obey His Word at all costs and to be cleansed ,disciplined and guided by the same. The more we practise our faith in our living Lord and Shepherd, the more He is able to work in each and every area of our lives. The secret to walking in His Light is to let Him in each and every area of our lives. Not a single “room” of our life must be left unlit by Him for God IS Light and in Him darkness cannot exist. In His Presence, we are humbled to let go of all defilements, sinful habits, desires and displeasing thoughts that so easily entangle us and prevent us from enjoying the freedom fully that has been gifted to us when Lord Jesus Christ had set us free in the first place. He is the Lord of deliverance. We cannot experience deliverance except through His grace as we earnestly ask for it in prayer, acknowledging our need to be delivered and appropriating the power of the victorious One who dwells inside us Who is always more powerful than the ruler of this world that tries to hold us and keep us away from Him. It is only through the might of our Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can overcome yielding to the flesh. 

Each time we confess our iniquity, choose to forsake the same and then are delivered by the Lord eventually, many times after persistent prayers, patient endurance and waiting on the Lord, we abound with more of His joy and revelation of His glory and righteousness leading to thanksgiving and praise of the Lord Who alone is worthy of all the honour. It is in this renewed state that we are filled more with His abundant life through His Spirit, more sanctified, more established and more firm in faith. 

(related verses: 1 John 1:5.Hebrews 11:6.Psalm 16:8.Psalm 23:4 )

No place in the universe humbles us as much as when we bring our heart at the feet of the cross of Calvary. The nearer we are at His feet, the closer we are to our risen Lord in truth and in Spirit. It is at the feet of the cross that through faith we were born again. Our spiritual journey that begins with faith in the Person,Deity and Work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ also continues through faith alone. At His feet we are both closest to His sufferings for our sins and to His grandeur as well. It is only in broken humility that we decrease and He begins to increase in us through the Spirit that He has poured in us. A lot began at the feet of the cross at the time of our conversion into children of God that needs to be continuously nurtured at the same place for our daily renewal. Our Lord did not only take up with Himself suffering for all of our sins on the cross offering to us eternal forgiveness and justification through faith but He also took the life of our pompous flesh with Him to die on the cross. This death includes the death of all our “works”,fleshly intellect, accomplishments, merits and knowledge which we thought till then was potentially taking us closer to knowing our Lord. The work of salvation is completely accomplished by the substitutionary death of Lord Jesus Christ alone followed by His resurrection and His assured hope of His second coming. At the cross, when we decrease ourselves to the point of emptiness and nothingness is when the Lord fills us with more of Himself. At His feet we remember that His redemptive work had broken the veil that was stopping us from seeing Him because of our sins. At the feet of the cross, in His Light it is easy to confess our hidden faults and sins that He shows us and delivers us from it by cleansing us with His precious blood. At the feet of the cross  we are filled with more of Him through the Spirit because “God gives grace to the humble but is opposed to the proud”. At His feet our strength is renewed and He helps us to align our life with His plan and purpose for us - which is to live in the newness of His life that He has poured in us so that the True Light that He has given us is manifested through us in exchange for the darkness that He has taken up from us on the cross through His death. It is at the feet of the cross that He rescues us from the temptation that could so easily entangle us, leading us to sin, hence breaking the joy of our fellowship with Him, by reminding us that it was for this potential sin that He died on the cross. It is at the feet of the cross that we become sensitive to sin, specially those thoughts, words and deeds which we never considered to be sinful.It is at the feet of the cross that we and all who hear Lord Jesus calling are reconciled to the Lord through Him once and for all. The accomplished work of our salvation through His death and resurrection is progressively appropriated in us only when our hearts are surrendered at the feet of the cross. Our willingness to offer all that we are to Him for His glory is strongest only at the feet of the cross. Our tendency to rebel against God is nullified at the feet of the cross. 

The more we are renewed, the more we are able to walk in the newness of His life in us. The more we walk in the newness of His life, the more we are able to walk in His Light. The more we walk in His Light, the more He reveals to us of Himself. The more He reveals to us of Himself, the more of Him is manifested from us. The more of Him  is manifested from us, the more He is glorified. The more He is glorified, the more we are able to thank and praise Him. The more we thank and praise Him, the more we are humbled. The more we are humbled, it will bring us back at the feet of the cross for renewal. 

(Related verses: Colossians 3:1-2,17. 1 Peter 2:9)

He has gifted to us His absolute truth, eternal life and love to dwell in us in and through Christ Jesus through His birth,death,resurrection and His subsequent second coming in the fullness of His glory as the Lord of lords to reconcile His people unto Himself before the Judgement. No word that goes forth from the mouth of God ever returns to Him without fulfilling its purpose for which it was sent. 

The more we rejoice in the Lord as also encouraged through His Word as our daily lifestyle, the more we are able to live independent of the change of circumstances in life which also are allowed by the providence of the Lord for our good in the first place. Rejoicing in the Lord cleanses us of all lies and evil more and more. Rejoicing in the Lord reveals to us more and more of the depths and the riches of His truth and wisdom. Rejoicing in the Lord fills our spirit with His joy,peace and righteousness. Rejoicing in the Lord humbles us as it reminds us how blessed we are not because we are worthy but because He is gracious and merciful. Rejoicing in the Lord reminds us that the Lord is always good and He only offers good things in which there is no doubt in receiving and that which is enough for us. Rejoicing in the Lord brings contentment and ceases all of our wants and hunger. 

The Lord has called us to rejoice in Him. The more hardships He brings, the more we can rejoice knowing that those hardships reveal to us more and more of His glory and righteousness to grow and establish us deeper and further in Him and in His peace.  

So rejoice in the Lord always! And pray without ceasing! 
 

The victorious life of Lord Jesus Christ that has been poured in our hearts has overcome everything that initially hindered us from being reconciled to the eternal God. The sacrificial offering of His own body on the cross as a propitiation for all of our sins has broken the veil permanently that used to hinder us from having direct and close communion with our only true and living God. In the spiritual realms, Lord Jesus Christ has guaranteed our victory over sin,satan, death, and over this perishing world. He is placed above all creation now sitting on the right hand of the throne of grace subjecting all the rest including the angels, and all of His creation under the subjection of His feet. This means that when we are reconciled to the Lord through His Spirit, we belong to Him forever. The One Who dwells inside us is more powerful than the ruler of this world.Satan is our defeated enemy as a child of God. 

Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Redeemer becomes our Shepherd to carry us through each day on this earth as His sheep to provide us, guide us, protect us and sustain us. He has also given us the wisdom to not remain ignorant of or gullible to the deceitful schemes of satan. He has empowered us with His grace to withhold from temptations before they overtake us. 

As we surf through this world which changes daily, is perishing and is moving towards the slippery path of destruction, we cannot keep our souls from falling without holding the righteous hand of our Shepherd ourselves at the first place with one hand. It is only then that we can offer our other hand to others to snatch them out from the fiery hell in which we ourselves were susceptible to falling into until we were saved. 

Just how the Lord knows Who is His and so according to the assurance of His promise in His word, He does not let anyone snatch them from His hand, it is extremely crucial for us to live each day in the awareness of the fact that we belong to Him. The life that we have in the now is to live for Him, to glorify Him and to let Him do His works through us. This acknowledgment and daily reminder to ourselves of Who we belong to will give us tremendous strength,courage and willingness to do His will despite all the odds. This is because the grace of God will empower us with the Holy Spirit and will give us the opportunity to make the mightiness, grandeur,sovereignty, faithfulness, holiness, righteousness and mercy of the invisible living God visible through us. Our permanent belonging on the heavenly ground should be our primary reason to rejoice in the Lord always , everyday and anywhere the Lord places us in this temporary world.

The Abundant Life of God(eternal life) that He has gifted to each of His children in Christ Jesus as His Holy Spirit is a victorious life: Victory over sinfulness, victory over the world, victory over satan and victory over all the discouragements that satan brings with him in a believer’s life such as that of sorrow,hopelessness,loneliness,failure,hunger,poverty and sickness.

The power of the Holy Spirit is experienced more and more when we continue to confess our weaknesses to the Lord and seek His strength. As the Lord tells  apostle Paul, “My power is perfected in weakness”. Also, as we know from John 15 that as children of God, we can do nothing in our own strength that is worthy of His glory just how a branch cannot bear fruit by itself without getting nutrients from the roots. As we continue to depend on our Lord for fulfilling all of His works through us, the love of God is manifested through His Spirit given to us more and more. As we walk in the power of His love more and more, His Presence is glorified in and through our lives. 

The spirit of self-control given to us through His Spirit must be exercised by feeding upon the pure milk and solid food of His Word. His living Word nurtures and grows us with respect to salvation, cleansing and sanctifying us daily to make sure that we continue to remain in Him and render ourselves useful for His works. His Word offers us guidance, wisdom, discernment and protection from deceitfulness of this world and keeps us free from all entanglements that may spiritually drain us.

The Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in us with His mind, His emotions and His will awaiting for us to yield to diligently and daily as our lifestyle. Humbling before the Lord, seeking His grace in prayer, worshipping Him in truth and in spirit and feeding on His Word enables us to live a joyful,peaceful and righteous life; the righteousness that does not grow with personal works but is received and manifested through faith and obedience in love. 

Just how a soldier is trained and prepared to fight through rigorous disciplining, victorious life of Christ is claimed more and more through putting our being at the feet of Christ for training through the Spirit so that we are able to fulfil His will through His power and are able to share His love consequently. 

Ephesians 4:1

Just how every human body part is interdependent on other parts for its effective functioning and subsequently all parts function as per the leading that comes from the head, the body of Christ, which is the Church, of which each believer is a member can glorify God only when they are connected to the Head, that is , Christ and to one another.

We had been assured of the Lord’s eternal presence with us in the promise of our Saviour Who had confirmed to send us a Helper from the Father, that is, the Spirit of Truth. It is this Holy Spirit, the life of Christ Himself that enables us to walk with our Lord in close communion. 

However, the noises of this world, the deceitfulness of Satan and the lusts of the flesh distances us from our pure devotion to our Heavenly Father through Christ Jesus. In order to increase in the life of Christ and manifest His glory,nature,wisdom and knowledge through us, staying connected with other believers does the work of spiritual exercise,service,cleaning and admonition to realign the focus of our spiritual eyes back to the Godhead.  Just how the human body functions best when all body parts are in its optimum condition, the Church,i.e., the spiritual body of Christ is best able to “function “ to glorify  Christ when each believer is walking in a manner worthy of the heavenly calling with which we are called. 

In order to stay connected with the Lord, fearful,submissive and humble disposition before His Presence is necessary. It is only in the state of humility that we can become continuous partakers of His grace.

Same way, fellowship with other believers gives us the opportunity to share the selfless, generous and undefiled love of  God with them and in the process,decreases us so that He increases through us. Moreover, exercise of His spiritual gifts according to His will also enriches us spiritually and begins to make us more like our Saviour;besides edifying others of course .

Therefore,it is good to be mindful of keeping balance between personal prayer and bible time along with time we invest in fellowship with other believers and also serving them in their needs,both worldly and spiritual.

Fearless because we are empowered by His grace working through love. Triumphant because victory belongs to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Who has defeated the devil and all his deceitful schemes once and for all on the cross followed through with His resurrection. 

Wisdom of discernment imparted to us by the Lord when used faithfully by the gift of His Holy Spirit enables us to be faithful to Him with firmness,boldness ,yet with the gentleness of His Spirit . 

Fearless and triumphant walk compels us to water our surroundings,produce fruits for Him,draw hearts to the Truth found in Christ alone and share the joy and blessing of God with others which none but Christ can impart by His revelation and awakening of our eyes and ears. 

Fearless and triumphant walk is a sanctified walk and a walk of separation from the world while being in its midst. 

The Lord by the fulfilment of His precious and faithful promises and reassurances encourages us to never step back,aside or fall in our faith in Him. The more we become partakers of His manifold grace through prayerful seeking,listening and obedience , the more fruitfully and steadfastly  we are able to walk in the Spirit in close communion with our living Saviour and Lord. Our fearlessness comes from acknowledging the fact that the Lord is our defence and all resources to get strength to defend are also found in Him. Our victory also comes only from the Lord as we choose to rejoice in the fact that our Heavenly Father has rendered us victorious in Christ Jesus as we choose to boast and rejoice in His redemptive power alone which keeps us preserved and delivers us from all entanglements.

Real living is nothing but the manifestation of the life of our Saviour through us just how our Saviour manifested the life of His and our heavenly Father perfectly through His walk on the earth. Lord Jesus Christ defended Satan by reminding him of the scriptural word that “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord”. 

The Word of God which is living, is brought to life in us to work wonders only when we eat, chew and digest the same just like any physical food. Therefore, reading the word of God must be done prayerfully, fearfully, willingly along with the readiness of our heart and mind to listen, submit to and obey His Word. This is made possible when we acknowledge that we need the wisdom and understanding that the Lord has provided us through the Holy Spirit to enable us to digest His Word and be able to not only hear His voice but also apply in areas of our life where applicable for our cleansing, shaping, reproving, correction and strengthening. When our meditation of His Word is led by the Holy Spirit, we have allowed our Saviour to sit and dine with us and feed us personally with His food, that is His Word, which is the bread of life itself (John 6:35). Real meditation of His Word inevitably humbles us, breaks us, brings our heart to repentance to the point of confession and supplies us with abundant faith and willingness through His grace to obey His Word and let our Lord work in us to wrought our salvation.

Revelation of His Word in this manner compels us to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. When we walk in the Spirit, it is not possible to yield to sin but on the contrary to produce the fruits of the Spirit. As we claim that Christ lives in us through faith, others in this manner shall see through our walk that indeed He lives in us. 

We must pray to our heavenly Father to always draw our hearts to Him in a hungry disposition, more hungry for His Word than for food when we are hungry, acknowledging the Presence of our Lord within us, so that we are fed by Him to reveal to us more of Himself. 

God’s outflow of executing justice towards us is an outcome of  His inherent nature which is full of mercy and compassion towards each of His children eternally. It is only because of His mercy and compassion that we are justified fully in His eyes through the accomplished work of His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

It is good to remind ourselves and to our fellow brothers and sisters that we have played zero active role in defeating Satan and sinfulness in our own strength. However, once having received the gift of Salvation as the Lord’s gracious gift, our active role begins as we consciously choose to walk in His Light, let the Lord reveal to us our weaknesses,fallbacks and places in our lives from which we need deliverance and humbly place them at His feet seeking His strength to see us through it all without falling in faith. Without faith,working through love for our Lord in us, it is impossible to let the Lord wrought the salvation of our soul and let Him increase us in His righteousness and holiness. 

God gives grace to the humble and is opposed to the proud. Just like any loving father, our heavenly Father has an unthinkably huge generous heart to keep on forgiving us, building us and shaping us into the likeness of His Son, provided we build strength  through His living Word and grace for every deliverance with endurance by asking for it prayerfully from Him alone. It is only His grace that will keep us firm in faith at the time of temptations, worldly distractions, oppositions and while Satan is trying to deceive us. It is through His grace that keeps supplying us with the spirit of timely discernment and protection to flee from sinfulness before commiting and restoring us in our joyful fellowship with the Lord.

Therefore, prayerful submission of our daily burdens that the Lord makes us identify with not only that are ours, but also of our fellow believers must be submitted for help and dependence on our Lord so that we may grow abundantly in the experience of His eternal life and in holiness. 

As children of God, we are already made full by the abundance of the overflowing eternal life that has been poured in us as His Holy Spirit. Just like King David in Psalm 23, we too much strive to live confidently by His Word that explains why we have no lack when the Lord Himself is our living Shepherd. We are able to pay heed to the voice of the Lord only when we believe through faith and conviction through experience that we have nothing to strive for in our own strength because Jesus has made us full in all aspects. 

Everything after our new birth that happens or occurs in our life in each moment is meant to be an outward manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us, shape us, cleanse us, strengthen us and most importantly prepare us for two things. One to serve Him as His useful vessel. And second, to meet our Lord at His second coming. 

As we meditate upon and appropriate the promises of our faithful Father that are applicable to His children alone, His chosen ones by grace, He reveals to us more of Himself to us and His will in our lives on a daily basis. Each of us who are His children are set on a spiritual battlefield in this perishing world. We are equipped by the resources that He provides us (Ephesians 6) and are accompanied by the mightiness of our Saviour without Whom we cannot move a step forward or upward in spiritual victory. We need His grace and strength to deliver us from all of our spiritual enemies that hinder our close communion with our Lord - coming from the world, from our flesh and from Satan. The more we humble ourselves before the mighty hands of God, confessing our weakness, identifying with our challenges and seeking His help, the more our Lord is able to work in us to sanctify us, discipline us, mature us, grow us and detangle our spirit, soul and body from all forms of filthiness enabling us to preserve the sanctity of our soul. 

God who is the only True Light is manifested through our being only in our preserved state of being. We cannot fully reflect the glory of God if we have not let Him cleanse of any defilement that He has shown us through prayerful confession and breaking of our heart before Him. The more we love our God, the more we will willingly make every effort to please Him knowing that He is carefully and consistently keeping a watch over our life in all areas. If we too can confidently express this thought from our heart like Nehemiah that “The joy of the Lord is my strength”, we are able to bring to aid the work of God in our life that will continue to preserve us, protect us, rescue us and empower us thereafter to display His good works through our being. 

We must reassure ourselves that God Who created us according to His will, will certainly finish His work in us for which He has chosen us, primarily to “beautify us” more like Christ, hence preparing us to meet Him on that Day and to glorify Him through us until then. 

As a new creation, being created in Christ Jesus our Lord, we are blessed and privileged to have been raised by the power of the Holy Spirit to draw from the heavenly resources the riches from above which enable us to live more in the fullness of the eternal life and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:8). The more “rich” He makes us, our human flesh without the counsel of the Holy Spirit or without yielding to His will has a tendency to walk independently out of pride and self-conceit. We must be beware of the deceitful schemes of Satan and the distractions of this perishing world that draw us away from our innocent devotion towards loving our Saviour and seeking His will alone daily. 

Therefore, a daily reminder in the morning of the reason for our privileged position in Christ must humble us first to the point of nothingness. This nothingness or emptiness of our own self is experienced each time we bring our knees at the feet of the cross. It is only at this place that we are showered with His grace in our humble state. We know that the Lord is opposed to the proud. We too in our vanity and pride were carried away in various forms of lusts of this world, in foolishness, darkness, ignorance and were under the permanent clutches of Satan. It was in the sweet hour of our broken moment at the feet of the cross that we were permanently set free from death having been raised above by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 

The more of the newness of the everlasting life of Christ we desire to “imbibe”, the more often we must bring ourselves at the feet of the cross for our daily cleansing and preparation of our being to become receptive with spiritual hunger and thirst as our love for our Saviour deepens and magnifies in our humble state. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

The more time we spend worshipping, praising, honouring our Lord in prayer, in songs of thanksgiving and in meditating on His Word, the more we allow our heavenly Father to speak with us and seep into each and every minute area of our Life to lead and rule over our life for His glory and as our King. The more we walk in the Spirit and in the fullness of His life, the more we are decreased and He is magnified through our being so that it is no longer us but Christ (the resurrected life of our Lord as His Spirit)  Who lives through us.(John 11:25)

Each time we bring ourselves at the feet of the cross, we are giving our Lord the opportunity to cleanse us, deliver us from any entanglements and put to death more of our own selves so that when we are exalted thereafter, He increases in our thoughts, desires and emotions through the revelation of His own self through the Holy Spirit. It is at the feet of the cross, when on our knees we express our dependence on His grace in the state of our weakness. On our knees, we express that without Him we are and can do nothing. However, when His grace exalts us to where He is thereafter, we can do everything through our Lord Jesus Christ who strengthens us to display works through us for His glory. 

This way of life as our daily practice enables us to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and witness our Saviour in our daily walk effortlessly. 

It is a miracle to remember each day when we wake up that we are living as a new creation of our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour!(2 Corinthians 5:17). The moment we were created in Him, our very purpose of existence had been renewed. The primary purpose of our merciful Father for having called us out of our sinful state into His marvellous Light is to enable us to walk in His holiness, His righteousness, His life and through His strength by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have become instruments of His mercy not because we were righteous in our works but were sinners (being ignorant about it until Christ called us). Matthew 9:13. We have been sanctified to display His marvellous works in and through us by His grace alone. 

Overcoming filthiness of our flesh and spirit through prayerful communion with the Lord and spiritual worship and praise of His being in us must take place daily,effortlessly ,progressively and most importantly, willingly; out of love, working through faith. (2 Corinthians 7:1). For any child of God, God teaches us progressively to inculcate a practice of being in constant communion with Him at all times to keep us spiritually awake and enable us to abide in Him and His Word to abide in us. This practice reveals to us more of the fullness of His glory in anything that we may be doing, including our thoughts, our words and our behaviour. The Lord has commissioned us to pray without ceasing. To display our life as a song devoted to Him from our hearts at all times leading us to rejoicing in Him alone, which is enough.(James 5:13). When we both pray and worship in alignment with His living Word, He keeps us in His will. His will is always for our good and for His glory. His will continues to cleanse us and make us more like His Son  Jesus Christ. 

There is no greater opener for the floodgates of His mercy and grace in our being than sincere tears before the Presence of our merciful God. There is no cleanser for our soul except the precious and sinless blood of Jesus Christ. There is no priceless garment than the beautiful garments of righteousness of Lord Jesus Christ that He offers us as we receive through faith in all humility. There is no more priceless treasure than the living word of God. There is no better necklace to display than His kindness and Truth around our neck at all times, that we receive as His precious gift at the time of our conversion. There is no better companion than the Lord Himself, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit with which He has anointed us. There is no greater security than the irrevocable promises of our faithful Lord and heavenly Father. Meditating on each of our blessings as we behold the glory of our Lord, He transforms us into His image more and more. Our transformation is witnessed by the sweetness of the fruits of the Spirit that bloom effortlessly. (Galatians 5:22-25). 

Our loving heavenly Father has equipped us to give away His heavenly treasures in words and in deeds in every situation of our life so that we are without any excuse. He has also equipped each of His loving children that He has qualified and chosen before the foundation of the world in His Son to edify the body of Christ, that is, the church, wherever we may be placed. It is crucial to let the Holy Spirit reveal to us the wonderful mystery of our ownership of the heavenly treasures. 

The more we fill ourselves with the spiritual food by abiding in His Word, in prayer and remembrance of the testimonies of our great Lord and beholding His face both on the cross and on the exalted position in heaven, the richer we become. The Holy Spirit that has sealed us as joint heirs of the heavenly treasures, enables us to appropriate  more of His riches as we draw ourselves closer to the throne of His grace. His riches which are ours in Christ Jesus are incorruptible, undefiled and do not fade away (1 Peter 1:4). They can neither be stolen nor do they undergo decay. His riches fill us more and more with the fullness of the everlasting life of our Lord Jesus Christ. The richer we become spiritually, the more our Lord shows us that our worldly riches are His possessions as well handed over to us as its faithful stewards to be used for His glory.(Proverbs 19:17). As the Lord blesses us with worldly prosperity, He also examines our hearts in how we deal with it. He prepares us first to have the right attitude towards money and other worldly treasures. He loves a cheerful giver. He teaches and guides us to effortlessly lend to those in need. (Proverbs 19:17). Our giving as a child of God adds no “merit” to our works but only glorifies God through us. 

Same way, our spiritual giving to the body of Christ is also our privilege and our duty. As the Lord reveals to us our spiritual gift, we must prayerfully seek His help to sharpen our respective gifts and pray to equip us with the right resources to use the gift faithfully for the edification of the Church. Whoever comes to church with hunger and poverty of the spirit always leaves satisfied and filled with the Holy Spirit. Fellowship with other believers is a beautiful arrangement that the Lord has made for mutual edification for which He gives each member of the church strength and subsequent peace by the power of the Holy Spirit to give according to the abundance of His grace. In all the process of giving, we must only boast in the Lord. The reason being that we have nothing worthwhile to give except what we receive from above in Christ Jesus. As Paul has rightly penned down in the book of Colossians, everything is created by Him, through Him and for Him. Our life itself is a gift of God through His Son Lord Jesus Christ and our Saviour; the gift of the Holy Spirit which is  the everlasting life of Christ. “Freely we have received, freely we must give”. 

We are able to walk in His Light if we set our eyes above where Lord Jesus Christ is seated on the right hand of the throne of His grace. When we walk in close intimacy with our Saviour Who is living and dwells in us, in the Spirit, we allow Him free access to throw His Light in all areas of our being. 

It is a humbling,awakening and a delightful experience to consistently live before His Presence consciously. This was the very reason God chooses us as instruments of His abundant mercy so that He may work wonders in and through our life daily to display His Presence. As we humbly offer ourselves wholeheartedly before His merciful Hands, He is able to patiently work in each area of our life to shape us, deliver us, protect us, guide us and empower us to make us more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ with each passing day. Our heavenly Father desires to bring the everlasting life of Christ that He has poured in us abundantly to come to more of His fullness as we make humble walk with Him, repentance, self examination of our faith and prayerful obedience to His Word as our daily practice along with exalting Him in works and worship. 

A faithful walk in His Light not only protects us from presumptuous sins but also empowers us to defend storms of the world,flesh and Satan and stand firm for the Lord on His ground. On His ground the Lord has promised to fill us with His joy and peace always which the world can never comprehend or give to us. The more we fill ourselves with Him, the more He is able to equip and use us for His glory. The more useful we become for Him, the more of His mercy is displayed through us because we are nothing but a display of His mercy through the treasure of the Holy Spirit that He has given us to be preserved in our earthen vessels.

The Grace of God is at its best when we humble ourselves the most before our heavenly Father. Even though we have been washed once and for all by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, daily cleansing is a necessity for the Lord to wrought our salvation and compel us to progress in our spiritual life and shape us more and more into the likeness of His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

In the state of our humility, bringing ourselves almost to nothingness, we express our need for our good Lord, need for His grace, His mercy, His word, His strength, His voice and His life to work in us for us to even make an iota of progress in our spiritual life; which is the centre of our being. In the humble state of our being, we are able to clearly see what the Holy Spirit shows us in His Light in each area of our life. As God’s children, expression of our helplessness to deliver ourselves from our weakness in our own strength and subsequently seeking Lord’s help to render us victorious over our fallbacks prayerfully, compels the Lord to come to our aid because of His faithfulness and His sovereign ability to answer our prayers that are according to His word and will. 

When we experience our deliverance from our sinful habits, we are not only able to praise and thank our mighty God but also are able to clearly see and perceive His will in every step of our life. We become more sensitive to His indwelling Presence and to His voice within us. As we let Him work His will in our life for His glory on a daily basis, revelation of His being more and more enables us to live with the experience of His promised peace which He alone can impart to us according to the richness of His promise in His Word (John 14:27) and we are not able to find it anywhere else outside of Him. 

So a holy walk with our living Shepherd, is a useful walk with Him. There is no outward manifestation of His life if the inside of us, His real dwelling place is not cleansed daily in humility, sincerity, brokenness and prayerfulness in which He is experienced closest to us. 

Lord Jesus Christ reconciles souls of mankind to Himself, and through Him to God, not by yielding to the darkness in them but by manifestation of His Light before them so that Whoever receives His Light through faith may be reconciled to Him! Lord Jesus walked amidst sinners, yet He was without any sin. All mankind but Him falls short of the glory of God. 

We too cannot reconcile souls to God in our own strength for we know and have experienced what Jesus has told us , that without Him we can do nothing for His glory. (John 15:5). However, through Christ ,we can do all things ,Paul tells us through the Holy Spirit in Philippians 2:13. The grace of God works in us for His glory only when we humble ourselves. When we humble ourselves before the mighty Hands of the Lord, God shows us in each area of our life where we need Him to detangle us from our worldly habits,desires,worries and self centeredness that keeps us away from walking closely with Him and hence doing His will.

Before we can serve others through Him, we must let the Lord work in us fearfully,prayerfully,submissively and wholeheartedly. It is not by human efforts and vain strength that we can draw other souls to Christ but by grace and mercy of God alone that can be appropriated through our being in everything that we do according to His will. It is Lord Jesus alone to Whom all honour,praise,glory and thanksgiving belongs.

The Lord finds delight in preparing us for His ministry in the flesh. Through His unchangeable and eternal love for us, He doesn’t consume us for our trespasses even as His children;being qualified by Him, because of His enduring mercy working in us in this period of grace until the Day He comes for judging the world. It is the abundance of His mercy and grace because of His love working mightily inside of us that disciplines us,shapes us,sanctifies us,establishes us and prepares us. 

When we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit, we are equipped by the Lord to consciously put on His armour (Ephesians 6) that can defend us from all schemes of the devil. It is only after we have allowed the Lord to deal within us daily, to cleanse us, break us and remake us, that our being becomes an offering of a holy temple for the Lord to glorify His Presence wherever He places us - as His Light amongst unbelievers, and for edification amidst the believers. 

The more suffering that God allows in our life on His path, the more humble He makes us. The best part of our humble disposition before our Lord is that we become abundant partakers of His manifold grace and hence of His eternal life in the process. 

The only choice that the Lord leaves for us to pass through this overwhelming phase that He allows in our life is clinging to Him helplessly so that He can reveal to us that He alone is enough and He alone can empower us with the joy and peace that we can get from no one and nowhere else in the World. As we allow the Lord to refine us under His pressure by standing still and submitting to Him, He purifies us more and more into Christ-likeness just how gold is refined in the furnace. There is no greater joy in this world and in the world to come than beholding greater glory and beauty of our Lord face to face so that His light may shine forth from our face in more of His fullness. 

We must be least assured that the Lord Who has called us to accomplish His purposes through us is always good, always faithful,neither leaves nor forsakes us and can accomplish our deliverance in a moment that we cannot in our own strength for years if we abide in Him, wait upon Him alone and seek Him earnestly so that we are able to listen to Him through the Holy Spirit that He has given us. He has given us the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ Who has overcome the world, bondage to sin and Satan on our behalf.It is the same Spirit of our Saviour Who suffered eternal death on the cross silently and meekly according to the will of His Father Who gave Him thereafter the highest place i the heaven through His resurrection and a name that is above every name on the earth and in heaven. As we yield to His Spirit in us during our trials, not only does God give us the grace to rejoice in Him but also gives us victory over our weaknesses and encumbrances that easily entangle us in the process. The result is only revelation of more of His righteousness through us so that we may glory in Him and in His might and offer songs of thanksgiving to our loving Saviour incessantly; bringing us lasting joy. 

The greatest blessing of our life is the gift of Life itself that we have received from our heavenly Father in His Son Lord Jesus Christ. If our life is a Gift, that was “conceived” in our dead soul which is  our innermost being; bringing us to eternal life and raising us up in Spirit to where our Saviour Christ is seated, sitting on the right hand of the throne of grace,everything that follows through are also subsequent heavenly gifts.

If we have believed that our spiritual birth according to His Word and our conviction is through faith in His grace alone and nothing of our own initiative, our growth in the everlasting life of Christ also continues by the power of His grace that can work in us only through our steadfast faith and submission of our being to His Presence, will, purpose and to His daily Word that He gives for our sanctification. Just how pure clay without any contamination of other substances is perfectly mouldable in the hands of the potter as per his will, our soul is perfectly ready for being shaped by our Potter, our heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit if we do not let the mind,heart and will of the Spirit within be contaminated by the perishing, deceiving and vain affairs of this world. 

The more we keep our eyes focused on the beauty of our Saviour, the more we are able to walk closely in the Presence of His glory. The more we walk closely in the Presence of His glory,the dimmer the matter of this world becomes before our eyes. A close walk with our Saviour effortlessly enables our Lord to continue to shape us more and more in the image of His holiness, attributes, grace, wisdom and stature. The more we are shaped, the more fruitful we become for Him. The more fruitful we become for Him, the more of His life and His peace we continue to enjoy in the process that the world can never take away from us. What an irrevocable and assured promise and blessing from our loving heavenly Father in His Son and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ alone!

Philippians 1:6

Gift of salvation is the beginning. Wroughting our salvation through fear and trembling before His Presence ,yet with reverence and love, is the journey till the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We can give open access to our Lord in every area of our life when we acknowledge His Presence and His watch over us reverentially. Lord Who is holy,just,righteous and sovereign is also merciful,gracious,forgiving and loving. Fear of the Lord keeps us humble and in the will of the Lord. Humility makes us a continuous partaker of His grace that had saved us from His wrath in the first place through the perfect display and merciful work of Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. 

In order to grow in His grace, it is essential to let the Lord throw His Light in every area of our life where our humble state can give Him access , to keep us sanctified and holy. The Lord desires to protect us,strengthen us, guide us and provide for us if we let Him do so by seeking His help and keeping our eyes on the heavenly realms where we belong and from where our help comes. 

Just how we found peace with the Lord in the Light of the gospel and we were given the beginning of the taste of the eternal life that the Lord gifted us through our anointing, our Lord desires us to continue to live our life defeating tiniest of sins He shows us through His strength. A victorious life over sin and darkness is not possible without walking closely with Him for He IS light and in Him darkness cannot exist. 

Spiritual fruitfulness,increase in Christ-likeness,progressive holiness in our conduct,more usefulness to the body of Christ and maturity in our behaviour through appropriation of His wisdom and His righteousness are some of the effortless outcomes of letting the Lord work in our lives. The greatest gift in the process however is abiding in His love as we choose to abide in His Word through which He continues to reveal to us more and more of Himself. 

Just as a mother never leaves her child hungry after giving birth to him/her, our loving heavenly Father wants to make sure that we are spiritually filled with the bread of life. It is important however to experience spiritual hunger as a child of God in order for the Lord to be able to fill us. However we cannot become His child to be able to enter His Kingdom and understand His Word unless we are born again (John 1:9-14, John 3:3). Being qualified as a child of God is a Gift we must receive from the Lord through His Son Jesus Christ. We in our own strength can never achieve the righteousness of God and hence be qualified as His child. (Romans 3:23).It is as simple as our human understanding of the fact that a child understands his or her mother's tongue over and above everything else and that he or she is born through the will of his or her parents.

Our attitude towards our heavenly Father as we choose to spend time with Him matters more than the amount of time we spend in His Presence. When we enter His holy Presence with reverence, humility, grateful heart and openness of our being, a small whisper through His Word is enough for us to take us through the entire day satisfied spiritually and empowered to fulfil His will. This attitude towards our Lord grows more and more as we choose to love the good Lord for Who He is over and above what He has done for us and continues to do for us; although both are closely related. When we honour our heavenly Father through our worship,praise and thanksgiving in our close communion with Him, He prepares our being to obey Him more and more. The more we obey Him, the more He reveals to us of Himself through His Word, He enables us to assimilate the life embedded in His Word in our being and hence empowers us to manifest His Presence more through our daily walk. As we allow Him to make us more like Christ our Lord, He is able to use us for His glory and to be a blessing in the lives of other people around us. 

As we choose to chew on the Word He gives us each morning in our hearts all day, we are able to relish its taste more and more, imparting its sweetness in our conduct. The more we partake of His Word as our food in this manner, the more we are able to walk in the Spirit and less in the flesh. True living means keeping our spiritual being awake, healthy, nourished and satisfied daily. The Lord has promised in John 15 to make our joy full as we choose to abide in His Word and honour Him in deeds and in truth. 

We have His life through faith when we believe and receive Him. Our Heavenly Father is a Giver of all good things pertaining to life and godliness and a Protector from the wrath to come. He has rescued us from His Judgement through our justification on the cross by the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Although we have the hope of eternal life, the reason why our Lord keeps us alive in the flesh before our resurrection in His time is to continue to live in progressively increasing experience of the eternal life of God and that of His divine nature. This life is found in and through our reconciliation with His Son and our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ. 

The unbelievers, with each passing year on the earth are led to aging, deterioration and closer towards death after which there is no hope for them. We too were stuck in this hopeless miry clay until the Lord pulled us out with His righteousness Hand for us to live in the ageless experience of His eternal life. He keeps us alive in the flesh so that we can manifest His life for others to see,fear,trust,repent and come to the knowledge of the truth. So believers, with each passing year may deteriorate physically but are spiritually refreshed,renewed and rejuvenated through the growing of our inner man given to us by the Lord as His Holy Spirit.

We were given the permanent companionship of the Holy Spirit so that we may rejoice in Him, find peace in Him and gain endurance to persevere on His path despite the challenges brought about by the ruler of this world,Satan,our defeated enemy through Christ. 

We must strive daily to restore intimacy of our fellowship with our Lord if the Holy Spirit reveals to us any of our hidden faults; through fervent prayer and petition to seek deliverance from our sin (no matter how small it may seem to us ), by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The more we walk closely with our Lord, the more we will be able to experience the fullness of His life and divine nature Whose attributes are endless and boundless. 

The more we live in the acknowledgement of this truth through faith, the more our Lord will be able to use us to be a blessing in other people’s lives. We must choose through faith to offer all that we are and have to honour God so that He increases and we decrease more and more.

A life of a believer is nothing but a life of progressively greater manifestation of the glory of God that dwells in us. The word of God is clear that He gives grace to the humble but is opposed to the proud. The very root of our spiritual journey in Christ Jesus springs to life at the precious hour of our repentance in our state of humility when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinfulness, brings us face to face with the Lord’s Judgement and shows us that we fall way short of the righteousness of God. 

However, as we receive the humble, gentle,meek, submissive and obedient Spirit of Christ, it is only when we choose to diligently remain in this state that the resurrected power of Christ reveals to us more of His divine nature, enriches us with things pertaining to godliness in each step of our life and preserves our soul by keeping us sanctified for the purpose of serving Him. It is only in the humble state of our being that Christ is magnified in and through our lives more and more. The more humbly we walk with Him, the more dependent we become on Him. The more we depend on Him, the more we yield to the Holy Spirit in each step of our life. The more we yield to the Holy Spirit, the easier it is for us to obey His voice through His Word. The more we obey His Word, more closely we can walk with Him. The more closely we walk with Him, the more holy we become like Him. The more holy we become like Him, the more of Christ is manifested through us. This is how the heavenly treasures of which our heavenly Father has made us a joint partaker of is used for His glory through all of our being - our body, soul and spirit. 

Our flesh is prone to defilement with perishing things of this world leading to sin and drifting away from the Lord’s living Presence. As we choose to go through a prayerful cleansing process each and every day before the throne of His grace, our heavenly Father can use us for His good works more and more. The more we witness our Lord in deeds and in truth, the more others can see His light, may fear,repent and believe in the only One and true living God, Lord Jesus Christ and are snatched from the fire through His mercy. The more empty we become of our “self”, the more He can fill us with His treasures of which we are already made joint heirs with Christ at the precious hour when we were saved. 

 It is a race because we must walk on His narrow lane that He has set for us without any entanglement to worldliness or sin OR weariness brought about by carrying our own burden instead of laying them on His mighty shoulders.

Our daily walk with Lord Jesus Christ becomes a joyful race if we focus our spiritual eyes on the living hope towards the end of our race; Lord Jesus Himself in the fullness of His glory so we may be as He IS. We must be mindful of this fact that two things rob us of the joy of walking in close fellowship with our Saviour. He has promised us to give us His life, peace, joy and rest abundantly that is found nowhere outside of Him in this perishing world. He has also assured us that nothing can separate us from the love of God towards us that is found in Him; that is in Jesus alone. 

However, we cannot run this spiritual race with the endurance and fervence of His Spirit without Him. Our daily expression of faith must be nothing but a genuine and conscious acknowledgement of the fact that we are walking under the loving care and eyes of our heavenly Father Who looks at us lovingly because through Christ, we are anointed as His beloved children. When we walk with this faith in the humility of our hearts, we will realise and hence appropriate our constant need of our Saviour for two things that rob us of our stability in our walk in His narrow lane. First, we need our victorious Saviour and His might to prayerfully work within us to help us to deliver us from our iniquities and hidden faults that He shows us that keeps us away from Him. We also need deliverance from any kind of bondages pertaining to worldliness, self-will, self-conceit or self-righteousness that blinds us from simplicity of our devotion towards our Saviour so that we are encouraged to be lead by His righteousness that is brought to life through faith working with love and not through self efforts or through any other means of this pershing and deceiving world. 

Second, we need our merciful and mighty Saviour to not only help us to identify our burdens whether spiritual or worldly, but carry them for us if He is allowing them in our life, so that according to His Word, we find rest for our souls when we carry His yoke on our shoulders which is light and gentle.

Our Lord is a Lord of deliverances and we know that nothing is too difficult for Him. Our daily practice of unwinding, unloading and detangling before Him keeps us safe on His track, renews us, rejuvenates us and rejoices us in our walk with Him.

It is truly said in His Word that the love of God and the peace He brings is beyond the comprehension of human understanding. The love of God is received through Lord Jesus Christ through faith alone and grown, nurtured and manifested through humility of faith alone. It is Lord Jesus Christ Who pours His eternal life in our spiritually dead souls by anointing  us with His Holy Spirit. 

We are called by our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus to walk on the earth as His brand ambassadors by having consistent fellowship with Him in our daily walk. The more we walk in His Light, our walk is holy, protected from the world, Satan and sinfulness, guided by His righteousness, fruitful spiritually, blessed by Him and reveals to others the glory of God. In the process of walking in His Light by the power of His righteousness working in us because of His grace, our heavenly Father reveals to us more and more of His goodness, greatness and divine nature that has no end. The continuous process of His revelation, sanctification of our being and establishing us more firmly in faith with each passing day, our heavenly Father Who is working in us without ceasing, shapes us into more and more of the likeness and stature of His Son Jesus Christ Who dwells within us. 

Therefore, everything about all attributes of God is absolute and infinite. His holiness, love,righteousness, knowledge, wisdom and divine nature. Our short pilgrimage on the earth is our preparation time to enable our heavenly Father to “beautify” us more and more like His Son until we see Him as He is at His coming, which is drawing near. We must use all the resources that our good Lord has provided us and continues to provide us from the heavenly realms to prepare ourselves to meet the fullness of His glory at His coming. As apostle John says in the book of revelation, we too must be able to confidently say with our head held upwards, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Our heavenly Father has fulfilled His promise through the words of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ by sending His Holy Spirit and pouring it infinitely in our hearts. His promise to always accompany us, to walk with us and to reveal more and more of Himself to us so it is no longer us but Christ who lives in us more and more fully. The more we yield to the Holy Spirit, the more our Saviour leads us to walk in peace with Him and others by the power of His love working mightily in us through faith. 

The Holy Spirit helps us to walk in the righteousness of God, our heavenly Father. Our caring and merciful God delights in our close fellowship with Him in our daily walk more than our delight in seeking to walk with Him. 

Life of Lord Jesus Christ serves as an exemplary example for us to meditate on as we know that He did nothing or said nothing in His own initiative but was always led and directed by His heavenly Father to fulfil His sovereign will in each moment of His life. For this reason, He never sinned although He was tempted like anyone in the  flesh; but being God Himself He was incapable of sinning. Similarly, we too can walk progressively more in the power of the Holy Spirit prayerfully and fearfully. As we do so, through humble obedience of His word and fellowship with fellow saints, we are able to experience more of His love , more of His peace, more of His power to do everything to please and glorify Him and are able to produce more of His fruits. When we begin to drift away from Him, we become less sensitive to sin, resulting in a fallback, losing the joy of our fellowship with our Father God, becoming devoid of His peace and love to empower us. 

However, if we self examine our faith daily and strive daily to humble ourselves before God in prayer, He will make sure through His grace to keep us close to Him by helping us to be holy by exposing each area of our life in the light of His Word and cleansing us from all defilement as we choose to confess and seek His help for our deliverance.

A delightful walk in the eyes of our Lord is the most beautiful, fulfilling, meaningful and purposeful walk. Despite a plethora of challenges and “losing” many worldly things and accolades on the way as we choose to carry our cross daily, the gains of eternal value more than surpasses our temporary “losses” whose value gradually fades away. 

This spiritual experience is not through works but through His grace alone for every child of God, fueled through diligent walk in His Light, persistently praying as a way of living and ceaselessly yielding to His Word to be able to experience and manifest more of His life through us. We are therefore called to not only live by the spirit but also walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

We have come to know the Lord as our heavenly Father personally in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ alone without Whom as He rightly says there is NO other Way for He Himself is the only Way. However, we are called to live a holy life that He has poured in us. Despite having acknowledged this truth of our calling to live a holy life, we fail in our flesh over and over because of our weakness, either because even after partaking of His grace we try in utter vain to defend sinfulness, worldliness and Satan through our own strength. 

The only means to walk in the fullness of His Light is  on our knees. It is only when we are humbled when we are close to the throne of His grace where His mercy shows us like a magnifying glass, under the Light of His Word, our hidden iniquities that need to be done away with to be able to experience more of His life. When we are walking humbly with our Lord, we are able to hear the soft voice of the Holy Spirit loudly even when a tiny speck of sinful thought enters our being in that very moment.  The Lord has made a provision for us to be cleansed by His precious blood to restore our fellowship with Him and again walk closely in His Presence. The more we bring ourselves close to the throne of grace, God brings Himself closer to us, compelling us to repent and seek His forgiveness for what He shows us. Sometimes we need deliverance from temptation instead of forgiveness. It is the Lord Who delivers. It is through the victorious life of Lord Jesus Christ as His Holy Spirit that He has given us  which enables us to overcome our weaknesses or a temptation. Each time we fall, and are willing to get up again, it is Lord Jesus Christ Who serves as an advocate for us before the righteous and holy Lord and restores to us our joy of fellowship with Him, bringing us His peace that words cannot describe. Daily confessions and daily restoration with our Father God increases our reverential love for Him leading to obedience through faith and also increases our despise for sinfulness of any order knowing that even a tiny bit takes us away from our innocent fellowship with our Lord. 

Real enrichment, growth and maturity in our daily christian walk is freedom from sinfulness which we wouldn't have even known at the first place if it were not for the Holy Spirit within us that reveals to us. Freedom is experienced when we let Lord Jesus Christ set us free through His grace. With progressive deliverance, the experience of the love of God increases in us and it is this love that others get to taste through our lives more and more. 

As Paul rightly says, receiving Christ as our absolute Truth in our being, our life becomes a manifestation of His goodness and richness that was never ours, but humbly received from our heavenly Father at the first place. When we share with the awareness of the fact that what we are sharing is not ours at the first place, but we are just faithful stewards of all of His goodness, our sharing becomes more generous, joyful and without any expectations. If we have nothing else in our heart but to please our Lord in our doing, that is just enough. Nothing more and surely nothing less. 

So when we are asked to keep on doing good, the primary “ingredient” of that goodness is Christ and His grace. We are placed in every situation in our life by our caring Father to accomplish His purpose. His purposes through us are always good and better than our own independent actions. We cannot do good without abiding in Him. Lord Jesus Christ clearly tells us that without Him we can do nothing in John 15. Lord Jesus Christ, promises each of His disciples and all of us who have come to know and believe in Him that He was going to send us a Helper, the spirit of Truth which will never leave us but will always be with us till the end of the age. This means that when we let the Holy Spirit lead us in our act of doing at all times, it brings Him glory, and that very act is the act of doing good. Many times glorifying our Lord, obeying Him, trusting Him and being faithful to Him can seem challenging. But it leaves no regret for us. We may not be instantly gratified, we may be left out of the majority, we may have to face many emotional, financial, social and spiritual challenges, but in all of this, the Lord progressively teaches us to rejoice in Him alone, the joy which no one can take away from us, the joy that lasts forever and the joy that reveals to us more of His life, peace and light in us. 

Doing good becomes weary-free when we lead our being to do good through the Holy Spirit.Where the Lord guides us prayerfully, He provides too to fulfil our needs. Also, when our primary purpose in our deeds is to love our Lord with all of our mind, heart, soul and strength and to keep His love ignited for others in our actions, it is no longer us who live but we let Christ live through us and accomplish our deeds through His strength for His glory. 

The more we love others with His love, the more we are sanctified and can see clearly our undying, irrevocable and living hope that we have in our living Saviour for our salvation at His coming. When we work the works of God through us simply through our consistent faith in our faithful Lord and Saviour Who died for us and was raised on the third day, we are reassured over and over that our faith in Him according to His promise is never put to shame. All of our prayers in Christ are heard and answered; in His perfect time, according to His thoughts and His ways. We are given these living assurances through His Word which is full of His eternal promises towards us;that is, the children of God. We must also remember that His Word tells us that for God one moment is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one moment. He is able to accomplish much more in a moment than we are able in our entire lifetime on this earth. Nothing is too difficult for our Lord, who is our heavenly Father and also the Creator of this universe. He knows us by name. He has carved us on the palm of His hands and He bottles up every tear of His children which he or she sheds in His name in sincerity of their hearts. We are reminded of all these truths from His Word that gives us the strength and the encouragement to keep walking in His narrow yet everlasting, holy and righteous path where He is Present to guide us, provide us and strengthen us to do His good works in the mighty name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

The ultimate goal or summation of all of our good works in the eyes of the Lord is to aid in His plan to reconcile the world to Himself and hence further the kingdom of God. We as ambassadors of Christ can live less regret if our intentions align with those of God and when our actions are powered by the Holy Spirit as we humbly choose to let the Word of God guide us and lead us. 

The Word of God assures us that if we have the Son, we have the life and if we do not have the Son then we do not have the life. This life is the everlasting life, the life of God Himself that is found and humbly received in His Son through faith.

Humans by birth are separated beings from the holy Presence of God and have been called to be brought near through His promised word by the sinless and precious blood of Lord Jesus Christ. He brings us near to Him without any veil to enjoy His fellowship by establishing an everlasting relationship with the Lord as our heavenly Father Who knows us by name. He gives us all good things from His good treasures so that there is no more  want or need. Yet we fail again and again in our spiritual progress during our pilgrimage on the earth even after having been brought near to Him because of carelessness, lethargy, distractions, seeking immediate gratifications vainly from the world and seeking acceptance from the world over and above bringing delight to the Lord. The more we fall and try to taste the “empty goodness” of the world, the more mightily the Lord will lifts us up again on His ground where He gives us His real goodness to taste in front of which the “goodness” of the world has no value and fades away, eventually vanishing; provided we draw ourselves near to Him in our brokenness, helplessness and in all our vulnerability.

The giving of the Lord is from above from Whom there is no shifting of shadow. The giving of the Lord sustains us on His holy ground, keeps us near to Him, reveals to us more of His divine nature, does not fade or is never lost, grows and nurtures us, keeps us sanctified, establishes us in faith , protects us and eventually shapes us into more and more like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. His giving enables us to live under the experience of dwelling in the kingdom of God as He fills us more with Himself  unites us with fellow believers in the spirit, with He being prominently Present as the centre of that dwelling place.

It is foolishness to doubt the goodness, the faithfulness, the sovereignty and the omniscience of our good Lord even in the most trying and challenging times simply because our faith is not based on our will or state of being but on the fact that Lord Jesus Christ is unchangeable yesterday, today and forever. 

The power of the eternal life that Lord Jesus Christ has poured in us works more mightily in us as we give up our own strength to let His grace take over our being. Working out our salvation is a daily diligent practice in which when we offer our bodies as a sacrificial offering to the Lord, we open every room of our life for Him to enter, throw His Light in it and take charge of it for Him to clean, lead and glorify His beautiful Presence. Our body after being saved is just an instrument in the hands of the Lord to manifest His Presence as we choose to walk in His holiness and walk as a living temple of the only true and living God, Lord Jesus Christ. 

Resurrected power of Christ is the power of eternal life that emerges after Lord Jesus Christ suffered both physical and eternal death, in His flesh during His time on the earth on our behalf. When we place our faith in Him, we identify with the death of our sinful body   with His death on the cross and also with the resurrected life of Christ that has been poured in our hearts for us to live in His righteousness by walking more and more in the Spirit. 

Our mortal body is always willing to yield to sin,take pride in personal efforts and strength, seek security from worldly “accomplishments” and willing to walk by sight; hence falling prey to more sinfulness and hence move towards a deadly state in the absence of close association with the life of Christ in us. However, when we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit in us through sincere prayer and abiding in His Word through faith, life of Christ increases to more of His fullness in us, enlarging our hearts to grow in His love towards others, enriching us in works that bring Him glory, setting our hearts not in vanity and passing pleasures of the perishing world but on Christ Who richly supplies us with all good things to enjoy from His heavenly treasures of which He has made us joint heirs through the pledge of the Holy Spirit given to us. The more we walk in the Spirit, the more we live by the Spirit and the more our lives bear fruits for the Lord. 

A heart of wisdom desires things of eternal matters, is enlarged before the Presence of the Lord and does not take the patience and lovingkindness of the Lord for granted;rather is a self-examining heart and perseveres to walk in a manner worthy of the heavenly calling with which the Lord has called us in His Son Jesus Christ.The Holy Spirit within always desires to be in constant communion with our Lord. A heart of wisdom through its humility, God-fearing attribute and obedience to His Word gives ability and strength to all areas of our being to enjoy close fellowship with our One and living Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

We, as believers can neither take pride in the acquisition of heavenly wisdom nor in having an understanding heart which can acknowledge the indwelling Presence of our Lord. Both have been granted as a Gift by our heavenly Father through His Son Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed as He had promised, as we read in the book of Ezekiel, He has replaced our heart of stone by creating a heart of flesh that is not callous to the mercy and grace of God. He has crucified our foolish and carefree ways and imparted to us His wisdom and righteousness by pouring the Life of His Son in us as His Holy Spirit. 

As we choose to grow in the newness of this eternal life that He has gifted us, He reveals to us His renewed purpose for everything that He allows in our life. The highest purpose of our life after having come to the knowledge of the Truth which is Christ Himself is to let our heavenly Father prepare us each day more and more, to make us blameless and without any blemish to meet our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at His coming. Lord Jesus Christ, not only as our guiding and protective Shepherd, but also as the anchor of our soul and as our perfect forerunner has set a perfect example before us by running the entire race on the earth faithfully and fulfilling the perfect will of His beloved Father by emptying Himself and emanating all of His grace, light and truth in all of His conduct on the earth. We too like our loving Saviour, can live more and more in the fullness of His Presence progressively with each passing day. 

Each day no matter how long or short, slow or fast-moving it may seem to our naked eyes, the pace is perfect according to our Lord at that point in time to make sure that our eyes are focused and set on our Saviour to partake of His abundant grace necessary for that point in time. Our mighty and awesome God is capable of accomplishing enough in a moment which human strength is not able in a thousand years. Hence, waiting upon the Lord and letting Him work in us with patience and silence is a humble response of a heart filled with His wisdom. As a result, His wondrous works and righteousness is revealed through our lives resulting in honour, glory and thanksgiving to our eternal Father. 

When we come to the knowledge of the absolute Truth through Lord Jesus Christ, one of the first truths that we experience is freedom from all legalisms and dead traditions that serve no purpose to our fleshly activities to work the works of God. 

Our faith in Lord Jesus Christ and in His redemptive work on the cross personally for our sins brings us in direct communion with His majestic Presence without any barrier or impediments. The Lord’s Presence in us through His anointing as His gift qualifies us as His true worshippers, enabling us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. 

However, as we walk in the world, as our spiritual pilgrimage, temporarily imprisoned in the flesh that   makes our being prone to sin through Satan, we often forget the existence of our renewed being in the spirit and tend to be “pulled back” or fallback into being dominated by our fleshly state through various distractions. It is during such spiritually dry hours that our prayers become more manual and external rather than being spirit-filled and from the heart. When we are experiencing such states of spiritual droughts because of our fallback or distant fellowship with our true and living God, we fail to humble ourselves in awe before Him as we are unable to see the magnificence of His holiness, glory, Light and sovereignty when we are spiritually blinded by our unconfessed sins, worldly distractions or are being deceived by schemes of satan. 

In such a sorry state of our being, we begin to lead ourselves not through faith but through sight in our prayers. Such prayers are not effective as our being is not lead by the Holy Spirit and so our prayers do not harmonise with either the Word or the will of God. These prayers are thoughtless and are conducted with zero participation of our hearts rendering them ineffective. 

Powerful prayers humble us through breaking of our hearts, exposing our sinfulness in the light of the Word of God. Power is not fleshly but spiritual, showered by the grace of God through the Holy Spirit. When we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are able to communicate with our heavenly Father more effectively according to His Word and will even without uttering a single word and still assured that our heartfelt prayers are being heard and considered by our heavenly Father Who examines not our outward appearance but our hearts. When we know that we are heard by Him, we are least assured that our prayers will be answered by Him. 

An effective prayer leaves us with a long lasting peace, joy, strength,satisfaction and sense of deliverance from worldly entanglements as His gifts from above. A powerful prayer reveals to us more of His fullness and attributes of His divine nature in our being. A powerful prayer hence is a fruitful prayer, enlightening the eyes of our heart and awakening the state of our being; preparing us more and more to be lead by our Shepherd through obedience of His Word and fulfilment of His will for His glory in each of our steps. 

Life of freedom does not begin in the first place until Lord Jesus Christ sets us free. Beholding the cross and the work of our salvation therein convicts us not only of our sinfulness but also of our need to be redeemed and be set free to establish everlasting peace with the Lord. We will not realise our need to be set free until we listen to Lord Jesus Christ when He calls us and shows us through His Spirit that we are under bondage of Satan and hence slaves to sin and death. Jesus alone can truly set us free and save us from eternal damnation which is inevitable from the only just and holy Lord, Who however is merciful and gracious in His dealings with all mankind. (Acts 4:12).

Real freedom, the Word of God tells us is freedom from sinfulness, consequences of our sin which is death(eternal separation from the Lord), from darkness of the soul, from discontentment of the soul, from being affected by external circumstances that affect our peace, from seeking approval from the world rather than from God alone, from lack of purpose and meaning in life, from anxiety and fear of the unknown, from worldliness, from power of the flesh and from the clutches of Satan. 

When we are born again as children of God through faith in the only begotten Son of the true and living God, Lord Jesus Christ, through confession, repentance and acceptance of His Lordship in our hearts, life of freedom is gifted to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus Christ not only sets us free but also keeps us free from all entangling bondages through His grace, His strength, His wisdom and His heavenly treasures from where He suffices all our daily needs. 

Lord Jesus Christ within us continues to teach us and nurture us through His Presence that spiritual growth and bearing of His fruits does not happen out of personal works of merit but only through our diligent faith in Him and consequent yielding to His Word out of love. 

The precious hours of prayer, meditation of His Word in our hearts and giving Him the first place in everything that we are; that is in our thoughts, emotions and will magnifies His Presence in our life, brings us in close companionship with Him and compels us to obey Him bringing Him delight and producing springs of joy and peace in us. The greatest gift however in living in this empowering way is the revelation of His very nature and attributes in and through us so that we are able to effortlessly bear his fruit. (Galatians 5:22-25).

Life of real freedom is actually a life of close association with the Lord Who keeps us free from worldly filth and makes us holy, sanctifies us, preserves us and nurtures us with all that is pertaining to eternal life and godliness.  

His ground of freedom is unshakeable. His love is unfailing and unchangeable. His promises are irrevocable. His will is always for our good and His glory. Hence, being bonded to His sovereignty by giving all that we are and have to Him, which is for Him to live through Him, matures us in Him and keeps us free.

Walking by faith is a diligent and conscious walk in close companionship with the true and living God, in and through His Son and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is for the purpose of walking in His holiness that the Lord showers His grace and mercy on those who believe and receive Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts. 

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”- Hebrews 11:1. No one other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can assure and reassure us of our living hope in Him alone for our redemption and salvation. His indwelling living Presence opens the eyes of our hearts to see and believe with conviction through experience of His peace, joy and Presence. 

“Having faith” is a vague,blinded and a “shot in the dark” term casually used by the world during “dark periods” of life to have hope in some entity or situation with patience until things get better. 

Real faith however in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is a real experience. It is not only for challenging times but for all times. Walking by faith in our Lord over and above everything else is a way of life. “God is Light and in Him darkness cannot exist”. This means that when we walk by faith, we are walking in His Light at all times despite seeing “darkness” in our external circumstances when we vainly try to walk by sight. Walking by faith is seeing with our spiritual eyes set on the heavenly realms where Christ is seated, where we belong and with Whom we are reconciled forever.

Walk of faith is a walk with prayerful,fearful and humble acknowledgement of the Presence of our Saviour, Whom we have received in our heart. Walk of faith is a diligent walk with our Saviour leading us more and more into His holiness and righteousness, hence separating us from all the fleshly and spiritual defilements. Walk of faith is a victorious walk where the power of the Holy Spirit gains victory over several areas of our weaknesses, wretchedness and hopelessness produced out of our proneness to sinfulness. 

Walk of faith is a way of life - which keeps us awake, enables us to see and makes our spiritual walk steadfast,immovable and grounded in Him. Walk of faith is a protected and peaceful walk with the Lord enjoying His progressive revelation of His own Self and His heavenly treasures which are ours through Lord Jesus Christ. 

Just how sowing of a seed in a fertile soil is just the beginning of a new life, sowing of the eternal seed of God, that is His word, in us through faith(1 Peter 1:23-25), is also just the beginning of His life in us as His blessed Gift. The Lord not only is our only true and living God and our Saviour, but is also our faithful Shepherd and compassionate heavenly Father Who actively leads us in the process of walking steadfastly in the Spirit progressively each day. 

He has given us His living Word to feed upon to nurture, strengthen and fill us daily according to our everyday needs. The more we allow Him to work in us through submission, the more of Him we will find in the process of His daily revelation and the more delight we will experience in living under His close companionship. 

It is nothing less than the greatest miracle when we meditate upon the fact that the work of the Hands of our Creator Who has brought forth everything that we see around us that He has created in the universe; is the same Creator Who is at work in us through His indwelling Presence to perfect us, sanctify us, protect us,preserve us, keep us and prepare us to see Him when He comes to take us to where He is preparing a place for us; just as He has promised. 

Our spiritual offerings of praise, honour and worship towards the grandeur of our Saviour surely elates us and humbles us before His Presence at the same time but it is the offering of our own selves, our being - our mind, heart,soul and strength to Him to work on through trust and obedience that truely rejoices us revealing to us more and more of His glory, His beauty and more of His life, that is, His divine nature. 

Just like King David, as the Lord called him as the man after God’s own heart, we too as we continue to diligently seek our Lord daily, our being becomes more and more receptive and obedient to His voice and Presence. To the one who is receptive to Him, even whispers are loud enough and to the callous one, shouts and rebukes from the Lord will render ineffective. 

Our righteous, holy and loving God desires for us to walk with Him, for our good and His glory. Always. 

The word of God tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that opens the eyes of our inner being to behold the glory and magnanimity of our God and acknowledge His Presence. 

As children of God, we not only acknowledge His undeniable Presence in the universe as the Creator of the same and having sovereign authority over it,  but also His living and indwelling Presence within us to live through us and manifest His presence and purpose in our lives. The closer we live with this reality and hence the unshakeable truth of His Presence, the more we are able to walk in His Light. The more we walk in His Light, the more we are able to bask in His love, appropriate His promises and humble ourselves to prepare us to obey His commandments. His commandments are not burdensome. His commandments are always for our good. 

All instruction, knowledge and wisdom of this world and so called philosophies, devoid of the life of God, that is, devoid of the living Word of God ,leads us towards emptiness, vanity and leaves us dissatisfied. However, Lord Jesus Christ has claimed in His Word that He alone is the bread of life and whoever believes in Him will neither thirist nor hunger anymore. It is the life of Christ alone in us as His Holy Spirit that makes us full. 

In our daily walk with the Lord, it is only when we reverentially,consciously,fearfully, willingly and prayerfully walk in the Spirit that we are constantly fed by His Word to guide us, nurture us, protect us, grow us and strengthen us. Our obedience to His Word reveals to us more of His wisdom and His righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit that has convicted us of our sinfulness. It is the Holy Spirit that has reconciled us to the Lord through Jesus Christ alone to separate us from the perishing world and redeem us with His precious blood to declare His excellencies and live through Him, experiencing real joy,peace and bliss. 

Renewal of the spirit is not something that we create through our efforts but it is the progressive revelation of the Lord and the skillful work of our Master and Saviour in our being.Faithfulness towards His will is not born out of fear but out of love and reverential trust in the true and living God who dwells within as His blessed Gift.

It is not possible to faithfully walk with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ without humility of the Spirit and readiness to obey Him. Our humility towards Him must compel us to deny ourselves so that He is magnified.When we decrease before Him, He makes our being more receptive to His voice through His Word and through the revelation of His will. In the state of humility, obeying His Word and yielding to His will becomes effortless and joyful.Obedience only turns out for our spiritual good , revealing to us more of His Truth, His divine nature and His purpose through us, keeping us free from all entanglements of sin,world and satan that only robs us of the pure joy and peace of our fellowship with our Saviour and our heavenly Father.

Renewal of our spirit is a daily diligent process where the Lord Who “neither sleeps nor slumbers” as His word says; is at work within us. Our Spiritual “Sculptor/Physician/Potter “, our loving and the most skilled heavenly Father can best work in us with His “tools/surgical instruments/wonderful hands” when we are still, submissive and humble in our disposition before His living Presence.

Renewal of our spirit will involve letting go of all the things we may be “clinging to” unknowingly. He reveals to us our worldly entanglements in our personal prayer and gives us the strength and wisdom to “shrug them off” in the view of the surpassing riches,glory and spiritual wealth that He offers us on His holy and everlasting ground.

Renewal of our spirit enables us to dwell in His land and our heavenly home more steadfastly, closely beholding the beauty of our Saviour and allowing Him to magnify Himself through the Holy Spirit in us as we begin to progressively diminish in this beautiful and daily process of our spiritual renewal! “I must decrease and He must increase”.

The Lord can teach us to redeem the limited time we have on the earth.

The Lord in His mercy has chosen us to walk in a manner worthy of our heavenly calling. To walk worthily implies to walk on His path to perform works He has already planned for us beforehand in His omniscience. All works in His name through His grace and strength glorifies Him. As children of God, the purpose of our works is fulfilled as we humbly choose to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and act according to His guidance even when at times it is displeasing to our fleshly being. There is no regret in trusting and obeying Lord Jesus Christ which is why when we retrospect after having obeyed Him regardless of our temporary dilemma, we realize that yielding to His will always imparts others with His grace, blessings and light. Obeying Him effortlessly through faith and love wroughts us in His righteousness more and more revealing to us the fullness of His Presence more and more. 

Our limited pilgrimage on the earth is hence a precious time. Each day is an opportunity to see things with the eyes of eternity so that we make sure that we let Lord Jesus Christ live through us as truly it is His life and not our own that we are living. Everything that is done in His name alone lasts and is rewarded in the heaven. Rest all perishes

As the Lord rightly commends us through His word, we are encouraged not only to live by the Spirit but also to walk by the Spirit in our mortal flesh. The Lord has abundantly, generously and completely poured the Holy Spirit in us to reconcile us to Himself and bring us to the knowledge of the Truth. 

In order to walk in the Spirit, we cannot do so independent of the living Presence of the Lord in us. The only way to live a spiritually fruitful and hence a useful life is to daily and frequently partake of the manifold grace of the Lord which reveals to us His lovingkindness and mercy. It is the mercy of the Lord that picks us up from all our fallbacks, discouragements and phases of spiritual “droughts”. The grace of God prepares us to imbibe from the scriptures our spiritual food regularly so that we are encouraged to persevere and move forward and upward in our spiritual journey at all times. It is the acknowledgement and joy of our fellowship with the Holy Spirit that appropriates His teachings and guidance from His living Word in all areas of our lives to transform us and make us more like Christ. 

We must be truly humbled with gratitude and reverential fear at the thought of this fact that our heavenly Father, despite His magnanimity, grandeur and sovereignty deals with us not according to our lowly state and according to our works but according to the abundance of His grace, love and mercy to preserve us. Humility exalts us to His ground and brings us closer in communion with our Saviour. It is on His holy ground that our spiritual growth happens through His living Word and His grace, appropriated by the Holy Spirit gifted to dwell in us. If it were not for the faithfulness and patience of the Lord towards us, we would see hardly any growth in our spiritual lives because of our weaknesses and fallbacks that we are compelled to deal with daily and reduce them progressively through Him.

The Lord in the abundance of His mercy has chosen us in Lord Jesus Christ, sanctified and separated us to bring us to His ground that He is preparing with His own Hands. A ground where there is no lack. A ground where all our spiritual needs are met in Christ Jesus. A ground where there is living Presence of our Lord in His holiness and in His glory. A ground where we are enriched with all things pertaining to eternal life and godliness through the bread of life, that is His living Word, the power of the Holy Spirit to lead is in all our conduct and fellowship of the saints and the Lord Himself in truth and in Spirit to provide us with abundance of joy,peace and contentment that Lord Jesus alone can provide us. None of His provisions are ever maligned with craftiness, defilement, or sinfulness. 

However, because of the weakness of our own flesh in the absence of the Lord, we often lose the joy of our fellowship with our Saviour if we yield to our fleshly state than to the indwelling Holy Spirit. A fleshly walk again exposes us to the emptiness of the worldly schemes that had made us subject to the wrath of God in the first place like all mankind without Christ. When we keep on seeking the things above where Christ is seated diligently through obedience, prayerful living and humbly walking in His righteousness, we are able to let Him manoeuvre our path in each step of our life to sustain us in faith and keep us in His narrow path so that Satan or our flesh or the world does not lead us astray. 

We cannot progress in our holy walk with the Lord without being saved in the first place. If we are truly saved, it is impossible to keep on sinning as the Holy Spirit never permits us.  The overwhelming love, mercy, grace, kindness and power of the Lord compels us to yield to Him and seek His protection. A prayerful examination of our faith keeps us in His will and gives us an opportunity to let Him work in our lives willfully for His glory and to preserve the sanctity of our soul,body and our whole being. 

It is the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ to always satisfy us with enough heavenly “things”, manna, when we exercise our faith in Him, in His Person, His position  and in His marvellous work. All things pertaining to life and godliness are amply supplied from the heavenly treasures of which we are made joint heirs through our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. 

As we grow in our spiritual journey, on the one hand, we continue to experience blissful joy , enduring peace, increase in His wisdom and knowledge and revelation of His nature and more of His eternal life, that is, His own Self. However, on the other hand, there is this danger that false pride may creep in and bring through our flesh, or from worldly accolades or from Satan to convince us that our spiritual growth is an outcome of our personal talent and self efforts. 

Spiritual maturity comes only through humility. As we increase our diligence and fervency in prayer, we are able to behold the beauty of our Saviour more and more. He has rescued us from our deadly state and qualified us to stand on His holy ground in the first place. Humility opens our hearts and minds and gives them the ability through the Holy Spirit  to digest the word of God through understanding and obedience. The more we imbibe the sweetness of His Presence through prayer and His Word, the more we are convinced through experience that we can do nothing without Him as He has rightly said in His Word. The more we live with our wholehearted dependence on our Saviour for our spiritual sustenance and fruitfulness, not only are we humbled but we are also used by our Lord more and more for His service, to love others with His love and to glorify Him through our life. 

The work of our salvation is a miraculous work of God. A seeking, hungry, willing, believing and humble heart, is a heart that can listen to the calling of the true and living God for their personal need of redemption and see the marvel of God, Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Our Lord, fully has accomplished our entire work of salvation which anyone who comes to Him through faith receives as a gift of God because of His grace through faith. 

Receiving the indescribable Gift of God is just the beginning of the life of God that He has poured in us as His Holy Spirit. The generous giving and nurturing of our faithful Lord never ends. The only desire He has for each of His children is a faithful and holy walk with Him by imbibing from His heavenly treasures and displaying His works and glory in each step of our life. The more we walk in His righteousness, the more His life is manifested through us, increasing His indwelling living Presence and decreasing our fleshly presence at the same time. 

The life-giving Spirit of the Lord is His eternal life. His life is the exact manifestation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father who are but One. The revelation of His life in us is directly proportional to the degree to which we yield to His Presence through seeking in prayer, trusting His will and obeying His Word. It is a humbling and a blissful experience to live His life through us. A life so undefiled, righteous, holy and imparting only good things from above,of wisdom, insight, discretion and knowledge revealing to us more of the Lord’s goodness, attributes and nature of His Person. It is only the privilege and right gifted to the children of God to know and understand heavenly things through the gift of the Holy Spirit as they cannot be revealed through human intellect and fleshly understanding. 

Living in the Spirit is a fearless life as it is the imperishable life of God and enables us to see the living hope we await for beyond our life in the flesh; that is; our resurrection and subsequent transformation at the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Restoration of our peace and fellowship with the Creator of this universe as our heavenly Father, where not only He knows us by name but we too can enjoy a personal everlasting relationship with Him, is the greatest gift of God that He offers to all mankind through the sacrificial offering of His Son.

The obvious purpose and work of the Lord is surely accomplished in us through His Son - which is rescue from His wrath to come, the gift of salvation, the hope of a heavenly home, victory over death, sin and Satan and the inheritence of the heavenly treasures through our anointing with the Holy Spirit, which is the resurrected life of Lord Jesus Christ. 

However, the greatest delight for our heavenly Father and also for us is to live in the experience of His life and His peace. This is made possible when we pay heed to and meditate in His Word to “Be holy for He is holy”- 1 Peter 1:16. It is for our sanctification and holiness that the Lord offered His sinless blood. It is to begin His works in us for His glory so that we can listen and yield to Him that He made our deadly state alive by exalting us through His righteous right Hand. 

A fruitless life of salvation that is gifted to us is useless to our Master. The more we walk in His Light, the more difficult it is for us to keep on sinning. The more we walk closely with Him, the more we experience the divinity of His nature and His attributes effortlessly. 

The greatest priority for every child of God must not be to do great things for the Lord, to be a prayer warrior, to acquire knowledge and heavenly wisdom, to share the gospel or to be active in fellowships, all of which are important and crucial for our spiritual growth. However, the greatest priority must be to abide in His love and let His Word abide in us, that keeps us humble and always in the living Presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in truth and in spirit, wherever we are. Our greatest priority is also our greatest privilege for which there are not enough words, works or worship offerings to express our gratitude to our gracious Lord. 

The greatest miracle in the universe has been the fulfilment of the Lord’s prophesy through the work of His Son in His perfect time, appropriated in all of us who believe and receive His gracious Gift through His beloved Son and are transformed from darkness into His marvellous Light, the kingdom of God. So, we are called daily by the Lord, not only to live by Spirit but walk in the Spirit, beholding His beautiful Presence and manifesting gratitude for His relentless supply of His grace for our every need. 

Meditating on the life of Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh and His undefiled and consistent relationship with His heavenly Father teaches us to also diligently uphold our faith in our Lord and stand on His ground regardless to let Him fulfil His will, which is always for our good and for His glory. Always.

A believer's life is a fearless life. Fearlessness in our walk is experienced because of His living Presence with us. God's Presence that is indwelling, mighty and everywhere. When we seek Him in prayer and ask for His strength, we are provided abundantly through the Holy Spirit. When we are led by the Holy Spirit, it is difficult to go astray from His righteousness.  

Lord Jesus Christ keeps on revealing time and again that truly He alone is our unchanging and faithful anchor of our soul. The love of Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He always desires to have sovereign control over our lives. He is always at work in our inner being, as our “spiritual surgeon” or “spiritual sculptor” to shape, mould and refine us to beautify us into His own likeness. In order to work in us, He has done away with all our sins with His precious blood to take pre-eminent place in our being as His Spirit and hence progressively work more and more through our lives to display His glory. 

Our faithful Shepherd knows we cannot do anything unless He upholds us with His righteous right Hand. When we let Him hold us through trust, obedience and submission, yielding to His will and Word, paying heed to His voice in our thoughts and conduct, the result is abundance of gratitude and praise as we continue to experience more of His life and more of His peace!

We are blessed to belong to the exalted heavenly land where we are raised by the mighty hand of the Lord. The land where we are permanently restored by the precious blood of Lord Jesus Christ is our heavenly home. The architect and builder of this home is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. No one can enter this land without dying on the cross with the death of Jesus Christ. It is the resurrected life of Christ that the Lord has promised to offer to all those who believe and raise us to this good land, the everlasting home where Christ Himself is seated on the right hand of the throne of grace. Lord Jesus Christ Himself has made His own sacrificial offering for the propitiation of our sins and that of the whole world. 

We as His anointed ones are called to live in the good land in truth and in spirit now to glorify His Presence in our being. The land where we are set is good because it is also the holy sanctuary of our only true and living God. It is good because it is only when we dwell on His land that we can bear fruits of the Spirit through the nutrition that we receive from Him. The land is good because there is no unrighteousness and unholiness in it. The land is secure and safely protected from spiritual pestilence such as the worldly schemes, fleshly weaknesses and deceitfulness of Satan. The land is good because it cannot be destroyed. Our living hope is secured in this good land as our permanent refuge through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are anxiously awaiting the coming of our Saviour from the good land so that we are transformed like Him and see Him as He is and be permanently with Him in His fullness. It is in the good land that fellow believers can find joy of fellowship with each other and with the Lord in truth and in spirit and gain more spiritual treasures as joint heirs, strength, growth, guidance and wisdom; all of which are from above. It is in the good land that we find real rest and peace. 

When we remind ourselves daily through fearful reverence, humility and remembrance of how we were placed there, it humbles us. Our heavenly Father has brought us to His dwelling place not because we were worthy but because our sins have been paid for in full by the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are able to enjoy the goodness of the heavenly land even in the flesh because it is no longer us who live in it but Christ who has poured His life in us Who lives to God through us. If we desire to dwell in His land, and our home now, defilement of any kind has no space in it. We must strive daily to restore our pure fellowship with the Lord and continue to walk in His Light through repentance, confession, and obedience. 

We are encouraged time and again to set our hearts on the things above and not on the perishable and deceiving things of the earth. When our eyes are set on where Christ is seated, He gives us the correct perspective on how we must treat earthly “treasures” at the first place - as temporary, as being allowed and graciously given by our heavenly Father according to His sovereign will and as a means to not only fulfil our basic needs but to use them as faithful stewards of the Lord to be useful to those in need and hence glorify our God through our material possessions. 

The bible gives us multiple assurance that eternal pleasures of life are always found abundantly at the right hand of our Lord - Who is our Saviour and Shepherd Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, all our needs are met- from salvation to pursuits of peace,joy,satisfaction, meaning,knowledge, wisdom and purpose in life- that are real and permanent. We have been already given the pledge of assurance of our heavenly inheritance through the Holy Spirit- the more we partake of our inheritance, the more we can live in the Spirit and hence the more we can gather assured fair and just heavenly rewards awaiting for us from our loving Father as we work as His workers to do good works in His name and strength while walking on the earth. 

The more we value the indescribable gift of God to us - that is His only begotten Son Christ Himself, the more we are able to fulfil the will of God in our life, and hence walk in the experience of His everlasting life that He has lavishly poured in us. 

The earthly walk for every child of God is never ever a lonely self-striving walk. First, our Lord through Christ has promised to never leave or forsake us. Second, the beautiful fellowship of believing brothers and sisters in the family of God created  in the body of Christ by God Himself is a spiritual heavenly home on earth where the living Presence of Christ is in the midst and hence a dwelling where we are nourished, renewed, replenished, matured,guided and encouraged in all spiritual matters. Likewise, a walk with the Lord is a walk of faith where the Lord gives us the assurance that our hope in Him is never in vain. Also, just like our earthly fathers (or rather better than them), our generous heavenly Father is always ready to provide us with all our spiritual needs (and earthly needs as well), provided we ask, seek and knock to express our hunger, willingness and need to be satisfied by Him alone because of His grace,mercy and love. 

When we walk more and more in a state of spiritual wakefulness, our spiritual eyes and ears will always remain open to walk closely with our Lord shunning vain riches of the world but heeding to His voice and beholding His beauty so that Christ lives through us adding up more valuable riches for us in the heaven, our home through our conduct on the earth. 

Lord alone is real, true and living forever and He alone imparts to us correct perspective through the Holy Spirit with which He has anointed us to help us grow in His righteousness, and not of our own. 

As every child of God knows and has experienced, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One understanding. (Proverbs 9:10). Fear of the Lord, born out of our reverential trust in Who He is and what He has done for us and continues to do over and above what we deserved from Him. We came to know Him in the first place because He has brought us to life and knowledge of the truth in the first place through repentance; and has established an everlasting relationship with us in His Son. 

He has offered us redemption in place of judgement and He has offered us forgiveness in place of justice. He has rendered us righteous in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour, and removed our unrighteousness. He has qualified us as His blessed, chosen, beloved and holy children instead of  remaining in our old,fleshly and dead state as children of wrath, rebellious against God and sinners in His eyes. He has begun eternal life in us so that we may no longer walk in the flesh but in the Spirit to wrought His righteousness in us that He has freely given to us. 

We can only enjoy the blissfulness of our renewed identity, new position in eternity, brand new relationship with the Creator as our heavenly Father and a beautiful walk with our Lord, Saviour and Shepherd Jesus Christ if we continue to abide in Him with a humble disposition and let Him work in each area of our life for our continuous cleansing, rebuilding, remaking, reshaping, purging, and moulding. The only way to respond to the disciplining of the Lord is through willful obedience and rejoicing. Disciplining by the Lord is a result of His lovingkindness and patience towards us that endures forever. He does not discipline us more than we can handle. Yet His discipline is an expression of His highest care, His noblest intentions and through it, fulfilment of His perfect plan in our lives. His only plan and purpose for us is to make us more like His Son and to teach us to live through His strength more and more and hence glorify Him through our lives in all that we are - in our thoughts, words and conduct. 

As His Word tells us that for the time-being His disciplining may not be “soothing” or pleasant to our physical eyes, but later on produces for us fruits of His righteousness and peace. He is always in the process of moulding our lifestyle, our priorities, our thoughts, our desires, our aspirations, our behaviour and our perspective about everything He allows in our life. He prepares us to do His Works, so that more and more people can become partakers of His grace and mercy through our witness, believe in Him, know Him and some be saved (althought He desires none to perish - 2 Peter 3:9).

Lord Jesus Christ has brought us to the knowledge of the Truth through repentance. We as children of God experience eternal safety through acceptance of the gift of salvation from our Saviour because we acknowledge our need to be taken out from the perishing and unsafe ground of miry clay in which we were previously stuck helplessly because of our sins. 

It is in our humble state that we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, undefiled and innocent blood, to make us stand blamelessly before the glorious Presence of our Lord as our heavenly Father, both as His chosen ones and as His beloved. He has chosen us in the abundance of His grace and mercy in His Son not only so that we may know Him and His excellencies but also to empower us through His Holy Spirit each day to declare of His glories by living through His marvellous Light and making us as His living stones of the spiritual and holy temple of the heavenly realms. 

We are safe only when we stand on our everlasting foundation that Christ has established through His resurrection - that is, His own self as the Chief Cornerstone of the temple. We cannot boast of our ability to glorify Him except through Him and for Him. It was to take us out of the way of this perishing world, Satan, sinfulness and deceitful schemes that easily entangles us  that He died for us and was raised on the third day. His word tells us that all have gone astray in their own ways and it is Christ alone, the only Way, Who brings us back to reconcile us and hence restore our soul to be found by Him and hence place us on the everlasting rock thereafter. The foundation that Christ has laid for us in the heavenly realms is the only foundation of the only true and living temple of God that is permanent, indestructible, undefiled, spiritual, and has the holy Presence of the living God in it as His Spirit. All the ones that are saved by Him are placed according to His will as living stones to offer spiritual sacrifices of praise, honour, worship, thanksgiving, trust and obedience. Revelation of His glory, excellencies and attributes and increase of our knowledge and wisdom in Him are His glorious gifts as a consequence of our salvation. What a revelation! What a blessing, privilege and honour! What responsibility and accountability! 

We must dwell on His everlasting ground where He has placed us,  walk the narrow path, feed on the bread of life;that is His Word, hold His righteous right Hand, set our eyes on the heavenly realms where Christ is seated and continue to bear His fruits and display His works that He has prepared beforehand for us! Our faithful Lord alone neither leaves nor forsakes us. 

We are on the receiving end of His mercy. The source of His mercy is His very attribute of His limitless lovingkindness. Receiving His mercy keeps us sanctified,humble and prepares us for being used by Him not out of fear but out of loving willingness. 

Receiving His mercy reminds us that we are privileged to have been chosen by Him as His beloved and holy ones.

His living Presence in our life is also a result of having received His mercy to anoint us with His Holy Spirit so that we may walk in His righteousness.  

We can enjoy His fellowship only at the throne of His grace. Knowing that our heavenly Father is a compassionate  Lord, removes our vulnerability and opens our being before His Presence to expose our weaknesses and surrender them to our faithful Lord to strengthen us and enable us to deal with them.

As vessels of His mercy, He desires to align us with the holiness, meekness, obedience, humility and faithfulness of His only begotten Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ progressively. 

Being His workmanship is nothing but letting Him shape us in the nature and stature of His beloved Son Jesus Christ. The greater the willingness to obey and yield to His will, the better the loving Hand of our heavenly Father can shape us. The more He shapes us, the cleaner we become as vessels of His mercy, ready for being used for fulfilling His purposes. 

We know that we were made rich by the “poverty” of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We would have never been able to partake of the manifold grace of God and the subsequent treasures of the heavenly realm if it were not for our Lord Jesus Christ, Who left His heavenly glory and took on flesh so that through His poverty we would become rich.

The primary and the most precious Gift or possession from above that we receive through our salvation is the gift of eternal life by our anointing through the Holy Spirit. However the real riches of eternal life cannot be brought to life except through its progressive revelation and application in our daily life for the glory of our good Lord Who dwells within. The Holy Spirit desires to be at work in us without slumbering from the day we receive Him as our Lord and personal Saviour. The marvellous work of the Holy Spirit continues to change our thoughts, perspectives, priorities, conduct, decisions, will and desires and continues to align, re-align,break and remake  and renovate our being  in order to produce fruits of the Spirit and make our works valuable to pass through testing fire of the Lord at His coming so that they are not consumed. 

The ruler of this perishing world, Satan, although a defeated enemy through Lord Jesus Christ, distracts us and often deceives us to take our attention away from the real riches and waste our time in emptiness and vanities of this world. It is during such vulnerable times that the Holy Spirit will remind us of our stand in the Lord, of the favours and benefits that are bestowed on us as His blessed children and the purpose for which we have been chosen to accomplish the noble and permanent work of the Lord in each step of our life. Prayerful seeking and self examination of our faith and conduct will divert our focus again on the heavenly realms where Christ is seated, humbling and preparing us to obey His Word and walk in a manner worthy of our heavenly and holy calling. 

The more we walk in the Spirit, the more the Holy Spirit of God can work in each and every area of our life, to sanctify us, shape us and make us both useful and fruitful for His glory. The more we allow the Lord to use us for His good works, the more rich we become in the Lord, which none can take from us, can neither be destroyed nor does it fade with time. 

As sinners, we are given a free will of choice to listen to the calling of the Lord through His living Word to be saved from His wrath through faith in His only begotten Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ - it is His grace that opens the ears of the hearts of sinners, humbling them, if we listen though faith with the heart of a child He says. 

Once saved, spiritual growth, living in the Spirit and walking in His Light is impossible without listening to the Lord through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit that He gives us. 

Listening to our Heavenly Father as a child of God through Christ - is made possible when we acknowledge through His Word and promises that our heavenly Father is good at all times, His intentions, thoughts, ways and plans for our lives, on a daily basis and till eternity are better than our own. 

Listening to our King as a soldier in Christ - is made possible when we acknowledge that just how a soldier cannot get entangled in daily world affairs to fulfil His mission for which he is qualified, we too as believers need daily spiritual disciplining and spiritual exercise under the sovereign authority of our King and Lord Jesus Christ so that we allow Him to prune us of all the redundant, vain and worldly things that can easily entangle us and drift our focus from our heavenly home where He is seated. 

Listening to our Master as a servant of God in Christ - is made possible when we remind ourselves that Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed us with His precious blood which is why we belong to the Lord through Him. He has bought us with His blood to make a holy dwelling place within us through our anointing with His Spirit and hence have preeminent place in all the areas of our life and being. A faithful servant serves His Master alone and no one else. Lord Jesus Christ also exhorts us in His word telling us that “no one can serve two masters. We can either serve God or money (materialism)”. 

Listening to our Shepherd as a sheep listens and follows the voice of his keeper -  is made possible when we believe through His promises that our faithful Shepherd neither leaves nor forsakes us. He is willing to leave the 99 in order to find and bring back 1 lost sheep and put it safely in His fold. Our Shepherd not only is willing but has also given His life to save us. Our Shepherd provides us all that is enough to satisfy us, to keep us safe and to bring us His peace. 

Most importantly, we listen to the Lord through His Word by letting the Holy Spirit speak with us to let the Lord reveal to us His will on a daily basis regarding all the tiny details of our life. He is interested and finds delight in guiding us because He desires us to remain holy, sanctified, prepared for His good works and to glorify Him. We must choose to listen to our Lord, as our heavenly Father and Saviour because we belong to Him, He alone is worthy, He alone is faithful, eternal, absolute Truth, holy and gracious. None whosoever is able or can love and care for us as much as Lord Jesus Christ, and that too for eternity. No one’s intentions for our life are greater than the intentions and plans of our Lord for us. Nothing can make us spiritually fruitful other than abiding in the Truth of the Lord through His living Word. The more we humble ourselves in the above varying facets of our relationship with our Saviour, the more He can exalt us through His Word. 

What a blessing, joy and privilege it is to live under the caring, protective and loving eyes of our heavenly Father. He only desires for us to keep on seeking the things above, things pertaining to our place of permanent belonging, things related to the place where our Saviour Christ is seated and things pertaining to the Kingdom of heaven - and then He assures us that all else will follow through ! (Matthew 6:33). 

The Lord Himself being our Redeemer, desires to give meaning and purpose to each and every day of ours for His glory and our enrichment. Enrichment in our purification, enrichment in our heavenly riches and enrichment in our “good works” but for His glory according to His plan for our day that He proposes to Him so that we may walk in it! Great is the mystery of godliness that is revealed in us through the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Lord watches over us till eternity once having exalted us on His ground because of His faithfulness in executing His promises in our life because of His Son Who dwells in us. 

It is important for us to live in the awareness of this truth that He is watching over us, He desires to take care of us and He finds delight in our humble walk with Him under His leadership and in His righteousness. The more we seek the treasures of His riches, of His nature, His promises,His favours and His protection, the more we can partake of His manifold grace and keep ourselves sanctified and established in Him. 

The more our partaking of His riches, wisdom and knowledge, the more opportunity we give Him to manifest His heavenly Presence through our life. He desires to use our life as a source of sharing His salvation that is freely available to all mankind through His Son Jesus Christ - use our bodies as a sacrificial offering, our speech, our conduct, our thoughts, even our hidden desires and our decisions. When we give Him that first place in everything, we are allowing Him to keep us firm on His ground,to keep us free from all the worldly filth and make us fruitful for His glory !

Only those who have tasted the kindness of the Lord first hand will willingly live under the fear of the Lord, Who has become their true, living God and heavenly Father. 

However, worldly fear creeps  in various measures and forms, sometimes obviously and sometimes subtly in the lives of believers if we begin to walk by sight and not by faith in our testing times. 

We know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All that we are and have from above is because of the grace of God. Walking in the fear of the Lord directly brings us under His Light and hence in the Presence of our mighty God.

Fear of God is born out of our love for Him as a reciprocation to His undying love for us. When we fear God, we choose to reverentially trust Him knowing that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Life independent of the preeminent Presence of our mighty God in us is no life at all!

Several times throughout the bible, the Lord exhorts His people to not fear. He encourages them to live a fearless life not because we are strong in our own selves, but because in our weakness and humility, the power of God is perfected, rendering us fearless and establishing us more firmly in our faith in His steadfastness and faithfulness. 

A gardener prunes the branches of His trees to promote healthy growth and enhance its fruitfulness. If the gardener has sown the seed, He cares enough to take all steps to make sure that the seed gets all the care,protection,nourishment and support for progressive growth and eventual fruitfulness. 

From the moment our spiritual Gardner, the Lord Himself, and then our heavenly Father sows His seed in our soul(the innermost part of our being) as His Holy Spirit through faith, we become His responsibility as He qualifies us to belong to Him through the abundance of His grace and through the sacrificial offering of the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for our cleansing, regeneration and our reconciliation. 

Spiritual pruning is that inevitable part of our Lord’s disciplining that may come in our lives as a visible loss, a trial, a sinful temptation to be overcome or a seemingly difficult circumstance. We learn to draw strength from His grace when we confess our weakness in the “pruning” process so that when we overcome, we know that it was all Him and nothing of us. Pruning teaches us to yield to the will of our Lord through trust and obedience, making us more humble, breaking our heart, drawing us closer to our Lord by allowing the Lord to “prune” everything from our life that takes us away from our close fellowship with our true, living, caring and faithful Saviour. The more we yield to His pruning, the more accessible we become to His nourishment from our root, Lord Jesus Christ, through our fellowship with the Holy Spirit He has sown within us. The more we learn to yield to His pruning, the more we are nourished leading to more of our sanctification, growth, maturity and fruitfulness in and through Him. 

Spiritual pruning is a blessing. Repentance through confession, self-examination of our faith, breaking of our heart before Him, humbling before Him, trusting His will, obeying His voice through His Word and keeping our eyes fixed on our Saviour regardless, are ways that the Lord teaches us to respond to His pruning. These responses make us more accessible to the heavenly riches as joint partakers of His insatiable grace that we need on a daily basis. Pruning makes us realise that we can do nothing without Him and makes us more willing to abide in Him and makes us open for His Word to abide in us. 

The more we surrender our life to the Lord for Him to lead, the more pruning we face from Him. The more we yield to His pruning, the more fruitful He makes us for His glory. 

Our heavenly Father knows no partiality in His love,in His giving, in His justice, in His forgiveness and in His mercy. Through His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ, He has freely given us all the things pertaining to life and godliness, all the heavenly riches and appropriated all His heavenly promises to us as joint heirs, along with His Son who is sitting on the right hand of His majestic throne. 

Even Lord Jesus Christ shared with His disciples that He calls us His friend because He shares with us all that His heavenly Father shares with Him. What a noble,holy and faithful relationship He offers to each one of us. The anointed ones of the Lord, through His grace and mercy are left without excuse, in complaining of any kind of want, impoverishment or dissatisfaction. It is clear that through Christ, the Lord has given us everything, by pouring His Holy Spirit in us. After being saved, when we feel spiritually dry or distracted in our steadfast walk with the Lord, we need to self-examine ourselves and test our own faith as we apply in different areas of our life. The Lord promises to fill us till we overflow, provided we ask Him, knock on His door, seek His will, dispose ourselves humbly and willingly before His countenance and display willingness and readiness to trust and obey Him no matter what He feeds us with at that time. 

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge originate from Lord Jesus Christ and are revealed to us in the innermost part of our being through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The least and the only thing that we can offer to our loving Father is to walk in Christ-likeness , obey like Him, love like Him, pray like Him, be faithful like Him, all through the power of the Holy Spirit that compels us to humble ourselves in His Presence so He can exalt us and use us to share His love with others through our life. 

The only thing that our Lord finds delight in as He watches over our lives from above is that we keep His gifted love in us alive for all around us  - to share with others that which is not ours but which we have received from Him, freely , His life, His love, His light, His grace, His Word and His blessings. The more we exercise our spiritual muscles in our daily practice, the more we will be wrought in the righteousness of our Saviour through the hands of our heavenly Father. 

Our good and gracious Father, not only loves us like His own self, but He unchangeably and steadfastly loves us till the end of time, and walks with us - till we see Him as He is and are taken up to our heavenly home. 

Multiple times in our spiritual journey even as believers, we are exhorted and asked over and over by our elders and other believers to pay heed to His Word, His teachings and His voice. We stumble when we set our eyes anywhere else apart from our Lord Jesus Christ. It is life in Lord Jesus alone that is everlasting, undefiled, in the Spirit and keeps us in holy communion with our heavenly Father and compels us to do His will. His will always leaves us contented, leads us to do something meaningful for our Lord, edifies us and reveals to us more of the fullness of the life of our Saviour. 

There is no comparison between Lord’s sovereignty and mightiness and man’s limited and frail “dominion”. Those who are called, are lead by the Spirit of God. Those who are lead by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Those who have Christ, have the life of God and hence His Spirit dwelling in them. The more we seek strength from His living Word, the more we are filled with His power, strength and Presence. The more we live by the power of the Holy Spirit, the more we can decipher the difference between the frailty of our flesh and the dominion of His Spirit over all of our being. The more we identify ourselves in the Spirit, the more we realise that it is His treasure within us, fully potent and absolute. The treasure of the heavenly realms that He has given us through His beloved Son, giving us His life, the newness that comes with it, and nothing of our fleshly nature has any space to add to His value or compliment the same. 

All that is needed pertaining to life and godliness is provided abundantly by our Lord through our Saviour, appropriated through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The more we keep ourselves close to the Lord through His Word, in His Light with a humble countenance, the more the Holy Spirit gives us the discernment to know the difference between anything that comes our way in the disguise of "Truth", whether it appears to be coming from the Lord or from the deceiving world - the source could be anything, our flesh, worldly schemes, Satan, anything. However, the Lord has given us the greatest and the only weapon of both defence and offence, the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God to keep us in His narrow lane, firm, established, confirmed and sanctified. What a provision and what a privilege.

The Lord blesses the poor in Spirit and the pure in heart(Matthew 5), for they shall inherit the heavenly inheritance and they shall see God. This poverty is about acknowledgement of the poor condition of personal spiritual riches, simply because we have none without the life of Christ in us who enlightens us in the first place and puts us in His heavenly realm that He is building with His own hands. Therefore His word vividly tells us that the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace and the mind set on the flesh (deceiving us of providing us with spiritual thoughts and ideas) is death. If we have Christ, we have life and if we do not have Christ, there is no life. Without life, there is neither truth, nor wisdom and no God. For God IS Spirit. God IS everlasting Life. Jesus Christ is the only true and living Lord and our everlasting High Priest - Who was, is and is to come!

The Lord has rightly told us that “faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ”. We cannot understand the heavenly language of His Word without becoming a member of it. We cannot enter into His kingdom without being born again. We cannot be born again without receiving the Holy Spirit. We cannot receive the Holy Spirit of God (the resurrected life of Christ, promised as His gift) without the forgiveness of all our sins. Lord forgives us eternally through the redemptive work of Jesus, His only begotten Son alone. It is only the grace of God that saves us and not of ourselves. This is the saving Word of God, that when shared and preached by those who have tasted His simultaneous blessing of abundant grace and unfathomable mercy from the cross of Calvary, upon receiving and believing through faith snatches that soul out of the wrath of God. 

The eternal life that we receive through faith qualifies us as His children and begins our eternal life. Just how our physical body needs food to thrive, our “spiritual body” with the mind,heart and will of Lord Jesus Christ within us, needs spiritual food for Him to grow, stand firm and mature in the Lord. Spiritual food of His Word gives us the strength to stand against the darts of the evil one - from this perishing world, from our flesh and from satan. His Word also strengthens our roots in Him and enables us to produce His fruits regardless of whether our external circumstances give us rain or drought knowing that both in our lives are allowed by our faithful Lord for our spiritual good. The more we imbibe His Word and relish the taste, the lesser we will be of any further want. 

As Lord Jesus Christ claims through His Word, He alone is the “Bread of life”, in John 6:35, and those who believe in Him shall neither hunger nor thirst any further but springs of living water will flow from the innermost part of their being. (John 7:38). 

We “put on” Lord Jesus Christ, when we submit all that we are to the authority of the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit, that is, the life of Jesus Christ gifted to us at the time of our conversion; from the very moment we placed our faith in Lord Jesus Christ as our Personal Saviour and Lord of our lives, He, being the Lord of lords and the Creator of the Universe Himself. 

By putting on, Paul implies putting the life of Christ in us on display through our being, through our flesh, through our thoughts, words, conduct, desires, will and action. 

The Lord has already cleansed us, sanctified us for His glory, and anointed us with His Holy Spirit. Through faith, acknowledgement of His indwelling Presence and satiating the hunger of the Spirit within through the food of the living Word of God, we allow the Lord to nurture and grow us more and more into the stature and likeness of His Son day by day, renewing us, reforming us and manifesting His glory. 

In order to make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts, the Lord has also made for us a provision to keep wearing the armour of God in Ephesians 6. Each part of the armour is real and protects us both to defend and destroy elements that try to grieve the Holy Spirit within. The more we meditate on this Truth that Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed us with His precious blood so we may belong to God through Him, the easier it is to yield to His will, through His Word and allow the power of the Holy Spirit to exercise all the areas of our being. 

Our Lord is a faithful Lord. Surprisingly to human eyes, He finds greater delight in walking with His children than we find in walking with Him. As we walk with Him, He only provides us with that which is good for us, that which glorifies Him and that which leads to revelation of more and more of the fullness of our Saviour through our lives, rendering it useful to witness the living Presence of our Lord through the works that He does through us. 

When we walk through the world knowing that it is the Lord’s field in which we are assigned His work, to fulfil His supreme and sovereign purpose, which is summing up of all things in Christ Jesus, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses, we will walk more mindfully, God-fearingly, responsibly, submissively to our Lord, yielding and obeying His Word and will, knowing that being a worker of God is a gifted honour, a privilege, greatest responsibility and guaranteed with reward from our just and good Lord. His rewards never fade, can never be stolen, never rot and can never be destroyed. 

The Lord has made us worthy to offer thanksgiving and praise to Him by qualifying us as His blessed children.However, often our flesh makes us fall into pride or self-conceit of which we must beware. It is good to remind ourselves daily that there is nothing good of our own that dwells in us as all the goodness that we possess belongs to our good Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

We are richly endowed with heavenly inheritance because we are anointed by the Lord through the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance. We are anointed because our Lord is faithful and His word of promise endures forever. We are anointed by the Lord through faith because we were first sanctified by our Lord and washed and cleansed by the precious blood of Lord Jesus Christ. His blood also continues to justify us for our fallouts in the course of our faith as we diligently break before the Lord to confess and seek His mercy each time we fall because of sin. We are justified and sanctified in Him because our merciful Lord has offered us everlasting forgiveness for all of our sins as the price has been paid in full on the cross. Our body has now become the temple of God because our fleshly body of sin was crucified along with the crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. We are able to enjoy the newness of life because now the life that we live, we live to God through the Holy Spirit that the Lord sent to dwell in us. 

The indescribable Gift of God is God Himself, as His living Son to dwell in us. The inheritance that we become joint partakers of by default is undefiled, unfading, irrevocable and awaiting to be claimed in full when we see our Saviour in His second coming. Just how darkness cannot mingle with Light, the Lord’s undefiled inheritance cannot be contaminated with defiled, perishing and deceiving attractions,”riches” and/or wisdom of this world which is foolishness before the Lord.

When we remind ourselves that nothing of this world can stand against the truth of God, we are humbled and strengthened to partake more from His gifted inheritance. Same way, we are gifted the precious gift of the Holy Spirit so that we can delight in the Lord without grieving the Holy Spirit in any area of our being. 

Also, boasting in anything that is not of God is of the  world. His Word tells us that things of the world, lust of the eyes,lust of the flesh and boastful  pride of life are from the world and not from the Father.  This world is passing away with all its desires. But when we boast in the Lord by setting our eyes on our Saviour, surrendering our flesh as a sacrificial offering to the service of God and walk in the Spirit, we are revealed more and more of the righteousness and glory of God resulting in more of praise thanksgiving and honour to our mighty and generous Lord. 

Therefore, when we humble before the Lord, we are reminded of our stand in Christ Jesus - we are made righteous, are sanctified and justified by our heavenly Father because Lord Jesus Christ died for us was raised and now continues to intercede for us as our only Mediator and everlasting High Priest. Truly thanks to God for His indescribable Gift of His Son to dwell in us; imparting to us all that is needed pertaining to life and godliness. Nothing more is needed outside of Him and nothing can be omitted for our faithful Shepherd as our Provider is just enough so we may have  no more want of anything worthwhile or of permanent value but Him. 

It is a blessing to know that the all-seeing eyes of the caring Lord is always over us as our eternal Father. The question is, are we living in the awareness of this truth and experiencing the joy of His communion? 

The Lord, Creator of this universe, is a Lord without partiality. He is a just and holy God. His justice and righteousness goes hand in hand with His love and mercy. Both of these attributes of the Lord merge for us at the feet of the cross from where we can truly behold, see, believe and receive the amazing grace of God and allow Him to begin a permanent relationship with us as His blessed children and He as our heavenly Father in truth and in Spirit. 

His promises always stand true forever - He never leaves us, never does He forsake us. Over and over the Lord has expressed His desire for all mankind - He desires none to perish but to come to repentance and bring them to the knowledge of the Truth - that Jesus is the Christ, Lord Himself, and the only begotten One of the true and living God. There is no other and there is none that can save us but Him, through Him, by Him alone; from the inevitable wrath of God. 

We as children of God, are able to see and perceive that His eyes are towards us because He has opened the eyes and ears of our heart, made us His sheep, so we can listen to the voice of our living Shepherd who is resurrected and seated at the right hand of the throne of grace interceding for us. There is nothing good that we offered from our end before being saved by Him that has drawn our Lord’s attention towards us. He knows us by name through the anointing that He has given us, by pouring the Holy Spirit of His Son and revealing to us Who He is - He is the everlasting life, the true Light and eternal love. No soul can see , live or perceive this Truth without allowing our Saviour Himself to break the veil of sin through faith and repentance and opening our heart to let Him in as our personal Saviour and as our Lord. 

The eyes of our caring Lord are always upon us (who are saved)  because when we walk in His light, He knows we can respond to Him, yield to His will and display His righteousness through Him. When we walk in His Light, we become continuous partakers of His mercy , grace, providence, guidance, protection, comfort, encouragement and wisdom. After having been saved, if we continue in sin knowingly, the eyes of the Lord are against us until we are humbled through repentance and our fellowship with our merciful Father is restored through prayerful confession and washing away of our iniquities with the precious blood of Christ. 

As the Word of God says, it is a fearful thing to fall under the heavy hands of the living God. We are chosen to live a life of freedom - freedom from death, sinfulness, darkness and Satan to be bond servants of God so that when His eyes look over us, He finds delight in us. His Word assures us that if our heart does not condemn us, He hears anything that we ask according to His will and considers even before we finish making our request. 

It is Lord Jesus Christ Who gives us the discernment to know what is good and what is evil - He enlightens us with the Gift of His indwelling Presence and forgiveness of our sins. Till then, every soul is under bondage to Satan/evil due to sin. However, once His eyes are set on us as His child, and our names engraved in the Lamb’s Book of Life, we know we are under the best care of our Sovereign and Mighty God. 

On the One Hand, we know that all good things that we have and  are a blessed Gift of our heavenly Father in Whom there is not shifting of shadow. We are also blessed to have been created as new creations in Christ Jesus. We have been crucified on the cross with the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the life that we now live is His Gift, having been redeemed by His precious blood and anointed with His Holy Spirit. 

On the other hand however, as apostle Paul tells us, we too like him must beware of the inner warfare- of the flesh and the spirit. A child is born out of His mother’s womb, but without being fed and taken care of, there is no growth. Similarly, after we are born again, there cannot be any spiritual growth without feeding on the spiritual food, fellowship with the family of God and hence our heavenly Father and without being disciplined. 

As much as we are blessed children of God, the same cannot be reflected without being faithful disciples of our Saviour Jesus Christ who provides us with all our current and present needs in accordance with the riches through His grace. However, we must ask. We must be willing, we must be open to abide in Him and not yield to the passing pleasures of this perishing world and all it contains from where the Lord with His righteous Hand had pulled us out at the first place when we got saved. 

As children of Light, increased prayerful and close time with our Lord reminds us and brings us into the experience of who we truly are in Him - in truth and in Spirit. When we are in close association with our Lord through a humble and broken countenance within, He fills us more and more with Who He is and compels us to obey Him more and more out of love and through His grace and strength so that His Light shines in and through our lives for all to see, some to fear and believe and be saved through His mercy, 

A walk in the spirit is not only a blessed and a privileged life but a life of responsibility and accountability towards our Saviour - the Life-giving Spirit Himself. Unlike Enoch and Elijah, we are not taken up in glory yet but are preserved in the flesh, sanctified and separated to display the excellencies of the glory of God so that we may boast in Him alone, the very reason and purpose of our existence! Glory and honour be to Him alone through our life - our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ forever and ever. 

Fear arises only when we fail to experience the mighty Presence of our Lord and Father in that situation; as a believer. Our Helper, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, reconciled us to God through our Saviour is the Maker of the heaven and the earth. He is alive. He assures us each time that nothing is too difficult for Him!

When we feel spiritually weak in overwhelming circumstances of life, most of which are allowed by our Lord to encourage us to draw ourselves closer to Him, we must first remember that He has told us that His power is perfected in our weakness. Down on our knees is that best place to wear the armor of God(Ephesians 6), piece by piece, through faith and conviction. When we get up again prayerfully, fully equipped with the armor of God, we are prepared to combat the spiritual battle that we face. Only this time, fearlessly, because we have made God as our defense. Our Lord is a soverign Lord. He is in control. Our ceaseless prayer keeps us in His will and helps us to stand still while we let Him work through us. 

The remembrance of His everlasting promises reminds us that He alone is our Keeper in Whom we are safe and in Whom we have a living hope and through Whom we have an everlasting heavenly home, where we truely belong. This safety and security in this perishing and unsafe world; having made Lord as our refuge enables us to live a fearless life. God desires none of His children to be anxious but to offer our heartfelt supplications to Him and allow Him to give His peace in return. 

Fear was taken from our soul the moment we were saved and were born again - knowing that our merciful Lord did not appoint us for wrath but for salvation. He delivered us from all fears- fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of any loss, fear of loneliness, fear of the inevitable wrath of God. It is only when we walk by sight and not by faith is when the “false fear” forbids us from walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Third, the Lord in His grace has chosen all His children to live a victorious life - victory over death, over sin, over satan and over all forces of darkness . Victory belongs to God alone and is appropriated in us through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. He tells us that He has overcome the world. Hence, any battle we face, He desires for us to overcome through His victorious power; by employing His grace; His protection;His wisdom and guidance;His strength; so that we may boast only in the goodness and graciousness of the Lord. 

He renews us, He rejuvenates us. He is our Constant - the only unchanging One. 

The love of Christ is selfless,humble,gentle,undefiled,forgiving,patient,compassionate  and generous.

Lord Jesus Christ tells His disciples that He did not come to be served but to serve and be a ransom for all mankind. Through His life in us, He desires for us to follow His example through His grace and strength. When we ask in humility and sincere willingness, He enables us through the Holy Spirit that He has given us to love the way He has loved and continues to love His people. 

We cannot love with His godly love apart from Him. Nothing that we do apart from Him stays or stands for His reward when we meet Him at His coming. When we learn to live with this humble dependence and humility with a prayerful mindfulness, we are able to produce His fruits effortlessly in our very act of loving both believers and unbelievers. As part of the member of the body of Christ, our mindful walk with our Saviour teaches us to employ His spiritual gift/s to help other members of the family of God for spiritual edification. Employing our God given gift in church also keeps us spiritually awake and helps us to produce more of His fruits through all of our conduct, our thoughts and our speech. 

The Lord wants to reveal to  us that HE is enough. His faithfulness takes us through what He brings us through providing us with the necessary grace to see us through it all with us! The greatest delight and desire of our heavenly Father is to see us walk with Him more and more closely in the fullness of His Presence. He has given to us all of His treasures for us to dig through and enrich ourselves as our “birthright” when we were born again in Christ Jesus and were given His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. However, there is a fine line between knowing or acquiring His riches and using them in our daily walk. It is the disciplining of the Lord through various trials that compels us to put His riches to use to purify us more and more revealing to us deeper and greater attributes of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

The more we humble ourselves in the trying times, the more the Lord can effortlessly “beautify” us, strengthen us, establish us and sanctify us in Him so that we are overjoyed with the resulting outcome, giving all glory, honour, praise and thanksgiving to the Mighty Hand of our good Lord alone, the Lord of all comforts and the Lord of our deliverance. All of the Lord’s work happens on His ground, which we must seek in truth and in spirit. Regardless of the “pain” He allows, knowing that we are on His unshakeable ground in the process, we are safe to acknowledge that His pain has a beautiful purpose according to His thoughts and plans which are higher than our very limited ones. Second, when we are on His ground, our focus is diverted to the Presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who brings us rest and peace through His enduring power and by virtue of longsuffering, enabling us to rejoice in the Lord and encouraging us to keep walking in the narrow path where He has placed us and leads us towards more of His life and peace. 

When we come to the knowledge of the Truth; it implies we come to the knowledge of the Presence of the true and living God. We come to the knowledge of the beginning of our brand new relationship with the Lord of the universe as our heavenly Father which is why the Holy Spirit that He implants in our being through His living word is able to call upon Him through Jesus Christ as our own “Abba!” and Father!. 1 Peter 1:23-25)

Over and over again the Word of God tells us that the only things that the Lord desires of His beloved children is to walk humbly with Him, practising His righteousness and obeying His word as a joyful expression of our love for who He is, what He has done for our soul and what He continues to do for us in every moment of our life till eternity. 

As we choose to obey the Lord and walk in His truth through the work of His Spirit in all areas of our being, we are strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit and encouraged to bear His fruits. (Galatians 5:22-25). We know that the Father of lights is the Giver of all good things to us that come from above from His heavenly treasures. He gives us abundantly on a daily basis that which we need, to sustain us on His path. We cannot bring joy to our Lord without the aid of the Holy Spirit. As our confidence increases in our daily walk with Him, He teaches us to rejoice with prayerfulness and thanksgiving even in the sufferings and trials that He allows in our life. He has set the author of our salvation, Lord Jesus Christ Himself as our Leader and Teacher and our brother, closest Friend and our High Priest who was allowed utmost suffering in the flesh ever made possible(both physical and spiritual)  to bring many sons to glory. Our heavenly Father has poured the same Spirit of endurance, longsuffering, patience, humility, gentleness and kindness in us through the resurrected life of Christ. As we learn to draw strength through obedience and trust through the same Spirit, we are renewed more and more with each passing day to display Christ-likeness and all the beauties that follow through our life. 

The greatest blissfulness of being saved by the grace of God is in dwelling in peaceful, delightful,loving and contented companionship of our living Shepherd, Saviour, Lord and Father Himself. All that follows through in our pilgrimage on earth before He takes us home is allowed by our Lord for our sanctification and spiritual edification. 

It is not in the nature of our loving Lord to leave us alone in our spiritual endeavours. Lord Jesus Christ, has clearly told us that without Him, we can do nothing just as a branch cannot bear fruit without deriving nutrients from the root. Therefore, the Lord has given us His own Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance and a promised companion who enables us to live a life of holiness and separation from intimate association with the world, whose ruler is Satan, the defeated enemy of Lord Jesus Christ. 

In order to live in the experience of the everlasting life, it is essential to stay on the narrow path where we have been placed by our Saviour and allow Him to lead us through His righteousness. If it were not for the faithfulness, patience and mercy of our loving God, it would be impossible for any believer to grow in His holiness, nature and glory. Frequent or rather daily repentance in the Light of the word of God, which is a godly sorrow which He allows, keeps us clean and in a continuous fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. 

As we grow in the Lord, we will find the blissfulness of asking everything according to His will from our Lord without any vain pride or reservation, acknowledging our personal incapacity of accomplishing anything in our own strength. The Lord wants to increase our faith in Him and desires of us to ask everything in detail like a child expresses His dependence on his or her father - whether it is mercy, strength to do His will, any worldly need, anything impossible to be accomplished for His glory, deliverance from sinful habits , wisdom to understand His Word, protection in our going out and coming in or even a willing and humble heart always hungry for God and seeking to do His will. He provides. He is able. He alone can because nothing is too difficult for our mighty and awesome God. 

It is only through God’s providence as a response to our prayerful supplications and His grace that He enables us in our daily living to live a holy, spiritually fruitful and a purposeful life. 

Our true and living God finds utmost delight in witnessing the conduct of our life as His children and He as our heavenly Father. It pleases Him to not only watch over all areas of our lives, but also participate in it with His leading. It is only when we surrender to His sovereign place or to His right to take charge of all our thoughts, speech, conduct and decisions for our best interest that we allow Him to live His life through us. Each moment when Christ is brought to life through us is the moment lived for our heavenly Father. Each time we yield to the Holy Spirit through the voice of His Word, we allow the indwelling Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ to manifest Himself. 

When we remind ourselves of His faithfulness and omniscience, it is encouraging and strengthening to hold onto Him alone in all the changing circumstances of our life knowing that each situation we are placed in cannot come to us without His permission. If He puts us through anything, He also provides us abundant grace to see us through the same for His glory. Our Lord is a Lord of all comforts and He has not left us alone but given us an everlasting companion, a Helper, a Comforter, His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. It is the resurrected life of Christ that brings us on His  ground that is unshakeable, unchangeable, holy and permanent. His ground is the place from where the Lord reigns over all the earth. We are not capable of sustaining ourselves on His ground in our own strength. We did not even enter in it by our merit in the first place. 

It is only when we humble ourselves daily at the feet of Christ that the grace of God exalts us to where He is -on His holy, secure and safe ground where we can have sweet fellowship with our Saviour, offering Him worship, honour, praise, thanksgiving and all of our supplications. It is on His ground, our heavenly home and His dwelling place where He fills us with His peace and His affirmative assurances of the fulfilment of all of His promises. In His Presence, the Word says, is fullness of joy. In His Presence there is real safety and security because the Lord of the universe has become the Lord of our lives. On His ground, His righteous hand leads and protects us and keeps us holy. Under His eyes, He protects us from presumptuous sins. 

Hence, real solace and security is only before the living Presence of our everlasting and unchangeable mighty and awesome God, our heavenly Father and our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ, alive and reigning from heaven.  

Grace of God is encountered first hand when we place our faith in Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins, repent and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour. 

The immediate blessing that follows through, after having been forgiven is deliverance from the wrath of God which is to come, having made peace with our Lord, establishing a brand new relationship with Him as our heavenly Father, for we are reconciled to Him through the Person, deity and work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

However, in our flesh, being saved is just the beginning of our meaningful, purposeful, spiritual journey (the only dimension of our being that is real and the one that lasts) , the journey whose temporary end in the flesh  is safe,secure,assured with a living hope and accompanied by our living Saviour till eternity, first partially and then fully through the redemption of our bodies at His second coming. 

Through faith, as we continue to acknowledge Lord Jesus Christ dwelling in our being as His Spirit, He begins to not only live but rule and reign over all areas of our life for His glory and bless others with His living Presence in and through our lives. 

This is a renewed purpose that can be lived inside out not through our own strength and will but only by the power of the Holy Spirit that desires to work mightily inside us without restraint. 

We are renewed by the sanctification, justification and righteousness of God that we are offered as His gift through our reconciliation with the Lord through Christ. As we walk in the Spirit, we are able to fulfil the renewed purpose of making invisible Christ visible through our life, standing as His witnesses and progressively rendering ourselves more and more useful to our Lord, producing His fruits more and more. 

Grace of God is what we receive as His gift, something so valuable and incomprehensible, yet vital for our being. Grace of God is that which we receive from God that we do not deserve. Same way mercy of God is what protects us from that which we deserve! Lord Jesus Christ, is the manifestation of the fullness of God in bodily form, full of His grace and Truth. Revealed to us in the flesh, and appropriated in us through the Holy Spirit. It is the resurrection and the subsequent Gift of His everlasting life as His Spirit that enables us to partake of the insatiable grace and riches of the Lord from the heavenly realms. He reconciles us to Himself giving us all that He IS and has - HE has given us Himself to us. 

God, in the abundance of His grace,mercy,kindness and love is always good, giving us everything for our edification and vitality from His realm of holiness, righteousness, justice and glory!

As children of God, it is good to remember that our life in Christ is a life to rejoice and boast in the Lord because it is His grace that sustains us in faith. The more we boast in our weaknesses, as Lord says, His power is perfected in us. The point of our conduct becomes to decrease ourselves and increase Him through us.

Grace of God imparts to us timely thoughts, direction, encouragement, strength, wisdom, words and gestures which will only be a blessing to the ones on the receiving end bringing glory to our good Lord. Seeking His grace through the indwelling Holy Spirit prayerfully, sincerely and fearfully is an expression of our dependence on His sovereignty and will over and above ours in our life. Grace of God channelizes each moment of our life on His path to manifest His Presence through us - Presence of the true and living God, ruling over our being, and Himself seated on the heavenly realms on the right hand of the throne of grace interceding for us. 

Real strength for every child of God comes on their knees, surrendered to the Lord, Whose power mightily begins to work over us, sabotaging and almost diffusing the vain strength of our self-will, conceit, and personal fleshly efforts without His Presence. Grace of God works when we humble ourselves under His mighty Hands and wait patiently for our Lord to work through us and in our live. 

Grace of God brings the Presence of the Holy Spirit to life, in its potential fullness, compelling us and all areas of our being to abide in His love and serve believers with the spiritual gifts and unbelievers with the spiritual strength, both of which are amply supplied to us through His abundant grace. When we are empowered by the grace of God, our works brings delight to the Lord - which is all that truly matters.

We find ourselves, the reason and purpose of our being, when we live by the grace of God. We are home in Christ. Without His grace, we accomplish nothing that lasts or is worthwhile, no matter how magnanimous it may seem in the sight of the world. 

In Lord Jesus Christ, we experience His righteousness,  His wisdom and in Him we receive our sanctification and our justification before the holy Presence of the Lord. We have no place in Him without allowing the Lord to cleanse us with His precious blood. A walk with our Lord is a faithful walk. There is nothing to proclaim of the heavenly realms without revelation to us through the Holy Spirit. There is no revelation from the Holy Spirit unless we choose to walk in the Light of the Lord. We cannot walk in His Light until we cleanse ourselves before His throne of grace through confession and repentance as our daily practice. 

When we keep the love of God alive in us, His love has tremendous enduring power to accomplish the will of God through us. It is the love of Christ that has the unchanging capacity to bear all things for the sake of Truth and generously dispose of the grace of God in every situation of our life. The Lord desires to display His magnificent grace through the agency of our being through whatever He may allow in our life- whether it is in worship, in our serving, in our conduct or in our speech. 

The more we walk by faith , the more we are strengthened by the Spirit. The more we live through the power of the Holy Spirit, the more the Lord can use us as His useful vessel to serve Him. The more we serve Him by living a Christ-centred life, the more of His love, peace and joy we experience. The more we live by rejoicing in the Lord, our life becomes a song of praise and thanksgiving to our faithful God, seeking every opportunity that the Lord gives to share His goodness, His greatness, His mercy, His favours and most importantly, His eternal plan of redemption  of all mankind through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ -  manifested in the flesh, received in glory and sitting on the right hand of the throne of grace, alive forever, interceding for His people, praying for our work to be in His will and assuring to us His second coming to deliver us from the inevitable wrath of God. 

A purposeful life can only be lived in the sovereign Presence of our Creator as our eternal Father. When His will is appropriated in our life, the seed that He has sown through His eternal Word bears fruits for others to taste and witness the Presence of our heavenly Father in us. 

It is the washing of all our sins through the precious blood of Christ that we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit so that we can steadfastly stand before the holy Presence of our Lord as being righteous in Christ. When Christ brings us to life, we begin to live in the awareness of the holy Presence of our Lord in us as His Spirit through Christ. The reverential Presence of Christ instils in us a spiritual walk filled with the fear of the living God (reverential trust).The more we walk in the Spirit, the more our love for the Lord grows and the more of our abhorrence for what God hates (sin) increases. It is the love for our good Lord that makes it easy for us to flee from all evil and beware of the deceitfulness of Satan and vanity of the world. 

We cannot persistently live a Christ-centred, purposeful and fruitful life without bringing ourselves daily to the throne of grace to wash ourselves, rejuvenate with His Spirit, satiated by His living Word, renewed with His lovingkindness and empowered by His strength to do His will and to be able to live before His glorious Presence and light. 

As the word of God tells  us, the Lord draws near to us as we choose to draw near to Him. Jesus Christ alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life which is why, no one can come to the Father BUT through Him alone. (John 14:6).

As Paul rightly says, “ To live is Christ and to die is gain”. Living for believers is Christ as each of us are made alive in Christ through Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has overcome death on our behalf and was raised on the third day. Lord Jesus Christ has not left us to live by ourselves after fulfilling the work for forgiveness of our sins. He lives eternally in heaven until His second coming to mediate for us as our everlasting High Priest. It is because of His intercessory prayers and Presence that every believer is able to enter into His realm in truth and in spirit, in holiness and in His glory. 

We are able to live in the power of the Holy Spirit because He lives and dwells in us as His Spirit. We are never “alone” in our spiritual walk. We walk in the Spirit only because of His indwelling living Presence. He keeps us from evil elements of the world in which we were once entangled. - evil of the flesh, that of the world and the schemes of Satan. 

He also is  our complete and insatiable source of heavenly wisdom, knowledge and understanding in each step of our life for guidance, protection, inspiration, encouragement and more of His revelation because He lives and dwells in us. 

Lord Jesus Christ is able to fulfil the promise of God that “ He will never leave us nor forsake us”, because He lives and through His resurrection the Lord has sent us a Helper who accompanies us and provides all our needs from above without any further want or discontentment. Hence, the more we choose through trust and obedience to walk in the Spirit, the more we are able to fill ourselves with the love,life and Presence of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who is forever living and dwells in our hearts as a seal from our heavenly Father of our belonging to Him. 

Our daily life becomes a blessed opportunity to share the love and grace of God in everything that we do because we first have become the partakers of the love of God through our Saviour Jesus Christ who has reconciled us to our heavenly Father through His own Self. We cannot love others with the love of God without having first tasted the same our own selves first-hand. Similarly, we cannot perform “good works” by our own fleshly strength or as an act of personal will to present our own "righteousness" before God. Without Lord Jesus Christ, our works are nothing but dead works before the Lord. As children of God, the called ones, the reconciled ones, the only way our heavenly Father finds delight in our deeds is when we first abide in His love through obedience and acknowledgment of His indwelling Presence. When we prayerfully allow the Lord to strengthen us through His Spirit, manifesting His glory through our deeds, our deeds by default become “good works” not because of our own merit but because of the gracious Presence of our Lord in the very act of our doing. What an honour, privilege and a responsibility! More importantly than anything else, what a joy it is to live in the hopeful awareness of our reconciliation and letting the Lord increase through our life by the strength of His grace and might. Not only does the Lord ever forsake us but even in this world, He has gifted us with beautiful fellowship with other believers for our nourishment, growth, joyful company and creating a heavenly home in truth and in spirit each time we gather in His sweet and worthiest name. And His name is Lord Jesus Christ. It is Jesus. There is no Other who calls us personally, reconciles us with the Lord and promises to carry us through our worldly journey with the assured hope of His coming to take us to where He is. Jesus, the only true and living God. The only Saviour and Mediator. The Creator of heaven and the earth and of the entire universe. Also the Maker of the new earth and the new heaven! 

Abiding in the love of God implies a humble, obedient and God-fearing life, acknowledging His holy Presence at all times. Our heavenly Father, our Creator and Lord always knew us even before we were conceived in our mother’s womb. The mystery is great. However, He revealed Himself to us and established a permanent relationship with us only through the grace and mercy He showered on sinners like us through His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

It is only through this blessed heavenly calling that we are able to yield to His voice through the Spirit, that compels us to do His will and obey His Word at all times. The outcome of our obedience is the manifestation of His glory and revelation of more of His divine nature and love to us. Prayerful meditation of our heavenly stand where we have been exalted by the righteous Hand of our Saviour reminds us that He has placed us on His everlasting ground, He has poured His absolute Truth in us by pouring His Spirit and He desires for us to live in the experience of His everlasting life which is undefiled, imperishable, unchangeable and in union with the Lord Himself Who is Spirit. 

As we choose to live in the remembrance of our spiritual being with diligence, we keep on giving our loving God the opportunity to use our being and all that we are and have as an offering of service and edification of the fellow brothers and sisters in the first place. It is through His abundant grace, ability and gift that He imparts that we can render ourselves useful to the service of our living God. 

What a joy it is to live in the awareness of the Truth that the Lord has called us and also knows us by our name, and has given us a permanent belonging in His heavenly home as His beloved child!  May the Lord continue to supply in abundance His grace and strength to live the Truth of His living Word from our hearts and bring His holy Presence to life and bear His fruits. 

An offering of all that we are, all that we have and all that we do for His praise, worship, thanksgiving and manifestation of His glory. 

When we are saved by the abundant mercy of our Saviour through faith, we begin new life, the everlasting life through the Presence of His indwelling Spirit, making us into a new creation of His kingdom, entering into a new relationship with our Lord as His beloved children. He brings us into the realisation of this Truth that all the goodness in us is not ours but His - whether it is His true Light, life, wisdom, holiness or righteousness. He teaches us to walk in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit being the only treasure that He desires and helps us to preserve in our perishable bodies for Him to rule,guide,protect and enrich us in everything that we are and have.

When we prayerfully, fearfully and lovingly live by the strength of the Holy Spirit, obeying His Word, our heavenly Father continues to renew our mind,heart and strength more and more like His Son Jesus Christ. The more He reveals to us His riches, the more our being humbles and produces songs of praise, worship and thanksgiving to our Lord through our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

When we treat all the we have as being allowed as His providence in our life for us to take care of it for His glory, our life becomes an act of service to share His love and Presence in everything that we do through His grace and strength. 

The more we yield to His indwelling Presence, the more we allow our loving heavenly Father to shape us and prepare us more and more to do His will and make His living Presence known to others through us so that they too may fear, trust and believe in Him and be saved. 

The Word of God is clear who the only True Light is - God is Light and in Him darkness cannot exist. To God, even darkness is Light. In the Presence of God, the true Light; unrighteousness, elements of darkness, evil, wickedness and sinfulness cannot exist. 

Proverbs 6:23 teaches us that although the commandments of the Lord are a lamp for every believer, the Law (absolute righteousness of God) is the Light. Lord Jesus Christ, nullified the Law on the cross and in Him we receive the righteousness of God as His Spirit. Receiving the true Light, Lord Jesus Christ through faith, opens our eyes and enables us to see at the first place. When we receive Him, we have obeyed the commandment of the Lord, which is to believe in His Son through faith enabling His Spirit to abide in us immediately and opening our ears to listen and yield to His commandments. The more we yield, the more we are able to walk in His Light, in close companionship of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. 

We were not able to “see” or behold the Lamb, the glory of God and experience the Truth, because we were blinded by the veil of sin. The veil was removed by our Saviour on the cross so that through the Spirit we are enabled to confess Jesus as the Lord and are qualified as the children of God by the regeneration of our Spirit that occurs immediately at the moment of our conversion and spiritual birth through faith. Even after being qualified as the children of God, walking in the Light is not possible without continuous communion and fellowship with our Saviour who has become our Life and everlasting Light. 

The indwelling and living Presence of Christ gives us the eyes to see hidden faults, iniquities, lawlessness and sinfulness in His Light compelling us to seek forgiveness through repentance, giving us the strength and ability for deliverance and cleansing us with His precious blood throughout. Walking in His Light in this manner works greatly for our sanctification, preserving our soul and preparing us to meet our Saviour when He comes to take us to where He is. 

Only Jesus can fill our empty life, 

Only Jesus can make us whole, 

Only Jesus can bring us happiness,

Only Jesus can heal /bless our soul!

Oh the simplicity of faith! Rendered as foolishness to the unbelieving but becomes the power of God to those who believe! (1 Corinthians 1:18). Jesus saves! “Being saved”,  is such an underestimated phrase,  used in undeserving ways. But Jesus saves when the word which is near to us (Word that became flesh), is received in our heart and confessed with our mouth - breaks our heart open, revealing to us our nakedness, awaiting to be clothed with Christ. Being saved is not a transient feeling or a phase, but the beginning of the everlasting life of Christ - Christ who saves us from the wrath of God. Christ who through faith reveals to us the abundant love of God, God Himself through the Gift of His Spirit. Christ, who died and was raised (hallelujah) so that we may begin to truly live- live through Him;live for Him;live with Him. His unfathomable love, love beyond the comprehension of human understanding, but tasted and appropriated through faith alone, humbles us, and establishes peace with our Lord as our heavenly Father. The more we abide in His love, the more He fills our heart with His joy - joy that no one can take away from us. 

His joy overflows from our being in the form of worship, holy communion with the Lord in prayer, songs of thanksgiving and sharing of all His abundant goodness and greatness with others. Glorifying God implies bringing the Presence of the Lord in us to life! He has not promised deliverance from persecutions, challenges and tribulations we face for His name’s sake. But He has promised us His peace despite all that. He has promised us His faithful Presence in the process. He has assured us to fulfil His purpose through all that for His name’s sake and for His glory. He has reconciled us to Himself, making us an inseparable part of His Whole being along with other believers in truth and in Spirit. 

“Lord Jesus Christ, manifested in the flesh and taken up in glory!” Says the word of God. And so it is. Revealed to us who believe and receive in the Spirit, as His Gift, the gift of the resurrected life of Christ. As we set our eyes in the heavenly realms, where Christ is seated, He reveals to us where we belong, and where our home is. Lord Jesus Christ, who came to find the lost, brings us home and enables us to pass through the pilgrimage (while we are kept in the flesh), preserving us, sustaining us, as our forerunner, living hope, faithful Shepherd, everlasting High Priest, Lord of the lords and King of the kings..until He returns to take us to where He is, in glory. 

All is Home where Christ IS…there is no home without Him. Christ desires to dwell in us.. And nowhere else. That is the Lord’s joyful indescribable Gift that He is willing to offer each of us lost ones, and the dead ones, when we choose to listen to His calling and walk by the way of the cross- and allow Him to find us and bring us to Life..

If we confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in our heart that He was raised from the dead, we shall be saved. (Romans 10:9). 

Our heart is at rest and peace because the One who dwells inside us is alive, true and a living God Himself. God, Who is also an unchanging, covenant-keeping and a faithful God has fulfilled and will continue to fulfil all of His promises in His appropriate time only through His only begotten Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

His Work for our salvation was finished in the flesh before He gave up His Spirit to be with the Lord by overcoming death on our behalf through the power of the Lord Himself. However, once He was seated on the right Hand of the throne of grace in heaven, He continues to preserve us in faith and holiness by imparting to us all the heavenly riches to renew us day by day through His anointing. The anointing of the Holy Spirit enables us to appropriate the office of His Priesthood so that we can approach our heavenly Father through Him for solace, protection, joy, restoration, cleansing, enrichment and growth. All of our prayers are heard by our heavenly Father because Lord Jesus Christ Who is alive now serves as our intercessor for our petitions and our Mediator for our communication. We are atoned for all our sins through His blood even after we are saved because He lives and continues to appeal for us to our Father God as our Advocate.

The Promises of God to walk with us in the experience of the newness of His everlasting life is sustained because Lord Jesus Christ has broken the veil between us and the Lord and has permanently reconciled us to the Lord through Him and has united us with the spiritual body He has made to glorify God in it - the Church. 

We are seen as being made perfect in the eyes of our heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ Whose undefiled garments clothe us with His beauty and present us blameless in the eyes of our Father God. The Lord in the abundance of His generosity, mercy and love continues to share all of His goodness according to His grace daily, displaying His faithfulness, His sovereign Presence and His goodness in and through our life. The more delight we find in Him, the more we are humbled to offer our thanksgiving through our Saviour for having received a continuous flow of His riches through Jesus alone. The more we thank Him, the more our Lord is glorified through our lives. 

If we have Christ, we have everything. He IS enough and all every soul needs. 

The redemptive work of Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for all mankind is the only needed marvel and restorative work that every soul needs to identify with to behold one’s own nothingness and the fullness of the Lord’s provision in the face of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

Our heavenly Father does not count any of our trespasses against us, because all of them have been paid for on the cross by Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. The stripes on His body bring healing to our soul. With His death we die and with His resurrected life, we begin to truely live through the gift of His Holy Spirit through faith alone. It is His grace that we are made alive, not because of our own personal worth , but because of the abundance of His mercy and love. We are exalted from our humble and hopeless state, not because of our strife against sin in our own vain strength but because Lord Jesus Christ called and raised us from the miry clay to set us on the everlasting rock, which is upon Himself. We are able to see and behold the beauty of the divine nature of our heavenly Father not because we broke the veil of sin between us and Him, but because His only begotten Son, broke the veil of separation to reconcile us to the Lord through Him. 

This beautiful gift of reconciliation in the Spirit begins the manifestation of the life of Christ in us more and more progressively. All that we are and have and exist is through our Lord Jesus Christ  Who becomes the life of every believer. Prayerful and humble reminder in worship and gratitude to our own selves of our blissful state enables us to rejoice in our living hope and encourages us to live more and more through Him by abiding in His love willingly and not out of compulsion. The more we partake of His grace through our constant communion with our Saviour, the more He reveals to us His wisdom and His righteousness, sanctifying us more and more in His marvellous likeness and reassuring us of our redeemed bodies at His second coming. As we humbly allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us, we experience the goodness and riches of His treasure being manifested through us resulting in praise and glory and honour to our true and living Lord Jesus Christ through our lives. What a privilege, joy, honour, responsibility, Gift and permanent belonging to preserve and cherish! Christ, becomes our All in all. We are because He is. 

Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,

“I will dwell among them and walk among them;

And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

2 corinthians 6:16

Lord Jesus Christ shares His purpose to walk on the earth was to call and heal the sick and serve as a Physician of every soul. Every human soul needs permanent healing from the spiritual sickness of sinfulness. When He calls us, heals us and imparts His life to us through His Spirit, He desires to use our life, every aspect, area and relationships to be a blessing to other people. He desires to bring His holiness, His righteousness, His wisdom, His grace and His light to life through us. 

A walk with our Saviour is a diligent, deliberate and persistent walk of faith. Life that begins in a believer through faith is also sustained, nurtured and manifested through faith alone. The greatest fuels for living a sanctified and a separated life for the Lord are personal prayers and deliberate acknowledgment of His being in us and exercise of faith through obedience.

Prayer enables us to seek the Lord and His will through His Word and opens the eyes of our heart to listen to Him. Prayer also empowers us through the Holy Spirit to do the will of God even in the most challenging circumstances. Prayer keeps us in the will of God and establishes our steps on His path. 

Second, acknowledgment of His Presence in us can be declared through faith alone. Faith compels us to obey Him alone independent of our external circumstances. Faith brings peace and assurance in our heart that everything in our life is allowed by the Lord for our good and for His glory. Faith moves us more and more close to His fellowship as we choose to abide in Him regardless of not knowing what it may bring to our tomorrow, yet knowing that our faithful Lord is already present in our tomorrow. Walking by faith and not by sight continues to reveal to us more of His nature, attributes, riches, goodness, light and glory. This revelation keeps us from the world, Satan and our flesh by default. 

Thus, prayer and walking by faith are the two essential “weapons” that encourage a believer to walk in the world as light of the Lord and as the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:16). Those who believe, fear and trust are saved and begin to boast in the valour of the Lord too, through the mighty work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ alone.  

Psalm 22:26:The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;

Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.

May your heart live forever!

The Word of God tells us that the Lord is there in the midst of His people. The Lord reveals Himself to those who acknowledge Him and fear Him (trust Him reverentially). 

Each of us who have tasted the kindness and everlasting love of God in the face of His Son and our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ (our bread of life - John 6:35)has  inevitably broken before the Lord, expressing our vulnerability, our helplessness and uselessness in delivering ourselves from our sinful state. The Holy Spirit has convinced us of our sinful state compelling us to receive forgiveness from the Lord by eating the bread of life, Jesus Himself and finding everlasting contentment - everlasting life, followed through with the same nature of peace, rest, and joy. 

The Lord at the time of our conversion transforms our state of being from being natural to being spiritual. From being perishable to an imperishable state of being. From a state of death into the state of eternal life. He places us in the spiritual temple in the heavenly realms as a living stone of which Lord Jesus Himself has entered through the veil and has become the chief cornerstone. At the time of conversion, the Lord has given each of us the “status” of priesthood and a people of God to offer all of our being because of His indwelling sovereign Presence as His Spirit as a sacrifice for the Lord to give Him back in truth and in spirit songs of praise, thanksgiving, worship, honour and glory of which He alone is worthy. 

The Lord as our heavenly Father exchanges our affliction with His healing. Our mourning with His irrevocable joy. Our unrest with His peace. Our discontent with His satisfaction. Our state of being lost to being found by Him. Our insecurity to being on His secure ground, by placing us on the everlasting  rock, Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 

Each believer is convinced that we have done nothing to deserve this privilege and honour of knowing God, of becoming His child and inheriting heavenly riches to glorify God. It is the remembrance of our own incapacity that humbles us and ceaselessly compels our heart to sing songs of praise to our loving and gracious God. The Lord Himself has assured through His Word that He will give us a new song to sing from our innermost being for Him. 

The more we humble ourselves, the more we are exalted to where He is. The more we are exalted the more we can partake of His manifold grace to enrich  ourselves. The more we are enriched, the more we are gratified and hence find delight in offering praise to our generous God. The more we expose our area of affliction to the Lord, seeking His help for deliverance,  the greater opportunity we are giving Him by the power of His Spirit to work in our life by yielding to Him. When we are delivered and healed, we are assured that it was Him and not our own strength. The spiritual worship that comes forth from our being thereafter glorifies Him and manifests His excellencies. 

Habakkuk 3:17-18: Even if the fig tree does not blossom,

And there is no fruit on the vines,

If the yield of the olive fails,

And the fields produce no food,

Even if the flock disappears from the fold,

And there are no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will triumph in the Lord,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

Rejoicing in the Lord always is nothing but an outward expression of our confidence in Who the Lord is, what He has done for us, in His promises, and most importantly in the everlasting relationship that He has established with us in and through the work of His Son and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on our behalf. 

It is in the precious hours of our personal prayer and worship where the Lord invites us and brings us to the revelation of His holy Presence where He has called us to partake of His heavenly riches through the Spirit. The river of living waters satiates us, strengthens us, awakens our being, empowers us and reassures us of our being at all times despite the external circumstances. The Lord through our rejoicing in Him alone desires to “tell us” that He alone is enough for our comfort, to fulfil all our needs and He allows and is aware of the situation that He has placed us in at the first place for His glory and for our good. 

The Lord of our salvation has delivered us not only from death, sinfulness, darkness and from clutches of Satan but also from all fears, anxieties and doubts that might be keeping us away from walking closely with Him. All these barriers are removed and we are daily cleansed in His Presence as we humble ourselves before His Mighty and sovereign Presence and find joy in offering our thanksgiving, praise, prayer supplications and honour for all that He is, all that He does and all He continues to do for us. 

Rejoicing in the Lord keeps us in His will and makes it effortless and easy to obey Him without any reservation as we choose through our rejoicing to let the power of the Holy Spirit work mightily in us to compel all aspects of our being to submit to Him with love. 

2 Timothy 1:7- For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

The Lord calls each one of us chosen ones by the abundance of the grace of God through Lord Jesus Christ as blessed, as the children of God! The Spirit of God within us compels us to call upon the Creator and God of this universe as our Abba and Father.

It is important to meditate upon the heavenly riches that we are endowed with by having been anointed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance. 

The more we bring ourselves to the awareness of the riches available to us, the more we will yield to the same to live by the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Acknowledgement of the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit humbles us and opens all of our being to imbibe without restraint all that the life of Christ as His Spirit has to offer to us - power of our being and conduct, His divine love in our heart and sound mind through His living Word. The Sovereign Lord thus through the Presence of His Spirit desires to take the first place and rule over all of our being. When we let the Lord lead us this way, we allow our God to fulfil His will in every situation of our life  - to live for His glory and to use all of our being to represent Christ and bring Him to life. We will allow the Lord to use our mind to think the thoughts of Christ. We will allow the Lord to use our heart to love others with the love of Christ. We will harness the power of the Holy Spirit to walk on His path with His strength so that no external attacks of Satan, world and fleshly weakness can hinder us from fulfilling the purpose of the Lord in  our very act. 

When we are driven by the Holy Spirit, leading and accompanying us everywhere, the Lord compels us to share the gospel in our words,works and even in our intentions. 

Jeremiah 29:13: And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart

In the precious hours of personal prayer and holy communion with the Lord, any child of God will be able to “gauge” their spiritual condition in the light of the Lord’s Word in the Presence of the Holy Spirit. Despite spending hours in an attempt to seek joy of our fellowship with our loving Lord, at times we are unable to experience the Presence of His comfort, peace, joy, strength and contentment. 

However, our loving and merciful Lord will clearly show us the reason for our lack of spiritual fervour only when we break before Him to let His light and His Word through the Spirit expose each area of our life and show us all areas of our life where we have placed something else before Him - a person, a thing, a place, our work, any activity or any other worldly relationship. That replacing factor temporarily has become our “idol”. 

It is either the idol or entanglement in a temptation, resulting in sinfulness that acts as a veil between us and the beautiful, holy and glorious Lord.

Seeking the Lord with all of our heart implies yearning for His Presence, expressing extreme hunger and thirst for His Spirit over and above all else, and asking only for His indwelling Presence to awaken us fully. This longing to know more of Him, holding to Jesus alone by trusting Him to fulfil all of our needs, expressing our remorse and regret for giving Him the second place, and pleading to Him for forgiveness compels our merciful Lord to embrace us in His love and peace that no one can take away from us. 

When we search for Him, for His living Presence, we are humbled and reminded that without Him, we are nothing but lifeless dust. It is His living Presence that enables us to do what we do for His glory and all the blessings that come our way are because of His permission, providence and purpose. When we find Him, we find life. When we find Him we find purpose, When we find Him, we find the reason for our being. When we find Him, our purpose of existence becomes clear and is renewed. When we find Him, our joy is restored that no one can take away from us. When we find Him, we are sanctified by Him to walk in His righteousness. When we find Him, we are healed. 

Psalm 46:1 - “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

The Lord has promised to lovingly cover His children under the shadow of His wings. He protects all who confide in Him alone and place their trust in Him entirely. Our fearless walk with the Lord is secured by the irrevocable and unchangeable nature of His promises towards us which are amen in Christ Jesus. It is the faithfulness of the Lord that compels Him to extend His lovingkindness and mercy forever to renew us daily. It is the awareness of the absolute truth about His Person and nature revealed to us by the Holy Spirit from the scriptures that reminds us that since God is Light, even darkness is Light for the Lord. Our Lord desires to reveal His sovereignty and power to be in charge of every situation that He allows in our life which may seem as “trouble” to us. The omnipresence of the Lord encourages us to experience His mightiness in our weaknesses to display His perfect strength when we seek Him willingly and humble ourselves before Him. Our Lord has revealed to us through His Spirit that He is the only true and living God and desires to participate in every minute of our life in all areas of our lives. The Maker of the universe, the heaven and the earth is willing to uphold us in faith, walk us by His righteousness and protect us through His angels because He has chosen us, called us holy and beloved because of our faith in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, in Whom alone He is well pleased. Our Lord is a Lord of all deliverances. He has delivered us even from everlasting death. He has called us to dwell on His ground of freedom by reconciling us to Himself through His Son. On His ground, He has delivered us and hence made us free from Satan, consequences of our sinfulness which is His wrath, from His Judgement, from darkness and ignorance and from death. We cannot maintain this liberty that God has gifted us by setting us free in Christ Jesus in our own strength while dwelling in the flesh in the world which is full of distractions. It is our diligent and sincere exercise of our faith put in practice through our heartfelt worship, meditation upon His word, prayerful communication with the Lord and desire to abide in His word that keeps us safe as in doing so, brings us to the open access of abundance of His riches and mighty Presence that begins to work in our life according to His will. 

The more we experience in each step of our life walking hand in hand with the Lord, we can assure ourselves of what the scriptures have rightly said that “if God is for us, then who can be against us?”

Proverbs 10:21:

The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding

As children of God, the Lord has blessed us with spiritual hunger which can only be satiated by the living word of God. This sense of satisfaction is confirmed by the testimony of Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when He says that He alone is the bread of life and whoever believes in Him will never be hungry or thirsty. His living word first ensures our progressive sanctification, growth and maturity in the Lord. The Lord’s Word brings clarity in all areas of our life including equipping us to teach and preach with His guidance in a manner which will bring grace to the hearers of the word. When we are filled with His word in our heart, even normal and daily conversations with both believers and unbelievers will bless and bring grace to the hearers of our words. We must not take the grace and power the Lord has bestowed through our tongue to impart to many for granted.

Paul rightly says, "To live is Christ and to die is gain". By faith the righteousness of God was implanted in us through His Word. By faith we grow in His righteousness through His living Word. By faith in His grace and power of His Spirit, righteousness of God works in all areas of our being to share with others through Him. 

Works of God are accomplished by faith in His grace and not through the power of the flesh. When our cup of our salvation overflows, others benefit. We are called to share His goodness through us. He has become our sanctification, righteousness and wisdom so that our tongue boasts of Him. So that, people become partakers of His grace through the words we utter.

James Chapter 1 encourages believers to seek strength to be effectual doers of His word so that we would then be blessed in whatever we may do, including blessing other people by the words we may use. (James 1:25)

Colossians 3:14:And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

We as children of God, are endowed with the best Gift poured in us through the Holy Spirit; the love of Christ and hence the abundant life of God. 

Our heavenly Father, the architect and builder of our everlasting home that He is preparing through His Son, has graciously united believers from every tongue, tribe, nation and sector, despite all the differences in One Body of which Christ is the Head. If it was not for the love of Christ, applied in our being because of His grace and mercy, none of us would have been reconciled to Him in One body without our sanctification. The more we abide in His love, the more we are able to “dwell” in His Holy Temple in the spirit and hence manifest through us, all that He is. 

The Lord desires each of us to wear the beautiful garments of the divine nature of His love in everything that we do and wherever we are. We are able to experience unity with other brothers and sisters when we exercise love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit in our thoughts, conduct and behaviour - love which surpasses all the differences, is selfless, is unchangeable, is generous, is kind, merciful and forgiving, is enduring, is humble and gentle, is pure and perfect and always regards the other person more important than our own selves. The agape love with which our Lord Jesus Christ has loved us and continues to love us is from everlasting to everlasting. His love alone has the transforming power through His living Word to pierce through the innermost being of any soul that chooses to place their faith in the redeeming power of the precious blood of Christ through repentance and be united to Him and other fellow believers through the Holy Spirit; the resurrected life of Christ. 

When the manifestation of our love in our fruits is a result of withdrawing all the resources necessary for godliness from our very root, Christ Himself, this impeccable nature of His love through us only draws others to us, not because we are worthy but because He is. 

Exercising the love of Christ through us not only has a unifying and edifying effect on others but also has tremendous cleansing power compelling us to yield to the will of God and to His Word and hence keeping us away from all the defilements of the flesh, world and from deceitfulness of Satan. 

When the body of Christ, that is the church, dwells in such divine unity, it results in the growth of the temple of God, resulting in glorifying the Presence of the only true and living God in and through our lives. It is the love of Christ that enables the church to stand “tall” as a lighthouse of the world. 

Psalm 112:1-3

For every believer who has tasted the mercy of the Lord in the face of His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ becomes a permanent partaker of the manifold grace of the Lord. The more we walk by faith we realise that our Lord through our faithful walk only takes us to where we can find more of Him and experience more of His blessings. Our faithful and good Lord is always for us and never against us. Everything that He allows in our life must be accepted with the same spirit of faith - whether it is success, failure, riches, scarcity, loneliness, accolades, or even persecution for His name. 

The more we live in the fear of the Lord, that is, reverentially trusting Him for who He is and what He intends of us as His children, the more we are able to willingly humble ourselves to obey Him. In our diligent process of obedience, we continue to appreciate and praise more of His holiness, His justice, His righteousness, His mercy, His wisdom and His heavenly knowledge. The true and living God, as our heavenly Father, is mindful of our intentions towards Him and blesses us with all our needs in His Son Christ Jesus. There is a guarantee of no lack whatsoever that He provides as our faithful Shepherd.

So a truly blissful life of a believer is a deeper and progressive cycle of fearful walk with the Lord, humbling before Him, experiencing His blissful Presence and provisions, fillings ourselves with gratitude and praise for Him, establishing ourselves in Him more and more and hence continue to walk with Him fearfully, more firmly. And this cycle keeps repeating more strongly and meaningfully. 

What a joy to know that the Creator of this universe finds delight in watching us walking with Him fearfully and faithfully. 

Joel 2:12-13

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“Return to Me with all your heart,

And with fasting, weeping, and mourning;

And tear your heart and not merely your garments.”

Now return to the Lord your God,

For He is gracious and compassionate,

Slow to anger, abounding in mercy

And relenting of catastrophe.

Spiritual mourning is not the same as sadness due to self-pity or an emotionally low state because of any unfulfilled desire. Spiritual mourning is an expression of our deep remorse and hatred for sin. It is an earnest desire from the Lord to deliver us of all that keeps us away from the holy Presence of our Mighty God. Brokenness of the Spirit is our devotional expression of our wholehearted faith and dependence on the faithfulness, mercy and power of the Lord who alone can restore us on His unchanging ground when everything around us changes. 

When the Lord restores us, He fills us with His peace, rest and joy that no one can take away from us. In our lowly and broken state, we express our readiness to yield to His will, whatsoever it may be, knowing that He only allows things in our life for our good. The result of our brokenness before Him is always letting Him remake us into a more mature and beautiful version of our “inner man”, which is more and more in the nature and stature of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

The Lord’s Light is manifested from our heart, only when we allow it to be broken before Him. Our brokenness is our offer to the Lord to fulfil His will in our life through His grace and strength as we choose to patiently wait on Him, on His ground, under His shelter and feeding on His Word - His will is to preserve our soul and keep us sanctified from the world in our daily walk with Him in the Spirit.

It is almost unfathomable to comprehend how the living Presence of our Lord brings to light each and every area of our life before Him. It is impossible to hide anything from our caring Shepherd and merciful Father. Holiness of our being - in our thoughts, our innermost intentions, our plans, our desires and our conduct is all that brings the utmost delight to our heavenly Father. 

Our flesh is extremely weak without the aid of the Holy Spirit to enable us to abide in the love of our gracious God. In the precious hour of prayerful time with our Lord, we must remember that we have knelt down before the throne of Grace where the Lord is seated and where Christ our Mediator is alive and sitting on the right hand of the throne of grace to intercede and plead for us. Even Lord Jesus Christ, in His fleshly days disposed of His temporary “weaknesses”  during  His prayer before His Father to exchange for spiritual strength that always kept Him in the will of God, His heavenly Father. Lord Jesus Christ was incapable of sinning being God Himself, yet He found greatest delight and meaning in communing with His Father in truth and in Spirit, to gather spiritual strength, before fulfilling His Father’s purposes on the earth, before taking any major decisions and even before facing Satan’s three major temptations on the mountain. He fasted and prayed for 40 days and the Lord sustained Him in His strength and glory during all that time. 

Our anchor of our soul, is an exemplary leader before us to encourage us to keep ourselves watchful of this world and its perishable desires by surrendering all our vulnerabilities and weaknesses at the feet of the cross and be blessed with His tremendous grace and strength by holding His steadfast and righteous right hand that protects us and does not allow our feet to slip.

Our Lord puts His armour on us (Ephesians chapter 6) , every piece if we have taken it off because of our carelessness during the precious hour of our prayer. He makes the purpose of His will in each and every situation that He has placed us in our life clear, helping us to modify our ways and conduct to make sure that His choice of us as His child brings out a great testimony of the goodness and holiness of our Lord through us. 

It is in our direct communion with our Lord in prayer, in truth and in spirit that our interaction, both ways is best and complete. Not only are we able to articulate our innermost thoughts and feelings to Him (with or without words) according to His will, but we are awakened by His grace to listen to the softest whispers of our Lord and yield to His voice through His Word that is later amplified in our decisions and conduct thereafter. 

What a caring, faithful, merciful, righteous, holy and mighty Lord and Father we worship! What protection! What peace! What comfort! And What joy. All thanksgiving, praise and honour be to our God alone, the only living Lord and the only Creator. The name above every name, Lord Jesus Christ !

His renewing power amazes me daily. 

Colossians 4:7

2 Timothy 4:17

Isaiah 12:1-2

PSALM 27:14

Bible testifies plenty of times the sweet and glorious fruit of waiting only upon the Lord. When we are called to wait upon the Lord, we must know that it is us who are waiting upon Him. It is us that are experiencing the peace and security on His ground by dwelling in it and allowing the Lord to protect us. However, our good Lord and heavenly Father in His infinite wisdom is always in the process of working things out. He never sleeps nor slumbers. He is in the business of fulfilling all the Word that He has  uttered from His mouth in our life in due time to display His perfect faithfulness and righteousness giving us the opportunity to glorify His mighty name. Even in our waiting, He understands the weakness of our human flesh, our anxiety, our inability to fight the world in our own strength, our impatience, our doubts, our need to see tangible things quickly to keep going and our temptation to run back to the world (insecure, empty and void).  In these golden hours, He teaches us through the abundance of His grace and riches, His riches that are ours in Christ through the Holy Spirit that He has given us to keep calm, to look upon Him, to believe in His promises, to rejoice in Him, to find contentment in worshipping Him wholeheartedly and find peace nowhere else outside of Lord Jesus Christ who reveals to us that He is our All in all, including in our waiting. 

The Lord is not able to fulfil His perfect purpose for our life outside of His will, word or when we are engrossed living an unbeliever’s life without any real fellowship with Him. It is the abundance of His grace and mercy that compels Him to still wait for us first, to look upon His face, humble ourselves, break our hearts, confess our sins that we commit again and again (in varying degrees and by God’s grace in progressively reduced proportions), restore our joy of walking with Him again and renew us to take us to the next level of our spiritual journey where our usefulness to serve Him and further His kingdom on the earth must increase. 

In our waiting, sometimes His ground is changed from shelter to a refinery, depending on the need of our soul at that time. He refines us to make us holy. He shelters us for our comfort. He pushes us to keep ourselves spiritually awake through prayer and diligently seeking His riches through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to keep our life stable in His thoughts, wisdom and desires. 

Our faithful Lord will not only fulfil our desires in His perfect time, but also in a manner in which we cannot accomplish in our own strength just so that we may continue to praise and thank Him and find joy in walking closely in the light of His own revelation more and more in and through our life. 

Ruth 3:11

Acts 3:19

1 Corinthians 2:12

Lord Jesus Christ testifies about His own Self proclaiming and declaring to be the bread of life and the fountain of living water Himself. Even after having tasted His lovingkindness and having become a partaker of His mercy, the weakness of our flesh, this world and Satan compel us to look elsewhere for daily contentment - of real joy, peace and rest. It is impossible to find elsewhere outside of the living Presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. An exotic place, a worldly friendship, gourmet food, or a passionate activity, all fade and lose purpose without the preeminent and active Presence of our Lord in it. 

The Lord desires for us to engage with Him, love Him, be filled by Him, be directed by Him, protected by Him and confide in Him before embarking on any activity and during conducting ourselves in our daily walk in any area of our life. 

The Lord is waiting for us to open our hearts for Him to fulfil  all the roles in us perfectly - as our heavenly Father, our Saviour, our Shepherd and hence our provider and protector and as our most intimate friend. We must reciprocate to our living Lord by always keeping the door of our heart open for Him to dine with us. As our Father, He wants to discipline us and make sure that His sovereign plan is fulfilled in our life. As our Saviour, He wants to enable us to walk freely and deliver us from our weaknesses and iniquities as we choose to keep our eyes on Him. As our friend, He wants to strengthen us with the conviction of His indwelling and faithful living Presence. As our Shepherd, He wants to provide us with all our needs and give us contentment, making sure we are not lost from His watchful Presence. 

The more we behold our Lord with a humble and hungry disposition, the more He reveals to us His glory and beauty, shaping us into more of Himself, enriching us with His inheritance through His Word and renewing us more and more to prepare us to receive Him on that Day without any blemish!

We cannot walk innocently and steadfastly without holding His hand. We are always like a five year old child before our heavenly Father throughout our earthly life who needs His Father to meet all His needs - for direction, for basic needs, for protection, for guidance and for deliverance. Our primary purpose in life too must be like that of a five year old kid whose greatest joy comes from making his or her parents proud. 

Seeking contentment from our Lord alone by actively spending time with Him and hence walking with Him, enables us to live without grieving the Holy Spirit. When we are walking closely with our Lord, we are able to listen to the Holy Spirit and see and perceive everything through the eyes of the Holy Spirit. This in turn enables us to live like our Lord Jesus Christ so that others may be able to witness His living Presence through us and thus be drawn towards Him personally and believe in Him. 

Revelation 3:20

Psalm 23:6

Revelation 22:20

Without faith we cannot know God. Without conviction of experience we cannot proclaim His goodness and greatness except through the power of the Holy Spirit.

For any child of God, the most selfish way of entering into heaven is without having shared the Gift of God with other lost souls and hence going alone! The heart and the Spirit of Christ must compel us to share the joy and love that we experience with others around us effortlessly in and through our daily walk with our heavenly Father. 

The more we eat from the table of the Lord where He Himself has seated us to feed on His bread and living water, that is Christ Himself through His Word, the more of His “nutritions” are imbibed in our being for us to churn, assimilate and nourish every area of our life with the abundant life of God. 

We must continuously pray to keep us in the humility of spirit when we dispose ourselves before our mighty and holy God reminding ourselves constantly that we deserved nothing whatsoever to have been qualified as the children of Light, having the ability to walk on His holy ground, partake of the heavenly inheritance, experiencing freedom from sin, death and darkness so that we may be able to see Him through the Light that He has given us. 

When we truely acknowledge that all good things that we have received are a Gift of God from the Father of Lights from above, beginning from the gift of our salvation to everlasting life and faithful companionship of our Saviour, Lord and Shepherd Jesus Christ, our heart overflows with joy and gratitude.  When Lord Jesus Christ in us makes us full as we feed on Him alone for all our needs, He overflows from our being to share our heavenly joy and His invitation to call others on His behalf through us. 

The angels, likewise, communed with mankind as the ministering spirits of our Lord. We more so, bear the brand marks of Christ in our hearts, representing His life, His purpose and His Presence through us to plead every human on His behalf to get reconciled to the Lord by placing their wholehearted faith in the work and Person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

If the fire of the Holy Spirit does not compel us to reach out to others effortlessly to bring them the blessings of the Lord in every opportunity that the Lord allows in our life, we need to fix ourselves first personally and spiritually before our Lord in prayer; trembling and breaking before Him so that we may allow Him through His mercy to restore our fellowship with Him in truth and in Spirit. 

If the grace and strength of the Lord leads us each morning, our soul will never get weary of doing good for His name’s sake and for His glory. 

Isaiah 55:1-2

Colossians 1:13

Luke 2:10

We receive the gift of His salvation through faith in Lord Jesus Christ. Same way, through faith we must rejoice in the suffering that He allows in our life because of His name not only with an attitude of trust but also with a spirit of thanksgiving. The just and the holy Lord always fights our battles with His might when He  clearly guides us safely to wait in the shadow of His wings where we exclusively find His peace and rest. When our hunger for His Truth, pursuit for His righteousness and ferver for His Spirit to strengthen us and to keep us awake doesn't  dim, we allow our good Lord to continue to perform marvellous works with His beautiful hands. The result of our endurance is revelation of more of His life, glory and righteousness resulting in abounding praise and honour ascribed to our Lord through us. 

The closer we cling to Him in our suffering and the fullness with which we surrender to the suffering that He allows, the more He sanctifies and shapes us into the stature and likeness of His Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ so that He is glorified through us. 

Stillness in suffering, works wonders for our soul as we choose to yield to our Potter like clay and sanctify us more into a chosen and beautiful vessel to carry His treasure of the Holy Spirit with more of His fullness and light. 

The outcome of our spiritual victory is boasting in the might and faithfulness of the Lord, Who indeed is the actual Doer in us.  

Proverbs 21:21

Isaiah 29:14

Philippians 1:29

A fruitful Christian spiritual life is an interdependent life and a dependent life. Our spiritual success is dependent wholly on our obedience to our Saviour Who has poured His life in us. Also, our edification is dependent on our fellowship with other members of the spiritual body of Christ, which is the church of which He is the head. 

Life that has been gifted to us by our Lord through faith must be also nurtured and walked through by faith alone. We find solace upon the thoughts of the unchangeability of all the attributes of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. First, His everlasting  sovereign Lordship  over all His creation, including the smallest aspects of our life is unchangeable. He desires prominence in every area of our life so that His glory is manifested in everything that we do. Second, His promises are appropriated in us through the Holy Spirit till His coming that are irrevocable. It is God alone and His Word alone that can fulfil every single letter of His Word because of His absolute perfection and righteousness. His promise to never leave nor forsake us is the result of His promise and His unchangeable faithfulness that always works for our good. Third, His purpose in walking with us never changes - our sanctification, to make us more and more like Him. And fourth, His very nature, of His divine love, mercy, grace and holiness is unchangeable and compels us each day to grow in Him more and more, refreshing our soul, renewing our being and shaping us to be more useful to Him. 

In this changing world, the Lord in the abundance of His mercy has anchored us in Him forever because of His unchangeableness. The more we partake of His heavenly grace and abide in Him, the more He will reveal us of Himself to be manifested in our thoughts, words and behaviour. The more we abide in Him, the more He reveals to us the reality of our identity, that is as children of Light, set apart from the world where we too once were stuck, to declare His great works and reflect His true Light from within. 

As children of God, we must find contentment in doing everything through our abiding in His living Presence and obedience to His Word reverentially and fearfully. Striving all day without acknowledging His Presence in our own strength has no meaning. Abiding in Him even for a minute and conducting ourselves with His Presence given  prominence can reward us with riches of permanent value. 

John 15:5

Hebrews 13:8

Ephesians 5:8

Our everlasting and gracious heavenly Father has placed us safely under His shelter because of His grace and mercy towards us. We became partakers of both through faith in His only begotten Son and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Our heavenly Father is also the only righteous Judge and holy God. As the Creator of all that we see around us, He upholds the sovereign authority over everything. He will bring every act to pass under His righteous judgement and seek account for every thought and intention for nothing, absolutely nothing can be hidden from Him. 

Our Lord knows the condition of our state that we are nothing but dust and perishable sinful beings without His Holy Presence in us. Our striving against sin and efforts to deliver ourselves from its consequences is but vain without His valiant Hand rescuing us through His Son . We were nothing but rebellious enemies of the Lord, not knowing the true and living Lord, existing to be judged and without any hope in this wicked world, imprisoned under the clutches of Satan. 

It was in the Lord's powerful hands to destroy us because of our sinfulness, yet He protects us under His shelter as we chose to belong to Him through faith in His redemptive work for us in His Son. In the same way, we had no peace with Him in our rebelliousness at the time when we had not received His mercy, but now in His Son, we are forgiven and reconciled because of which He comforts us with an everlasting comfort like a mother in whose wings her children are safe. When we appropriated the work of our salvation through faith in Lord Jesus Christ, not only were we forgiven and justified but also immediately reconciled to the Lord, made alive in Him and permanently placed and established in Him as a living stone in HIs spiritual and living temple in the heavenly realms of which He Himself had become the chief Cornerstone. The Lord hence, having the capacity to shake the foundation of both the earth and the heavens at the time of His Judgement on that Day, has secured us in His everlasting kingdom that cannot be shaken, so that we are not consumed by His indignation.  We have nothing to offer to our merciful and faithful Lord for the gift of His everlasting refuge, utmost comfort and unshakeable foundation and strength that He has imparted to us in and through Lord Jesus Christ except honour, thanksgiving and praise for His being and His mighty works in our life. Let us be encouraged to walk closely with Him each day more and more, in reverence and awe appreciating our privileged condition in His Son and striving to be more and more holy and righteous like Him, manifesting His glory and fulfilling His supreme will by letting His power through the Holy Spirit work mightily within us. 

Psalm 46:10

Isaiah 66:13

Ephesians 2:20

Keeps us in His will.

Keeps us sanctified.

Reveals to us more of our Lord and fills us with more and more of Him in our daily walk. 

Enables us to make His invisible Presence visible.

Increases our strength to live for Him, proclaim His goodness and greatness and hence fulfil our duty as God's workers to further His kingdom.

Humbles us more as He blesses us more and more spiritually,  as we acknowledge that our progress in His righteousness is not because of our works but because of His grace working in us through His Spirit as we diligently choose to abide in His living Word.

Most importantly,  it keeps us undefiled and holy in this perishing world from which He has rescued us by redeeming us with His previous blood in the first place.

Will experience real, unchangeable and heavenly joy as we let Him lead us through His Spirit making us walk in close communion with Him in our daily walk, enabling us to hear His softest whispers and causing us to see and perceive things and situations through His eyes and righteousness.

The greatest joy we can give to our Father God for all He has done for us and desires to continue to do for us is to walk closely with Him by walking in the Spirit, abiding in His word, making every effort to preserve His holiness in us through trust and obedience for His grace and power to work in us.

John 14:26

1 Thessalonians 4:8

Leviticus 25:18

We must never cease to wonder with reverential awe that our Lord is always good towards us and is always for us. No matter how challenging our circumstances, the attributes of our Lord towards us in our relationship with Him as our heavenly Father and Lord never vary- His unchangeable nature, His faithfulness, His Presence and His sovereign plan for our life (our sanctification).

When we confide in the Lord, it is His faithfulness that protects us from evil even when we stumble.

It is His faithfulness that abounds us with His comfort when He knows we can find from nowhere else in the world.

It is His faithfulness that grants us with His peace in all circumstances that He allows in our life for His glory and for our good.

Nothing delights our Father God more than reciprocating His faithfulness towards us with ours towards Him  - especially when we are most vulnerable before Him, confessing our weaknesses to Him knowing and acknowledging that His grace and strength alone by the power of the Holy Spirit is able to help us. Our constant challenges from our flesh, from this perishing world and from Satan are combated efficiently only when we confess our inability to overcome in our own strength. Not only does the Lord open the heavenly gates to supply us with timely grace, that is, peace in tribulations, comfort in sufferings or protection from evil in this case, but He also hears our prayers as God examines our hearts and nothing else. When the intention of our heart is to strive through prayers and worship to allow the Lord to lead us in His holiness and righteousness, we have the confidence that He hears us with utmost care and answers us when we ask anything in His name and also when we commune with Him for our thanksgiving, praise or sharing our heart, mind and all that we are with the willingness to let Him take care of us for our edification and for making us more Christ-like with each passing day. 

2 Corinthians 1:5

2 Thessalonians 3:3,16

1 Peter 3:12

Holy,holy, holy is our Lord God. He desires nothing less of our standards than the holiness of His own Self that He offers us through His Son. Holiness brings us into close communion with our Father God and our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual dryness must be the greatest nightmare for a sincere child of God. Many times as we progress in our spiritual life, we get so carried away by “doing works” for the Lord that we lose our genuine affection towards Him in that very act. 

The Lord delights more in our closeness with Him than what we can “do” for Him in this world. When we keep our walk close to Him, doing things for Him and His glory becomes effortless. Many times in the process of loving others with His love, we end up loving the world and the things of this perishing world more than our Father God! Our state of spiritual dryness begins at this point. Beware! Is the most apt response. 

Many times subtle deceitful schemes of Satan, often displaying itself to be “harmless and innocent” have the innate power to destroy our spiritual life more than the directly seen iniquities that we commit such as anger, greed, pride and selfishness. When we make efforts to worship, pray, meditate on His word or do fellowship with our brothers and sisters, we miss out on experiencing real joy, peace and rest that the Lord desires to offer us in the course of our spiritual exercises. 

We may be in the “presence” of the Lord, but cannot experience His Presence until we humbly and earnestly seek from the Lord with our spiritual eyes and ears open, what He wants to show us and tell us. When we prayerfully and diligently ask the Lord to reveal to us what is keeping us away from Him, he shows us and when He shows us, we must repent immediately, confessing our weakness and seeking His strength to deliver us from the same. 

Repentance sanctifies us again, preparing us to find our joy of fellowship with our ever loving, gracious, merciful and righteous holy Lord! Sometimes, it may take several days of prayerful supplications, persistent knocking on the door of our Lord, God often testing our perseverance and sincerity of our intentions, before He delivers us from our weakness just at the right time. 

Restoration with the Lord through repentance is the greatest joy - renewing and refreshing experience, each time, all the time. 

Galatians 3:22

Matthew 3:8

Hosea 6:1

The best way to tread the path of life is on the everlasting way of the Lord. Outside of His path, there is no experience of His everlasting life. The best speed with which to tread His path is the Lord’s speed. He knows exactly what to bless us with in His appropriate time in accordance with the abundance of His grace. 

The Lord knows our needs even before we ask Him, if we seek in accordance to His will. As our true, living and faithful Shepherd, our safety, refuge and protection is under His shelter alone. If we choose to partake of His blessings, first a humble, reverent and fearful obedience to His will and Word is a precursor. Heartfelt worship of His being and prayerful communication opens the heavenly gates for us to partake of His divine nature and elevates us to where He is, within the veil, which is holy and full of his glorious Presence. 

He leads us with His lovingkindness, with His righteousness, with His discretion, with His strength and with His wisdom which we are not only able to access but abide by as we continue to hold onto Him firmly by keeping our eyes of faith on Him, His Word and His promises. 

The result of our wholehearted trust and obedience is revelation of more and more of His divine nature and manifestation of more of His wondrous works through us so that others may also witness and believe that indeed, we are the children of our heavenly Father and that He dwells in us! 

Psalm 26:3

Proverbs 16:9

Hebrews 6:18

fills us with immense gratitude, contentment and peace that no one can take away from us. His remembrance brings us close to His living Presence and makes us full. We too can then lift the cup of our salvation and say like king David that “my cup overflows!”.

It is very important to maintain our nearness to our true, living and holy Lord. When worldly entanglements suffocate us, only the remembrance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ realigns our thoughts to centre them around the focus of our life - Lord Jesus Christ Himself, bringing back our meaning and purpose. Beholding Jesus on the cross humbles us, reminding us how blessed we are having walked by the way of the cross! Setting our spiritual eyes on the living Christ in the heavenly realms lifts us up to where we truly belong -  we belong in Him, to God, through Him (Jesus) alone!. What a miraculous reality we live, because Lord , our heavenly Father has wrought our salvation perfectly according to the faithfulness of His promises given to Abraham, our ancestral father in faith through whom the Lord passed on all the heavenly blessings by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

As we exist on the post-resurrection era of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, meditating upon our Lord’s greatness and attributes not only elates us, but fills us with the fullness of joy through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit that He has lavishly poured in all of us who have chosen to believe in His marvelous provision for the redemption of our sins. 

The more we humble ourselves to obey His precepts and meditate upon His goodness, greatness and His Word, the more we become partakers of His abundant grace. His grace sustains us in His perfect peace regardless of any situation that the Lord permits in our life. All of it is for our good, provided we choose to abide in Him. So we must thank Him always, for that is the will of our Lord for us in Christ Jesus. Thanking Him always increases our faith in His sovereignty, thus establishing us more firmly in Him;rooted and grounded. 

Isaiah 25:1

Psalm 103:1

2 Thessalonians 3:16

JOHN 3:16

The good news of the gospel is the news of our redemption. The news of the gift of our salvation that Lord Himself is offering to each of us, commending to our consciences through the Holy Spirit in the face of His only begotten Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Gospel without the conviction of our sinfulness is not from the Lord. Gospel without the certainty of the Lord’s judgement and His wrath to come is man-made. 

The Lord’s Truth, either breaks and remakes us when we believe or falls on us, making us into dust if we do not believe on that Day. Until then, each day is a day to accept and believe what the Lord is offering us, to save us, to reconcile us and live  His everlasting life in us. 

So the good news of the gospel convicts the whole world under sin and shuts every mouth due to unrighteousness. The Lord in His perfect wisdom, will, omniscience, foreknowledge, care, love, holiness and sovereignty, has sent His only begotten Son as a ransom for all our sins so that whosoever believes in Him may not perish but is rendered righteous before the Lord. Receiving Christ in our being is the beginning of  living the everlasting life of God through His power and His righteousness. 

Believing in the gospel sanctifies us of our old ways, putting to death our flesh on the cross along with the death of Christ, renewing us with the beginning of the newness of His resurrected life poured in us through His Spirit so that we may live to God. The Gospel of the good news talks about the Judgement of God, sinfulness of mankind, grace of God and the everlasting life of God offered to us freely because Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to overcome death on our behalf. The Lord patiently awaits to offer the life of risen Christ to each of us through faith in the good news of the gospel . He wants none to perish. But to come to the knowledge of the truth through repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Romans 1:16