HE is with us ALWAYS!

Storms of Life

Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Act 27: 23 – 25

On his journey to Rome as a prisoner, Paul and his crew were in the middle of a storm. He used the above verse during that storm, to encourage others.

Paul had incredible faith on God's promises. When man makes a promise, nothing is a guarantee, until he fulfills it. But with God, when he makes a promise, it is as good as done. Remember, that God is not human to lie nor a human being to change his mind (Num 23:19). In Isa 55 we read that God's word will not return void. God's promise is our anchor in the midst of the storms of this life. An anchor does not remove us from the storm, but it places us firmly in the midst of the storm.

Any other anchor or support system will fail. Only God's word will never fail. Cling on to the promises God has given you. If he has not given any specific promise, all the promises in the bible are yeah and amen in Christ Jesus. Like Paul we must boldly declare that I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. When God gives us a promise, we expect everything will fall into place or everything will become smooth. But not so. Most of the time, the opposite seems to happen. Nevertheless his promises will prevail. No one can thwart his plans. Heb 10:23 He who promised is faithful.

Paul is seen encouraging others to be of courage right in the middle of the storm. When a storm of sickness or financial loss has passed by and we experience calmness, we can easily be of encouragement to others. But God is calling us to be encouragers in the midst of the storm. We can't sit and wait till the storm passes by. Rise up, my sister and my brother.

Because of Paul's faith, God graciously gave him the lives of all the people who sailed with him. So it will be with you as well. People around you may be sad and discouraged due to the storm. But you rise up above the storm and soar. Be an encourager today. People do not look at you seeing if you have got it all together. But they look on to you when things fall apart. Stand on His word and be an encourager.

Just Obey!

Partial obedience to LORD is Disobedience! Commandments from LORD is "Commandments" not "suggestions". They are directions to HIS plan in your life. Your directions would let you to closed or abandoned or broken Roads. So for HIS plan to prevail, Just OBEY!

Job 36:11

"If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
and their years in contentment." (NIV)

Romans 2:13
"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous." (NIV)

Jeremiah 7:24-26

24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’ (NIV)

May Month Promise - Jeremiah 31:10-14

Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;

    proclaim it in distant coastlands:

‘He who scattered Israel will gather them

    and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’

For the Lord will deliver Jacob

    and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.

They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;

    they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—

the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,

    the young of the flocks and herds.

They will be like a well-watered garden,

    and they will sorrow no more.

Then young women will dance and be glad,

    young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into gladness;

    I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

I will satisfy the priests with abundance,

    and my people will be filled with my bounty,”

declares the Lord.

                                             Jeremiah 31:10-14

LOST & FOUND!

Book of Luke offers parables with an incredible wealth of truth about salvation and LORD’s varied responses.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15 (NIV)

³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Points to note:

·         Sheeps. They are naïve, meek, generally in groups. They need a Leader. They cant work on their own.

·         There is One out of those 100 sheeps that gets lost. Stats: 1% loss.

·         There is an able Shepherd to care for the Sheeps.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Points to note:

·         A Silver coin. So valuable. It helps to live this earthly life. Yet if invested right can produce more such Silver coins of its value or coins more valuable than the invested Silver coin itself. Silver Coin plays a role in both believers and non-believers life.

·         One out of 10 Silver coins is lost. Stats: 10% loss.

·         It is managed by a woman/man with a keen attention.

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Points to note:

·         A Son. A human being. Man who was created in the image of GOD. Epitome of GOD’s creation. One who can tame and rule the other beings walking on the surface of the world.

·         One out of 2 is lost. Stats 50% loss.

·         Father who is compassionate, forgiving, loving and rich is the care taker of this Son.

See the response of the LORD in each instance.

1.       Shepherd goes in search of that lost sheep and bring him back in his shoulder

2.       Woman lights up the lamp and searches without waiting for dawn to break up. She wants to make sure she finds this coin before she goes to bed. This is her priority and first order of business.

3.       A Father who waits patiently.

Our LORD’s thought are not same as ours. He works in mysterious ways when it comes to saving (salvation).

At least we can find 3 kinds of work here:

When there is a soul lost in ignorance, lost in its brilliance, in its own understanding. The Shepherd sets out for a journey in search of that drifted away sheep. The sheep is so worried and confused to follow the lead. Sheep lacks comprehension. So the Shepherd carries the sheep. Young Sheep must be at 25 pounds. But the Shepherd happily lifts him and carries home on the shoulder.

Then there is this Valuable coin. There are souls who are so talented, so valuable and they are lost. Like the Woman, the LORD lights up and find him. Isn’t he the one who keep sweeping his eyes all over the world in search of the souls. As he sweeps and find that Coin, he puts them in his vault along with the other talented souls.

The last(lost? J ) but not the least, the Son. HIS son. HIS image. HIS Heir. HIS torch. HE gives away what he wants. HE let his rejoice the world. HE let him lose. HE let him suffer. HE waits for his return. For HE knows the plan. HE sees the “action” of son returning home. HE doesn’t listen to what son has to say. HE is fine with HIS son’s action of coming back. That’s what matters to him. HE orders HIS servants/angel to “quickly’ change his son’s situation, because that is HIS son. Yes, there are certainly people who he view as HIS Sons/daughters. HIS response to their loss is different.

Every soul is so special, so unique and so different. LORD’s approach to their salvation is that unique and special as well. You could have been drifted away sheep, a lost coin and a son in a far away land. Take heart, all is well with our LORD Christ Jesus who is our savior, redeemer and advocate!

What a GREAT LORD we serve! A Caring Shepherd, A Perseverant Woman, A Compassionate Father!

Praise the LORD!

New Beginning in Order!

Man & Wife

Luke 12:53 
They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."


As much this verse explains all kinds of relationships, it leaves out the Husband and Wife.

Is there a reason is when I realized...

Matthew 19:4-6"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'  and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ?  So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Genesis 2:22-24Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.  The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man."  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Because
Proverbs 19:14Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

But, it gets even better.

1 Corinthians 7:14
New International Version

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

For one saved soul sake, a holy nation is in order! What a mighty GOD we serve! How great is the marriage in the eyes of the LORD!

Praise the LORD!