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WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH.

When Christ’s disciples live according to the leading and guidance of the Spirit of God, there will be encounters with those who operate under a different spirit with attitudes in opposition to God. In verses Matt:11-12, Jesus spoke about the persecution that will come to believers when they live out the beautiful attitudes in their lives, but how are we to respond to such persecution? Should we withdraw and hide from the world system,and never confront the darkness again? No, as believers, we are the conscience of the world in which we live.Regarding our response to persecution, Jesus gave us two metaphors as to how we respond to those who persecute us.

1) You are the Salt of the Earth
2) You are the Light of the World

Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the Earth.”

So today, let us unravel the wonderful truths about the meaning of salt in the Bible, its significance, and how we can truly become genuine salt of the earth.

When Jesus walked on earth, salt was a valuable commodity. In the time of Caesar, Rome paid their soldiers in salt, and in ancient China, salt was second to gold in value. Even today, we talk of people being “worth their weight in salt.” Why was salt so valuable? There are Seven things that Jesus could have been alluding to in His metaphor of believers being like salt

1) Salt as a Covenant

Salt is known as a covenant. and the scriptures mentioned “covenant of salt” three times.
(Leviticus:2:13, Numbers 18:19)

2 Chronicles 13:5 “Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?”

Salt is used as a preservative, which means it is instrumental for making things last longer. So when we say, “covenant of salt”, it simply means that the covenant is perpetual and not to be broken, just as how salt preserves.

2) Salt is purified before use, God has purified us also with the blood of Jesus.

1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Jesus’ sacrifice for us, however, cleans us thoroughly, providing such a deep-down cleaning that we receive new life. As Hebrews:9:14 explains, the blood of Christ, shed for our sake, cleanses “our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
For all who trust in Christ, we are washed in his blood, fully cleansed from sin so that we may serve him!

3)Salt lends flavor to food

So we also have to bring taste in people’s lives.
.(Col. 4:6, Pro:16:24)

. Salt lends flavor to food. Some foods are so bland that food can be made more palatable with added salt. Before I gave my life to Christ, life felt meaningless to me. I found it hard to bear the day-by-day living, but when Christ came into my life, I suddenly began to see life as purposeful, meaningful, and even exciting. I found a purpose and worth by giving my life to the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ. The Lord adds flavor and meaning to life. No longer was I living for the things of this world, but I began to live for what is beyond this life. The Lord adds flavor to our lives!

4) Salt keeps things from rotting

So we also have to save people from rot just like Lord Jesus saved us.
(Psalms16:10, 2Peter 1:4)
Salt was the ancient equivalent of refrigeration. If you wanted to stop meat or fish from decaying, you could rub in salt and make it edible for longer. This was the main reason salt was so valuable. 

In this sense, the disciples of Jesus (We are disciples of Lord Jesus Christ) have been sent into the world to protect it from decay, to preserve its goodness and to prevent it from being corrupted or ruined.

Salt does not just savor. It saves.

Just as God has saved us from the mire, we too are to save others who are mired in the mire of sin through the Lord Jesus Christ. They also have to be kept safe.

5) Salt removes bitterness

Similarly, we also have to remove bitterness from each other’s hearts.
(Hebrew: 12:15 , Ephesians:4 : 31-32)
People will have to come out of the bitterness and unforgiveness that they have towards each other, to get rid of it we have to help them, just as salt drives away bitterness, in the same way Lord Jesus has called us salt, we have to help people to drive away bitterness from their lives.
So that they can forgive each other and grow in the Lord

6) Salt has the ability to heal

Lord Jesus has also given us the authority that if we lay hands on the sick, they will be healed.
(2 King20 – 23,Mark :16:18 Luke : 9:1, Matthew: 10:1 )
Salt is painful to an open wound, and of course, no one likes pain. The pain is not often received well, but the salt and other minerals in the Dead Sea water can heal the skin. One feels cleansed and invigorated after bathing in the water. As the cleansing of the salty water is to the body, our salty values bring an antiseptic cleansing power to the world. The light and salt we carry can bring healing to a decaying society

7) Salt creates thirst.

Similarly, seeing our lifestyle, thirst should arise within people, they should be curious to see the changes in our lives.
Salt makes us thirsty. We are called to make the world thirsty for God.”
You and I are called to live in such a way that we make others around us thirst for God. When we do this people will become thirsty and Lord Jesus will quench their thirst because Lord Jesus says if anyone is thirsty come to me and I will give you living water.
(John : 7:37-38)

8)Salt is white ,White colour represents purity

So we too have to remain holy as our God is holy.
( Numbers:18:19,1Peter:1: 15)
Salt spoke of purity. The Romans believed that salt was one of the purest things on earth because it comes from the whitest and purest properties, the sea and the sun. Jesus could have been saying that the believer was to be an example of purity to those around him, i.e., purity of speech and purity of life.

Lord Jesus has called us the salt of the earth. Jesus wants us to be the salt of the earth who preserves, maintains, and brings out “taste” or goodness in ourselves and others. We are protectors of life. We have to be a flavor enhancer for people who can be difficult to deal with. Our mission is to help them see how God works in our lives, share the good news and direct them to the Sustainer of life.

^{Be the salt in the world that spreads kindness to others through words, thoughts, and actions that embody God’s goodness. In a unique, loving way, you can allow others to experience the Lord’s presence in their lives by being a good friend, child, parent, spouse, colleague, church member!}

Let’s Pray

Father, thank You for the identity You have entrusted to us — to be salt. Please forgive us for not always being faithful to the call. Prompt our hearts and teach us how to bring You into every aspect of our lives. Thank You for empowering and entrusting us to do Your work here on earth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sol. Laxmi

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity,and passeth by the transgression of the remanant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy “. Micah 7:18

Micah one of the prophets of God, forewarned the people (Israel) of the terrible judgment to come. They had forsaken the God of Abraham,Isaac and Jacob, who promised them glorious blessings if they would walk in His ways. In this verse we see a future time when God will pardon their iniquity and pass over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession. Their rebellious nature and the rejection of their forefathers God, God opened salvation for the gentiles also. Any one who believes in Jesus become the children of God.
God will forgive His children their sins because the blood of their saviour will cleanse all who cry to Him.

Psalms145:8 says “Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy”.

He does not remain angry forever but releases His love and mercy upon His children, when they repent and seek His mercy. We too as believers must forgive, not being revengeful, bitter and judgmental. The Lord allows sun and rain to fall equally on the righteous or God fearing and the wicked who do not know Him. Likewise ,in our dealings with others, we should not judge those who have erred against us.

Mathew 5:44 ,45 Jesus says “……love your enemies,bless them that curse you,do good to them that hate you,and pray for them which despite fully use you,and persecute you”……….for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good,and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust “.

Such a forgiveness will come only with the grace of God . So we need the help of the Holy Spirit to develop such forgiving attitude.Jesus ask us to go extra mile and to bless the aggressors.( Mathew 5:41) if we have such an attitude it pleases the Lord and He will bless us abundantly. If we take revenge on others,we are not allowing Lord to play His role and hence He will not act on our behalf.

True repentance means that we should not repeat the very act that we sought and obtained mercy for.The Lord does not keep a record of our wrongs once we confess and commit not to repeat it.He delights in showing mercy to us The wages of sin-death is paid by Jesus,once for all.(Romans6:23) We can now enjoy the rewards and blessings of eternal life.
Prayer

Thank you Father for your unchanging love to me. Thank you for your faithfulness to all your children and for erasing all their sins by the blood of Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Sol.Gigi Jacob

Living Water Springing Up

Gen 22:14 (KJV) And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

God is our provider, Jehovah Jireh. We, as creations fashioned from His breath, find our completeness and sustenance only when firmly rooted in Him. He fills our hearts and souls with His love and goodness daily. When we are not rooted in Him, we feel incomplete, unable to feel and enjoy His provisions and presence.

Psalm 23:6 (NIV): “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Psalm 23:1 (NLT): “The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.“

Living in connection with the Lord ensures that we lack nothing. As a benevolent Father, He abundantly provides for our needs, whether they be financial, worldly, relational, or spiritual – love, comfort, children, peace, joy, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, anointing of the Holy Spirit, gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit etc.

Jeremiah 2:13 (NIV): My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Our soul, a container, ought to be brimming with God’s provisions, overflowing limitlessly for the benefit of others. Yet, in our reality, due to our unrighteous acts, cracks are created in our soul, resulting in the loss of blessings despite God’s continuous outpouring. These cracks emerge when we engage in unrighteous behavior like
Failing to trust the Lord wholeheartedly,
Loving/prioritizing others over the Lord,
Claiming glory for ourselves,
Offence
Hurts
Unforgiveness,
Pride,
Harboring grudges,
Indulging in ungodly activities,
Relying on our strength, leaning on worldly wisdom,
Neglecting godly order in families,
etc.

John 7:37-38 (NIV) : “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

To mend these cracks, we must turn to the Lord in repentance, allowing His light to replace the darkness within us. Through repentance, God transforms our shortcomings into His love, peace, joy, and divine wisdom. Our flaws meet His forgiveness and redemption. Closing these cracks allows us to accumulate anointing and blessings in our souls and overflow. As we overflow, the living water flows out from our souls, becoming a blessing to others.

Revelation 22:1-2 (NIV) : Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Heavenly Father, we humbly come before you, acknowledging the cracks in our souls that we, in our ignorance, have allowed to form. We realize that these cracks have caused us to lose the blessings and anointing that you generously pour out on us each day. We confess that at times, we did not comprehend why the living water did not flow as abundantly from our souls as it should. Today, we bow before you, seeking your forgiveness and mercy. We repent of our shortcomings and ask for your divine intervention. Forgive us, Father, for the cracks we have created in our souls through unrighteous acts, through misplaced priorities, and through moments when we relied on our strength instead of yours.

We earnestly request that you mend these cracks and pour out your blessings into our souls. We submit ourselves to you, trusting that you know our needs better than we do. Fill us abundantly with your love, joy, peace, wisdom, and every provision we require to fulfill your calling. Overflow our souls with your provisions and blessings so that we may be vessels of your grace, bringing light and love to those around us. Let the living water flow from our souls, touching the lives of many, and illuminating their paths with the fullness of your light and love. We ask all these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Sol.Edvitta

Don’t be cheated , Be careful .

The Main Priests, the Pharisees, Sadducees etc., who read the scriptures and preach in temples have known very well the coming of Messiah Jesus Christ to the world, and that He will be born in Bethlehem.

They could not accept the teachings and miracles of Jesus Christ because their lives were as the prophet Isaiah said ,”And in vain they worship Me,

teaching the doctrines as the commandments of men.” Seeing that there was always a large crowd following Jesus Christ, they became jealous of Jesus. They were afraid that He would endanger their position. So, many times they asked for a sign to believe that whether He is the Son of Man. When the high priest took Jesus and questioned him, they came to him again and asked him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Jesus, when he confessed that he was the Son of Man as the high priest said, they accused him of blasphemy and put him to death.

See the statement of the man born blind when he was healed by Jesus Christ. We can see this in the verses John 9:30-33
The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.

The chief priests and Pharisees, who knew very well that Jesus Christ would rise again on the third day, they told the soldiers who reported about resurrection of Jesus to say a lie ;  they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 

Why do they not believe in the resurrection of Jesus? Although they openly claimed to be the disciples of Moses and the sons of Abraham, they did not follow their commandments.

we see what Jesus Christ said in Luke 16:31. He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

When Jesus was nailed to the cross, when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

This is John the Baptist, who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” He testified of the coming Jesus, He who comes after me is mightier than I. He said he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The Pharisees and Jews did not accept both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

After listening to John’s preaching, the elders and others were baptized by John and declared that God is righteous. Scripture says that the Pharisees and the scribes rejected God’s counsel by not being baptized by Him.

Prayer

Father God, when your Son Jesus Christ came to this earth, the Pharisees, chief priests, scribes and Jews did not accept him. Indeed those who were waiting for his arrival missed the opportunity that was given to them. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ for your grace and guidance that we may not be like that and stay in the teachings of Jesus Christ and stay away from foreign teachings and false prophets. Amen.

Sol.Mohana Sundaram.

Shield of Faith – Protection/Kavach

Faith and Trust are very important to grow as a Believer and True Disciple

Hebrews11:1 says – Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see_Trust need to be developed and cannot be practicedl

Bible says – Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

We need to grow in Faith – Steadfast Faith which cannot be shaken under any circumstances_

Ephesians6:16 talks about our shield of Faith

It says In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

It’s very important to understand that our Faith on the unseen will help us win over and extinguish the Fire from Satan – Not only arrows but Burning arrows Deuteronomy28:7 – Says The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven

Faith has no limitation_ It needs to be beyond limits

We see that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when summoned by King Nebuchadnezzar refused to obey the issued decree to fall down and worship the image of gold and whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace_

When death is in front of us – it is very difficult to still have faith and Trust God which is the best condition of 99% of believers and followers today_

But these 3 believers of Yahova – refused to follow decree and were ready to be thrown into furnace which was heated seven times hotter than usual and soldiers who went with them were burned to death

But in Daniel 3:25 we see most amazing ways of God to save his people who have faith and trust in him_

Verse 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

They did not Compromise_

It’s very important that during our Faith and Trust on the Almighty we do not compromise_

Suppose we get 2 crores as Lottery Winner and if we put 1 Crore in bank – we get 12 Lakhs per year which is 1 Lakh per month plus our 1 crore is safe in bank and we have 1 crore in hand to live lavishly_

What do we do – do we call it mercy and grace of our God and get busy with worldly life and don’t have time any more for

• Personal Prayers
• Congregation
• Reading word
• Family prayers
• Dawn Prayers
• Special Meetings
• Worshipping the Lord

Sincere and Humble Faith Filled obedience is very important in relation with God

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

We cannot follow the world and remain in Worldly desires_

Our eyes and focus with thoughts should be on God’s unconditional love Mathew 14:26-29

When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when his focus changed – he started drowning Mathew 14:30-32

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. So our focus need to be constant and Hence Faith and Trust with 100% not 99.9% HE is the Alpha and The Omega

Hebrews12:2 – says fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Genesis15:1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

It says “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Only Our Living and Loving God – Jesus Christ is our Great Rewards. So Faith and Trust on the unseen who is the creator of Heaven, Mankind and Earth is very important_ Never miss that out God bless you all with His living words every day_ Hallelujah

Sol.Amit Aggarwal

THE LORD WHO SURROUNDS US TO PROTECT US

1 Samuel 23:26,27 “Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain.
Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them. But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!”.
In such a situation God saved David.

When the Israelites came out of Egypt,they encountered a no-way out situation,when they stood right before the Red Sea and behind them was the Egyptian Army. But even In Such a situation,God saved The Israelites.

1) Psalm 18:5 ”The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;The snares of death confronted me.”

2) Psalm 22:12,16”Many bulls have surrounded Me;Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.”
16 “For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.”

3)Jonah 2 :3-5 “For You cast me into the deep,Into the heart of the seas,
And the floods surrounded me;All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. I will look again toward Your holy temple.’The waters surrounded me, even to my soul;
The deep closed around me;Weeds were wrapped around.

In the midst of all such dangers and troubled circumstances ,let’s see how David looks at God in the verses quoted below.

1)Psalms 5:12 “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;With favor You will surround him as with a shield.”

2)Psalms 32:7 “You are my hiding place;You shall preserve me from trouble;You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”

3) Psalms 32:10 “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.”

4)Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,And delivers them.”

Most of the times,during a sense of danger I have always felt in my spirit,my house and my hospital are completely surrounded by angels.

When we look at Elisha’s life,when he prayed his request to God,God surrounded him with fiery angels.
5)Psalms 125:2 “As the mountains surround Jerusalem,So the Lord surrounds His people.From this time forth and forever.”

^{God is ever-present,He always surrounds His own.All that we have around us are full of danger.The place we stay,our work place,place of ministry everywhere we experience issues and problems.God at such times tells us,I will protect you like a wall of mountain. Hence,Whether we stay put or walk God surrounds us.He is Protecting us.He covers us under the shadow of His Healing wings.Therefore He is Our God who surrounds us.}

Prayer


God who loves us more,Though the world may be filled with dangers,enemies,bulls,thrills, oceans,devastation ,death traps all around us,This moment open our spiritual eyes Lord.Let us sense the shield of compassion surrounding us Like David.May your Amazing Grace surround us,as we Trust on you.Let your Angels be sent to protect us Oh!Lord. Thankyou Lord for being a wall of mountain surrounding us. Thankyou for that Lord.You are a wall of fire around us. Enlighten our spiritual eyes to see your Glorious presence.Amen

Sol. Dr. Petricia

Each of us are Valuable to Lord.
(Matthew 10:29-31 & Luke 12:6-7)

  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.

( Matthew 10: 29-31)

  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies ?  And not one of them is forgotten before God. why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, you are of more value then many sparrow.

( Luke 12: 6-7)

  These verses in the Bible are a great comfort to everyone who reads them,  because they show us how highly Lord thinks of and values us as individual human beings, the crown of His creation ( Genesis 1:26-27). Jesus starts this teaching by saying how much sparrows  (a common species of birds) are worth in the market. Two sparrows are sold for a penny - a very low form of currency - while five are sold for two. This shows us that in the eyes of humans, their worth is not that much.

Humans are worth much to Lord.

  But Jesus then  proceeds to say that not one of them will fall to the ground apart from Lord the Father, and that not one of them is forgotten before him. Throughout a common sparrow's life even till the point of death, Lord is with them, and He does not forget a single one of them, though there are hundreds of thousands of sparrows in the world. Despite the fact that sparrows are not worth much in the market, they are very precious in Lord's eyes.

  Jesus moves on to say that even the hairs of our heads are all numbered. This is a metaphor which means that we, as humans, are so precious to Lord that He knows every single details about us, even the seemingly minuscule things that we don't know about ourselves, such as how much hair is on our heads, or any other bodily details (Psalm 139 :13-16) Lord knows us more than we known ourselves, and He loves us more than we love ourselves.

   Jesus concludes this teaching by telling us not to be afraid, and that we are of more value than many sparrows. If Lord greatly values something as little and powerless as a sparrow by never being apart from them in their whole lives and never forgetting a single one of them, just think of how much more greatly Lord values us, we who are  worth more than many sparrows.

Our worth is seen most closely through Jesus’ crucifixion.

   we can clearly see our worth and value to Lord through the cross of Christ, and the message of Christ crucified, which is the power and wisdom of Lord ( 1 Cor.1:17-18, 22-25, 1 Cor.2:1-2) The culmination of Lord's love for every person in the world, is that He gave His only son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not Perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

  We are so precious to Lord that, although we are sinners (people who do wrong) against Him and one another, and don't deserve His love, Christ, the only sinless person in the world,  died for us. (Rom.5:6-8) Lord's love was made manifest through this action, and it is not because we loved The Lord first, but rather Lord first loved us (1 John 4:9-10)  This paid for our sin ransom, and we can accept this payment by simply believing in Christ. (Mark 10:45)

  Although our sins have separated us from Lord ( Isaiah 59:2),  faith in Christ crucified and risen from the dead reconciles us to Lord (1 Cor.15 :14 -22, 2 Cor. 5:17-19) and gives us eternal fellowship with the Father, Son and Holly Spirit, who are the one Lord. ( 1John 1:1-3 ). In order to save us from our deserved punishment of eternal separation from Lord because of our sins. Lord brought us back by His own blood in Jesus Christ. ( Acts. 20:28) so that through faith,  we can have eternal fellowship with Him, as this is what he intends for every human. Lord wants fellowship with us - even eternal fellowship in His Kingdom ( 1 Thess. 2: 11-12). Of  how much value must we be to Him ! Thanks be to Lord for His inexpressible gift.( 2 Cor. 9:15)

Look at the birds of the air : they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they ?
( Matthew 6:26)

        Prayer

Thank you Lord for your love and care, that we are ever in your watchful gaze. Thank you that each of us is so important to you that you have numbered every hair. Let this truth sink deep into our hearts. Help us each always come to you with everything in prayer. Thank you that as we each do this, you will guard our hearts and minds in the Lord Jesus Christ and we will know the peace of Christ that passes all understanding.

Sol. Dr. Mohan Parmar

Exo 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?

 This is the most famous narration in the Old Testament, where in Moses was tending the flock of his father in law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. On seeing the burning bush which is not consumed by the fire, Moses out of curiosity, goes up to Horeb, mountain of God.

Moses has an encounter with God and God gives him a mandate (v7-10), to set Israel, God’s people, free from years of bondage. Moses responds, “Who am I?” Moses has lost his confidence that he once had while he was in the palace, past 40 years he has been shepherding sheep in the desert, which certainly is not a qualification for such a great task. 

Moses may have suddenly got excited assuming, oh God of this universe probably has seen something in me, that He chooses me, he was self –focused. But God ignored his query and responded “I will certainly be with you”. Moses never ever dreamt that instead of sheep he would be leading three million Israelites to this same Mount Horeb. He also had to shift his reliance on his ability to God’s ability. He should have asked, “Who is God?” In Exo3:1-14 God introduces Himself as “I Am, Who I AM!” We know the rest of the story, Moses led the “Exodus” of the Israelites out of Egypt, across the Red Sea and did great miracles, and Moses received the Ten Commandments, he is known to be a great leader and prophet. 

Now let us go to Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon is “threshing wheat in the winepress”. Wheat in winepress, isn’t the winepress for crushing grapes and threshing done in an open field? The children of Israel on being prosperous and complacent did evil in the sight of God and He handed them in to the hands of Midianites, and they end up in oppression. The Midianites, Amalekites and the people of the East would come up, whenever it was harvest time, they would encamp around and destroy everything they had, as far as Gaza which left nothing for Israel. The children of Israel cried unto God and God showed up and appointed Gideon to liberate Israel from the hands of the Midianites.

 Judges 6:15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. Once again we observe, like Moses, Gideon was self-focused and elaborated his weaknesses and qualifications which were meaningless in the eyes of God. God chose to ignore his question and instead responded, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

This is the, “I AM” who spoke, this is not about Moses or Gideon or any of us. The one who is the God of all the earth, mighty in battle, the Lord of Hosts, the Great I Am, Yahweh, Elshaddai, Ebenezer, the Alpha and Omega who knows the end from the beginning, Jesus Christ the Lion of Judah, our Redeemer, He alone does great wonders, there’s none beside Him, none to compare.

He is sufficient to win every battle. Has he called you and appointed you to do something? Are you relying on your strength, ability, intellect, expertise, experience, bank account, influence, and people? Then chuck it all, I encourage you to focus on the, “Great, I AM!” You can never ever comprehend what He can do with you and your life!

Sol.Lalitha Menon

YOU ARE QUALIFIED !!

Prayer

Sol.Amalraj

Called to Be Saints
Romans 1:1–7

Many factors contribute to the formation of our worldview. Our family background. The teaching we received. The community we experienced. Our education. Our culture. Our media and music. The people we admire. The experiences we survived. Each plays a role.

Ultimately, the book of Romans is about worldview. It is a richly doctrinal letter to the Christians in Rome (mostly Gentiles), but also to us. Throughout the letter, Paul explains what it means to be justified by faith and the transforming power of the gospel. When studied and received, Romans can anchor our worldview in the most important truths.

In the above passage, Paul introduces himself by explaining his position and purpose. Paul was a servant of Christ Jesus, “called to be an apostle” (v. 1). The word called here is kletos, derived from kaleo. God placed a special calling on Paul’s life when He appeared to him in a blinding light on the Damascus Road (Acts 9). As an apostle, Paul’s purpose would be to proclaim the gospel of God, the good news of redemption found only in Jesus.

In verses 2–4, Paul elaborates on the gospel message, rooted in the Old Testament prophets (v. 2). This good news is dependent on the identity of Jesus—who was both fully human (v. 3) and the divine, resurrected Son of God (v. 4).

Paul’s apostolic calling was not for his own benefit (vv. 5–6). Rather, he received this grace in order to call (kletos) the Gentiles to a relationship with Christ—a life of obedience that grows out of faith (v. 5), a position of belonging (v. 6), a relationship of love, and the designation of “holy people” or “saints” (v. 7)—with all of the privileges and promises that God bestows upon His people.

Verses 5–7 help us understand the general call that Jesus extends to all who believe. If you are a Christ-follower, He calls you to that life of obedience, position of belonging, relationship of love, and designation of “saint.”

Let us pray

Along with Paul, Peter, James, John, and countless others, You have called each of us to receive grace and apostleship; to call others to obedience and faith for Your name’s sake. We are called to love You and to be Your holy people.

Sol. Pritha Debnath