Genesis:2:18

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.

God created the first family and gives the same promise for all that He gives us a suitable helper (Wife/Husband) for all His children. Yet we see people struggling or go wrong in choosing their life partner which is one of the life’s most important decision. I struggled on the same a few months back but God guided me to find my life partner according to His will.

The first thing people go wrong is from the things of the society which is Caste, religion and Social status. We attend many marriages; we see and hear things of the marriages of this age and all of it builds up a stronghold in our heart. We search according to our own expectations asking God to act according to our will in prayers rather than submitting to His perfect will.

A good relative of mine helped me to lose all my expectations and to submit to God’s will. When I sat in prayer to submit to submit to God’s will Holy spirit guided me how to pray. Jesus saved me and made me His child at the age of 29 just the age I was seeking a Bride for marriage. The prayer I did was simple, “ Lord I never asked what you want me to study or what job you want me to take and everything I asked according to my will. But Lord let your will be fulfilled in my marriage not mine”. Take away things in my heart and guide me according to your will. It took me days to submit to God’s will and Holy Spirit wiped away all in my heart leading me into His perfect will.

The second most people go wrong is conflicting with their parents on choosing their life partner. The view of the world now is “you know what you want not your parents”. It is portrayed in all forms in this society. When The Lord touched me and saved me I started growing in The Lord and was very fierce in my spirit. I was confident that The Holy Spirit would only speak to me rather than my parents who had just received their salvation from The Lord. So when we see brides I make my own decisions and later try to convince my parents that I am correct. One time I convinced my parents to take a long trip to go visit a bride claiming she would be the right match but when reached there we where is big shock and the meet didn’t go the way we expected. After we left the place there was a big quarrel with me and my parents because of the wrong decision I took. When I was heart broken The Holy spirit gave me this verse Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother and said if you are not going to obey your parents I am not going to guide you.  The Holy Spirit said I will bring a bride only through your parents and not through me. I asked for forgives for the mistake I did and submitted to His will. God guided me to the perfect match. Lot of people argue and go against their parents in choosing their life partner. We should know that if it is from The Lord, He will make things happen. But if we are not going to listen to the word of God and not consult with our parents there is a chance we will deviate from God’s will and end up in a life of misery with the wrong choice. We cannot ask God to help and guide us when we don’t listen to His word and argue with our parents rather than to Honor and to obey our parents . Let us lose our expectations and to submit to God’s perfect will honoring and obeying our parents. The Lord says

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” Psalms 32:8

Prayer:

Our Heavenly father give us the grace to lose our expectations and to submit to your perfect will in finding our life partner for our marriages.

Sol.Leo

Delight Yourself In The Lord, And He Will Give You The Desires Of Your Heart.

Psalm 37:4

This verse has raised a powerful question in my heart & mind. I asked myself :- Are you really enjoying your relationship with the Lord? I started testing myself. I realized that the answer is NO.

Yes I am doing almost everything that as a Christian I must do. However now I understand that we need to Delight in our relationship with the Lord. Now the question is what is this Delight means?

It means:- You satisfy your relationship when you give them something they expect. You delight them when you give them something they didn’t expect

Delight is above satisfaction level.

• Jesus says Follow me & we do that. HE says obey me & we do that. Point is our attitude towards HIS voice.

• To be delighted is our part. We need to respect our relationship with The Lord. Most of us are angry with God. Without Grace it is impossible to delight in the Lord.

• Don’t irritate God after your prayers. Enjoy with Him. Yes many times we behave in a crazy way.

Delighting in God requires me to get to know Him well, too. I need to know God’s likes and dislikes, His preferences, His habits, His character, His nature. If someone asked me, “Tell me about your father,” I could rattle off a description of my wonderful early dad without missing a beat. The same needs to be true if someone asks, “Tell me about the Father.” In-depth knowledge of God is the fountain into which all rivers of delight in Him flow.

If we are delighting in God, we will be interested in Him and in what interests Him.

Inclining ourselves toward God means

turning our minds toward Him: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2).

Thinking about God (things above) often requires us to intentionally NOT think about something else (earthly things). It’s not that God doesn’t care about our earthly activities and concerns and interests; it’s just that we are to be first and foremost heaven-minded.

We cannot possibly delight in God if our relationship with Him isn’t a priority. And it’s not enough to say it is; we have to show it by how we choose to spend our time and energy, and even our money.

“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart” is a two-party, two-way equation. “Delight yourself…”: this is our job, our part, our responsibility. “And He will give you…”: this is God’s role, His end of the bargain.

When we delight in God—when we bend toward God—He bends our hearts so that He Himself is what we desire. I believe when God says He will give us the desires of our heart, He means first that He will put the desires themselves in our hearts. And then, because He also bends toward us—“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters…He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:16, 19)—our inclining hearts reach toward Him and find what they long for most.

If you find that the Word of God, Jesus’ words, are hard to hear, then you are starting to head down the right road. You are starting to let His Word “Do Battle,” so to speak, with the many other lures and enticements that ultimately only leave us dry and empty. This is the first step to being able to delight in the Lord and His words.

The good news is that if you can allow His Word to cut through the many unhealthy attachments you have in life, you will begin to discover that you greatly love His Word and delight in His presence in your life. You will begin to discover that the pleasure and delight you experience from His presence in your life far outweighs any other passing attachment or pleasure you may have. Even sin can produce a false sense of satisfaction.

In that case, the satisfaction is more like a drug that soon wears off. The delight of the Lord is something that continually draws you higher and fulfills you more deeply every day.
Spend time, today, pondering whether or not you truly do allow yourself to be filled with delight in the Lord’s presence and His words. Try to taste their sweetness. Try to let yourself be drawn inin.

PRAYER:-
Lord, I desire to delight in You. Help me to turn away from the many attractions and enticements of this world. Help me to seek You and Your Word always. In the discovery of Your Word, fill my soul with the greatest delight. Jesus, I trust in You.
Amen

Sol. Priti Jain

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So He said, “COME.”

 And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus

Matthew 14:29

Jesus had sent his disciples away in a boat, post the 5 loaves and 2 fish miracle. The boat was in the middle of the sea, it was being hurled by huge waves as the wind was boisterous. Somewhere between 3 am and 6 am Jesus walks towards them, the disciples are petrified for they thought it was an apparition. But Jesus says, relax, it’s Me. Out of the 12 disciples, Peter did something radical and bold, he said, “okay if it’s you then command me to come to You on the water”. We know that Peter is the only disciple who got out of his comfort zone and to walk on water, this ended up being recorded in the bible

Let’s go to Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together,”Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

Here is a Great invitation from a Great God who says to Israel, that He will explain why Israel is afflicted and then says,” I will make you as white as snow “Usually, people want to avoid sinners but here our God says “I will wipe away your sins”, which only Jesus can, thanks to His willingness to die on the cross for our sins.

The Roman government had a place of banishment for criminals called Patmos, a rocky, barren, desolate island. Apostle John was banished to Patmos by the Emperor Domitian in AD 95 for preaching the gospel, assuming this would be his end. But this was the story of a man who made lemonade when life gave him lemons. Jesus showed up. Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” John the Apostle was transported in the Spirit and gets to peak into heaven, he sees the grandeur of the throne and the “One who sat on it”, he sees live worship, the twenty- four elders and the four living creatures. Thanks to him we have the book of Revelation.

The bible shows us, each time God calls anyone, He has something unparalleled, phenomenal awaiting him. On 1st Sept 2001, Jesus said to me “Come…” and the trajectory of my life changed. Is He calling you today? He is not like man to call, make fake promises and forget it. If you heed to His call then rest assured that you are about to see some jaw dropping, stunning display of the power of God in your life.

Loving heavenly Father, may we heed Your voice and step out radically to Your call for You have something great in store for us, this we pray in Jesus mighty name. 

                                                                        Amen!!!

Lalitha Menon , AOJ.

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How’s Our Relationship With God?

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem   Isaiah 66:13

It so happened that my son who was with us for a brief stay left for his hostel last week. I sort of missed him as he was around for some time. For the first few days, I was calling him a few times, which was way many times for him that he started expressing his displeasure.

When I was thinking back, it was always one-way initiation of calls over the past few days. As I was mulling over this, a came a call from him. I was like feeling elated. So, there’s reciprocation. When we hopped on the call, he said his laptop had some issues with MS Office installation, and obviously he needed assistance.

Down went my spirits. If it weren’t for the need, maybe he wouldn’t have called me, I muttered to myself. Doesn’t he love me?

Oh! Wait! Isn’t it the same way we connect with God?

We conveniently stay away from Him when we chase worldly pursuits. Very often we rationalize that we are too busy to spend quality time with God and that He understands us.

Don’t we realize that we inflict pain on him with our indifferent attitude? After all, didn’t he love us so much that he sent his one and only son for redeeming us?

God’s self-effacing love..

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

                                                                                                                               John 3:16

Every time we ignore his presence, every time we don’t confide in him, every time we go against his wishes, every time we value men more than Him and every time we backstab him, I can hear Him say the words I uttered. “Doesn’t my daughter love me? Doesn’t my son love me?”

“Oh! How much I love my son/daughter! If only he/she realizes,” He would say wistfully.

It was when all doors are closed on us and there is no way out that we turn to Him. Does God use the opportunity to get back at us? Never and ever!

God’s Unchanging Love

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you

                                                                                                             – Isaiah 54:10

This is the kind of unchanging love God has promised us.

Let’s not forget that He is a friend at all times and he will never leave us or forsake us even if it means we remain opportunistic. But isn’t it high time that we let go of this indifferent attitude? It doesn’t have to be out of fear that we seek God. On the contrary, it should be a relationship that has love as its foundation.

Prayer

Our Heavenly father we thank you for the love you have shown to us, give us the grace father to always seek you in our lives, love you and do your will. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

Sol. Shanthi Rexaline

                                                                                                      

FEAR IN LOVE ?

Lord Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”

Matthew 7:7

The first time I completed reading the entire Bible (encouraged by a brother and my son ,otherwise I used to only read the New Testament),I went outside ,looked at the sky , extended my hand and asked God to give me a droplet of water as a mark of His approval. I waited for a few seconds, took a few steps towards the door, waited again……..then felt a droplet of water on my face……..and then more. It slowly started raining. I rushed inside and brought a bowl to collect the water. The rain continued till afternoon .When the bowl was full , it stopped. I was exhilarated——–can anything compare with that joy?————nothing.

Also, I imagined if God would come and ask me (from a materialistic perspective) —What do you want?(like the fairy who granted 3 wishes in Fairy Tales), I would have just ONE wish to be granted——–that His love is sufficient  to fulfil all my needs. If we love our children, know their desires and what is best for them and have all authority and power, would they have to ask for anything?

• But, there is a fear of God that I want to talk to you about. His Agape (love) produces a fear in us (receivers).You know why? Because God ,in His love for us ,crossed all boundaries. He sacrificed His beloved——PERFECT SON.

This is what I want to tell the world of believers. Not only did the Son feel the agony, but more so Father Himself. When you got hurt in childhood, who got bereaved more—-you or your mother? I am sure your mother did. Even if you could bear the pain, she couldn’t till she saw you well again. Besides this, mothers also want all their children’s sorrows to come upon themselves.

Our Heavenly Father allowed His Son to suffer. He would have preferred to rather suffer Himself but that wouldn’t have fulfilled the purpose of His creation and the perfect sacrifice of the ‘PASSOVER’. Just as Abraham could not offer His own life in place of Isaac’s. That’s easier for parents. In the garden of Gethsemane, we see Lord Jesus at the height of agony asking the Father to take away His cup of suffering.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Mark 14:36

But Father Himself was drinking a cup even more bitter than the Lord’s cup.

When King David was informed about his son, Absalom’s death, he was completely broken. Though Absalom had conspired against him, David still wished that he himself had died in his stead.

And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept:and as he went, thus he said,O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom!would God I had died for thee.O Absalom, my son, my son!

2 Samuel 18:33

• His son jeopardized his father’s life, made plans to kill him but his father still instructed his forces not to harm him. That’s the heart of a father!
• Now think about our Heavenly Father. He has a perfect son and yet he allowed Him to suffer and die a torturous death to ‘buy’our salvation.
• David was oblivious when his son was dying otherwise he would have stopped the act.
• Our Heavenly Father was seeing His son being crucified and taking the burden of the entire creation upon Himself. How much He must have been moved! The Creator ——the Holder of the entire power and authority declared Himself powerless. Why? All because He loves us and wants to save us .He does not want even a single soul to perish.

So, I am ‘afraid’ of asking anything from this loving, compassionate, merciful and longsuffering Father who has already given me the greatest gift of Salvation without asking and deserving.

The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…….

Exodus 34:6,7

• For all those who realize the value of God’s grace upon us and the importance of His Son’s sacrificial death, Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, speaks on our behalf when he tells King David:-

  ….. my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes.

  For all of my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

  2Samuel 19:27,28

• Similarly, we address our King Lord Jesus and surrender at His will asking Him to do that which is right in His eyes. We were all destined for death because of our sins and those of our ancestors yet He gave us the opportunity to become the Father’s children and eat at His table i.e. He prepared a place for us in His Heavenly Kingdom. We are so saturated with His favours that we want to offer Him ‘sacrifices ’ of praise and thanksgiving.

Hebrews 13:15

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

What more can I ask from Him than to have His way in me and make my every thought and action captive in subjection to His will . Because He cares……..

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.

Psalms 139:24

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalms 19:14

 PRAYER

Our gracious Heavenly Father, may we always realize the value of Your unfathomable love and walk in perfect obedience and submission to Your will. Lord, abide in us and make us sanctified vessels of Your glory.

In Jesus’s most precious name,

Amen.

 

–Sol. Neelam Sharma

Then Jonathan said to David, “God be with you. The Lord will make sure that you and I, and your descendants and mine, will for ever keep the sacred promise we have made to each other.” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town. 1 Samuel 20:42

We all want friends, right?  Today let’s understand what is friendship as per the word of God.

God declared that Abraham was his friend. Jesus declare that we are his friend.

Is friendship so important for mankind? Yes, it is important. Let’s read John 15:13-The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them.

In BFF training, my daughter has a vision from God:- she saw that all her friends rejected her and she was weeping badly. Then she saw Jesus and she came near to Him. She worshipped Jesus. This relationship, gave her a place to sit beside Jesus & then all who rejected her bowed down to her because of JESUS.

Our friendship with Christ brings us to divine connections. Let’s learn more about friendship.

Friendships enrich our lives in many ways.

 Friends give us both practical and emotional support when we need it.

Developing and maintaining good friendships takes effort.

 Friends:- are the antidote to the burdens of daily life.

Even science have proved that:- friends can change our view of a challenging situation, and that the mere presence of a friend in the same room can lower our stress. Most of the research on health and relationships is focused on romantic partners. But researchers have found that our friendships actually have a bigger impact on our health. Without fear of judgement you can open your heart to your friend, because A good friend is someone that you tell your innermost secrets to. Good friends are always ready to lend an ear. They are good listener.

I want to make a bold statement here:- your social media friends are not your real/true friends. Now-a-days, people wanted to just increase the number of followers. Is this a true friendship? A big NO. RIGHT?

Jonathan was attracted to David. He was also elder to him. Jonathan always protected David from his father’s attack. Later on when David became the King, he did something that was remarkable & that is not only finding Jonathan’s son, but also gave him the right to eat at his banquet. 2 Samuel 9:13–So Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem, eating all his meals at the king’s table.

The bond between Jonathan and David was so strong that they were unafraid of sharing their feelings for each other. It became a friendship of sacrificial love and loyalty. In the end, the two friends “kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.” (1 Samuel 20:42)

Always remember:-When God is your Friend, He takes you into His confidence. Friendship means freedom in relationship. Like a true friend who wants to share everything with you, God wants to share His glory with us.

Jesus is the friend of people who are willing to admit that they have problems. If we understand that we have issues, if we recognize that we have stuff we cannot conquer, then Jesus is near to us. You don’t have to be good to be Jesus’s friend. You just have to be honest.

A Prayer for Friendship-

Father, Praise You for the opportunity to learn more about the friendships of Jesus through the pages of Your Word. May the lessons and love we read about here today penetrate our hearts and move us into action in our own friendships. May we seek to love and serve our friends as He did, and learn to guard our hearts when necessary. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sol. Priti Jain

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

For everything, God has set a time for its fulfilment. In Ecclesiastes 3, the author has enumerated a whole list of things which depicts that God has an eternal plan according to which everything happens. Difficult to grasp this but what is true is true and therefore we must give ourselves to God as Holy sacrifices allowing the Holy Spirit to fulfil God’s plan in our lives. We see many instances in Bible wherein God confirms this fact again and again:

• Genesis 1 starts with the word “In the beginning…God knows the beginning and the end. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
• Genesis18:14, God said “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son” and further we see in Genesis 21:1-2, at the set time of God, Sarah conceived Isaac. Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise. In His own time, God faithfully brings His promises to pass.
• Joseph who was sold as slave became a ruler and saviour in the Lord’s time.
• All the prophets – David, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk were well aware of the Lord’s appointed time and they all cautioned people of this earth to repent and come back to the Lord.
• In 1 Samuel :16 we see how God asked Samuel to anoint young shepherd David as the King in place of Saul but this was done secretly and God prepared David slowly to be recognised as leader among his people. After a long wait, All the tribes of Israel came to David and anointed him King over Israel. (2 Samuel 5:1-3)

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. (Lamentation 3:25)

• God sent Jesus at the appointed time on this earth although the promise was made in Adam’s time only (Genesis 3:15)
• Lazarus was dead and decaying for four days in that tomb (John 11:17) but Jesus at the appointed time went there and raised Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus knew when his time will come and till that time he patiently waited and did all that His father asked him to do. He waited for 30 years before starting his public ministry and after knowing that His time has come to fulfil the promise of God, he embraced death.

We all are in this time of waiting and when we don’t see the desired thing happening in our live, we baffle and rely on our own strength to make things happen with no success. God has not kept anything secret from us. We need to constantly remind ourselves when this clouds of uncertainty and fear of future take over us that we are His chosen bride who will join the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7) and will be with the Lord till eternity.

“….God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:3-4

Testimony

Gradually I believe I am acknowledging that God’s timing is perfect timing and am learning to wait patiently for things to happen in my life in the midst of all the trials although I have to go a long way.

As Jesus said in Matthew 24:42, Let us all stay alert! We don’t know what day the Lord is coming.

Sol. Neha

“And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful , he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God!”

Luke 18:24

Praise the Lord. Glory to God Almighty.  “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”

Mathew 6: 21

When I  meditate on this verse the Holy Spirit guides me to remember a passage from Luke 16:19-23. There Jesus  Christ told his disciples about the actual  experience of a rich man and a beggar .

“ Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you , that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my father which is in heaven”.

 Mathew 18:10

Beggar stayed at the gate of richman, and was neglected by him. He didn’t take it seriously , didn’t have the mind to extend his hands to care for the beggar.

Lazarus was laid at his  gate with sores all over the body. Foul smelling copious discharge from the sores which attracted flies and it was licked by dogs.  Lazarus was out of his control and even his condition was deteriorating day by day. But for this rich man he didn’t have a courtesy  to  arrange for a medical assistance.

“ Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thine hand to do it”( Proverb  3:27)

The richman had everything in plenty, but his heart didn’t have a thought to help Lazarus. Lazarus was struggling for his bread and medical illness . no one there to help Lazarus  even the rich man also. How the hearts of richman were diverted to selfish and worldly things.

            “If a man says, ” I Love God and hateth his brother, he is a liar. That he who loveth God love his brother also” ( 1 John 4: 20,21)

The richman stored his wealth in the earthly kingdom. He followed the commandments but didn’t have fruits of the Holy Spirit.

 The Bible says  after the death of both,  Lazarus was comforted in Abraham’s lap. The richman was in hell. This is a warning for us, let us look into our life. Where are we now?. Are we manifesting the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our life?. If not, ask for forgiveness to God and repent. 

Prayer

Let us pray. Heavenly father we come before you, Forgive us and  enrich us with the Holy Spirit to follow your steps.

We ask in Jesus name

Amen.

–Sol.G. Kamalin Viji

“Come To Me,All You Who Labour And Are Heavy Laden, And I Will Give You Rest. “

Mathew 11:28

If we are humble and have trust in God,we can entrust our concerns,worries,anxieties to God.

HUMBLE Means

obeying the word of God. It is as if we are acknowledging that we cannot handle it on our own, while God can.

The basis of such trust is love of God.His love is agape love not relative but absolute.We need not have any guilt feelings for our moral and spiritual failings.We just need to stand still , repent and accept His love.Our personal relationship with God through His son make everything possible.We have to surrender our past, present and future to Him.

Isaiah 30:15 says that,”In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength ….”

He is always inviting us” come to me”. It is our choice whether to answer and follow.He promised that He will give us rest. The Israelites failed to enter that rest because of their unbelief.(Hebrew 3:19).
(Mathew 11:28)This verse is a water to a man in a desert who is dying of thirst. God does not promise a life devoid of hardships,” weary and burdened”is a perfect way to describe the state of men and women on the earth, in today’s hurried society.

Psalms 55:22 says that,”Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee, He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved”.

To cast all our cares upon Him requires trust-a complete surrender of our will for His. It provides freedom from the bondages of fear and anxiety.We live in a fallen world so we have many responsibilities Demanding work schedules,sick children,aging parents,unexpected health crisis or may be loss of income. Whatever may be the case cares and anxieties will be there. He knows what we are going through and wants to help. He wants to see our faith in action like that of Abraham But despite all this, with Christ we can have peace and Joy.

The above verses sustained me in the face of my afflictions and gave me peace and Joy.Even now I am doing the same and God is faithful.

Father God , thank you for the comforting Words and gives us peace and Joy
Amen

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Sol.Gigi Jacob

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They made his spirit bitter

  They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.

 Psa 106:32-33

Today while I was reading, I got the answer which I was seeking for a long time. We all know about how Moses disobeyed God and about the penalty he had to pay was losing entry into the land of Canaan. I used to wonder why such a great man with whom the Lord was conversing like a friend, could disobey God.  Today  I came to know the  reason.

“It went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter.

It is because the people made his spirit bitter.

He expressed it in his dealings with God. And got the punishment.

There was no enquiry, trial regarding why Moses acted like it etc. The verdict came immediately.

If there were a trial, Moses would have been spared of the punishment because his lawyer would have brought all the good things he did for God, all the sacrifices he underwent to liberate the people of Israel from the captivity of Egypt etc. And certainly  he would have been acquitted. But things did not turn in his favour.

He provoked the Lord and got a permanent punishment. We see Moses repenting and pleading with the Lord many times after this. But the verdict of the Lord was unchangeable. Rather the Lord asked him to stop talking about it.

“But the LORD was angry with me ……And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again”. 

Deu 3:26 

Dear readers, Christianity is nothing but a relationship with God and people.. From the beginning of the world, people had  various ideas about God and that is why God sent His Son Jesus Christ among us to show us the Father and His love towards us.

We all know about our worldly fathers, his temperament, his likes and dislikes, when he will get  provoked,  how he can be provoked etc. And you would be careful not to provoke him so that you will be in his good books.  It is our duty to know more and more  about our Heavenly Father. How He can be provoked, once provoked how long He remains angry etc.

You may be a righteous servant of God doing good ministry, never provoking Him. But our enemy will become jealous of you and this and in order to disturb your good relationship with God, he will bring temptations through people who are around you, rather those who are very close to you. It can happen with your own family members, own kith and kin, own husband, wife or own children. If and when such things happen we should have the wisdom to discern

• Where this has come from – Either from our corrupt nature or from the enemy
• For what purpose – to disturb our relationship with God
• What I should do – Never give in for negative feelings like bitterness, disappointment, quitting, mistrust, disbelief, coming to wrong conclusions etc.
• How to keep yourself unaffected – By surrendering this situation to God and remaining serene. He will deal with it. (Ps 55:22, Phil 4:6-7)
• Result if you fail to do so – Losing peace, balance of mind, allowing  your disturbed mind react with everybody whom you deal with and bring discomfort and confusion everywhere..

We see No. 5 happened in Moses in his dealing with God.

 Christian life makes a person mature enough  to have a balanced relationship with both God and the people whom you deal with in your daily life. But disaster may come to you if you do not have  a balanced relationship with people around you. Never allow anyone to disturb your mental peace.  They may provoke you to any extent,   but your closeness with God will make you mature enough to deal with everyone peacefully.

Testimony

I am learning this slowly and steadily every day. In the past 70 years of my life, I have 1000s of incidents where I have provoked my Father.  But He has been patient with me.  Thank you Lord for teaching me this lesson everyday little by little. Make me still more patient, amicable, adjustable, never getting provoked by others and enemies so that I can approach you always with an obedient listening  heart..

Sr. Angelica AOJ.