TURN AWAY FROM IDOLS

” Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the Lord your God ” Leviticus 19:4.

                                         The longest river Nile, is the living river and it is very important to Egypt in the past and in the present. Israelites were treated as slaves in Egypt and the people used the river Nile for drinking water and fishing. At the same time, they worshipped the Nile as their goddess. Hence, the Lord revealed His anger by sending the very first plague of turning the Nile water blood. The Egyptians idol- worshipped the sun by naming that as ” Ra “, their god. Instead of worshipping the Creator, they worshipped the creation and hence the Lord sent the nineth plague of darkness throughout the land for three days, whereas the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Not only that, the Egyptians made idols of frogs, respected them as their gods and worshipped them. For this trespass, the Lord sent the frogs and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. The Lord judged and punished the Egyptians by whichever things they gave importance and worshipped as their gods. In our life, do we give more importance to any of our family members or wealth or anything than the Lord Almighty? Do we consider them as our idols? Let us sanctify ourselves and give first and top most priority to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and be blessed by Him.

” Dear Lord, You are the Lord of lords, there is none mighty and holy like You; Yours O Lord, is the Kingdom; You are exalted as Head over all. Let me not turn to idol of any kind. In Jesus’Name I pray “.—Amen.

THE LORD KNOWS YOU

” Before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born “.Jeremiah 1:5.

                                              Billy worked in a coal mine. His son Bonny was standing at the gateway and was eagerly looking for his father’s arrival. An engineer who came that side asked him for whom he was waiting. He said that he was waiting for his father. That engineer replied that Bonny could not identify his father as 700 workers would come out of the coal mine at the same time after finishing their work and moreover they would be wearing the same type of helmets and their faces would be black due to the particles of coal. He also told the boy to go home. But Bonny firmly said that his father would identify him and come to him. Beloved in Christ, we have the Lord Almighty who knows us personally and He knows our worries, tears, sickness and also our needs. When we trust Him, the Lord is good and He is our Refuge in times of troubles and He cares for us. In Corinthians 8:3, we see ” The man who loves God is known by God “. God has chosen the weak things to confound the mighty; He has chosen the foolish things to confound the wise. Christ is our Wisdom, Righteousness,Sanctification and Redemption. How wonderful it is to have such a Mighty God,our Father at our side !.

” Dear Lord, I thank You for You know me and love me with an everlasting love. Help me to keep loving You with all my heart and soul. In Jesus’Name I pray “.–Amen

BIBLE QUIZ ( 61 )

QUESTIONS:

1. Who plotted the execution of John the Baptist?

2. The Ethiopian eunuch that Philip witnessed to, was the servant of which queen?

3. Who is the most mentioned man in the Bible?

4. What king, mentioned 1118 times in the Bible, is the second most mentioned man ?

5. This prophet was the performer of many miracles and the successor to another great prophet.

6. This court prophet confronted king David with his adultery.

7. Who heard the voice of Jesus many months after the Jesus’ ascension to heaven?

8. What epistle mentions an archangel’s voice in connection with the resurrection of believers?

9. What apostle claimed that the prophets , in writing of the Coming Christ, were writing for later generation?

10.Who told the Jews that the Scriptures had testified about Him?

ANSWERS:

1. Herodias, wife of Herod   ( St.Matthew 14:3-8 )

2. Candace   ( Acts 8:27-38 )

3. Jesus

4. David

5. Elisha   ( 1&2 Kings )

6. Nathan   ( 2 Samuel, 1 Kings )

7. Paul   ( Acts 9:4 )

8. 1 Thessalonians   ( 4:2 )

9. Peter   ( 1 Peter 1:10-12 )

10.Jesus   ( St.John 5:39-40 )

MIND YOUR WORDS

” When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise” Proverbs 10:19.

                                          The control of one’s tongue, is a show of wisdom. It is unusual for one to be a constant talker without committing sin and defaming the character of someone. In a Research it is found that, man talks 29,000 words but a woman talks 35,000 words a day. Usually women finish their kitchen work quickly and like to chat with other women. By talking ill of others, we loose our goodness and the blessings and create unnecessary problems. Miriam loved his brother Moses very much. When Hebrew male children were killed, she kept him safely in a papyrus basket and made it float in a river and kept watch over it. When Pharaoh’s daughter took the basket, she spoke wisely and brought their mother to nurse the child. She was very happy to see Moses , leading the Israelites. But she spoke with Aaron against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married. The anger of the Lord was kindled against them and Miriam became leprous, white as snow.Moses didnot defend himself, but God promptly intervened and punished Miriam for talking excessively. Let us be beware of gossiping and talking ill of others which will produce disastrous results. A perfect Christian  is one who does not offend others. Shall we be like that one ?

” Dear Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and let me not hurt others by my words. Let me check my words and speak soft, gentle and edifying words . In Jesus’Name I pray “. –Amen.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

” A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another “. St.John 13:34.

                                                         In D.L.Moodi’s Church, in the Easter Service, “Christ’s  Ascension  Scene”, was enacted. The person who acted like Jesus, was to be lifted up by a crane. In the midst of wonderful decoration of clouds, the actor spread his hands and was ready to be taken up. The crane lifted him up and when it reached the roof of that place, it developed some repair and the actor fastly came down. Fortunately, he got no wounds. The congregation was excited but the actor somehow or other managed himself and said cutely,” I have forgotten to tell one thing. Love one another “. Indeed Jesus Christ emphasized ” Love “, in all his messages. Before Crucifixion, when He washed the legs of his disciples, He taught them many virtues and the most important one is  ” Love “. Do we practise that love in our life? Then why are there Old Age homes? The Divine Love of Christ should be first practised in our families and then it will spread its fragrance to others. We may go to Church, support ministries, speak in tongues, but all these without love is like a resounding gong in the sight of the Lord.

” Dear Lord, I am grateful, for You loved me first with an everlasting love. Fill me with Your Divine Love and help me to show this love to others and share Your Goodness to them . In Jesus’Name I pray “.–Amen.

GENEROSITY IN GIVING

” For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you “. St.Luke 6:38.

                                                           Usually, people do not like the sermon or message on  ” Giving to God and to His Ministry “. They argue that God does not need our money, as the earth and everything in it is the Lord’s. The fact is that God wants to bless each and every one of us according to our attitude of giving. Let us ponder over this following story. A beggar led his life with the rice he got by begging from house to house in that area. One day, he stood at the side of a street and begged. At that time, he saw a millionaire coming in his chariot and expected a large sum from him. Anxiously he went near the chariot, but quite unexpectedly the millionaire got down from his chariot, stretched out his hands and begged for alms from the beggar. The beggar took a handful of rice, then he thought that there was no need to give a handful to the millionaire and so he gave him only one grain. He received it happily and sped in his chariot. At night, the beggar spread all the rice he had collected on a plate and was surprised to see one shining golden grain. At that time, he felt sorry for not giving the millionaire a handful of grains as his status would have changed completely. God is not too poor to receive from us , but He likes to bless us according to our giving , as whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

” Dear Lord, let me be generous in meeting the needs of God’s people and overflow in my expression of giving thanks to You. Let the Grace of God abound in me. In Jesus’Name I pray “.–Amen.

IN THE EYES OF THE LORD

” The oracle of one who hears the Words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate and whose eyes are opened “. Numbers 24:16.

                                                       A missionary organisation planned to build a big Bible college in South Africa. They needed a huge area about the size of a village. Roody Lock was asked to visit the place to determine whether to buy or not. Roody Lock and his friend walked for about a kilometre in that area. They were physically tired and also had mental depression. They could buy that huge area but how could they manage that big college with many buildings, furniture, staff and other requirements for the students and so on. On seeing the depression of Roody Lock, his friend said that he had a small helicopter and they could survey that place from the helicopter. When the helicopter flew up, gradually the big buildings and the vast area grew smaller and their faith in God grew bigger. Then they realised that in the Sight of the Almighty, their big plan seemed very small and with the Heavenly Strength, they could manage things easily. The problems we face in our day today life, may seem to be large in our human eyes but in the Eyes of the Lord, it is very tiny and could be solved easily with the Heavenly Strength. So let us look up and with God, mountains become molehills.

” Dear Lord, I admit my inability but with Your Divine Strength, I can do things marvellously. Lord, bless me and keep me and make Your Face shine upon me. In Jesus’Name I pray “.–Amen.

PRESS ON TOWARDS THE GOAL

” I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus “. Philippians 3:14.

                                             Once, a king who had no issues, was searching for a bold and courageous youth to succeed him. He announced a competition and a person who would win in the competition, would be crowned as the next king. Many young men came to participate in the competition. The old king brought a bucket full of water and the competitor should reach the destination without spilling a single drop. If he spills a single drop, both his hands would be cut off. On hearing this, many people backslided and one brave youth came forward and got the bucket. On his either side two soldiers walked with him with a sword in their hands. He took a step and walked step by step carefully. Huge crowd gathered. On his right side , people encouraged him and wished him to come out successfully. But on his left side some mischievous youth discouraged him, saying that his head would be cut off soon. Without paying heed to anything, he pressed on towards his goal and won the race and was crowned by the king. Then the old king gave him, his sword and told him to cut off those who discouraged him and wish those who encouraged him. But the youth said that he listened to nothing and his whole thought was on water and reaching the destination. In our Christian life journey, our only goal should be getting into Heaven. Let us press toward the mark that is we pursue the whiteline ( Heaven )  in the stadium, upon which all the runners must keep their eyes fixed. Let nothing divert us from reaching that goal.

” Dear Lord, in all my endeavour, let me focus on the goal of Christian life and attain the high calling of God in Christ. In Jesus’Name I pray “.–Amen.

All Souls Day

“What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” St.Matthew 16:26

                 November 2nd is observed as  ‘All Souls Day’ subsequent to ‘All Saints Day’ (Nov 1st). It is a day of tribute and offering prayer for the beloved ones and friends who have gone for their heavenly abode. All souls Day is also recognised as Feast of All Souls and tribute of all the faithful departed. The choice of the date November 2nd is credited to St.Odilo, since he wanted to pursue the illustration of Cheny in offering special prayers and songs for the Dead on the day subsequent to the banquet of All Saints.

It is a day of giving alms and prayers for the deceased souls. Many Christians visit cemetries where their beloved ones are buried. Candles and flowers are placed on the graves while offering prayers for the departed souls. Then intent is for the living to assist those in purgatory and pray for their souls to rest in peace. The Psalmist David requests the Lord to heal his soul of sin. Soul healing is mentioned only one time while bodily healing is mentioned hundreds of times in Scripture. In our God given life span,we ought to realise the value of our souls and lead a righteous life following Jesus Christ. Even if we gain the whole world but lose our souls, the condition is pitiable. Let us be aware of the second coming of Jesus Christ and save our souls and other souls for Jesus Christ.

“Dear Lord, let the souls of my beloved departed rest in peace. Let me be aware of the immense value of my soul and lead a righteous life so as to be accepted by You on Your second Advent. In Jesus’ Name I pray”. -Amen

BIBLE QUIZ ( 60 )

QUESTIONS:

1. What king of Israel built Penuel ?

2. What king of Judah built up the defenses of Bethlehem ?

3. Which city was the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus ?

4. Which Philistine city was the home to Goliath ?

5. Who took thirteen years to build his palace ?

6. Who referred to the future Jerusalem temple as a ” Palace for the  Lord  God “?

7. Where did Abraham go when famine struck ?

8. What king endured famine because Saul had slain Gibeonites ?

9. Which town was the scene of feast where Jesus was anointed with expensive perfume ?

10.Who was given a banquet by king Ahasuerus when his beauty contest was over ?

ANSWERS:

1. Jeroboam    ( 1Kings 12:25 )

2. Rehoboam    ( 2 Chronicles 11:6 )

3. Bethany    ( John 11 )

4. Gath    ( 1 Samuel 17:4 )

5. Solomon     ( 1 Kings 7: 1-12 )

6. David     ( 1 Chronicles 29: 1,19 )

7. Egypt    ( Genesis 12:10 )

8. David    ( 2 Samuel 21:1 )

9. Bethany    ( John 12: 1-8 )

10.Esther    ( 2: 17,18 ).