Let us trust.

How many times have we declared our total trust in the saving arm of the Lord and in His promises. Yet at crucial times, we cower and become perplexed, doubting God's promises for our lives. Luke 1: 26-38, tells us of the annunciation of the birth of Jesus. At such a time, and in such circumstances, Mary decided to accept wholly, God's plan and purpose for her life, accepting the assurance of His words through His messenger.

Meditating on this message of trust, I penned down these verses:

His promises are sure and stable
yet we doubt if He is able.
He assures us of His hand, mighty to save,
but we wander whether we can be that brave,
to accept all that He says.
"My promises are yea and amen" He iterates
But our thoughts are whirling
confused in all our ways.
He calls us to trust, to let go
but we think thats too easy, God is too slow.
He is the one who formed us and knows what we'll need.
Let us give Him our hearts, our minds, our total being.
Let us trust.

This trust is more than we think;
It is hanging unto Him, even when we are at death's brink.
Like the three in the fiery furnace,
unwilling to turn away from their master,
despite this menace.
It is battling the doubt in our minds,
though it keeps returning, after a flooring in round nine.
It is keeping the words we have read,
refusing to let our feelings take hold, instead.
It is constantly returning to Him in prayer,
reminding ourselves that He is the saviour.
It is moving ahead with His plan,
even when fear shouts back at us: 'RUN!!'
It is embedding ourselves in His hands,
totally consumed by His Love.
It is smiling, when the waves rise with all its might
understanding, that in Him everything is alright.
He is the one who formed us and knows what we'll need.
Let us give Him our hearts, our minds, our total being.
Lets us trust.

a thought on Daniel 3: 8-18

I found this piece in Matthew Henry's concise commentary, on Daniel 3: 8-18. Kindly make some time to study the scripture, then take a look at Matthew Henry's write-up below. God bless you.

True devotion calms the spirit, quiets and softens it, but superstition and devotion to false gods inflame men's passions. The matter is put into a little compass, Turn, or burn. Proud men are still ready to say, as Nebuchadnezzar, Who is the Lord, that I should fear his power? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not hesitate whether they should comply or not. Life or death were not to be considered. Those that would avoid sin, must not parley with temptation when that to which we are allured or affrighted is manifestly evil. Stand not to pause about it, but say, as Christ did, Get thee behind me, Satan. They did not contrive an evasive answer, when a direct answer was expected. Those who make their duty their main care, need not be anxious or fearful concerning the event. The faithful servants of God find him able to control and overrule all the powers armed against them. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. If He be for us, we need not fear what man can do unto us. God will deliver us, either from death or in death. They must obey God rather than man; they must rather suffer than sin; and must not do evil that good may come. Therefore none of these things moved them. The saving them from sinful compliance, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace, as the saving them out of the fiery furnace was in the kingdom of nature. Fear of man and love of the world, especially want of faith, make men yield to temptation, while a firm persuasion of the truth will deliver them from denying Christ, or being ashamed of him. We are to be meek in our replies, but we must be decided that we will obey God rather than man.

Take the limits off !

Jesus was from the city of Nazareth in the region of Galilee. The Galileans were a people treated with contempt as can be seen in Nathaniel's statement in John 1:46 and the pharisees' in John 7:52. History tells us of how the Galileans are a people of a mixed origin due to the various wars and other occurrences, within that region. Thus they were looked down upon by the other purely Jewish people.

Jesus' manner of arrival on earth, where He chose to be born, the people He decided to associate with, all point to the fact that the Lord does take into consideration our 'lowly' human circumstances and is not restricted by the artificial boundaries we have built, either for ourselves or for others. his motives and actions transcends these things and He wills to do and to act in us to bring His name the glory. The question is; are we willing to set aside these limitations in order to allow the Lord through? He seeks to burst forth in our lives to showcase His glory to all the world. Today He urges us to take the limits off and allow Him to have His way in our lives.

Directions.

The Pharisees studied scripture diligently, as Jesus attested to this in John 5: 39, to know who the messiah was. Yet they could not recognize Jesus, the anointed one, as He stood just before them. The only way we can truly understand scripture, is when we study diligently with the inspiration and direction of the Holy spirit. We need to allow Him to reveal His word to us and to give us what the Lord seeks seeks to convey.

May we be constantly receptive to the promptings of His Spirit, as He directs us through His word.

Found.

The man healed by Jesus at the pool by the Sheep Gate in John 5, could not tell the Jews who his healer was because he had immediately left Jesus, after receiving his healing, and was not able to establish a relationship with Him. The beauty of this story is found is verse 14, where we are informed that " Later Jesus found him..." Even though this man ignored Jesus after the miracle, yet Jesus sought him out! What a loving God we serve.

He seeks to have a relationship with us and consequently, uses all means possible to get us to come to Him, including miracles. The essence of the miracles, breakthroughs, open doors and opportunities are not meant for us to walk away in exhilaration, but to walk towards Him in anticipation. An anticipation fueled by the desire to know Him more and to enter into a relationship with Him. Today Jesus is once more knocking at your heart's door, through these words and He is asking you to allow Him in. The Lord has found us, may we say yes to Him.

miracle of grace.

"O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me." ~ Hosea 14:8

Neither the pine nor the cypress bear any fruit, useful for food. It is probable then that here too the prophet fills out one image by another and says that restored Israel, the Church of God, or the soul in grace, should not only have beauty and majesty, but what is not, in the way of nature, found united therewith, fruitfulness also. From Me is thy fruit found; as our Lord says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches" John 15:5. Human nature, by itself, can as little bear fruit well-pleasing to God, as the pine or cypress can bear fruit for human use. As it were a miracle in nature, were these trees to bring forth such fruit, so, for man to bring forth fruits of grace, is a miracle of grace. The presence of works of grace attests the immediate working of God the Holy Spirit, as much as any miracle in nature.

Taken from Barnes' notes on the Bible.

Assessment

The noise of this world can sometimes block our vision of our goal; the desired destination we wish to be in the Lord. We are constantly being battered by different distractions, from within ourselves and without. In Jeremiah 7: 24, the Lord describes the people of Israel as moving backwards instead of forwards, in their journey with Him. This was because their hearts had turned from Him.

How far have you come with the Lord? Are you still on the path to knowing Him more each day in fulfilling your spiritual objective? Today is the 16th day of the third month- how far have you come?. Let us make some time to assess ourselves and to know whether we are still on this path of continual growth, in the Lord.

Practice and Teach

Today, the word of God is very common. Gone are the ages when the only time the word of God could be heard or read, was in the various temples of worship. In our days, we hear His word from radios, television, internet and further more, Bible apps on our phones, with very interesting features, enabling us broaden our understanding of His word. I believe the generation of today has received a lot of revelation concerning His word, and inadvertently, we would like to share or teach this understanding we have received.

A typical example of this paradigm, can be seen in the number of Christian blogs we have today; expanding on verses, making clear some perspectives, broadening discussions, etc. However the question that comes to mind is; Do we practice what we teach? Are we actualizing these lessons in our lives, even as we bring them out to give to others? I pray that this question sounds a chord in our minds and hearts, which will resonate through us, a deep sense of introspection - Practice and Teach.

respond NOT reject.

" When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them" ( Matthew 21: 45, NIV).

The next verse, 46, talks about how they looked for a way to arrest Jesus. These men, highly regarded in that society, knew that Jesus was speaking directly to their hearts through the words of his parables. However, instead of adapting a heart of repentance, they adapted a heart of resistance. They were being called to change but they refused, and rather conspired to get rid of the one constantly calling them.

How do we respond to the word of God? The book of Hebrews describes the word, as a double edge sword. It cuts our hearts and rends it into two. It shears our consciences and brings down our mental barriers. It shows us who we truly are; a mirror to our souls. But then after all this, how do we respond to such actions? Do we refuse to change because of our status in society, or because of the fear of rejection? He calls to our hearts again and again. May we respond to Him and not reject Him. AMEN.

Know who you are

In the parable of the prodigal son, the elder brother was indignant towards his father for accepting his wasteful bother. This was because he did not understand his inheritance. In Luke 15: 31, the father responded: "My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours." He had all, yet was envious of the little his father had given to this brother. Let us understand who we are in Christ; When we do, we will not be shaken by any circumstances that might occur. May we study and meditate on these scriptures to broaden our perspective of our inheritance:

I am accepted
John 1:12- I am God’s child.
John 15:15- I am Jesus’ friend.
Romans 5:1- I have been justified.
1 Cor. 6:20 -I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.
Ephesians 1:5- I have been adopted as God’s child.
Colossians 1:14- I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sin.
Colossians 2:10 -I am complete in Christ.

I am secure
Romans 8:12 -I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 -I am assured that all things work together for good.
Romans 8:35-39- I cannot be separated from God’s love.
Philippians 1:6 -I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected.
Colossians 3:3 -I am hidden with Christ in God.
2 Timothy 1:7- I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 -I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant
John 15:1,5- I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life.
Acts 1:8 -I am a personal witness of Christ.
1 Cor. 3:9- I am God’s co-worker.
Ephesians 2:6- I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10- I am God’s workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 -I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 -I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The "WORD" effect

"

1Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

2But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

4Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous." (Psalm 1 :1-5, NIV) emphasis,mine.

"

7But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

8He will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”(Jeremiah 17: 7-8, NIV) emphasis, mine.

...to serve, and not to be served.

One of the themes that strongly comes out from the Crucifixion of Christ, is humility. The fact that God Himself came down to take the form of man, and be tortures and killed by man, just to save him, show s the true meaning of humility. In our societal setting, the greats are those who espouse power and lord it over people. However in the law of God's kingdom, the greats are those who choose to serve first, and see to the needs of others.

Over the years, many people have used this heavenly law to campaign, whiles referring to themselves as servants of the people; but are they? Today the Lord is calling us to understand what true greatness is. He draws our minds ever so increasingly to focus on His crucifix, especially in as we prepare for Easter. We need to draw the lesson of humility from the Lord as we see the God of heaven and earth outstretched on a piece of wood. He came not " to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28 NIV.)

Sacrficing the "Isaacs"

Genesis 22: 1-18, records the story of Abraham, asked by God to sacrifice Isaac. The Bible indicates that Abraham woke up early the next morning and set off to carry through the command of the Lord. I wander the turmoil that was going through his mind as he climbed the mountain to sacrifice the promised son he had waited for, for so long. This story further reinforces Abraham as the father of faith. In verse 15, the Lord blessed him because he had not "withheld" his son from Him, though He had intervened and Isaac was not harmed. However, I believe the Lord blessed him because He saw that Abraham had sacrificed Isaac in his heart. Isaac was not the priority in Abraham's heart but the Lord was. The Lord tested Abraham to ascertain his loyalty, and he passed.

Having journeyed with the Lord for such a time, is He still the priority in our lives? Have we allowed what we have desired and wanted to take center stage in our hearts? Today, He is calling us to sacrifice these "Isaacs" to Him on the altar of our hearts. He wants to be the first in our lives, He seeks our total loyalty.

The Golden Rule.

Matthew 7:7; nicknamed the golden rule, is employed in so many other religions, from Buddhism to Islam. However, for us, this command is exceptional. The position of this verse just after Jesus had spoken of how much our Father in heaven gives good gifts, to those who ask Him ( Matthew 7:7-11), makes the golden rule much more unique.

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus begins His statement with "So"; Implying that the reason for treating others as we would like to be treated is that, we seek to glorify the father as we imitate His generosity. The aim of the golden rule is not for us to be seen as being highly moraled, but to point to Jesus and the Father. Consequently, we must not relent to treat others, as we would, ourselves, even when we don't receive a similar response. This is because, this command comes from Jesus and also because the Father is kind and generous to us, regardless of our response to Him (i.e to His love).

This command in more cases than not, seems very difficult to accomplish. I however believe that it will be easier when the motive for carrying it out, is not self glorification but the glorification of the Lord. We pray for grace to carry this word through; that we would treat others as we would treat ourselves, because of the Lord.

Pray for the kings.

Jonah was given a second chance in Jonah 3, after he had been vomited out by the fish. He heeded to the command of the Lord and went straight into Nineveh. The love and compassion of our Lord was fully exhibited as He spared his life though Jonah had plainly disobeyed Him. The Bible informs us about how Jonah preached assiduously, covering the whole town in a day instead of three; job well done!! However what struck me the most, was the attitude of the king. He set aside his royal robes, covered himself with dust, wore sackcloth (a symbol of humility and repentance) and called upon God. He went further to promulgate a decree/law throughout his vast land, commanding everybody and everything to do the same; What a leader!

We are often very critical of our leaders, which is all well and good. But the question is: How many of us spare some time to intercede for them?. Will our world not be a better place if our leaders are "cut in the heart" with the Gospel of God, influencing their actions and the laws they pass? Today lets leave the criticisms for a while and get down on our knees in prayer. You can begin by joining me to pray:

" Father, we thank you for our leaders.
We thank you for their lives and the roles they play in it.
We humbly ask for your mercy upon those who have strayed so far from you,
for those who have contradicted the purposes for which you placed them in those offices
for those who have abused the power you have given them
for those who have led their people astray, from you.
We humbly ask that you shall touch the hearts of all leaders in the world with your gospel;
that their actions or inaction, at all times will seek to glorify your name,
that they will lead the people to lives that glorify your name
that your wisdom will be their number one counselor
that regardless of the pressures of this world, their stronghold will forever be you
that their lives shall be one that points their people to you.
In the name of Jesus, we pray,
AMEN."