I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today is from the book of Amos 5:4 “For thus says, the Lord to the House of Israel, “Seek Me and Live.”
From the above context we learn through Amos the prophet of God, who emphasises the people of Israel to “seek God.” For Amos, “to seek God” means seeking good, doing justice and rightness, worshiping God in the right way, and seeking the word of the Lord. Then they would receive the assurance which God had promised to Israel, that “They would live” and prosper. The Word of God, “Seek ye Me and ye shall live” – describes the Wonderful conciseness of the prophet who speaks about, man’s duty and his reward. To seek God is to live. For to seek God is to find Him, and God is Life and the Source of life. But the seeking is diligent seeking.
“Seek Me,” that is, seek God for Himself, not for anything out of Him and not for His gifts, not just to obtain something from Him for this is not seeking Him purely. All is found in Him, but by seeking Him first, and then loving Him in all,” You shall live,” God will help you by prolonging your life, then He will help you to escape from your enemy; then give you the grace to live a better life. As the Psalmist, says, in his psalms, “your heart shall live who seek God” Amen.
Amos prophesied, during the period of the reign of Jeroboam II, which was a period of great prosperity and of great corruption. Amos, was accustomed to the simple life of a shepherd. He was provoked to anger at the signs of misused wealth and selfish luxury that he saw everywhere. Amos’s first call to Israel is but the echo of God’s call to men, always and everywhere. All circumstances, all inward experiences, joy and sorrow, prosperity and disaster, our longings and our fears, they all cry aloud to us to seek His face. Amos’s promise is true still, to those who seek God. There is no surer way of promoting true well-being than seeking God. ‘The fundamental principle of Amos’s teaching is an eternal truth, that to seek God is to find Him, and to find Him is life.
Having read this message I am sure that God has touched, you through His word and that you might seek him, and not postpone. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the accepted time. “Today, if only you would hear God’s voice, and do not harden your hearts.” Then you will be blessed. Then you will shine both in your spiritual and material life. Therefore Seek God and Live. When you seek God you shall be blessed. You will prosper in all walks of your life. Be it in your education or in your business, or in your family life or in the life of your children you will find the mercy of God. I pray God grant you the wisdom to Seek God above all things in life. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord we thank you for telling us through this message that we need to seek God above all things in life. Teach us to refrain ourselves from all worldly life and Seek His face. Strengthen us in the Lord. May we give up all that is ungodly and live according to the commandments of God and the instruction of prophet Amos to the people of Israel.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today, is from the book of Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
From the above context, we understand that our God calls us to come unto Him and take rest under the shade of His mighty arms. In this world there will be tribulation and trials. There will be sorrow and pain because we have to labour for our living. Since we are subjected to hard labour and work we easily become tired and worn out hence God calls us to take rest.
The heavy yoke of bondage to sin is a weighty burden we all have to carry on the treadmill of life, which causes physical weariness, spiritual fatigue and emotional exhaustion. But Christ’s invitation to “COME”, brings rest to the weary, comfort for the hurting, solace to the heavily laden and rest for the soul. Jesus is the well-spring of Life and the Light that has come into the world, to give hope to all who will trust on His name. Christ alone is the One Who can heal the hurting, rescue the perishing and save a sinner for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. Jesus came into the world, to show us the Father God. He shines forth the radiance of the glory of God, for He is the exact image of God, and upholds all things by the word of His power. The invitation from Jesus has no limitations. He will turn no one away. He alone can lift the heavy yoke of bondage to sin, which weighs down the burdened heart. He alone can heal the broken-hearted, rescue those that are perishing and set the captive free from the weighty burden of sin. And His invitation is open to all who will believe on His name.
You may have great troubles and trials in this world. But God will cause. His grace to fall upon you. You will receive the fruit of blessing in your hand. In the past, you might have experienced much sorrow. You might have lost your job, your loved one, your business might have been a failure, and there was no one to lift you up, And so you might have even lost your hope. But in future God wants to do something good through you. You might be wondering as to how God is going to help you in this year 2020 when all things are so weird and disappointing. Many of you reading this message are thinking “what good can happen in my life?” We have lost everything and what can we hope for? Well there was a king by name Asa, He sought God and so he was blessed. He said, “Come let us build these cities. And make walls, and towers, and gates and bars around them, for we have sought Him and He has given us rest, on every side. So they built and prospered.”
All things are possible to them that believe. If only you will believe, you will see the glory of God. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of the things not seen. “Come to Me,” is an invitation for the broken-hearted soul and burdened sinner. Therefore COME, just as you are. “Come unto Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden.”Come and take rest. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Thank You Lord, because we can come close to You, knowing that the barrier of sin has been removed. Thank You for giving us true rest for our soul and perfect peace in our heart and even in the midst of any storm Your peace that passes human understanding remains forever. Thank You for inviting us to come unto You and take rest.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given you for today is from the book of Matthews 25:21. His Lord said to him, “Well done good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things I will make you a ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
In this context we see that the master was going on a long journey so he gave talents to each of his servant, according to his own ability. And when He came back He asked them what they had done with their talents. The one who received five talents said that he had gained five more talents. The one who received two talents said, he had gained two more talents besides them. But the one who received one talent said,“ ‘Master, ’I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” His master was very much displeased with his servant, so he said, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest”
His Lord appreciated his other servants who made good profit of the talents given to them. So said unto his servant, well done, My good and faithful servant, you have done well. You know that you cannot do anything by yourself, without the help of God. For you know you can do nothing well of your selves, and when you have done all you can, you acknowledge that all you do is owing to the grace of God. You are a good and faithful servant: who have the grace of God implanted in you, You have begun a good work and possess good qualities, and abilities, without which you can never be good servants to your master. You have been faithful over a few things: so the master said, “I will make you ruler over many things.”
Confidence in an unfaithful man is painful and vexatious; for when we put any stress on him, he not only fails, but makes us suffer because of it. A faithful servant by serving his master to the expectation of his master and to the best of his capacity, gains confidence of his master, such that his Master entrusts him with bigger opportunities that needs greater responsibility, for the master is now, confident that his servant is capable of doing the given task perfectly. While we observe the shepherd boy David we see his faithfulness in tending his father’s sheep. David refers to integrity and uprightness as the attributes that will preserve him. And David exhibited both integrity and uprightness that is necessary for a good servant. His enemies were trying to discredit him, but the Lord knew David was righteous. David certainly could trust the Lord to do what was right and keep him safe. David states that he was waiting on the Lord. The word “wait” indicates that David was trustfully expecting the Lord to fulfil His promises, to make a great name for David, to give him rest from his enemies, to give him a heritage, and to establish his kingdom forever. This should be the attitude of every servant who will be willing to wait on the Lord their Master and gain a good portion of reward.
The parable of the talents though it speaks about the kingdom of heaven, but it offers an important lesson about success. God measures our success not by what we have, but by what we do with what we have-for all that we have is a gift from Him. We are really only managers to whom He has entrusted resources and responsibilities. The key thing, He looks for is faithfulness doing what we can to obey and honour Him with whatever He has given us. We may or may not be “successful” as our culture measures success, in terms of wealth, prestige, power, or fame. In the long run that hardly matters. What counts is whether we have faithfully served God with what He has entrusted to us.
From the above passage we learn that if you wish to lead a happy family life, or do your ministry effectively and peacefully, or work efficiently at your work spot, or do well in your studies, or prosper in any profession, then God expects something important from you. You need to be honest in few things that God has entrusted to you. If you are found faithful in few things then God will make you ruler over many things. May the Lord help you to be wise and serve faithfully. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord we thank you for telling us through this message that we need to be honest and sincere in all that we do. Help us to be like those servants who invested their talents and made a good profit. Give us the wisdom and understanding to serve those in authority with reverence and diligence.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today is from the book of Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.
This beautiful passage, speaks about God’s love towards the people of Israel, that God has loved them with an everlasting love. It states that the Lord will certainly fulfil His pledge to re-gather His chosen people, back into their own land. It is a reminder that He drew them to Himself in love and His love for them is everlasting. It has given them confidence that He will fulfil the promises He made to their forefather Abraham, and His seed forever. Yes, God says, in His proclamation to Israel, “I have loved you with an everlasting love therefore, with loving-kindness I have drawn you.” God’s Word is true. His promises are sure and His faithfulness endures from one generation to the next. His eternal commitment to Israel stands fast forever and His sacred word is unchanging and unchangeable.
We have been experiencing the love of Jesus in one way or the other. His love is an everlasting love. Firstly He opens the eyes of the blind. Secondly He lifts those who are bowed down. Thirdly He builds up the ruined places of your life. Just as God had chosen Israel for Himself, He has chosen you to be His dear child of God. He has redeemed you from the bondage of sin and curse and from the mouth of the grave and gathered you to His heavenly kingdom. He has met all your needs according to His riches in glory in spite of your unbelief and rebellious nature. He wants to restore the joy of your salvation. Because, He has chosen you to be His special people.
God is holy and God is just, but the very nature of God is love. The rich and abundant mercy of God is not only poured upon you but upon all those who believe on His name. For the Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings one low and lifts up the other. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. To set them among princes, and make them inherit, the throne of glory. God’s eternal character of love, is a multiplicity of godly attributes and divine graces, for He is good and gracious, He is patient and kind, He is long-suffering and abundant in truth. He is infinitely unchanging and perfect in all His ways. And by His grace and goodness we discover ourselves to be His beloved children by faith in Christ.
It was not just because of our sorry state that He demonstrated His unconditional love towards us. God’s love rests upon His eternal, unchangeable, divine character. God has a unique and unfathomable love for all mankind, which was demonstrated toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus paid the price for our sin so that His unconditional love could be demonstrated through Him. God’s love is the only love that never falters and never fails. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” God loves you simply because He loves you. You don’t have to work for his affection. For God absolutely loves you. It’s hard to get our minds around, but it is true. This is where the faith journey starts: understanding that God loves you. If you do not have an assurance of God’s love, your faith journey will not last long. Fortunately, reading the Bible can help to strengthen your faith in God’s love.
Apostle Peter was one of the twelve disciples who talked and walked with Jesus while He was on this earth 2000 years ago. This Peter professes in front of the other disciples at the Last Supper that he would willingly die for Jesus. But Jesus knew the heart of Peter. He predicts Peter will deny Him three times. When a servant girl pointed out that Peter was one among the disciples, Peter denied. As the weather was cold there were people warming themselves in the fire and suddenly they looked at Peter and said, “’ Are you not also, one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, “I am not.”Then again another man whose ear Peter cut off, said, “’Did I not see you in the garden with Him? Peter Denied again and immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
God loved Peter even though he betrayed Jesus three times. He was afraid to speak the truth as the soldiers might also catch hold of him. But Jesus not only loved him but built the church upon Peter the rock. The Bible says, that Jesus looked at Peter and said, “And I say, unto you, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This is the kind of love Jesus has for you also. Even though you reject Him He gladly accepts you as His beloved child. Jesus was wounded for your transgressions. He was the One Who was bruised for your iniquities. He did not die because of who you are, but because of His everlasting love towards the children of men.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord though we are unworthy You love us with unconditional love. Lord you are God of wisdom and love. God of authority, yet because of your mercy, and love, You picked us up out of the miry clay and set our feet upon the Rock and put a new song into our mouth. Thank You Father for Your everlasting love for us and we thank You that in loving -kindness You drew us to Yourself and made us Your children. We thank You for your unfailing love.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
I greet and bless everyone in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed word that God has given for you today, is from the book of Psalms 90:14,15 “ Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.”
From the above context we understand that the above passage is all about the sufferings of the people of Israel and how Moses feels that God should gladden the people according to the days, of their affliction during their journey through the wilderness. The Psalmist considers that the recognition of human finitude and fallibility is not really the cause for despair, and hopelessness but rather an occasion for prayer. And in humble, honest, faithful prayer, the psalmist arrives at the good news that the hope of the world is grounded in God’s “compassion” and “steadfast love.”
This psalm is more like a prayer, of Moses for the people of Israel. For it is called a prayer. It is supposed that this psalm was written when the sentence was passed upon Israel in the wilderness for their unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion, and that none of them that were, then of age should enter Canaan. Probably Moses penned this prayer to be used daily, either by the people in their tents, or, at least, by the priests in the tabernacle-service, during their tedious fatigue in the wilderness.
When Moses considered the frail nature of humanity and the righteous judgment of God, it made him to ask God for the wisdom to understand the shortness of life. So he says, “ Lord teach us to number our days. to consider the shortness and miseries of this life, and the certainty and speediness of death, and the causes and consequences thereof ’’ So he cries to the Lord, “ O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Lord satisfy us, early and do that quickly for we are unable to bear the affliction that we go through. Lord Show us your mercy.”
Moses cries out to God with utmost faith that God would satisfy their longings. He says, “Satisfy us early with” with your divine “mercy;” for Your mercies, are everlasting mercies. For there was no peace there was no safety, there was restlessness all over. So he offered a prayer and this prayer, was a prayer of manifestation. He wanted to know if all that happened to the people were from the hand of God. He says, “I care not what it will be, I had rather have God’s vinegar, than man’s oil, God’s wormwood, than man’s manna, God’s justice, than any man’s mercy; for he took everything that came, by the right hand, of God. Even afflictions are welcome when we see them to be from God. Moses would choose, the way that this prayer entreats, be only merciful, “Satisfy us early with thy mercy.” He wanted God to show mercy to the disheartened people.
Life is always full of challenges. Just when we think that everything is going smoothly and according to God’s plan, we are faced with a challenge, something that causes us to feel inadequate once again, something that causes us to seek God’s direction and strength. It didn’t take very long for God to give Moses and the children of Israel some challenges that would stretch their faith and patience. Yes, similarly you too must be facing certain challenges in your life. You might have lost your job during the Lockdown period and now though it has been unlocked yet because of joblessness and financial crisis, you would have borrowed money to manage your expenditure or to pay your children’s fees, from your own relative but now you are unable to pay back. As a result you feel ashamed, to face them. You are filled with shame and remorse, over the consecutive happenings. Are you grumbling and complaining like the Israelites, or do you wait upon God to stretch forth His compassionate hand to help you in this critical situation. Cry out to God like Moses, who cried for the people of Israel. Go to Him with your problems and allow Him to minister to you as Jehovah- Jireh, God who provides. For the LORD your God, is the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord we see the sufferings of Israel in the wilderness. We also see that Moses cried to the Lord on their behalf for mercy. Help us to cry unto the Lord when we are afflicted. Teach us to know that God allows such trials to expand and strengthen our faith in Him. Lord be good to us and show Your tender mercies that we may regain stability in our journey in the wilderness.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
