My Dear Brothers and Sisters, 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 Job 1:21, “The Lord Gave And the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the lord.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, from the above context we understand that God who gives us all that we have also has the right to take away from us. There was no picture grandeur and more touching than that of Job, who was very wealthy and happy during his earlier days, rich, joyful, with all his children around him. He lived in much honour and dignity and walked upright before God. Then came the dramatic completeness and suddenness of his great trials. One day he was suddenly stripped of all that he possessed. Though Job lost everything he did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Job felt that God had taken away what belonged to Him. He did not murmur against God or complain about his loss. May be He blessed the Lord for giving him life. Job was a spiritual man, who trusted God. He was a prayerful man, who kept his seven sons and three daughters, covered by prayer and supplication. He was a wise man who had been blessed by God in many ways. And he was a pillar of spiritual piety among his peers. But Job was unaware of the spiritual battle that was raging in heavenly places. Although he knew God as Creator, and worshipped him with reverent fear.
My dear Brothers and Sisters, Multiple disasters befell the stricken man, including the death of his ten children, and the loss of his entire material assets. His many possessions and dearly loved offspring were all snatched away from Job in one day but this godly man did not curse the Lord despite, the broken hearted grief. Job tore his mantle, in anguish of hearts, shaved his head, as a sign of mourning and inner turmoil and fell on the ground in order to worship the Lord. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Satan thought that Job would curse God. But Job recognised that everything he had was a gift from the Lord. And acknowledged that God retains the right to remove it. God is equally justified in permitting evil to overtake his servant as well as good.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Job’s response to his tragic loss demonstrates a truly extraordinary man. With a truly remarkable faith in God. He reacted to his woes with worship. And to his devastating losses with reverence and humility of heart. Job did not curse as satan had supposed. Despite his ongoing problems and pain he retained his faith in the Lord which honoured God.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, May the Lord help you also to reiterate the words that came from the mouth of Job and the sentiment that ruled his heart, even when we do not, know or understand why difficulties and disasters strew our pathway. May we be prepared to cry like Job, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the amazing lessons we can learn from your servant Job. Lord we thank you for the many blessings you have graciously given us throughout our life. Teach us to realize, that all that we have is from You. And whether we are rich or poor, whether we have much or little, Whether we are rejoicing or in mourning, May we rejoice in the goodness always whether You give or take away,
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, 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 Psalms 92:12, “The Righteous Shall flourish like a Palm tree. He shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters from the above context we understand the beauty, the erectness, the stateliness and the growth of the palm tree. All this is the symbol of the prosperity, and the happiness of a righteous man. The Palm tree is constantly green and flourishing, spreads its branches very wide and grows to a vast size. The tree affords refreshing shade to travellers. It also produces dates a very sweet luscious kind of fruit. It is a most beautiful tree. And in every way, an invaluable treasure to the inhabitants of those hot countries. And hence it is considered as a fit symbol of the flourishing state of a righteous man.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Bible says, the righteous grow like a Cedar, in Lebanon. They are immensely large, Some of them are nearly 35 to 40 feet tall. They flourish for ages. And are always, green. When cut down they yield a most beautiful, kind of wood, brown in colour, solid, durable, and in some sort incorruptible. The Cedars as well as the palm trees when compared to the short lived and withering grass are a striking illustration of the well founded durable, and continually increasing virtue and happiness of the truly righteous in opposition to the momentary, trifling and perpetually decaying prosperity of the wicked.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Cedar is a noble and long lived tree. The Bible says, As the days of a tree, are the days, of my people. Just as the Cedar waves its mighty branches in perpetual verdure over the mountains, the truly godly man under all adversities retains the joy of his soul and continues to make progress in the divine life. Though the grass makes hay for the oxen the Cedars help in building the temple of the Lord. The palm trees too were planted within the very house of the Lord, and their presence there was ornamental, appropriate and highly suggestive. They were best emblem of the righteous, a fat, and flourishing old age – a peaceful end – a glorious immortality.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, God sometimes grants prosperity to wicked men in displeasure. Yet they flourish but for a moment. Hence let us seek for ourselves the salvation and grace of the Gospel. Let us be anointed by the Holy Spirit, and share the Redeemer’s glory. It is from his grace, by his word and Spirit, that believers receive all the virtue, that keeps them alive. And makes them fruitful. The text tells us not only what the righteous is but what he shall be, come what may. The good man shall flourish and flourish in the noblest manner. May the Lord help you also to be righteous and walk worthy of the Lord God.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Dear Lord, help us to grow in the Lord daily like the trees that brings forth fruit in its season. Lord let our days be like the trees that live long. Teach us to enjoy peace and grow fat like stall fed calves. Make our lives a blessing to others.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I greet and bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed word that the Lord has given us today is from the book of Ezekiel 36:11, “I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord”. The first blessing the Lord gave to Adam and Eve was to multiply and fill the Earth. God had placed the blessing of multiplication for His people from the beginning of creation.
It is the will of God that people should not stay at the same level, but move to different levels. It is the will of God that His people should multiply in everything.
God does not want to see your shrink in life. He wants to multiply you. Some of you may say that your family members are waiting to suppress you and not allow you to excel in life. When you stumble in life, God will encourage you and make you come up amidst the struggles. He is going to make you victorious in all that you do. Even today you might have backslid in your business, or even got de-promoted at your workplace; the Lord is going to put an end to all your problems. God is determined to change your situation and make you multiply. You will start witnessing a day-to-day improvement in your life.
Today is the day of multiplication. If you want to be multiplied day-by-day in the worldly things, you must edify yourself spiritually. When you edify yourself, you will experience the multiplication. It is not the will of God for you to be stuck but to multiply. When you increase your time of prayer, you will see the blessings of God in your life.
God bless you.
Prayer:
Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. I pray that You may bless Your dear children in all that they do. Father, may You multiply the works of their hand. Give them an increase in all that they do. Lord, make them the head and not the tail. Give them the courage and strength to accomplish the works of their hands. In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, 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 Psalms 119:9 , “How can a Man Cleanse His Ways? By taking heed to God’s word.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, from the above context we understand that we can keep ourselves clean by seeking God with all our heart. David said, to the Lord , “I seek You with all my heart.”He sought God and found Him. David was a man who loved the Lord. He says, One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life. To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in the temple. David thus sought God and found Him.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, We need to desire Him, want Him, Need Him above anything else, every other desire, want or need. We need to love the Lord God, with all our heart, with all our soul and mind. We must keep our heart, pure, by hiding God’s word in our heart. Memorize many verses from the word of God. Then the Holy Spirit will bring it to your remembrance when you are in need of it. Then you will be comforted, corrected, and guided by the Holy Spirit.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, When God’s word is hidden in your heart, praises come out of it. When God’s word is hidden in your heart, you speak of God and His word. When God’s word is hidden in you, rejoicing flows out of you.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, God wants you to live a pure life because, by doing so it glorifies God. It honours him. Not simply morality being nice, But pleasing God because you love Him and want to honour Him. God expects you to live according to His word. To seek Him with all your heart and to meditate on the precepts of God.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, If you follow these principles in your life God will be pleased with you. You will be triumphant in your Christian life. You will receive the reward at the end of your journey. And during your journey in this life you might go through trials and troubles when you walk faithfully with God. But If you continue to walk faithfully with God and stand for His good cause, and maintain a good relationship with God throughout your life span then you will receive a crown of Glory. May God help you to follow these principles and cleanse yourself by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ? Make an effort to be pure and holy. David says, Behold I was brought forth in iniquity. And in Sin my mother conceived me. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord we thank you for revealing the truth to us. That we need to be holy and pure. Wash us thoroughly with Your precious blood. Though our sins be like scarlet make them white as snow.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, 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 Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember now Your Creator in the Days Of Your Youth. Before the difficult days come and the years draw near. When you say, I have no pleasure in them”
From the above context we realize that the above passage is an exhortation, to young people, to be religious and not to put it off to old age. It is a call to young people to think of God and mind their duty to Him while they are young. Remember now your creator, in the days, of your youth.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, King Solomon exhorts the young to enjoy the bright, brief, blossom time of their youth because spontaneous action is more characteristic of youth. The advice is especially suitable for them for what is begun early is likely to last and be strong. It is hard for older men, to turn to God if they have forgotten him in early days. It’s a shame to plan to give God only the dregs of life. The important lesson of this passage is a combination of hearty youthful glee and true religion. Solomon wants you to consider that God is your creator your loving and affectionate father.
My Dear Brother and Sister, Solomon says, that in youth memory is strong and tenacious. And young people can remember anything. So He encourages young people to remember God in their youth. So that they may have long and blessed life, so that they may be saved from the corruption and misery of this world. It would prevent them from the evils they entail upon themselves by giving way to sinful practices of their own hearts.
In youth faith, hope, and love will be in the best tenor, and their greatest vigour. And it will be easier for youngsters to believe hope, pray, love, obey and bear their cross. Now you are young but you have no certainty of life. Tomorrow may not be yours. Therefore there is very little time left when you grow old. The evil days, will come and the years in which you will be obliged to say alas we have no pleasure in them. And the worse thing is that the heart has become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, are you thinking whether to turn to God or not. Have you considered about yourself at any point of time that you should seek the Lord while you are young enough to serve Him. Don’t postpone the time of your calling. You need to give your priority to God. God says, they that seek Me shall find Me. When you give importance to God, then He will turn His face towards you and start blessing you. He will answer all your prayers. The Bible says, David walked wisely before God. And therefore he increased more and more. As the Lord of Heaven was with him. David was known to be a man near unto Gods own heart. So God blessed him to be the king of Israel for 40 years. God will bless you too in a similar way if you offer yourself to the service of God. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord we thank you for cautioning us that we need to seek God at an early period of time and not serve Him when we are old and have lost all our strength and good health. Teach us to look up to God when we are energetic. And smart. Help us to utilize our time carefully and usefully. Bless us Oh Lord according to your mercy.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
