#10. An Attitude of Contentment
Paul is in prison. And he says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances (4:11).” It is a lesson that we need to learn too. Most of us go through good circumstances in life; yet we complain all the time.
Think about Paul. He is rejoicing greatly even
#9. An Attitude of Expectation
There are two ways in which this can be understood. One is expectation for the present moment. The next is the expectation for the future. Both these expectations are expressed by St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians.
Let us look at the future expectation first.
Our expectation about
# 8. A Pressing-On Attitude
Victories in life do not come when you suddenly wake up one day. It takes toil, sweat and tears. It takes perseverance which means you continue to hold on to your goal in spite of every doubt, despair, defeat or discouragement.
Paul had this attitude. He did not keep mourning
#7. A Goal-Oriented Attitude
Paul’s goal in life was Christ. Even though he lived a perfect life according to the Law of Moses, and even though he had great family traditions to boast about; he was willing to give them all up to gain Jesus Christ!
Such an attitude comes at a great cost. So
#4. Exalting Christ in Suffering Attitude
Paul was least bothered where he was alive or dead; whatever his goal was to be with Christ. However his ambition was to have courage to exalt Christ in his life (1:20). He was confident that we are called by God not only to believe on him, but also
Paul wrote from prison to the Philippians. It is a kind of personal letter filled with joy. So many of us face less hardships in life; but go through life with a defeatist attitude. As we go through this letter Paul wrote we can find some great attitudes that will help us live a
When Jesus was born he was placed in a manger; the place where the cattle fed. It clearly tells you and me he is willing to be part of our lives however lowly a station in life we occupy. His humble birth was the beginning of several gestures of God’s grace towards you.
#1. The
Life often throws unexpected twists and turns at us that might hurt us real bad. During such moments it is easy to complain, become bitter and depressed. Yet there is a better way.
It is to rely on God’s grace. We need to accept that certain things in life cannot be changed. But this acceptance
It is difficult to wait. Then what is God’s purpose in keeping us waiting? The first Christmas itself came after centuries of waiting since God first promised the coming of a Saviour at the Garden of Eden. But then why so long? Are there lessons for us to learn from this long wait for Christmas?
A New Car
A New Dress
A New Home
A New Job
“New” is a powerful sell-word.
Yet to know its absolute power one has to believe the promise of God who says, ” Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up;
Amazing it might seem! The Son of God, Jesus, prayed. In him was found a loveliness in prayer. It attracted his disciples so much that they asked him to teach them to pray.
The prayer life of Jesus Christ demonstrated his dependence on God the Father in heaven. He called God, “Abba, Father.” Abba is … Read the rest
Christmas is a time for renewal of hope. It is a season when God shall breathe life into your barren situations. It is a time to remember the miracle of birth and to hope that long-awaited answers to prayer will come; no matter all the negatives that stand threat to it. It is a time
In this blog post, you’ll read about:
# God’s Encouragement
# God’s Elimination Process
# Gideon’s Surpise War Strategy
Gideon was a man who had fears. He needed encouragement. And God gave him plenty. One thing of importance to note is that God used Gideon in spite of his fears. God asked Gideon to “Go
God’s people should not waste resources. More than that they should not waste lessons learned from past experiences. God who gave you plenty which was over and above your need now asks you to collect the left overs.
Even though Jesus miraculously fed the Five Thousand with just five small barley loaves and two small … Read the rest
I am yet to meet a Christian who has not complained about his work? I wonder why? Perhaps one reason is that they forget that God is glorified when they do their work well. Another reason could be that they forget that each job has got difficulties attached to it. Work is toil and sweat;
There should be a sense of urgency in living the Christian life. For we are not here for ever. We are on a journey to our heavenly home (see Hebrews 11:13-16). Yet many Christians live as if all eternity they are going to spent on earth. They are so much attached to their houses
Jesus said some 2000 years ago,
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”(Matthew 5:28).
There is no need to explain this statement. Jesus was here warning us that more than what one does; true Christian living is primarily about what one … Read the rest
“Your eye is the lamp of your body,” said Jesus Christ (see Luke 11:34-36). What did Jesus mean by this? It simply means that the eye is the gateway through which we get our first impressions about people and the world around us.
It is the most important entry point with which we understand our … Read the rest
There is something about prayer that demands that we be alone with God.This is of great importance in today’s world when we are distracted much by our busy schedules, pressures of work and family, sounds and sights of cities, and television, internet and mobile phones.
Jesus set us an example in being alone with … Read the rest
The Israelites had already witnessed all the plagues that God brought on Egypt and its people. They had eaten the Passover lambs and experienced the protection under the blood (Exodus 12:13, 22, 23). Now after marching out boldly in front of the Egyptians they were suddenly terrified to see the sea in front of them
I don’t know for sure; but the first feel is that Lord Jesus never asked anything for himself to keep. He only borrowed things. When he wanted to enter Jerusalem in fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah (9:9), he said to his disciples to get a colt from the village ahead. And he also told
When life brings us bitter experiences, where do we put our hope in? Is it in God? Is it in others? Often we might think our hope is in God. Yet if we honestly allow the light of God’s truth to search our hearts we will soon find out that our hope was misplaced
It is true that most of us face disappointment with God in our lives. This happens when our expectations are not met and our prayers seem to go unanswered. As a result some of us become very negative in our attitude towards God.
Jacob was man who faced difficulties and hardships in life. Though he
The Certainty of Trouble
We all pass through days of trouble. The Bible realistically speaks of days of trouble. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Job who went through intense suffering said: “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” and “man is born to trouble
Following Jesus from a distance is what prevents us from being fishers of men. Jesus, when He called the first disciples, did not offer any sermon on fishing for the souls of men. He simply said, “Follow me.” Of course, after His resurrectionHe asked the disciples to wait for the power of the Holy
Why did God remember Noah?
#1. He found favour with God.
#2. He was a righteous man.
#3. He was blameless.
#4. He walked with God.
#5. He obeyed everything God commanded him to do.
Along with all this, it was the Lord who shut him in (Genesis 7:16). It is when God shuts us
I tremble as I read these words. I pray with the man in the gospel account who said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief (Mark 9:24)!” Yes, God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). And unbelief is that one thing that can prevent it from … Read the rest
A closed door is not the end of the journey for a Christian. Instead it is an opportunity to meet God who closed it for you. Often you might see people and circumstances as responsible for the closed door. And it wounds you deeply the more you think like that.
Yet as you look to
(Part 12–Your Relationship with God)
Why is it important to walk in holiness in your relationship with God? It is because God is holy. You cannot define holiness. But God is praised continuously in heaven as “Holy, Holy, Holy.” So to have a relationship with God you need to share His holiness.
The first step
(Part 11–Your Relationship with God)
It takes time to listen to God. Our busy activities should come to a stop before we can hear God’s voice.
We should also create a habit of listening to God each day. This we do by reading the Bible prayerfully. Many Christians read a Psalm or a Proverb each
