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Distinction Between the Righteous and the Wicked

And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not (Malachi 3:18 NIV).

There is a great question that has haunted Christians down through the centuries: “What did I get by serving God?”

This question arises when they see no fruit for their labor, when they suffer for doing the right things, and also when they find the wicked prospering. The Bible definitely answers this question especially in this passage.

The best thing that is said in this passage is that God remembers His servants. They are not forgotten. It is said that a scroll of remembrance was written in His presence.

In it whatever concerned those people who feared God and honored His name were written. It is said that God listens to the talk of His saints and He hears them. All this shows that God is very much concerned for those who serve Him.

God also declares His special ownership of those who fear and serve Him. What better thought than to hear God declare: “You are mine!” What a privilege it is to belong to God!

There is no other honor greater than this on earth. We, His servants, should always remember that God has set His seal of ownership on us. And it is based on love and compassion that He has for His servants.

God also declares that He will spare His servants in the day of His choosing. It is then that the world will really see and know the distinction that God makes between those who serve Him and those who do not.

We get perplexed by thinking within the limited time we spent on earth. But God thinks in terms of eternity.
—
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Messenger, Prepare the Way

See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me (Malachi 3:1a NIV).

This verse clearly refers to John the Baptist who came to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. It is especially significant because Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament and he was the last prophet.

The next prophetic voice came some 400 years later when John the Baptist came preaching a baptism of repentance. It is good to note the fact that it pleased God to send someone to prepare the way for Jesus Christ.

That tells us that “preparing the way” is very important in God’s eyes. So God Himself sent the messenger. It is not we who choose to become God’s messengers. It is God who has to send us.

If we go without God sending us then our message will have no authority. It will lack the power to “prepare the way” for Jesus Christ. So before you set out as God’s messenger, make sure that you are sent by God.

That is only the first step. The second step is not to overstep what you are sent to do. Here the messenger was sent to “prepare the way” and not proclaim a kingdom of his own. We often forget the fact that messengers have only a delegated authority.

In other words they are supposed to do only what has been asked of them. Whatever more they try to do would be at their own risk. They cannot speak for themselves. They can only deliver the message given to them. That is enough.

Finally, the messenger’s importance is dependent on the one who had sent him. So God who sends messengers is more important than the messenger however great he may be.

Again it is the message that is more important. The messenger could be anybody, great or small. In the case of John the Baptist the message was most important because the message was Jesus Christ, The Word of God Himself!

We, as Christ’s messengers, also have no other message. So let us faithfully “prepare the way” for Jesus Christ.
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How Long Will You Wait?

So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?” (Joshua 18:3 NIV).

One of the simplest reasons why we fail to enter into God’s blessing for our lives is that we never do anything to receive it. We never begin. We live in a fantasy-world dreaming of how good it would be to be blessed of God. Merely wishing and praying is not enough.

First of all, you need to realize that there is a blessing which God has already given to you. “Already!” “ But I don’t see it.” These might be your responses to this fact. You don’t see it because you had never known that God had given a blessing to you.

Now why has He given you a blessing. Because you are His child. Therefore the first thing you need to realize is that God has indeed already given you a blessing.

The second thing you need to know is that you need to take possession of your blessing. Imagine that someone dear to you paid the entire amount and bought a car to give to you as a present. Think that the car was driven to your doorstep. The person gets out of the car and gives to you its keys and tells you: “It is yours!”

What if you never believe it! What if you never get into that car! It will remain yours anyway; but you will not enjoy it. To enjoy it you need to take possession of it. You need to get into it and drive it around. That makes your possession real. You then own it!

Finally, the longer you wait, the lesser are your chances of possessing your blessing. There is definitely a time for waiting in Christian living. We do need to wait upon God to know His will and time for our lives.

Yet when that time of waiting is over and you know what God has destined for you; you need to act fast. Otherwise you may lose the blessing that God has already given you.

It is not that God takes it away; but it is that you never took it for yourself. And that is sad!
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Upper and Lower Springs

She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs (Joshua 15:19 NIV).

God has given us all a measure of talents and wisdom and ability. They are like the field that Acsah got, while she was given in marriage to Othniel, as an inheritance.

So the fields here can be compared to those abilities which we are born with. All of us are endowed with some unique ability. It has been given to be taken care of.

Without nurture and proper care they can never be developed fully. So in its unused condition these abilities are like a field without water.

Nothing can be cultivated in such a field. It will remain barren, unproductive and possibly overrun by useless weeds and thorns.

Many of us cry out that we do not have that talent or this talent. That spirit of despair is a problem. But Acsah did not yield to it.

Instead of yielding to despair, Acsah here saw a possibility in the fields without water she had got. She understood that if she can get water to her field then it could be cultivated to bring in a harvest.

So she asked her father Caleb for springs of water. She hinted at the fact that land without water is of not much use. And Caleb granted her the upper and lower springs.

From Acsah we can learn some lessons. We need to see how we can utilize our God-given abilities. As we try to utilize them we may encounter some difficulties. It is then that you need to ask God for His grace.

His grace is the spring of water which can flow into our lives and create something beautiful for His glory. We also need to note that God grants genuine needs in abundance; for we find Caleb giving her both the upper and lower springs.
—
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As Though I had Not Rejected Them

I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them (Zechariah 10:6 NIV).

Restoration! What a blessed thought! We long to have restored to us those blessings which once had been ours and which were lost.

Yet with many of us these remain longings of the heart and nothing more. We wish and do not see anything positive happening. So we lose heart.

If you find yourself in this position focus on what God is saying. All the initiative for your restoration comes from God. You cannot even move a little finger to bring it to pass:

It is God who will strengthen you!
It is God who will save you!
It is God who will restore you!
It is God who will have compassion on you!
It is God who will answer you!

So instead of trying hard to bring your restoration to come to pass look to God and watch Him do it for you.

The best part of God’s restoration is that when it comes to pass no one would believe that at one time you were rejected. The restoration will come in such a fashion that the dark valley between the previous time of God’s favor and the present blessing will appear as though it never had been.

Such a restoration is not possible with human effort nor can it be thought of with our limited wisdom. So it is better to look to God; for He is the author of your restoration.

And no need to look further for the reason why He is restoring you. It is because He has compassion on you. It is because He is your God.

And when you are restored the channels of prayer will be thrown open. No longer will your prayers go unheard. He will answer you!
—
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Did Not Draw Back the Hand, Until

For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai (Joshua 8:26 NIV).

This was crucial. Because they had been defeated in the previous battle against Ai. Then God had shown them the cause of defeat as sin in their midst. They then had the cause removed and destroyed from their midst.

Now they were given a fresh command to attack Ai. And God asked Joshua to hold out toward Ai the javelin that was in his hand. And he did so and did not draw back his hand until everyone in Ai was destroyed.

The lesson here is that we need to focus sharply. We might have been defeated in the past. Yet when the cause of that defeat is removed then the focus need to be straight ahead on achieving victory.

The next lesson is that the battle for victory should be one of relentless pursuit until it is totally achieved. The javelin that was held out toward Ai was not drawn back until a total victory was achieved.

Another important lesson here is that if someone, especially someone in a leadership position, takes such a bold visible stand against satanic forces, it will be a sign for others to make an attack for victory.

In other words, simply seeing someone stand up for God can encourage others to do the same and together achieve victory.

Finally, this great victory was a result of simple obedience. For God had commanded Joshua to stretch out toward Ai the javelin that was in his hands. He did not ask God the meaning of this act. He just obeyed. A single, decisive, simple act of obedience brought victory!
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Take Off His Filthy Clothes

The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you” (Zechariah 3:4 NIV).

We are shown here the saving work of Christ on our behalf. Satan stands to accuse us. Christ stands to save us completely.

We can live for a long time without knowing how filth clings to us and our clothes. Yet when we enter the presence of the Lord it becomes obvious.

This happens because of two reasons:
One is that Satan will immediately come with accusations because the filth is so obvious. Secondly the very holiness that surrounds the presence of the Lord will make us realize our own utter filthiness.

That tells us some more truths. The most important is that this Joshua was high priest of God’s people. Yet he is represented here as wearing filthy clothes.

So what we need to understand here is that the nature of sin and filth associated with it is such that it can easily defile even our best service for God.

We may not realize how our selfish thoughts and worldly thinking sometimes mix itself with our best efforts for God’s kingdom. All those make our garments defiled.

Yet the good news is that we are not rejected nor are we left at the mercy of the ever-accusing Satan. God steps into the scene. He takes away our sin. But that is only the first part of His great work done for us.

He then clothes us with rich garments. These garments are clean and they represent the holiness with which God clothes us. It is not achieved by our efforts. It is God’s own doing!
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Secret Things and Things Revealed

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV).

We live in a generation that craves after knowledge of the unknown future. They travel over land and sea; and through forbidden and dark ways to gain the forbidden fruit of knowledge kept secret from men. Their paths are slippery and they end in misery.

Why does it happen that way? The answer is clear. Whatever God wanted His children to know have already been revealed. You need only turn to the Bible and make it your constant companion to get to know the things that give you life.

You need to read and meditate on His Word to be blessed with the knowledge of God and His ways. That is enough to give you clear direction for your life on earth and life eternal too.

So the revealed things of God are written for our benefit and the benefit of our children. They will remain so forever.

The purpose of God having revealed all these things is to enable us to obey the commands of God. He has given us light through His words in this dark world. By following them we can avoid stumbling and falling.

But the secret things have not been revealed. It is not necessary for us to know them. That knowledge is not for us to seek out. But our problem is that we neglect the study of what has been revealed already.

Little do we realize that our happiness lies in understanding the depth and riches of what has already been revealed. It is in itself an inexhaustible treasure-ground.

Hunt for treasure there. And you shall fall in eternal love with the One who holds the secret things.
—
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The Lord Is Close to the Brokenhearted

 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18 NIV).

Sorrows become intense and unbearable when you are alone and has none to share it with. It is indeed a miserable condition when you are brokenhearted and do not have someone near you to reach out to; a shoulder to lean on and cry. All are busy with their own things.

If you fail, if you are in sorrow, if you need help; then possibly you will find yourself alone. That crushes you more than your sorrows.

But allow not your tears to blind your eyes to the One standing so close to you. He stands unseen; but He is One who is “a man of sorrows, and familiar with sufferings.”

He was rejected.
He was crushed.
He was punished.
He was despised.
He also carried your sorrows.

Those very experiences make Him come swiftly to your side when you are brokenhearted for He has passed through it all. We cannot share your sorrow for we have not passed through the intensity of your agony; but He can because He has passed through it already. So He stands close; very near!

Realize His nearness to you. Just lean on His shoulders and cry your heart out. They are powerful; yet tender for they bore the cross. His hands shall bless your head with compassion and mercy; for they were pierced. He shall kiss you with a kiss of peace; for He knows the agony the kiss of betrayal.

Take heart! Your crushed spirit shall yet know the healing touch of His tenderness. He will not leave you in torment and doubt and despair. He will not leave you helpless. The Lord Himself shall help you and save you!
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Remember Your Journey from Shittim to Gilgal

Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord (Micah 6:5b NIV)

[Important: Read Joshua Chapters 4 and 5 also.]

This journey was an important one in the life of the Israelites. And the lessons from it are most important.

First of all, the Israelites had a new leader. Moses was dead. And they were at the end of their desert wanderings. God had trained Joshua under Moses and had given him the leadership and the command to lead the people into Canaan, the Promised Land.

So remembrance of this journey calls us to move forward for the training period is coming to an end.

Secondly, Shittim was the last stop of the Israelites desert wanderings and Gilgal their first stop in the Promised Land. But there should be something in between that God wants His people to remember!

Yes, it was the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River which was then flowing at its flood stage. As soon as the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord touched the water it divided. And the people crossed over on dry ground.

God asked Joshua to pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan and set them as a memorial. God is asking us to remember His great acts on our behalf by looking at the memorials of His deliverance.

Finally, Gilgal meant new beginnings. It was the place where the people were circumcised. That was the outward sign that God rolled away the shame and disgrace; the reproach that the people had endured in Egypt, the land of slavery.

They also celebrated the Passover reminding themselves of God delivering them from the destroying angel by the blood of the sacrificed lambs. They also ate the food of the land for manna had stopped falling.

So out of all this God wants you to remember that you are called to move forward thinking of His righteous acts on your behalf in the past. To you Gilgal means rolling away of shame!
—
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Make You the Head, Not the Tail; If

The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom (Deuteronomy 28:13 NIV).

This a favorite verse of many modern-day preachers. People are also happy to hear that God intends to make them the head and not the tail. That is all fine. Yet there is one small word here that is often not preached: “IF.”

God is willing to bless and prosper you. But wherever the Bible speaks about blessing it talks about a condition starting with “IF.” God wants us to focus on what we are supposed to do. If we do our part then only God is free to act out His part of the promise.

If we do not act according to His commands then because of the condition “IF” God has placed, He cannot bless us. So it is we who decide whether we qualify to receive God’s blessing on our lives.

Any other kind of teaching that focuses attention only on God’s part in blessing us is a deception. Do not believe such lies and live in misery.

The first step to qualify for God’s blessing is to pay careful attention to the commands of the Lord. That means you have a personal responsibility to study the Bible and learn for yourselves firsthand from it what God wants to teach you.

So many times we rely on our friends or preachers to do the study of the Bible. We then live by what they say to us. But their opinions can be surely colored by their own experiences. So pay attention to God’s Word on your own.

The second step proceeds naturally from the first step. Here many fail. Just appreciating the truth of the Bible is not enough. You have to make it relevant to daily life by following what it teaches. It is by obeying that you climb from the bottom to the top.

It is impossible for that to happen for any man in one flash. God does not do it that way. It happens always STEP by STEP! Remember “IF.”
—
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He Delivered Me from All My Fears

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4 NIV).

We all easily fall prey to a lot of fears. They might have real causes. Sometimes it is our imagination that gives them color and life. Anyway, they grow if they are left unchecked. Soon they assume huge proportions.

Then we become really frightened. We become inactive. Soon we lose all initiative. We withdraw into ourselves. And there may come a time when even a windblown leaf can shake us in real fear.

Have you passed through fears? Believers are no exception. They too pass through fears. The Bible has recorded their cries very realistically. So there is nothing to be ashamed when you have fears.

Usually they attack in battalions. One big fear is usually accompanied by a lot of little fears. But as far as believers are concerned the good news is that they have deliverance!

The deliverance comes by seeking God. Even though in the midst of fears it might seem that God is far away, pray with all your strength. For we have a sure motivation to pray. The motivation is that our God answers prayer.

We can be sure that God will answer our prayers regarding fear because fears are not caused by God. It always comes from Satan. The only time you need to be fearful of God is when you continue to sin and do not repent. All other fears are from the devil. And God, during many times in the Bible has called upon His children not to fear.

Therefore cheer up. Our God is a deliverer. He will deliver you from ALL your fears. Keep seeking the Lord. His presence with you shall drive ALL your fears away!
—
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Why Do You Discourage?

Why do you discourage the Israelites from going over into the land the Lord has given them? (Numbers 32:7 NIV).

Nearly every believer goes through discouragement at one time or the other. It can happen due to a variety of reasons. One of them is dealt with here.

The cause of this kind of discouragement is fellow believers themselves. It may sound surprising but it is found true in the Bible.

Moses here is talking to the tribes who did not want to cross the Jordan to the Promised Land. They had found good pasture land and wanted to settle there. So Moses told them not to discourage their fellow Israelites from crossing over to the land that God had given them as an inheritance.

He also reminded them how forty years ago their fathers who had spied out the Promised Land came back and discouraged them from entering the land God had given them. God therefore became angry with them and made them wander in the desert forty years.

Only Caleb and Joshua, both of whom had encouraged the Israelites, later entered the Promised Land. All else above twenty years perished without entering there.

The lesson is very clear. It is important not to discourage fellow believers. If you do not have enough faith do not speak unbelief. It can destroy the faith that others might have. By your words you can easily cause others not to attempt things they wanted to do in faith.

As a result God can cause them to wander in a desert experience. That means they may be prevented from entering the blessing that God has in store for them.

Think of the long delays, the frustrations, the defeats, the punishments and God’s wrath that the Israelites endured for forty years as a result of discouragement. So never discourage fellow believers.
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Phinehas, Zealous for God’s Honor

Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them (Numbers 25:11 NIV).

Four things emerge from this incident.

The most important thing is that God is zealous for His honor. He cannot allow us to treat His commands lightly and more than that defile ourselves with idol worship and sexual immorality. Quite often these two are joined together.

Our God is a holy God. And He cannot tolerate anything less to be associated with His Name. He is a zealous God strongly concerned about His honor.

The second thing is that we need to share God’s zeal for His honor. Others who do not know God are closely watching how we hold God and His Name dear to us. For example when they try to influence us with those things that children of God should not do, do we take a bold stand against it?

Phinehas did exactly that. He took a strong stand for God and His honor and against evil. Let us therefore exalt God and His honor by our actions!

The third thing is that God becomes angry when His Name is dishonored. The question here is not just sin even though sin in His children is enough to arouse God’s anger.

But the more important issue is here how we conduct ourselves before unbelievers. When we join them to indulge in sinful pleasures we are showing disrespect and contempt for God. So He becomes angry.

Finally, if you can step in and lift up the moral standards by reminding believers that they are God’s children; thus preventing sin, it is still possible that God’s anger may turn away from them and destruction in their lives stop.
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Keep Your Servant Also from Willful Sins

Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression (Psalm 19:12,13 NIV).

We live in a world which constantly tries to whitewash sin. By believing these lies about sins people go on living in them. Thus they go far away from God. The danger is more because they never realize that they are away from God because they treated their sins as no sins at all!

In the light of these realities, the above-mentioned prayer becomes so meaningful. The Psalmist is right when he says that no one can really discern his errors. To discern means to find out.

Only the Holy Spirit can show us our faults. Therefore he prays to God to forgive his hidden faults. So ask the Holy Spirit to show you your hidden faults so that you can ask God’s forgiveness.

But then he goes one step further. He prays for strength. He wants God to help him not commit willful sins. These are sins that people do deliberately even though they clearly know that they are breaking God’s commands. There is an obvious reason why he prayed like that. He had found out that these willful sins are capable of ruling over him.

In other words, even though he knew what he was doing was wrong, he found it impossible to stop doing such sins. Such is the power of willful sins. Once you start indulging in them, you find that you are slave to that sin. It keeps dominating your mind and your entire behavior.

The Psalmist also realized another grave danger. He understood that these willful sins would lead to great transgressions. That is small sins repeated leads to big sin. So he prayed to God to keep him from willful sins. He knew that it was the only way to be blameless!
—
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Vision Concerns the Appointed Time of the End

He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end” (Daniel 8:19 NIV).

Angel Gabriel is talking to Daniel here telling him the meaning of a vision he saw. It tells us three things.

First, God alone has perfect knowledge of what is going to happen. This knowledge is not at all available to politicians, scientists, philosophers or technocrats.

But God chooses at times to reveal what is going to happen in the world in the future to His most beloved servants. Whatever is necessary for us to know has been revealed to us in this fashion through the Bible.

Second, there is a time of wrath coming. In spite of every effort by man to eradicate disease, poverty, wars, sufferings and other related problems for the creation of a better world; it won’t happen. No human effort can solve the massive scale of problems faced by mankind.

This is so because they totally deny God His rightful place in their plans. And without knowledge of the plans of God for this world peace will elude the world.

Finally, there is an appointed time of the end. The precise movements and rotations and revolutions of galaxies and planets are going to come to a standstill. The ticking of the clocks shall cease. The world will come to a paralyzing halt when this end shall come.

For a definite, unchangeable time has been fixed. This time is in God’s control. No man can know it. So if you are wise in heart you will prepare to be ready for the end.

That simply means trusting in Jesus and in His precious blood that flowed on the Cross so that you can have forgiveness of your sins and be ready for your appointed end with God.
—
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Go and Present Yourself to Ahab

After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself Ahab, and I will sent rain on the land” (1 Kings 18:1 NIV).

God’s ways and the timing of His acting are all in His hands alone. His servants can act only according to His word. It requires constant listening to God to know in which direction God is moving. Then only can the servant of God move accordingly.

This is crucial to ensure the continuity of God’s work. In this case Elijah had met Ahab three years ago and proclaimed to him that there will not be any rain in the land except at his word. That had come to pass. And it had created a famine in the land. That was God’s act.

Now God was moving to bring rain on the land. For that to happen, God commanded Elijah to present himself before Ahab.

It is interesting to note that God is picking up the thread of events from where he had last left it. It was in Elijah’s previous encounter with Ahab that it was proclaimed that there will be no rain for the next few years. Now God was asking Elijah to meet with Ahab again. That encounter, God said, would enable Him to send rain on the land.

But for Elijah it was no easy option. Ahab was a wicked king. He had sent people in search of Elijah after his first proclamation that there will be no rain. So going back to present himself to this man was not even a safe option.

But Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. And after a dramatic encounter with false prophets rain fell on the land.

The secret was obedience to God’s word. So present yourself to Ahab for that is how God continues His work.
—
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I Am Concerned for You

I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown (Ezekiel 36:9 NIV).

This promise is for you who has suffered the mocking and insults of people when things had gone wrong with you. Your plans may not have had worked out. Then they had laughed at you and made fun of you.

And you were left alone with no one caring for you because they thought that you were not worth thinking about anymore.

Since that is what others thought about you and since they made you an object of their scorn; God is proclaiming to you today that He is concerned for you.

That simply means He is mindful of your pitiful state though people close to your heart might have forgotten you.

He is proclaiming today that He will look on you with favor. That means you are going to be given a V.I.P. treatment. You will be the object of God’s special affection for you are His child who has suffered scorn and ridicule.

Moreover God is going to start to make something beautiful out of your life once again. The neglected field of your life will once again be plowed and sown. Your field might be full of overgrowth and weeds now. It shall all be cleared; the ground prepared. And seed will be sown again.

The favor of God on your life shall produce a bountiful harvest. Even now He is at work in your life.

He remembers every word that was spoken against you. He remembers your pain and wounds as people attacked you from every side. But He does not wait for ever and watch His child suffer.

He is going to act now. He is concerned for you. He will look on you with favor. All this because others made you an object of scorn.
—
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Hard Rock into Springs of Water

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water (Psalm 114:7,8 NIV).

Trembling is always associated with judgment. This is because judgment brings with it terror. Yet here in this Psalm the earth is called upon to tremble in God’s presence because He is a miracle-working God.

Yes, the miracles of the God of Jacob are awe-inspiring because He parted the sea as well as the Jordan River. They were miracles unheard of before. So it is appropriate that we learn to tremble in His awesome presence.

The mention of God as “the God of Jacob” should also bring us much consolation. It tells us that God works His miracles not just for exhibiting His power alone. But there is a higher purpose in His miracles. They are done to reveal His care for Jacob.

Here Jacob stands for the nation of Israel. Or in a larger sense it stands for all his children which includes you and me. That is a consoling thought. It is indeed comforting to note that God does awesome miracles as an expression of His care for you.

His care for you can take care of difficulties you are encountering at this moment. For that you need to look at what He did in the past for Jacob. He turned the rock into a pool. He also turned the hard rock into springs of water.

The rock being a hard substance can mean for you a hard situation which you find difficult to handle. It might seem a closed situation where any possibility of it opening up for your benefit seems closed and sealed tight like a rock.

Yet because of His care for you God can and will turn the hardness into tenderness. And out of closed situations shall flow out life-giving water that refreshes!
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Teach Me to Do Your Will

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground (Psalm 143:10 NIV).

We all try our best to understand God’s will. Let us assume that we earnestly and constantly seek God’s will in matters that concern us most. But is that enough?

The above verse seems to tell us that something more is needed than just seeking God’s will. This is because the Psalmist here prays to God to teach him to do His will.

One area where this prayer applies to is our attempts to do God’s will based on good intentions. We often have our opinions about how some things need to be done. We also think that that particular way of action is indeed God’s will.

But the most important question is whether we asked God how that thing should be done? If we have not done so it is quite possible that we might be trying to accomplish God’s will in our own energy.

Just think for a moment. Don’t we often seek God’s will because it is the “right” thing in Christian life? But the Psalmist was seeking God’s will because he enjoyed an intimate relationship with God, saying: “you are my God.”

So, for him, it was the most natural thing in the world to get God’s mind on any matter before he would proceed. So he asked God to teach him to do His will.

He was not satisfied with the knowledge of God’s will. He wanted God to teach him HOW to accomplish that will.

Do we have this learning attitude? The Psalmist had it. The reason is also proclaimed here. He knew that if God would teach him how to do His will; the effect will be that the Spirit of God would lead him on level ground.

In our terms, it would mean that the Spirit of God would lead us in the BEST way possible if we ask God to teach us to do His will; a level ground where we stumble not.
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A New King, Who Did Not Know About Joseph

Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt (Exodus 1:8 NIV).

It is surprising to note how fast our circumstances sometimes change. We are often hurt when those who showed us favor is gone and those who succeeded them seemed not to care for us or the relationship we had with their predecessors.

Though it is uncomfortable we have to understand that new kings who know not Joseph will come.

They will find you a threat to them. See how this new king dealt with the Israelites. He thought that these people were much too numerous for them. So he said to his people that they must deal shrewdly with them. And to deal likewise they put slave masters over them to oppress them. They were made slaves to do forced labor.

This is a hard truth. Yet it can often happen in our lives. We might have had Joseph’s to help us and take care of us in the past. But now Joseph might be no more there to help you. Those people who knew about Joseph and his care for you might no longer be there.

A new setup has come. And neither Joseph nor you find a place in the new scheme of things. And to complicate matters further you are given a rough treatment.

Do not be discouraged. The Bible has recorded this powerful statement to encourage us in our walk of faith. As we read further, we find that the more the Israelites were oppressed the more they increased. They multiplied and spread in the land. But again the persecution increased.

Yet let us find encouragement in the fact that these kind of situations come with God’s knowledge and along with oppression He will cause us to increase!
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Overwhelmed by Sins, You Forgave

When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions (Psalm 65:3 NIV).

Have you ever been under the tremendous load of some object that you tried to lift? Even as you tried to lift it up you started to bend and your knees began to waver.

Your arms pained as you tried to walk holding that heavy object. You would have gladly dropped that object and heaved a sigh of relief. But for some reason you couldn’t do it.

And finally some stronger than yourself came and took the object from you hands; lifted it easily on to His shoulders and walked off. And you would have said: “Thanks, thanks so much!”

Being overwhelmed with sins is some kind of situation like this. There is this staggering burden of sin, shame, guilt. Bowing you down under its tremendous weight and pressure. There is no way you can put it down. But you’ve got to walk. You try. You find the going difficult; heart-rending. And you know that you cannot go long.

Sin is definitely a burdensome weight to carry. And sometimes the burden grows to enormous proportions.

Do not wait for that weight to kill you. Turn to the Man with those powerful shoulders who carried the Cross. He shall take the burden on His shoulders. You need not carry it anymore. For He already carried it for you.

Are you overwhelmed by your sins? Oh, child of God, do not delay. You cannot do anything to remove its burden from your shoulders. Except ask Him to carry it away.

Then you shall know the joy of forgiveness. You shall enjoy the relief of having the burden lifted away. Ask Him to do it for you for it is just an ask away! Ask now!
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God Made Two Great Lights and the Stars

God made two great lights–the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars (Genesis 1:16 NIV).

Light is God’s business. He Himself is light and dwells in unapproachable light. And when He created the earth He was thoughtful to give lights that shall govern the day and night.

The message is very clear. God desires us to have light; in the midst of our happiness and in the midst of our sadness as well.

There are times in life when His guiding light seems all bright. It is easy to take godly decisions quickly as the light of His guidance is as bright as the sunshine. The whole situation you find yourselves in is bathed in sunlight. And everything is crystal clear. You just need to proceed in the direction God intends.

But there are sunsets. And they come once in a while, if not always.

But even then God does not leave you without light. The cool, gentle and refreshing moonlight will give you light during your nights. The light may not be sufficient enough to see all the landscape around you distinctly; nor will you be able to make out all the features around you.

Yet it will be just enough to keep you from stumbling. It will allow you to go forward at a slow pace; often step by step. And it is folly to try running during such times. Instead be willing to follow His guidance at a slow pace.

And finally there are times when even the light of the moon may not be available. But God knew about these times in your life even before you were born. So He made the stars for you. Their light is not sufficient to guide you in your path.

Yet these lights twinkle at a distance encouraging you with hope. These are twinkles of God’s smile saying: “My child, I care for you!”
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See the King in His Beauty

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar (Isaiah 33:17 NIV).

This is God’s great purpose for your life. There is no doubt about the final destination that you’re traveling towards to. It is heaven itself.

Yet the greatest thrill is not the “land that stretches afar” though you will see it. The greatest joy there will be to “see the king in his beauty.”

There might have been times when the clouds of despair would have clouded your vision of the king. Take heart, those days will soon pass. The skies shall clear.

And the Lord shall be revealed in a beauty and majesty that you cannot contain in your mind’s eye. The swelling joy, the rapturous wonder, the marvel and delight that shall overwhelm you at the sight of the king in his beauty defies all description.

So take your eyes off the pressing circumstances around you. Look up to see the king in his beauty. And when things keep going wrong around you, think of the land that stretches afar.

You’ll someday see it. It will be a place of broadness. You’ll move out to a place free from restricting circumstances. You’ll see it happen for you.

Many times you’ve been so taken up by the beauty of His gifts that you had taken your eyes of the king Himself. But now you’re going to see the Giver as well as the gift. It is a great lesson in life: To always keep in sight the beauty of the king. Then you’ll learn to enjoy the sight of the land that stretches afar.

First, it is always, the king in his beauty. And following it comes the sight of the land that stretches afar. On the one hand your heart expands to see the king in His beauty. On the other hand your land (circumstances) become spacious so that you see afar.
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Let My Teaching Fall like Rain

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants (Deuteronomy 32:2 NIV).

This forms the introduction of the song that God asked Moses to write down and teach the Israelites so that they may sing it. It was to be God’s witness against them. It would be a constant reminder to them of God’s faithfulness and their own faithlessness.

The teaching from God is here wished for to fall like rain and dew. It is also compared to the effect of showers on new grass and abundant rain on tender plants.

As we think on these images we are reminded of the fact that both dew and rain fall from above from the heavens. The teachings of God, it reminds us, are not man-made. They are not of the earth.

But it comes from above, from God and heaven itself. We would do well to listen to it because they come from God Himself.

Another thought that the showers bring to our mind is the refreshing effect it has on nature. Especially a shower in the hot summer brings coolness with it. The grass is bathed with the refreshing water and its sight after the rain is lovely.

This is what God’s teaching would do to our souls. It refreshes and brings new life and vigor.

The final thought here is about God’s teaching likened unto abundant showers on tender plants. For tender plants to grow well they need water. This tells about the need of nourishment in our life.

Growth in Christian life is not possible without nourishment. It is impossible. So let our prayers be that God send His teaching to us as abundant rain so that we might grow healthy and strong.
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The End, Is Better Than Its Beginning

The end of a matter is better than its beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:8a NIV).

Take a moment to take stock of all the beginnings you have made in life. Try to find out how many of them you were able to bring to a meaningful and successful conclusion.

Take some time to read through the histories of the kings of Judah and Israel as recorded in the Bible. It would surprise you to note that many of them who had godly and successful beginnings in their reigns ended up in rather miserable ways.

Most of them in the end had a broken relationship with God. We would do well to learn from their lives.

One of the reasons that cause such downfall is because people don’t realize the fact that good beginnings are not enough. They might give us happiness and a sense of achievement.

But as time passes and the matter that is at hand reaches the middle stages a lazy attitude slowly starts to creep in. Our energy and enthusiasm begins to sag. We get discouraged when progress seems to be slow. We start to wonder whether we should have started to do the work in the first place.

It is at this stage that we need to refocus on the end. We need to reflect also on the ways that God had led us until this point. We need to encourage ourselves with the thought that the crown belongs only to finishers and not to starters and half-way runners.

We need to fire ourselves up with the thought that God helped us to begin because He desired us to complete the work. We need to get a godly vision of the end that God has in mind and never give up on what He has helped us begin!
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Your Sin Will Find You Out

But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23 NIV).

Sin affects people. But it is more important to note that ALL sin is against the Lord. The more you think that sin is OK as long as it is hidden; the more danger you are in.

This is because hidden sin will someday be uncovered and brought out into the open. Of this you can be sure!

Have you observed very costly and very beautifully decorated tombs? Think for a moment. Are you reading your exact description here?

You can make yourself beautiful before others and act in innocent fashion. Yet what if the tomb is broken open? Will the beauty on the outside compensate for the ugliness of what lies inside?

Do not think that outward show of piety will help you. It may help you cover up sin for a long time. But what you need to understand is that it is not from outside that the decorations of your piety are going to be broken.

The destruction and decay take place inside. Sin rots from within. And finally the cracks begin to show on the outside. And it is thus that your sin will find you out.

This outcome cannot be escaped. It is a principle that God has proclaimed in His word. You cannot play with sin for long and escape its consequences. If at all you need to escape there is only one way. That is with a change of heart. It means to acknowledge that ALL sin is against the Lord.

You continue to sin because you don’t think of sin as that serious. But you’ll treat sin as something to be kept away when you think of ALL sin as against the Lord. To be armed with this attitude is the only way to escape your sin finding you out!
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Seek Me and Live

This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: ‘Seek me and live’ (Amos 5:4 NIV).

God’s message to you is very simple: “Seek Me and live.” You are left in no doubt about this. It is not religious experiences that you should seek. It is not places of pilgrimage that you should seek. But it is Him that you should seek.

The greatest reason for this is that God Himself is a seeking God. He seeks you; to find you and reveal Himself to you. God seeks you to show you the way of salvation. It is the way of life. When you respond to a seeking God by seeking Him; God says that you will live.

By seeking God you are partaking of the very life of God that overcomes death. It is not something that you wait for to gain at your resurrection from the dead.

It is that powerful principle that operates within you right now overcoming every principle of sin and death within you. You are enabled to experience the life of God within you now. This is why God is asking of you to seek Him now.

Seeking God is not a one-time exercise. It is an attitude of continual seeking that is called forth here. Seeking God is not like taking a lottery ticket and thinking it luck if you win it.

Seeking God is sometimes hard for you. You may have to set aside many of the things you love to do to find time and energy to seek God. That never comes easy.

It is because the principle of death found in many of the activities that you enjoy in the world will try to keep you away from a serious seeking after God.

But think of the fruit of your labor in seeking God. It is His very life flowing out to you in a surge of love!
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I Will Refresh the Weary, Satisfy the Faint

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me (Jeremiah 31:25,26 NIV).

God gave Jeremiah a message of comfort and blessing in a dream. The final statement that God made was that He will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. At this time Jeremiah wakes up with sweet thoughts of the message.

We find in this message God’s desire to see you restored. You might have been disciplined by God for your wrong ways. You might have had to face a lot of losses because of your sinful backsliding. And all your efforts to have a steady walk with God might have failed.

Because of all this you might have grown weary and also faint. But God wishes to restore you.

You might think that it is impossible. But God thinks differently. Why not hold on to this promise of God. Tell God that you are basing your confidence on the promise of His word that He will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.

The important thing that is quite often overlooked is that this promise does not apply to those who have some strength left in themselves. As long as you are struggling on your own it is impossible for this promise to become effective in your life.

It can be safely said that all the years of defeat and shame and a sense of worthlessness that accompanied them were only to bring you to the point of “no struggle.” That means you have now qualified to be the beneficiary of this promise.

Now with that pleasant feel that Jeremiah woke up with receive this precious promise: Be refreshed and be satisfied!

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He Did This So That

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God (Joshua 4:24 NIV).

Joshua makes this statement soon after the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, which was at its flood stage, on dry ground. And Joshua tells the people that God had done again what He had done to the Red Sea in a similar fashion many years ago and allowed the Israelites to cross over on dry ground.

Yet through unbelief all wandered and perished in the desert except Joshua and Caleb. The opportunity was there for them to move on to the Promised Land. But they had failed.

Now God was giving their children a second chance. The destination hadn’t changed. It was the Promised Land. The mission hadn’t changed. It was still the conquest of the Promised Land.

So what God actually did through the dividing of the Jordan was reminding the children of Israel that He was the same God who divided the Red Sea and that His power hadn’t changed. He was asking them to go forward in spite of the fact that they had lost 40 years after the dividing of the Red Sea.

What a God! A similar kind of miracle to show forth the fact that neither His purpose nor His power has changed. Think of this. Is God reminding you of a victory He gave you many years ago? Have you lost it? Are you today seeing and experiencing a similar working of God?

If so, it is to show forth His power to others and also to make you fear the Lord always. His purpose for your life hasn’t changed. God is once again dividing the flooding waters. The path is through its midst. Walk through and conquer!
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