Return to Love

After 400 years of pursuing and various kings leading them, to all disobedience, Israel now for the first time gathered together as a group of people belonging to God, with one motive in mind-the rebuilding of the temple of God, they proclaim

"11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD :

"He is good; his love to Israel endures forever."

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD,

because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid."

I read here in Ezra 3:7-13 for the first time, the Israelites turning to God as one people and accepting God's love after how God pursued the Israelites with His love, to the point of moving the heart of the Persian king Cyrus. This day, finally, they acknowledged God's love for them.

Lesson

Our lives are like those of the Israelites, trying our best to run away from God, doing our own thing, even if it be wrong, even if it be dissatisfactory, even if it be disastrous, we want to have control of things we know not about. We think we know whats right for us, but we know not.

I thought I had my life in control, as in, I am a "strong believer" and everything. I thought, I know the Bible, I have talents and I know God's heart, what He wants and He will do exactly that. With that attitude, I was going great I thought, yeah I led church worship and everything, but I was becoming empty, losing my first love. Until one day, I fell face down, into a pit I had determined never ever to fall in. Self-righteousness- I thought myself better than others, but now I am glad I took this fall. I had almost formed a mentality, God moves at my words!!! Dangerous philosophy, God doesn't move at our words, He honours His word which He has already written, we are to conform to His Word. Remember my post on David, He did not ask God for making him a king and giving him riches and all the bling bling...God Himself in His good plan, decided to do that for David, because David loved God and obeyed Him.

At this time, when no one was there to care or to help me, one man stood, though not knowing much about the Word of God and everything. Christians came and said kind words to me and went on...but this man, he just stood by there silently beside me, would just sit with me and would say nothing...he accepted me just as I am...with my arrogance(the worst of which he had experienced himself, from me)..with my "holier than thou" attitude and everything, one big bundle of wasteful pride and everything else that comes with it. Then I realised my weakness and returned to God," God this time really have it Your way". Later I was to get married to that man who cared for me, when no one else did and it was and still is real joy.

I know now, how wonderful the day might have been when Israel for the first time in 400yrs turned around to the Living God, Who had been following them with His love in His heart, every single day they were out there, doing their own thing. More so, Jesus our Saviour continues to wait by our doors, knocking at our hearts, hoping someday we will return to His love and what a glorious day that will be. Surely better is one day at God's door, than thousands elsewhere. Israelites came to know, that those 400 yrs they lived elsewhere, with people they thought they could get some appreciation from, cared nothing. Until God intervened and finally Israelites saw, God's love for them.

That day in Jerusalem, there was a great shout of victory as the Israelites made an effort to rebuild the broken temple of their God, a beginning of a new relationship, laying of a new foundation. Ezra 3:12 says "12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away."

This reminds me of another shout of victory of rejoicing, with tears of joy, that reveberates through the heavens everytime, that child, that child whom God had been pursuing with His heart full of love, turns around and faces God and accepts and returns to His love.

Luke 15:10"In the same way, I tell you,

there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God

over one sinner who repents."

Conclusion

Return to His love, you broken heart

You will not find love so blessed

For only God can satisfy

No matter how much you're messed

Return to Love, the One true Love

whom others tend to fake

His love can change from inside out

It will never be a mistake

He holds His arms open wide

hoping for your retreat

He waits for you through day and night

When will His love, He meet

Make today the day, of sweet return

throw away those fake nothings

He waits, He longs to see your love for Him

and turn you into a blessing.

-by Godzheart

Believe that you may See

Lessons from 2 Kings 18-19. Be blessed in reading through this.

I have been reading through Hezekiah's life and seeing how God was working in it. During his reign in Judah, he had seen the Israelites, being captured by the king of Assyria and being deported from Samaria to Assyria. He also watched as the new settlers, the Babyblonians came to Samaria and the changes were uncomfortable.
He was more tensed during this time, as he had received a threat from the Assyrian king, to either comply with him and become his vassal or lose his kingdom, like the other kings . Hezekiah wasn't willing to give up yet. He had trusted the Lord wholeheartedly like David (the only one compared in likeness of his faith to David).
There by the city aqueduct the Assyrian commander in chief, had come and was giving a speech to the Israelites (the remnant in Judah). People watched as he spoke in their own language, they understood it all, as he described what a loser Hezekiah is to stand up against the king of Assyria. How other kings like him had been dethroned by the Assyrian king and how foolish it was for these remnant Israelites to depend upon their God. He even dared compare their God to the gods who didn't help the other kingdoms which had fallen before the Assyrians.

Facts are facts and we cannot deny them, so the Israelites had nothing to say to him. They did good in that they didn't speak or try to argue. Up until that time, whatever the Assyrian commander said had been right, and Hezekiah knew, the ONLY way to prove it all wrong would be to win a battle against them and prove to them Y-H is the ONLY true God. In my life too, sometimes reality stares into my face and screams "I am the truth, this is what you've got and you can't do anything but to give in. Where is your God?" The only way out, I know, is the unseen, powerful power of the resurrection of God working within me(Ephesians 1:19-21), which requires my believing before seeing, rather than the way the world would like to have it. I guess thats what Hezekiah might have felt.

At the wall that day, in Judah (Jerusalem) v36 ..the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king(Hezekiah ) had commanded, "Do not answer him." That makes sense to me, I know I have tried a debate with the enemy, through words, through my experiences of faith earlier, but it only left me without words and more with doubts. Faith must be renewed and every situation requires its own level of faith, yesterday's faith cannot win today's battles. Maybe thats what God was teaching the Israelites from Egypt and gave them Manna to be collected each day and not on a weekly basis. Hezekiah, had to renew his faith, right then if he wanted to prove those enemy's facts wrong.

Hezekiah could have given in, but he didn't want to, he had experiences of triumph with God(2 Kings 18:5-8) and knew God could come through for him, no matter what came up in life. It is true, he was very afraid, watching his guards by the city wall, his messengers updated him on the speech they had heard. He was very disturbed, devastated and tore his robes and went into the temple. He didn't go in the fancy, he didn't remain in the cloud, he was being human, man with grief in that situation. In those days they didn't have the Bible to read the Word of God and find out God's will, so he called his administrator and secretary and sent them to talk to a man of God Isaiah, so they would know God's plan for them, now.

The word from God, through Isaiah, came almost immediately(2 Kings 19:5,6). It is amazing the way God work. Ever ready for the children who would call Him in their times of trouble.I have seen in my trying situations, God truly is an ever present help. When my circumstances are desperate, and when I open the Word of God in desperation, in total dependence, as if -if I don't get a Word from God, I don't know what I'm going to do- I have found Him. In my desperations I have found my God waiting with a Word for me, just for me and so apt and so powerful that all doubts and fears must leave and again I believe, that for me believing is seeing and I believe hard in order that I may see.

Conclusion: God waits for His children, looking out for them, every turn of their life. Waiting to see when they will turn to Him and seek His presence, His friendship, His love. Will they try to go on life through their own feeble strength. He knows the enemy is powerful, He has made him and He knows whats needed to overtake Him. The only thing between His hand and ours is whether we are willing to extend our hands towards God. He doesn't need to be defended from the enemy, and He knows, we need help because, the enemy is out to destroy us and He wouldn't be able to intervene in our lives, until we reach out to Him, the clause of free will. No matter what you're going through, no matter what the enemy is shouting by your wall, no matter what his facts say, that is not the TRUTH. For God is the ONLY WAY, the ONLY TRUTH and the ONLY LIFE. Believe that you may See Him at work in your life.

A God of Covenant

The Israelites had received from God, a choice, an option, to go one way or another, God's way or their own way. They made their choice, God never forced them to make a choice but, let them see for themselves the consequences of the choice. I'd say God urged them, to choose life, that they might live. For example: When a child is playing with a sharp knife and is stubborn and resistant in turning over the knife to their parents, the parent knows, if it be snatched from them it would hurt them bad, the only way to get it out of their hands is to give them the choice to open their hands and give it back. The consequences of holding onto that knife, would be harming the child anyway, sooner or later. It might look like fun for the kid for the time being but in the long run it would cause hurt.
In the light of what I have presented, you now have a choice to make every day, every moment of your life too.

Background: I read through the next few chapters after Amaziah and his son Uzziah had gone, from 2Kings 15-19 and here's the gist of it all. The Israelites had gone as wayward as they wanted to go. Keep in mind the covenant God made with Abraham and confirmed through His promise to David and join with me in this exploration of truth. Here's how the 2 Kings 17 describes Israel's stand with God: The covenant of Abraham included, God blessings, and Abraham's obedience of faith in God, all that God expected of Abraham was faith in God, love for God because God knew that was the only way mankind would truly reach the spiritual, social, economical, physical potential God had originally created man to be. However, 2 Kings 17 says, the Israelites turned away from that covenant, they did evil, secretly disobeying God..to the point that, they were exiled from the promised land. They were relocated from Samaria to Assyria by the Assyrian king. They were treated badly by the king of Assyria, until Hezekiah came up as king in Judah. This king Hezekiah was a good king, 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done (2 Kings 18:3)

Lessons I learnt

God never forced them(the Israelites) to trust Him or follow Him or love Him. Now you might think, why did God let them be exiled, why did God let them be defeated by a foreign king? I asked this question too. What came to my mind was the covenant and a God who believes in free will.
covenant:means covenant means "a written agreement between two or more parties to perform some action"
Now knowing this, its easier to understand that, the covenant between Abraham and God was based on Abraham's faith and God's promise of a complete or fulfilling life. Covenant was to result in an action, on the basis of the components(faith from Abraham's part and life from God's part) provided by the parties in the covenant.
Since the faith in God part of the covenant wasn't being activated, God's desire to activate the abundant life part wasn't able to take effect.
The Israelites,"v11 They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger." If I were to read this verse without the light of knowing covenant, I would have been disappointed, that God was angry at them, but now I think, God was not angry at them, God was angry at the way they had been decieved in disobedience, thinking that was the best life they were living. Satisfying ONLY their physical and material cravings. I don't think there's anything successful about a life with ONLY those two aspects being met. They might seem successful in the eyes of the world, for now, for the time being. 200yrs from now, will they be remembered????? Will they have done anything that could impact and change lives??? NO I don't think so.
The Israelites weren't ready to let go of the knife they were holding. The knife of disobedience, the knife of worshipping other gods(which weren't even god), the knife of self-destruction which would not only destroy them but also their following generations, because thats what they were teaching their kids, to hold onto that knife. The sad thing was, they weren't looking at their life from God's point of view.

God knows what man is all about, what can make man complete and the choice to find "that success" A life that impacts lives, a life that gives its all into the hands of God, becuase they love God and would want God to bring out the best in them, for they themselves know not whats best about them and for them. They discover the immense power that the covenant holds, to bring about all the blessings, be it spiritual, physical, social, financial or anything else. Look at all the examples of people who kept the covenant of God, their part in the covenant, the part of faith and love for God. Weren't they blessed beyond measure, weren't they successful in ALL areas of their lives, not just the 2 that man has been thinking of all this while.

Conclusion: At the end of my reading from 2 Kings 15-19, I have come to meet a man Hezekiah. "5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook" Oh would I ever so love to be like him. He activated the covenant by his faith, when he invited God back into His life and called out to His covenant partner for the promise that was made so many 100s of years ago. That power worked and brought him out of the generational rut of disobedience everyone was stuck in. He was successful.

Its our choice now, either to continue holding onto that knife ever so dearly( not knowing the dangers of it all) or to hand it over to the LIVING God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and see the covenant in action in our life.

Deal or no Deal?

Background: Elisha has passed away and Israel now is under oppression from Hazael, king of Aram. Elisha had prophesied earlier, that Hazael would oppress Israel after killing the king of Aram and taking his place. The Bible says in 2 Kings 13:22-23"22 Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. 23 But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from his presence. "

Lesson: If you read the previous and next chapters you'll find there were many kings that got a chance to rule Israel and Judah, but none of them were sincere as David was. They all went astray or obeyed God partially. Yet God was gracious to them , every time they were oppressed, or they sinned, or someone attacked them...and all other problems that they had....because of His covenant with Abraham!!!
I wanted to see the details of this covenant, and in order for us to truly appreciate verse 23 from 2 Kings 13, we'll have to go back atleast a 1000yrs from this verse, to the time of Abraham.
In Genesis 15 we read the details of God's covenant with Abraham. In their times, when 2 parties were entering into a covenant, they would walk together between halves of a heifer, a goat, a ram and dove and pigeon. "9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half."
This covenant would mean that they would share their sorrows, their joys, their wealth, their lives, to the point that if any one of the parties be in trouble, the other would be there to defend them even at the cost of their life. Almost meaning the life they lived would no longer be only for oneself but for the other person too, as if one man.
And God went into a covenant with Abraham that day " 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river [d] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-"
You know what is the most beautiful part of this covenant?-- Abraham didn't walk through it, only God did. In verse 12 you'll find " 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him"

Conclusion: The past few days, with all these holiday shopping and all, everyone wanting to get the better end of the deal, the shopkeeper for their profit, the end user for the cheap and best, no one wants a bad deal, but God kept showing in my heart, He was always willing to be at the bad end of the deal, so that I would get the best of it.

He chose to be poor that I might be made rich.

He chose to die, that I might live.

He chose to be wounded, that my sins be forgiven.

He chose to exhange His beauty for my ashes.

God knew, a mere man and his descendants wouldn't be able to fulfil the covenant, it meant death to the one who failed to keep the covenant, yet He walked alone, between the covenant symbols, while Abraham was put in deep sleep. All Abraham had to do was to believe in God's unfailing love.Thats the kind of God we have, willing to take up everything for us, in order that we will see His love and love Him back. Thats my Living God, who loves me when I'm good, and loves me when I'm bad. He loves me in my joys, He loves me in my sorrows. He made a deal with a mere man, Abraham, who couldn't return anything that God could do, and God remained faithful even till this day, to the same covenant He made with Abraham so many thousands of years ago. If you do not know this Living and Loving God, here is your chance again, to make the deal, you have nothing to lose. For those who lose their life in Him, have found it. So here's the question Deal or no deal??

All About God's Love- All For Us

The more I thought about my previous post, the more I knew I didn't do justice to the lesson it was teaching.

"Siege" means: "the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place in such a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose of lessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible. "

When one is under siege, the sooner they learn, they need help from outside, the better. Sometimes God allows us, His children, to be sieged by the enemy, and I found that there were atleast, 2 reasons that struck me, and they both mean or lead to the same thing, knowing the One Who Loves us.

1. To grow in the knowledge of His sufficiency in our insufficiency-When we haven't experienced God as our Financer, we will never know He can finance us. When we haven't experienced God as our Healer, we will never know He can heal. When we haven't experienced God as our Deliverer we will never know He is able to Save us completely from all disasters. God is not and never limited in the way we think about Him. He is able, whether we know it or not. And if there be a lesson we really need to learn for our moving onto the next grade of our spiritual life, God would help us learn it.Would we as parents, ask our kids to drop out of school, just because our child is not able to add numbers or not able to read, not able to understand algebra, when everything else about them is fine. I think, we would never, we would try and find out what is wrong, what can be done about it and do it so that our child is helped. For a time when we're not around, we will make sure that our child will be well equipped to face his/her future, even without us. The king didn't know what would happen next and couldn't even provide answers to women who were eating their own children, but by the knowledge of God's amazing power and love, Elisha could perceive God's sufficiency.
2. To help us to see beyond ourselves -We like to be in control of what concerns our life. Where we live, where we work, where our children go to school, which church to go to, who to make friends with and so on...we don't like situations where we don't know what to do. These control mechanisms we have, tend to take away our trust in God, in His ability, we forget, we're just humans. On the downside of this, if we don't realise who's to be in control of EVERY situation soon, and that we can't do everything, the moment something goes wrong we'll blame someone, even ourselves and never forgive. That could lead to further sieges in our life. The king did not know God, like the way Elisha did. The king was sulking in bitterness and helplessness in the siege, Elisha on the other hand responds to the siege in declaration of God's power to overturn the economy and the siege all in one night.

Conclusion-The lessons that God gives us from the Word of God is not About us, it is FOR US. Its all ABOUT GOD and His love, FOR US. God didn't need to make the sacrifice. God didn't need to die that painful death...but it was done all FOR US. Rejoice as you read ABOUT GOD"S LOVE, and finding that it was ALL FOR US. Through God's Loving Sacrifice, we are given forgiveness, we are partakers of God's kingdom and sonship. Through God's sacrifice we are being made His Very Own.

11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:13-15

For those in the siege of financial difficulty-2 Corinthians 8:9 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" It is for us to realise that we are being made His children to have the same inheritance as His Son Jesus, because of our Lord Jesus. All provision for life has been made.

For those in the siege of sickness-Isaiah 53:5 "5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.

For those in the siege of sin-Trying to come out of sin without knowing God, in our own efforts and failing and then going round and round in this siege, 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Ask God for help, ask God for strength Ask Lord Jesus to come into our lives and sin will be no more the controller. We cannot even in our best efforts live right in the sinful body, because like Paul says , the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, but even in this, it is not an excuse to sin wilfully.

Whats our motivation?

2 Kings 5
Naaman has got healed after his 7th Dip and then now he's returned to Elisha to give him gifts of clothing and riches, but Elisha refuses. Hence, Naaman, asks for some mud from the land so he can go back and build an altar for the Living God in his place. Later Gehazi chases Naaman and asks for the gifts that Naaman was planning to give Elisha, without Elisha's consent.

17 "If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD. 18 But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this." 19 "Go in peace," Elisha said.

After Naaman had traveled some distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, "My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him."

I couldn't help but notice the stark difference in the way Naaman and Gehazi behaved at this situation. This man Naaman, came to know the Lord for the first time in his life and is awestruck and worshipful towards God, on the other hand Gehazi has gone to make better of this opportunity. Gehazi wants to make some money. I wondered, what just happened here? Wasn't Gehazi right by the side of Elisha himself, every time there was a miracle being performed. Isn't this the 1st time something so miraculous has happened in Naaman's life. Why then did Gehazi run for money, where Naaman was so overwhelmed by God's power and decided to follow him. I think it has something to do with "complacency" or "leaving the first love". Here are a few questions I asked myself, well before I go ahead I wanted to make clear , I judge myself, so that no one will judge me...so these lessons from the lives of people in the Bible, help me keep myself on track.

What am I serving God for?-For a house, for money, for health...or whatever we might need, in exchange of our service??? Well thats a very powerful question. If we are coming to Jesus ONLY for these things, we might as well be behaving like Gehazi. How many times I have said, I know, God if you do this/that for me, I will never leave you.

But the question is, how many times have I said like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did "16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

At the end of our time here on earth, will God say..

3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. (Revelation 2:3-5 )

OR

I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Revelation 2:18-20

The only way we can know for sure is to let the Word of God do what it does best,

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,

it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;

it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.Hebrews 4:11-13"

prune us and make us all the more powerful in knowing our Lord, in the way that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did, so we'd be sooooooo sure that our God is for us and no one can be against us, and we will follow God not because of that carrot on the stick principle, but because we WANT to follow God because we love Him for His love for us, because He's the One who loved us first.

Dont Stop Midway

Now that Elisha had come to know that she did not have any children(2 Kings 4:14), she was blessed with a boy(2 Kings 4:15). "18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. 19 "My head! My head!" he said to his father. His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother." 20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. "(2 Kings4: 18-20)

1. We may be satisfied at where we are, but are we fruitful?-What this woman had been afraid of, had happened. She did not want a child(v16), she was content, but God had other plans for her, God had plans to show her more of Himself, His power to heal and to restore. She was going to see, that it wasn't enough for her to just be a well-to-do woman, but a complete woman who had children. Sometimes in our lives we are satisfied in being at the church every sunday, in every choir, in every church event. We are well-to-do spiritually, but God knows where we lack, we do not have fruit (like this woman did not have a fruit of her womb, though she sounded content). God would love us to have lives that are fruitful, lives that are capable of bringing up another life. Like a mother brings up her child. Fruitful lives. Are we fruitful? If not, don't be surprised if God would give us something we were afraid to have, like this woman was.
2. Run to the One who gave, 'coz only He can save-"v22 She called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return." . Many times we may think we're able to resolve an issue on our own, our own prayer, our own efforts, I guess in this effort we tend to run in different directions, except the direction we need to run to. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:4-6 and this verse continues saying "6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" God knows the outcome of every situation better than we do, what we should do with the situation we're in is something only God knows and so its best we run to Him. Then we can all say like Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:11 "11And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. "
3. Not just on Sunday, but every day- When the Shunnamite woman decided to go meet Elisha, her husband wondered, 23 "Why go to him today?" he asked. "It's not the New Moon or the Sabbath." "It's all right," she said. However she knew that she could go to meet Elisha any time. So also must we know, our Lord expects us to come to Him at any time, for any need. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.Hebrews 4:15-16

Conclusion:No matter what we're facing, we know for sure that God knows whats happening. Situations may not be the way we thought they would be, not the way we thought it should go, but God knows, He awaits with open arms to hug us, as we go running to Him. Don't we as parents open our arms to hug our little ones when they run to us? How much more our Living Lord, who gave up His own Son, just so we could also be His own."He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?Romans 8:31-33

Emmanuel

I discovered in yesterday's post that God loves to stay with the people who invite Him in their lives.

God is so in love with us that He loves to be with us every single moment of our lives, if only we want Him. He is so serious about this fact that even His name reads "Emmanuel" meaning "God with us".

Results of God being with us.

1. Fullness in God- Elisha wanted to bless her with what was lacking. He searched and found out, through his servant. 14 "What can be done for her?" Elisha asked. Gehazi said, "Well, she has no son and her husband is old." (2Kings 4:14). When we've invited Jesus to dwell in our lives, He will search what is lacking in our lives and fill up our lives. Our Lord Himself said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:10)
2. Protection of God-When God dwelt with the Israelites as a pillar of cloud and fire, He provided them protection from their enemies.
3. Guidance from God-Not only did the Israelites get God's protection, when the pillar of fire came between them and the enemy, but also the pillar of cloud showed them the way to go. The pillar of fire lit up their path.

Conclusion:Our Loving Father, paid a heavy price just so He could have fellowship with us. He paid it in the blood and death of His only Son. How can we let go by such a costly sacrifice? No matter what you're in, God wants to be in it and bring you out into fullness. If, like this woman we are invite God to our lives. He will complete it in ways we could have never thought possible. God is able to provide for us, of things we thought we could live without, like this woman thought she could do without a son, yet God knew how and what could fill up the person's life. The person who values God's sacrifice, for the sake of our fellowship with Him.

Insignificant in the world, significant in God's eyes

1Kings 19

A glorious miracle now under his belt, Elijah must have felt so bold and strong, now that he has seen God send fire from heaven to affirm Elijah's calling, Elijah's life purpose and His Word to Elijah, in spite of all that, we see Elijah very distressed now. Ahab has gone and told Jezebel all that Elijah did at mount carmel and now Jezebel seeks to kill him all the more. "3 Elijah was afraid [a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." (1 Kings 19:3) In a short moment of time, Elijah said words that were totally unbelievable, to me. Why does this powerful man of God want to die, isn't it wonderful that God is so "visible" through his life, but then I see that this was not such a great time to live in. The Israelites had rejected the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and even killed the prophets of God. Sounds like a time of anti-Christ like time. Yet in this moment, God was working in the times, with Elijah. He was the lone preacher, the lone prophet of the time.

In his despair, Elijah cried to God and was so tired he slept under a broom tree and "All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God."
After this God met him at the cave in Horeb, gave Elijah the assignment of anointing Elisha and Jehu, also God let Elijah know "18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.". This tells me that God knows ALL His people, whether other people know them or not.

Lessons I learnt

1. God examines the people of the earth-"The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them." Psalm 11:3-5 Before we can tell God of the oppressor, God already knows, He has been examining them.
2. God had been keeping track of his own people, though Elijah did not know of other followers of the Living God-"But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love " Psalm 33:17-19
3. God has His eyes on His people, to listen to their cries-"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;"Psalm 34:14-16 There is never a time, when God is not listening to His children's cries. When Elijah cried out to God to kill him, God knew that Elijah needed food for strength and not death, so God provided him with what Elijah needed. What if God would have listened to Elijah's cry word for word!!! We wouldn't have known of the fire chariots and stuff I guess. It is good that God does not give us exactly as our heart desires, He knows what we need more than we do.

Conclusion:Whether others have noticed you or not, like those 7000 people who were yet faithful to God, God knows you. God has been keeping track of the believers in Jesus Name no matter how insignificant they have been. Those insignificant people whom Elijah didnt know, were in the message of strength from God to Elijah. It was so important for their existence to be mentioned to Elijah so that he could go on. Though these 7000 people's names are not mentioned, but they have been mentioned by God Himself at a time when Elijah had given up, Elijah wanted to die, Elijah was lonely. God knew the importance of the mention of these 7000 insignificant, unnamed believers of the Living God. Every child of God has a purpose, though may seem insignificant to the eyes of the world, they are critical in God's plan and God's eyes are always watching out for His children, no matter where they are.

Headed for Worship

So David was running away from his son Absalom who was trying to kill him, however the good thing is David reached where he was headed. I was amazed to know the place where David was headed, when disaster struck him," 32 ..David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God..."(2Samuel 15:32) David was headed towards a worship ground and made it there. Its difficult to be able to reach a place of worship when you're not in a mood to worship, nothing around you seems like you can worship about, but I guess this is the key point the whole Bible resounds. Worshipping God, when life's situations are pressing in on you is a powerful thing. No wonder there are so many examples in the Bible where when God's people were tested or were in trial, they headed for worship and the most amazing thing was, none of them returned a failure from that place of worship, all of God's people who entered into worship during their troubled times were victorious, they came out stronger than they had gone in, they came out maturer from the lessons they learnt in worshipping God during their troubled, they came out more blessed. You want to see!!!
Here they are

1. Strength for facing any situation in the worship place-When Abraham was supposed to take Isaac for sacrifice, here's what he said-Genesis 22:5He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
2. Freedom from slavery of any kind is at the worship place-When the Israelites were in slavery and cried out to God, their first destination towards freedom was to go to the desert and worship God-"Exodus 3:12And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
3. Getting blessed at the worship place-When Hannah wasnt having a baby, they were at a worship place when she asked God for Samuel-" Year after year this man(Elkanah) went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh....Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. " Then Hannah prayed and asked God in the house of worship.."In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD."(1 Samuel 1) and her prayer was answered and thats how we got a powerful man of God and prophet Samuel.
4. Seeking God in worship-The Ethiopian who wanted to know God had gone to a place of worship before God's person came to meet him on his way-"Acts 8:27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship"
5. Getting directions through worship-Jesus disciples got answer for further direction when they were in worship-Acts 13:2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

The Word of God is full of examples from lives of people who found strength, hope and power in worshipping God, when the situation didnt exhort them to worship. Worshipping God when everything is fine, is easy however the real power of worship can truly be experienced when situation doesn't look like you could worship. Thats when our soul finds total dependence on the Living God, knowing thay only He can fix everything. Remember when Paul and the rest were imprisoned for preaching and were in the jail, they started worshipping and singing and the doors of the jail broke off. Thats the power of worship, when we're tied up. Hebrews 1:6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." Isn't it our call to worship our Living God.Hebrews 12:28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,"
So let us worship...Philippians 4:6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Its not that these people were going through an easy time when they were headed for worship, but let our requests be made known to God,"WITH THANKSGIVING"
Let us head for worship and receive the power that God has kept for us.

Defective Life....Blessed

David was man, who loved to help people. He loved to do right works, and made sure, his life was connected to God. He did everything with God's approval, and so he prospered because the Lord Almighty was always with him
In 2 Samuel 9 we see how David sought for, anyone left from Jonathan's house, to show them kindness.Mephibosheth was found, and David took such good care of him, that he established that, Mephibosheth should dine at the king's place, forever."7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." "

Lessons I learnt

1. We did not choose God, God chose us to be His children, the choice we have is whether we accept God as a choice too-Mephibosheth did not choose David to help him out, but David sought for Mephibosheth and blessed him similarly, we had no idea to choose God, without knowing him, yet God knows us and saves us from our terrible and dipressing situations.
2. Our current circumstances should not matter our relationship with God-No matter what type of person you are, or what shape your life is in, God knows our situations, he knows we've been left to fend for oursleves,by our own choice. And he wants to help, the choice we have, is to either receive God's guidance and help for our situation or work without Him in our lives. For with God all things are possible. God does not make guess work about our livesHe has it all well planned, and a believer clearly knows where his help comes from, what his or her God would do for him. God doesn't help us because we're in trouble, but because He loves us and wants to bless us.
3. God doesn't just have an idea or a good thought of saving and keeping us in Him, but God longs to try to meet with us to fulfil those plans- "3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet." 4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."For David, helping Jonathan's descendents was not a great thought, but he sincerely did want to help him. God doesn't have a good plan for us, but He seeks to intercept our lives and wants us to live out His perfect and pleasing plan for our lives."Isaiah 30:18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"
4. Accepting God's will without a doubt-If Mephibosheth, would have doubted, whether David really meant to help him, he would have never entered the king's palace. Or if Mephibosheth would have thought, who am I to deserve the king's attention, he would not have gone ahead with David's request. Surely we are nothing, no bodies to deserve such wonderful saving grace from God, yet God chose us to show His kindness, because He loves us. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;"(Psalm 103:9-11). When we accept God's kindness towards us, we accept God's love.
5. Accepting God's plan for our lives, is a key to success and a good life- Soon after Mephibosheth accepted David's plan to keep him at his palace, "And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet." Now thats a wonderful life, that Mephibosheth received from David. He wouldn't have to worry about food, clothing or shelter any more. The king was taking care of it all. Once we've accepted God's plan in our lives, all the rest gets taken care of. Matthew 6:33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Now I think, seeking God's kingdom, also means that we want God to be our King, and for God to be our King, we should be willing to be His subjects and the rest of the things will be added to us. Its not about making other people somehow get into the kingdom, but living the kingdom-like life so that others may see and want what the kingdom of God has. I think that would make evangelisation so easy. We've just got to live in obedience to our King Lord Jesus and everything will be added to us.

Conclusion:There were shortcomings in Mephibosheth, yet David did not consider those as a hindrance to show his kindness. Mephibosheth was lame and might have been misreable for not being able to move around freely, but David's love and concern for him, changed Mephibosheth's life forever. So also, God Himself, has been trying to look out for any who are righteous, who are willing to follow God's will, who are willing to be people of His kingdom. People who are willing to abide by the rules of God's Kingdom and thereby, be blessed, not only for themselves but also for their entire generations to come.

The Joy of Knowing-God is in control

Reading through, 1 Samuel 1-16 chapters I find the Israelites, kept making mistakes and God kept finding ways to get them back into His perfect plan. I sometimes wonder, would we (the people now) have got any chance to hear this wonderful gospel if God would have given up on the Israelites when they continued to revolt against Him. When they grumbled in the desert during Moses' time or now when they chose a king for themselves. Well God knew, all this would happen Isaiah 46:10 declares" I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come...I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

Over the years of my walk with Jesus Christ, I have been obedient and I have been disobedient sometimes too. I have learnt something from all this, that God does not give up on His children, until His children totally give up on God. We are made to give up by the enemy's voice which keeps nagging us, saying "God doesn't love you any more, you sinned, don't you remember?" Well initially I used to get bogged down by that thought. Then I learnt -NEVER TO FIGHT A THOUGHT WITH A THOUGHT, BUT WITH THE WORD OF GOD" So I did just that. Took the Word of God and found out what I should do and it always has answered all my questions and led me out.

A verse that impresses me is Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. "This is Job's testimony after all that happened to him.

Well every time I see disobedience in the Bible, I saw that God makes a way around it or through it and takes His children out. Every body made a mistake from Noah onwards, but God finally had the perfect plan brought into our world through Jesus Christ who was without sin/blemish. The perfect person to take away our sins and disobedience. Now the people also paid for their mistakes, because the consequences will always be there.

In 1 Samuel 1-16 I found that the Israelites, under the leadership of Samuel, sin against God and want a king (like all other nations). God knew this wouldn't work. From the Israelites' point of view, all other nations had king and so it should work for them too. However they failed to realise, they had God Himself as king, else which nation would be able to stand without a king and stay together as a nation? Now God went with their demand, but since He knew it wouldn't work, God had a man prepared after His own heart "David". The plan was good per the people's eyes, but God had a perfect plan.

Lessons I learnt
God has a perfect plan for all His children, all who declare Lord Jesus to be their Saviour. It is really as simple as saying, no to our own selfish ways and saying "Yes Lord, let your will be done. I want you Lord and your plan be done in my life" Something amazing happens. As beings of reasoning, we like to be in control of our lives and know whats happening. I used to be like that, I wanted to know exactly what I would do next. After a certain change took place in my life, I have turned my life over to God like I've never done before. I can see God's plan now making things beautiful for me....no no troubles are not gone away.....they're very much present...but its that amazing knowledge, that God is in control . Its that joy that assures me God's plan for my life cannot be thwarted and you know what His plans are?... Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. " Now how can I not want a plan like that??? Would you?

What is Fellowship?

Naomi, a woman who was born and brought up with Israelites, and Ruth a Moabite woman, who had not known a God, Who could be personal and take care of His people.These 2 women taught me the meaning of fellowship.

Naomi a woman who had lost all hope of life getting better, was bitter with life."Don't call me Naomi, [ Naomi means pleasant ; also in verse 21. ] " she told them. "Call me Mara, [ Mara means bitter . ] because the Almighty [ Hebrew Shaddai ; also in verse 21 ] has made my life very bitter." Ruth 1:20. Yes Naomi was human alright, she went through trials and like most of us would put the blame on God, she did too even though it was due to their own wrong decision to move to Moab. She didn't want people in her already distressed life, she wanted her daughters-in-law to return to their own homes and start new families(Ruth 1:8). Sometimes, we just want to be left alone when we're in some trial.

Ruth on the other hand, I see as a new believer or just about starting to believe.The only one she knew who could show her God's work was Naomi so she decides to hold on to Naomi for life."16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." (Ruth 1:16-17 ). She knew what Naomi thought of her own self, but she also has known, the Naomi who has faith in a Living God and always blessed anybody who came into her life in the Name of the Living God.(See Ruth 1:6, Ruth 1:8, Ruth 2:20)

In spite of what their own situations looked like, the key factor I see in their fellowship is "LOVE". Love is manifested in various actions and behaviour that these 2 women have towards each other in building each other up.
Ruth's love for Naomi and Naomi's love for Ruth. Nobody was preaching to the other, they were just living out their love for each other. Now thats a rare thing between in-laws in our time.

Lesson: Its very easy to love someone who is the same as you, thats what we call, people who click with us.However God has been recently trying to show me to love people who don't know Him or who are trying to find Him, but looking in the wrong places. People who would want to know Him, but have no way of knowing Him unless I can show it to them through my life.
I think, there are believers out there too, who are in situations like mine, to love someone in their life, they don't know, they don't like.I am learning to Love people who don't know my God, sometimes I feel like just sitting and explaining the whole salvation, redemption, confession, belief package to them.But this lesson from the fellowship between Ruth and Naomi has taught me that fellowship is not only about talking about spiritual things, but also living out the Words of our Lord Jesus. Thats what I think is fellowship, so lets live out our Christian Life. There might be a Ruth somewhere in our lives, someone wanting to know our Lord, lets learn from the lesson Ruth and Naomi teach us.

Surrendered Life-Renders Blessings

Today I start another life journey....this time with Ruth.This book of the Bible has been by far the most impacting book in my life. Last night I lay down thinking about her life...etc..and now I write them down.
Ruth's Background:Ruth is a Moabite. Moabites are people from Moab. Moab was a generation that came out of Lot through disobedience and evil. Lot's daughters got him drunk and they each lay down with him to have children. "36So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. 37When the older daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Moab.[b] He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Moabites. 38When the younger daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Ben-ammi.[c] He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Ammonites." Genesis 19:36-38. Here's what happened some time after all this "Deuteronomy 23:3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation. " So we see Ruth from a background, which came out of evil, she probably had not known the God of the Israelites who was jealous for His people. Now Elimelech with his wife Naomi sojourns (goes to another country for a short while) to Moab. They had sons Mahlon and Chilion who were married to Ruth and Orpah respectively.

Naomi's husband is dead, Ruth's husband is dead so also is Orpah's husband. There are no more members in their family. Naomi had nothing to give to her daughters and she asks them to leave her and go back to their own country as she plans to return to Bethlehem. Orpah returns but Ruth clings on to Naomi-"16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." (Ruth 1:16-17).

I wondered, why would Ruth not want to go back and remain in Moab. She sounds so desperate to go with Naomi, that the only way she wishes to part her mother-in-law is through death. Now this woman was desperate to get out of all the situation she was in. She wanted out of everything, Moab was about. She wanted out...desperately.

What was it that interested her to come out? "6 When she(Naomi) heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there." (Ruth 1:6). Naomi wanted to return because she heard of the way God had come down to help His people. Ruth might have wondered wow I never knew of a God who helped His people like that, since her forefathers (the Moabites) wouldn't have seen God work in the way He worked for the Israelites. Ruth wanted what they(Israelites) had.

Did she make the right choice? Would God accept her? Would the people accept her? What would happen? She's a Moabite after all and there is a whole horrid past that she's running from. Moab didn't have anything to offer to her, only all the evil there is, only fleshly lusts, only being harassed by evil men and women. She knew that Moab was only a cycle of evil, with no way out. In Naomi she found something that gave her some hope, something that could change her life. Something that could make meaning out of her senseless and meaning less life in Moab......

Yes she did-I am soooooooooo glad to say that she did find meaning when she went into Bethlehem(house of bread) in Judah(house of praise) of Ephratha(fruitful), to hand her life to God, to submit to a God she had not known, only heard. Do you know what happens with such kind of surrendered life? A life, which cares not of what will happen to it, if it surrenders itself to a Living God.A life which does not know what will happen tomorrow. A life willing to face criticism from people who have tried to believe (in their own strength) and failed. A life ready to face any challenge that comes on, just for following a Living God. A life even given over to the point of death being the sole thing to part it from God. Ruth wanted such a life.

What did she get out of all this she was willing to die for?
Her name in the geneology of Jesus Christ Himself" 5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6and Jesse the father of King David. ........16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."(Matthew 1). She got be Jesus our Lord's, great great great great...grand mom. What a wonderful blessing!!!
Also, as I know now, she had such a beautiful life after that decision, that it was worth being recorded in the list of books, the Bible, a life lesson book named Ruth.

Lesson: No matter what background, or past we're carrying. No matter how daunting or taunting or haunting our past life has been, when that life, is surrendered to the point of totality in the hands of a Living God, God can impact a whole world with that kind of life. Not only in that person's lifetime but in lifetimes to come. Generations that would never see that person will be impacted. Such lives, impact way beyond their lifetime. Now the question is for us who live now. There are many people trying to prove God as all that He is not. In this time, can we dare to stand up like Ruth did and trust God no matter what and let our lives in God's hand be a tool?

Power of the Cross

Colossians 2:13-15 "13And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions, 14Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared [a]completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross. 15[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].

We were once a people who had a written note against us- saying"GUILTY". You know what happened at the cross because of that note against us? God took the notes that were against us, and nailed it to the cross-thereby tearing it and declaring, from this day (of the crucifixion) forward, my children are no longer guilty. They are free.

And to them (the principalities and powers) which were against us and wanting to destroy us. God made a public spectacle. Can you imagine? When satan came against us with our guilt tag, God took it and tore it and threw it on his face and said. "Thats my child, she believes in me, she's mine. I have paid for her, IN FULL" God made a bold display on our behalf. He did'nt do it in a secret cave. He went right up there on the mountain where all could see. Declared, "My child who believes in Me is not guilty. My judgement of my child says -Not Guilty- can anyone dare bring any allegations on them?"

Romans 8:1 says "THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.(A)"

It fills my heart with sheer reverence and joy that God would do such a wonderful thing for me and for you who believe in Jesus. That place, where the enemy joined forces to make fun of me for my guilt, God made a spectacle of them and not of me. I can almost picture, how heaven would have made sheer joke of the enemy satan when he thought he had us, but was so totally, utterly defeated at the cross. I feel like saying hurrah for Jesus my Lord and Saviour that I enjoy this good life because you made it possible for me.

If you do not know the Living Lord who loves you so unconditionally, Romans 5:8 (Whole Chapter) says "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Take time today to know God, He loves you more than you can ever imagine, more than you have ever been loved by anyone. Reconcile with God today.

Praying For You

Christian life is not totally easy, until we know that we know that we know the one whom we have believed like Paul says 2 Timothy 1:12 ".. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."

Paul was a man who was thrown in prisons, was in a shipwreck, people deserted him, suffered a snake bite, knew what it was to be in need but was contented in whatever it was he was in.In all this and in spite of being in chains he says "I am not ashamed" because He knew whom He had believed.

Yet his life was such a blessing, even his shadow caused people to get healed. He wrote the most number of books in the New Testament, being an encouragement to whoever reads it. What an exact representation of God's disciple, exactly as Jesus had ordained(Mark 16:15-20). I wonder what happened to the believers, over time, where did all the miracles go from then? Why can't we do the things Jesus said we could do?

Are we too engrossed in our own problems, trying to fight it and find ways on our own? Lets learn from Paul, lets take courage in knowing whom we have believed. Lets remember He who has called us is faithful to do what He has promised. In the midst of his trials Paul was a great blessing to whoever he met. Why can't we be like that? I want to.

I am praying for my friends and family, also for whoever drops by my blog. That would be pretty general, however if there is something you'd like me to agree/stand with you in prayer, please drop me a line at godzhart@yahoo.com.

What a Dad!!!

I don't know how to put this any better. Our God is soooooooo patient, beyond we can ever imagine. Judges is full of His compassion, a Loving Father, desperately waiting and wanting His children to return to Him. He did not spare the rod so that His children don't fall into the wrong things.However even when they got hurt, He would bind them up and care for them. Only wanting to let them(His children) to know, He cares, He's forever there for them, He's made a covenant with them and He will never break it.

The Israelites, once in the Promised Land, forgot God who brought them up out of Egypt and gave them this new land. Started following a different God which was not God at all. Its so sad that someone so despised by the one He loves, still keeps coming back to them and helping them and loving them and rescuing them. What a Loving God!!

1. "11Then the sons of Israel did (L)evil in the sight of the LORD and [c]served the (M)Baals, 12and (N)they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger...."(Judges 2:11-16) God still helped them out, because He is true to His promises, once He's made a covenant with you, He doesn't move back from it even if you do. Thats what God did, even to the point of giving His own Son so that no one should perish but every one should have everlasting life.
   "God loves people more than anything, He'd rather die than let them go"
   Thats how loving our God is. So amazing is His Mercy, His Love, His protection. Even when the Israelites forsook Him so many times.
2. 18When the LORD raised up judges for them, (U)the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was (V)moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.(Judges 2:18-19)

Over and over again, throughout Judges, we see the people of Israel doing wrong, falling into captivity, calling out to God, God delivering them and then the Israelites go back and serve other gods.(Judges)

What does this bring out about God? Everywhere else, people might say, how can the Christian's God be just and loving at the same time. I think Judges gives us a better picture of how the Israelites kept going and doing their own things in disobedience and then God keeps coming and helping them out. No one wants to see the wrongs that the people did, rather they are willing to point out the fact that God made disaster come to them. Why?

Here's what I see about God in the Book of Judges, for all whom He called His children-

1. He trains His children to be the best-which of us parents would want our kids to be uneducated, foolish and not having enough knowledge to do well in this world. I think NONE. "1(A)Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan;
   2only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).
   3These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and (B)the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.
   4They were for (C)testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses. "(Judges 3:1-4) God left the nations to train the Israelites who had not fought battles before.
2. He disciplines His children-"12Now the sons of Israel again (K)did evil in the sight of the LORD So (L)the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD."(Judges 3:12) God allowed, meaning He had control over the enemies as well, for correction and for training to see if the Israelites would obey God. As also written in Deuteronomy 8:5 "Know also in your [minds and] hearts that, as a man disciplines and instructs his son, so the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you. ". Why does God discipline His children, because Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. " Most beautifully put in Hebrew 12:5-7 6For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes."
3. He never leaves you nor forsakes you- In all that the Israelites did, God did not leave them. They despised God, even though every time they were in trouble God helped them, yet they turned to those which were not gods and served them, instead of the Living God. Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." The Israelites had forgotten the covenant that God and Abraham had made, yet God had not forgotten His part of the covenant.
4. Unconditional Love- God did not deal with the Israelites as they deserved, Ezra 9:13 says "What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this" If God had to deal with us as we deserved, oh where would we be, but He has called us His children(John 1:12) He is so magnificent in mercy and forgiveness.

Lesson: Let's learn from our Daddy, what is it that He's trying to teach us. If we're in a disciplining situation, lets ask God, what should I correct Lord. A teacher gives a student wrong when they add 2+2 and write 5, why? so that the child learns Math correctly. So also does our Father, the giver of Life, wants us to know the Good Life. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. so I think He's the best one to show us the way. Lets learn right.

Obedience to God is a Serious Thing

Its amazing how people try to defend themselves to try to stay away from God. They would even go to the extent of denying that God exists, so that they can have their own way. Some turn to disobedience, testing God's patience, harming other people and themselves.

The Bible says in Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in [ Or through] Christ Jesus our Lord".

While the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness, under the guidance of Moses, learning to obey God, learning to forget about their old ways and the Egyptian gods and their egyptian lifestyle, some learnt to obey God, some did not want to. The people who did not want to learn obedience to God, were lost in the wilderness and died and they never saw the Promised Land. (Joshua 5:6)"The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey."

I see such a similarity here, with the way the world is going. God is being patient with all the people in the world that they may get a chance to hear and listen to His Word and come to Him. Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. " God has given every nation in the whole world to have a chance to listen to the Word of God and then the end will come.Those who have listened and stay in God's Word will enter into the Promised Land (John 14:2 (Whole Chapter) In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.)

Why is it so critical to obey God-its because there is a continuous battle between God and Satan, for our lives. (I so like the way it is represented in the Chronicles of Narnia-The Lion the witch and the wardrobe).
God knows that all His children belong to Him, but then there are some who would not want to obey God, they'd rather do what they want and care less about their lives later.

Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved.(Acts 16:31 )

We Belong

Psalm 24:1 says "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it"

How we have been fooled to believe otherwise. You don't belong here, you don't fit here, you're out of fashion...etc etc etc.
The Bible says, you belong to God.

• God cares for you, when no one does. (1 Peter 5:7 )
• God wants you when no one else does.( Matthew 11:28)
• God has a plan for your life, even if you think there's nothing more to it.(Jeremiah 29:11)
• God wants you to be a blessing, even when you think you're capable of nothing.(Ephesians 1:3 )
• God wants you to prosper, even when you think you can't get there.(3 John 1:2)

There is more to it than I can write here. So get started by knowing God. Oh how I want my new family to know all of the above and more with my Lord Jesus in our lives together.I totally agree with the verse that David wrote and I believe whatever belongs to God should be His and I pray the same.