GREAT FEAST

“… Jesus concluded, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

(Matthew 22 : 14)

The word ‘feast’ delights our mind.  It is common phenomenon in our society to accept an invitation, be a part of it in its proper disposition. It was a custom of the Jews to send out invitations to weddings or a banquet to guests publicly prior to the event. God’s invitation comes numerous times in different manner in our life. It was through various prophets and prophetess that the descendants of Abraham were handed over God’s invitation. It was in this context Lord Jesus told this parable:

Here the host of the banquet is the Almighty God; who had sent out invitations to the Jews- chosen people of God to enjoy the Messianic Kingdom which His Son Jesus proclaimed. His servants were sent out to tell the invited guests to appear to the feast, but they refused. Again God sends out another set of His servants with His message but again those invited refused citing various excuses in regards to their – farm, shop etc. Initially privilege was given to the chosen race, but they chose to defame and prove their disliking to the king and his rules.

We humans tend to be tired of repeated advices or warning through our benefactors to repair a broken relationship or to break off a particular bad habit or to repent of deadly sins. Forgetting their goodness and loving care, we seldom abuse and accuse them falsely to avoid their presence in our life. Similarly, when we simply chose to ignore His messengers or refuse to accept them, a time will come sooner when we will be cut off from God.

The Holy Bible says, “The axe is ready to cut down the trees at the roots, every tree that does not bear good fruit …..” (Luke 3 : 9)  It is wise to remember that you may not get such valuable days, so let’s take this blessed day to turn to the Lord and accept His message.

Later on, the king commanded his servants to go to the main streets and lanes; gather all the people good and bad alike, and the wedding hall was filled with people. 

Though originally the invitation, a great privilege in itself, was extended to His chosen ones; but as the Holy Bible says, “It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken first to you, but since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we will leave you and go to the Gentiles.”  (Acts 13:46) The King of kings, widely opened the door of His Majestic Kingdom to the Gentiles who were confused and disturbed.  “If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear His voice behind you saying, ‘Here is the road follow it.’  (Isaiah 30 : 21)  The king gave great opportunity to those who listened to his invitation without any discrimination.  Thus, unexpected people were given the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of heaven and to relish the banquet.  Here we see it was not the respectable and rich ones of the society but the ones despised by the Jews who got the opportunity.  Once Lord Jesus said in His teaching, “I assure you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven.”  There was a belief and the attitude of Jews that whoever received baptism was worthy for the Kingdom of God (salvation).

It was the custom that one must attend the wedding feast with the attire that was given freely by the king.  The hall symbolised the Kingdom of God which has enough space for everyone who wishes to enter.     Then, the enthroned king’s eyes was fixed to one guest who was not properly dressed for the wedding feast.  Each event and its place have its own dress code, mode of behaviour and decoration. The invitation was free but it does not absolve the rules of the event. 

The king ordered his servants, “Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him outside in the dark.”  A proper attitude and disposition are essential to please God and to enjoy the Kingdom of heaven.    The Holy Bible says, “Happy are those who wash their robes clean and so have the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life and to go through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22 : 14)

Every day before the clouds break and the sun rises, the heavenly banquet is set by the Gracious Lord. In front of all your enemies –the worldly forces- the Good Lord Himself sets the table for His children to relish. We may have many excuses ranging from occupational, material, family to personal obligations to ignore God’s call and invitation. Not only do we neglect it, but with a word of apology we move to our personal obligations. Practice first to relish from His Holy Table – personal prayer - that provides love, joy, peace, wisdom, self-control, etc. and weave the eternal garment by the Gospel values and virtual deeds.

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favour and give you peace.

With love filled blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

CHRISTEN SECTION

WORD OF GOD- THE SWORD OF A WARRIOR

After Lord Jesus was baptized, He went into the wilderness for forty days and nights. He did not eat anything during those days and by the end of the forty days He was hungry.  Here, Satan tried finding ways to test our Lord to disobey God. Since Jesus was hungry, satan said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, change these stones lying on the ground to turn into loaves of bread and you will have food to eat.” In spite of his appetite, Lord Jesus rebuked satan with the Word of God,  “The Scriptures say that it is more important to obey God than to feed yourself.”

 Lord Jesus came to this world to save us from our sinful state, to create a new and pure heart in us; satan knew this very well and he wanted God’s plan of Salvation to be brought to a standstill.

Satan tried his chance to persuade Lord Jesus again but our Lord defended Himself from its attack with the Word of God. Finally, as a last trick He tried to convince Lord Jesus to worship him and in return would give Him power over all the kingdoms of the earth. Again Lord Jesus shielded Himself from the devil with the Word of God, “Get out of here, Satan! It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You shall worship only God and serve Him alone.” Then Satan left the Lord; and angels came and cared for Lord Jesus. See the power of the Word of God.

From the beginning of the creation; time and again satan is out to test us. It is up to you to decide if you wish to attack the Satan like Lord Jesus or fall into its sin-coated desires like the first parents, Adam and Eve, who could not resist it boldly , thus creating generations of sinful mankind.

You must be wondering when you have encountered temptations. Let’s go through your routine? Every time when you disobey, create or indulge in a fight; snatching or grabbing other’s things, when you are rude and lazy, utter small and big lies; waste your food; when you fail to do your duties at its proper time; turn a blind eye to those in need of your help etc….

These are some of the crucial moments when you fall short to receive your blessings. So this week we insist that as young prayer warriors, you ready yourselves with ample Word of God. Make the Holy Bible a part of your life, give it a suitable holy place it deserves and read and memorize it.

So educate yourselves with appropriate Bible verses, so that you can shoo away Satan, win your daily temptations and testify us, your victories in the Lord.

LET US PRAY

Infant Jesus, incarnate Word of God, make me a servant of Your Word.

I love You Abba Father;

I trust in You, Lord Jesus;

I hope in You, Holy Spirit;

Mother Mary, pray for all children. Amen!

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

With love filled blessings, 

Your Sister in Christ

LET’S CHOOSE LIFE

“No medicine or ointment cured them.  They were restored to health by your Word, O Lord, the word which heals all humanity.”  (Wisdom 16:12)

 PART 1

After His teachings on the shore of Galilee, Lord Jesus asked Simon Peter to throw his net deep down the water to catch fish. Peter with a desperate heart answered the Lord, “Master, we were working all night long but caught nothing. But if You say, I will let down the nets.” Peter went on to obey Lord Jesus.

They caught such a large number of fish that they had to call out for the help of other boat and its fishermen. The expert fishermen too could not believe their eyes as the catch was quite unexpected.

“Don’t be afraid,” Lord Jesus told looking at them.

This passage from the Holy Bible transports me to the initial days of KLWC.  The Holy Spirit anointing was overflowing in me and holy messages instructed me to organize a platform in service to the Lord. Born into a Christian family, I was associated with the regular church services as a spectator and listener; and on a personal level it exceeded to family prayers and Bible readings etc., but was inexperienced to minister my Lord on a larger platform.

And the unfamiliarity of the place and locals residents was another reason that added to my hesitation.

But then deep in my heart I was aware that I and my inexperience could not refrain the Spirit of the Lord!

“Daughter, the words that you speak will not  be yours but from the Lord,” this assurance from the Lord Almighty drove out all my apprehension and hesitation.

Within few days, the Lord as promised used my voice for His divine purpose. Alleluia!!

Dear ones, Look at the world today. Crisis, calamities, wars, violence, incurable diseases, tremendous fears, shattered families, anxiety of the young generation etc has blurred the image of the beautiful earth. Can anyone come across safety and security?  Mankind is still carrying heavy loads of their dreams on the their shoulders; majority of them are aware of the truth that they, their families and their nations can be saved by believing, acknowledging Jesus Christ as the personal and universal Lord and Savior.

Each one of you ought to call to Him submitting all your dreams at His Holy Feet, learn from Him. Then by the power of the Word of God, you would be blessed with the grace to experience your Lord Jesus.  People who followed Him have experienced good health and under the shade of His wings found a secured life. Those who believed in the Power of His presence and  Word of God performed and witnessed supernatural wonders and miracles.

The Word of God is sent to you by the Heavenly Father for your complete transformation. Read it carefully, grasp it, note down heart touching messages, memorize it repeatedly and learn it by heart. It is these words that can infuse life to your unsuccessful areas.

You are not called to be upset and destroy this blessed life by trailing through the dark path. Remember, you have a Living Savior. He will not fail. We may fail repeatedly but do not be disappointed. His overflowing Mercy will have tremendous victory over our sins and failures and nothing can stop it.  The compassionate Lord’s clemency and the powerful Word of God will stamp down the source of your failures.

So awake and claim the Word of God and the grand victory from God!

The Sovereign Lord says, “My word is like the snow and the rain that come down from the sky to water the earth.  They make the crops grow and provide seed for sowing and food to eat.  So also will be the word that I speak-it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do.”  (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Kindly pause and concentrate on the above Holy Word of God. Read it repeatedly so that your multitasking brain can focus on it. 

As mentioned above, when Peter listened and obeyed, Lord Jesus as a reward supplied Peter sufficiently enough for his livelihood and much more that he could share with others too.

The Sovereign Lord says, “My Words will not fail.”

Yes dear ones, where medical science, latest technology, business, trustworthiness everything including you and I may fail; but the Sovereign Victorious Lord , who exists in all and is the source of all wisdom will never ever fail. Glory to God!!

It is crucial to observe how the Word Incarnate walked in and stood where Peter and his brothers failed.

Dear readers, words are insufficient to describe the mercy of our Lord. we are the recipient of the everlasting power and compassion He grants us daily. Just like the above fishermen who toiled hard through the night yet unable to meet their needs are you too under tremendous pressure of deep sorrows and fear.

Nevertheless, the presence and Spirit filled Word of God turns everything joyful! So be glad; place your life on the Word of God that you read daily and walk through your toil with Him.

To be continued......)

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

With love filled blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

GOD WILL RESCUE JERUSALEM

How wonderful it is to see

a messenger coming across the mountains,

bringing good news, the news of peace!

He announces the victory and says to Zion,

“Your God is King!”

Those who guard the city are shouting,

shouting together for joy!

They can see with their own eyes

The return of the Lord to Zion!

Break into shouts of joy,

You ruins of Jerusalem!

The lord will rescue His city

And comfort His people.

The Lord will use His holy power;

He will save His people,

And the world will see it.

(Isaiah 52:7-10)

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THE WORD OF LIFE

“Before the world was created, the Word already existed; He was with God. And He was the same as God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. Through Him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without Him. The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.

God sent His messenger, a man named John, who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe. He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light. This was the real light – the light that comes into the world and shines on all mankind.

The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own country, but His own people did not receive Him. Some, however did receive Him, and believed in Him; so He gave them the right to become God’s children. They did not become God’s children by natural means that is being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.

The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw His glory, the glory which He received as the Father’s Only Son.

John spoke about Him. He cried out, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘He comes after me, but He is greater than I am, because He existed before I was born.’ ”

Out of the fullness of His grace he blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. God gave the law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father’s side, he has made Him known.”   (John 1:1-18)

This is the Word of the Lord

Thanks be to Lord Jesus Christ!  Amen

RECONCILIATION

Part II

How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God’s people to live together in harmony………that is where the Lord has promised His blessings – life that never ends.  (Psalms 133)

Click here for the earlier part.

When you accept God, you will be bestowed with the grace to accept yourself and your partner. The relationship given by God should not be broken.

But, aren't there numerous broken chords that ought to be tied?

 You may be a son or daughter not accepted by your father or mother or it could be that you would not have accepted them.   

It is time to seal the cracks that you have with your parents as it has erected an invisible wall between God and you. Unless you strive to correct it, you will observe a downfall in your life, resulting in you being a unsuccessful individual.

Remember God does not want to see His beloved children like this.

 The more arrogant, stubborn and delay in correcting yourself, your actions will result in many people’s tears which will reach to the Lord, who cannot close His eyes to injustice.

By the arrival of other generation, events turn out to be more serious.

That is why is it more vital to clear the issues as early as possible and be free from misery.

 God is very thorough with the correction of His children; and therefore He chose and sends prophets among the people to deliver His message.

There are also instances when God uses our little children as His tools to correct and reveal His teachings and will for us.

 When you observe that your child reacts to your advice adversely, instead of punishing and reprimanding them, turn to the Lord and ask forgiveness for your wrongdoing. Be humble and eager to correct yourself.

 The Holy Bible says, “The children are a gift from the Lord, they are a real blessing. The sons a man has when he is young are like arrows in a soldier’s hand.” (Psalms 127:3-4)

Some parents tend to be too casual when their little ones get mischievous; forgetting that if they are not corrected at the proper time, may turn out to be serious offenders in the future.

Every moment God is watching such parents and warning them.

It is time to bring changes in your behavior towards God and your child.

Break the walls that were build up because of you and your attitude, as the wicked world with its fast, foolish growth is awaiting to swallow your next generation for the reason that if you are the cause for it, it is truly terrible for you.  

Check and reconcile with all the relationships so as to bring up your child with God’s blessings. Accept Lord Jesus as your Spiritual Teacher, learn about Him and as parents spend time together with God, because Lord Jesus says, “I tell you more : whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”  (Matt 18:19) 

You have been trying this for many years, but in vain.  Why? 

Take a look back again, there could be much many more walls put up by you against your blessings.

Don’t think Sister is being too harsh with you.  Never! dear ones. I am a lady who sacrificed her family for the sake of the Gospel as per the Will of God to win families.

It is my responsibility to help you with true spiritual knowledge, so that families may be saved. By spreading the knowledge we would be able to help save each other, successfully defeating the cunning enemy. It is only for your peaceful future and for the salvation of your soul from the cruel foe fighting against out Heavenly Father, who is so full of pure love.

If you have ears, listen!

Let’s take a walk down the memory lane to the early days of your life. Engraved in your thoughts will be your home a dwelling of  your family— be it poor, middle class, or rich, orthodox consisting of grandparents, parents, siblings, other relatives etc. surrounded by good neighbors, teachers, friends, and other well wishers etc;

Where are they now? How are they doing? Are you in good terms with them ? Do you visit, help or console them often? Are they in good health or bedridden? Or are you bed ridden? Could be that some are leading a lifeless and meaningless life? Are they visiting you? Do you invite them or they keep inviting you? Deep in your heart are you cheerful when they reflect in your memory?

Where is the good Samaritan who helped you to progress in your life by bringing up your child? There are other few who emptied themselves by helping you and your siblings etc;

These are the few among the numerous questions God your Creator is raising over you!

God wants us to renew every relationship for the welfare of our descendants.

How can you forget the old home where you were born and lived with your siblings in limitations? In the absence of your parents, how you overcame the fear of the heavy thunderstorm by tightly holding your sibling. The meals she/ he fed you when in hunger, sat, cried and consoled you when sick in bed, the roads traveled without caring the distance, be it to school, church etc; games you played together; learning the initial lessons of sharing and caring for each other; the movies you watched together, etc;

If possible, put a pause to your busy life to recollect and reconcile with them to make a complete family tree to introduce them to your children, inviting them to take a dip in the blessings that God has showered over you.

Our Good Loving Father desires a unity like the Holy Trinity i.e. the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A tri-chord will not break easily. So reconcile with yourself, parents, siblings, children etc and then soon God will bless you and your dream home.

Certainly it is not easy to reconcile and patch up the differences because evil has pierced through it. But the Lord Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever can penetrate into our past and remove the obstacles. Certain incidents may be fresh and cancerous.

You may deny all this, saying that you have nothing against them.

But analyze for yourself, if you are peace when alone? Is your soul safe in God’s hands? Are you content when you offer prayer and sacrifices? Are you able to present peace to your partner and children? Are you truly guilt free?

The Lord is giving an opportunity to recollect and repent truly for having forgetting them when life was greener on your side.

Let us make use of this opportunity to discard any miscommunication and reach out to our siblings and relatives, forgetting what so ever may be the reason we drifted apart.  

The greatest gift we can give each other is the ‘gift of prayer’.

The Holy Bible instructs us: “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people.” (1Timothy 2:1)

The Lord is always looking for someone who will to pray. As their names or any memory comes before you simply lift them to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to help them and release His Power and Love on their behalf.

Talk to the Lord as you would to your dad.

“Father, I pray, please meet their needs, as Your heart desire be done.”

The best way to begin reconnecting is by lifting them in Prayer to the Father.

“You are the God who works miracles; You showed your might among the nations.” (Psalms 77:14)

Lord, grant me your blessing and let your light adorn and shine on my family tree.

With Love filled Blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE

EPHESIANS

THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD

Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of His mighty power.  Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the devil’s evil tricks.  For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.  So put on God’s armour now!  Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight round your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace.  At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the evil one.  And accept salvation as a helmet, and the Word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you.  Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help.  Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads.  For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.  And pray also for me, that God will give me a message when I am ready to speak, so that I may speak boldly and make known the Gospel’s secret.  For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though now I am in prison.  Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the Gospel as I should. (Ephesians 6:10 – 20)

A PERPLEX SITUATION

“He found them wandering through the desert, a desolate, wind-swept wilderness.  He protected them and cared for them, as He would protect himself.” (Deuteronomy 32:10-12)

‘Lord, our Protector says, “Just be determined, be confident and make sure that you obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave you.  Do not neglect any part of it and you will succeed wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1: 7)

Once upon a time, a young man who was attacked by a gang of criminals, ran to a village belonging to the Christian community, and cried out before them so that someone might save his life.  Feeling pity on the helpless condition of the youth the villagers hid him in the village church.

The attackers who were following the youth terrified the community and threatened them by saying till the next morning if they did not surrender the young man all the villagers would be killed and completely destroyed.

The villagers who were filled with fear of death informed the whole matter to their village priest.  Thinking that he would solve the matter on the basis of Word of God, the priest began to go through the Holy Bible.  As he was pursuing the sacred scriptures one verse touched him, “It is better for you to let one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed.”  (John 11:50)

Considering this as the command from God, he handed over the youth to the gang of attackers.  Thereafter, the villagers were comforted.

 But after a few seconds an angel of the Lord appeared before the priest and asked him, “Why have you done this?” 

The priest replied, “In order to save my people I handed over the youth.” 

Then the angel said, “He was Christ.”

 Being perturbed the priest asked the angel, “But how can I know this?”  Instead of reading the Holy Bible whole night, if you would have gone to the youth and looked into his eyes very clearly you would have come to know who he was.

Yes, dear ones, the scripture says, “Then they will answer Him, when Lord did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or stranger or naked or sick or in prison and would not help you?”   The king will reply, “I tell you whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.”  (Matthew 25 : 44-45)

In the above verse, Jesus Christ clarifies one of the major facts that we have to remember in this brief life of ours.

Lord Jesus says, “Whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.” 

This may happen to us when we are very urgently in need of Jesus.  Or those may be the moments when we are being tested whether we can live together as brothers and sisters in the Kingdom that God has prepared for His children.  If now it is not possible with us, then later on it will be impossible and pitiable for us. 

Perhaps we can close our eyes to the facts around us.  We may be able to close our hearts towards the people around us.  Similarly, it may be possible with us to spend days and nights living cruelly.  But the Bible strongly exhorts us that you would become unworthy of the Kingdom of God.

“For God’s Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy which the Holy Spirit gives.”  (Romans 14 :17)

It is in this world itself that the first steps begin.

Today, the world is entangled in the power of evil one. 

Hence our Savior Jesus advises us, “Don’t conform yourselves to this world.”  By not putting our hope in the fleeting pleasures and comforts of this world, instead by depending on God, we shall turn towards the upliftment of our lives.

“Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share with others.”  (1 Tim 6:17-18)

The Holy Bible teaches thus, Lord Jesus never turned His face away from the needs of His people and the community problems. 

The self-centered human thoughts and life style destroy our personal and community life.  Only when we make God’s thoughts as ours, and when we rely on God’s ways, can we journey to the new happiness and prosperity that the Lord has prepared for us. 

The deeply rooted weakness and ambitions in us are useful only to spoil our lives.  Many times we desire to keep away from the troublesome facts of life.  For little pleasure, without a second thought we interfere and get involved in so many things and become an object of laughter/ridicule

“So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires.  Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self which is created in God’s likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.”   (Ephesians 4 :22-24)

Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or a cheap desire to boast.  Obey the Lord, be humble and you will get riches, honor and long life. 

So let’s carefully check our ways and turn towards the Lord and then surely the Lord will grant us a new heart and a new steadfast spirit.  If you will live faithfully in the Lord’s presence, He will take care of you. 

When we approach our lives problems with anger and grudge, Lord Jesus has no part in the good plans for us.  Then we will have to search in the dark.  Since anger, grudge, fear, bitterness are building up the modern world is crashing down to disaster.  The Holy Bible says, “Get rid of all bitterness, anger, hot temper, insults and gossip along with all evil.  Let not there be the mention of the name of sexual immorality, unholiness and indecency.  Whatever you desire others to do for you, you do it unto them.  And thus, may your light shine before everyone and let the people glorify the Heavenly Father by seeing your good deeds.                                                                                                                                 

           -Published in January 1997, LWE 2000