A NEW NAME

PART I

My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well with you and you may be in good health -- as I know you are well in spirit. (3 John :2)

Let us find out what happens when God places His Mighty Hands on us. It is the will of Victorious God that His people be pleasant, healthy and prosperous in His strength throughout our life. 

When Abram was ninety nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right. I will make my covenant with you and give you many descendants. Abram bowed down with his face touching the ground, and God said, “I make this covenant with you: I promise that you will be the ancestor of many nations. Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, because I am making you the ancestor of many nations. I will give you many descendants, and some of them will be kings. You will have so many descendants that they will become nations.

……..God said to Abraham, “You must no longer call your wife Sarai; from now on her name is Sarah.  (Genesis 17: 1-6, 15-16)

The name in Hebrew means princess.

Here we can see that God is pleased with Abraham’s faith and gives him a new name; again we can see in the Genesis 32, a man named Jacob who loved God truly. On a lonely night, God appeared like an ordinary man, face to face with him. The whole night they wrestled and at daybreak when the man was about to leave, Jacob refused to let him go saying, “I won’t unless you bless me.” On asking his name, Jacob replies; and the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have struggled with God and with men, and you have won; so your name will be Israel.”

His life was completely transformed. From Jacob-‘one who deceives’ he was rechristened to Israel-‘May God prevail’.

And God said to him, “I am Almighty God. Have many children. Nations will be descended from you, and you will be the ancestor of kings. I will give you the land which I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, and I will also give it your descendants after you. (Genesis 35:11-12)

God’s covenant stands true till day and Israel, the powerful nation among the nations originated from Jacob.

God will be pleased with you, when you place your trust in Him; and He shields from danger those who are loyal, humble and show reverence to Him; and rewards them generously.

Dear devotees of Christ, the God who blessed and gave a new name to Abraham, Sarah and Jacob is willing to give us a new name.

As the Holy Scriptures say, “Some however did receive Him and believed in Him, so He gave them the right to become God’s children.”

We have been tremendously blessed with the authority to bear His name and to reap the great joy and courage the Holy Name bestows us. A Divine Name so powerful name that can set the satanic force to tremble, and bring the entire earth and heavenly creatures to their knees. Glory to God in the Highest!

As He said to Jacob, so does God say to us, “You are a chosen race, the King’s priests, the Holy Nation, God’s own people……” (1 Peter2:9)

God Himself acknowledged that we are special for Him and promised us that, “If you ask for anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)

Are you disturbed, frustrated and devoid of hope? Amidst your loved ones, yet rejected? Or afflicted by diseases and are lonely? Do you feel you have come to a crossroad in life, unable to take the right path? Or are you running away from yourself or trapped in the web of your foes?

If the answer to the above questions is positive, then trust in the Almighty God, who is eagerly waiting to bless you and give you a royal birth by transforming you as His daughter/ son.

“Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty can say to Him, ‘You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust.’ (Psalms 91:1)             

                                                                                   

Let us pray

Lord Jesus, only Son of the Almighty God, sent your Holy Spirit upon me and on the earth. Spread your word of peace to every heart and the thirst to imitate You; and obtain Your promises.

Mother Mary abode of Peace, Intercede for us.

                                                                                                            (To be continued…..)

With Love Filled Blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

CHRISTEEN SECTION

Duties to parents

“Never seek honor for yourself at your father’s expense; it is not to your credit if he is dishonored. Your own honor comes from the respect that you show to your father. If children do not honor their mothers, it is their own disgrace. My son, take care of your father when he grows old; give him no cause for worry as long as he lives. Be sympathetic even if his mind fails him; don’t look down on him just because you are strong and healthy. The Lord will not forget the kindness you showed to your father; it will help you to make up for your sins. When you are in trouble, the Lord will remember your kindness and will help you; your sins will melt away like frost in warm sunshine. Whoever abandons his parents or gives them cause for anger may as well be cursing the Lord; he is already under the Lord’s curse. (Sirach 3:10-16)

A LIFE IN THE LIGHT

PART II

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out. (John 1:5)

Click here for the earlier part

The Holy Bible says “Be alert, be on the watch! Your enemy, the devil roams round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”(1 Peter 5:8)

The Lord is God and He is so good to us; It is normal that whoever belongs to God would be often attacked by the worldly people and its power. The devil aims to cut off our relationship with the Divine Lord; continuously shattering our attempts to lead a holy life, so that he can succeed in pushing us deep down into hell.

His sharpest and most successful weapon to cause distress, hopelessness etc, in our life would be to influence us through our loved and trusted ones.

The very example that would befit this: Judas giving in easily to the devil’s trap to betray His Master Jesus for 30 silver coins. He ended losing the presence of God and been thrown into the valley of darkness.

If you have been a recipient and witnessed His mighty blessings, it is noteworthy to humble yourselves under God’s Mighty Hand, stand firm in your faith all the while resisting the devil having nothing to do with the worthless things, leaving all your burdens and worries unto Him who cares for you. If you succeed in doing this, God in His Mercy will uplift you

The Philistines army had gathered in a large numbers to fight against Israel, when David was king.

He humbled himself before the Holy presence and inquired God if he should proceed with the battle. God answered him not to go straight  but to circle them and get ready to attack them from the balsam trees. The Holy Lord further instructed them to advance quickly when the sound of marching could be heard from the tree-tops for that’s when God would go ahead of David to defeat the Philistines.

Though David had won many battles, yet He would not boast himself.

Every time David would humble himself before preparing for a battle by going to the feet of the Lord and enquired the Will of God by asking: “Lord, shall I go against the Philistines?” and God responded with instructions and commands to lead him to victory.

Lord our protector expects the same humbleness and willingness to seek His will, from us. Crafting us as a source of His blessing He bestows His Supreme and Divine Power, to others.

If you were a person witnessing God and His miracles, healings occurred through you but feel that you have now stagnated in your fruits, take some time out to think if you have taken refuge in your own strength, gradually forgetting the presence and power of God that was the source of your honor. Cause that’s when you meet failures, after striving hard, yet yield no fruits and yourself begin to turn against to blame God the Almighty.

Dear devotees in Christ, when the Lord blesses you abundantly granting you victory in all your endeavors, make it your aim to be more polite and honor God; move closer and listen to His voice instructing you to divert your path towards the Holy Salvation. Be a refugee in God, stand firm in your faith so as to follow Him.

The Holy Bible initiates us not to do anything with a selfish ambition or a cheap desire to boast.

Though Christ Jesus had the nature of God, He did not think that by force He should try to become equal with God instead with His own free will He gave up all He had and took the nature of a servant; He became like men and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to His death on the cross; because of this reason God raised Him to the highest place above and gave Him the name greater than any other; in order that in honor of the name of Jesus all beings in heaven, on earth and in the world below will fall on their knees and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.

He taught us to pray for the people who ill-treat us; also He made known to us that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

The Holy Bible says, only the person who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God can defeat the world.

So let us keep on acknowledging our faith, confessing Jesus, ‘My Lord, who is the Son of God’, and then we can win victory over the world by means of our faith.

May the light of the Lord Jesus protect you from the storms of destruction and be with you forever. Amen!

With Love Filled Blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

A LIFE IN THE LIGHT

PART I

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out. (John 1:5)

Our life gets completely transformed in a twinkle of a moment when the power of the Lord dispels darkness around our life to flood it with His divine light.

“We know that we belong to God even though the whole world is under the rule of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)

The devil, our adversary, is always standing against us prowling like a roaring lion; so it is very essential that we should completely put our refuge on Lord Jesus so as to walk in His light constantly.  Our life within Him will be a path that leads us to our salvation.

Here we mention certain incidences on how darkness enters people.

On a Sabbath Day Jesus went into a Synagogue, where He saw a man whose right hand was paralyzed.  Some teachers of the Law and Pharisees wanted a reason to accuse Jesus of doing wrong so they watched him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man, “Stand up and come here to the front.” The man got up and stood there.  Then Jesus said to them “I ask you: What does our Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To help or to harm?  To save a man’s life or destroy it?” He looked around at them all; then He said to the man “Stretch out your hand” he did so and his hand became well again.

They were filled with rage and began to discuss among themselves what they could do to Jesus. (Luke 6:6-11)

The above holy verses from the Scriptures indicate how the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law emit out the enmity and jealousy, a reflection of the darkness that had captured them; and their futile attempts to put off the source of Light of Life i.e. Jesus Christ.

If we sincerely and with true devotion read or listen to the Word of God, He graciously endows us with His power and presence which conveys the Heavenly Light to shine bright in our surroundings.

The Word of God, when studied with sincere veneration and dedication will fill us with the discernment to distinguish amid the false and deceptive teachings. Being the Source of Life, it penetrates deep into our hearts imparting True Knowledge of our Lord. It was this knowledge that made the Pharisees insecure and jealous towards Christ.

Even today, there are many among us who spread false teachings combined with wrong principles and theories, misleading people from the message of Salvation, thus preventing them from attaining further spiritual growth, blessings and the fruits of Salvation. Ultimately, those in search of faith, fall into such traps due to their lack of knowledge in the True Word of God.

Jesus summed up the traps set up by such people, when He said, “How wrong you are it is because you don’t know the scripture of God’s power.” (Mathew 22: 29)

Engulfed in such dark theories would further pave the way for imbalance and procrastination of spiritual duties leading to diminishing the presence of God and His illumination.

Regular studying and meditating of the Word of God will enhance your mind with Divine Knowledge and light, keeping you away from the trap of wrong teachings and ideas.

During my public mission, there would be a flow of prayer requests and thanksgivings of people who would share their joy of blessings received. Amidst this overwhelming joy, there would be few comments and instructions that were against my teachings.  Deep in my heart, the contentment from the fact that God was pleased with me did not shake me. But as the frequency of those false accusations increased, my peace and health began bothering and soon some disturbance also crept into my prayer life. Soon the devil began to slowly try his chance on me, with sickness and unnecessary worries. But through the Work of the Holy Spirit, I kept aside a day of Fast and Prayer dedicated to those who were not in the favor of KLWC. Lord God comforted me, “My dear daughter why are you worrying and thinking about those who are against you.”

He poured out His Holy Spirit and made me realize that those who were scandalizing me were not from God but it was the work of the devil in disguise. Once again tranquility filled my ached heart, while the healing from the Lord departed all the aches and pains. Alleluia!! Alleluia!!

I cried out to the Lord in pardon while He in response delivered me and showered His blessings upon me!

When you begin to lose the presence of God, physical illness like fatigue, weariness, guilt begins to creep into your life burdening you further with serious health issues.

                                                                                                (To be continued….)

With Love Filled Blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

PSALMS 9

THANKSGIVING TO GOD FOR HIS JUSTICE

I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done.

I will sing with joy because of You.

I will sing praise to You, Almighty God.

My enemies turn back when You appear;

They fall down and die.

You are fair and honest in Your judgments,

and You have judged in my favour.

You have condemned the heathen

and destroyed the wicked;

they will be remembered no more.

Our enemies are finished for ever;

You have destroyed their cities,

and they are completely forgotten.

But the Lord is King forever;

He has set up His throne for judgment.

He rules the world with righteousness;

He judges the nations with justice.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

a place of safety in times of trouble.

Those who know You, Lord, will trust You;

You do not abandon anyone who

comes to You.

Sing praise to the Lord, who rules in Zion!

Tell every nation what He has done!

God remembers those who suffer;

He does not forget their cry,

and He punishes those who wrong them.

Be merciful to me, O Lord!

See the sufferings my enemies cause me!

Rescue me from death, O Lord,

that I may stand before the people

of Jerusalem

and tell them all the things for which

I praise you.

I will rejoice because you saved me.

(Psalms 9:1-14)

PAUL’S SECOND LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS

THE OBLIGATION TO WORK

Our brothers, we command you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ to keep away from all brothers who are living a lazy life and who do not follow the instructions that we gave them.  You yourselves know very well that you should do just what we did.  We were not lazy when we were with you.  We did not accept anyone’s support without paying for it. Instead, we worked and toiled; we kept working day and night so as not to be an expense to any of you.  We did this not because we have no right to demand our support; we did it to be an example for you to follow.  While we were with you, we used to say to you, “Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to eat.”

We say this because we hear that there are some people among you who live lazy lives and who do nothing except meddle in other people’s business.  In the Name of Lord Jesus Christ we command these people and warn them to lead orderly lives and work to earn their own living. 

But you, brothers, must not get tired of doing good.  It may be that someone there will not obey the message we sent you in this letter.  If so, take note of him and have nothing to do with him, so that he will be ashamed. But do not treat him as an enemy; instead warn him as a brother. 

May the Lord Himself who is our Source of Peace, give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with you all.

(Chapter.3:6-16)

This is the Word of God

Thanks be to God

THE LORD’S COMING

Our brothers, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope.  We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in Him.

What we are teaching you now is the Lord’s teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died.  There will be the shout of command, the archangel’s voice, the sound of God’s trumpet, and the Lord Himself will come down from heaven.  Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will always be with the Lord. 

So then, encourage one another with these words.

(1 Thess. 4:13-18)

PROVERBS 16

We may make our plans, but God has the last word.

You may think everything you do is right, but the Lord judges your motives.

Ask the Lord to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.

Everything the Lord has made has its destiny; and the destiny of the wicked is destruction.

The Lord hates everyone who is arrogant; He will never let them escape punishment.

Be loyal and faithful, and God will forgive your sin.  Obey the Lord and nothing evil will happen to you.

When you please the Lord, you can make your enemies into friends.

It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income gained dishonestly.

You may make your plans, but God directs your actions.

The king speaks with divine authority; his decisions are always right.

 The Lord wants weights and measures to be honest and every sale to be fair.

Kings cannot tolerate evil, because justice is what makes a government strong.

A king wants to hear the truth and will favour those who speak it.

A wise man will try to keep the king happy; if the king becomes angry, someone may die.

The king’s favour is like the clouds that bring rain in the springtime – life is there.

It is better – much better – to have wisdom and knowledge than gold and silver.

Those who are good travel a road that avoids evil; so watch where you are going – it may save your life.

Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.

It is better to be humble and stay poor than to be one of the arrogant and get a share of their loot.

Pay attention to what you are taught, and you will be successful; trust in the Lord and you will be happy.

A wise, mature person is known for his understanding.  The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is.

Wisdom is a fountain of life to the wise, but trying to educate stupid people is a waste of time.

Intelligent people think before they speak; what they say is then more persuasive.

Kind words are like honey – sweet to the taste and good for your health.

What you think is the right road may lead to death.

A labourer’s appetite makes him work harder, because he wants to satisfy his hunger.

Evil people look for ways to harm others; even their words burn with evil.

Gossip is spread by wicked people; they stir up trouble and break up friendships.

Violent people deceive their friends and lead them to disaster.

Watch out for people who grin and wink at you; they have thought of something evil.

Long life is the reward of the righteous; grey hair is a glorious crown.

It is better to be patient than powerful.  It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities.

Men cast lots to learn God’s will, but God Himself determines the answer.

CHRISTEEN SECTION

THE RICH MAN

A Jewish leader asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?”  Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.  You know the commandments:  Do not commit adultery; do not commit murder; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; respect your father and your mother.”

The man replied, “Ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments.”

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “There is still one more thing you need to do.  Sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow Me.”  But when the man heard this, he became very sad, because he was very rich.

Jesus saw that he was sad and said, “How hard it is for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God!  It is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God, than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. 

The people who heard Him asked, “Who, then, can be saved?”

Jesus answered, “What is impossible for man is possible for God.”

(Luke 18 : 18 – 27)

Parable of the rich fool

Part ii

The Holy Bible says “…….Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:19)

For earlier part click here

Again the Holy Bible mentions, “Give generously to anyone who faithfully obeys God. If you are stingy in giving to the poor, God will be stingy in giving to you. Give according to what you have. The more you have, the more you should give. Even if you have only little, be sure to give something. This is as good as money saved. You will have your reward in a time of trouble. Taking care of the poor is a kind of offering that pleases God in Heaven. Do this, and you will be kept safe from the dark world of the dead.” (Tobit 4:8-11)

It is sheer foolishness to dream about our future life and the many pleasures that life has to offer.

 Jesus the Origin of Life, teaches us to question our self, “Suppose tonight you have to give back your life to God, who is going to enjoy all this.?

Never consider this perishable world and its fleeting pleasures as your life.  Run away from all the greed, boasting, influences, addictions and everything that enslaves you and keeps you away from the Word and Will of God.

The letter of St. James wonderfully describes and warns us against ‘boasting’.  “You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be!  You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and disappears. What you should say is this : “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this and that.”  But now you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong.”  (Jam 4 : 14 -16)

Finally, the parable sums up teaching that it is not his richness in wealth that defines a man, but his loving acts of kindness towards mankind that makes him a true human. Our prime purpose of life is to live in God’s love and a life in union with Him to serve Him. 

The Holy Bible says (Mt 16 : 26) – “Will a person gain anything if he wins the whole world, but loses his life.  Of course not there is nothing he can give to regain his life.”

Lord Jesus concluded that life is more important than everything and also your body.  So your Heavenly Father knows that you need all those things. Be concerned with His Kingdom and He will provide  His blessings to each one accordingly.

A person who gets rich without sinfully chasing after his money, is fortunate and he deserves his wealth and everyone will praise him for his generosity.

If you need to focus on the Lord and His Will your heart is to be filled with His promises. When your heart is full of His promises, it will certainly be blessed with His joy and hope which can lead you to peace.

Prayer :   Gracious Father, thank You for the insight You gave through this parable.  May You be my greatest Richness throughout my life. You have said “ your heart will always be where your riches are”   The richness that I gathered without even offering alms, ignoring the needy ones who stand in front of me, has made me restless and sleepless.  Give me the alertness to realize that death is always knocking at my door.  Grant me, I pray, a generous heart to move towards the needy ones, even if they are my enemies, so that I can open an account in Your Bank where there is no fear of thief or moth.  In every decision give me the grace to seek Your Will and accept it – be it loss or gain.  Let our children also adopt these virtues.  This we pray in, Lord Jesus’ Name. Amen.

PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

Part 1

The Holy Bible says “…….Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:19)

One day Lord Jesus was teaching the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law.

A man from the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.”

Jesus knew there were some in the crowd who were looking for a trap to catch Him as they were displeased about the truth in every message He had spoke and conveyed.

Since His time had not yet come to be handed over to His enemies, Christ said that He had not been given the authority to judge or divide their property.

“My Kingdom does not belong to this world” clears the above statement ; and Jesus took this apt opportunity to explain to the people about greed and false refuge on the worldly richness on the pretext of a better future as He went on to say, “Watch out and guard yourself from every kind of greed.”

Then Jesus told them this parable:  “There was once a rich one who had land which bore good crops.  He began to think to himself, ‘I haven’t anywhere to keep my crops.  What can I do?  This is what I will do.’ he told himself.  ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store my corn and all my other goods.  Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years.  Take life easy, eat, drink and enjoy yourself!  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?”

And Jesus concluded, “This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God’s sight.”  (Luke 12 :16–21)

This parable indicates a man who loses his peace and becomes restless due to his great riches; as he is unable to find a place to keep all his crops safe.

Sovereign Lord says, “I am angry with them, because of their greed…..” (Isaiah 57)

Worrying about money will lead to loss of health and sleep. One who loves this wealth, cannot be judged innocent as his efforts to get rich have led him astray to sin. The greed to possessions has been cause of ruin and disasters to many. The charm of excess money is a trap that every fool falls into.

Here too the rich man forgot about God and his co-brothers, when his land produced good harvest.

The Sovereign Lord says, “Each year bring to the house of the Lord your God the first corn that you harvest.” (Exodus 23:19)

Again His Holy Law commands, “Set aside a tithe --  a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.” (Deuteronomy 14:22)

Therefore it is our duty to use our wealth as the Most High commands, as it will do more good than accumulating it for ourselves.

The words, “All my crops” clearly indicates the selfishness of the rich man. It is evident that he had no intention of presenting an offering to God or selflessly giving to the poor.

You may claim that it is your hard work and it is you yourself  who deserve the fruit of your labor.

Without God’s approval and assistance can we gain anything in this world? Without the co-operation and the timely support of your family members, how many days can you continue your work?

The Holy Words reminds us that there is nothing that you can claim for yourselves. Didn’t God give you everything you have?  Well, then how can you boast as if what you have were not a gift.” (1 Cor 4)

Remember then, that like the rich man of this parable, if you also boast and forget your loved ones who supported you, the moment salary/ profits reaches you; then you are not far from the road that lead you to misfortune and God’s light will not shine through your hard work.

If you have faith in Christ, you ought to follow His righteous teaching in the interest of your own benefit. Be sure to utilize your wealth accordingly to the Will of God.

“Honor the Lord by making Him an offering from the best of all that your land produces.” (Prov. 3:9)

The rich man in the parable had decided to take life easy with his richness leading him to laziness – eat, drink and enjoy.  When God provides you opportunities like health, skills, talents, to work hard throughout your life, you can earn and help others who are sick and are not able to work even for their daily needs. 

Despise those who are lazy and who lavish their lives in foolish manner.

God teaches us that by sharing a part of wealth to those needy around us; we accumulate riches in heaven.

Whenever possible  do good to those who need it the most. “Giving to the poor can make up for sin, just as water can put out blazing fire. Anyone who responds to others with acts of kindness is thinking of the future, because he will find help if ever he falls on hard times. (Sirach 3:30)

                                                                                       (to be continued)

With Love filled Blessings

Your Sister In Christ