My Dearly Beloved, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today, is from the book of Isaiah 52:7 , “ How lovely are the mountains, are the feet of him who brings good news. Who announces peace, and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation. And says to Zion, Your God reigns. They immediately spread the joyful tidings.”
“My Dear Brothers and Sisters, from the above context we learn that the Gospel proclaims liberty to all those bound with fears. Let those weary and heavy laden under the burden of sin find relief in Christ, shake themselves from the dust of their doubts and fears and loose themselves from those bonds. The price paid by the Redeemer for our salvation, was not silver or gold or corruptible things, but His own precious blood. Do we seek victory over every sin? Then God requires holiness in us.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, The good news is that the Lord Jesus Reigns. Christ Himself brought these good tidings first. His ministers proclaim these good tidings to all mankind. They keep themselves clean from the pollutions of the world. God calls all to use the liberty Christ has provided from the bondage of sin and Satan. Thus all those who serve the Lord God Almighty are kept under special protection. And those who believe this will not suffer from fear.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, the above verse describes the return of the Jews to their own land. Prophet Isaiah sees in vision the heralds announcing their return to Jerusalem running on the distant hills. A herald bearing good news is a beautiful object and he says, that his feet are beautiful. And his running to convey the message is all the more beautiful.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, In those days it was the custom of placing watchmen on the walls of the city who would caution the people about the approaching enemy or about the coming of the messenger from a far distance to announce good news. When the herald brought in good news from distant hills there was great rejoicing. They rejoiced at all the tokens of favour showered upon his people. They not only rejoiced but also sang together lifting up their voices with praises and thanksgiving.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, just as the herald brought good news to the Jews about their return to their own land, God will bring good news to you. The Visa, for which you had applied long time back, will be granted for you to settle abroad. Likewise God will bring in the good news of your promotion. Or maybe you might be transferred to the location you are looking forward. You will be offered a brand new job with a good package. The news of your marriage is getting fixed. God sends His angels as spirits to attend on His children and meet all their needs. These are in a way like the heralds who carry good tidings to the children of God. The feet of such heralds will be beautiful as they carry message sent from God. For the Bible says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation Or shadow of turning.” God bless you..
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Thank you Lord for sending in the messenger to announce the good news of peace and joy. Thank you Lord for being so mindful of us, and bringing in all the good news for our family and our personal life. Help us to enjoy the gifts that God grants us and also teach us to rejoice over it.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today, is from the book Isaiah 41:15, 16, “Behold I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth. You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small. And make the hill like chaff. You shall winnow them; the wind shall carry them away. And the whirlwind shall carry. Shall scatter them. You shall rejoice in the Lord. And glory in the holy One of Israel. ”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, from the above context we understand, that the object of the illustration in the verse is to show that God would clothe you with His power and that all your difficulties will vanish. To express this idea, the Prophet uses an image derived from the mode of threshing in the East when the heavy sledge was made to pass over. A large pile, of sheaves and to bruise out the grain and separate the chaff so that the wind would drive it away.
“I will make thee” means, “I will appoint thee,” that is, you shall be a threshing instrument by which you should remove all the obstacles in the way as a threshing sledge and crush them as dust in order to be victorious in your life.
God says, this new year, God will make you a threshing sledge, with sharp teeth. May be last year you might have been blunt and because of this you might have faced difficult consequences in life. You might have behaved unwisely and foolishly as wisdom had been blunt and spoilt and you have been so senseless. But in the new year, God wants to rebuild you to a sharp threshing sledge.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, In this world there is affliction and tribulation throughout your life. And if you must withstand the struggles of this world, you just can’t manage with blunt equipment but you need an instrument with sharp teeth with which you can tear down those who suppress you. Your sharp less wisdom and knowledge is insufficient for you to face the challenges of this world, that is why this verse says, “Behold I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth.” We are living in a fearful world. Surrounded with many dangerous problems. Where there is much jealousy and competition. This world is filled with anger and revenge. We are living in a world with tribulation and affliction. And to live a victorious life in this world, we need to have sharpened wisdom and knowledge. When people of this corrupt world are living without truth, God expects you to have sharp sense of wisdom, and good understanding, to face the battle that confronts you. You need to be intelligent. Only then you can face the mountainous problems that stand against you and crush them into small bits and make them like chaff. Only then can you rejoice in the Lord. And give glory to the Holy One of Israel. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly father, we thank you for this blessed day. Lord we thank you for making us, as threshing sledge with sharp teeth. We praise you for making us fit to face the problems of this world. Make us to rejoice in the Lord and glorify in the Holy One of Israel.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today, is from the book of Psalms 92:12, “The Righteous Shall flourish like a Palm tree. He shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters from the above context we understand the beauty, the erectness, the stateliness and the growth of the palm tree. All this is the symbol of the prosperity, and the happiness of a righteous man. The Palm tree is constantly green and flourishing, spreads its branches very wide and grows to a vast size. The tree affords refreshing shade to travellers. It also produces dates a very sweet luscious kind of fruit. It is a most beautiful tree. And in every way, an invaluable treasure to the inhabitants of those hot countries. And hence it is considered as a fit symbol of the flourishing state of a righteous man.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, the Bible says, the righteous grow like a Cedar, in Lebanon. They are immensely large; some of them are nearly 35 to 40 feet tall. They flourish for ages. And are always, green. When cut down they yield a most beautiful, kind of wood, brown in colour, solid, durable, and in some sort incorruptible. The Cedars as well as the palm trees when compared to the short lived and withering grass are a striking illustration of the well founded durable, and continually increasing virtue and happiness of the truly righteous in opposition to the momentary, trifling and perpetually decaying prosperity of the wicked.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Cedar is a noble and long lived tree. The Bible says, As the days of a tree, are the days, of my people. Just as the Cedar waves its mighty branches in perpetual verdure over the mountains, the truly godly man under all adversities retains the joy of his soul and continues to make progress in the divine life. Though the grass makes hay for the oxen the Cedars help in building the temple of the Lord. The palm trees too were planted within the very house of the Lord, and their presence there was ornamental, appropriate and highly suggestive. They were best emblem of the righteous, a fat, and flourishing old age – a peaceful end – a glorious immortality.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, God sometimes grants prosperity to wicked men in displeasure. Yet they flourish but for a moment. Hence let us seek for ourselves the salvation and grace of the Gospel. Let us be anointed by the Holy Spirit, and share the Redeemer’s glory. It is from his grace, by his word and Spirit that believers receive all the virtue that keeps them alive and makes them fruitful. The text tells us not only what the righteous is but what he shall be, come what may. The good man shall flourish and flourish in the noblest manner. May the Lord help you also to be righteous and walk worthy of the Lord.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Dear Lord, help us to grow in the Lord daily like the trees that brings forth fruit in its season. Lord let our days be like the trees that live long. Teach us to enjoy peace and grow fat like stall fed calves. Make our lives a blessing to others.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
My dearly Beloved, I greet and bless you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today is from the book of Psalm 69: 29, “But I am poor and sorrowful, Let your Salvation, O God set me up on high.”
From the above context we learn that David was despised by his own father and brothers and he was tending his father’s sheep. As a shepherd he was tending the sheep over the hills and valleys and among the mountainous rocks. He was left all alone while all his other seven brothers were serving the king as soldiers in the army. His father had great regard for them where as David was neglected by all. So he cries out to God, saying “Lord I am poor, and sorrowful, Let your Salvation, O God set me up on high.”
The Psalmist David was afflicted very much but his faith was in God. So he cried out to God, Let Thy salvation, O God, set me up on high. God had registered his name in the heaven and waited for the appointed time to lift David. How beautifully has this been answered, in David’s case, for he not only escaped his foes, personally, but he became the very King of Israel.
David, did not know what to do as a young man but he obeyed his father Jesse, who asked him to take some food for his brothers in the battle field. He readily took the food and walked to the battle ground. There he offered his brothers the food, and was watching as to what was happening in the battle ground. Suddenly he saw Goliath defying the army to challenge him. Goliath was a Philistine giant from Gath. He stood over a mountain and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Choose a man, for yourselves, and let him kill me. But if I prevail, you shall be our servants.” “I defy the armies of Israel, this day, give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel, heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
It was then that David the son of Jesse, rose to the occasion. He boldly said to the king,” I will fight with the Philistine.”Though Saul hesitated, David boldly, said, “He has defied the armies of the Living God, and further said, God who delivered me from the paw of the lion, and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of the Philistines.” Looking at the giant he said, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come in the name of the Lord, the God of the armies of Israel. For the battle is the Lords and He will give you into our hands.”’David the young lad with few pebbles struck the giant with his sling and killed the giant. He fell down and David cut off his head. Thus he brought great victory to Israel. Such that even the women sang, saying, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands.”’ Thus at the appointed time God exalted David who was despised by all and crowned him the king of Israel.’’
Many of you are reading this message in sorrow and distress, with the hope that God will do something for you. Yes, for those of you who have gone through much tribulation and trials I have good news for you. God is going to lift you, up and is going to exalt you and rejoice in you. God says, surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off. So acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and He will direct your steps. Delight yourself also in the Lord; And He shall give you the desires of your heart. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Thank you for picking us up from the miry clay and setting our feet upon the rock. Lord may we delight in You all the days of our life. Direct our steps that we may not falter. Thank You Lord for remembering us in our lowly state.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today, is from the book of Psalm 86-7 , “ In the day of trouble I will call upon You. And You will Answer me.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, When poverty and wretchedness is felt by us then we plead to God for His mercy. The best thing to do is to commit ourselves to God’s keeping. You are one whom God have set apart for Himself and has made you partaker of your sanctifying grace. It is a great encouragement to prayer life. You have learnt to trust in Him. We may expect comfort from God, when we keep up our communion with God. A man who makes God his refuge will feel assured that God will interrupt and save him from all his troubles. He had firm confidence in God at all times, an unwavering belief that God is a hearer of prayers.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, from the above passage we see how God answers anyone who called on His Name. It is useless to cry to those who cannot or will not hear. But Jehovah the living God really does help to those who call upon Him. The above passage reveals that David believed the Lord to be a living and potent God and indeed to be God alone and hence he resolved in every hour of trouble to call upon Him. There was one such blind man called Bartimaeus, who believed in Jesus. He heard that Jesus and His disciples were coming to Jericho. And a great multitude followed him. Bartimaeus sat by the roadside begging and when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.” Many warned him to be quiet but he cried out all the more. Jesus son of David, have mercy on me.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters , Hearing his loud cry Jesus knew that the blind man was badly in need of help, So Jesus stood still and commanded his disciples to bring the blind beggar up to Him. So the disciples said to him, “Rise, He is calling You.” And throwing aside his garments he rose and came to Jesus.”Jesus asked him, what do you want Me to do for you? The blind man said, to him, “Rabboni help me receive my sight.” Then Jesus said, to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight.” He did not ask Jesus for money. But he asked for his sight, so that he might work hard and make his living. He did not want to beg anymore. Thus God heard his cry and performed a miracle for him and delivered him from his bondage.
My dear Brothers and Sisters, what trouble do you have today? What problem are you facing at the moment? Are you going through depression? Or is it financial difficulty? Is there some kind of disease in your body? Have you some sort of fear about the future of your children? Are you scared that the debtor will catch hold of your neck for not paying your dues? Is there a boil in your body and you are worried that it might be cancer. Call unto Jesus, He will help you overcome your problems. All those who called on his name, “Jesus” He has never let go of them. He never disappointed them either. So call upon His name. And He will solve all your problems. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think. He is able to save to the utmost. He is able to save to the uttermost, those who come to God, through Him. Call on His name He will answer you. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord teach us to have faith in You like the blind man. Help us to cry out to God in times of distress and not approach others, who cannot be of any help. Make us to rely on You for all our need. Lord open a way where there seems to be no way. Lord be merciful to us and help us in our daily walk of life so that we may not lack any good thing.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
