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 Deuteronomy 23:5 “, Nevertheless the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee because the Lord Your God Loves You.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, from the above context we understand that our God loved Israel. Those whom the Lord loves are blessed. Hence the Lord turns the curse into a blessing through the very mouth of Balaam. ’For both the tribes Ammonite and Moabites had not met the children of Israel with bread and water while they were on their way to Canaan the promised Land. Balak hired Balaam to curse the people because whatever He spoke was wonderstruck. The Lord overruled his tongue and put such words into his mouth in such a manner that instead of cursing he blessed Israel.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, God delighted in David and wished to set him on the throne, of Israel because the Lord loved Israel forever. He made him King of Israel to do justice and righteousness. The Bible says When Israel was a youth I loved him. And out of Egypt, I called My son. Because God loved Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the fathers of Israel, he set his love on their descendants too after them.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, the Psalmist says, God, shall choose our inheritance for us. So we submit our will, our choice, our desire wholly to Him. Our Heritage here and hereafter, we leave to Him. Let the Lord do with us as seems Him good. The Excellency of Jacob whom he loved, He divided their portion according to their tribes. God was the glory of Israel. He loved His people and became their greatest glory. God loves us and He shall be our exceeding joy. As for the latter days, may our portion be in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our beauty, our best treasure, lies in having such a God to love us.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Love is a fundamental part of God’s nature. We are able to love Him or anyone else because He first loved us. God expects us to love Him with our whole heart and from our whole soul, and from our whole mind, and from our whole strength. In fact, God wants us to love Him with our whole being. God is love and He became a man, Jesus Christ. When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ We receive all that He is into our spirit. The good news for us is that we can turn our hearts to Him as He is in our spirit. God commanded us to love Him absolutely. Our Love for God actually originates from God Himself. It comes from His love within us which is higher than anything we can generate.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Have you tasted that the Lord is good? If not taste and see that the Lord is good. Feel the kindness of God in your life and His love for mankind. Evidence of God’s love is all around you in the beauty of sunshine, the kindness of a friend. Receive Christ into your life and trust Him as your Saviour. God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord, we are grateful to you for the Love you have displayed on the cross of Calvary. Help us to love You with all of our soul, heart, mind, and strength. Teach us to love Him with pure love. May we make the Lord the treasure of our life. Let God be our exceeding joy in our life.
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 Numbers 23:19,20, “God is not a man, that he should lie, Nor a son of man that He should repent. Behold I have received a command to bless. He has blessed and I cannot reverse it.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, from the above context we understand that our God is not a man to lie. A man is a creature consisting of body of flesh, blood and of a soul but God is spirit, eternal, immense and infinite. Every man is a liar, while God remains always true. He is God that cannot lie, his counsels of old are faithfulness and truth his promises are yes and amen in Christ.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, God does not change, his counsels, or purposes, as men change theirs, either because they are not able to execute them, or because their minds are changed by some unexpected occurrence or by their passions, none of which things have place in God. Men change their minds and break their words. But God never changes his mind and hence never recalls his promise.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, there was sin in Israel, and God saw it, but there was not such as might provoke Him to give them up to ruin. If the Lord sees that we trust in His mercy and accept His salvation and not continue in rebellion, but endeavour to serve and glorify Him, we may be sure that He looks upon us as accepted in Christ that all our sins are pardoned. Balaam could not speak what Balak wanted him to say against the people of Israel, as God had firmly instructed him not to curse His people. Thus we see that though there are many devices in mans heart, God’s counsels alone shall stand. Therefore let us continue earnest in prayer, for God never changes his mind. Neither alters his counsels, purposes and decrees and never varies in his affections to His people. Hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good? Whether it be with regard to things temporal, spiritual, or eternal, there is no variableness nor shadow of turning in His mind. He never forgets His word. He foresees all events. He is able to perform and is true and faithful. And therefore whatever is gone out of His lips will never be altered but will be most certainly fulfilled.
Prayer:
Our loving heavenly Father, we thank you for this blessed day. Thank You Lord for your unchanging nature. Lord reveal your plan for us. Teach us not to do that which displeases God and His people. Make us to realize that God will never lie. His promises are true. And we can be assured of His grace if we walk faithfully according to His will. Help us to acknowledge our sin and set right with God. 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 2 Corinthians 12:9 , “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters from the above context we realize that Apostle Paul was given a thorn in the flesh. Concerning this thing he pleaded to the Lord three times, that it might depart from him. But the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you. For My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Therefore Paul takes pleasure in his infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distress for Christ’s sake. He says, “For when I am weak then I am strong.” From this passage we understand, that Paul was glad, because there was weakness in his body. For only when he was weak, he could experience the power of God. And he was rejoicing over his weakness.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, how many of you can say, that you are glad in your weakness? Only when you are weak, you need to be strong and of good cheer. If you behave cowardly at that moment of time, then satan will entice you in such a way, and spoil your harmony, and cause you to blaspheme God’s name. So you need to be cautious at such times. Don’t give up hope. Only God gives strength at that particular time for His children.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Sometimes we might go through a loss in our life. At that time we need to strengthen ourselves in God. We cannot question God’s authority over the loss occurred, or blame him as to why he allowed such a thing in our life? Because when God brings about a loss in our life, then He has also the capacity to change our sorrows into joy. As it is a trivial thing for the Lord to do, both to those who have power and those who are powerless. That’s why Paul says, “ I am rejoicing in my weakness.” When Job was going through a period of trial, he did not blame God, instead he said, “God gave and God has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord”. He knew very well that it is God who gives and hence God has the right to take away. That’s why Job was able to say, “Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him. I will maintain mine own ways before Him. He shall be my salvation.”Once a brother came to meet me. He said, “Brother, I have lost my job, my name, my fame, everything. But still I am happy. ” I asked him how he could be happy after, losing everything. He said, “I took hold of Jesus Christ, so I am happy.” He said that when he had everything Jesus was not with him. But now having lost everything, he got hold of Jesus. He said, that it was an opportunity for him to get hold of Jesus Christ in his life. Loss in life draws one close to Christ, to inherit His blessings. Halleluiah ! I prayed for that brother. The Lord has now blessed him abundantly and exalted him. He who had lost his job, with a salary of fifty thousand is now placed with a salary of One and a half lakh in Arabia. Since He held on to Jesus, God exalted him. God will exalt you also if you hold on to Jesus. Have faith in God, He will bless you and exalt you. He will change your sorrow into joy. Your mourning into dancing. God bless you.
Prayer:
Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Thank You Lord for teaching us to hold on to Jesus. Help us to approach God in times of affliction and not to run after worldly vices. Let not the things of this world blind our eyes to the reality of life. Teach us to be like Job, who gave priority to God and had great faith in the Almighty. 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 Numbers 24:1,2 , “Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not seek to use sorcery but he set his face towards the wilderness. And Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel, encamped according to their tribes. And the spirit of God came upon him.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, from the above context we understand that, Balak, king of Moab, wanted Balaam a non Israelite prophet to put a curse upon the people of Israel so as to stop their progress. When Balaam gazed over the camp of Israel that stretched before him, he lifted up his eyes. He saw that they were directed to camp under four standards. And so many tribes under each standard. From mount Peor he admires in Israel their beauty. Their fruitfulness and increase. Their honour and advancement, their power and victory, their influence upon their neighbours. He looks upon what had been done for them. Their courage and security. He tells that the people of Israel were bold like the lion not while assaulting others but when at rest because God makes them to dwell in safety. All this that is done to them whether good or evil, God accepts as done to himself. Because God was mindful of Israel.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, since Balaam was invited by Balak to curse Israel, he actually used sorcery. But this time God told in a vision that he should not go with Balaks emissaries. So Balaam refused to curse Israel instead he blessed Israel. The Bible says, very clearly that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel. Many have their eyes open but their hearts are not open, not enlightened and not sanctified like king Balak. Such knowledge puffs up men with pride. Hence he boldly hires, Balaam to curse the Israelites. But a prophetic influence from God came upon him. Whereby he was enabled to forsee the future events and utter the following words. Balaam spake not out of his own sense, but the language of the spirit that came upon him. God himself put a word into his mouth.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Balaam blessed Israel in this manner. He said the tents of Jacob were lovely, and their dwellings were like valleys that stretched out. He continued saying that their tents were like gardens by the river side. Like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters. While blessing Israel Balaam says, the seed of Israel shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag.(Dynastic name of the king of Amalek.) And His kingdom shall be exalted. God will bring Israel out of Egypt and strengthen him like a wild ox.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, This is how God expects His children to bless Israel. Because according to God, Israel was a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, a holy nation, His own special people. He had created them for His own glory. He formed them for Himself that they should praise His name. May the Lord help you also to bless Israel and pray for Jerusalem that you may be blessed by God.
Prayer:
Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord help us to open our eyes and hearts to things that are true and not be blind to things that belong to God. Teach us to be more careful while we bless others. Never be partial with our dealings but be honest in all that we do. Let us not go after sorcery or divination but trust in the Living God.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 2 Chronicles 14:11 , “Asa cried out to the Lord, Lord it is nothing for you to help, whether with many or with those who have no power. Help us O Lord, for we rest on you. Do not let man prevail against You.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, From the above context we see the bold character of Asa, King of Judah. He did that which was good and right in the sight of God. He aimed at pleasing God. Happy are all those who walk upright in the sight of God. God graciously accepted him in what he did and approved his conduct. For He removed the altars, of the foreign gods, and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers. And to observe the law and the commandment. He also removed the high places, and the incense altars, from all the cities of Judah and the kingdom was quite under him. And he also built fortified cities, in Judah for he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, Asa was more like his ancestor David in his character. This proves Asas bold and strong hand in exercising power over the land of Judah. Therefore he said to Judah, Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars. As God has given us rest on every side.”In his days, the land was quiet for ten years. Later, Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots. So Asa went out against him. He was rather scared to face the large troop so he cried out to the Lord, and said, Lord it is nothing for you to help whether with many or with those who have no power. Since he cried out to the Lord for help and as he did that which was right in the sight of God, God was pleased with him and the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, God encourages you through the character of Asa to be bold and strong and when you do that which is right in the sight of the Lord, then God will hear your cry and reach out to help you. He will never forget you nor forsake you. He will help you to come out of your problem, no matter how big or great the problem may seem to be. For it is a trivial thing for the Lord to perform whether with many or with those who have no power. Therefore humble yourself in the mighty hands of God as Asa did and you will be victorious in your life.
Prayer:
Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord we thank you for reminding us the character of Asa. Help us to do that which is right in the sight of the Lord like Asa, and be pleasing unto the Lord. May we be bold and strong in our resolutions. Teach us to exhibit good qualities like that of Asa boldly. Teach us to be determined about our resolution. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
