One day at a time
Many a times, we are overwhelmed as we consider, “How am I to be consistent in my walk with the LORD?” Today, it seems okay; but how about next week, when I travel to onsite? New contacts and new surroundings pose threateningly. How do I survive among my colleagues, who do not share my beliefs?
When I go to my home town and meet my old friends, how do I manage? How do I survive from being unspotted by the world, when I go on a vacation? Today, I feel strong in the LORD and serve the LORD – I preach, sing & pray; but how about tomorrow? Will I be able to stand till the end?
Many of us are stumped when we consider the deliverables and deadlines we have to meet. It seems so paramount and unreachable! We spend our time worrying about our goals and targets. We wonder if we will come up against some obstacle that has not been foreseen or estimated, during the project planning phase.
Yet others worry about their family – wife and children. My wife pesters me about her career growth – she had a break when we had a baby this year. She also raises concern about my ‘peanut’ salary increments, in spite of having put in many a long ‘n stretched working hours. My kids are getting ill often; how will they fare in the exam?
Dear friends, be it our personal spiritual life, our family life or our work life; we tend to worry and waste today as we think about tomorrow!
Shall we listen to what the Lord Jesus Christ has to say about this?
- Consider the following logic – to discourage ourselves from worrying about tomorrow:
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:27)
On the contrary, by worrying we loose many a single hour! As we gain nothing by worrying, why worry?
The secret to ‘Quit Worrying’ is to know the nature and mind of God, our Creator towards us concerning our diverse needs.
- Know that God, your heavenly Father knows your needs!
…your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:8)
…your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (Matthew 6:32)
Now, hear the counsel of God on what we need to do after we quit worrying and know the nature of God!
- Aim at and strive after maintaining at first, a right relationship with the LORD God your Savior and then, at also spreading the Good News about the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the needy around you.
…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
Bonus! You get a bonus when you are right with God and are involved in the extension of His kingdom! All things that you were worried about initially are sorted out. When God takes the rightful place in your life, everything else falls into place – like a jigsaw puzzle.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Mathew 6:34)
Remember, the good old song ‘One day at a time’?
I’m only human – I’m just a man
Help me to believe in all I could be
And all that I am
Show me the stairway I have to climb
Lord for my sake, teach me to take
One day at a time
One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That’s all I’m asking from You
Just give me the strength to do everyday
What You’d have me do
Yesterday’s gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord help me today, show me the way
One day at a time
Do you remember when You walked among men
Well Jesus You know, looking below
It’s worse now than then
Pushing and shoving, crowding my mind
So for my sake, teach me to take
One day at a time
Let us ask God each day to give you grace to take ‘One day at a time’.
Prayer: Thank You Father God for You know all my needs! I realize that I cannot achieve anything by worrying. Help me as I decide to quit worrying today and seek a right and living relationship with You. Lead me and guide me; as I strive to help the needy around me with the good news of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help me take ‘One day at a time’. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer.
Victorious Life
The Bible say’s in 1 Timothy 5:8“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever” 1 Timothy 5:8
What a strong statement????? The Bible equates one who does not provide for one’s own family to the status that is below an unbeliever. In another instance in Proverbs 13:22 the Bible say’s “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children”
The people like to glorify what is easy to glorify & avoid what is tough to obey.
Remember the classic Bible quote from the Gospel of Matthew “Look at the lilies of the field……”; we all know that quote by heart & miss-quote it out of context at the very first opportunity. Jesus does speak of the love of money as the root cause of all evil, but he also speaks on the qualities you need to have to create wealth in this world and the next. Want proof????
24 of the 39 parables that Jesus spoke were about money. Don’t believe me, “check out what I am claiming”. Jesus always wanted his people (Us believers) to be clear on the concepts of money. Jesus always directed his question at ‘Where is your heart?”; “On the money?” or “On Me?”
When we look at the concept of Saving & Investing from this angle the answer is clear. I am always looking at ways to make my family secure as the Bible says we need to make our family secure. You do your best for your family & leave the rest to God. This will be a stronger example rather than saying “God will take care of my family” & you absolving yourself of the responsibility to take care of your family.
The Bible say’s in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”. Aha!!!, How much more clarity is needed? First “Jerusalem” (Your Home), then “Judea” (Your Neighborhood) & last “to the end of the earth”
If you have been neglecting your family for your secular work “or” God’s work, then this is a wake up call for you. First, Save & Invest in your family (Both Spirit & Money) & then move forth to conquer the world.
God Bless You.
God basics…
I just thought that I should pen a message that goes down to the very roots of our Christian faith. If you are a believer of God then that belief is based on the foundation of 3 basic principles.
- God is real
You have a faith that God exists. Your God is someone whom you know through your personal experience. You have undergone a situation in your life where you cried out to God for help. That cry for help took you to a definite result that gave you a tangible evidence of God’s existence.
Many years ago – I got the proof of the reality of God when I made a simple prayer and said “Jesus – If you are the son of God, Change my life”. My life has changed permanently and continues to change till today. “Yes” – God is real.
- He’s personal
It is so easy to read stories of God’s move in others lives. However, when that move happens in your life, it becomes a testimony. A testimony, that God is not only real but also a personal reality. He is the God that you talk to even for things like changing your job. He is your God & there is no medium required to connect you to God.
Sometimes when I pray, I ask God for many impossible things, and he does many impossible things for me. I asked God that my current company should get ISO 9001-2001 and though we were far behind in the documentation required, we still got recommended for ISO. “Yes”- He (Jesus) is my God. He takes care of me like father would take care of his child.
- He wants to relate to us
God wants to relate to us & specifically to you. The way to relate to him is “prayer”. As against prayer being a petition session, it is supposed to be a communication session with God.
Sometimes miraculous things happen when I pray while preaching. I suddenly feel the prompting within me to specify a particular medical condition and say that God is healing that condition. Moreover, the healing actually happens. “Yes”- God wants to relate to us and uses every possible way to relate to us.
In all that you do in your personal, corporate “or” ministry, first PRAY. God wants to talk to you, lead you, and guide you into fulfilling his plan for your life. His plans for you are great. As the Bible says in Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Some of us believers have become like a cricket player who has lost form. Do what a cricket player would do to get back into form. Get connected to the basics again.
God Bless You
V Chacko Jacob
Dare to be different…
The book of Daniel starts with an unfortunate episode where it says, ‘the Lord delivered the king of Judah to Babylon’. If you look at the history behind, God always wanted the Israelites to be faithful to Him. But they very often failed and disappointed God by their transgressions. It was during the time of Jehoiakim that the Lord finally gave up and delivered them to a heathen king. It is obvious that during the conquest of Babylon, the Israelites were in the pinnacle of sins. II Kings 24:8 says that “He (Jehoiakim) did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his fathers had done”.
A kingdom under an evil king who had followed the evil of his fore-fathers- this was the prevailing scenario. People forgot God and His commandments and were deep down in sin. The later part of this chapter talks about a young handsome man named Daniel. I was so surprised when I read about Daniel because it was during such a state of ungodliness that Daniel still kept his faith in God. Though the Bible doesn’t tell about Daniel’s ancestry, it is surprising to know that He held on to God even when the people around him and the king sinned against God.
I’ve got a message for you! “It doesn’t mean where you are but it is what you are that costs” I could imagine how the youth during Jehoiakim’s rule would have transgressed. They would’ve invited Daniel to be a part of their fun. But Daniel watched his ways and trusted in God. That is why even when he was taken as an exile and was asked to serve a heathen king, he kept his stand to serve the King of Kings.
Today’s world is so alluring. Swanky gadgets, plush malls, fancy lifestyle, exuberant salaries and luxuries. There is nothing that could remind us of God. People who were faithful to God in their little have started fading away from God as their luxuries increased. My question to you today is “What are you today?” An entangled slave of what the world is or a person who makes a difference however the world is?
Look at Daniel! He kept his cool, walked in His ways ignoring how the others were. In further chapters down there comes a situation when the King decreed that no one should worship any other god (6:7). I like the verse which says “When Daniel learnt about this he prayed three times a day as usual”. Remember, Daniel had grown in his status and was in a high position in the kingdom. I am still amazed that his progress in status, money or fame, nothing shook his foundation in his God.
Shouldn’t we be making a difference in today’s world? We can’t blame the world for our callousness. It high time we get back on the highway with God!
Lord, forgive me for my carelessness. Please help me to have the first love and make a difference to everyone around me. Amen
The Attitude of Faith
Hebrews 11 is supposed to be the absolute tutorial for faith. The author begins with the definition of faith and goes on to explain it. This chapter details how faith has taken its place right from the creation of the world and how impossible it is to please God without faith (v6). I love this chapter because the author keeps emphasizing the fact that it was through faith that all the men of God were able to attain what they wanted from God.
Today, I am going to brush up a little on the levels of faith so that we could evaluate ourselves where we stand in our level of faith. Faith needs to grow and reach levels. We could categorize the levels of faith as
Little Faith – Mathew 8:26 A basic level of faith prevalent in spiritually immature Christians. Everything is perfect when everything else is perfect but their faith tosses as the boat tosses. The disciples in their early stages were of little faith. They were able to enjoy the company of God and second His miracles but when it came to facing troubles they wavered. Today, are you of little faith?
Faith with visible proofs – John 20:25 Here we see Thomas, a disciple of Jesus, who had been with Him and witnessed all His miracles, heard His teachings and the things that are going to happen, now doubting Jesus’ resurrection. He says “Unless I see the nail marks on His hands & put my hand and test myself, I will not believe it”. Did you notice the phrase “I will not believe it”? Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as being sure of what we do not see. Today, are you ready to be sure of what you do not see?
Faith in action – Every miracle that Jesus did turned a whole bunch of crowds to Him ? People questioned His authority, but were ready to believe Him if they witnessed a miracle. This attitude is more of a “He did it so I believe Him” -typically a faith that depends on actions. These people may easily waver when later a miracle is delayed or not done because they have faith in actions and not in the Miracle Worker. Today, is your faith based on what God did?
Real faith or Faith of Faiths – Daniel 3:13. This chapter talks about 4 young men refusing to bow before an idol. The king ordered them to be thrown into a furnace of fire. When the king questioned them they replied “O king, the God that we serve is able to rescue us”. I love the verse (v.18) which says “But even if He doesn’t we will still not bow before the idol”. Did you notice the level of faith where they stand? They decided that whatever God does is for their good; if He saves them or doesn’t. Their faith was not on the miracle but on God. So whether God saves them or not wasn’t important.
This is called the real faith or Faith of Faiths where we do not believe God for what He does or can do, but for what He really is! God is far beyond miracles and wonders. He is God Himself, superfluous, humungous, omnipresent and omnipotent. We worship Him for what He is. Our faith needs to stand on Him. We may expect many things which God may or may not grant, but our faith should not be based on what He could offer. God is God, period!!
God, give me an attitude of faith where I trust in you and you alone. I know you have the best plans for me and help me accept whatever you have in store for me. Let me to look up to you and not on what you can offer. Amen