When you are faced with heartbreaking and humanly impossible situations, what would you do?

I would bring to your attention what Job did. And, of course, he did the right thing. What else he could do? I am glad he did what he did.

1 Job 1:20, “Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, “naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” In all this, the job did not sin by charging God.”

Few things we can emulate:

First: He fell to the ground and worshipped. He acknowledged the sovereignty of God in his life and challenges. Worship must be the first step a distressing person should take for healing and deliverance. An attitude of total surrender to the Almighty God who can only help save us when the humanly impossible hit our lives.
Second: Job remembered the past faithfulness of God to him. He said naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave all he had, and he can take away all he has if he wishes. An estimation and confession that we are not in control; but God is.
Third: In his testing, hurting, and stress-filled season, Job didn’t accuse God by charging Him with any wrongdoing.

When get hurt, stressed, or walking through hard times, you need God’s attention and help. You may be faced with the enemy of your soul (the devil), human enemies, sickness, and financial and relationship hardships. Only God and His omnipotent power are truly able and willing to help in those harrowing times.

The way to God’s attention is worship and hard prayers. , the man Job was sincere and faithful. He worshipped God when he lost all. He thought about God’s hand of help in the past, and he acknowledged God in his difficulties. He was determined that he would not accuse or charge God for any wrongdoings.

The man, Job, came out fine with a double portion of blessings at the end. It was not an immediate deliverance, but God came through in His time and the deliverances he received from His hand were awesome.
Listen! You too can obtain magnificent solutions to your heartbreaks when you worship, acknowledge the Lord amid it all, and pray for help.

God’s faithfulness in your salvation and preservation.

“He will also keep you firm to the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:8-9.

We began discussing God’s faithfulness yesterday. Faithfulness is a scarce commodity to experience in this world. However, we established the truth of the faithfulness of God because He said, “I will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone.” You see, He will not abandon you or fail to help you. (TLB).

The tremendous promise of God to his children that says, “I will never leave you alone or fail to help you,” is found throughout the pages of the Scripture as it is or in slightly different variations, both in the Old Testament and New Testament. (Joshua 1:5 and 9, Deuteronomy 31:6 and 8, Deuteronomy 4:31, Genesis 28:15, 1 Chronicle 28:20, Psalms 94:14, Psalm 73:23-26, Isaiah 41:10-13, Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5 and more).

Today’s insight tells us of God’s faithfulness in our salvation and preservation. It says God is faithful. The question is – How is He faithful? 

There are two insights about His faithfulness described here. First, because God is faithful to you personally, He “called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is His faithfulness that He invited you to Jesus Christ and the salvation and blessed fellowship available in Him. When God calls a person to come to Jesus and accept Him as their savior and Lord, His faithfulness is displayed toward you. Have you accepted God’s call to enter into fellowship with Jesus Christ?

I thank God for the faithfulness He extended to me because He invited me through the good news called Gospel to Jesus, and I am now in fellowship with Him.

Secondly, how is God faithful? It says that God called you into fellowship with His Son; Jesus would also keep you firm (strengthened) to the end so that you would be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, Great and Loving Lord, the gracious almighty, all praises to you! Not only you called me into this salvation and granted me fellowship with Jesus, but also you promised that you will keep me firm to the end. Not only will he firm and strengthen me to the very end, but also He will make me stand blameless on that day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The day of the Lord Jesus Christ is the glorious day when He grants entrance into heaven. This could be the moment of a Christ believer’s departure from here or the time of the magnificent appearance of Christ, whichever comes first.

Beloved, the God who called me into fellowship with Jesus invites you to enter the same fellowship. This fellowship with God is not based on your works or efforts but on what Jesus has done for you. According to God’s eternal plan, He sent Jesus to this earth to forgive you, save you, and grant you eternal life. Jesus carried your sins and shortcomings on His body, went to the cross, died, buried, and rose again for you.

God invites people to come to Jesus and accept what He has done for them. This is a blessed moment in your life. God calls you to fellowship with His Son, Jesus, who paid for your sins and shortcomings. The Bible says God will forgive you and write your name in the Book of Life. You can live on this earth with holy, sure, and expectant hope of safety and security even through the valley of the shadow of death. 

Would you pray with me? “Father in heaven, I accept Jesus as my savior and Lord. I am sorry for my sins. Please save me. I believe Jesus died, buried, and rose again for me. I believe you will make me firm to the end and will present me with no blame in the future in heaven with you. This is your faithfulness in my salvation and preservation. I thank you for saving me and granting me eternal life. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”

God’s Unchanging Faithfulness!

 

“I will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone.” Joshua 1:5 NLV

Have you had people who came into your life and shared your vision? You thought they would be with you only to find out later they valued face and prestige from other people, not the face of the Lord who initially worked inside them? Was it heartbreaking for you? You felt groping in darkness without knowing where to go, right?

But listen to what God says to you, “I will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone.” You expect not such behaviors from Christians. Let me say it another way. You would expect such tendencies least from those who claim to be Christians. However, this type of behavior is everywhere –Christian or non-Christian. Listen! You are not alone.

I want you to hear what God says to your heart when you face such heartbreaking situations. He says, I will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone.” TLB translates the verse this way, “I will not abandon you or fail to help you.” Did you notice that His ‘faithfulness’ prompts ‘not to leave you’? It is His faithfulness that keeps him stuck with you. How great is God’s faithfulness?

Numbers 23:9 says, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” You see, people would change their words and minds. However, if God has spoken, He will fulfill it. Psalm 91:4 says, “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” Beloved, God’s faithfulness is a shield and buckler to you in which you would undoubtedly find refuge.

The historical background is described in Deuteronomy 31. It says there Moses spoke to all of Israel and said he is now a hundred and twenty years old and unable to lead anymore. He also said to the people what the LORD told him. He told God Himself would cross over ahead of the people of Israel. He will destroy those nations before them, and they will take possession of their enemy’s land. Moses also said Joshua would also cross over ahead of them. He told the congregation, “do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave nor forsake you.

After this, Moses called Joshua and said to him in the presence of the people, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them. Moses repeated the promise the third time –”The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

To the Israelites, Moses was the only great leader with a towering personality. Joshua, still a young man with fewer experiences and a timid personality, was all the reason to worry about the future and the enormous task ahead of him. What would he do? He was worried and confused.

This tremendous promise was like drops of cold water to cool off Joshua’s restless and disturbed spirit. Beloved, are you worried and confused? You do not know where to turn and what to do now, right? The Lord God says this to you, believe Me, I am with you, and I will be with you, and I will not abandon you or fail to help you.

God’s unchanging faithfulness is what I am thankful for the most in my life. He knows all about me. But He still loves me and helps me. If you are a believer in Christ, is this not what you must emulate in your lives? I know you can be most faithful sometimes, but they can still be unfaithful to you. There is nothing more humanly you can do in such situations. Give the matter to the hands of the Lord in prayer. God has many ways to deal with such people and their attitudes.

However, remember God’s promise to you. “I will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone.”

God’s faithfulness toward you is publicly shown by sending His one and only Son, Jesus, to this earth to die, bury, and rise again for all your sins. The Bible says Jesus carried your sins and shortcomings on his body, went to the cross, and willingly paid it all so that you can be welcomed and accepted in God’s Holy presence in heaven at the moment of your death. This is his commitment and faithfulness toward you. Would you take his love and faithfulness into your heart today?

Would you pray after me? “Father in heaven, I believe You sent Jesus to this earth. He died, buried, and rose again for my sins to make way for me to live with you in heaven. I repent and accept Jesus as my savior and Lord. Please forgive and save me today. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”

An Example of Faith!

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:38.

I want to introduce you to a little Jewish girl, a teenager, who heard the Word of God and taught us the importance of faith in the Word of God. As usual, on that day, she was doing her daily chores. The angel of God appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and said she would conceive and give birth to a Son, who shall be called Jesus. He will become great and will be called the Son of the Highest; the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father, David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30-37.

When Mary heard the Word of God, her response was a beautiful and perfect example of faith in God. At the outset, this little teenage girl was curious and confused. She did not understand how this was going to happen. She said, “How can this be since I do not know a man?” In other words, she knew she had heard something wonderful. However, she was puzzled about how this would happen because she was a virgin. Angel explained how this was going to happen. The Holy Spirit of God will come upon her. The power of the highest will overshadow her. Therefore, the Holy One, who is to be born, will be called the Son of God. Angel also said Elizabeth, her relative, had already conceived in her old age. For “God, nothing will be impossible.” (Vs.37).

Beloved, may this rehearse in our years – For God, nothing will be impossible. I want to bring your attention to the response of this little teenage Jewish girl. Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” This verse is our daily insight today and is the best and the most beautiful example of faith toward God expressed in the pages of the Bible. She said only two things: Behold, I am your maidservant, Lord. “Let it be to me according to your word.” She received and believed the Word of God as it is. Though she did not know how all these beautiful things would happen, she submitted to the Word of God. She said Lord, Your Word, may it happen to me.

Dearly beloved, It does not matter how old you are to express your faith and trust in God. You may be a small boy or girl, or you may be a young teenager or an adult. You may be a husband or wife. You may be an older person – a grandfather or grandmother. When the Word of God comes to you, would you respond as Mary did? Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The Word of God- the Bible-ignites faith in us toward God. Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”

Mary did not harden her heart to the Word of God. She humbled herself when she heard the Word of God, received it, and said, “Let it be to me according to your word.” We need to repeat Mary’s words again and again in our lives, don’t we? Lord, I do not know how you will fix all the details. However, I am submitting to you to fulfill your Word.

Bible says in Romans 10:11, “Whoever believed in Him (Christ Jesus) will not be disappointed.” Romans 10:13, “For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I do not know the magnitude of the problem you are facing today. Like the Jewish teenage girl, would you submit to God? He will work out the details amazingly and wonderfully if you obey the Word of God that comes to you.

Got a moment for today’s prayer? Pray with me. “Father in heaven, I put my faith in you and your Word. You said if I believe in Christ, I will not be disappointed. May your Word happen in my life. May I never be disappointed because I call upon your name above all names- Jesus Christ, the Son of God? I believe Jesus died and rose again for my sins. Please forgive me, help me, and guide me. In the name of Christ, I pray. Amen.

Unconditional Love and Acceptance!

“God has chosen you and made you his holy people. “Colossians 3:12. (NCV)

Brain Tracy, a Canadian-American public speaker, said, “The greatest gift that you can give others is unconditional love and acceptance.” Now, if acceptance and unconditional love is the greatest gift, where would you find them? Our today’s insight answers this question. 

 George Orwell, an English Novelist, and Journalist, said, “Happiness can exist only in acceptance.

Happiness and acceptance go hand in hand—no happiness without acceptance. The result of acceptance is Happiness. 

Bible says God chose you and accepted you not because of the words or deeds you had done but because of His mercy and grace. (2 Timothy 1:9). Because of God’s grace, He made you right in His sight and gave you confidence that you will inherit eternal life the moment you die. All these are based on God’s unconditional love, grace, mercy, and kindness. God’s acceptance and you being right with God is a gift of God and becomes yours forever and ever upon acceptance of the offer. No gift becomes ours unless we accept it and hold it as ours. It is the same with God’s gift.

Our today’s Bible insight says, “God has chosen you and made you his holy people.” In short, listen; you are already chosen and accepted by God. Bible says in Romans 8:33; It is God who justifies you –which means declare you right with God by the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shed his divine and sinless blood and paid for your sins. Then it says, who can bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? Who can condemn them? The answer is no one can have the right to bring a charge against you and condemn you. God declares you holy and complete because of what Jesus Christ has already done for you, not based on your merit. 

You see, when a person comes to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and accept Him as his savior and Lord immediately at the moment, God accepts him as His child. (John 1:12) He is born again into God’s family. However, Jesus also said this, which is recorded in John 6:44, “People cannot come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me.” Therefore, the Father draws a person to come to Christ and accept Him as his or her savior. Therefore, ultimately it is God who chose you, gives you the required faith, and draws you to Jesus Christ so that you can be saved and made holy in His sight. 

How many of us want to be accepted by others? All of us, I presume. When chosen or selected out of many, we get excited, thrilled, and joyful. We close our ears with our hands in excitement, clap our hands, and people who watch us chosen are also very happy and joyful. However, our acceptance of this world is usually based on our performance, works, talents, beauty, etc. 

If you were accepted and invited by the queen of England and the USA president, how would you feel? 

Think now, the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the creator God who is the true source of all good blessings and wonders, has chosen you. How would you feel now? His acceptance of you and His invitation to the ‘white house,’ which is heaven, is not based on anything you ever did. His acceptance of you is solely based on what His Son, Jesus Christ, did for you and your acceptance of His free gift of salvation and eternal life. 

If nobody accepts you, do not bother. God has already chosen and accepted you in the person and the work of Jesus Christ. When you understand how big your acceptance is and how high this heavenly call is, your once cherished acceptance of the people and world becomes pale and puny. You would recognize, You are on a higher holy ground than many around you. You would realize you are the partaker of the heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1). Amazing and wonderful!

God is calling you to become a partaker of heavenly calling – to accept the gift of salvation, the forgiveness of sins, blessings, and eternal life -by inviting His Son, Jesus Christ, into your life. 

Got a moment for today’s prayer? “Father in heaven, I accept your gift of acceptance in and through Jesus. I am sorry for my sins, and please forgive me. I believe Jesus died and rose again for me. Please come into my life and save me today. Bless me with your love, forgiveness, and eternal life. I thank you for saving me. In the name of Christ, I pray. Amen.”

The One Who Never Disappoints!

“As the Scriptures express it, “See, I am sending Christ to be the carefully chosen, precious Cornerstone of my church,
and I will never disappoint those trust in him.” 1 Peter 2:6 (TLB).

Getting disappointed is one of the reasons why people generally do not want to trust another person. Your parents may have rejected or disappointed you. Your friends, girlfriend, or boyfriend may not have kept their word. Your manager may have rejected you or did not keep the promise. A family member may have hurt you. You are still not out of the hurt and disappointments.

Listen! God says, “See, I am sending Christ to be the carefully chosen, precious Cornerstone. He also says He will never disappoint those who trust Him.” Jesus Christ is the carefully chosen, precious Cornerstone God sends for you to put your trust on. Centuries ago, even before the birth of Jesus Christ, Isaiah, the prophet, prophesied this about the coming Savior in Isaiah 28:16-17. It says there, “this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,
a firm and tested stone.
It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.
Whoever believes need never be shaken.”

God already promised in the olden times that He would provide the firm foundation for their lives. He said He had already placed this tested (carefully chosen) and precious Cornerstone.

God tested Jesus. God said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.” (Mathew 3:17).  On another occasion, God testified about Jesus and said to the disciples, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5). People tested and testified. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54). And Pilate, when he washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person.

Peter quotes the Isaiah passage from Isaiah 28:16-17  to show us God’s promise He fulfilled in Christ Jesus. He sent Christ for us. He fulfilled the promise. God promises, “I will never disappoint those who trust in him” (referring to Christ Jesus).

Not only the promised Messiah, a tested and precious stone, but also he will become a sanctuary. Ephesians 2:19-22 says this about the believers in Jesus,  “So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,  in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” How this happens is explained by Peter in 1 Peter 2, “And coming to Him (Jesus) as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,  you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” By coming to this tested, precious, living stone, which is Jesus Christ, the believers in Christ also become living stones. They are being built up as a sanctuary of the priesthood to offer worship acceptable to God in Jesus Christ. 

Your family members, dear ones, friends, classmates, co-workers, and manager, may have disappointed you. However, God will never disappoint you if you come to this tested, precious, living stone, which He promises beforehand in the holy Scriptures.  The promise is yours if come and accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

The building’s Cornerstone is the most critical stone laid, and all other plans are aligned with it. It is the foundational stone on which the building rests with all its beautiful measurements and alignments. God promises a safe Cornerstone, a foundational stone on which you can build your life- Jesus Christ. You will never, never again be disappointed.

Rise from your ashes of hurt. Come home to Jesus today. He cares about you. He loves you. He has a beautiful rebuilding plan for your life. Be excited about what God plans to do when you come, and accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

“Father in heaven, I believe you fulfilled your promise of the safe Cornerstone, which is the foundation for my life in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the only savior of the whole world. I put my trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus, come to my life and rebuild my life with your plans and purposes. May it be beautiful again in your sight. May it bring many fruits to others around me. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”

Did You Do It?

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.” Matthew 25:28 NLT.

Many times I heard people wondering if God is there, then why He does not guide them. They expect God to show them the next steps or open new doors.

However, sometimes we forget that we were not faithful to what God had already given to us. Think, if someone is not faithful with what is already given, how could you give more? 

I don’t know what God already showed you or gave to you. Maybe God asked you to accept Jesus as your savior. Did you do it? Maybe God asked you to obey him in the waters of baptism after your professed faith in Jesus Christ. Did you do it? Maybe God asked you to go and join a Bible teaching and preaching church and study the Bible? Did you do it? Maybe God gave you a spiritual gift to use for His glory. Did you take any steps toward it? Did He ask you to pray more? Did you do it? Did He ask you to begin or plant something leaning on Him? Did you do it?

Why should God reveal your next steps if you are not serious about what He already asked you to do? 

You see, God typically shows one step at a time and test what you do with it. When you faithfully do what is already given/revealed, he gives or offers you more and more. 

Jesus told a story about a man going on a long trip. He called his servants and gave the talents while he was gone. He gave five to one, two to another, and one to the third one. He gave the talents an understanding of their abilities. Then he was gone far away. After l long time, the master came back and asked them to give an account of how they had used the talents given to them. The first servant said he earned five more from the five given. The second one said he earned two more from the two given. The third one said he thought his master was a harsh man who could gather crops even without planting and gathering. He said he was afraid and hid his talent and gave the one back to the master. The master congratulated the first two for their faithfulness in handling the small talents. He said he would give them more responsibilities. To the third man, he said, you are lazy. You could have even deposited the talent in a bank, and at least he could have earned a few more by gaining interest.

The master ordered to take the talent away from the third servant and give it to the more faithful one. Then Jesus said our today’s insight to those who use well what they are given, and they will have more. But from those who do nothing, it will take away even that little.

It is a solemn thought to check what God gave to you already. Or check what God asked you to do already. Begin there. Start doing what God already requested. Then watch the blessings of the Lord in it. Also, you would experience more and more in the divine store for yourself. You will have an abundance. The opposite is also true. If you do nothing with what he already gave you, then even what was given could be taken away from you. 

Listen! Jesus called you in the past, didn’t He? Even today, Jesus lovingly calls you to open the doors of your heart to come into your life. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again for your salvation, spiritual happiness, and eternal life. He called you in the past. Even called you today. Would you come to Him? If yes, pray after me now.

“Father in heaven, I understand You sent Jesus for me and my salvation. I know I am a sinner. I need the savior and salvation you offer. I repent of my sins and pray to save me today. Please forgive me and make me your child. I accept Jesus as my savior and Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.” 

Know the truth!

“Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation”. Psalm 25:5.

You must have at least four truth awareness in your heart. And these are- to know the truth about God, to know the truth about you, to know people around you, and to know the future. This pretty much covers all.

About God. God is the creator of all the things you see around you. Not only he is the creator, but he is also the owner of all. You see, because God is the creator, then succeeds the truth that He is the true owner of all. You may look at your children or spouse and may think they belong to you. However, the truth is they belong to God first. He is the owner of all the land and properties. He temporarily gives you the title of the land and other things for your enjoyment and stewardship. However, no one knows how long you would own. Only God knows. Another person comes along in the future and owns it. This is true of children, spouse, properties, and all. Also, remember He is the possessor of all. He possesses it, although he would give you to handle it for some time. God expects you to be a faithful steward of all that he provides to you. A steward is a person who manages or takes care of the things of others. You manage and take care of things that belong to God. Bible says in 1st Corinthians 4:2 a steward must be faithful to their master. NASB translates, “it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” You must be a faithful steward for all God handed over to you. 

Now God is triune. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father initiated the plan of salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. God the Son implemented it on the cross by shedding His blood for your sake. God the Holy Spirit gives you the awareness of sin and judgment, leads you to the feet of Christ, and keeps you safe by giving you needed help, counsel, advice, and teaching until you reach heaven at the time of your death. 

About You: You have a basic issue that hinders a relationship and fellowship with Holy God. And that is Sin. Sin is the reason for the death of humanity. There is no cure man could find for the sin or death issues. All the people are in the same predicament. Originally in the Garden of Eden, God and our first parents had a close and loving fellowship until sin entered and they disobeyed God. Like an apple begets an apple, sin nature is carried over to all of Adam’s posterity. There is no distinction – All are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. This is the first understanding you must have about yourself. As a sinner, you need a savior who is strong and perfect in all ways. A man can not save another person regarding the sin nature because all men are in the same condition of living under the influence of sin. Therefore, the savior must be outside of us and sinless and perfect for saving people from their sins. The Bible says, Because of His love, God sent His only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16. God took the first step toward a solution. God put all your debts of sin on the body of Christ, and then Jesus voluntarily died in your place, was buried, and rose again victoriously, defeating sin and the resultant death. When a person accepts God’s Son, Jesus, as his or her savior, you are saved forever—saved permanently. You are granted and sealed with God’s Holy Spirit, guarantying eternal life with God and Christ in heaven at the time of your death. You are justified by the work of Christ and your acceptance of Him as your savior. 

About other people:

Other people are in the same predicament as you. They also need the savior whom God sent for salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. Because all people are sinners, understand you will get hurt by other people’s words and actions. An understanding of this truth would help you not to get stressed when your expectations are hurt by other people. Pain-free life and no breaking experiences are not possible on this side of heaven because you deal and mingle with people who are sinners. Sin could be self-caused or others-caused. The sinful nature of you and other people never goes away on this side of eternity, although the Holy Spirit inside you, whom you receive at the time of the acceptance of Jesus Christ, continuously helps you to grow in him and bear spiritual fruit rather than the fruit of the flesh. This is called sanctification or spiritual growth. 

About the future: God has in store a perfect landing for those who come to Christ Jesus in faith and trust. We may face holocaust experiences now, but the future looks bright and excellent for a person who obeys God by coming to His Son, Jesus Christ. Your death is not the end of life. At the time of death, you go to live with God in heaven because you called upon the name of the savior of the whole world – Jesus Christ. You will receive glorified brand-new heavenly bodies. Your body would look like the body of Christ after the resurrection. Here now, God is on your side when you face difficulties, trials, and issues. He answers your prayer. He guides, helps and leads you to the end because you belong to Him.  

A person who accepts Christ as the savior is justified, sanctified, and glorified. All these are used in the past tense, which means a believer in Christ already receives all these. The future is blessed, much hopeful, and bright. 

There are more things to know in all the above four categories. God communicated more about Him, you, the people around you, and the future in the pages of the Bible. The more you get familiar with the pages of the Bible, the more equipped and blessed your life becomes.  

The Important Matter!

“He could not find anyone to help the people,
and he was surprised that there was no one to help.
So he used his own power to save the people;
his own goodness gave him strength.” Isaiah 59:14

The important matter is not your ability, resources, knowledge, or strength. The important matter for God is this -are you available? In God’s economy, availability gets a higher score than ability, strength, or something else. He spots you if you are available for his purposes. His eyes range through the whole earth to spot who is available for Him.

In today’s insight, people need help because of the unfairness and injustice happening around them. God looked to see if there is one man who would be available to be used by Him. He did not see anyone.

Almighty God can do unusual and miraculous things with his own outstretched arms. However, His preferred way of doing such things is involving people like you and me in his plans and purposes. This is why the Bible clearly says God has a beautiful plan and purpose for your life.

God knew you before you were conceived in your mother’s womb. He was intimately involved with your growth and development there in the darkness. God knew you several thousands of years before your birth. The Bible says God knew you before He made the world. It says in Ephesians 1, “even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ so that we would be holy and without fault before him.” God had a plan in place even before He made the world, and that plan included you become His child. It was God’s pleasure and purpose to do so. In addition, He had a plan in place for you to fulfill when you live here on this planet earth. Don’t you want to know what that plan is?

The plan that He had for you is uniquely designed for you. No one else could or would do it.

Beloved, focus your attention on knowing and understanding what God’s eternal plan he laid out in and through Jesus Christ, His Son. At the perfect time of implementation, He sent Jesus Christ to this world. God’s plan is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as the head of all. He will complete it when the time is right in the near future.

Are you part of it yet? God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, who died for your sins and saves you, and countless children whom He adopts as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself. This adoption of you to God’s loving household as His own child is based on what Jesus Christ has done for you on the cross. Jesus paid all the debts of your sins with his blood poured out there on the cross. Ephesians 1:5-6 says this was according to the kind intention of God’s will. He did it for the praise of the glory of His amazing grace. He freely bestowed on you all the amazing love and grace in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

When you know this truth and your future is safe and secure in the hand of Christ and God, you would willing to say to God, yes, I am available for your plan and purpose. You would say, Lord, use me for the rest of my life.

Got a moment for today’s prayer? “Father in heaven, I am amazed to know you know me even before you made the foundation of this world. I also heard you have a beautiful and perfect plan for my life. In that plan, you chose me before you formed the world and sent your Son, Jesus, on time to this world to die, bury, and rose again for my sins. To adopt me to your loving household as your own child. I accept your plan for me. I accept Jesus as my savior and lord. Save me today. Please let me know your perfectly designed plan for my life. Lead me into your will for my life. I am available and please use me. In the name of Christ, I pray. Amen.”

Your Impossibility is God’s Possibility!

“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed, I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” Genesis 18:14
“Ah, Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17.
“But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26.
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37.

You may be facing a situation that seems impossible. However, do you know that all things are possible for God? The Bible repeatedly says this truth to convince you of His power in your life.

Jeremiah says, “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for you.

The three unexpected visitors asked Abraham, is anything too hard for the LORD? It is a rhetorical question demanding an answer – no, nothing is impossible for the LORD. Abraham was faced with a problem for a long time, as long as 25 years. God promised him a son when he was 75 years old. Even at the age of 99, the promise didn’t happen. He and Sarah remained without a child for a long time. He had to wait and wait to see the promise fulfilled. Abraham is called the father of faith. How did he achieve that credibility? Because God tested Abraham’s faith in Him and allowed it to develop and grow.

You see, this is how God develops and matures your faith. When you face challenges that say you won’t be able to handle, then pray, wait or move per God’s counsel He gives you—sometimes waiting is required, and other times action is needed by leaning on the promises of the Lord. If you are a child of God who trusted Jesus as your savior and Lord, you have the Holy Spirit inside you who helps, counsels, and guides. Moreover, you have the word of God, the Bible, and sincere and faithful believers to help you. In one of my severe challenges, a Godly pastor in Dallas, TX, who was a DTS graduate, helped to sort out the confusion and figure out the future steps by leaning on the promises of the Lord. We do not underestimate the power of Godly counsel.

God, develop your faith and grow it by throwing a problematic situation that is humanly complex. You will ask how I handle it and say I can’t.

Recently such an incident happened in my life that developed my faith and trust in Him and deepened my relationship with Him. God specifically asked me to make a bold move after years of prayer. However, from day one, I was challenged and faced with a situation of impossibility with a group that needed to grasp the basics of grace and forgiveness outlined in the Scripture. Humanly impossible, but God, who moves the mountain, stepped in to remove the humanly unsolvable problem with His great power and outstretched arm.

Remember that nothing is impossible to God if you surrender to the Lord and move with the Lord in prayer when He asks you to do certain impossibilities. He will remove the mountain and deepen your faith in him in his appointed time.

You may be faced with an impossible and challenging situation. Alternatively, God may ask you to step in and do something that looks too hard. He doesn’t want you to know the result in the beginning. If God is in it, He will make the impossible possible. He typically does not give the details in the front. If He does, your faith will not develop and grow.

Faith is trusting God and following what He says without knowing the details or outcome. However, you will look back and see that God was in it because he does impossible for you. Your faith in God grows, and you become more like Jesus Christ, which is spiritual maturity and growth.

Hebrews 11:8-10 sums up Abraham’s faith life in these statements. It says, ” By faith Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith, he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

Abraham began moving baby steps in faith and obedience when God called him from the idolatry background of Mesopotamia. God stretched his faith by giving impossible situations and proving God’s power to make them possible. Consequently, he became our father of faith. He looked forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. We also look forward to the heavenly city, the ultimate focus of our faith, through the vicissitudes of life.