God's Purposes

Are you someone who is feeling insignificant in life? Someone whom the world does not look up high? Are you someone feeling that right now life has nothing to offer and your faith in the Lord does not seem to bring a great breakthrough?

Do not let your heart be troubled, you are not the only one sailing in the same boat. When Joseph was in the prison, he interprets the dream of the cup bearer and as a favor he asks the cup bearer to remember him before the King (Gen 40:14). However, the cup bearer forgets the petition of Joseph (Gen 40:23). All that Joseph expected was a release from his current condition. Probably he thought of going out and leading a decent life. But the plan of God was even greater than that of Joseph. Joseph's expectation to find favor with the cup bearer and then a release from the King did not happen. Joseph continued to be in the prison for 2 yrs. But at the appropriate time, when the King had a dream and was seeking wise men to interpret his dream, the cup bearer remembered about Joseph. And all these finally led to Joseph becoming the governor of Egypt.

The plan and the purpose of God is not revealed to His children. And that calls for a walk of faith. But the end result is this...That God chooses the simple people of the world to make Himself a great name through their life...

The Word of God says,

1 Corinthians 1:27-28 (New Living Translation)

27.Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

Whatever you may be or your life may be currently, God has chosen you for a purpose. And His purpose and plan for you is for a tremendous demonstration of His power and glory in your life.

It is His faithfulness...

It is not possible to be high in faith all the time. There are times when our faith can stagger by some negative outcomes or situations in life. During those times we react in different ways - anger, frustration, pity, hopeless, doubt, disappointment or even quitting atttitude.

We may at times react to God in unbelief. Though we may lack faith, God always proves Himself to be faithful...

Romans 3:3 (New American Standard Bible)

What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?

God's character never changes. He always prove Himself to be faithful to those who trust Him. Even if our situation might be hopeless, we will see that God in His faithfulness will pull us out of our negative situation and do wonders beyond our imagination...

Ever-present help

Psalm 118:5 (New American Standard Bible)

From my distress I called upon the LORD;

The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.

What a privilege it is for us as a child of God, when in distress or some kind of anguish of the soul, we have a heavenly father to deliver us out of it. The Lord not only answers our prayers but sets us in a large place; meaning we are not only delivered out of the problem, but also set free totally...

Sometimes we don't really realize that there many people in the world who do not have help when distressed or anguished. But we have a living God, a prayer answering God who always work for the well-being of His children. Indeed we are a privileged people. Knowing this truth deeply from within, let us...

Psalm 118:29 (New American Standard Bible)

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Clinging to Him always

Psalm 63:8 (New International Version)

My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

When have we prayed like the way the psalmist did? When do we really cling to God? When we have a urgent need to be met? Or when we desperately looking for a prayer to be answered?

If we cling to God only during such times, then we are selfish people who love the hand of God than seeking God for Himself...

Whether in need or out of need, whether in happiness or in worry, let us learn to cling to God always like that of a weaning child. Like a child who always clings to its mother with a deep sense of security and affection. For in Him we will find our soul secure and satisfied.

The Father's choice

At times when there is a delay in our provisions or any breakthroughs we expect, we assume that we are missing some real good opportunities. Or we may assume that God is being slow during our urgent needs.

But for us to shape our perspective better, we need to understand our God well. Look what the Word of god says with respect to God's nature...

Matthew 7:7-11 (New International Version)

7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

We need to know our heavenly Father better, if we are to change the way we see things or think right. When we as human beings don't afford to comprise to give less than the best to our children, how much more the heavenly Father would give good things to His children...

So next time when there is a delay in what we seek or ask, just keep in mind that God will not settle unless He gives us the best.

Destiny of God's People

Do you feel less significant because you are not an achiever like that in the world? Or perhaps you are not doing something that makes you feel important or giving you a sense of pride? Just think and see how Moses would have felt tending Jethro's sheep? He left Egypt not wanting to be counted as one of the Pharaoh's son...He identified himself as one among the Hebrew and his own people did not accept him (Heb 11:24-25).He ran away from them, married Jethro's daughter and the job he was doing...it all seemed like an there was no destiny. Yet his destiny was something God had already prepared for him. God chose him to be a channel of deliverance for the people of Israel...

What you may be doing may all seem like there is no big destiny. But God already has a destiny for you which is definitely significant. Though people in the world not see it big, it is in His eyes and one day the world will see that...

This is the destiny of those who diligently follow the Lord:

Isaiah 61:4-6 (New International Version)

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins

and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

that have been devastated for generations.

5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;

foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,

you will be named ministers of our God.

You will feed on the wealth of nations,

and in their riches you will boast.

The Lord's leading

Are you a tired traveler in your spiritual journey? Tired of waiting on God's promises or breakthroughs? Do not become frail, the Lord has predestined this walk in the desert so that you might become a well watered garden and a never failing fountain...

The Word of God says,

Isaiah 58:11 (New International Version)

The LORD will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.

Remember how a gardener works his garden. His digs the soil in the garden to make it moist with rich soil and water. Later he sows the seeds and waters it for days, until the small sprouts of plants appear. Then it is sheltered from excess sun and sometimes the gardener sprays pesticides. All this process is required for the plant to grow well and yield its fruits and flowers.

Well, it is the same with us friends, sometimes the Lord leads us long in desert paths for our good where we learn to sojourn and depend on Him for provisions and breakthroughs. The Lord is not a tough task master but a gentle Father. We need to realize this, if we are to appreciate His dealings in our life.

We should not complain and grumble but let the Lord lead and guide us at the same time mold and make us...It is for our good...

Job's Piety

What kind of reaction would anyone give when the unknown strikes? Unknown could be any kind of shock or emotional stress caused by an unexpected incident happening in life. This could make us bizarre for a moment and it may take hours to come to realize that something has happened which has shaken us badly...

Perhaps this was the same condition with Job when he faced one calamity after the another.He couldn't just compose from one shock when the next one took place. Finally we are surprised by his piety and reaction...

Job 1:21 (New Living Translation)

He said...

The Lord gave me what I had,

and the Lord has taken it away.

Praise the name of the Lord!

Job did not say this in a sarcastic way. He acknowledged the sovereignty of the Lord in His life. That is exactly what we need to have in our life- acknowledging the Lord's complete control in our life and accepting it well. We do not need extravagant faith but simple acknowledgement of His control over our lives and child-like trust. That is more than any mountain shaking faith...

Willing Spirit

If you would ask what is the toughest thing to do in Christian life? Many would say it as fasting, tithing, charity, attending all night prayer, etc. But the truth is: for many Christians the toughest task to do in their Christian life is obeying...

In our life, it is so very easy to do so many spiritual stuff. But obeying the Lord with willingness is often a tough thing, for it requires dying to our will or way. Many do not understand that the essential aspect of Christian living is obedience to God and His will. For in us, we see the fallen spirit of Adam i.e the rebellious spirit always wanting to go our way rather choosing to yield to God.

That is why the King David prayed...

Psalm 51:12b (New American Standard Bible)

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

He says a willing spirit which also means a yielding spirit. Yielding is something that is done willingly without being resentful or remorse.

Let us pray that the Lord would give us a willing spirit like King David so that we would yield to the Lord joyfully...

Knowing Who He is...

Have you ever felt that your life turned around something like a new sheet? Like starting from the beginning? People who have had continuous disappointments, crushed dreams and failures in life wonder if it were possible they would like to have a life anew. This may sound impossible for an unbeliever but for those in Christ this is possible...

The Word of God says,

1 Corinthians 15:22 (New Living Translation)

Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.

Note the phrase here "will be given". This is a sure promise. All that we need to do is simply believe and ask. For Jesus is the life giving Spirit...

1 Corinthians 15:45 (New Living Translation)

The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.

Jesus who is a life-giving Spirit is sure to renew our life whichever area it may be and make it all new. We only need faith to believe this scripture and claim for it to happen.

God birthed power

There were occasions when I had come across things or situations that were beyond my control and felt that 'if only I had the power like Jesus I could have changed this situation for the welfare of the other (emphasis not mine)'. And I had felt helpless and sad at such times. But later it dawned that though I don't have the power to change that situation immediately, I do have the power to pray unceasingly until I see an answer.

If the burden we have is birthed by God, then we are sure that we have the strength in the inner man to pray with power. And when we pray with God's power heavens do open and miracles take place.

2 Thessalonians 1:11 (New Living Translation)

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.

The right focus of the Church

These days there are a lot of sermons about being successful, obtaining blessings, becoming prosperous, etc. We seldom find messages about sanctification, godly living, Christian discipline etc. Why don't we have messages as such from C.H. Spurgeon, John Wesley, W.E. Sangster, Eugene Peterson, Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, C.S.Lewis and Selwyn Hughes who shook the Christian world through their messages and writings. These men of God all concentrated on the most important aspect of Christian living which is grace, Christian discipline and pleasing God.

There are rarely any messages preached these days. And sometimes when these seem to be sidetracked, we find that born-again Christians very less Christ-like...And because of this Christian preaching and gospel sharing by half-baked Christians seem to have very less effect on the outside world.

The Church need to have the right focus before building leaders and preparing its people for evangelism. Only then can it ever be fruitful in God's kingdom at the same time build and establish God's people in the way they ought to be...

2 Timothy 4:2-3 (New International Version)

2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Seeking intently

Many a time we read a lot of spiritual books and materials, watch sermons or hear spiritual messages and exclaim they are good. But seldom implement them in our lives. We take them so lightly that we fail the importance of life application. The Word of God is not just to read and feel good about it. It is for our nourishment and growth for only these can change and mold us to what God expects us to be...

James 1:23-25 (New International Version)

23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

One more thing to be noted here and not to miss is, whatever we do will be blessed only when we yield to God's Word. It is no magic but God's order and way. This is to say, that the person who has set his/her heart to do the will of God by doing what the scripture says is a blessed person. May our hearts be set to follow God's Word intently so that we will be in the center His will always.

Praying as per His will

Once I was startled when I heard someone remark, 'There is nothing like God's will when it comes to claiming God's promises'. This is highly non-biblical I believe. When we claim God's promises, it is understood that we ask or claim something as per His will. Only in some contexts we need not doubt if it is God's will. For instance to pray for healing or to become debt-free. But in other contexts such as a job, career, ministry, marriage, migration, business, any aspect of life, we need to pray with a 'if' clause.

When we pray, we say something like this, "God if this is your will, then let it be done". This kind of attitude reveal submission, humility and acceptance of His sovereignty in our lives. In contrast to this attitude is self-centered will, unsurrendered spirit and taking control of our life and situations. Only when we learn to pray as per God's will, would we ever live a life surrendered in Christ. Otherwise we may be just confessing and proclaiming Christ without allowing Him to be the Master.

Matthew 6:10 (Amplified Bible)

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Many does not know the in depth meaning of this prayer. When we say "Your will be done on earth." It also implies that His will be done in our lives - our job, ministry, marriage, family, career, education, wealth etc...

So next time when we pray let us not pray with ignorance but with submission and acceptance of His Lordship...

Changing our question patterns

Many times we are plagued by the question 'Why?' in our lives. Even in the book of Psalms we find the psalmist asking God why, when he fails to understand the things happening in his life. It is natural to ask the question why? But we should not get into a demanding spirit to have answers for all our whys?

Rev. Selwyn Hughes says that instead of asking why to God, we should move on to ask 'What?' or 'How?'. Instead of asking, "God, why this happened to me?" We should ask, "God, what you want me to do in this situation?" Or "How you want me to handle this issue?". That is maturity and helps us to handle life efficiently...

Ecclesiastes 7:10 (Amplified Bible)

Do not say, Why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise or because of wisdom that you ask this.

The preacher in Ecclesiastes say, that it is not wise or in other words not maturity to ask demanding questions. If we do so, we will not find answers but will become angry, disappointed and frustrated. It is better to grow up in our Christian life and faith so that we become better persons.

Allowing Him to Lead

Sometimes we may think if only we had the power to do something we could walk back to our past and make things right. This is when things wouldn't have turned out favorably in our life especially those for which we would have labored.

Of course we all know that we cannot go back to our life to make things as it should have been. But instead of lamenting over the past, we can always do something better now...

Psalm 37:5 (New International Version)

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him ...

We may wonder what happens when we commit our way to the Lord? How it is going to change our present now?

The Word of God says,

Psalm 37:23 (New Living Translation)

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.

He delights in every detail of their lives.

We need know this fact for sure, that He will direct our steps for He delights in every detail of our life. After having committed we should not think that everything will turn out like a magic. We may still have to trail through some rough paths if the Lord desires us to walk through them...There we should not complain or grumble, but know that these lessons of discipline is for our good. Our only consolation is that God is directing our steps (as long as we commit and allow Him to lead) and He knows the best path...

We ought to leave our lives into His hand to set things right. And He will make this as the result...

Psalm 37:6 (New International Version)

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Obtaining by losing

Sometimes we focus on the by-products life (work, blessing, prosperity, success, a relationship etc) so much that we become desperate to get them or set them right, and would do our intellectual best to achieve it. When we do so we are sure to get disappointed. The reason for such a thing to happen is: we wouldn't have placed the thing we seek in the hands of God. Or even if we had placed them in His hands, we would often meddle with it by taking it from Him and try to work on it by our own intellect. The result of which would be frustrations, delays and disappointments.

Only when we are able to fully leave it with God to work on the thing we seek and are able to trust His way to deal with it, will there be achievement.

The Word of God says,

Luke 17:33 (New Living Translation)

If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.

Here 'life' refers to the by products of our life... all the essential aspects of our life. When we let them go into the hands of God, then all the by products which we seek will fall into right place and we don't really have to struggle to derive them...

Deriving the by products

We see that the by products of Christian living is success, prosperity, blessings, health and well-being. One may wonder how to derive them in our lives to stand up as a testimony before others? By striving or just seeking? Nothing by just abiding God's will and way...

Let us look at a few scriptures which shows us this truth...

Proverbs 16:20 (New American Standard Bible)

He who gives attention to the word will find good,

And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

Proverbs 28:25 (New International Version)

A greedy man stirs up dissension,

but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

Proverbs 29:25 (New American Standard Bible)

The fear of man brings a snare,

But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.

Blessings, success, prosperity and well-being are all connected to heeding to God's Word and trusting in the Lord. 'Trusting' doesn't just mean having faith to obtain all that we pray for or seek. But trusting refers to absolute trust in the way God works in our life and deals with us individually. This may be seem difficult for some. However, when we learn to accept this fact, we will find ourselves more at ease in dealing with life issues and problems.

By-products of Christian life

'The whole purpose of why Jesus came to earth is to make us holy' says W.E. Sangster, a well-known author and preacher. Our God is Holy and His purpose for us is to make us like Him...Blessings, success, prosperity, growth are all by products of Christian life.

Sometimes we can make these by products as top priorities of our life. Then we will miss the mark to some extent. We will not concentrate much on doing God's will, being what He wants us to be or pleasing God as the primary goals of life. When we loose focus on the essential things in our Christian life, then our we will find our lives more imbalanced and non satisfying. For the by products of Christian life cannot satisfy a person's soul. A person's soul is satisfied only when the person and his/her life is in the order of God.

Luke 12:15 (New International Version)

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

If we focus on the by products of Christian life, we will come to see that we have no shortage of wants or desires as these are continuously present one after the other. And they are never fulfilling or fully attainable.

Only when we allow the Lord to establish His order in our life, will we find that the by products of Christian life fall in its place...

Matthew 6:33 (New International Version)

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.