SarahCity

Yesterday we read a passage from the Book of Matthew about Jesus healing the paralytic. As the paralytic is not able to come to Jesus on his own, his friends made tremendous effort to bring him before Jesus. "What is the deepest desire of the paralytic?" I believed his deepest desire is to be able to walk again. But Jesus did not heal him immediately. Instead Jesus said to him "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." Jesus knew the actual condition of this man. Many a time, we are just like the paralytic. We are not able to walk before God because we have sinned against Him or perhaps our past sins were hounding us. Sins have a crippling effect. However, through the encouragement of fellow Christians, we are brought before Jesus again, and when we hear Jesus telling us : "Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you", it is liberating and immediately we are able to rise up and walk before Him again. Below is an extract of the story: Mat...

We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). In 1 John 4:8, John says, “God is love.” God’s love is patient, full of hope and endures through every circumstance. It is easy to love someone who is lovable but it can be very challenging when you show love to someone who is trying your patience. However, when we hang in there with people who try our patience, we are mirroring the heart of God. Loving others when it is hard is a response to the affection that God shows us. The truth that “if we love each other, God lives in us” is a major encouragement. When we stay put with difficult people who are ready to press our buttons, we demonstrate the living out of God's love in us. It is God’s enduring love that leads to peace and satisfaction. Extracted from ODJ.

Let the little cell do the talking: Consider one amazing piece of evidence about me: the human cell. In Darwin’s day, I am considered to be simply a blob of protoplasm. Today you know me better. Bruce Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences says, “The entire cell, i.e. me can be viewed as a factory that contains an elaborate network of interlocking assembly lines, each of which is composed of a set of large protein machines.” We, the many cells are complex mechanisms. On the surface, there are sensors, gates, pumps, and identification markers. Inside, we are filled with microscopic power plants, workshops, and recycling units. Microscopic “monorails” carry materials within cells. Am I amazing? This is because of the great designer who made me, a small little cell. It is estimated that a human being has about 8 trillions cells. “You (God) made all the delicate, inner parts of my body". (Psalm 139:13). Extracted from ODJ - Our daily journey with God.

John 12:24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. In the past, when I read the above verse, I thought that it only applies to our Lord Jesus. He is the grain of wheat that needs to die to bear much grain. Jesus reveals that the message of the grain of wheat involves His followers also. How do we "die"? By surrending ourselves to the circumstances of God's choice, we submit to His will even though we may not like it. God uses people and situation to break the chaff of self that surrounds the life of Christ hidden within us. The real work of God, this real surrender, takes place where men cannot see. Outwardly, it looks as though nothing is happening, but in reality, as in nature, God's greatest work of re-creation is taking place. (BSF notes) Praise God!

Yesterday night, we sang the following hymn: Stanza 1 He leadeth me, O blessed thought O words with heavenly comfort fraught What e'er I do, where e're I be Still tis God's hand that leadeth me Chorus: He leadeth me, He leadeth me By His own hand, He leadeth me His faithful follower I would be For by His hand He leadeth me Stanza 2 Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom By waters still, o'er troubled sea Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me I have sung this hymn many times but tonight I have a different perspective of this hymn. I just felt that as we start to follow God, He seems to be leading us through a roller coaster ride. Is this part of perfecting our faith in him? The writer of this hymn could say whatever he does, whatever he be, it is God's hand that leadeth him. In the past, I chose my own path, I will avoid those paths that I perceive as disastrous or not in my favor, however, the more you learn to...

Many times, when I see others, I tend to judge them and paste labels on their foreheads. However, our Lord is so different. When He looked at the woman of Samaria, He saw her as someone who needed the unfailing love of God. Jesus not only see her as who she is but also as who she could be. Many souls were transformed and convicted by His love. He looked beyond our outward appearances and looked into our heart. He wooed us daily to love Him and give ourselves to Him. Similarly we are also given the task of reconciling people to Him. 2 Cor 2:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In order to be ambassadors of Christ, when we look at people, we have to learn to look past the appearance and the history to see a person God loves, a person for whom Jesus died and a person He can transform. Adapted from our Daily Journey with God (ODJ)

John 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Many christians have this experience. Just before we started reading the Bible, we might be feeling tired after a hard day work and very unwilling to lift up the pages. However, as we started reading the Bible and spending time before God, we experience life and we are very energized spiritually. Jesus not only came to give believers eternal life but He wants us to experience at present this eternal life to the full - abundantly. In the past, I thought that eternal life started only when I meet the Lord after my death. However, eternal life can be experienced even right now. We can testify that when we literally lives by drawing upon His exhaustless source of joy, peace, love, patience, self-control, power, we possess the strength to endure and the ability to meet every situation. Sometimes we may encounter difficult situations but when we turn to Him, we just have the strength to overcom...

Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because[e] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Many times I choose to walk by the broad way because it is easy and comfortable and many people are walking that way. I just follow the wisdom of the world to do things each day without much need to pray but in this portion of the word, we are exhorted to enter the narrow gate. There is a need for us to choose to enter the narrow gate. There is a danger of walking along the broad way. Here it says that the broad way leads to destruction and this is the choice of many. As I was pondering over the Lord’s life journey on earth, He is an example of one that is walking the narrow way. His time is always aligned to God’s timing, John 7. He didn’t do things according to His own time table. However, most of the time, I do things at my o...

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Many times I ask myself what is this good work that God wants us to do. God has foreordained good works for us to accomplish and directs us to them as we ask Him to do so. However, if we do not learn to seek Him, we can become overly busy or doing works, however good, that He has not planned for us. Sometimes, instead of doing the works He wants us to do, we become caught up with the so called "work" and we get out of God's purpose for our lives and fail to do the particular works He has foreordained for us. This is a reminder for me. To learn to seek God's will concerning all activities in my life so that I glorify His name. Nothing happens without a purpose, may the Lord lead us to see beyond the physical realm and learn the spiritual lessons He has prepared for us.