what does the LORD require of you?

10 October 2011  

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; 
      And what does the LORD require of you 
      But to do justly, 
      To love mercy, 
      And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

 We are actually pouring out our desires, dreams, wishes, needs, troubles and even our demands due to egoism are made known to God. WE never even bother to think about the fact, that What God expect of us. Without this thought we even blame God for not getting an answer for our prayers.

Nothing comes to us without an effort and nothing turns out to be free.

 All the promises are conditional promises and all blessings are subjected to conditions.

God expect three things from you.

·         to act justly, - in all your words and actions do the justice

·         To love mercy- Earn the Grace of God- Nothing is so precious than Grace.

·         to walk humbly -Do away with pride and arrogance.

Justice: It means- fair dealings, righteousness honesty and integrity. It is a very rare concept now in this world. It is being filled with impartiality, and injustice, in all aspects and at all levels.

Bible quotes many verses to uphold righteousness :

• “The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. (Isaiah 32:16-18)
• “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)
• “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions”. Psalm 45:7
• “Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is Judge”.   Psalm 50:6
• “My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long”. Psalm 72:24
• “Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times” Psalm 106:3

“So you may walk in the way of goodness,

And keep to the paths of righteousness.”Proverbs 2:20

NB :flowers taken from web collections

Prepare for the day of the Lord-Be holy

9 October 2011  

The day of the Lord is near .we have to prepare ourselves and our near and dear, for the judgment day. Do not be weary in your ways. Worldly matters moves  faster than ever. God wants us  to b e holy and Try to be holy- Holiness is the condition of being holy. It is a quality of life.

“….. You ought to live holy and godly lives. 2 Peter 3:11

When God works inside of you, it will affect all areas of your life. God said that we should "perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord." It will affect your speech, your pleasures, your attitudes, the places you go, the activities in which you participate, and even the clothes you wear and how you keep your self in the society.

 “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Genesis 35:2—The foremost important thing in our life to set aside idle worship (not exactly the idles in the temple. if you have  the  uncontrollable desire towards wealth and other materialistic wealth are idle worship.)


”The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,  who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god”.Psalm24:4

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7 

   “Therefore, ….. in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."Romans12:1-2

“Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. …but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16

"There is no one holy like the LORD, 
Indeed, there is no one besides Thee, 
Nor is there any rock like our God." 1 Samuel 2:2.












NB: flowers taken from web collections

The day of the Lord

8 October 2011  

“….the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way.
“The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, 
and mighty is the army that obeys his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. 
 What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives   as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
Since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 2 Peter 3:10-14


Who can endure it?.... return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity Joel 2:11-13
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; … there will be deliverance, as the LORD... Joel:30-31

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9














NB: flowers taken from web collections

Showers of Blessing.

7 October 2011  

“I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26

God is the greatest giver of all. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast in turning." James1: 17.

The greatest giving when ‘GOD gave his only begotten Son’  John. 3: 16. Blessings mean "to declare happy, to speak well of, very happy." Again, I stress that God is the source of all true blessings -Genesis. 1: 22, 28, Genesis5:2.

When God bless us ,nobody can stop anything from anywhere. He will just pour showers of blessing in the respective seasons. You will be blessed to be a blessing for others.

•    “…..And you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:2
• “May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” Genesis 27:28-29
• ‘Do not be afraid, …be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things! Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad,…rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. Joel2:22-23
• “So if you faithfully obey the commands …..—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. Deuteronomy 11:13-15

The land where you live, will receive the Blessings as mentioned above. 

 Begin the day with God: Kneel down to Him in prayer;
 Lift up thy heart to His abode, 
Read the Word of GOD. 
Turn to God .
Repent now. 
That it might sanctify all thy thoughts And sweeten all they care.
 Go through the day with God: 


Whatever is your work may be, it will be a blessing.

Seek the Face of God. Aspire to get His blessing.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

 And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
 And forget not all His benefits














NB: flowers with vase taken from web collections

Prayer

6 October 2011   Prayer

For us, prayer should be like breathing. we do not think to breathe because the atmosphere exerts pressure on your lungs and essentially forces you to breathe. That is why it is more difficult to hold your breath than it is to breathe. 
Similarly, when we are born into the family of God, we enter into a spiritual atmosphere where God's presence and grace exert pressure, or influence, on our lives. Prayer is the normal response to that pressure.

 Some times we utter thousand words as a prayer, and yet never pray; on the other hand, we may cry into God's ear most effectually, and yet never say a word. Silence is as a healthy form of devotion.

It is good to pray on one's knees which expresses humility, but, at the same time, we can pray,  flat upon our faces, sitting, standing, in any posture, and the posture does not enter into the essence of prayer. God sees the heart and its content.

 The place is not essential to prayer, God has made the world and HE is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands. HE is Omnipresent

Nothing, can be  a barrier between a praying heart and God. The road of angels and of prayers is ever open. 

•          Never abandon prayer: Never for any cause or reason cease to pray. As we breathe without ceasing, so must we pray without ceasing. 
•          Never suspend the regular offering of prayer: Set aside a time to offer your requests be made known to God.  have your own  daily devotion time. 
•          Constant touch with God: While your hands are busy with the world, let your hearts still talk to God
•           Have a spirit of prayer. Our heart, renewed by the Holy Ghost, must be like the magnetized needle, which always has an inclination towards the pole. 
•          insulate your heart with peace : have faith in God and walk with Him.

Let all your actions be consistent with your prayers, and be in fact a continuation of your prayers. Have a dynamic prayer in all circumstances pray –in gratitude, in trouble, lack of wisdom, stress. closed doors- Pray .Always be willing and ready to pray. 


We do not have to lift the receiver off the hook to talk to God. NO need to dial; we can just place our requests under God’s feet.

• “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud,And He shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17).
• “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart…” (Luke 18:1).
• “…but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
• “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” (Acts 12:5).
• “…rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer…” (Romans 12:12).
• “…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—…” (Ephesians 6:18).
• “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving…” (Colossians 4:2).

Continued prayer is a state of steady communion with God.
He takes interest in the small areas of our lives. 

Never got out of the sight of God and His  communication with the throne of grace. 

NB: TAKEN FROM WEB COLLECTIONS.

Prayer

5 October 2011   Prayer 

Prayer without ceasing is purely a heart attitude

 “…pray without ceasing…“1 Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer gives a channel to the pent-up sorrows of our mind and  soul,  you try to  " give thanks." always. Joy and prayer are the expression of  our gratitude. Three precepts are an enrichment of grace given to us and to every on;

•          "Rejoice evermore;"
•          "Pray without ceasing;"
•          "in everything give thanks"

‘Prayer without ceasing’ does not mean a continuous prayer but prayer that appears and reappears regularly at the bottom of our heart. Our thought should be persistent and determined in prayer. It shows a healthy relationship to be maintained, it requires a strong communication. When you pray you must be instantaneously connected to God. Always be "on line" with God, so when the Spirit moves you to pray, you can instantly agree with Him.

·         ” the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Romans 8:26.

Pray without ceasing- Obviously, does not  mean that we should pray in a head-bowed, eyes-closed, kneel down posture all day long but it refers to non-stop talking, but rather an attitude of God-consciousness and total  surrender  to God. Every waken moment is to be lived in an awareness that God is with us and that He is actively involved and engaged in our thoughts and actions and takes care of all the situations

When our thoughts turn to worry, panic with discouragement, and filled with remorse and anger, we have to consciously and quickly turn every thought into prayer and every prayer into thanksgiving. Paul commands us to stop being anxious and instead,

·         ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6

·         “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

·         “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all  the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18.

As we move through the day, prayer should be our first response to every fearful and tensed situation, every anxious thought, and every undesired task, God commands his angels to take charge over. 


A lack of prayer will cause us to depend on ourselves instead of depending on God's grace. Unceasing prayer reflects a  constant dependence upon and communion with our Father.

 Get connected always and 
   be contented






























Nb: Flower with vase from web collections