Who are you?-check your In and out

A small bunch of red fruits @ Tirunelveli home garden

18 January 2012   

“First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” Mathew 23:26.

We live in the world where dualism dominates (rather it is the rule)- in all activities of life- Practical life cannot be segregated from contradictions and challenges. But God expects a different person in us. For a God’s child, hypocrisy is a grave sin.

Hypocrisy is something like having an imbalance in mind or having a different personality trait -in and out (pretentiousness and a different person). That is the difference between thoughts and words (keeping something in mind and saying something before others.)

“The teachers of the law …… So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Mathew 23:2-3

People pose to be excellently good outside, in public and the true colour seems to be horrible and awful.

Hypocrisy arises because people think it is okay to be in that way. ( to save their face in the public so walking with a false face.) Evasive and slippery character spoils the image of a person. 

Let us see some of the reasons why people act in that way.

• To get praise and applause -Posing as a big person or (somebody) before others to get appreciation and recognition.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Mathew 23:27-28

•          To find fault with others (as if they are doing everything fine and everything goes well for them.)

"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Mathew7:5

•          To get unnecessary significance to the outside matters then the realistic (inside) things. Posing that the are the only blessed and privileged people(none to be compared as they are)

"You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Mathew23:26-27

Cond…

God bless

Intensity of His Grace

Anthurium @ Kodaikanal home -Tamil nadu

17 Jan 2012

Once you humble and surrender yourself to the Lord and started walking with His grace (which is operating in your life), watch out for temptation and traps.

World has a lot of hidden traps, laid everywhere, in and around us. The extraordinary task is to swim against the current of the world. We need the Divine Grace.

 This is the first month of 2012. God has been Gracious, to carry us so far, to the beginning of an another year  as promised:

 “…upheld by Me from birth, 
      Who have been carried from the womb: 
      Even to your old age, I am He, 
      And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
      I have made, and I will bear; 
      Even I will carry, and will deliver you. Isaiah 46:3-4

 It shows simply the intensity of HIS Grace showered on us.

“…For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8

Now with a humble  and grateful heart let us feel that we are being strengthened daily by Grace

Read the following verses:

• "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

• “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”. Deuteronomy 31:8
• “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, Joshua 1:5
• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. Isaiah41:10
•  “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

 let the Grace of God fill you  and  enable you to move ahead.

 God Bless 

Let your speech always be with grace

Begonias @ Kodaikanal home

16 Jan 2012

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:6

These verses clarify the fact, how you should speak and verbally express yourselves to others.

It tells you about the effective communication skill, you should have.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29

Tongue is the sharpest weapon instituted to pierce the mind and soul of a person. Your  thoughts, words and actions must be clean and straight forward in dealing with other people. Beware of your inter personal relationship.,let it be smooth as far as possible.
 

“ Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. …” Hebrews 12:14-15

“Try to speak “with grace.”

Let your inter personal relationship be cordial.

Tame your tongue with grace flavored with politeness, kindness, loveliness and pleasantness.

WE are all aware of the Power of the Tongue. We carry  in a closed box, the sharp blade(tongue) which has the power of life and death. The same tongue can spill graceful words to heal a wounded heart.

It is absolutely left for your choice.

We can either choose to release good, excellent, positive, and edifying words to others, or we can choose to release critical and negative words of coldness, callousness harshness, filled with condemnation, blame and pessimism.

Let your thought, words and actions be enlightened with loving, kind, gracious, uplifting, and edifying manner – not in a condescending, and judgmental manner. 

 If you can become expert to express your words of encouragement and edification it will help to pass on some changes in  other person’s lives.
 Do not hurt people through words.(if you do- you will reap the consequences later in life- it is for sure)


Words of encouragement will help to increase their levels of confidence and self-esteem. we can avoid verbal and physical abuse that keeps going on behind closed doors.

Try to pursue peace and holiness with all men – If we are not making the best witness to these people either by our actions or by our words, then many of them may never come to the Lord because of our hypocritical behavior, and as a result, some of them may end up falling short of the grace of God just like this verse is telling us. In other words, they will never get saved in this life – all possibly because we were not making the best witness to them.

 Lives are hanging in the balance – and how we act and behave towards others in this life may make lot the difference.

Check yourself out. 

 What you speak?  

Do you speak encouraging kind words or evil words?

How you speak? 

It includes, of course, the tone of your voice and its modulations. 

Do not spill  harmful and disagreeable words come out of your mouth. Whatever you speak let it spread goodness to others.

Cleanse your mouth. LORD will fill with the apt word

“For the grace of God that brings salvation …..teaching us …..looking for the blessed hope,…...

”Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you”. Titus 2:15

 “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, 

sweetness to the soul and health to the body”.(Proverbs 16:24)

God Bless

You are the salt of the earth

15 Jan 2012 

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13

Salt -Sodium chloride is a rich mineral, used as a seasoning for food as stated in the Bible as:

•        “Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? and offerings.” Job 6:6   

•     Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.” Lev. 2:13

•    “You are to offer them before the LORD, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD.” Ezek. 43:24).

As a preservative, salt was symbolic of covenants (pledge)

•          “It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD for both you and your offspring.” Num. 18:19;

•          “Don’t you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?  2 Chron. 13:5.

         Salt adds the flavor in food.

Salt is the cheapest and most wanted ingredient at home. Salt is a low value commodity , yet without Salt , food looses its taste.  Today, the world is in need of the effects of salt, to enhance and compliment whatever it comes into contact with. It can transform the food and its taste.( you and your  personality  traits ). Salt is often added to food to provide zest and enhanced flavor and changes bland food delicious.

God has intended to use you as salt in this wicked society to spread peace and happiness, wherever you are.  Add flavor to your lifeand to the community in which you live. Spread the aroma of the food in which required Salt in added. So only a little bit to be to be added to be perfect in all.

         Salt is a preservative. 

Salt has been used to cure food which can be preserved for future use .Salt has long been a preservative for mankind and  it acts as a preservative.

We( Christian) have to act as a preserving agent in a world, which has a bent toward moral decay. Just as salt stings, the personality traits of a good  Christian should be a role model to the world.  When salt is rubbed in a wound it  is painful, but  it prevents infection.

         Salt has healing properties.  

It kills most germs on contact and  very effective in cleansing a wound so it can heal.  Salt is also a cleanser (from germs...spiritually speaking, from sins). Salt is often in medicines, used as a wound sterilizer and germ killer. By analogy, we can tell them of the Great One Who has cleansed us from our fatal sin-sickness by His wounds

         survival of living  
However, if salt loses it's flavor, then it becomes worthless and is simply

   thrown away .And too much salt in unpalatable,  and too little wont do the

   work.  We need a perfect balance between extremities. Salt  gives life and the

   message of salvation give eternal life.

As a person saved and washed in His blood  we have an committed duty to this world as  salt.

Think and act accordingly.



Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? 
Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”Mark9:50

God bless

Mighty defense mechanism

14 Jan 2012

A scculent in  full bloom@ kodaikanal home

“no weapon forged against you will prevail, 
   and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. 
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, 
   and this is their vindication from me,” 
            declares the LORD. Isaiah 54:17

If you have the word of God ruling your life  and the fear of God pricks you,
(to put you straight) when you think of doing evil, we are the target of the dark world master satan. 

 Plans are devised to pull us down, eventually starts from our weakness. The slightest pull or even a shake can make us fall into the deep pit.

“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:8

 People (inclusive of family members, colleagues, friends or even strangers) may be a source to attack us (with reason or due to envy etc etc).

Bible comforts us through these verses:

• “They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:19

• “For there is no sorcery against Jacob,Nor any divination against Israel. Numbers 23:23

•  “do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.Ezekiel 2:6

Inhale the power of God  and no harm befall on you. Always be on alert. Arrows may fly from every where.

• “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. Psalm 27:3

• “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. Deuteronomy 28:7

• But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them. Psalm 53:5

Your father is an awesome God. HE will never let you down.

YOU have a fire wall protection from God and evil attackers will be burned.

Praise the Lord

 God bless

God is our Refuge

Bird of Paradise @ Kodai kanal home

13 January 2012  

 “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
   for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
   until the disaster has passed.” Psalm 57:1

These are beautiful, expressive, and striking words. In the shadow of God’s wings we always find protection, love , comfort and strength.

 

The best way to express our trust in God is to pray ( rather talk to Him). Feelings in the heart, expressed through our lips. Try to have an instantaneous communication with God. Ask for God’s mercy and Grace. Plead for God’s protection over the danger of all circumstances.

Faith is always triumphant over fear!

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”Psalm 91:1-2

“I will cry unto God most high” No matter how great the danger might be - it will not be matched with the Most High Refuge. Trust God from the scratch till the end for“…God that performeth all things for me”. 

 ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:’ Philippians 1:6

“God shall send forth his mercy” as we are not  trusting our mind set, but in the infinite and free favor of God.

The unshakable trust in God will instill that God would keep His Word.

‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away’. Matthew 24:35

This is the most simple and the most firm ground for trusting God.

Trusting God gives us a refuge in times of crisis.

 “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.” Psalm 57:5

 Let all Glory , Honor be to the Lord Almighty.

A great part of our life  has  tryouts, crisis and problems, many of them involve danger and we need a refuge. There is only One refuge that is adequate and trustworthy – The Lord Almighty.

Be Confident and cheerful.

Have a blessed day

God Bless

PRAYER IN TIME OF TROUBLE

Poinsettias flowers @ Kodaikanal home-Tamil nadu

12 January 2012   
“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over past. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save from the reproach of him that would swallow me up.  God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. Psalms 57:1-6

Troubles Come into our Lives due to multiple reasons. Generally,we have troubles cropping up IN A ROW ( where we live – within relative circles – in work place-or due to the targeted attack of the evil power (satan).  Three causes of trouble in the lives of good people:

•         THE BITTER REPROACHES OF OUR ENEMIES

“the reproach of him that would swallow me up” Every person who follows God will have enemies. When we stand on a strong principle to follow, the fear of God in the heart will prevent us from taking sides of evil doers, and when we are governed by the Word of God – The world will focus you as a bad person and you have enemies.

•        THE FIERCE CRUELTY OF OUR ENEMIES

Enemies as being lions set on fire to destroy him, as men whose teeth are spears and arrows, and whose tongues are as swords. It is more than just simple cruelty; it is a greedy desire to full fill their desire of attaining power. They were like wild creature going after the prey, blind folded.

•          THE SUBTLE SCHEMES OF OUR ENEMIES

“They have prepared a net for my steps” - Enemies may develop plans to entangle and bring reproach to us but God takes care to reward for their actions. The enemies of God’s people will often use fraud as well as force against them.( in turn the have to take the shame on them)

Thank God - we have a source of help in times of  our trouble, we can cry out to Him with the confidence that He is greater that our enemies and the trouble they may bring upon us.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1John 4:4

Only you have to see by yourself-How Great is the Power of God-really awesome God we have as refuge.

Do not worry about the evil enemies around you.   

Do not bother about their dealings. 

Hit on your knees-nothing or none  can touch you.

God has given fiery protection around you.

Have a blessed day

God Bless

God cares for you

a bunch of red flowers@Kodaikanal

 

11 January 2012 

  

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. Psalms 57:2

Believing in God causes us to think that He cares for us and is in control of everything in our life. The whole thing we know about God, comes from His Word. God is wise, good, faithful, and powerful, what else can we do but trust Him?

“The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands. Psalm 138:8

We are to trust Him always and at ALL times, especially during crisis in life. (may be the trouble caused by our enemies-during painful times- when we are blind folded.)

 

“But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.” Psalm 55:16

How good is to realize in our lives when prayer is more than a duty, it is a blessed privilege.Prayer causes us to see that God has a purpose in what He does in our lives. It reasons us to see that all things work together for our good.

Prayer is the way we get an answer.
It causes us to remember His past miracles in our life.
It gives us an opportunity to praise Him.

We must bring all of our troubles to the throne of Grace.  

Be on your knees.

Once we have done that and God works on our behalf, we are encouraged to trust Him in the future.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
            His love endures forever.
  Give thanks to the God of gods.
            His love endures forever.
  Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
            His love endures forever. Psalms 136:3

Have a blessed day

 God Bless