I Need Christmas

My  church lit  up  with Christmas  lights

I NEED  CHRISTMAS
Benny Pate   on December 18, 2012
from   an  online devotional Lead  Like  Jesus

While listening to Christmas music, I heard the lyrics of “We Need a Little Christmas.” My thoughts echoed the sentiment of the song, especially if it means that we need the meaning of Christmas. I immediately began to enumerate the reasons why.
I need Christmas because:

1. It reminds me that God keeps His promises.
2. It speaks of the Heavenly Father’s unconditional love.
3. It helps me to marvel at how God’s thoughts and ways are not even close to ours. There is no way that we would have planned for Jesus to be born in the place and manner that He was.
4. It helps me to understand the Savior came for all of God’s people.
5. It makes me rejoice to know that He came to meet our greatest needs - a victory over sin and death.

This list is certainly not exhaustive. In what ways do you need Christmas?

Hear and Walk

I  have   fallen  many  times   as  I   suffer  from  hearing   loss,  vision  impairment  and  arthritis -  deadly  mix. This lesson   from  David Jeremiah  speaks  to   me.

Hearing Loss

...Incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding.

Proverbs 2:2

A new study by John Hopkins found that people with mild hearing loss are nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling than people with normal hearing; and moderate hearing loss doubles the danger yet again. Losing your hearing could mean losing your footing.

The same is true spiritually. When our hearts grow hard and our ears dull, we can lose our spiritual footing. The Bible tells us to listen, to hear, and to give ear to His commands.

A tender heart toward the Lord means eager ears and guided feet. Spend time daily listening to the Lord and meditating on His Word, like the prophet who said, "The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away" (Isaiah 50:4-5).

"For if you do these things you will never stumble" (2 Peter 1:10).

The best way to show someone you love them is to listen to them.

Quoted by Michael Card

Three Questions

Three Questions

by  Max  Lucado

I’ve got three questions for you today!

The next time you’re mired in a bad day, check your outlook with these three questions:

1) What do I feel guilty about?

2) What am I worried about?

3) What am I about?

Reflect on your answers with these reminders!

Yesterday — forgiven.

Tomorrow – surrendered.

Today — clarified.

Here’s my proposal. Consult Jesus! The Ancient of Days has something to say about our days. In Colossians 3:2, the Apostle Paul says, “Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground. Look up, and be alert to what’s going on around Christ–that’s where the action is.” In Matthew 11:30, Jesus says, “The load I give you to carry is light.”

Jesus’ design for a good day makes sense! His grace erases guilt. His oversight removes fear. His direction removes confusion.

Saturate your day in His grace. Entrust your day to His oversight. Give the day a chance!

No lofty claims

1 Corinthians 2:3  “And I was with you in weakness and in fear, and in much trembling.”

 This is how the great preacher, the Apostle Paul described himself.
  No lofty claims, no history of all the degrees he had, and all the schools he attended.
 We don’t see this type of promotional campaign these days.

Denise  Jeter

Surely Goodness and Mercy

My  physical  challenges seem  to  amplify  suddenly ,making  life  almost  unbearable . Drawn  into  the  whirlpool  of  able  bodied  people is  fearsome. I take  refuge   in  God  's  Word and  tightly  holding  on  to  His  promises brings  relief  and  comfort. Yesterday  the thorn in  my  flesh  pierced  very  hard and  I took  shelter under

Job  5;18
 For he wounds, but he also binds up;
he injures, but his hands also heal.

Psalm 94;17

If the Lord had not been my help
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.


"God treats you the way one mother treated her young son, Timmy. She didn’t like the idea of his walking to school alone. But he was too grown-up to be seen with his mother. She did her best to stay calm, quoting the 23rd Psalm to him every morning:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

One day she asked a neighbour who walked with her daughter to follow Timmy to school, but to stay at a distance. After several days Timmy’s little friend said, “Do you know that woman who follows us to school? “Sure,” Timmy answered. “That’s Shirley Goodnest and her daughter, Marcy.” My mom reads about them every day in the 23rd Psalm She says they will follow me all the days of my life. So, I guess I better get used to them!
You will too. God never sends you out alone!"

Taken from Fearless
 By  Max  Lucado

He Chose The Nails

Jesus' Last Words on the Cross


The hill is quiet now. Not still but quiet. For the first time all day there is no noise. The clamor began to subside when the darkness—that puzzling midday darkness—fell. Like water douses a fire, the shadows doused the ridicule. No more taunts. No more jokes. No more jesting. And, in time, no more mockers. One by one the onlookers turned and began the descent.

That is, all the onlookers except you and me. We did not leave. We came to learn. And so we lingered in the semidarkness and listened. We listened to the soldiers cursing, the passersby questioning, and the women weeping. But most of all, we listened to the trio of dying men groaning. Hoarse, guttural, thirsty groans. They groaned with each rolling of the head and each pivot of the legs.

But as the minutes became hours, these groans diminished. The three seemed dead. Were it not for the belabored breathing, you would have thought they were.

Then he screamed. As if someone had yanked his hair, the back of his head slammed against the sign that bore his name, and he screamed. Like a dagger cuts the curtain, his scream cut the dark. Standing as straight as the nails would permit, he cried as one calling for a lost friend, “Eloi!”

His voice was raspy, scratchy. Reflections of the torch flame danced in his wide eyes. “My God!”

Ignoring the volcano of erupting pain, he pushed upward until his shoulders were higher than his nailed hands. “Why have you forsaken me?”

The soldiers stared. The weeping of the women ceased. One of the Pharisees sneered sarcastically, “He’s calling Elijah.”

No one laughed.

He’d shouted a question to the heavens, and you half expected heaven to shout one in return.

And apparently it did. For the face of Jesus softened, and an afternoon dawn broke as he spoke a final time. “It is finished. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

As he gave his final breath, the earth gave a sudden stir. A rock rolled, and a soldier stumbled. Then, as suddenly as the silence was broken, the silence returned.

And now all is quiet. The mocking has ceased. There is no one to mock.

The soldiers are busy with the business of cleaning up the dead. Two men have come. Dressed well and meaning well, they are given the body of Jesus.

Max  Lucado

Passover Thursday

In remembrance  of  what  Christ  did  for  us  on the  cross let  us  partake  of  His  table  today with  fellow   believers.

Listen  to   this  Indian  worship  song  which  calls  all  creation  to  worship  the  Lord.
Sing---sing  heaven  and  earth.


 Let  every  sound  praise the  Lord

Symphony
 Devotional

- Written by Andrea Lucado

Think about all of the sounds. All of the countless sounds our earth makes: twigs cracking beneath your tennis shoes, waves rhythmically hitting the sand and receding again, wind rushing through a corridor, cicadas singing on a summer night. So many sounds that don’t include human voices or movements. Nature itself is enough to create a mighty chorus that reaches heaven.

Psalm 148 calls all of creation to praise God, from the heavens to us on earth. The psalm begins in the broad expanse we know very little about: the universe. “Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above” (Ps. 148:1). Then the angels are called on to worship, then the sun, moon, stars, earth, sea creatures, lightning, wind, mountains, animals and, finally, kings, princes, women, men and children. It takes 11 verses for us to be mentioned. Do you ever think about all of the beings and things besides us that are praising God? Could it be that all of those sounds—waves, whales, cracking twigs—combined create a giant chorus all for God’s glory?
It is all for his glory, after all. As verse 13 of the psalm says, “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted.” And the symphony is much more than our alto, tenor and soprano voices; it is all of creation, even the stars. Scientists have listened to the sounds giant stars make as they spin. Why else would these balls of light that are light years away make a sound if not for God to hear?
Considering our small voices in comparison with the sound of a super nova spinning in space, it makes you wonder why we are included in nature’s symphony at all. Surely God is receiving enough praise and not missing our squeaky songs. However, the Bible is very clear that we are set apart from the rest of creation. Genesis 5:1 explains, “When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.” We, unlike everything else, look like God. We are his children and our bodies are made for worshipping him (Rom. 12:1). That is enough reason to spend the rest of our lives in constant praise and gratitude for being included in the chorus. Yet, many of us turn our worship to other things. We so quickly forget the one who actually deserves it.

The prophet Isaiah warned that God’s people were becoming worshippers of false gods: “Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made” (Is. 2: 8). So if we are not lifting our hands in worship to our Savior, we are lifting them in worship to something else. Imagine a baseball game, a Coldplay concert, good news about a promotion. The natural reaction to these events is to raise your hands in celebration. How much more should we raise our hands to the one that created the entire universe? A universe too vast for comprehension in which stars succumb to his glory.

We raise our hands in celebration and in awe of God, but we also raise them when crying out in pain. Consider what David wrote in Psalm 63: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

Our body reaches for him in our pain, when we thirst for his goodness but do not see it in the world around us. Then we lift our hands in desperate hope. We lift them for help to get out of the pit in which we find ourselves.

No matter the motive for lifting our hands toward God, we are worshipping him. We worship through pain as we would through celebration. Psalm 77:6 says, “I remembered my songs in the night.” This is a critical perspective we as Christians are asked to have. Night is dark. You cannot see what’s ahead of you. Another mountain to climb? Deliverance? More stillness and quiet and waiting on the Lord? But think again about all of the sounds. The singing does not stop when the sun sets: crickets are just waking up, mist settles on the grass, rain falls on the pavement. There is just as much praise at night from creation as there is at dawn—it’s just a different type.

As nature does, we also can sing through the night. We can lift our hands through the darkness and above the pain. We join all of creation in singing no matter the hour or circumstance, and we let faith arise in our midst. For as we know from experience and as we’ve been promised in scripture, joy comes with the morning (Ps. 30:5).

Watch  this  amazing  video  of  the  music  of  the  stars

Scientists can record the sound of Stars The technique, called "stellar seismology", is becoming increasingly popular among astronomers because the sounds give an indication of what is going on in the stars' interior.
Amazing  isn 't  it. We  can  connect   with  the  universe  through these  sounds.
And  the Bible  recorded  this   centuries  before  telescopes  and radio scopes  were invented or  even  thought  of.

Job 38:6-8
New King James Version (NKJV)

6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;

The stars do indeed sing and the Sun being a star, is one of them

It's The Lord's Battle

An enemy unto thine enemies. - Exodus 23:22

It is a most helpful thought that the angel of the covenant in whom is God's name, always precedes us. In our march through the wilderness we perceive His form, which is viewless to others, and realize that His strong hand prepares our path. Let us be very careful not to grieve or disobey Him, lest we lose His mighty championship. Strict obedience to His slightest whisper secures the certainty of His vindication of us from the wrongs we suffer at the hands of our foes. A little further on the same voice promises to send a hornet before the chosen host (Exodus 23:28). He who is an angel to the saint is a hornet to his foes. A swarm of hornets is the most relentless and irresistible foe that man can face.

Have you enemies?Be sure that they hate you only for the truth's sake, and because darkness must always be in antagonism to light. "Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled." But see to it that you cherish no spirit of hatred or retaliation toward them. Think of the misery of their heart, which is full of jealousy, envy, and bitterness. Pity and pray for them.

When we are right with God we shall have many new enemies. All who hate Him will hate us. But this is rather to our credit than otherwise. Those who have defamed the master of the household will be hostile to his servants. But when our cause is one with God's, and His foes ours, our foes are His, and He deals with them; He stands between us and their hate. He will not leave us in their hands; He will give us vindication and deliverance

Taken  from  Daily  Homily by  F B  Meyer

Promise
For  He  rescues  you  from every trap and  protects  you  from  the  fatal  plague. He  will  shield  you  with  His   wings. They  will  shelter  you. His  faithful  promises  are your  armour.  Psalm 91;3,4 (The  Living  Bible)

Prayer
Though I  am  surrounded  by troubles,you will  bring  me safely through  them. You  will  clench  your  fist   against  my  angry  enemies.Your  power  will  save  me.
Psalm 138:7 (The  Living  Bible)

Pray  for   us.

A Tender Plant

The  Bible  describes  Jesus  as  a  tender  plant growing  on  hard , rocky , unproductive   ground. Garden keepers  know  how  difficult  it  is  to  work  on a  unfertile  land . Unfriendly  weather  also  affects  plant  growth. Hardly  anything  grows  well  during  our   hot,  dry,  blistering  Indian  summers. Only  vegetation adapted  to  heat remains  green  and  productive. The  opposite  is  true  for   cold,  snow  bound  places.

Jesus,  God' s  tender  plant  was  meant  to  live in  this  harsh and  hostile world.
"He  came  to  his  own  and  his  own  received  him  not" Gospel  of  John  1;11

Let  me  share  with  you  some  scenes  from  our  winter  garden and  a  page  from  from  my  devotions.

A Tender Plant


by  Henry   and  Richard  Blackaby ( Experiencing  God  Day  by  Day

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. Isaiah 53:2

The coming of Jesus was like a tender plant in the midst of a parched ground. Parched ground offers little hope for survival; it is dry and too hardened to allow most plants to penetrate its crust. Yet Jesus was prophesied as a tender plant that would break through the hostile soil and overcome the dry and lifeless environment in order to bring life.
 
When Jesus was born, His people were hardened to God’s Word. There is no written record of God’s having spoken to His people for four hundred years. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had studied and memorized the Scriptures, but the words were lifeless to them. So hostile had they become to the truth that when God’s Son came to them, they killed Him. Nevertheless, despite the enmity of the people, Jesus brought life to all who believed in Him.
 
 Jesus is capable of bringing life to any person, society, or culture no matter how hardened or hostile they have become to the gospel. Even the most calloused sinner will discover that Jesus knows how to penetrate the heart and bring life where there was only bitterness. The work of Jesus in a person’s life may seem fragile at first, but like the mustard seed, it will eventually grow into something strong.
 
As you pray for someone you care about, don’t be discouraged if this person has not responded to Jesus. Just as a tender plant finds a way to grow in a hard and unreceptive environment, so the love of Jesus has the ability to emerge in a life that seems completely unresponsive.

 
Tomorrow evening  (Dec 6)   we  are   having  a  Christmas  Outreach  programme for  University students.  It   will  be  held  at   a  College  Chapel. More  than  100  students   are  expected. I  will be  going  too.
Please  pray  for  a   mighty  work  of  God among   the  youth from  all  over  India.

Sunday Blessings -Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Hymn  for  the  first  Sunday  of  Advent

Sunday  events
1. Worship  service
2. Overseeing   some  maintenance work  on   the   campus -  workmen  were  only  available  today.
3. Attending  a funeral in   the  afternoon.
4. Vising  old    aunts who  live  in the  neighbourhood.
5. Telephone  conversations with  sisters  in  Lucknow
and  Meghalaya.
6. A  pleasant  surprise visit  from   very   dear  friends
Majorie , Sudhakar and Thomas.

My  day  started  with   this  glorious meditation  from Experiencing  God  Day  by  Day  by  Richard   and  Henry  Blackaby.

God Is with You


Daily Devotional for Sunday, November 27th, 2011

Thus says the LORD of hosts: "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" Zechariah 8:23

God’s desire is to fill His people with His Spirit so that others recognize His powerful presence in them. The presence of the Lord in a believer’s life ought to be obvious. When the Spirit of almighty God fills a believer, the believer cannot go on living as before. Others will see God.
God told His people through the prophet Zechariah that His presence ought to make a difference in their lives. If God’s people walked closely with Him, people from every language and every part of the world would hear that they were a people who knew God. People would come from every nation on earth to find the true God among His people. If the people saw a child of God, they would long to be with him or her because in so doing they would be with God. God gave the vivid picture of ten people clinging to one believer, hoping to find God.

Christ’s presence ought to be so evident in your life that the people around you are drawn to you. They should want their children to be with your children because your children are being raised with a godly influence. Employers ought to want you in their workplace; people should seek you for their leader because they know you as someone of integrity before God. Your life and your home ought to be a magnet for people as they sense God’s presence with you and your family. The more you allow Christ to make His presence evident in your life, the more people will draw near you and find Him

We Want To SEE Jesus

Photos   from  the  evening  meetings

held at  our  church

Nov. 11-13th   2011

I  read  this  story  sometime  back  and  wanted  to  share  it   with  my  readers . Who could  tell  it   better than  than Joni Eareckson  Tada.

He was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak
in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you. --II Corinthians
13:4(BIBLE)

Back in 1967, missionary Doug Nichols fell ill while serving in India, and had to
spend several months in a dingy tuberculosis sanitarium. While there, he tried to
give Gospel tracts to the patients and doctors, but no one would accept them. Understandably,
Doug became discouraged. He was sick, weak, lonely, and disappointed no one would
listen to him

One night around 2:00 a.m., Doug woke up coughing. Across the aisle, he noticed
an old man trying to get out of bed and get to the bathroom. Too weak to stand,
the man fell back into bed crying and exhausted. Although sick himself and as weak
as he had ever been, Doug got out of bed, and with a smile, placed one arm under
the patient's neck and the other under his legs. With all his strength he lifted
the man and carried him down the hall to the filthy, smelly washroom. Then the missionary
carried him back to his bed. The old man smiled and said the Indian word for "thanks."

What happened the next morning was amazing. One of the other patients woke Doug
up with a steaming cup of tea, making motions that he wanted a Gospel tract. Then
other patients asked for the booklets. Even nurses and a doctor asked for one. Over
the next few days, several patients and staff gave their lives to Christ. The whole
situation changed because of Doug's sacrificial act in the middle of the night.

The power of the Good News is released in your life when you allow your weaknesses
to showcase the awesome might and love of our Savior. Plan on doing that today.

Father, I confess that I pass by opportunities to help others in the name of Jesus
because I just don't want to get involved, or don't want to get my hands dirty.
Move me, by your Spirit, to reach beyond my own strength. 
________________

People  don 't want  to  merely  hear about  Jesus,  or  the gospel  being  preached  to  them,  they  want  to  see  Jesus  in  our  lives -  His  message  translated into  our   daily  lives.   

An  evangelist  once  visited  a  remote  hamlet  in  South  India  to  share  the  Gospel  there. A  crowd  gathered around  him and he  started  telling   them  about  the  love,  compassion   and  miracles  of  Jesus. Towards  the  end he  asked  his  audience , Do  you  know  this  man  Jesus  Christ? Have  you  heard  of  Him?"

A  man  jumped  up  in   the middle  of   the  group.
"But  sir we know  this  man  you  are  talking  about. He  visits  us   frequently." he  said.

Upon investigating  further  the  evangelist  found  out  that  a   preacher came  each  week  to  share  the   love   of  Christ  in  that  village. The  simple   rustic  folk  had  seen  Christ  in  him.

Experiencing God

This  year  I   am  reading the  daily devotional "Experiencing God Day by Day " by  Henry  and  Richard Blackaby. It  is  brimming  with insight  and  grace. I hear  God  speaking  to  me each morning  as  I  open a new  page of  this  book. The  writings  help  me to  examine  my   life and walk  closer  with  God  in  the  light  of  His  Word. I  want  to  encourage  you  to  follow  online on  the EXPERIENCING GOD website or buy  this  little  book. I  am sure   you  will  experience  growth  in your  Christian  life as  you  do  so.

This  is  what  blessed  me  earlier  this  week

Bearing One Another’s Burdens

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

When God places people in your life who are in need, He is aware of what they lack, and He knows He has given you the resources to meet those needs. You know God does nothing by accident. When a need surfaces around you, immediately go to the Father and say, “You put me here for a reason. You knew this was going to happen. What did You intend to do through me that would help this person become closer to You?”

Recognizing a need in someone’s life can be one of the greatest invitations from God you will ever experience. It’s easy to become frustrated by the problems of others. They can overwhelm you as you become aware of need after need. Rather than looking at each new problem as one more drain on your time, energy, or finances, ask God why He placed you in this situation. Allow God to help you see beyond the obvious needs of others to the things He wants to accomplish in their lives. Don’t miss God’s activity because you’re reluctant to carry the load of others.

Is God blessing you materially? It may be He is developing a “supply depot” in your life through which He can provide for others.

Has God granted you a strong, healthy family life? It may be that He requires such a home to minister to the hurting families all around you.

 Has God released you from sinful habits?

 Has God’s peace comforted you in a time of great sorrow?

 Has God miraculously provided for your needs?

 It may be that He has been purposefully building things into your life so that you can now be the kind of person who will carry the burdens of others
___________________

I like  to  see   myself as  Simon of  Cyrene - the  burden  bearer  for  Christ - this  image  enables  me  to  daily bear  my  cross. Which  Bible  character do you  identify  with?

I read  this  little  story in a magazine which  I want  to  share  with you.

EASY YOKE
A little  girl  sat listening  to  a reading  from Matthew 11:28,29,30 (BIBLE)
"Come to me all  who   are  weary and heavy laden and I will  give  you rest.
Take my yoke upon me and learn from me and you shall  find  rest  for your  soul.
For my yoke  is easy and my  load is light"
(words of Jesus)

The  Sunday school  teacher  asked the class,"Who can tell  me  what  a  yoke is?"
The child replied," Something they put on the neck of animals,"
"Do you know what is the meaning of  God 's yoke?"
The little girl again answered,"That is  when God puts His  arms around  our  neck."
______________________________

Blogger  is  not   allowing  me  to  upload a new  profile photo or any picture on my side  bar.  I am told  that  I have  exceeded my  upload  limit. But  I  can upload  pictures  on posts. I can' t understand  this???
_____________________

Happy  Canada Day to my Canadian friends. Enjoy Will   and Kate' s  visit.  Today would  have  been  Princess Diana 's  50th birthday.