Simple Thoughts On Promises- 1

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Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." (Genesis 37:5-7)

This dream given by God to Joseph took more than 20 years to be fulfilled. Joseph was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt and then sold him to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's (King of Egypt) officials in whose house Joseph worked till he was thrown into prison by Potiphar whose wife had wrongly accused him of trying to forcibly lie with her. He spent two years in prison for no fault of his. Through a strange turn of events, all perfectly planned by God, Joseph was called in from prison to explain the dreams that Pharaoh saw; dreams which no one else could explain.

Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole of Egypt to manage the crisis of famine that was to come upon the land after a season of abundance. As prophesied by Joseph famine struck the land and even Canaan was afflicted. So Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to get food for his family. That's how Jacob's sons who had tried to destroy Joseph's future by selling him as a slave now found themselves in Joseph's presence.

The Bible says,
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. (Genesis 42:6)

...they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground...fulfilling what Joseph had dreamt several years before.....my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.....

Perhaps a dream that God gave you several years back has not still been fulfilled. Take courage from Joseph's story. The dream will find fulfillment in God's time. The Holy Spirit is working on it, even now. God bless you.

 

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"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. (Psalm 91:14)

Are you acknowledging the name of Jesus?
Jesus said,
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)

"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8)

Even in the Old Testament times God wanted his people to acknowledge him; that he was the only true God.
Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:39)
"But I am the LORD your God, [who brought you] out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me. (Hosea 13:4)

In the Gospel of Mark, Ch. 5, we read that Jesus once travelled to the region of Gerasenes to bring deliverance to a demon possessed man.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark 5:18-20)

As believers, God calls us to acknowledge him ourselves and also before others, especially to them who have never heard about the salvation that is offered by God through Jesus.

Will you carry the baton of the gospel and run for Jesus, acknowledging and proclaiming his name?
He will fulfill his promises for you too. God bless.

 

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The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. (1 Samuel 10:6)

This is Samuel the prophet prophesying to Saul who was chosen by God as king of Israel when the Israelites heckled Samuel to appoint a king for them.
This was a turning point in Saul's life.
As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all the signs that Samuel told him were fulfilled that day. When Saul arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying. He was soon anointed king of Israel.

God anoints us with the Holy Spirit so that we can live strong lives as Christians. The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth as Jesus said.
If the decisions that we take in our lives are guided by the Holy Spirit of God, we can live victorious lives as Christians.

Sadly, Saul, though he had the anointing of the Spirit of God, chose to take decisions on his own and was finally rejected by God for disobeying him.

Paul the Apostle, writing to the Galatian Church says,
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

Paul goes on to describe the acts of the sinful nature which destroys our relationship with God and concludes by saying,
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21)

Here is a piece of good advice for all believer's in Jesus Christ from the Apostle Paul:
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)

Shall we?

 

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Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

Sparrows! Who cares for sparrows? Not one of them beautiful birds. Nothing worth more than half a penny in Jesus' days. Wonder what people did with them in those days, buying two of them for a penny. Very surprising then that Jesus should mention them and also say that not one of them would fall to the ground apart from the will of our Father.
Why care about them? one may ask. Only because they are one of God's wonderful creations. May not look great to our sight, but to the One who created them and for whom they were created, they look wonderful.

You feeling like a sparrow these days? Of not much worth in the sight of family and friends and church members?
This message is for you. Jesus says you are of much worth to him. Not only that; he knows every detail of your life; even things you don't know yourself.Like the number of hairs on your head. Yes, he says they are all numbered.
Oh, really! And what for you may ask?
Nothing much..he's keeping track of what you are losing each day...and even gaining.

In fact God is a good statistician..the best. The Psalmist says,
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:4,5)

But the surprising fact is that though he is involved with these big numbers and accounts, he cares for you.
He cares for you more than he cares for sparrows. He says,
"So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Jesus loves you because you have accepted him as Savior and Lord. Trust in him. He will never fail you.
[If you have still not accepted him as Savior, please do so. I assure you that, "that'll be the best decision of your life."] God bless.

 

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The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. (Nahum 1:7)

Sometimes trouble lands up in our lives without giving any notice. It may have been brewing for a while, but there you are in the thick of it suddenly. So whats to be done? A hurricane hits you mentally and pain like that associated with a sharp upper cut from the boxer's glove numbs you into silence.

Surprisingly, the very centre of a hurricane, called the eye is usually totally calm. This is directly surrounded by the eyewall which is where the fastest wind speeds are found.

The presence of Jesus is like the eye of the hurricane while surrounding are the howling winds of trouble. There's calm and peace; an assurance that everything will be fine.

And will he save? You bet, he will. He is mighty to save.

The Bible says,
The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

So lets say aloud with faith what we read in the title verse here:
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.
Praise the Lord.

 

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Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22,23)

Is there any weakness in God? Shouldn't be/Couldn't be, because he is El Shaddai,God Almighty. Yet the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian believer's says,
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (1 Corinthians 1:25)

God's weakness is nothing other than his agape love. He has compassion on us though we sin or commit unrighteous acts. Though he punishes, yet he loves like no one else can.

The prophet Jeremiah laments the destruction of Jerusalem in the book of Lamentations. Everything that was so glorious now lay waste. Many went into exile in a foriegn land. Things looked dull and depressing. Yet he reminds himself of the Lord's great love.

A compassion that never fails can come only from the Creator of all. His compassion is new every morning.

When everything looks gloomy, we can always remind ourselves of these verses.Great is the Lord's faithfulness.He will never leave us nor forsake us.

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)

So be strong and courageous. God bless you.

 

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Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! (Psalm 118:15)

At last! A sigh of relief and several "Praise the Lord's"...is the climax of many troublesome events in the life of believers.
Time to witness that the Lord's right hand has done mighty things yet again.
And then shouts of joy and victory.

The psalmist David says,
We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests. Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. (Psalm 20:5,6)

The many narrow escapes that David experienced in his life because of the protecting and saving hand of the Lord prompted him to sing many a song. The right hand of the Lord did mighty things for him.

The psalmist sings his testimony in Psalm 98 in this manner:
Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. (Psalm 98:1)

A victory in your life is a victory for God.
His loving arms are always underneath us carrying us at all times whether we as believers realize it or not.
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!' (Deuteronomy 33:27)

Time of victory is time to glorify God yet again for his marvellous deeds.
So, "Praise the Lord."

 

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But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. (Luke 1:13)

A promise given when Zacharias and Elizabeth were old. Not a promise given when they were young and were eager to have children. Wonder when they must have finally reached a conclusion that Elizabeth was barren. After years of prayers, now a promise of a miracle, not the miracle itself.

Zacharias couldn't believe his ears. So he asked the angel a question which resulted in his getting tongue-tied. At the face of it, it didn't seem like a threatening question or an argument against the prophesy, yet it happened probably because of his lack of faith in the promise.
Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years." The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. "And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time." (Luke 1:18-20)

Again some more waiting period and several months later, the miracle was there for all to see.
And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, "No indeed; but he shall be called John." And they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name." And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, "His name is John." And they were all astonished. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. (Luke 1:59-64)

All's well that ends well.
A promised fulfilled in God's time. This is the John of whom John the Apostle writes:
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. (John 1:6)
This is the John of whom Jesus said,
I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (Luke 7:28)

The miracle was worth the waiting period.
God is Great. We may not understand his ways but he is perfect in timing and giving. Praise the Lord.

 

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Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (Psalm 34:5)

Have you noticed the radiance on the faces of some believer's? It has nothing to do with their skin color or their physical beauty. The radiance of knowing Christ intimately is there for everyone to see in these children of God.

The promise above speaks of a specific blessing that every person born into this world can experience. If we look to Jesus Christ, whatever shame that we may have endured in our lives till then can be washed away by the power of his blood.
The blood of Jesus Christ is powerful to wash away shame of whatever cause and make us new creatures filled with eternal hope and joy.
The Bible says,
"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:6)

The choice is there for everyone who hears the good news of the gospel. Accept or reject Jesus Christ.
And what's the tragedy involved with rejecting Christ? Nothing but shame!
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

At the resurrection, some will awake to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Have you looked to Jesus? Though you face problems and trials while living here on earth, your reward is secure in heaven. And as this promise says,
"Your face will never be covered with shame." God Bless.

 

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I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. (Genesis 17:6)

Another promise given by the Lord Almighty to Abram when he was 99 years old. But God had certain requirements from Abram's life. He said,
"I am God Almighty ; walk before me and be blameless. (Genesis 17:1)
A blameless walk is not easily achieved but we can always strive to acheieve it with the help of the Holy Spirit who comes and resides in us when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The psalmist David took such a decision in his life as we read in Psalms 101:
I will be careful to lead a blameless life - when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart. (Psalm 101:2)

And definitely the Bible pronounces several blessings on the blameless.
The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever. (Psalm 37:18)

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. (Psalm 37:37)

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (Psalm 84:11)

Now and often, it is imperative for us as believers to check our own lives whether we are walking before the Lord with a blameless heart.

Abraham's walk was blameless, so all the promises that God gave him were fulfilled.
It would be the same for us too.
The Lord delights in those whose ways are blameless. The Bible says,
He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. (Proverbs 2:7)

May that come true in the lives of all of us. God bless.

 

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For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. (Isaiah 54:7)

Do you feel forsaken by the Lord? Israel did; and that too on several occasions. It was their fault most of the times.

Why doesn't God act instantaneously in some situation when we need him to? It may be anything from finances to our relationship with our spouse/children. Why the delay when we spend enough time in prayer, worship and meditation of the Word? Why the build up of nerve shattering tension?

How many more lessons in faith are to be learnt? Why does one finally give into satanic temptations? Could have been avoided if God arranged favorable circumstances. These are some of the thoughts that trouble believer's many a time.

But we must remember some of the things that the Bible says, especially this part in Psalm 103.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:8-14)

Without the Lord's help each moment, we are vulnerable to failure easily. Take the great prophet Elijah. One day, he comes down on King Ahab & the prophets of Baal with all guns blazing and the next day, he's depressed and wants to die because the wife of Ahab, queen Jezebel threatened to kill him. All the fire of yesterday seemed to have vanished into thin air.

It's all grace, dear Brother/Sister in Christ.
Whatever your situation today, believe in this promise from the Bible:
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:9,10)

 

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Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. (Psalm 31:23)

The Lord preserves the faithful. How wonderful!
When Aaron & Miraim, Moses' elder brother and sister spoke against him, God came down to speak for Moses. Wouldn't it be great if God was our spokesman?

Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, he said, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Numbers 12:5-8)

And the end result was:
The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam - leprous, like snow. (Numbers 12:9,10)

Faithful Moses had an immediate problem on his hands. He couldn't possibly leave his sister as she was, even though it was her fault for which she was suffering.
So Moses cried out to the LORD, "O God, please heal her!" The LORD replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back." (Numbers 12:13,14)

Moses had earlier interceded for his brother when God decided to blot his name out of his book for sinning against the Lord by making a golden calf and leading the Israelites astray. Now here he was interceding for his sister.

And because Moses was faithful, his prayers were heard and many a crises averted.

Yes, God will preserve the faithful.
The Bible says,
For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever....(Psalm 37:28)

It's my prayer that we be found faithful in the Lord's eyes. Amen.

 

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"This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz." So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down. (Isaiah 38:8)

(Ahaz’s “clock”, a type of sundial, was used to measure time in the ancient world.)
Can one reverse the order of time? How can one go back 10 minutes when that time has already passed/been completed?
No man can do it, but God Almighty can, because he holds time in his mighty hands. He can do anything that he wishes and this is no great feat for him to acheieve.

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. (Isaiah 38:1-5)
And then came the promise that we read in the title verse.

Are you seeking a positive sign from the Lord these days as you pass through troublesome times?
The greatest sign of all times is found in this verse from the book of Isaiah. It says,
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Jesus, "Immanuel" is with you. "Do Not Fear" is what he says. He heard Hezekiah's prayer and saw his tears. He will deliver you too because he is Almighty God. Praise the Lord.

 

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Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. (Acts 27:23-25)

The Apostle Paul and 275 others were travelling to Italy in a ship which got hit by a storm called the "northeaster." The ship took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, they finally gave up all hope of being saved.

That was when Paul stood up and gave them the message that we read in the title verse.

After more than 14 days of experiencing the terrors of nature, they decided to run the ship aground if they could and finally they swam to safety when the ship's bow got stuck and wouldn't move.Once safely on shore, they found out that the island was called Malta. Unknown to him, God had arranged some missionary work for Paul on this island. Many people were healed when Paul prayed for them. After 3 months, they (Paul & Luke) sailed to Rome and when they reached there, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

And Luke ends the book of Acts by writing:
For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 28:30,31)

The faithfulness of God when he gives a promise is clearly outlined here. Amidst chaos and impending death on the high sea, God promised Paul that he will stand trial before Caesar in Rome. God saved not only Paul & Luke the Physician who wrote the book of Acts, but also the 274 others on the ship as he had promised Paul.

When we see only the present with our restricted senses, God sees and knows our future. He has already been there where we will only be later. Here and now or there and when, he will be with us at all times. Great is his faithfulness.
God bless.

 

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Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4, 5)

Prophesying more than 800 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Isaiah the prophet prophesies the atoning sacrifice of our Lord, carrying our griefs, our sorrows, our transgressions, our iniquities and our peacelessness. Some translations mention infirmities instead of griefs.

And Jesus, when he started preaching regarding the kingdom of God gave an invitation that still bears fruit though more than 2000 years have passed since he uttered it. He said,
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

This is not a temporary rest that Jesus invites all to. The Bible says,
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. (Hebrews 4:9,10)

O! What a glorious day that will be for each of us who believe and live for the Lord. An eternal rest of which the Bible says,
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3,4)

The author of the book of Hebrews exhorts all who believe in the Lord regarding entering the eternal rest in this manner:
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:11)

Let us not be like most of the Israelites who left Egypt for Canaan. Although they were delivered from Pharaoh and the Egyptians by God Almighty, they were not allowed to enter their rest- Canaan because of their unbelief and disobedience.

God promises all those who believe and are obedient to him by saying,
He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:7)

Praise the Lord.

 

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"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." (Revelation 22:7)
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Revelation 22:12)
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)

Time and again it is imperative that every believer reads these verses from the book of Revelation in which Jesus affirms and reaffirms that he is coming back.
Are you waiting expectantly for his coming? Are you preparing yourself for his coming? The time for the Wedding of the Lamb is drawing near.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." (Revelation 19:7-9)

Did you notice this part of the above verses?
"For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready."
You are a part of the bride if you have accepeted Jesus as your Savior and are living for him day after him, being obedient to his Word and the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says,
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)

The bride is getting ready and so is the bridegroom. The big day is drawing near. Will you be there to meet your bridegroom Jesus? Hope you would be there. God bless.

 

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Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. (Isaiah 51:6)

In this promise, God Almighty affirms that salvation from him will last forever. What he has said, he will bring to pass because of his unfailing righteousness.

Terrible times are upon the world. Famines, plagues, wars and natural calamities are on the rise. There is chaos all over the world. Each moment there are more than 50 wars raging in the world. The economic slump in many countries is leading to joblessness, homelessness and hopelessness. Yet the believer in Jesus Christ has hope for now and for the future. He/She knows that Jesus will never forsake him/her, come what may.

The Apostle Paul asks,
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Romans 8:35)
And then he answers the question himself:
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

The Apostle Paul was convinced about the unfailing love of God through Jesus Christ, so he wrote the following to the Roman believers:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38,39)

Your salvation is a sure thing if you have believed in the sin atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and are living in obedience to his Word. Nothing will be able to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. May that thought give peace and hope to every troubled soul this day. God bless.

 

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 189

"Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband - the LORD Almighty is his name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. (Isaiah 54:4,5)

Disgraced, humiliated, ashamed, reproached....was what Israel thought of herself. Punished for her sins and unfaithfulness, the nation no longer thought it could gain the favor of God Almighty. Yet with this promise that she received, hope still remained.

However hopeless be our condition, however deep be our sinful nature, God's mercy can still be availed. He is always willing to take us back if we repent and forsake our sinful nature.

Long ago, God said,
Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:20)

God has compassion on you, his heart yearns for you when you move away from him and live as you please. He sends the Holy Spirit to speak to you and bring you back to sweet fellowship with him. He says,"You will not suffer shame or fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated."

Walk with the Lord. That is the only way you can have heavenly peace and joy. The peace and joy that the world gives are temporary. Lasting peace and joy can only be attained when you have a close walk with your Savior.

Jesus loves you and wants to give you the peace that passes all understanding. He promises,
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
God bless you.

 

[Trishann]

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38,39)

Amen Jeremiah, God's love is with us daily, and no man can take it away.

 

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 190

For this is what the high and lofty One says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Isaiah 57:15)

In Psalm 85, the psalmist prays to God--Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? (Psalm 85:6)

Before asking God to revive them, the psalmist acknowledges 4 great things that the Lord did to the repentant nation Israel:
1)You showed favor to your land, O LORD;
2)You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
3)You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.
4)You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger. (Psalm 85:1-3)

Then comes 2 requests- restore & revive.

In the promise that we have as the title verse today, God promises to revive. But revive whom? Revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.
Lowly means humble and contrite means feeling regret and sorrow for one's sins or offenses.

God's promise stands good even this day- if we approach him humbly and with a contrite heart, he will revive us. And when God revives, the peace and happiness that ensues is wonderful to the person who experiences it.

Are you yearning for God to revive you? He will revive you if you seek him with a humble and contrite heart. Seek him. Experience it. Shout it from the rooftops. God bless you.