Category Archives: Christian life

Hospitality to Strangers

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Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Word:

Hebrews 13:1-2

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Matthew 25:43

I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me

Thought:

The author of Hebrews in the first reference urges the readers to show hospitality to even strangers.  Jesus also associates our treatment of strangers with our treatment of Him.  How many times are we quick to ignore strangers and turn the other way? Is that the way we would want to treat Jesus?

Prayer:

Lord, we pray that you work on our hearts to be loving and hospitable to be people around us. Amen.

Mastering ourselves

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Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thought:

In Judges 16, Samson’s lack of self-control and humility was on full display as he made a series of poor choices, sleeping with a prostitute, sharing secrets with the enemy, and being proud of his strength. Eventually, God left Him. We run the same risk when we haven’t mastered ourselves from doing what our flesh or the world wants us to do. Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 9:27 goes so far as to say that he made his body his slave to prevent himself from being disqualified as he is preaching the gospel to others. To each person, making their body their slave could mean different things, but one thing is for sure, it will push us out of our comfort zone. We should strive to push our boundaries to master ourselves for God’s glory and avoid disqualification from attaining eternity with God.

Word:

1 Corinthians 9:27

No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Prayer:

Lord, give us the strength and endurance to master ourselves. Strengthen our weaknesses for Your glory. Amen.

Submit to all Authority

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Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ.

Word: 1 Peter 2:13-14
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Thought:

Human authority can be upper management at the workplace or local/national governments. In any case, they aren’t always believers themselves. But in all cases they are appointed by God and thus we should submit to them, this doesn’t necessarily mean we agree with them, but we are called to be humble and respectful to them. Grumbling, gossiping, being disobedient and hateful are some ways we fail in being submissive. When we find it hard to live under any authority, we just need to pray and ask God for endurance through it rather than react to their wrongdoings.

Prayer:

LORD, We know You appointed all authority, therefore help us to be submissive to them and we pray that you bless the authority and provide them with wisdom and strength to lead the people and make decisions as per Your will. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Cornerstone

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Word: 1 Peter 2:6-8
6 …“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.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”
8 and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.

Thought: In the above verses, Peter is talking about Jesus when he is referring to the stone.

For people who trust in Him, he will never be put to shame. Sounds almost impossible, but once we abide in Him, only what He thinks matters to us, the world may shame us but, for us believers, the world is not where we place our trust and hence what they think shouldn’t bother us.

The verses also mention that whoever rejects the stone, it causes them to stumble. One of the things that this could mean is that the truth can be offensive to people. Many Jews of Jesus’ lifetime were offended and rejected Him and His message. Even today, the very fact that Jesus is the only way for salvation is offensive to most non-believers, but that same message is precious to believers.

Prayer:

LORD, Help us to place our trust in You, the chosen and precious cornerstone. Give us the courage and burden to lovingly share about You among non-believers through our words and actions. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Misplaced hope? Trust God! No Matter what!

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thought: What are the worldly things that we put our hope onto? Sports, politics, entertainment, money and even family/friends are sometimes things we misplace our hope on. All these can perish, spoil or fade. A good way to know if our hope is misplaced or not is, how we react to changes in any of the aforementioned things, say like, a closely lost game of our favourite sports team or person, a lost election of the party we hoped to win, sudden financial loss. If we lose our peace  over such things it’s time to shift our hope. How and where? It’s clearly mentioned in the word (included below).

Word: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4

Prayer:

LORD, We are grateful for your mercy because you have given us a living hope through belief in Jesus’ resurrection. Help us to overcome temporary worldly things that distract us from putting our hope on You. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul!

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Word: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10: 28-31

Thought: A very common reason believers hesitate in sharing the gospel is that there is fear of being rejected harshly. It can either be direct in the form of threats or indirectly like being ignored and cast aside. But Jesus says as believers we know anything that happens on earth dwarfs in comparison to what lies ahead for us in terms of eternity. God also assures that we are more worthy than any of his creations and hence we are more protected in His care. As believers we should boldly share the gospel through our words and our lifestyle.

Prayer:

LORD, we ask that you give us the courage in sharing the Gospel. Help us overcome any fear and distractions that come our way. In Jesus’s mighty name. Amen.

Total Transformation In Christ Jesus

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Word:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, 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. Romans 12:1-2

Thought:

What is worshiping God? How do we do it regularly? Sometimes we are drawn to think that it only involves singing songs and praising.   But more importantly it is about offering our whole selves to God, that is considered true and proper worship according to Romans 12:1-2. We shouldn’t do as the world does, instead each and every action, small or big, should be done in a way that honors God. Being honest, generous, patient, self controlled are some examples of that.

Prayer:
LORD, we want to offer our lives in worship to you, for you are worthy. Give us strength to stand apart from the world and do you Your will. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Psalm 91 Conveys the Themes of God’s Protection and Rescue from Danger

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Word: I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2

Thought: The author of Psalms 91 walks the talk by showing how he trusts the Lord before telling us the benefits of doing so. When we are in God, there is nothing to fear, because our trust is in God, the creator of the universe who loves us dearly. Problems of the world like politics, diseases, wars won’t scare us when we are in Him. As believers we have to continually and unwaveringly put out Trust in Him and not be shaken by what the world throws at us.

Prayer:
LORD, you are able and faithful. Help us to put our trust in You irrespective of whatever situation we are in. In Jesus mighty name! Amen.

Every tribe, Tongue, and Nation: Christ – Centered Missions and Purpose of Missionaries – LIVE & SENT

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Dear all,

Greetings in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Word:  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  Matthew 28:19

Thought: Let’s take a moment to  appreciate the work of the missionaries of our faith. They dedicate the entirety of their lives and sacrifice so much to spread the Gospel, Why? Because it’s Worthy. We all are called to share the gospel to others, either locally or globally. For the people who go globally, we can support them in many ways like Praying for them, being in touch with them and providing resources to them.

Prayer:
LORD, provide for our missionaries, wherever you send them. Grant your wisdom so that they can live a life that reflects the gospel. Give them the boldness and courage to share the gospel in all situations. Help me be caring and supportive of them. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen

Undivided Heart

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Dear all,

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.  II Cor 1: 2

Word: Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalms 86:11

Thought: We learn of doing God’s will as we seek to know him through studying his Word and constant communication with Him through prayers. The more we know about God, the more we know what he expects of us. Let us ask God to give us the “undivided heart” to walk humbly with him.