Category Archives: Running for the LORD

Recognizing our critics

Leave a reply

Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thought:

Apostle Paul in his instructions to the church of Thessalonica asks them to recognize three important characteristics in people; those who work hard, those who care for others, and those who admonish others. It seems sensible and practical to appreciate hard-working and caring people but it’s not easy to appreciate them when they strongly criticize us. The type of admonishment that Paul talks about is done in love where the person who admonishes someone cares enough about them to boldly warn them of their sinful ways. A simple illustration is a mother admonishing her child for playing with fire. We know she does it in love and it is for the child’s well-being. As believers, we should be able to humbly accept and live with people who admonish us, at the same time, when a situation arises, we should also be courageous enough to admonish others in love.

Word:

1 Thessalonians 5: 12, 13

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord, and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to be humble when You or others admonish us, help us fix our sinful ways, and also give us the courage to admonish others in love. Amen.

Godly Optimism

Leave a reply

Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thought:

As Christians, when our faith is strong, we tend to be optimistic because our hope is in the living God who holds our future. Joshua and Caleb came across a situation where they could have easily been discouraged by the nature of the land and its powerful people or by the bad report of the other spies or by the grumbling of the Israelites. Despite such circumstances, Joshua and Caleb gave a positive report and urged Moses and Aaron to proceed to the promised land. Their confidence was from the fact that God was with them, and in reality, the world will try to bring our hopes down, we also have to be confident in whatever future God holds for us and if He holds it, nothing can change it.

Word:

Numbers 14:8-9

If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us. This is a land flowing with milk and honey! Don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will devour them like bread. They have no protection, and the Lord is with us. So don’t be afraid of them.

Prayer:

Lord, our hope is you, the true and living God. we want to abide in You all the days of our life. Give us the strength and wisdom to live out the plans You have for us. Amen.

Marriage: Love & Respect – True Joy and Peace, that is from God!

Leave a reply

Dear all,

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

Thought:

 People of the world might suggest several things for a joyful marriage. Some of them might sound good and feel good but the Bible is clear on the roles of a husband/wife in a marriage and upon following, it can lead to the best marriages in terms of true joy and peace, that is from God.

Word:
Ephesians 5:21-33 (Also refer 1 Peter 3:1-7)
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Prayer:
LORD, thank you for the institution of marriage, help us to fulfill the roles you have given us. Help us to imitate the relationship of Christ and Church in the marriage. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Submit to all Authority

Leave a reply

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

Leave a reply

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.

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

Leave a reply

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.

Evangelism Fellowship Witness & Mission

Leave a reply

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.

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

Leave a reply

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

The Weapons of Spiritual Warfare are not Worldly!

Leave a reply

Dear all,
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15: 13
Word: In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3
Thought: 

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor 4:4

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204:4

The weapons of spiritual warfare are not worldly. They are powerful through God to demolish the devil’s forts. We don’t wage war with human plans and methods. Remember, we should always sharpen our spiritual weapons in prayer and by waiting before God with perseverance (Ephesians 6:13 -18).

Prayer:

Dear God, open our eyes to see the mission fields that are ready for harvest. Help us see with a moving compassion the multitudes of people without someone to show them the way. In Jesus name. Amen.

God’s word into Action!

Leave a reply

Dear all,

Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Ephesians 6: 10

Word: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalms 119: 11

and I Peter 3: 16 says, Keep your conscience clear. 

Thought: Let us Put God’s word into action in our lives, making it a vital guide for everything we do.

Have a Victorious walk in Christ

Multiply – Disciples making disciples – Pass it on

Proclaiming Jesus Wherever He Leads us!
To make ready a group of people to meet our LORD Jesus Christ.
The Journey Tea