Fig Tree Praise
‘Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren… yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!’ Hab.3:17-18
Worry and gratitude really cannot cohabit. You cannot be worried and be grateful at the same time. The children of Israel totally gave themselves to worrying that it was almost impossible to sustain their gratitude to God. When they met opposition on their way to the Promised Land, a lot of the time they grumbled and complained. And this made God frustrated with them. God was saying and is saying to you and I today, “don’t you understand who I Am? Don’t you understand that I cannot take you from Egypt and allow you Read the rest of this entry
Remember
‘Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands’ Deut.8:2
If you see a judgmental person, you have seen somebody that has forgotten. If you come across a Christian that is irritable with someone that is far from God, someone that is not dressing well, or behaving properly. When you come across a Christian that this puts off totally and now goes around with a ‘holier than thou’ attitude, you have met a Christian who has forgotten. In fact, you have met an ungrateful person who does not remember what God has brought him/her through. If you remember where Jesus has Read the rest of this entry
God Found You!
‘The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?’ John 4:28-29
One of the best ways of saying thank you to Jesus is to follow Jesus step by step and to grow. Growing people change. And when you follow Jesus your life changes and it oozes out an aroma to God. Your life becomes a living sacrifice to God. The second way in my opinion of saying thank you to Jesus is to bring others to Jesus. In fact it is difficult to be really saved and to be quiet about it because found people find people. It is very difficult to keep quiet because if you are saved, you will have people that you love and you will be Read the rest of this entry
Give Yourself
‘But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well’ Matt.6:33 [CEV]
Another thing you can give this season is, give your life to Jesus. This is the best gift you can give. Many of us are so consumed with the mistakes we have made in the past, in our marriages, and in our lives that it is hindering us from moving forward. Yet if you understand and realize that Jesus has taken care of your past you will stop worrying. Jesus is offering you a fresh start; free from all the wrong you have ever done, including what you did last week, and even yesterday. For some of us the anxiety we have is for the future; what will Read the rest of this entry
Encourage & Forgive
‘And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the Lord’ 2 Chro.35:2 [KJV]
This season you can show God’s love by giving a word of encouragement to the discouraged. Everybody can do with a word of encouragement. You will be shocked at the impact a word of encouragement can have even on a man of God. We were created for encouragement. A couple while visiting us shared how they became members of the church I pastor. They actually did not know where to worship on a Sunday morning and somehow stopped at God’s Favourite House. At that worship experience, God gave two specific Read the rest of this entry
Just A Smile
‘Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives; they’re like spring rain and sunshine’ Prov.16:15 [MSG]
Another invaluable thing we can give this season is a smile. You can give a smile to your neighbor. Try it out and see how much warmth it brings to your relationship. Some of us see our neighbors while driving out of our houses but we just keep a straight face. It does not cost you anything to give them a smile. They say it is more difficult to frown than to smile because the face uses a lot more muscles to frown than to smile. God wants us to be radiant. You cannot frown and be radiant at the same time. The gospel is the Good Read the rest of this entry
Lend Your Arms
‘And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them…’ Acts 20:1 [KJV]
Another way to give this season without spending any money is to give a hug to the lonely. For some people the hug they receive from you this season is the only hug they have received this month and for some it is the only hug they have received this year. What will it cost you to give someone a hug – absolutely nothing? God is counting on you to lend your arms and bring His warmth to the lonely heart this season. ‘And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you Read the rest of this entry
Lend Your Heart
‘We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. That’s why we must give our lives for each other’ 1 John 3:16 [CEV].
As we approach the Christmas season, it important for us to remember that our very lives are gifts to be poured out to others. And when God says give, He is not only referring to material possessions. While that is able to change the season for some people, yet there are things that God wants us to give that do not include material things. God wants us to give the people around us a part of us. God in His word admonishes us to give of that which we have also freely received. Like we said, we are going to highlight two of the seven things Read the rest of this entry
A New Outlook
‘This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – and I am the worst of them all’ 1 Tim.1:15
A lot of times, we get lost looking for God in the dramatic whereas God has come to us as a baby in a manger. God gave to us His Son Jesus. Jesus is the reason for the season. However you and I are the reason for His coming in this season in the first place. Without you and I, Jesus would not have needed to come and there will be no reason for Christmas. The significance of Christmas of course is around Jesus but it transcends just Jesus. If the meaning does not come to fruition in our lives then Christmas is wasted. So even though Read the rest of this entry
Celebrate Success
‘These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age’ 1 Cor.10:11.
The truth is that you cannot love a person you are competing with. So if you are always competing with your spouse, you cannot really love your spouse because he/she becomes your competitor. Competition means getting ahead of the other person. Love means preferring the person over yourself. Competition is the opposite of love in this regard. To love is to put the person before yourself and not as Cain who chose to silence Abel totally. The only thing Abel did was to prosper, to succeed. Some of us don’t know that the only thing you have Read the rest of this entry
