Praise the Lord everyone. Greetings to all my readers in the Most Holy and matchless name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:27 “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Why did God make us His vessel / Holy Temple?

He made us His vessel / Holy Temple so that we may make our lives meaningful and worthy for Him. God who is rich in glory and mercy, has chosen us that we may become worthy vessels of glory for Him alone. He has filled our lives so that we may, in turn, fill others’ lives, not by our wisdom and strength, but with the grace of God.

Jesus says in John 17:22 “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:” Our gracious God, Jesus Christ, who was sent into this world, was loaded with God’s mercy, grace and glory. Why has God given us His glory through His son Jesus Christ? He has done so for our sake, to make us His Holy Temple and His vessel; not to live our lives the way we choose to, rather, to live our lives the way He wants us to; so that we live as ‘One,’ just as Jesus and God the Father are ‘One.’ The only thing we have to do is to make way for God to come and rule our lives.

1 John 4:4 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” The enemy who rules this world is mighty, but our God is Almighty! Hence, the one who lives in this world is not greater than our God. When God enters our lives, it is only the beginning of blessings in our lives, and we can receive greater glory in our lives; but we must remember that the basis of all blessings lies in the way we have Faith in our Heavenly Father. The word says, without Faith it is impossible to please our God. Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God:

Hence, we, being Abraham’s generation with a great promise from God, should never forsake God in our lives. Till the end of our lives, we must remain entwined with God and be rest assured that God alone will give us victory from all the challenges life throws at us. Our job is only to be steadfast in FAITH!

Till we meet again,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord. After work, I was unable to sleep due to frequent urination and pain while urinating. I visited the doctor and did a check- up for the same. The doctor found the symptoms resembling diabetes, and told me I was diabetic as my sugar level showed 146. I immediately called up Pastor Saroja and she advised me to follow certain things which would help cure my prediabetes. I followed these instructions as advised by her, and she kept me in her prayers. After three months I went back for a blood sugar test. By God’s grace the sugar level was normal. I give all glory to Lord Jesus for healing me from this disease. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her precious advice and for her fervent prayers.

*Bro. Hardik Patel, Mira Road, Mumbai

Praise the Lord. I had an allergy between my toes which eventually festered into wounds. I showed them to a doctor who gave me tablets and an ointment to apply. The wounds dried up initially, but in a matter of days, they returned. This problem continued for a long time. I got a chance to meet Pastor Saroja and told her of my problem. Pastor fervently prayed for me. It is now nearly six months, and I have no wounds, and am completely healed. I thank and praise our dear Lord Jesus for healing me. I sincerely thank Pastor Saroja for her prayers for me.

*Sis. Stella Holmes, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. Due to the pandemic, there was no increment in salary for two years. Yet, by Lord’s grace, last year I received a salary increment. I give all glory to Lord Jesus, and I also thank Pastor Saroja for always keeping me and my family in her prayers. I am thankful to Lord Jesus, for due to the pandemic, though many are losing their jobs, yet our dear Lord has kept His children under His wings; and He is covering us through His precious blood, protecting our jobs, and giving us increments. Thank You Jesus!

*Sis. Esther Patel, Mira Road, Mumbai

Praise the Lord. I have been married for over nine years now. We were trying for a child, but over three years I suffered a series of miscarriages. As I watched the Rose of Sharon TV Program, in faith I called Pastor Saroja, and requested her for prayers. Pastor told me not to worry, and assured me of her prayers. Glory be, I am now eight months pregnant! I give all glory, honour and praise to our Almighty Lord Jesus for doing this great work in my life. I thank Pastor Saroja with all my heart for her fervent prayers for me. Thank You Jesus!

*Sis. Rani Shukle, Belapur, Maharashtra. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. This testimony is on behalf of my three years old son David, who had severe pain and swelling while urinating, due to which he would keep crying a lot. The doctor told me he had to operate. I called up Pastor Saroja and requested her for prayers. Pastor prayed for my child and sent us prayer oil as well. Since then, we have been continuously applying the prayer oil. The swelling and itching has now reduced. I thank and praise our dear Lord Jesus for touching my son and healing him. I also sincerely thank Pastor Saroja for praying for my son and sending us the blessed prayer oil. Thank You, Jesus!

David, Thane, (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Once upon a time, there was a girl called Eve. Her mother worked day and night to provide for her daughter. “Mom, I want a new dress!” “Wait till I find another job and I’ll buy you one,” mother said. “No, I want it now!” Mother replied, “I don’t have money, Eve…” That night Eve prayed, “God, why have you given my friends proper moms while I have a poor one? Send me a proper, rich mom.”

The Lord heard and granted her wish to teach her a lesson. A voice said to Eve “There is only one condition: To fulfil your wish, I need one of your dear people to always cry. And there is one more rule: if you ever cry yourself, even once, the wish will be in vain and you will go back to being what you are now.”

Soon after, Eve was thinking ‘but where’s the money? Where’s the wealth?’ Eve got angry and broke a mirror. “What happened honey? I worked hard all month to buy it for you,” said the mother. “You didn’t work very well then… We live like beggars!” Hurt by Eve’s words, the mother couldn’t hold back her tears. To her surprise, the tears converted into diamonds! “Diamonds, pure diamonds!” exclaimed Eve. They started to live a rich life ever since. But in order to get more diamonds… Eve constantly made her mother cry.

Her mother got old and very ill, extremely fast. The doctor said to Eve, “Your mother is very ill, she needs constant care and treatment. And more than anything else she needs your support.” Eve started to think, “My support? But that would mean staying with her all the time. When will I go out and have fun then? I have enough diamonds to last a lifetime.” She said to the doctor, “I’m sure mom can get well on her own. You may leave.”

The mother called Eve, “Honey, come here for a moment.” “What is it? I’m in a hurry,” Eve said rudely. Mom told Eve, “Honey, I want you to know. I love you. I always have. I’m happy that now you live in abundance. And I want it to last forever. I have washed my guilt for your poor childhood away.” Having said this, two teardrops rushed down the mother’s face and turned into diamonds.

But this time the teardrops weren’t clear as usual. They were red like hearts. The daughter took them in her hands and saw herself and her mom’s journey till now. Eve turned around and realised that all this luxury was not worth even one teardrop of her mom. Eve burst into tears, and in the blink of an eye, all the wealth turned to ashes. She found herself in the same poor hut she used to live in.

The mother exclaimed, “Eve, what happened?” Eve cried and said, “I’m sorry, mom, I do not need any diamonds. Just promise to never cry again. I love you.” Eve realized her mistake and asked forgiveness from the Lord, as well as from her mother.

For the word says in Deuteronomy 5:16 “Honour your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you”.

Song of Solomon 1:2 “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.” The kiss mentioned here is the ‘kiss of God,’ and it symbolizes the
Spirit of God. It is important for all of us to pray and ask God for His kiss. God kisses us and fills us with His Spirit, and hence, His happiness and peace abide in us. The disciples, chosen by God, always yearned for the kiss of God. They prayed and thirsted for God’s kiss. Lord Jesus satisfied their desire in John 20:22 “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Spiritually, the ‘kiss of God’ signifies that Jesus breathed upon the disciples. We as human beings give a flying kiss out of our mouth to someone we love. When Jesus breathed His breath upon the disciples, they were filled with His Holy Spirit. The kiss of God also came in the form of ‘Tongues of Fire.’ Acts 2:3 “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” This was experienced by the people on the day of Pentecost, when they were all gathered in one accord in unity in one place, where suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind which filled the home where they were sitting. Then, there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and it sat upon each of them.

To desire the kiss of God we need to have two qualities within us, purity of heart and a desire for God’s kiss. Unless we have cleansed ourselves from sins, we cannot expect the kiss of God. Also, as the disciples always desired and yearned for God’s kiss, we too must have this burning desire in our hearts for the Lord’s kiss. Isaiah confessed his sins in God’s Holy Temple, and he was purified and cleansed, and God kissed him. Isaiah 6:5-7 “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” After this kiss of God, Isaiah became a great Prophet of God. Hence, we need to cleanse ourselves of our sins first, before we even desire the kiss of God. Secondly, we need to desire the kiss of God. Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Never be ashamed to desire the kiss of God. We need to draw near to God and desire His kiss. In this world, we desire to see great leaders or celebrities who are simply mortals. We fight against all odds with the crowd to draw near to a celebrity or a leader to catch a glimpse of them. Imagine if we have a similar craving for our Lord Jesus Christ; how blessed we will be to get His love and kiss. It must be a part of our life’s desire always.

Colossians 1:20 “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” Because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary, all things are purified and reconciled in heaven and earth. We have peace through the blood of Jesus. None of us can even dare to get close to God, for His light is a bright shining light, and we can be blinded by it. We are ordinary human beings and can never get close to God. Yet, because of His sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus has reconciled all things in heavens and earth and has made peace through His blood and sacrifice. We know that when Paul was yet Saul, once while on the road to Damascus, a bright shining light from God shone upon Saul, and Saul was rendered blind by this light. Surely, no one can come close to God because of His hallowed Light which emanates from Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ had to sacrifice His life on the Cross so that we may receive God’s kiss and breath upon us. If Jesus had not sacrificed His life, we would not even be able to call unto God. We know that in heaven the angels continuously glorify and magnify God, singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy… Lord God Almighty,’ with their feet folded under their wings. Our God is such a mighty God in Heaven, yet He came down on this earth for you and me. He was crucified and shamed on the Cross of Calvary, just so that today we may ask for the kiss of God, and God will breathe His breath upon us and fills us with His Holy Spirit.

In the Bible, we see fives types of kisses:

1. Kiss of Honour and Respect: 1 Samuel 10:1 “Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?” Samuel was a mighty anointed servant of God; He had the anointing of God upon Him. For Saul to receive the Lord’s anointing through him, Samuel had to kiss Saul. Song of Solomon 1:2“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.” Here we read once again that the kiss of God is the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

2. Kiss of Love: When we love someone and meet them after a long time, we greet them with a kiss of love. Genesis 27:26-27 “And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed.” Though Jacob cheated his father Isaac, it was still God’s will to bless Jacob. When Isaac kissed Jacob, God’s fragrance was transferred onto Jacob.

3. Kiss of Betrayal/Benefit: Mathew 26:49 “And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.” Judas had informed the authorities that the one he would kiss would be the one to be arrested, for Judas had planned to betray Jesus for just thirty silver coins.

4. Kiss of Idolatry/Witchcraft: Hosea 13:2 “Now they sin more and more and have made them molten images of their silver and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.” This is the kiss of idolatry.

5. Kiss of Unity: We also see another special kiss which is the ‘kiss of unity.’ We all know the story of the Prodigal son. The younger son took his share of property from his father and left home for a far-off country. In Israel, when the father is alive, the son cannot ask for his share of the property. This is a great sin according to their law. Even then, the father parted with a share of the property when the son asked him for the same. The son squandered all his money on his friends and himself, and subsequently had nothing left with him. In the end, he laboured in a pigsty, eating swine’s food. At that time, he remembered the bountifulness in his father’s house, and he repented and returned to his father’s home, aspiring to be one of his father’s hired servants. His father saw him from afar and ran to receive him and kiss him. This is the ‘kiss of unity.’

Luke 15:11-20“And he said, A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

We can imagine that just that one kiss from his father would have restored the peace in his son’s heart! Just one kiss must have reassured the son of the father’s love once again. This ‘kiss of unity’ would have healed so many wounds. In our lives too, when we return to God and ask for forgiveness for our sins, we receive the ‘kiss of unity’ from God, and we are truly blessed and filled with the Holy Spirit. We may have hurt God much, but when we ask Him for forgiveness, our peace is restored in our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” When we are ambassadors for Christ, God will give us His ‘kiss of unity’ and reconcile Himself with us once again.

The kiss of God also signifies the Word of God. Mathew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” For us to live, it is not by bread alone, but also by the Word of God that comes from the mouth of God; giving us peace, understanding, wisdom, and unity with Him.

In my personal life, there was a time when I was as an orphan. I thirsted for the Word of God in this Holy Temple. However, being from a Hindu family, there was a lot of unrest since I had received Jesus Christ as my Lord. My husband used to harass me a lot. One day, I came into this Holy Temple, dejected and contemplating how many more years I would have to suffer at the hands of my husband. At that time, there was a guest preacher in this temple and he read this verse from the Holy Bible – Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” That day, I received the ‘kiss of God’ in my life and my life changed completely. The word says ‘NOW,’ it does not give any time in the future. My life was truly strengthened by this Word from that moment onward. Truly, there is life in the ‘Word of God.’ From that day forward, the Lord made for me a path in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

The kiss of God transforms our lives. Song of Solomon 1:2“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.” The word says that God’s kiss to me is better than wine. Wine is symbolic of the ‘New Covenant’ with God and us. It is the blood of Jesus. But the ‘kiss of God’ is even more than wine, the new covenant. The Prodigal son repented after God sent a famine in the country, wherein he had to eat swine food to survive. This helped him to remember his father’s house, and he repented and returned to His father’s house. Today, we must also return to our Father if we have sinned and gone far away from Him. Our God’s love will fill our void and bring back happiness and peace in our lives. The Lord God kisses us with His Word and with His Spirit, and we receive strength from Him.

Let us see another form of a kiss through the Word of God. 1 Peter 2:1-2 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, all evil speaking. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” Just as an infant or a newborn baby grows with its mother’s milk, we too must grow by the Word of God. We must leave behind the evil of this world, separate our lives from the people of this world, and grow with the Word of God. For this we need to have a craving and a desire for the Word of God, just as when a newborn child bawls, bringing an entire household down when it wants its feed of milk! The spiritual revelation of every verse of the book of Song of Solomon is precious and priceless. Only God can reveal this great revelation to us. We must taste and see that our God is good. The taste of the Word of God will be sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Psalm 19:10 “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

Psalm 119:103 “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” The kiss of God is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Those who desire the Word of God even as a new born babe desires its mother’s milk, will grow and be strengthened by God. The more we read the Word, the more we will be loved and strengthened by God. Just one kiss of God can reveal His immense love for us.

We should also be careful of the devil’s kiss, as when Judas betrayed God with his kiss proclaiming, ‘Hail Master.’ Jesus sorrowfully said to Judas in Luke 22:48 “But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?”

Solomon, the wise king, talked about a young boy who was destroyed because of his foolishness. Proverbs 7:13-23 “So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him. I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey. He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks. Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.”

We must be very careful in the matter of the different kisses mentioned in the Bible. We know that some of these kisses can destroy our lives. Possess a desire for the ‘kiss of God’ alone, and leave behind all the other kisses of this evil world. God’s kiss transforms our lives and strengthens us, and we are blessed with peace in our lives. God can make a way in the wilderness for us NOW. Romans 8:8 “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” It is important for us to know that we will never be able to please God in the flesh. From the beginning of the Bible, we have seen that the love of God is immense upon mankind. It is because of this love that He curses and punishes us. Yet, God is also the one who will put a healing balm on our wounds and heal us.

Moses went up to Mount Sinai to meet God and bring back His Commandments for the Israelites. Directly, the devil started creating confusion amongst the people and put dread in their hearts that Moses would not return. The people pressurized Aaron to make them a god. Aaron asked them for their gold, then he cast it in a fire and sculpted a calf as a moulded image for them to worship and idolise. Aaron was naked before God, and this sin was exposed before God and Moses. Exodus 32:19 “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”

Avoid the kiss of idolatry/witchcraft, for we are all naked before God. We must be able to stand before God with confidence when He comes to take us with Him once again. We must all desire for the Word of God; even as fish cannot live without water, and as newborn babies thirst for their mother’s milk all the time. Constantly desire for the Word of God which is more precious than gold and sweeter than the honey and honeycomb. God can kiss us today, and that kiss of God can change our lives NOW!

Let the Lord bless this Word!

Pastor Saroja M.

 

Praise the Lord everyone, and wishes and prayers that all my readers are safe and healthy.

With all Covid restrictions out, it appears that life is back to its full pace. While, for the moment, the basic requirement of a mask is not mandatory, that does not mean that we take things for granted.

For the safety of ourselves and the elders and children of our families, it is important to follow certain precautions, as Covid has not yet been fully defeated.

The Lord’s mighty hand of grace continues to be on our residents and all are by God’s grace, hale and hearty. Their lives have not changed a bit and they are still following their regular routines. Praise God for every need being met at the Rose of Sharon Old Age Home.

Do be safe and continue to pray for our residents.

Pastor Saroja

Praise the Lord! Last month at Sunday School the children were given an activity for Easter. They were given specific colours and asked to pen down 2 – 3 lines of prayer.

Options given to them were the cross, heart, and egg to bring out their inner creativity and make the craft look creative.

The kids brought in the best of creativity on to the table and we have two winners:

1^st prize from the Junior class – Joshua Roberts

He was given the colour green. He chose to thank God for the beautiful trees, and he themed it with the beautiful bible verses of Psalm 23:1-2

2^nd prize from the Senior class – Ahaz Roberts

He was given the colour yellow. He thanked God for the beautiful sunlight and yellow flowers.

Other children also participated and enjoyed the activity immensely.

 Do uphold our little ones in your prayers, so that our children continue to shine forth for the Lord.