Praise the Lord dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Here’s wishing all the Rose of Sharon Church members and all my readers spread far and wide, a VERY HAPPY HARVEST. May your lives always be abundant and fruitful in CHRIST!

2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” While purifying in the furnace, the goldsmith does not put stones; he puts gold, so that it may be transformed to its purest form. Likewise, God puts only His chosen soldiers through the furnace of life, so that our outward qualities die for good, and our inner person comes forth stronger for Him, in our pure and holy form. During the period we are in the furnace of life, we must never grumble against our God, nor must we compare ourselves to the people of the world. We should willingly submit ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and be glad that He has chosen us so that we can glorify Him for the rest of our lives.

Isaiah 52:2-1 “Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you.” Once we know of this truth, we will never pursue our old behaviour again; for when we see our behaviour through our spiritual eyes, we will realise that it is wrong in the sight of God. Hence, we should keep renewing ourselves day by day, spiritually.

Ezekiel 20:44 “Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.” In today’s world, no one would like to be associated with ‘sinners.’ They would prefer to say that they are friends with ‘people who are perfect in the eyes of the world.’ But our Jesus, knowing all our sins, willingly died for us sinners on the cross. He died for us, not because we are righteous, but to call us, sinners, to repentance and make us righteous. His love, kindness, and mercy are new each day in our lives.

Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.” Our Heavenly Father strengthens the weak man when he learns to wait upon the Lord. When we wait upon the Lord, we will not be weakened. Instead, God will renew our strength. We all know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. Trying to run before our Lord God, and trying to challenge Him and His works, will take us nowhere in life. Rather, we must learn to submit ourselves and have the patience to wait upon Him, in His time. The word of God, time and again promises that ONLY those who learn to wait on the Lord shall not be weary and faint, but will renew their strength and mount up with wings like the eagle.  Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

Dear children of God, learn to put your faith and trust in JESUS alone; and He, as a Father, will lead and carry us, His children, through our troubles in life.  REMEMBER, victory comes only by having JESUS by our side, even as the word of God says in Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Hence always be humble and submit yourselves to the Lord God, and He will make everything perfect, IN HIS TIME!

Your Sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja

Praise the Lord! One Sunday our family went to the mall, where we took our children to the fun zone. The mall has a separate zone for smaller kids, to keep them on a slot for thirty or sixty minutes. We booked the 30 minutes slot for our children, left them there, and proceeded to make some purchases that we required. Children moving out of the fun zone gate is not possible, as there are guards present. However, when we returned after half an hour, we found our son Irwin playing inside while our younger daughter Sara was missing. She was nowhere around, even though we called out to her several times. We got really scared and worried and did not know what to do. My husband then decided to check outside, while I started enquiring with the people in the fun zone.

As I was doing so, I saw my husband carrying Sara in her arms and coming towards the fun zone. We all thanked God from the bottom of our hearts, for without our dear Lord, the situation could have turned for the worse. We give all glory to our dear Lord Jesus for saving Sara from the great danger of getting lost in such a huge crowd. We also thank Pastor Saroja who always prays for our family. Thank You, Jesus.

*Sis. Esther Patel, Mira Road.

I was suffering from a fever and was taking medicines at home. The fever used to come and go, again and again. This went on for two to three days until I was unable to bear it and decided to visit the doctor. Before going, I called up Pastor Saroja and told her about my condition, Pastor advised me accordingly. I followed her advice and did not go to the doctor.

The next day we had our Fasting Prayer Service.  I made up my mind to attend the Fasting Prayer Service, whatever my state. God, by His grace and mercy alone, not only took care of my health during the service but also took away all my fever and made me normal. I thank and praise my Lord Jesus Christ for healing me. I sincerely thank Pastor Saroja for praying for me and for giving me helpful advice. Thank You, Jesus.

*Bro. Austin Roberts, Mumbai.

Praise the Lord. My name is Kailash Damodar.

My wife Vimal Damodar has been having high diabetes, and she was suffering from anxiety, fear, and giddiness. I requested prayer for her from the Rose of Sharon Prayer Helpline number.  After the prayer was made for her, she was delivered from all her giddiness, anxiety, and fear attacks.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for healing and delivering her. Thank you, Rose of Sharon ministry for praying for my wife.

*Bro. Kailash Damodar, Thane. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. My yearly assessments were around the corner in my Company. It was also the time of the year (at the end of the audit and financial year), when new team structures and changes are made by the Company. A few months ago, I had requested Pastor Saroja to keep me in her prayers, for I desired to get promoted in the Company this year.Pastor had advised and encouraged me that our dear Lord will give the best for His children, and He alone can do all things. She told me to just wait upon the Lord.

By the grace of my dear Lord Jesus, I did get my Annual Pay Review Letter, and my Finance Team Head also reached out to me, saying he was considering promoting me to a higher level, subject to approval by the top management. I requested Pastor Saroja for prayer, and within a few weeks, I got my promotion letter along with a good hike and a senior position.

I thank my dear Lord Jesus from my heart, for doing this great work in my life. I also sincerely thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers and for giving me precious advice and counsel always. Thank You, Jesus.

*Sis. Evangela Roberts, Mumbai.  

My name is Ashi, and  I am grateful to God for giving me a good job. I was searching for a job for months and was unable to find any good job with convenient timings.

I then requested prayer on the Rose of Sharon Church prayer line. I am thankful to Lord Jesus Christ for giving me such a good job with the timings that I desired. Thank you, Rose of Sharon Church. Praise the Lord.

*Sis. Ashi Choudhary, Ambala, Chandigarh. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

 

Once, there was a farmer who was tired of various natural factors ruling the quality of his crop. So, one day he called out to God and said, “I am tired of all this nature nonsense happening. You are not a farmer, and you don’t know what it means to farm.  So why don’t you leave nature in my hands? I am a farmer. I know when it should rain, I know when there should be sunlight. You are doing everything at the wrong time. You leave it to me.”

God said, “Okay, nature is in your hands.”

Then the farmer planned his crop. He called out “Rain,” and it rained. He poked the land with his finger and noted, that it had soaked up to six inches. “Stop,” he commanded, and thereafter ploughed his field and planted maize seeds. He waited for two days, then ordered “Rain,” then “Sunlight.,”

One day he was working in the field and he commanded, “Cloud!” Everything just happened the way he wanted, and a beautiful maize crop came. He was overjoyed. When it was time for the harvest, he wanted to see that no birds come, so he said, “No birds,” and no birds came.

When in due time, he went down to his fields to harvest the maize, he looked at the crop but there was no maize on the plants. He thought, “What the hell is this? What did I do wrong?” He couldn’t figure it out because he thought he had managed everything properly: rain, water, and sunshine. He went back to God and asked, “I did everything right but there is no grain. Did you sabotage my crop?”

God said, “I have been watching; you were in charge so I didn’t want to interfere. The rain was great, the sunshine was great, everything was fine but you stopped all the winds. I used to always send fierce winds which would threaten your crop and because the plants felt pushed and threatened, they dug their roots deeper into the earth, and so grain happened. Now you have a great maize crop but no maize.”

The moral of the story is that we may be very experienced in life, in our respective fields of work, and have all the knowledge of the world; but, without our Lord’s grace, mercy, and timely guidance it is very difficult to get through life! There is always something that we are unaware of, and which is beyond our understanding. When we are stuck in that situation, that is the time we need His counselling!

Isaiah 40:6 “The voice said, Cry out. And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.” The prophet Isaiah heard God’s voice talking about spiritual judgement for the people. The Lord said, ‘Cry out,’ and Isaiah asked the Lord God, ‘What shall I cry?’ The Lord asked Isaiah to tell the Israelites about His judgement that ‘all flesh is grass and all goodliness is as the flower.’ The Lord wanted to tell the people an important truth about life. Just as during the times of Noah, all the so-called ‘greatness’ of people perished in the floods, so also today, if we do not hear and recognise the Lord’s voice, we will perish like the grass and the flower.

We see humans doing a lot to maintain their personalities. They regularly exercise and keep themselves well-groomed all the time, so that their personality is enhanced. But our Lord God says that we people will perish like the grass and the flower if we do not heed His voice today. Just as they will wither when harsh sunlight falls on the grass and flower, likewise, when we do not pay heed to God’s warning, we will perish from this earth. Our goodness is like a flower before Him, but when the sun shines harshly on the flower, it withers. James 1:11 “For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.”

The Lord told Isaiah to proclaim to all Israelites with a loud voice, His spiritual judgement of how they would perish as grass and flowers.

This same voice was also heard by the apostle Peter. 1 Peter 1:24-25 “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” God’s truth and His Word will judge us forever. God watches over man and gives him leeway for his misdoings. But once He decides to punish him, there is no escape; His judgement will fall upon that man and he will perish like the grass and the flower. God does not wish that any man dies in his sins or perish in this world. God desires that all mankind be saved and that none perish. Jesus sacrificed His life on the Cross of Calvary. When we as humans use our wisdom and knowledge, we fall prey in the hands of the enemy. Our wisdom and knowledge become a bondage in our lives. We fall when we leave aside God’s love, grace, mercy, and kindness; and think that we have achieved all greatness and goodness by our wisdom and knowledge. This becomes a bondage in our lives.

David was a great King, and from his childhood, he feared God. He took pride in his fear for the Lord, but he did not boast before God. He knew that all of his greatness and goodness was but grass and flowers which would wither before God. Psalm 22:6 “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.” When men die, the body gets eaten by worms. We are worthy of nothing before God. Humans have within us, the worm of sin, the worm of lies, the worm of adultery; in different ways, our lives are a can of worms. But the day we come to know about our Lord God and are washed by His precious blood, the day we accept Him in our lives, our lives change for good.

The Israelites boasted about themselves and thought they were great in the sight of God. The Lord God asked Isaiah to cry out to the Israelites and tell them to save themselves from the judgement due on them. “All flesh is grass, and all their goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.” God knows about each one of us. Before Him, every knee should bow down and every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is God. We may be great human beings, but before God we are nothing. However great we may be, we cannot stand before God. Our church is a chosen church, here we only worship the Holy God, and we walk according to the will of the Holy Spirit. We must not take the curse of God upon us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we should glorify God’s holy name. All hidden things are for the Lord, and they will never be revealed to us. Yet, we need to know that no greatness or goodness of ours will be able to stand before God. Jesus said, “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower.” The sun shines on the grass, and it fades away and the flowers wither; so also, when the anger of God is upon us, we will perish like the grass and the flower.

God’s judgement on man is also written in James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Man does not know about tomorrow, yet he prides himself in his wealth and beauty. But God says, ‘Your life is even a vapour, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.’ As God’s people, we must always hold fast unto our Lord, and never to man.

God must always be first in our lives. Job steadfastly held on to the Lord. Job 19:25 “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” Job knew that at the end of this world, our redeemer will stand at the latter day. Then we will see who shall stand as grass and flowers on this earth. Will the rich, wealthy, wise, and knowledgeable be able to stand the appearance of God? No, it is those that hold steadfast to God, who will be able to stand before Him on the day of judgement, while the others will wither.

God has done wonderful things for His children. Psalm 78:23-25 “Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.” We see how God commanded the clouds, and immediately the doors of heaven opened and rained down manna upon the Israelites. Man, thus ate angel’s food, for God loved man immensely. If man ever forgets the Lord, God will say, ‘they who forget my love, will wither like the grass and the flower before me.’

When we speak to God, we must hear His voice more and speak less. Jesus says in Mathew 12:36 “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.” Man has to give account to God for every word that proceeds out of his mouth. None of us can escape God’s sight. We are accountable for every word we speak. We must speak less and hear more of God’s voice, i.e. His Word. Do not speak any loose word against the Lord, for we will be accountable on the day of judgement. God will give us wisdom and knowledge to speak. Those who are last will be first and the first will be last. God wants our obedience and not our sacrifice, so we must always be obedient to His word. When God cautions us, we must be very careful and obey every word carefully, or else we will fall into bondage. God has called many, but chosen only a few to do His works.

Just as Abraham obeyed God, Hagar obeyed God, and Isaiah obeyed God, so also, we must obey His word and win the race in this life. The devil will always speak to us the opposite of God’s will and plan for us, and we have to be very careful about whose voice we obey. The good person will always bring forth good treasures from within them, while the evil person always brings forth bad treasures. God will judge accordingly. Our lives must always match the Word of God. If our heart is close to God, the devil can never touch us or work in our lives. The devil always enters an empty heart, so make sure you fill your heart with God’s word and love.

Stand in steadfast faith like Job, even as he confidently proclaimed, ‘For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.’

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness. ‘Wilderness’ means an open space, where there is no water or food, only open skies. God wanted to commune with His beloved people, and He brought them out into the wilderness. In Egypt, they had collected grass to prepare bricks, but now God told them that they need not work anymore. God only wanted them to hear His voice. Exodus 16:4 “Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” God wanted to test the Israelites. He wanted to give them manna as food and through this, God tested their obedience. The Israelites, sadly, failed this test.

How many of us can withstand God’s testing upon us? Even today, many of us fail the test that God has set for us. Many a time God brings us out to the wilderness, so that we may diligently listen to His voice only. We know what the Israelites did, and how they disobeyed God. God instructed them to collect manna enough only for a day, but many disobeyed His instruction and collected more than was required. Their disobedience angered God. The extra manna collected, got spoiled the next day, and it stank. Similarly, we too stink with our disobedience towards God, and our sins are easily exposed by Him. At any time, God may test us, and we need to withstand the test of God, emerging victorious.

God loves our obedience. In the wilderness, there was no water for such a huge multitude. God provided the Israelites with water. 1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” God will never forsake us, for He is our Rock and Living Waters. God never goes away from us; it is we who separate from Him. Human memory is short-lived, and we forget God’s word easily. God tested the Israelites through the heavenly manna. Those who obeyed God ultimately reached the Promised Land. They ate of this manna and drank the living waters, and they were strengthened to fight the nations and their thirty-one Kings who attacked the Israelites. But those who disobeyed God in the wilderness perished as the grass and the flower.

Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 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.” By the food we eat, we can maintain our bodies; but when we eat the Word of God, we can win the race of life. We know the life of Abraham, with Sarah on one side and Hagar on the other side. Abraham was counselled by God to obey Sarah’s voice. Our God is our good counsellor and His counselling will always bring victory in our lives. Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” When we go to God, His eyes are upon us, and He counsels us with His infinite wisdom and knowledge.

King Nebuchadnezzar took pride in his wisdom, strength, and greatness. In his heart, he took pride in turning Babylon into a powerful country. For this, God’s judgement came immediately upon Him. Daniel 4:30-31 “The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.” God’s punishment came upon him instantly. Many hear the voice of grace from heaven, while others hear the voice of correction. Many hear the call of God and are fed with the heavenly manna. King Nebuchadnezzar was cursed with a judgement, saying ‘The kingdom is departed from thee.’

In the end, King Nebuchadnezzar extolled and honoured the King of Heaven. Daniel 4:37 “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” King Nebuchadnezzar learned it the hard way. After the suffering he underwent, he gave glory to God and worshipped and exalted Him.

God called the prophet Isaiah and told him to warn the Israelites of the day of judgement. He was asked to warn them that their every goodness was like the grass and the flower before God and that when the sun shone harshly, everything would perish and wither, but God’s Word would reign forever.

God’s people should never let pride come into their lives, we must forsake pride and keep it away from us. All our goodness is worthy for nothing in front of the Lord, and we are like the grass and the flower before Him. We must always think before we talk, hear God’s Word more, listen to it, and speak less. We should never boast in our wisdom and knowledge, for God is the enemy of our pride and ego.

God called upon His great prophet Isaiah and told him to cry out and tell the Israelites that their goodness was like the grass and the flower before Him. When the sun rises hot, the grass and the flower will wither and perish. God has spoken to us today through His Word. May God bless us all, and may we grow and enlarge with our God, rather than wither like the grass and flower.

Pastor Saroja M.

 

Praise the Lord. Wishing all my readers a Very Happy Harvest and may our living Saviour bless all of you in your respective lives.

Sis. Pakiyathai Selvaraj, aged 74 years, was first admitted to our Old Age Home in January 2022.

She resided in our home for 3 months, and during that period, was healed from her weakness for which she was admitted.  Seeing her quick recovery, her family members took her back home.

Unfortunately, she had a terrible fall in her home within a few days of going back. Hence, her family members bought her again to our home in May 2022.

She had come with terrible bed sores, but our merciful God has healed her once again from her weakness by giving complete healing for her bed sores, and she is also steadily gaining her strength back.

The Lord’s grace continues to abide in our Old Age Home, and we tend to see the same in the everyday activities of our residents.

May the mighty hand of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ continue to be upon our Old Age Home, and take care of all our residents, today, and always.

Stay safe and be healthy, all my readers.

Pastor Saroja M

 

Praise the Lord!

It is the most crucial month of the year at Sunday School, as it is time for the annual Sunday School exams to be conducted. Over the months, the children have been taught many stories from the Bible, and this is the time to test and see how much of it they remember.

Our children are truly blessed and privileged to know and experience the word of God taught in Sunday school and at church.

They are blessed to see, hear, and experience God’s power – unlike only being taught the parables from the Bible; and being told that this happened in those days. They are children who know our God is alive forevermore, and they believe He can do mighty works even today in our lives.

Besides getting geared up for the exams, our children are excited about celebrating the harvest festival this month, for the opportunity to gather together and thank God for all that he has blessed us with, through the year.

So, as the children give their exams and celebrate the festival of harvest, we wish all our readers a “Happy Harvest.”

Let our learning of our children be enriched in the word of God and enabled to reap mighty fruits of the word of God sowed in their lives at Sunday School.