Praise the Lord dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I begin this month’s Editor’s note with prayers and a hope that all of you are safe and continuing to abide under our Heavenly Father’s mighty hand.

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  We must learn to put our faith and trust in our God who rules forever on this earth. Faith and trust in men will only lead to fear, and we will lose our peace as man is so unpredictable. Whereas, our God is someone who we can depend on, till eternity!

Psalms 144:13 “That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields;” Our Lord God will bless His people abundantly, and there will be no lack of anything, even as our living God fills our storeroom. Our loving and compassionate God shall deliver us from sorrows and our sins. He will heal the broken-hearted, and free people from darkness to light.  God blesses different people differently and He will bless the righteous and will overfill their storerooms and homes too.

Psalms 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”  We must know that in life, God never gives us anything measured. Blessings from Him are always overflowing. To receive these overflowing blessings though, there is a simple formula. Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” God gives our blessings pressed, shaken, and overflowing, but first, we have to learn to give.

Genesis 12:2 “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.” God will bless us to be a blessing to others. To get this blessing, the hand of God, His grace, love, mercy, kindness, and compassion must always be upon us.

Till we meet again,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise The Lord. I had tremendous pain towards the side of my stomach, near the kidney. I went to the doctor as the pain was unbearable. The doctor gave me medicine for three days and told me that if it is normal pain it would vanish; but as he was doubtful of kidney stones, he advised me to go for a Sonography and CT scan to clear any doubt. However, after taking the medicines, the pain was not reducing, and I told this matter to Pastor Saroja. Pastor assured me of her prayers. The next day I went to the doctor. He suggested I take a Sonography and CT scan. I did so and when the reports came, by God’s grace alone, the doctor said that whatever may have gotten stuck somewhere within and caused me pain, now seemed to have been washed out from my body, as my reports were completely normal. I give all glory & praise to Lord Jesus alone, and I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for me.

Bro. Hardik Patel, Mira Road, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord. Post-delivery, after two days, my baby did not pass her stools. We told this to the hospital doctor, who took a sonography test and told us that the baby’s two arteries were joined and that we would have to move her to a children’s speciality hospital. We told this to Pastor Saroja, who assured us of her prayers and advised us to go ahead as per the doctor’s instruction. Immediately, we moved our baby to Wadia Children’s hospital. They took an X-ray, and by God’s grace, nothing was shown within the arteries. The waste, however, was stuck to the arteries. The doctor informed us that they would keep our baby under observation for 4 days. On the 1^st day, she did not pass stools. On the 2^nd day, she passed stools only when they gave her medicine to artificially induce motions. They told us that if she would not be able to pass her stools naturally, they would have to do surgery. We again called Pastor and told her about this. Pastor said to keep faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and assured us of her prayers. On the 3^rd day, by God’s grace and by Pastor’s prayers, our baby passed her stools naturally. Faith as small as a mustard seed can create a big miracle. We trusted and had faith in our Lord Jesus, and on the 4^th day, the doctor called us and said that nothing was showing in the X-ray and sonography report, and there was now no need to do surgery, as everything was normal with our child. By the Lord’s grace, on the 5^th day we got discharged, and till now our baby is passing her stools regularly. We give lots of thanks to our Pastor Saroja for praying for my health and my baby’s health, and millions of thanks to our Lord Almighty for healing our baby. Thank you, Pastor Saroja, for always keeping me and my family in your prayers.

Sis. Shelly Pillay, Jogeshwari, Maharashtra.

Praise The Lord. I had a very painful nerve compression in my right hand. The pain was so severe that I was unable to lift my right hand. After the Saturday Healing Service. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja, and by God’s grace, the very next day the pain reduced and within two days it completely vanished. At the same time, my legs also had swelling due to this issue of nerve compression on the right side of my body which further led to severe back pain. I called up Pastor Saroja and requested her to pray for me. Pastor assured me of her prayers. By God’s grace, there was no more swelling and pain. I give all glory, praise & honour to Lord Jesus for healing me. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for me.

Sis. Esther Patel, Mira Road, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord. My son-in-law Madherao had typhoid for the past fifteen days and was on medication. He could not eat his food at all. He was unable to drink water too. If he even tried to eat anything, he would vomit it out. He had become very weak and could not stand. At this juncture, my sister gave me the Rose of Sharon Church prayer line number. I called and requested prayer. After the prayer was made for him, my son-in-law started eating food and his health condition has improved much. At present, he is healed and in good health. I am grateful to Lord Jesus Christ for healing him and thank you for the prayers.

Sis. Kanta Jadhav, Amravati, Maharashtra. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord! My name is Wilson.

I was very sick for many days, and on medicines for typhoid. Even though there was no longer any fever and typhoid symptoms, I was feeling very weak, tired, and unable to eat or get up from bed.The doctor kept on changing my medicine, but my health condition was not getting any better.

My wife Jennifer got the Rose of Sharon Church prayer line number through one of her relatives and called immediately for prayer. Praise God, I started feeling better; and as we continued requesting prayer every day, my health kept on getting better.

I give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for completely healing me.

Bro. Wilson Masih, Ambala Kent, Chandigarh. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

 

In the king’s palace, there were 20 vases, each of which was a showpiece, decorated very beautifully. The king loved to show this collection to his guests.

One day, accidentally, a servant broke a vase while cleaning it. When the king got to know about it, he ordered that the servant be hanged. A wise man who was passing by that kingdom heard about the king’s nature. He came to know about the incident of the king’s vase and his collection, and he decided to visit the king’s palace.

On meeting the king, he told the king, “I have a way to bring that broken vase back to its original state.” The king was happy and asked the servants to take that wise man to the place where all the other vases were kept. As soon as the man entered, he started hitting all the other vases with his stick and broke them all. The king was informed of this incident immediately. On hearing this, the king became very angry and asked the wise man, “why did you do this? Why? You will be hanged for this.” The king ordered his servants to arrest the wise man. To this, the wise man replied sternly, “When a vase was broken by a servant, you gave him the death sentence, which means that with every single vase that is broken, a person will have to face the death penalty. In the future, 19 more people are likely to die because of these vases. So today, I decided to die by saving 19 lives. Now you can hang me, I feel no remorse for doing this.”

The wise man’s words opened the eyes of the king. He realized his mistake and he freed the servant from his punishment.

In the same manner, JESUS sacrificed his life for us, because he knows our future; JESUS gave His life for us to save us from hell, to give us eternal life.

1 Chronicles 29:12 “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.” All riches and honour come from our Lord, our Lord is mighty and powerful. Years ago, when I had gone to the United States of America, I had a wonderful trip. The USA is a powerful and important country, so visiting this country made me feel very happy and fulfilled. When one hears of the USA, one respects and fears this country at the same time. So, one day I asked the Sister who had sponsored us, “Why do everyone respect and fear this country so much? The U.S. dollar is also the most valuable currency in the world. Why is it such a powerful nation?” The sister replied, “our faith is in God, and even the currency note we print has ‘in God we trust,’ printed on it; hence the USA is a powerful, mighty, wise, and prosperous country even today. Above all, USA is a country which shows love and grace to other countries of the world.” This was great learning for me. In our lives too, we must keep our faith only in God. Many times, as human beings our thoughts wander and so also our faith wanders amongst the people of this earth. In our lives, whatever happens, we must say, ‘In God we Trust.’ Doesn’t the USA have any problems, pain, and sorrow? Yes, they do, but they always derive their victory from God alone, because they believe ‘In God We Trust.’

Jesus says we should first seek the kingdom of God, then all things will be added unto us. Mathew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The word does not say that only one or two things will be given to us, rather, that all these things will be given unto us (viz. wisdom, knowledge, strength, might, grace) if we seek the kingdom of God first in our lives. Riches and honour are of the Lord’s, and He gives power, might, and strength to all. Men may think that some things can never happen, but when our faith is in God, He can work wonders in all things in our lives. Nothing is impossible for God. God makes all things right in our lives. Always remain focused on God and not on the things of this world, or on any man. Our thoughts, love, and desire must be only ‘In God with Trust.’

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” For our sakes, our God became poor, and through His poverty, He made us mighty and rich; hence we are blessed. Jesus lived for us, suffered for us, and died for us on the Cross of Calvary. He gave us a rich and abundant life and took away all our poverty. We must be entwined with our God and make an agreement with Him. It is only with His grace, mercy, kindness, and richness, we will be blessed.

If we love God with every Word that we hear and with every song we sing to Him, our love for God will keep on increasing. When the truth is in our hearts, the ‘Word’ comes alive in our lives. Our lives, then become fruitful and we are separated from all kinds of sins. Every authority is in God’s hands. How can we feel the presence of God in our lives? Through the Word! By God’s Word, this world was created, and so were all things in this world. The ‘Word’ gives us correction, counselling, love, and affection in our lives. God’s Word never changes, but God’s Word changes us. The Word will keep speaking to us all the time, till we accept and change ourselves. God has given us the Word to grow with Him in love, wisdom, knowledge, victory, and strength. When we hear the Word and we change, it shows in our behaviour and actions. God says, ‘I am close to those with a contrite heart, but resist the proud.’ God is always there to wipe our tears, take away our pain and sorrow, and hear and answer our prayers. But God is far away from the wicked and proud. In our lives, we must know that God is active in our lives when we remain ‘In God We Trust.’ He reminds us of our mistakes, our sins, and our iniquities. When our hearts accept this and we break down and ask for forgiveness, we are blessed.

One day, our physical bodies will fail us, and we will be unable to get up, stand or walk, or do anything. At that time, we will need God’s grace alone to help us through that stage. But will He be there if we call out to Him? Possibly not, if we have kept Him far away from us. It is important to develop a relationship with God, for nothing happens overnight or in a week or a month. Every day we must be ‘In God We Trust;’ then, if one door is closed, God will open ten more doors for us. If the enemy enters through one door, they will have to run out through ten different doors. Such is our mighty God! We will become ‘Givers,’ not ‘Receivers’. Wealth will be showered upon us in abundance. We must not listen to God’s Word as a story or history, rather we need to hear God’s Word diligently. It gives us life, and the Word must work in our lives.

As God says, ‘Both riches and honour are mine; power and might are mine. I will give you the strength.’ We do not worship a lame, deaf or dumb God – we worship a ‘living God’ who can see, feel and experience our pain and sorrow. He knows our needs before we ask. Our God is a living God. But, why are our prayers not heard by Him many a time? It is because God is watching us from afar, and we have not allowed Him into our hearts yet. We are hard-hearted, stone-hearted, and we have doubted Him. But, when we experience the true God, He will break open our hearts and enter in. Till such a time, God is a good God; He will stand outside our hearts and knock until we open our hearts. The latch from within is in our hands, so we need to open the door from within. Till such time, He will continue to knock. 1 Chronicles 29:12 “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.” We should not love God only for our selfish reasons, but we must love Him till our death. Our Faith must stay on Him till the end. Many people followed Jesus wherever He went, some to test His works, some to eat, some to hear the Word, some to see miracles, and some to find fault in Him. We need to know which of these groups we belong to today. When we come before God with a contrite heart, He is ready to forgive us and lift us once again.

We all know the story of Hannah. She was a sorrowful woman because she was barren. Every year she visited God’s Holy Temple in Jerusalem, as did all the Israelites. Though the temple was far off, once a year, people from all over and far off places came to Jerusalem to worship God in his Holy Temple. Just as God has given us a Holy Temple here, our people too, come from far-off places to congregate in this Holy Temple, twice a week. The Israelites could meet only once a year. We are really lucky to congregate twice a week in our Church and receive God’s blessings. We all know that the sabbath day is a day of rest when we must not do any work. The entire day is dedicated to the Lord God. In Israel, they only worship God and do not do any work at all on the sabbath. But for us, both Saturday and Sunday are important. In the olden days, people would go to the Jerusalem temple, and so did Hannah. One year, Hannah’s prayer was heard and God gifted her with a child. Hannah says in 1 Samuel 2:7 “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.”

Yes, the Lord makes us poor and makes us rich, He also lifts and brings us down. Should we not worship such a mighty God? God sees our works and our nature. He knows our every thought. When we are happy, we are cheerful and bright. When we are sad, it shows easily on our faces. But our God never shows His anger upon us. He is a powerful God, and He never shows anger. Yet, we are wretched beings, for we show our dislike openly. If God likes us, He will lift us still higher. But, if He does not like us, He will further punish us. He is our mighty and almighty God. Who can control His actions? Is anything too hard for the Lord? No, nothing is too hard for the Lord! We must know this truth, and it is this truth that will set us free. Without God’s time, we can do nothing. Imagine Hannah’s pain, when she said in 1 Samuel 2:7 “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.” We too must know this truth; that God has all the riches and honour, and He alone can bless us!

God makes us rich in different ways. Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” God is rich in grace. We are sinners, and all our deeds are sinful, but God’s immense grace is upon us. He has saved us from big and mighty sins. Our God has made us rich with His grace, and by the grace of God alone, we are made wealthy in life. Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved);” God is rich in mercy, and He has loved us and given us His mercy.

There are two types of spirits: 1) The Good, and 2) the Bad. We know that Enoch did not die, for he was taken away alive. Will not His spirit speak to us? Yes, this is a good spirit, and it will teach us the right way. But we always choose the easy way (i.e., the wrong way). Enoch walked with God for 365 years. He had his own family, yet still, He walked with God firmly, and so, he was taken away alive. Imagine what will happen to us when Jesus comes to take us during the end times. Like Enoch, we should not please the world and its people. When we do not fear God, we are liars and thieves, and we crucify Jesus again and again with our sins. Then how can God save us? How can He lift us? How can he come to our rescue when we call out to Him? God can forsake us and put us into deeper trouble. Surely, God can forsake us when we keep denying Him and continuing in our sins.

Lucifer was kicked out from the Kingdom of Heaven onto this earth when he tried to behave like God. Along with him, a third of the angels were also cast onto this world. God alone can save us from the lion’s mouth and the fiery furnace. In the Holy Scriptures, it is written that the streams of water cannot drown us, nor can the fire quench us. This promise, God has given to those who believe in Him, and not to everyone in this world. If we begin loving God and forsake everything in our lives, He will bless us. Remember, if the evil has not spared Jesus, will he spare you and me?

Hence, we should believe in the power of God who can lift us up and also bring us down. But if we continuously keep rejecting God and continue our lives in sin, God will surely bring us down. God says ‘if one eye sins, pluck that eye out, for it is better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye.’ Till today, our God has never punished us according to our sins. Our God is gracious, rich and abundant in His mercy upon us.

After Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty coins, guilt consumed him, and he ran to King Herod to return the money. He finally threw away the thirty silver coins in the temple and then committed suicide. His death was horrendous. Judas was afraid to go before Jesus, and when he realized that he was cheated by the Jews for thirty coins, he committed suicide. Our lives must not be like Judas, rather, we must be like Peter, and live a repentant life. When the rooster crowed thrice, Peter realized his mistake and he was sorrowful and repented with a contrite heart. Jesus saw Peter’s repentant heart and gave him the keys of Hades and Heaven. But what happened to Judas? He committed suicide and went to Hades. Our lives must be like Peter’s, and we must be repentant. We can become rich or become poor through Jesus Christ, by our behaviour.

Hannah realized this, and said in 1 Samuel 2:7 “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.”

1 Timothy 6:18 “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.” God makes us rich with good works. God’s good works were such that He healed the brokenhearted and set the captives free, He made the lame walk again, and made the blind see. Jesus always strove to do good.

We know that there was a sick man who lay by the side of the Bethesda Pond for 38 years. No one had mercy upon Him, it was only Jesus who had compassion on him. Also, we know the story of the man possessed by a legion of demons, who sat in the graveyard and inflicted wounds on himself.  There was no one for him, but Jesus showed Him grace and delivered him. Despite the whole village being against Jesus, He still went ahead and healed this man possessed by a legion of demons. God the Father has blessed Jesus with such a wonderful nature, to only do His good works on this earth. In our lives too, God wants to bless us with His riches of grace, mercy, and good works. Jesus was sent into this world for our sake, to live for us, die for us, and rise on the third day for us.

A bottle of perfume, when it lies in the cupboard, does not give out fragrance. But, when sprayed around, it lets out its perfume. Similarly, when Jesus gave His life on the Cross and broke His body for us, His fragrance filled this earth. His grace and mercy were abundant upon mankind, and thus, He gave us a wonderful life.

Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” God gives us a good name over great riches. Tabitha (also known as Dorcas) was a woman full of good works and charitable deeds. She weaved shawls and sewed clothes for people who did not have clothes to wear. She also sewed torn clothes and mended them. Tabitha did good works for many people. One day she fell ill and died a few days later. The people had heard that Peter was visiting the neighbouring village, and they sent a message to him of Tabitha’s death. When he arrived at this place, the people told him of all the good works that Tabitha had done for them. Peter entered Tabitha’s house and prayed over her, and she was instantly brought to life. It is Tabitha’s good works that gave her back her life once again so that she could continue her good works in this world. From this example, we understand that it is not our education, wisdom, or wealth, but only our good works that can make us one with God. It is God who sees our good works and blesses us. Good works are worth more than gold and silver, they are priceless. Proverbs 29:1 “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Solomon asked God for wisdom, but God blessed him not only with wisdom but with the riches of this world as well. Why won’t God bless us with more than what we ask of Him, or with what we can ever think of? When we do good works for the Lord God, He will bless us with more than we can imagine. Tabitha’s good works gave her a new lease of life through Peter.

James 2:5 “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” God has chosen the poor of this world, who are rich in faith, as the heirs of His kingdom. In the Holy Scriptures, we know of many who were rich in faith (Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Daniel, David, Elijah, Elisha, etc.) Those who were rich in faith were the promised ones, and the promised land was given to them. We must remember the Word, for it will save us from all the snares of this world.

Our Lord has made us wealthy in faith. Ephesians 1:18 “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” God is rich in glory. Our gracious God has called each one of us, and we know that the hope of our calling and the riches of the glory is His inheritance for us. Those who live a glorious life like Him will be taken away by Him. Those who fear him, those who live in the riches of His glory, and those who live in His grace, will all be collected by His angels, and God will take us along with Him. God can lift us and he can put us down, hence our lives must always be ‘In God We Trust.’ People think a Christian life is easy to live. It is very difficult unless we have adhered to the first Commandment of God viz. ‘love the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul.’ Unless we love God truly from the bottom of our hearts, we cannot truly live a righteous life. Mathew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Yes, all things will be added unto us. God will feed us through the raven, as he fed Elijah. That was Elijah’s faith. God prepared a fish to teach Jonah a` lesson, so when God commanded the fish to swallow Jonah it did, and subsequently when God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah out, the fish did so. God can do everything and anything, He is the creator of this universe.

God gives both, riches and wisdom. We can ask a question – Is the Lord’s grace enough to live in this world, or do we also need the riches of this world? Remember, without the grace of God we can do nothing, but by His grace alone, we can conquer all. 2 Chronicles 1:8-12 “And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.” Solomon asked God for riches of wisdom, understanding, grace, faith, and mercy to rule over Israel. God blessed him with all of these, and also the wealth of this world. If we gain the riches of God’s glory, grace, mercy, wisdom, and faith, God will bless us with all these spiritual riches as well as worldly riches too.

Solomon was a wise man. 2 Chronicles 9:22 “And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.” Solomon was the richest of all the Kings of this world. What more do we want? God gives not only all that we ask, but also what we desire and deserve. God can give, and He can also take away, whatever and whenever He wishes. When we seek the kingdom of God, automatically God will add all good things into our lives.

The Israelites did not have to toil for anything, while the inhabitants of the promised land toiled hard. The Lord drove away these inhabitants and He gave this fertile and fruitful land to the Israelites. The Lord tells us not to pile up our wealth on this earth, for where our money is there our heart will be. We know how Lot’s wife turned back to see the material wealth that she had left behind, and she turned into a pillar of salt. God tells us, ‘Eat, drink and be merry, do not worry about anything in this world. Everything you ask for, you will receive. But seek first the kingdom of God, and then everything shall be added unto you.’ We will lack for nothing in this world. God does not will any of us to remain poor. Rather, he wants all of us to be rich in His glory and riches. We know the story of Nicodemus, who met Jesus and asked him how he could inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus told him that he had to be born again, to which Nicodemus asked Jesus how he could be born again. To be born again means, we need to be purchased and washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. After we are born again, we need to ask forgiveness of God in prayer; we need to tell God that we have forsaken our old habits and old acquaintances, and we will not have fellowship with evil people. We need to pray to Him and ask Him to grant our heart’s desire. Our God has said, ‘Ask and you will receive, Seek and you will find.’ Our God does not lie, He will always hear our prayers and give unto us.

We can receive the riches of God by giving. Malachi 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Once we are born again, when we ask of God, He will grant us our prayers. Now, we can receive His riches by ‘giving.’ The Lord says ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’ When He gives, He will give shaken, pressed, and overflowing, and there will be a lack of nothing. To be entwined in the love of God, we must be born again; and when we are born again, then we can ask of God and He will grant us what we want. Our sins must be forsaken, then only can we ask of Him and He will grant us our heart’s desire.

God says that our giving must be generous. There was a Pharisee named Cornelius, who was always giving in nature. He built many temples for the Lord and helped servants of God. God loved him and testified of Him. Remember, God will open the windows of heaven and shower His blessings upon such people. We need to test God and see this. Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” This is not any preacher saying this, but Jesus who says, ‘Give and it shall be given unto you in good measure, pressed, shaken and overflowing.’ Yes, God is a great God and He blesses a cheerful giver. God continues to bless cheerful givers. Wherever Jesus went, there were all kinds of people who served him, ate and drank with Him, tested Him, and listened to His Word to be blessed. We have read in the Holy Scriptures that when Mary Magdalene broke a bottle of alabaster to anoint Jesus, the people murmured and said, ‘why did she break this bottle and waste it at Jesus’ feet when it could have been sold and the money used for the poor?’ Even today, the same kind of people exist. Those who give for the expansion of God’s kingdom will be blessed abundantly. The Word says, ‘with what measure you give, the same measure will be used for you.’ The Word is always true.

God did not send the Angel to save the entire country of Sodom and Gomorrah; rather, He sent His angel to save only Lot and his family. The Angel came and forced Lot and his family to leave the house, but their heart still lingered on the material things that they had left behind. God loves our soul, hence the Angel pulled out the family from their home and took them away. Never forget the grace of God upon us, and His shadow upon us, which safeguards us.

Similarly, the angel will accompany Jesus, and when the trumpet blows, the angel will pick God’s elect from all four corners of the world to take them away. Till today, if we have not surrendered our lives into God’s hands, let us do so now. Our Lord God will come as a thief at midnight and no one will know of His coming. In the end times, do not believe anybody or any man. Only our Father in Heaven knows of that hour and time. When Jesus comes, the good and righteous will see Him. Those who spat on Him and crucified Him will also see Him. All mankind will see Him in His second coming, this time, in His glory. God wants us to repent and change; He is a God who will correct us and even humble us to such an extent that we are changed. If we are not corrected, then we will not become His promised children, but we will become children of the destitute. People normally correct their children, not other people’s children. A father will correct his son, for he alone has the authority. Likewise, our Father God can correct us. After all, He sent His only son to redeem us of our sins.

John 1:16 “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” Because of our Abba Father’s fullness, we have received grace for grace. When we love God and believe in Him and have faith in Him, everything will be added to our lives.

To become rich, we need to humble ourselves. 1 Peter 5:5 “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” To gain grace from God, we need to humble ourselves. We should never take pride in ourselves, or think we are wise. Especially, before the servants of God, we need to humble ourselves.

Psalm 5:7 “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.” When we come together as a multitude in God’s Holy Temple, because of His mercy and grace upon us, we will fear Him and worship and sing praises to Him in His Holy Temple. In God’s Temple, His people gather together and become His disciples. For this, our nature must be changed and be different from the people of the world. We know that the rich people of this world possess all expensive things viz. house, car, jewellery; and by the things they possess, we know that they are wealthy. Similarly, in our every way of life, we must show that we are God’s disciples.

Our work shows our status, likewise, our relationship with God shows our relationship with Him. Esther 1:4 “When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.” King Ahasuerus flaunted the wealth and riches of his glorious kingdom over a period of six months, and the people saw that he was a rich King. These riches are temporal, but when our God gives us honour and glory, it will be with us forever and forever. The King’s wealth is nothing before the riches of our Lord, and God can bless us abundantly. With our wisdom, when we earn riches, it will have a time limit. But when God blesses us with riches, it is forever and ever, and there is no time limit. We must never take pride in our wealth and riches, for it will only be for a while. Instead, we must focus on our God who will bless us in His fullness forever and forever.

Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.” We must only desire to become rich through God’s grace and mercy. God’s people always live under His shadow, with grace, mercy, and faith. Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army suffered from leprosy, and all the wealth and power he possessed could not cure him of this illness. He was sent by his master, the king of Syria, to the prophet Elisha, for news had spread of God’s wondrous doings through Elisha, and the king of Syria too had heard this news. Elisha advised Naaman to dip himself seven times in the river Jordan to be healed. At first, Naaman was angry and said, ‘don’t we have better rivers than Jordan in my country, then why must I take a dip in this small river?’ Later, at the behest of his servants, Naaman obeyed Elisha’s instruction, and he finally dipped himself seven times in the river Jordan.

When Naaman was healed after dipping himself seven times in the river Jordan, he wished to bestow wealth to Elisha. But the Prophet Elisha already possessed the richness of God’s grace, mercy, faith, and wisdom, and he refused to accept the riches offered by Naaman. Naaman departed from thence, but Elisha’s servant Gehazi was greedy; he followed Naaman’s chariot to ask for some riches for himself in the name of his master, Elisha. Gehazi subsequently returned as if nothing had happened. Elisha asked him where he had gone, and Gehazi lied and said he had not gone anywhere. At that very moment, Elisha exposed his lie, and Naaman’s leprosy came upon Gehazi. The riches of this world can truly give us nothing, and they are of no use!

King Solomon only asked God for wisdom, but God blessed Solomon with riches and wealth along with the wisdom that he asked for. We do not need to ask God, for He will provide us with whatever we require, even as God provided Solomon with more than what he asked for. Do not desire the riches of this world, for God knows what we need, and He will provide us according to His riches in glory. In this world, there is surely pain, sorrow, and thorns in life. This is God’s curse upon mankind. But, when we obey God and remain united with Him, He will bless us.

If one person in the family accepts the Lord, then the entire family will be blessed. There will never be a lack of anything in our lives. It is only by the grace and mercy of our God that everyone will be blessed. There is power in every prayer made to God, but it must be made in faith. Our God is a God of fullness. His love for us is immense. Through us, our family will be blessed, the congregation will be blessed and in turn, our country will be blessed.

In the book of Genesis, there is a passage mentioned where the people on earth were united together and thought of building a tower for themselves to reach unto heaven. God saw this and sent an Angel to confuse the people. He multiplied their language, thereby breaking their unity and oneness. Genesis 11:1-7 “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Imagine the strength and power that unity and oneness of the mind has. But our God is a jealous God, and He will not give His glory to anyone. The one wrong that the people did was that they said, ‘let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.’ The people wanted to glorify themselves and not God. Our God is a jealous God, and He will never let man take His glory.

When we think of doing anything, it must glorify God and not ourselves. Then we will have God’s grace to accomplish it. We can work wonders if we are united in spirit, love, faith, grace, and the mercy of God. Then, no one can stop us from achieving whatever we aspire to do.

1 Chronicles 29:12 “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.” In front of God’s riches and wealth, no wealth of this world is worth anything.

Our God will never give His glory to anyone, least of all to any man. Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

I pray that this message will bring blessings to many lives.

Pastor Saroja M.

 

Praise the Lord everyone!

I hope all of you are doing fine by God’s grace!

As the rains are slowly moving into exit mode, I thank my Jesus that none of our residents had any sort of cold, cough, or fever which is normal in the rainy season.

They all are in good health and enjoying the month of August with payasam and different varieties of cakes. I am glad that in some way or the other, in whatever way possible, I can make them happy. May God give me the strength and heart to continue to do so!

I thank the presence of the mighty hand of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on our Old Age Home, because of which we can see mighty blessings overflowing in different ways!

May God continue to protect and take care of all our residents today and always!

Do continue to pray for all our residents and take care of yourselves.

Pastor Saroja M

 

Praise the Lord!

Matthew 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Based on this verse, the Sunday school children were given an activity to prepare an artwork from a waste bowl and candy sticks.

The top 3 artworks made by our Sunday School children:

1)      Priscilla Rexy

2)      Stephen Rexy

3)      Saloni Kushwa

The theme was based on the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand.

The kids participated enthusiastically in this activity while most of them tried implementing their best ideas with their creative hats on.

The children’s artwork revealed that the stories taught in the class were penetrating their tender minds. Through this activity, they could practically connect with the teachings of this bible story.

Do pray that these little children remember these bible lessons as they grow.