POWER OF HUMILITY

                         

          " Humble yourselves before the Lord and  he will lift you up"( James 4:10)

The most important consideration for leading a life that has enduring values and true meaning is to live without arrogance or pride. The fundamental law for all salvation is humility. A humble attitude is necessary to show courtesy to others. The arrogant, the proud and the high-minded and those who are wise in their own eyes have God as their opponent. Humility is knowing that you need God's help.

The grace you receive depends on humility you possess. We humans are not humble always. They transgress in what they say and don't even ask forgiveness. Things just won't open up for you, if you are not humble. Jesus is the best example for humility in action. Although  he was son of God , he was gentle and humble. 

When you are humble you acknowledge the truth about yourself instead of judging and criticizing others. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God!"(1 Peter 5:6). You don’t need to stand up for yourself in an angry manner. And you don’t have to win every argument. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1). Unfair treatment can be handled peacefully when you are humble. When you are humble, you can respond to and learn from criticism without becoming defensive.

Scripture reminds us  that "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."( Colossians 3:12). God declares about the  gift to his children who are humble in the verse 2 Chron 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

                                  

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

                                               
 Give thanks in everything ,for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

 

Do you feel blessed by God? Each one of us are blessed, more than we deserve. Sometimes when we are experiencing some difficulties in our lives, we may hesitate the truth that we are blessed. The most prevalent sin today, is the sin of ingratitude. Open your eyes and see your blessings even when our lives are chaotic and messy. God has granted us the gift of life and forgiveness of sins. The lives of our loved ones  are also blessing from heavenly father. When we exercise thankfulness, we can get rid of our bad personality flaws and misplaced traditions that conflict with Scripture.

For children of God, thankfulness is not confined to a season or a day,  it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hour. We have a lot to thankful for. Sometimes, we get into the habit of focusing on what we don't have.  Praise the God Almighty always and learn to enjoy even the insignificant blessings of your lives. All of us have simple, beautiful things that Almighty God has given us, which we can appreciate. Gratitude helps the flow of even more blessings in our life. The way to enhance our lives and relationships is to have an attitude of gratitude. We start with how we honor and respond to our Lord and Savior. 

Beware of neglecting thanksgiving to God. In Jeremiah we see God’s warning of his judgment on his people. At the root of all their sin was a failure to acknowledge God and give him thanks. God had given them so much, yet they failed to acknowledge him or thank him for it. Therefore, he says, ‘What I have given them will be taken away from them’. Begin with acknowledging small wonders of the life. Job (5:9) says "He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number". All praise be to God of all blessing.

                                                 

                   

BOUNDLESS LOVE TO BROTHERS

If anyone says,"I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn't love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

In the modern world of technology and innovations, everyone is busy satisfying their own needs. The goals of life of most people may be either rich lifestyle or a life filled with pleasure. The world of a person is limited to his wife and children. Most of us cannot cross the boundaries beyond this. In childhood, we love the company of our sibilings. As time passes and as we grow up, our attitude towards our sibilings will change and we will become self-oriented. The scripture says "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.(1 John 3:17-18)" 

Jesus commanded us to love our  fellow beings in John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you,you also are to love one another."  Jesus is the paradigm of love. In Jesus we notice the depth of love we must extend towards our fellow beings. The life and ministry of Jesus shows the fullest expression of love and forgiveness. We dwell in the darkness of sin , if we are not able to love our fellow beings. Love each other earnestly and love covers multitude of sin. We humans  may limit the times we must extend love and forgiveness to others. But Jesus puts no limit to love and forgiveness. In saying that we must forgive  seven seventy times Jesus teaches us that only a limitless love and  forgiveness mirrors God's mercy.

Haven't you stayed away when your brother was in troubled waters? But Jesus was with his disciples when they were in troubled waters. Jesus  carried the disciples to the destination safe and sound. This is true love and care. He didn't say to them 'You got yourselves to the problem, get yourselves  out '. What do we do when someone else is in trouble? Do we see beyond what they have done in past and treat them with warmth and compassion? Do we extend the love Jesus showered on us to our fellow beings? Love without limits and  extend your helping hands to your fellow beings. If you are not able to  do this ,your prayer will be in vain.                 

FOREVER IN GOD'S CARE

Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)

Why does your father or mother care for you? Because they love you. If I am travelling to some place, my mother used to call me several times in phone. She cares about where I am going, what I am doing, what my situation is and so on. If our worldly parents care this much, have you ever thought how much does the heavenly father care for us?

The scripture declares the care, love and protection that the sovereign God have for humanity. God, who is the alpha and omega has an infinitely superior plan for each one of us. He knows our abilities, weaknesses, all details of our lives and deepest need of our hearts. Psalm 139 :13 says  “For it was You who created my inward parts. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

God’s desire is to guide our lives and direct our ways. But do you have time to hear  God? Most of the time we make plans on our understanding. But  the scripture says  “A person plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps”( Proverbs 16:9).  So our responsibility is to know God, walk with Him and share with Him. Make Almighty as your mighty fortress. The book of  Proverbs, gives the key for God’s guidance:“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). “In all your ways acknowledge Him” means in everything you do. Let Him guide you.

We can depend on God's presence and care in any situation because the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him."Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up"(James 4:10). In the ups and downs of our walk of faith, God pours the rain of love and care upon us. Turn from self reliance to God reliance. Know your heavenly father, trust him implicitly and attain a spiritual maturity which will form the basis of His guidance.

Faith : Complete and Unwavering trust to Almighty

Faith : Complete & Unwavering trust to Almighty

Faith can be defined as a complete confidence or trust in a person. One of the most beautiful relationships in the world is the mother-child relation. Securely attached children  will find mother as the safe base from whom they explore their  environment. The child gain assurance from  mother's presence and use her as source of comfort when they are distressed. The love and trust that  the child put into the mother's hand is innate. As the child grow up, he/she  will try to be self reliant. We as human find trust in our parents, siblings, friends, relatives. But  there will be times in our lives when we feel alone and abandoned. In the life route, most of us are trying hard to make money, fame and many more worldly pleasures. And most of the time, we relay on our strengths or we put confidence in others. It's only when we lose hope in the world, we seek the mighty power  of the Almighty. Have you ever thought of a day,when you are not able to breathe?? We are blessed with air, food, shelter, and everything needed to survive. Everything you have today is what the omnipotent God has provided. Every blessing you receive is from the heavenly father. The question is  do you have faith in the Almighty? He cares us more than our worldly parents. The Almighty God is the provider of the entire world and complete expression of love. 

Faith is the belief that you have received the answer for your prayer before you actually receive it. The Bible defines faith in  Hebrews 11.1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. If you are in the valley of tears and fears, believe that God will not forsake you. In Bible verses Isaiah (49.15), our father gives us assurance that he will not leave us alone even when the whole world forgets you. Hang your hope to the higher power who guides us in the journey of life. Faith is the confidence that you will be nourished like a small child by the creator of the earth.