How to Contemplate Calamity

 How to Contemplate Calamity

“The waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me. . . . This God — his way is perfect.” (2 Samuel 22:5, 31)

After the loss of his ten children owing to a natural disaster (Job 1:19), Job said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). At the end of the book, the inspired writer confirms Job’s understanding of what happened. He says Job’s brothers and sisters “comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11).

This has several crucial implications for us — lessons for us here at the dawn of a new year — as we think about calamities in the world and in our lives — like the massive disaster that occurred December 26, 2004, in the Indian Ocean — one of the deadliest natural disasters on record with 1.7 million people made homeless, half a million injured, and over 230,000 killed.

Lesson #1. Satan is not ultimate; God is.

Satan had a hand in Job’s misery, but not the decisive hand. God gave Satan permission to afflict Job (Job 1:12; 2:6). But Job and the writer of this book treat God as the decisive cause. When Satan afflicts Job with sores, Job says to his wife, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10), and the writer calls these satanic sores “the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). So, Satan is real. Satan brings misery. But Satan is not ultimate or decisive. He is on a leash. He goes no farther than God decisively permits.

Lesson #2. Even if Satan caused that tsunami in the Indian Ocean the day after Christmas, 2004, he is not the decisive cause of over 200,000 deaths; God is.

God claims power over tsunamis in Job 38:8 and 11 when he asks Job rhetorically, “Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb . . . and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?” Psalm 89:8–9 says, “O Lord . . . you rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.” And Jesus himself has the same control today as he once did over the deadly threats of waves: “He . . . rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm” (Luke 8:24). In other words, even if Satan caused the earthquake, God could have stopped the waves. But he didn’t.

Lesson #3. Destructive calamities in this world mingle judgment and mercy.

God’s purposes are not simple. Job was a godly man and his miseries were not God’s punishment (Job 1:1, 8). Their design was purifying, not punishment (Job 42:6). James 5:11 says, “You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”

But we do not know the spiritual condition of Job’s children who died. Job was certainly concerned about them (Job 1:5). God may have taken their life in judgment. We don’t know.

If that is true, then the same calamity proved in the end to be mercy for Job and judgment on his children. This double purpose is true of all calamities. They mingle judgment and mercy. They are both punishment and purification. Suffering, and even death, can be both judgment and mercy at the same time.

The clearest illustration of this is the death of Jesus. It was both judgment and mercy. It was judgment on Jesus because he bore our sins (not his own), and it was mercy toward us who trust him to bear our punishment (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24) and be our righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

Another example is the curse and miseries that have come on this earth because of the fall of Adam and Eve. Those who never believe in Christ experience it as judgment, but believers experience it as merciful, though painful — a preparation for glory. “The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope” (Romans 8:20). This is God’s subjection. This is why there are tsunamis. But this subjection to futility is “in hope.”

Lesson #4. The heart that Christ gives to his people feels compassion for those who suffer, no matter what their faith is.

When the Bible says, “Weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), it does not add, “unless God caused the weeping.” Job’s comforters would have done better to weep with Job than talk so much. That does not change when we discover that Job’s suffering was ultimately from God. No, it is right to weep with those who suffer. Pain is pain, no matter who causes it. We are all sinners. Empathy flows not from the causes of pain, but from the company of pain. And we are all in it together.

Lesson #5. Finally, Christ calls us to show mercy to those who suffer, even if they do not deserve it.

That is the meaning of mercy — undeserved help. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). This is how Christ treated us (Romans 5:10), dying for us when we were his enemies. By that power, and wit

h that example, we do the same.

GOD CAN PREVENT YOU FROM SINNING AGAINST HIM!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 26, 2024.

SUBJECT : GOD CAN PREVENT YOU FROM SINNING AGAINST HIM!

Memory verse: "But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good or bad.” (Genesis 31 vs 24.)

READ: Genesis 20 vs 2 - 7:

20:2: Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah.

20:3: But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed, you are a dead man because of the woman you have taken, for she is a man's wife.”

20:4: But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, “LORD, wilt You slay a righteous nation also?”

20:5: Did he not say to me, “She is my sister?” And she, even she herself said, “He is my brother.” in the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”

20:6: And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.

20:7: Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

INTIMATION:

God, in His infinite mercy and love for us, can prevent us from sinning. He does this in so many ways unknown to us. Have you ever tried to imagine how many times God has done same for you, holding you back from sin in ways you can’t even detect? It is obvious we have no way of knowing—we just know that He can. God works just as often in ways we can’t see as in ways we can. 

In our anchor Scripture, God appeared to Laban in a dream and warned him concerning Jacob, thereby preventing him from doing anything contrary to His plan and purpose in Jacob’s life. If Laban’s intentions were to harm Jacob, surely this would have been a nightmare. In order to strike fear in the heart of Laban, God warned him not to speak harshly to Jacob, the heir of Abraham and the one through whose seedline the promises would be fulfilled. 

In the passage we read today, Abimelech had unknowingly taken a married woman to be his wife and was about to commit adultery. But God somehow prevented him from touching Sarah and held him back from sinning. What mercy on God’s part! Through some providential manner God kept Abimelech from touching Sarah, or else he would have reaped the judgement of God. 

In First Samuel 25, Nabal, Abigail’s husband, and very rich, rudely refused David’s request to feed his 600 men, in spite of David and his men protecting Nabal’s workforce, and consequently are part of Nabal’s prosperity due to their vigilance. David was greatly outraged by his action and planned to take vengeance on Nabal’s property, and to kill all the males in his household. 

However, the wife Abigail, sensible and capable, by her swift action and skillful negotiation, kept David from taking vengeance upon Nabal. Both Abigail and David saw the hand of God in all that transpired between them. Abigail said to David, “Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm to my lord be as Nabal.” (Genesis 25 vs 26,) 

David said to Abigail, “For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” (First Samuel 25 vs 34.) David sensed that Abigail was sent to him by God, for he expressed gratitude to her for her wise advice. The tender heart of David was here revealed because he accepted the advice of a woman who pled for the case of her foolish husband. 

David was in no mood to listen when he set out  for Nabal’s property. Nevertheless, he stopped to hear what Abigail had to say. If he had ignored her, he would have been guilty of taking vengeance into his own hands. Abigail did not want him to regret any rash actions on his part that would lead to killing innocent people. In this case, the rest of the clan of Nabal would have been innocent victims of the unrighteous Nabal.

God works in all things for His children. What you may consider as a “coincidence” or that “It just happened,” I call or term  as “God-incidence.” “For all things work together for good to them that love Him.” (Romans 8 vs 28.) Therefore, all glory must be returned to Him at all times.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so merciful and Your mercy endures forever. O Lord, even in our unfaithfulness You remain faithful. Your compassion never fails us. Endue me with the spirit of complete obedience to You in all things and at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Three Christmas Presents

 Three Christmas Presents

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. . . . My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 3:7–8; 2:1–2)

Ponder this remarkable situation with me. If the Son of God came to help you stop sinning — to destroy the works of the devil — and if he also came to die so that, when you do sin, there is a propitiation, a removal of God’s wrath, then what does this imply for living your life?

Three things. And they are wonderful to have. I give them to you briefly as Christmas presents.

Gift #1. A Clear Purpose for Living

It implies that you have a clear purpose for living. Negatively, it is simply this: don’t sin — don’t do what dishonors God. “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin” (1 John 2:1). “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

If you ask, “Can you give us that positively, instead of negatively?” the answer is: Yes, it’s all summed up in 1 John 3:23. It’s a great summary of what John’s whole letter requires. Notice the singular “commandment” — “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” These two things are so closely connected for John he calls them one commandment: believe Jesus and love others. That is your purpose. That is the sum of the Christian life. Trusting Jesus, loving people the way Jesus and his apostles taught us to love. Trust Jesus, love people. There’s the first gift: a purpose to live.

Gift #2. Hope That Our Failures Will Be Forgiven

The second implication of the twofold truth that Christ came to destroy our sinning and to forgive our sins is this: We make progress in overcoming our sin when we have hope that our failures will be forgiven. If you don’t have hope that God will forgive your failures, when you start fighting sin, you give up.

Many of you are pondering some changes in the new year, because you have fallen into sinful patterns and want out. You want some new patterns of eating. New patterns for entertainment. New patterns of giving. New patterns of relating to your spouse. New patterns of family devotions. New patterns of sleep and exercise. New patterns of courage in witness. But you are struggling, wondering whether it’s any use. Well, here’s your second Christmas present: Christ not only came to destroy the works of the devil — our sinning — he also came to be an advocate for us because of experiences of failure in our fight.

So, I plead with you, let the fact that failure will not have the last word give you the hope to fight. But beware! If you turn the grace of God into license, and say, “Well, if I can fail, and it doesn’t matter, then why bother fighting sin?” — if you say that, and mean it, and go on acting on it, you are probably not born again and should tremble.

But that is not where most of you are. Most of you want to fight sinful patterns in your life. And what God is saying to you is this: Let Christ’s covering of your failure give hope to fight. “I write this to you that you might not sin, but if you sin you have an advocate, Jesus Christ.”

Gift #3. Christ Will Help Us

Finally, the third implication of the double truth that Christ came to destroy our sinning and to forgive our sins is this: Christ will really help us in our fight. He really will help you. He is on your side. He didn’t come to destroy sin because sin is fun. He came to destroy sin because sin is fatal. It is a deceptive work of the devil, and it will destroy us if we don’t fight it. He came to help us, not hurt us.

So here’s your third Christmas present: Christ will help overcome sin in you. First John 4:4 says, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Jesus is alive, Jesus is almighty, Jesus lives in us by faith. And Jesus is for us, not against us. He will help you in your fight with sin in

 the new year. Trust him.

END OF YEAR PROPHETIC DECLARATION BY APOSTLE JOSHUA SALMAN

 End of the Year Prophetic Declaration by Apostle Joshua Salman.

Today, we're joining live to our Spiritual father to bring in the end of the year prophetic declaration. Happy viewing and remained blessed in Jesus Name 🙏🙏🙏🙏

BE SELFLESS AS CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 25, 2024.

SUBJECT : BE SELFLESS AS CHRIST! 

Memory verse: "Bear one another's burdens, and fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6 vs 2.)

READ: Philippians 2 vs 3 - 5; First Corinthians 10 vs 24:

Philippians 2:3: Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

2:4: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

2:5: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

First Corinthians 10:24: Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being. 

INTIMATION:

Being selfless is laying aside right; putting others first. Selflessness is having no regard to self, being altruistic—living and acting for the interest of others. It is inconveniencing yourself for the happiness, and benefit of others. Jesus Christ, our Messiah, is a classic example of a selfless life. He was humble, willing to give up His rights in order to obey God and serve people. Consequently, the apostle Paul advises us thus: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Like Jesus, we should have a servant's attitude, serving out of love for God and others. 

Everyone chooses his or her attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others. Jesus Christ's ministry on earth was anchored on selflessness, and was the basis for our salvation. He died for us; paid a ransom for us because we could not do it ourselves. His death released us from our slavery and bondage to sin. Jesus remarked in Mark 10 vs 45; "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." 

Living a selfless life as Christ did brings about spiritual unity. We must love one another and be one in spirit and purpose. When we co-operate in working together, caring for the problems of others as if they were our problems, we demonstrate Christ's example of putting others first, and consequently, fulfill the law of Christ. 

Always think of yourself the way Jesus thought of Himself. Though He is God, and equal with God in status, but didn't think so much of Himself that He had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men to serve and save man.

Many people, even Christians, live only to make a good impression on others or to please themselves. However, selfish ambition or conceit (overbearing, having a high opinion of oneself) brings discord. Unfortunately, selfishness abound in the Body of Christ. Christians—members of the Body of Christ—compete amongst themselves with the motive to outdo or undo the other; backbiting, gossiping, witch-hunting, working against the interest of others etc. 

Such evil behaviors are the products of selfishness. Even the leaders who should lead by example even struggle in traffic jam, in fuel cue, in difficult circumstances to take the first turn etc. Though it is difficult to lead such a lifestyle but we need to start from somewhere and let the Holy Spirt help us accomplish the rest.

Someone would say, “Can a selfless lifestyle of service be possible.” Yes it can! Worthy of note was the Christlike selfless service of the late Mother Teresa; a unique personality who devoted her life to the service of God and others as a nun in the Roman Catholic faith. In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that had over 4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries in 2012. 

The congregation manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counseling programs, as well as orphanages and schools. Members take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and also profess a fourth vow—to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” 

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You. Give me the grace to lead a selfless lifestyle of service to You and fellow humans. treating others with respect and common courtesy, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Two Purposes for Christmas

 Two Purposes for Christmas

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:7–8)

When 1 John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil,” what are “the works of the devil” that he has in mind? The answer is clear from the context.

First, 1 John 3:5 is a clear parallel: “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins.” The phrase he appeared to occurs in verse 5 and verse 8. So most likely the “works of the devil” that Jesus came to destroy are sins. The first part of verse 8 makes this virtually certain: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”

The issue in this context is sinning, not sickness or broken cars or messed up schedules. Jesus came into the world to enable us to stop sinning.

We see this even more clearly if we put this truth alongside the truth of 1 John 2:1: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.” This is one of the great purposes of Christmas — one of the great purposes of the incarnation (1 John 3:8). 

But there is another purpose which John adds in 1 John 2:1–2, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 

But now look what this means: It means that Jesus appeared in the world for two reasons. He came that we might not go on sinning — that is, he came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8); and he came so that there would be a propitiation for our sins, if we do sin. He came to be a substitutionary sacrifice that takes away the wrath of God for our sins.

The upshot of this second purpose is not to defeat the first purpose. Forgiveness is not for the purpose of permitting sin. The aim of the death of Christ for our sins is not that we relax our battle against sin. The upshot of these two purposes of Christmas, rather, is that the payment once made for all our sins is the freedom and power that enables us to fight sin not as legalists, earning our salvation, and not as fearful of losing our salvation, but as victors who throw ourselves into the battle against sin with confidence and joy, even if it costs 

us our lives.

SILENCE IS EXPENSIVE FOR A BELIEVER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY DECEMBER 24, 2024.

SUBJECT: SILENCE IS EXPENSIVE FOR A BELIEVER! 

Memory verse: "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10 vs 9.)

READ: Matthew 10 vs 32 - 33:

10:32: 32: Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

10:33: But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

INTIMATION:

People say silence is golden, and it can certainly be so. But in Christendom it is certainly very expensive, and most times, costs a person the thing wanted from God. Your communication matters. The confession of our belief—our faith, is the confession of God's Word; hearing God's Word, claiming it for your own, saying His promise is for you, and receiving the results of that promise are the orderly and direct steps along the pathway to God. However, it starts with the confession of your faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross that culminated in the gift of salvation to you: “…With the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10 vs 9). 

In the Bible passage we read today, the statement by Jesus thus, “every one .....who shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father...,” conveys the thought of confessing allegiance to Christ as one’s Master and Lord, and on the other hand, of acknowledgement, on His part, of the faithful one as being His worshipper and servant, His loyal follower. 

Anyone who confesses Jesus Christ (that is, publicly acknowledges faith in, or declares allegiance to Him) will be acknowledged by Christ before His Father in heaven. People who will not take a stand for Jesus for reason of being afraid of rejection or ridicule will eventually be denied by Jesus before His Father. They wouldn’t admit to faith in Jesus because they may not want to lose their association or follower-ship in worldly affairs which may be their source of livelihood, or lose their prestigious position in their association or community. 

In Mark 8 vs 8 Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” We can reject Jesus now and be rejected by Him at His second coming, or we can accept Him now and be accepted by Him then. Rejecting Christ may help us escape shame for the time being, but it will guarantee an eternity of shame later. We should live as Christ has urged us to, sharing our faith no matter what the cost. We may not be beaten or thrown into jail, but we may be ridiculed, ostracized, or slandered. 

But the praise of humans is fickle and short-lived. We should be much more concerned about God’s eternal acceptance than about the temporary approval of other people. Christ’s given mission for Christians is to go forth and preach the gospel; confessing Christ’s “Good News” to the world thus turning many from sin to righteousness. 

The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ death, burial for our sins, and resurrection for our hope. And this is what all believers must proclaim to all the world. In doing this, the Scripture says we are eternal “stars”—by being wise and leading many to God’s righteousness. (Daniel 12 vs 3.) If we share our Lord with others, we can be true stars—radiantly beautiful in God’s sight. It is very important to lead people to Christ because it keeps us in touch with God while it offers others eternal life. 

It’s noteworthy that Christians still face persecution in the hands of non-Christians in some parts of the world till date. In the face of such persecution, Jesus’ followers are encouraged to publicly claim to belong to Him. Though it is usually at their peril, but they are assured of an everlasting joy with Christ in eternity. Genuine discipleship always involves acknowledging Jesus Christ, whether or not we face pressure and persecution. Not confessing Jesus or keeping silent about your faith in Him is tantamount to denying your faith, and consequently denying Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, denying You is death, and confessing You is life—life everlasting. Let my tongue gum to the roof of my mouth if I fail to confess You to the world. May the thought of denying You never cross my mind, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!