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"WHERE ARE YOU ? " Gen. 3:9

                                                  GOD’S FIRST WORDS TO THE FIRST SINNER

                                              (Adapted from a sermon from the Rev. C.H.Spurgeon)

                                   “The Lord God called to Adam and said unto him, Where are you?”

                                                                        Genesis 3:9.

                                                                           (CONTD )

 And now, lastly, we feel sure that this text may be used and must be used, in another sense. To those who reject

the text as a voice of awakening and conviction; to those who despise it as the voice of mercy bemoaning them, or as the

voice of goodness seeking them, it comes in another way. It is the voice of JUSTICE SUMMONING THEM.

Adam had fled, but God must have him come to His bar. “Where are you, Adam? Come here, Man, come here, I must

judge you, sin cannot go unpunished! Come, and your guilty spouse with you. Come here; I must put questions to you; I

must hear your pleading, and since they will be vain and void, I must pronounce your sentence.” For though there was

much of pity in the question, there was something of severity, too. “Adam, Adam, where are you? Come here to be

judged.” Today you hear not that cry; it is mercifully postponed. You shall hear it soon; you shall hear it for the first

time like mutterings of thunder when the storm begins; when sickness casts you on your bed, and Death looks through

his bony eyes upon you, and touches you with his ghastly hand, and says, “Prepare to meet your God.” You may put off

the question today; you will have to deal with it when God Himself shall come into closer contact with your nature than

He does today. Then shall your bones be as a jelly, and your ribs shall quake, and your very heart shall melt like wax!

You shall contend with the pains of sickness or disease; but there shall be a direr pain than these! You shall have to look

on death, but death shall not be the most terrible of all your terrors, for you shall see behind death the judgment and the

doom! Then you will hear it, when the room is silent, and voices of wife and children are hushed; when only the clock is

ticking, you shall hear the steps of God coming to you in the eventide of your life, saying to you, “Where are you? Now

you shall meet Me. Gird up your loins! No more invitations of mercy for you! Your day of mercy is gone! No warnings

from the minister; now you shall meet Me face to face.” “Where are you?”

Can you brag and boast now, when your nerves have become roads for the hot feet of pain to travel on, and your

strength has gone and fled, and you are as a candle ready to die out? Where now are your oaths? Where now your merrymakings

and your jests? Where are you now? You may toss and turn, but you will not be able to escape the question! You

will try to look back to this life, but you will be compelled to look forward to the life or the death to come! And still will

the Lord whisper into your ears, “Where are you? Where are you?” Then shall come the last struggle, when the strong

man shall be bowed, when the bright and glittering eyes shall be covered over with film, and the tongue shall cleave to

the roof of the mouth, and the hands shall lie with no strength on the bed, and the feet shall no more be able to support

the body; when the pulse shall fail, and the clammy death-sweat shall stand upon the brow; and in those last moments

there will still be heard that awful voice, rising with the gathering storm till it reaches the full grandeur of the awful

tempest—“Where are you?” In the Jordan without God; nearing the grave without hope; dying, but no Christ to help

you; launching upon eternity, but no hope of eternal salvation! It is over, and the last pang has passed, and the thread is

snapped that bound the spirit to the body, and you are gone into another world! But the question follows you—“Where

are you?” Your Spirit is now awake; it sleeps no more; it is rid of the dull flesh that kept it sullen, stolid, stupid, dead.

Now it hears that Voice, indeed, and it thrills through and through the spirit, for the soul is brought before its God!

“Where are you? Where are you?” cries the quickened conscience; ad God answers it, “Depart, you cursed one!” The

spirit departs from God, not to hide itself among the trees of the garden, but to plunge itself into waves of agony! And

how many years have passed, and the body, though the soul has been alive and has suffered, has been sleeping in the

grave, and the worms have devoured it?

But hark, the Day of Judgment! The day of thunder has arrived! Shrill above all thunders sounds the awful trumpet.

And after the trumpet comes the voice—“Awake, you dead, and come to judgment!” Amidst that awful tumult is heard

the cry, “Where are you?” The angelic messenger has found your body, and from the grave your body starts, from underneath

the green sward. Up it leaps in answer to the question, “Where are you?” and to its horror its ghastly spirit comes

back. Its soul, that long has suffered, returns into the resurrection body, and they two, comrades in sin, are now comrades

in judgment! The cry rings forth once more, and that very ear shall hear it that now listens to me—“Where are

you?” Then comes the Great White Throne, and those very eyes shall see it that now gaze on me! And then comes the

commencement of the dread assize—and that heart shall quail then which moves not now! Then shall come your own

personal trial; and oh, Sinner! Sinner! It is not for me to describe your terror! I could not give even the faintest picture of

that death-sound, and of the death of your immortal spirit while you hear it—“I was hungry, and you gave Me no meat;

I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; inasmuch as you did it not unto one of the least of these, My brethren, you did it

not to Me; and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.” Oh, Earth! Earth!

Earth! Hear the Word of the Lord! I pray each of you to hear it for yourselves! I have not talked to you of dreams. You

know they are realities. And if you know it not now, you shall before long. I do beseech you by the blood of Him who

died for sinners—and what stronger argument can I use?—think of the question, “Where are you?” May God show you

where you are! Hear the bemoaning voice of God, as pityingly He weeps over you! Seek His face, for He seeks you; and

then you need not dread to hear Him say at the last, “Where are you?” But you will be able to say, “Here am I, and the

children You have given me. We have washed our robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and, Father,

here we are, hoping to dwell in Your Presence forever and ever.”

Oh, that I could plead with you as a man pleads for his life! Would that these lips of clay were lips of fire, and this

tongue no more of flesh, but a live coal taken with the tongs from off the altar! Oh, for words that would burn their way

into your souls! O Sinner! Sinner! Why will you die? Why will you perish? Man, eternity is an awful thing, and an angry

God is a dreadful thing! And to be judged and condemned—what tongue can tell the horror? Escape for your life; look

not behind you; stay not in all the plain; escape to Mount Calvary, lest you be consumed! “Believe on the Lord Jesus

Christ.” Trust Him alone with your soul; trust Him with it now, “and you shall be saved, and your house.”

Adapted from The C. H. Spurgeon Collection,.

PRAY THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL USE THIS SERMON

TO BRING MANY TO A SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST.

God Bless.

"WHERE ARE YOU ?" Gen. 3:9

                                         GOD’S FIRST WORDS TO THE FIRST SINNER

                                 (Adapted from a sermon from the Rev. C.H.Spurgeon)

                            “The Lord God called to Adam and said unto him, Where are you?”

                                                                   Genesis 3:9.

                                                                   ( CONTD )

 But now I must turn, lest time should fail us, to a fourth way in which no doubt this verse was intended. It is an

arousing voice, a convincing voice, a bemoaning voice—but, in the fourth place—it is a SEEKING VOICE. “Adam,

where are you?” I am come to find you wherever you may be. I will look for you till the eyes of My pity see you. I will

follow you till the hands of My mercy reach you, and I will still hold you till I bring you back to Myself, and reconcile

you to My heart.

Again, if you have been able to follow me through the three parts of the discourse, I can speak confidently to you. If

you have been awakened, if you have been convinced, if you have some longings toward God, then the Lord has come

forth to seek you, and to seek you this morning! What a thought it is, that when God comes forth to seek His chosen, He

knows where they are, and He never misses them; and though they may have wandered ever so far, yet it is not too far for

Him! If they had gone to the gates of Hell, and the gates were half opened to receive them, the Lord would get them even

there. If they had so sinned that they had given themselves up, and every Christian living had given them up, too—if Satan

had counted upon them, and had made ready to receive them, yet when God comes forth to seek them, He will find

them, and He will have them after all! You who are lost, perishing sinners, hear the voice of God, for it speaks to you,

“Where are you?” for I have come to seek you. “Lord I am in such a place that I cannot do anything for myself.” “Then I

have come to seek you, and do all for you.” “Lord, I am in such a place that the Law threatens me, and Justice frowns

upon me.” “I have come to answer the threats of the Law, and to bear all the wrath of Justice!” “But, Lord, I am in such

a place that I cannot repent as I would.” “I have come to seek you, and I am exalted on high to give repentance and remission

of sins.”

“But, Lord, I cannot believe in You; I cannot believe as I would.” “A bruised reed I will not break, and a smoking

flax will I not quench, I have come to give you faith.” “But, Lord, I am in such a state that my prayers can never be acceptable.”

“I have come to pray for you, and then to grant you your desires.” “But, Lord, You do not know what a

wretch I am.” “Yes, I know you. Though I asked you the question, ‘Where are you?’ it was that you might know where

you are, for I knew well enough!” “But, Lord, I have been the chief of sinners—none can have so aggravated their guilt

as I have.” “But wherever you may be, I have come to save you.” “But I am an outcast from society.” “But I have come to

gather together the outcasts of Israel.” “Oh, but I have sinned beyond all hope.” “Yes, but I have come to give hope to

hopeless sinners.” “Yes, but then I deserve to be lost.” “Yes, but I have come to magnify the Law and make it honorable,

and so to give you your deserts in the Person of Christ, and then to give you My mercy because of His merits.” There is

not a sinner here conscious of his lost estate who can be in a position out of which he cannot be brought! I will conceive

the worst of all the worst, the vilest of all the vile—we will bring up those who have taken high degrees in the devil’s

synagogue, and become masters of iniquity—but still if with tearful eyes they look alone to the wounds of Him who shed

His blood for sinners, He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him!

Oh, I cannot preach this morning as I would, nor can you perhaps hear as you would wish, but may the Lord speak

where I cannot, and may He say unto some despairing sinner here, “Soul, your hour is come. I will pluck you out of the

horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, at this day and at this very hour! I will set your feet upon a Rock. I will put a new

song into your mouth, and I will establish your goings.” Blessed, blessed, be the name of the Most High if such may be

the case!

(to be contd )

God Bless.

"WHERE ARE YOU ?" Gen. 3:9

                                            GOD’S FIRST WORDS TO THE FIRST SINNER

                                    (Adapted from a sermon from the Rev. C.H.Spurgeon)

                          “The Lord God called to Adam and said unto him, Where are you?”

                                                                 Genesis 3:9.

                                                                     ( CONTD )

 This brings me to the third way in which we may regard the question of the text. The Lord God called to Adam

and said to him, “Where are you?” We may regard this text as the VOICE OF GOD BEMOANING MAN’S LOST ESTATE.

Some have even ventured to translate the Hebrew, “Alas for you, alas for you!” It is as if God uttered the words of

the Prophet, “How can I give you up? How can I utterly destroy you? How can I set you as Admah? How shall I make

you as Zeboim? My repentings are kindled, My heart is moved for you. Where are you, My poor Adam? You did talk

with Me, but you have now fled from Me. You were happy once, what are you now? Naked and poor, and miserable. You

were once in My Image glorious, immortal, blessed—where are you now, poor Adam? My Image is marred in you, your

own Father’s face is taken away, and you have made yourself earthy, sensual, devilish! Where are you now, poor Adam?”

Oh, it is amazing to think how the Lord felt for poor Adam! It is taken for granted by all theologians that God can neither

feel nor suffer. There is no such thing in the Word of God. If it could be said that God could not do anything, and

everything, we would say that He was not Omnipotent! But He can do all things, and we have not a God who cannot be

moved—we have One who feels, and who describes Himself in human language as having a father’s heart, and all the

tenderness of a mother’s heart. Just as a father cries over a rebellious son, so does the eternal Father say, “Poor Adam,

where are you?”

And now have I here this morning any soul on whom the former part of the text has had some effect? Do you feel

yourself to be lost, and do you discern that this lostness is the result of your own willful folly? Do you bemoan yourself?

Ah, then, God bemoans you! He is looking down upon you, and He is saying, “Ah, poor drunkard, why will you cling to

your cups? Into what misery have they brought you?” He is saying to you who are now weeping over sin, “Ah, poor

child, what pain you suffer from your own willful folly!” A father’s heart moves; He longs to clasp His Ephraim to His

breast. Do not think, Sinner, that God is stony-hearted. You have a heart of stone, God has not! Do not think that He is

slow to move—you are slow to move—He is not—the hardness is in yourself! If you are straitened anywhere, it is in

your own heart, not in Him! Soul, Soul convicted of sin! God loves you, and to prove how He loves you, in the Person of

His Son He creeps over you and He cries, “O that you had known, even you in this, your day, the things that make for

your peace; but now are they hid from your eyes.” I hear Him saying to you, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I

have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you would not!” I pray you, let

this mournful wailing voice of the Eternal God come to your ears and move you to repentance! “As I live, says the Lord, I

have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, but had rather that he would turn unto Me and live.”

Oh, does your heart feel ready to burst because of your sin and the misery into which it has brought you? Pray, poor

Sinner, “I will arise and go unto my Father, and will say to Him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and in Your

sight, and am no more worthy to be called Your son.” He sees you, Sinner! When you are yet a great way off, He sees

you—here are eyes of mercy! He runs—here are feet of mercy! He clasps you—here are arms of mercy! He kisses you—

here are lips of mercy! He says, “Take off his rags”—here are words of mercy! He clothes you—here are deeds of mercy!

Wonders of mercy—all mercy! O did you know what a reception a God of mercy gives to sinners, you would not stay

away! As John Bunyan says, when the besieger hangs out the black flag, then those within the walls say they will fight it

out. But when he runs up the white flag, and tells them that if they will open the gates he will have mercy upon them, no,

he will give a charter to their city, then, says Bunyan, they say, “Fling open the gates,” and they come tumbling over the

walls to him in the readiness of their hearts! Soul, let not Satan deceive you by telling you that God is hard, unkind, unwilling

to forgive! Try Him, try Him! Just as you are—black with sin, filthy, self-condemned—and if you need anything

to make you come to Him, hear again the Lord’s plaintive cry, as it rings through the trees of Eden, “Adam, poor Adam,

My own creature, where, where are you?”

( to be contd )

God Bless.

The Daily Bible Study

Blessed are the Merciful

By Warren Wiersbe

      Certainly it does not mean that we earn mercy because we extend mercy, for such an idea is foreign to Word of God. By its very definition, mercy cannot be earned any more than grace can be earned. The Beatitude is saying: "When you experience mercy, and share mercy, then your heart is in such a condition tha6t you can receive more mercy to share with others. . . Jesus is not asking us to be merciful occasionally; He is asking us to be constant channels of mercy. "Give, and it shall be given unto you" (Luke 6:38). By extending mercy, we open our hearts to receive mercy; and having received, we can share again and again.

      The Christian is surrounded by mercy. When he looks back, he can say, "Surely goodness, and mercy have followed me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6). When he looks ahead, he remembers the words of Jude 21--"Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." As he begins each new day, he can say; "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

      . . . God responds to us on the basis of the heart. "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward" (Psalm 18:25-26). . . . When once we begin to cultivate one of the spiritual graces, God always provides more. When we show mercy, He gives mercy; and thus, we have more mercy to show.

      When a Christian shows mercy, he experiences liberation. He is set free from grudges that drain the strength and unsettle the mind. . . The most miserable prison in the world is the prison we make for ourselves when we refuse to show mercy. Our thoughts become shackled, our emotions are chained, the will is almost paralyzed. But when we show mercy, all of these bonds are broken, and we enter into a joyful liberty that frees us to share God's love with others. This blessing of freedom is one way that we receive mercy as we show mercy. It is a blessed by-product of obeying God.

      . . . How thrilling to go through life sharing God's mercy and not having to judge people to see if they are "worthy" of what we have to offer. We stop looking at the externals and begin to see people through the merciful eyes of Christ. Every Christian we meet is a person in whom Jesus lives; every lost soul we meet is a person for whom Jesus died. In both cases, we have candidates for God's mercy.

                                                                    Quotes from A.W.Tozer

“An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others.” 
― A.W. Tozer

God Bless.

Today's Word of Blessing

A CHANNEL OF BLESSINGSPaul Dhinakaran

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.    (Genesis 12:2)

Dearly beloved, when the Lord sets His hands on you and blesses you, your family will be blessed through you. The Bible says that when Jacob lived in his uncle Laban’s house, God blessed the latter and all his belongings immeasurably. One day, when Jacob prepared to leave Laban’s house for his native land, his uncle pleaded with him: "If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you" (Genesis 30:27).

What Laban had before Jacob came to him, was little (Genesis 30:30). However, from the day Jacob set foot in his house, his blessings began abounding. Amazed at it, he went to the soothsayers and asked them what could be the secret of his bountiful blessings. They told him that it was all due to the presence of a newcomer called Jacob in his house.

You may be bemoaning saying, “Alas! Poverty is so rampant in my family. My father or mother is bed-ridden all the time!” Are you broken-hearted because of problems in the family? The Lord who blessed Laban through Jacob, will bless your family also through you. 

I came to the Lord in 1980. I was then 18 years old. Before that, I did not bother in the least about God! My parents used to shed tears for me. There was no peace at home. Everywhere people rose against us. Hence, my mother fasted one day in the week and prayed in tears for me, day and night. God touched me very soon. He filled me with His Holy Spirit. Our home, dull and dreary till then, became a haven of peace and joy. Since then the ministry began spreading. Countless miracles were witnessed in the Good News meetings and people were drawn to them in lakhs. My father had a promotion in his profession and his pre-eminence as a servant of God began to spread all over the world. In the ministry also, buildings and equipment increased in abundance. Both our family and the ministry began prospering. 

All because I accepted the Lord and gave Him room in my heart, our family was abundantly blessed by God. Today whether it be in the family or the ministry, I am consulted on all matters. If I am honoured so much, it is all because Lord Jesus is with me and prospers all my undertakings. Because the hand of the Lord is upon me, my family is blessed so much.

Perhaps you may be young in age but do not forget that you alone are responsible for the blessings in your family. When the Lord sets His hand upon you, He will cause abundant blessings to be poured into your family. There will be prosperity in your family. Your parents, relatives, brothers and sisters will love you and respect you. They will say about you with pride: “He/ she has come to Lord Jesus Christ and is channel of blessings to us.” The love of those around you, will surround you all through your lives. You will become a blessing to your family and the society at large.

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus,

I seek You with my whole heart. Let your hand be with me. Bless me in order that I may be a blessing to others. Lord, be with me and prosper all my undertakings. Make me a channel of blessings to my family. Let their love surround me all through my life. May our home become a haven of peace and joy. Help me to spread your divine fragrance everywhere I go.

In Your matchless name I pray.

Amen.
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The Daily Bible Study

                                                                                                                  Bigger and Better

                                                                                                                  By Warren Wiersbe

                                                                                                                  Read Psalm 4:1-8

 
      Sometimes God's people can be so discouraging! In Psalm 4 we find David listening to people saying, "Who will show us any good?" (v. 6). David's own men were discouraged. They were going through a trial, and some were saying, "O David, this is the end. God is no longer going to help us." That's hard to take. It's rough when your associates or friends say to you, "Well, you've reached the end. Who will show us any good?"

      But David called on the Lord, and God enlarged him. "You have relieved (enlarged) me when I was in distress" (v. 1). Pressure on the outside should make us bigger on the inside. The trials of life will press against us and make us either midgets or giants--either smaller or bigger. But we have to start on the inside. "You have relieved me when I was in distress." How did this happen?

      David cried out to God, "You have put gladness in my heart" (v. 7). He started out with sadness and ended with gladness. He started with tears and ended with triumph. Once again he's sleeping beautifully. "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety" (v. 8).

      David discovered that what was important was not the circumstance around him but the attitude within him. Let God enlarge you when you are going through distress. He can do it. You can't do it, and others can't do it for you. In fact, others may want to make things even tighter and narrower for you. But when you turn to the Lord and trust Him, He will enlarge you on the inside. You'll come out of your distresses a bigger person because you've trusted in the Lord.

      There is a relationship between our attitude inside and our circumstances outside. If we maintain the proper attitude, God will use our trials to enlarge us. Are you going through a trial today? Give your circumstances to the Lord and trust Him to enlarge you.

                                                                      Quotes from A.W.Tozer

                                                    “Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed or those we enjoy now.” 
                                                                                                                                                                ― A.W. Tozer

God Bless.

Today's Word of Blessing

REWARD FOR PATIENCEStella Dhinakaran

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.    (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Lord Jesus assures us that He will make us more than conquerors in this world (Romans 8:37). All we have to do is just say, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57). He says, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The Lord Himself walked through all kinds of afflictions, trials and temptations in this world just to grant us victory over them. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). He Himself carried all our sins, iniquities and afflictions on the cross in order to grant us a new life. Just for our sake, He went through the experience of utter helplessness and cried out, “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me” (Matthew 27:46).

Joseph was a young man who loved God with all his heart. On account of that, he had to suffer in the prison for 13 years. However, the Lord changed everything in his life and made him a blessing to many. He never forsook him. He was with him and delivered him (Genesis 39:2, 21 and 23). “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (I Peter 5:6). As mentioned in the above Scripture verse, Joseph surrendered his life to God even in that difficult situation. He continued to lead a godly life. That is why God delivered him from all his troubles and made him a channel of blessing.

The Lord enabled Joseph to obtain grace in the eyes of Pharaoh. He gave Joseph the necessary wisdom and the power. At His appointed time the miracle happened. Finally, the Pharaoh himself acknowledged, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?...There is no one so discerning and wise as you” (Genesis 41:38, 39).

Dearly beloved, we may be lamenting on account of our afflictions. According to James 5:11, the time has come for God to reward us for our patience. He will certainly remember all the afflictions we went through in the past and grant us deliverance. Therefore, let us seek the Lord with great faith and enjoy wonders and miracles in our lives.

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus,

I am going through the path of adversity. You suffered on the cross for my sake in order to give me a new life. You overcame the world. Lord, do not forsake me. Let your presence be with me as I walk this difficult path. Hold my hand and strengthen me. Grant me deliverance and elevate me in my life at the appointed time. I give all glory, honour and praise to You.

In Your matchless name I pray. 

Amen.
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The Daily Bible Study

                                                                                                           Be Determined

                                                                                                           By Warren Wiersbe

      Are we the kind of leaders and followers God wants us to be? Like Nehemiah, do we have a burden in our hearts for the work God has called us to do? (Neh. 2:12). Are we willing to sacrifice to see His will accomplished? Are we patient in gathering facts and in planning our work? Do we enlist the help of others or try to do everything ourselves? Do we motivate people on the basis of the spiritual-what God is doing-or simply on the basis of the personal? Are they following us or the Lord as He leads us?

      As followers, do we listen to what our leaders say as they share their burdens? Do we cling to the past or desire to see God do something new? Are we cooperating in any way with the enemy and thus weakening the work? Have we found the job God wants us to complete?

      Anyone can go through life as a destroyer; God has called His people to be builders. What an example Nehemiah is to us! Trace his 'so' statements and see how God used him: 'So I prayed' (2:4); 'So I came to Jerusalem' (v. 11); 'So they strengthened their hands for this good work' (v. 18); 'So built we the wall' (4:6); 'So we labored in the work' (v. 21); 'So the wall was finished' (6:15).

      Were it not for the grit and determination that came from his faith in a great God, Nehemiah would never have finished the work.

      As Dr. V. Raymond Edman used to say, 'It is always too soon to quit.'

      Paul writes: "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Cor. 15:58, niv).

                                                      Quotes from A.W.Tozer

“God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which he must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.” 

― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

The Daily Bible Study

                                                                                                           Be Determined

                                                                                                           By Warren Wiersbe

      Are we the kind of leaders and followers God wants us to be? Like Nehemiah, do we have a burden in our hearts for the work God has called us to do? (Neh. 2:12). Are we willing to sacrifice to see His will accomplished? Are we patient in gathering facts and in planning our work? Do we enlist the help of others or try to do everything ourselves? Do we motivate people on the basis of the spiritual-what God is doing-or simply on the basis of the personal? Are they following us or the Lord as He leads us?

      As followers, do we listen to what our leaders say as they share their burdens? Do we cling to the past or desire to see God do something new? Are we cooperating in any way with the enemy and thus weakening the work? Have we found the job God wants us to complete?

      Anyone can go through life as a destroyer; God has called His people to be builders. What an example Nehemiah is to us! Trace his 'so' statements and see how God used him: 'So I prayed' (2:4); 'So I came to Jerusalem' (v. 11); 'So they strengthened their hands for this good work' (v. 18); 'So built we the wall' (4:6); 'So we labored in the work' (v. 21); 'So the wall was finished' (6:15).

      Were it not for the grit and determination that came from his faith in a great God, Nehemiah would never have finished the work.

      As Dr. V. Raymond Edman used to say, 'It is always too soon to quit.'

      Paul writes: "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Cor. 15:58, niv).

                                                      Quotes from A.W.Tozer

“God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which he must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.” 

― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Today's Word of Blessing

GOD FIGHTS OUR BATTLESEvangeline Paul Dhinakaran

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

Dearly beloved, the Lord will fight for us and grant us victory. He says, “They will fight against you but will not overcome you” (Jeremiah 1:19). How can we triumph over the people who rise up against us? When we walk patiently in the path laid by God for us, no affliction can overcome us. 

When the Lord led king David through the path of affliction, he was very patient. A man called Shimei rose up against him. When the former walked in the wilderness, the latter cursed him (II Samuel 16:7). He even pelted stones at him. Even then, David was very patient and allowed him to curse him. He went on to say, “Who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’” (II Samuel 16:10).

Sometimes when our own family members rise up against us, we start speaking ill about them. We use unnecessary words to hurt them. On account of that, the situation becomes even more worse. But when we remain patient just like David, then those who rise up against us, cannot overcome us. The Lord will protect us even in that situation.

Our own people, relatives, neighbours and even friends may rise up against us. They may be people whom we trust so much. The Lord will surely fight our battles in this year. Nothing can overcome us. The Bible assures, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14).

The Lord says, “…Whoever attacks you will surrender to you” (Isaiah 54:15). This was what happened to David. When he became the king again, this same Shimei came in search of him, fell at his feet saying, “Sir, what I did was wrong. Please do forgive me.” David was appreciated by all.

When we go through afflictions, let us say, “The Lord is my light and my salvation and I will not be afraid of anyone.” When we say this with great faith, the Lord will certainly deliver us from all kinds of bondages and grant us victory. The Bible advises, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). When we humble ourselves, the Lord will exalt us at the right time.

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus,

I am going through the path of affliction. You have overcome the world. I humble myself before You believing that You will lift me up at the right time. Give me the grace to remain patient amidst my ordeals. Please protect me and fight the battle for me. Let nothing overcome me. Exalt me in the very place where I was humiliated. Grant me victory.

In Your matchless name I pray. 

Amen.
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The Daily Bible Study

                                                                                                               Are You Worthy?

                                                                                                                                                         By Warren Wiersbe

                                                                                                                                                       Read Psalm 15:1-5 

      Imagine what would happen if I walked up to the main gate at Buckingham Palace in London and said to one of the tall, hand-some, well-dressed guards, "Sir, I want to live with the royal family." He would look at me and say, "Begone, before I arrest you."

      Who is worthy to live with God? Only through Jesus Christ can we "dwell in God's holy hill." David always was a little bit envious of the priests. When we read the Psalms, we find David saying such things as, "Oh, those priests. They are able to walk in the temple of God. I can't do that. I can't go into the Holy Place." Spiritually he could, but physically he couldn't. Because we are in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can come boldly into the presence of God, not just to visit Him but to live with Him.

      David describes the kind of person who is able to live with God. He must have the right kind of feet ("walks uprightly") and hands ("works righteousness"), lips ("speaks the truth") and heart. What we say with our lips always has to come from our heart. Verse 3 also talks about the tongue: "He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend." This is the person God welcomes at His front door and says, "You come and live with Me." That person has clean feet, clean hands and a clean heart that produce clean words and clean motives, one in whose eyes a vile person is despised. His eyes look upon only what is right and good.

      Here is a beautiful picture of the kind of person God chooses to live with Him. And the beauty of it is this: Such a person will never get an eviction notice. "He who does these things shall never be moved" (v. 5). How can we be this kind of person? Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

      God welcomes those with clean feet, clean hands and a clean heart. Remember, your worth is founded in Jesus Christ. It is through faith in Him that you are acceptable in the sight of God. Are your feet, hands and heart clean?

                                                            Quotes from    ― A.W. Tozer                            

“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’ Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.” 
― A.W. Tozer

God Bless

The Daily Bible Study

                                                                                                               Are You Worthy?

                                                                                                                                                         By Warren Wiersbe

                                                                                                                                                       Read Psalm 15:1-5 

      Imagine what would happen if I walked up to the main gate at Buckingham Palace in London and said to one of the tall, hand-some, well-dressed guards, "Sir, I want to live with the royal family." He would look at me and say, "Begone, before I arrest you."

      Who is worthy to live with God? Only through Jesus Christ can we "dwell in God's holy hill." David always was a little bit envious of the priests. When we read the Psalms, we find David saying such things as, "Oh, those priests. They are able to walk in the temple of God. I can't do that. I can't go into the Holy Place." Spiritually he could, but physically he couldn't. Because we are in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can come boldly into the presence of God, not just to visit Him but to live with Him.

      David describes the kind of person who is able to live with God. He must have the right kind of feet ("walks uprightly") and hands ("works righteousness"), lips ("speaks the truth") and heart. What we say with our lips always has to come from our heart. Verse 3 also talks about the tongue: "He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend." This is the person God welcomes at His front door and says, "You come and live with Me." That person has clean feet, clean hands and a clean heart that produce clean words and clean motives, one in whose eyes a vile person is despised. His eyes look upon only what is right and good.

      Here is a beautiful picture of the kind of person God chooses to live with Him. And the beauty of it is this: Such a person will never get an eviction notice. "He who does these things shall never be moved" (v. 5). How can we be this kind of person? Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

      God welcomes those with clean feet, clean hands and a clean heart. Remember, your worth is founded in Jesus Christ. It is through faith in Him that you are acceptable in the sight of God. Are your feet, hands and heart clean?

                                                            Quotes from    ― A.W. Tozer                            

“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’ Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.” 
― A.W. Tozer

God Bless

Today's Word of Blessing

GOD WILL RESTORE YOUPaul Dhinakaran

God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.    (Romans 4:17)

Dearly beloved, the Lord shall bless you in double measure. He will restore to you all that you have lost. When Job, the devout servant of God, was going through afflictions, he was deserted by all. But when the Lord changed his captivity, granted him good health, rebuilt his family life, restored all his wealth and made him great, all his relatives came in search of him. They ate with him and honoured him.

The Bible says, “All his (Job’s) brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first…” (Job 42:11,12).

The Holy Spirit will do the same in your family also. He will make you a very honourable person in your family. He will do miracles for your family members as well as relatives for your sake. He shall make everyone of them to be of great support to you. He will do awesome things in your life also. The Lord who calls those things which do not exist as if they do exist, shall create new things for you and your children. He shall certainly do miracles for you. You shall rise up as a great army and fulfill the will of God.

The Lord shall bring prosperity to the ministry and the nation through you. But before doing that, He shall do miracles for you. If you are suffering without the gift of a child, He shall place a child in your womb today. If you do not have a house of your own, He shall not only give you the necessary finance but also provide a house for you. If you do not have a job, He shall provide a job for you. He shall remove all your sickness and grant you his health. Whatever you do not have, shall be given to you. Believe in it and praise God with all your heart. 

Lord Jesus tells, “Do not say that there is no God. I came into this world just to prove that I do exist and to fill you with My blessings. I call those things which do not exist as if they do exist. For your sake, I shall do miracles for your people and reveal My salvation to the whole world.”

Lord Jesus Christ is alive even today. He shall remove all your wants and fill you with His blessings. He shall reveal His resurrection power through you. He shall do mighty miracles for you and through that, He shall establish your family life. Believe in the Lord and offer your praises to Him. He is the Almighty God and there is nothing impossible for Him. So He will do awesome miracles in your personal life, family life and in your ministry. The Lord Himself shall do these things and make you rejoice.

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus,

You are the living God. I offer You my praises. Nothing is impossible for You. Please look upon my affliction. Deliver me and restore to me all that I have lost. Exalt me among my family, friends and relatives. Perform awesome miracles in my life. Make me a channel of blessing to them. Reveal your salvation to them. I believe in my heart that You will grant me all the blessings.

In Your matchless name I pray. 

Amen.
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The Daily Bible Study

                                                                                             Are You Sleeping Well?

                                                                                               By Warren Wiersbe

                                                                                                Read Psalm 3:1-8 

      How well we sleep sometimes indicates how much we really trust the Lord. David said, "I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me" (v. 5). We may think we can do that anytime. But what if we had been where David was? He was fleeing from his son Absalom, who had turned against him and had driven him from Jerusalem. Now David was in the wilderness with his army. It would be difficult to lie down and sleep knowing that you are in a dangerous wilderness and that your own son is against you. Oh, it wasn't the physical danger that kept David awake. He knew God would protect him. It was the inner spiritual and emotional agony of having his own flesh and blood trying to seize the kingdom from him.

      But David said, in effect, "Lord, You are able to give me peace in my heart, the protection I need, the perspective I need. You are able to help me in the midst of this difficult situation." The heart of every problem is really the problem in the heart. David knew that it was not the army on the outside that would keep him awake but the agony on the inside.

      This psalm starts with David's cry, "Many are they who rise up against me" (v. 1). He's pleading for help. The psalm ends with David's singing a song of praise (v. 8). Your day might begin by your pleading for help. But if you are trusting the Lord, it could end by your praising Him for the help He has given you.

      Difficult circumstances often rob us of our peace and our perspective. When you find yourself in adverse circumstances or in the face of frightening consequences, admit your trouble and affirm your trust in Him. Then be encouraged that God protects you and gives you peace in the midst of the storm.

                                                                              A QUOTE FROM      A.W.TOZER

“The hearts fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honour from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will never let the mind have rest…Such a burden as this is not necessary to bear. Jesus calls us to His rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort. He develops toward himself a kindly sense of humour and learns to say, ‘Oh, so you have been overlooked? They have placed someone else before you? They have whispered that you are pretty small stuff after all? And now you feel hurt because the world is saying about you the very things you have been saying about yourself? Only yesterday you were telling God that you were nothing, a mere worm of the dust. Where is your consistency? Come on, humble yourself, and cease to care what men think.”

God Bless and Wish you a happy Pongal festive season.

Today's Word of Blessing

RENEWED IN STRENGTHStella Dhinakaran

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.    (Philippians 4:13)

Dearly beloved, God is the source of strength. That is why Apostle says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). 

Luke 2:36-38 talks about a woman called Anna. She was a young and brokenhearted widow. When the entire world forgot her, she clung on to the feet of God. She never left the temple but worshipped Him night and day, fasting and praying. 

The Lord who remembered all her sacrifices, granted her His divine gifts, specially the gift of prophecy and made her a prophetess. The God of all comfort comforted and consoled her, and enabled her to become a vessel of consolation to others (II Corinthians 1:3,4).

Even in my life, I lost my only precious daughter and loving husband who were everything to me. It was in that bitter and broken condition the Lord remembered me. He completely transformed my life. He poured His love into me in a greater measure. He gave me a new strength and made me zealous for Him in the ministry. He gave me the confidence and wisdom to do His ministry boldly. Above all, He has filled me with His Holy Spirit in an abundant measure and He is using me in a greater magnitude in the ministry. His deeds are wonderful and miraculous.

The Psalmist laments, “I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery” (Psalm 31:12).

Even Lord Jesus had to walk through the valley of death in order to fulfill the will of His Father. Nevertheless, He gladly surrendered Himself for that. He asked, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” But His Father never forgot Him. He resurrected Him from death and exalted Him. Above all, He gave Him the greatest privilege of sitting at His right hand in heaven.

Dear friend, stop lamenting saying, “I am a broken vessel and my life is full of bitterness.” Instead cling on to God firmly. Then He will resurrect you and guide you in His ways. Even the world may forget you but He will never forget you.

The Bible positively states, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you” (Romans 8:11). According to the above mentioned Scripture verse, the Lord will resurrect your body, soul and spirit and enable you to arise and shine for Him in these last days; and you will never be forgotten by Him.

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus,

I know that I am very precious to You and that You care for me. I cling onto your feet for your divine assistance. Remember me in my broken state. Pour your love into me in a greater measure. Restore my strength through your divine comfort. Enable me to rise and shine for You. Transform me into a vessel of consolation.

In Your matchless name I pray. 

Amen.
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The Daily Bible Study

Are You Situated by the Waters?

By Warren Wiersbe

      Read Psalm 1:3-6 
      A tree is a blessing. It holds soil, provides shade and produces fruit. The godly are like trees, with root systems that go deep into the spiritual resources of God's grace (v. 3). But sadly, many professing Christians are not like trees but are like artificial plants or cut flowers with no roots. They may be beautiful for a while, but soon they die.

      A tree needs light, water and roots to live. We all have resources upon which we draw life. The question we need to ask ourselves is, Where are our roots? The person God can bless is planted by the rivers of water. We must be careful not to be like Christians who are dry and withered and depend upon their own resources. They are like tumbleweeds, blown about by any wind of doctrine.

      To have the blessings of verse 3, we need to meet the conditions of verses 1 and 2. That is, we must first be separated from the world and saturated with the Word to be situated by the waters.

      God desires to bless us, but we need to meet certain conditions to receive His blessings. We bear fruit only when we have roots, and we must draw upon spiritual resources to bring forth fruit in due season. To bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must allow the Spirit to work in us and through us.

      In contrast to the believer, the ungodly are not like trees but are like chaff. They have no roots, produce no fruit and are blown about. The ungodly reject the Word of God and will perish without hope (v. 6). As Christians we must not reject the ungodly but try to reach them. God blesses us so that we might be a blessing to others. His Spirit helps us bear fruit that can help win the lost.

      Are you like a tree or like chaff?

      We need God's resources to bear fruit. But where we place our roots is paramount. Only as we grow them deeply into the spiritual resources of God's grace will we produce fruit. Make the Bible your spiritual resource. Delight in it and feed your soul with its truth. God can use you to help win the lost.

THE OLD CROSS AND THE NEW A.W.TOZER ALL UNANNOUNCED AND MOSTLY UNDETECTED there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental. From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique—a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before. The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam's proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually. The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better. The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the self-assertive it says, "Come and assert yourself for Christ." To the egotist it says, "Come and do your boasting in the Lord." To the thrillseeker it says, "Come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship." The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public. The philosophy back of this kind of thing may be sincere but its sincerity does not save it from being false. It is false because it is blind. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross. The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent end of a human being. The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said good-by to his friends, He was not coming back. He was going out to have it ended. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man, completely and for good. It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim. It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more. The race of Adam is under death sentence. There is no commutation and no escape. God cannot approve any of the fruits of sin, however innocent they may appear or beautiful to the eyes of men. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life. That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the souls of its hearers. The faith of Christ does not parallel the world, it intersects it. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane; we leave it at the cross. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die. We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum. God offers life, but not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out of death. It stands always on the far side of the cross. Whoever would possess it must pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God's just sentence against him. What does this mean to the individual, the condemned man who would find life in Christ Jesus? How can this theology be translated into life? Simply, he must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God's stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die. Having done this let him gaze with simple trust upon the risen Saviour, and from Him will come life and rebirth and cleansing and power. The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner; and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a new life along with Christ. To any who may object to this or count it merely a narrow and private view of truth, let me say God has set His hallmark of approval upon this message from Paul's day to the present. Whether stated in these exact words or not, this has been the content of all preaching that has brought life and power to the world through the centuries. The mystics, the reformers, the revivalists have put their emphasis here, and signs and wonders and mighty operations of the Holy Ghost gave witness to God's approval. Dare we, the heirs of such a legacy of power, tamper with the truth? Dare we with our stubby pencils erase the lines of the blueprint or alter the pattern shown us in the Mount? May God forbid. Let us preach the old cross and we will know the old power. God Bless.