Category: Category 1

Dear all,

A few years ago we were on holiday when one of our dear friend’s young son had an accident that dislodged his shoulder bone. He was in severe pain, but the gentle hands of the doctor reset the bone and relieved his pain.

Reset & Restore

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Galatians 6:1-3

The apostle Paul is calling all Christians to serve one another in love. The word restore, means to reset. Like a shoulder bone that is out of joint, often someone in the body of Christ may be out of joint with their walk with Christ. Such a person needs the same gentleness of a physician to put them back in alignment with God’s Word. We are here taught to deal tenderly with those who are overtaken in a fault.

Those who are mature Christians are especially called to recognize those around us who need such tender restoration. When this is done with the spirit of meekness and love, it brings comfort to those who are overtaken with their fault and helps them to recover and fit back in position in the body of Christ.

Lord,

May I be the tender hands that can bring those who are out of joint from Your Body. Help me to bear the burdens of others, and thereby fulfilling Your law of love. Amen.

Dear All,

“Often, stepping outside your comfort zone is not careless irresponsibility, but a necessary act of obedience” Andy Stanley.

Stepping out of your comfort zone

Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left.

Isaiah 54:2-3

When we have to move out of our comfort zone, whether it is our country, a new job or in a new life in Jesus, we will experience change. This will stretch, strengthen and expand our tents. We need to be bold in faith to take up this challenge and to look to Him who will lead us.

Jesus said to Peter “come”; so Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water having his eyes on Jesus. This was a change for him which he never anticipated, but the call came from the Lord. We too have to be prepared for His call at any time and be willing to look at Jesus.

Lets also, for a moment, look at the others in the boat. All of them saw Jesus, but none of them wanted to get off the boat. They feared the circumstances and never wanted to walk out of it.

Today God is calling us out of our comfort zone; to get off our boats of failure and doubt and seek His face. He wants us to walk on water, that is to walk by faith and move out of our past.

Dear Lord,
I come to You in Jesus’ name and ask You to give me the strength to walk out of my past. The circumstance around me weakens me. But today I shall have my eyes on You and will walk out of my situations trusting You. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

Dear All,

In our society we sometimes find employers, teachers or leaders who show favour on a selected few because of their level of commitment and passion. The recipient of such favour enjoys an inner satisfaction that is not available to others.

Favour of God

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11

Elisha advised the Shunammite woman to leave Samaria because the Lord was about to bring a famine to the land for seven years. Having heard the word, she and her household obeyed and moved to live in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

When the famine ended, she returned to her own country, only to find that her house and her belongings had been taken over. Elisha had previously been immensely blessed by the hospitality of the Shunammite woman and had wanted to reciprocate her kindness in some way. Therefore, he had sent word through his servant, asking if he could speak on her behalf to the king or to the commander of the army. (2 Kings 4:13) Being a wonderfully content woman, she had politely declined the offer at that time. However, with the change of events, she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land.
When it was brought to the notice of the king that it was this woman whose son had been brought back to life by Elisha, the king was exceedingly favorable to her. As a result, the king appointed a certain officer for her, to restore all that was hers as well as all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land to that day. (2 Kings 8:4-5) The woman found favour in the sight of God because she cared for Elisha who was a devout man of God.

Just as God provided for this woman during the famine and then restored to her all that was lost by moving the heart of the king, He is able to put the right people in the right places for those who have generously given to the work of His kingdom.

Like the Shunammite woman, when we honour those who serve God, His untold favour will surely come to us.

Dear Lord,
I come to You in Jesus’ name and seek You to help me serve You by caring for the needs of those who diligently work to build Your kingdom. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

Dear All,

In Galatians 3:13 Paul says “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangs on a tree.”

Healed From Every Curse

Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’” So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

2 Kings 2:20-22

Elisha was in Jericho soon after he had witnessed Elijah being taken to heaven. During that time, the men who lived in the city brought a complaint before him. They said that even though their city outwardly appeared to be pleasant to the eye, the reality was just the opposite as its water was polluted and the land was infertile and barren and people struggled to grow anything on it..

Jericho was an accursed city because of the curse spoken by Joshua: “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.”  Joshua 6:26

Just as Joshua had spoken, in King Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho by laying  its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son, in complete fulfillment of Joshua’s words. (1 Kings 16:34)

When Elisha heard of the hopeless plight of this land, he asked the men to bring him a new bowl with some salt in it. When they brought it to him, he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’”  And according to the words of blessing spoken by Elisha, the water has remained pure to this day.

Our lives were once the same as the accursed city of Jericho – barren, unproductive and devoid of fruit. It may have been a hereditary curse or perhaps the result of years of bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts, or due to the many difficulties in our lives  that  have caused frustration and disappointment.

Whatever the cause of barrenness, Jesus alone is able to change our lives like the new bowl with life-giving salt. When we go to the source of the living water and have His presence and His Spirit within us, there will be no more barrenness but productivity, growth and abundance of fruit.

Dear Lord, I come to You in Jesus’ name. Thank You for Your blood that has rescued me from the curse pronounced by the law. Thank You for your blood that has made me holy and blameless. Amen.

God bless you, Theo and Manju

Dear All,
“The Bible says that Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. On the job, in the grocery store, even among unsaved friends and family members, God’s people are there to bring seasoning to an unsavory situation.” Joyce Meyer

We Are The Salt Of The Earth

And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’” So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

2 Kings 2:20-22

Yesterday we saw how the city of Jericho had been barren since the fruit and the source of life was cursed by Joshua. This barrenness included emptiness, not bearing fruit, childlessness and closing of the womb.

To remedy this situation, Elisha requested the men to bring him a new bowl with salt in it which he threw into the water. When this was done, God healed the water and brought life back to the land, removing the curse of death and barrenness.

Salt is an essential mineral that has been used since ancient times in many countries as a seasoning, a preservative and also as a disinfectant. We, as Christians, are called the salt of the earth as we are able to add life to this barren world through Christ who lives in us. God wants us to be the salt of the earth and to be that influence.

God is calling us today to bring life into barren situations and be the ‘new bowl of salt’ to bring hope into many lives.

Dear Lord,
I come to You in Jesus’ name and ask You to give me that boldness to be a vessel of honour and to be an influence to bring life and hope into barren situations in people’s lives. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

Dear All,

“If you do not plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don’t begin, for this is what Christianity is all about. It is a change of citizenship, a change of governments, a change of allegiance. If you have no intention of letting Christ rule your life, then forget Christianity; it is not for you.” Kay Arthur

Daniel Was Committed

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.

Psalm 37:5

Daniel who was taken as a captive by King Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. had a close relationship with the Lord and an uncompromising commitment to his faith.

The first test that Daniel faced was with regards to food and drink. Even though Daniel was of a very young age and would have had the natural desires to enjoy the best food, he refused to compromise the standards that God had set. This was because the food brought to the king’s table had been consecrated to idols before it was served and this kind of food was forbidden under the Mosaic Law.

Daniel was not alone in his commitment to follow God and to keep His commandments. Together with his three friends, Daniel made a sacrificial act of faith as he asked to only eat vegetables and drink water. The young men chose to sacrifice the benefits of living in the king’s palace than to comply with what they knew was to enjoy the pleasures of sin.

After three years of intense education at the Babylonian palace, they faced their final test. They had to go before the king and demonstrate how much they knew. And to the king’s surprise, for every question he asked, these four men were found to have ten times more wisdom than all the others.

Where do you think that kind of wisdom came from? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Daniel and his young friends were blessed with such wisdom because they had committed to serve God in total obedience.

Can we also show such commitment to God? Are we influencing the world or are we being influenced by the world?

Dear Lord,
I come to You in Jesus’ name. I pray that my heart will be fully committed to You so that I will be able to overcome the world just as Daniel did. May I be a positive influence to others and enjoy the great blessings that You have in store for me. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

Dear All,

Joel Osteen says, “You can be committed to church but not committed to Christ, but you cannot be committed to Christ and not committed to church.”

Fully Committed

And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey His commands, as at this time.

1 Kings 8:61

When King Solomon called for the ark of the Lord to be brought into the temple from Zion, the City of David, there was great celebration in Jerusalem. The great priests and Levites carried the ark and the entire assembly of Israel gathered before the ark. King Solomon expressed his great love and commitment to God by an extravagant sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats while dedicating the temple. Such a heartfelt sacrifice brought the mighty presence of God as a cloud and filled the temple.

Then King Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, acknowledging God’s power before all the people. He thanked God for keeping His covenant of love with him just as He kept His promise to his father, David. Above all, this faithful king taught his people to wholeheartedly submit to God in all their ways, to be perfect in obeying the command of God and to live a life of commitment to Him.

God’s love and His faithfulness is revealed in His priceless and extravagant gift of His Son, Jesus, who was given to us as a sacrificial lamb. Jesus Christ gave His ultimate commitment to each one of us by coming down from heaven to live among us, teach us, and give up His life for us so that we can live forever.

Like King Solomon, do we have a heart that is totally committed to a God who has given us His priceless gift? When we live a life that is of extravagant sacrifices to God, we, too, will experience the mighty presence of God that will fill our temple.

Dear Lord, 

I come to You in Jesus’ name. I pray that my heart will be fully committed to You for the rest my life. Thank You for Your promise that Your eyes are always on those who serve You and You will never forget the sacrifices that are done for the sake of Your kingdom. Amen.

God bless you,

Theo and Manju

Dear All,

Storms are unexpected and they do not make an announcement before they arrive. Similarly, storms in our lives are varied in nature and they can change a situation in a moment. The loss of a job, a loved one or maybe an unexpected sickness can bring a stop to our journey.

The Storm

 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Mark 4:38-39

One evening, Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat when a mighty storm arose, causing the waves to break into the boat. Jesus was fast asleep but the disciples, failing in their efforts to save their boat and thinking they were about to perish, woke up Jesus.

The learning for today from this short passage is that Jesus was in the same boat as the disciples but He was not affected by the storm. The disciples were afraid and tried to battle the storm but were not successful. The reality of the storm weakened their hearts and fear made them give up.

On the other hand, Jesus’ inner faith was strong and He was able to sleep in peace even though a storm raged around Him. In our lives, we may come across many storms on a daily basis but if our faith is strong then we will be able to know the Lord’s peace and walk through the storms.

Jim Rohn said, “We often cannot determine what happens to us, but we can always determine what happens within us.”

Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day. I want to grow to be strong within so that I will be able to overcome the storms in my life. Amen.

Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju