Saturday Vespers

                                          

Studying Gods word is essential to a Christian, and prayer is essential to be able to study and understand Gods word & put it in practice. Yes, it includes intercession, it includes a call for help, it includes thanks and praise, but prayer is so much more.

Prayer is essential in studying the Bible. Asking the Holy Spirit for understanding and guidance can illuminate passages and reveal deeper truths. Prayer also helps apply the Scriptures to one’s life, aligning actions and decisions with God's will.(Crosswalk)

But most of all, that prayer helps us to dwell in the secret place of the "Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty".

So today, we pray for our own daily devotions, where the Holy Spirit opens our minds to understand the message God wants to convey. We also want to pray for:

1. A Pastor in Melbourne who needs continued strength and healing to become fit to continue Gods work. We than God for His blessing till now.

2. We pray for Matt for healing of his tumor and strength for his family.

3. For Beth Laurens son who is suffering from mental illness. For her home and strength and wisdom to prevail.

4. For a senior citizen in India who is suffering from Dementia. May the family find a good elders home where he can be treated with love and dignity.

5. For a senior citizen in India who is suffering from Parkinsons. May she be blessed with Gods peace and strength and the caregiver may be blessed mightily with patience, strength and love.

If you have any specific prayer requests or would like Pastor Rajiv to pray for you, please send us a mail or simply write in the comments box. If you want anonymity that is guaranteed as neither your mail nor your comment request will be published. 

Seeds of Faith

                                                    
Gods blessings are not limited by our circumstances. He can bring abundance and increase in the most unlikely of places. As we faithfully sow seeds of kindness, love, forgiveness and generosity, we can expect a harvest of blessings in due time.

Remember, the harvest may not come immediately, it requires patience, perseverance and unwavering faith. But, rest assured, the Lord will bless us abundantly, according to His perfect timing and plan. Today let us take inspiration from Isaacs story and sow seeds of faith in our own lives, even during adversity, and give thanks and honor to the Lord knowing that every good thing comes from Him.

Psalm 91 is a perfect reminder of Gods protection and provision during every adverse situation that may surround us.

Who Do You Trust?

                                                 

Life is lived on trust. When we consult a doctor or an architect for example, we trust that the outcome of their work will be good for us. When we board an aircraft, we trust the pilot and the technology to reach our destination. When we eat our food, we trust the farmer has not used dangerous fertilizers. Even when we cross the road we trust the walk sign. When we sleep, we trust that we will wake up the next morning. In all these situations where we trust, we trust fully. No halfway trust, no partial trust. There is no such thing. 

When we completely trust all these things throughout our life so easily, why is it a challenge for us to trust God who made, maintains and runs all these things that we, so easily, trust?

Jeremiah 17 Says  

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit. (7-8)"

Sunday Quotes

                                 

“When we work, we work. When we pray, God works.”—James Hudson Taylor
“Joy is the infallible proof of the presence of God.”—Madeleine L’engle
“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.”—Elisabeth Elliot
“For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”—Saint Teresa of Ávila
“Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”—Garth Brooks
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”—C.S. Lewis
“Christ literally walked in our shoes.”—Tim Keller
“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”—Saint Augustine