This Week With Jesus

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” -  Matthew 19:2 6 God works. And He does not do things with a wave of a magic wand, but through people like you and me. We all can be used for good, in some way, big or small. Let me relate a short story of a simple act of kindness and love, which I happened to have witnessed. "Every place in the world has two common things: street food and the hunger. One day, a person, call him X (since I do not know his name), saw some enticing street food being cooked. It was a rainy day and the smell of the food, hot on the stove, was more than he could resist. He walked over to get some packed for himself. As he was waiting with the rest of the customers, he noticed a small girl, maybe 6 or 8 years old, dirty, filthy and obviously hungry. She went from person to person begging for some food. Most people ignored her; the shop worker scolded her half heartedly; he had seen enough hungry folks to

We have often said a single quote can teach us more than a sermon. Today's quotes are on the theme of faith - "It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters."  - Mother Teresa "Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light."  - Helen Keller "It is this belief in a power larger than myself and other than myself which allows me to venture into the unknown and even the unknowable."  - Maya Angelou "What is to give light must endure the burning." - Eleanor Roosevelt "In God's eyes our words have only the value of our actions."  - St. Ignatius Loyola "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."  - Martin Luther King Jr. "What does the Lord require? Only to act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."  - Micah 6:8 "Faith is the bird that feels the lig

RC Sproul once related a possibly not so well known story: "After the Korean War ended, South Korea was left with a large number of children who had been orphaned by the war. We’ve seen the same thing in the Vietnam conflict, in Bosnia, and in other places. In the case of Korea, relief agencies came in to deal with all the problems that arose in connection with having so many orphan children. One of the people involved in this relief effort told me about a problem they encountered with the children who were in the orphanages. Even though the children had three meals a day provided for them, they were restless and anxious at night and had difficulty sleeping. As they talked to the children, they soon discovered that the children had great anxiety about whether they would have food the next day. To help resolve this problem, the relief workers in one particular orphanage decided that each night when the children were put to bed, the nurses there would place a single piece of bread i

The Little Foxes Did you know foxes love grapes (among other fruits). In fact, the term  "sour grapes"  comes from the story of the fox who tried to eat the grapes on a branch but couldn't reach them so after several failed attempts he gave up muttering - "they would have been sour anyway" Learn what the Bible has to say about these sweet little creatures. Click Here   Repurposing Failure How many times in life we take a decision or done or not done something only to realize we have blown it? When failure stares us in the face we dread the result with that sinking feeling, with the knowledge of the outcome of our failure? But guess what? We know of at least 5 Biblical characters who went through failures and yet built on it for success. Click Here to read more   

          A whole Sermon can be compressed into a single quote   The true call of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way - Dean Stanley. A real Christian is a person who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip - Billy Graham A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian... and most of all, his family ought to know . - Dwight L. Moody Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion - it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ - Billy Graham As a Christian, Christ died so that we will have eternal life in Him in Heaven. What it looks like doesn't matter, what it smells like doesn't matter, as long as Christ is there it will be Heaven to me - T . D. Jakes The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then only can i change - Carl Rogers. You have to look at what a person does with his life. Anyone can say that he's a Christian, but you

On thinking about the subject line one decided to research it and came across a beautiful and meaningful post about this. We could not help but share it with you, our readers.   Withholding from God By Erika in Symphony of Praise “You did what?” My mouth dropped open as my husband told the story. I couldn’t believe it. “God told you to sacrifice our son? Abraham, what is wrong with you? Where is Isaac? Where is my son?” Abraham calmly replied, “He is outside with the servants tending to the animals. He is fine Sarah”. “Okay, let me get this straight! You bound my son to an altar. You treated him like an animal. You lifted a knife to kill him, and you say everything is fine?” “Sarah, what would you have me do? Disobey God? God told me to take our son . . . our Isaac . . . our baby . . . our heir . . . our life. Isaac was to be sacrificed as a burnt offering to God. I didn’t question. If God gave him to us, God can take him from us. Our son was God’s before he was ours.” I saw Abraham s

Have you ever felt trapped? like there was no way out of a difficult situation. Jonah was no stranger to that feeling. After running away from God's call, he found himself in the belly of a great fish. Can you imagine the darkness, the stench and the despair he must have felt? Yet, in the midst of his darkest hour God was still with him.  Sometimes we find ourselves in our own 'Belly of the Fish" moments. It maybe a broken relationship, a health crisis or a seemingly impossible situation. Its in those moments we need to remember that God is with us even in those depths. He is our refuge and our strength.  Just like Jonah, God can use our difficult circumstances to shape us and teach us important lessons. It was in the belly of the fish that Jonah repented and cried out to the Lord. Sometimes it takes being in the belly of the fish for us to truly surrender to God and seek His guidance.  So if you find yourself in a seemingly impossible situation, remember Jonah. Your belly

Exodus 8:1 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me" . Many people, throughout time, have wondered what is their purpose and role in this world? As Christians, the purpose is very simple and clear: serve the Lord . It was so during Adams time, and it is now.  How do we serve the Lord? 1. Take care of Gods world around us . - He entrusted it to Adam and thereby to us. 2. Take care of people around us. - Jesus entrusted people to us. 3. Thank, Praise and worship God . Why? Because Praise diverts our focus from ourselves to God. A very logical and clear explanation of this can be found here 4. Implement His principles , wisdom and advice in our lives. 5. Talk to Him . - no one likes to be ignored, including our creator. He likes to talk to us, laugh with us, cry with us. He wants to be let into our lives and be part. He wants to do good things for us. He wants to have a relationship with us

                                                     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.

"The measure of a person may not be in what they have, but what they are able to live without". Pastor David Jacobs. Humans measure each other only in one scale: how much does one have. If someone is extremely knowledgeable, they are respected. If some one has a lot of wealth, they are fawned upon. If someone is poor, they are endured at best. The whole point is How does God view us. Pastor Jacobs actually creates a new paradigm of measurement, and possibly God uses that measure. What can you live without? There is good sense when in Luke 12: Jesus says “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” In his message Pastor Jacobs goes on to say- "In the consumer world that we currently live, we are taught that we should always want more, more, more. We can never possess enough, as evidenced by the wealthiest among us. When is it too much? At what point does all of what a person has achie

Man giving his own slippers to a child. (The Kindness Blog) It’s a paradigm shift… Let’s look at this from 30,000 feet… At the end of the day… Let’s get our heads around this… The world us full of buzz words and jargon. I guess they make the speaker feel a little wiser and knowledgeable and "in". Dis you know that Christianity too has a lot of buzzwords ? One of the many is "The Living Word" . Yes we all know what it means but do we really live it? Jesus said many will say Lord Lord... Matthew 7:22. Yes, Jesus is the living word from God to us. His ressurection proved that. The problem is unless we don't live the word it's a dead word as far as we are concerned. He also made it so simple: love and honor God above all else and love people. Do we love people apart from Sundays in church? Do we help our neighbors even if it's inconvenient? If someone Need's medical support, though we may not be doctors, we could arrange for them to meet a doc. Or if som

Jacob, famous as a con artist, found himself conned, a liar deceived, and a manipulator outmaneuvered. His life mirrored the meaning of his name, "heel-catcher," a term that implies following someone closely to overtake or deceive them. But, Jacob is also famous for wrestling with God for a blessing, which was anyway intended for him all along. While this episode is quite funny, does it not sound familiar? We too, are constantly wrestling with God to get His blessings - in the way we think we deserve. God wants to give it His way and we want ours. Sometimes, the wrestling looks a bit like negotiating with God, and at other times it looks like reminding God of his promises while asking him to act. But sometimes, our pride and arrogance, intelligence, come in the way. Let us learn to accept in humility rather than demand in arrogance. Like Jacob, let our encounters with God be to demand a blessing according to God, not demand our desires according to us. Like Melanie Campbell s

In continuation of his post on Revival, Pastor Rajiv today outlines the steps we could take to experience our own revival. Remember, God has designed revival to begin with his own people who are called by his name, people like you and me who have called on the name of Jesus .  As a revival process, God’s first call for his people is to humble themselves .  How? Firstly, by recognizing and confessing our need to seek God in all things – spiritual and material. Our independence to be overcome by Dependence. We need humility to constantly guard against spiritual pride because spiritual pride results in self-centeredness, according to Hawkins. (Note: In Colossians 3:12, the word humility in Greek means “humbleness of mind or lowliness of mind”, and it’s the same word used in Ephesians 4:2 , Philippians 2:3 , and 1 Peter 5:5 . It is in this attitude of the heart that we came before the Lord, admitting that we were wrong; we are sinners, repenting, and asking Him to be our Savior because

Revival refers to a spiritual reawakening from a state of dormancy or stagnation in the life of a believer. It need not necessarily mean a movement but can be personal as well. Most, if not all, of us need a revival from time to time. Pastor Rajiv shares his thoughts today on revival. The first question is "why revival"? What is the need?  First let’s refer to this verse from ‎2 Chronicles 7:14 “ If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves , and pray and seek my face , and turn from their wicked ways , then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”. This verse answers the "who", the "why" and the "how". It is extremely crucial especially at this point in time for the world we are living in because we all need healing. We need forgiveness. These are words said by God on the dedication of the temple by Solomon, and yet, it is so distant from our world today when churches are empty, church attendanc

  The Tipping Point  :  Fire in the belly of every believer The Wind and the Sail  : Partnering with God

The Christian Way "I can honestly say I am a Christian, but my spirituality has been developed on the road and is based on my experiences with God." Justin Timberlake The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.'   Billy Graham I wish not merely to be called Christian, but also to be Christian.  Saint Ignatius When a man becomes a Christian, he becomes industrious, trustworthy and prosperous. Now, if that man, when he gets all he can and saves all he can, does not give all he can, I have more hope for Judas Iscariot than for that man!  John Wesley A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian... and most of all, his family ought to know .  Dwight L. Moody I'm just like you - I want to be a good human being. I'm doing my best, and I'm working at it. And I'm trying to be a Christian. I'm alwa

"But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds". Psalm 73:28 "Looking back on life, we observe countless moments when God has intervened in our lives or the lives of others. He bestows upon us numerous blessings and miracles beyond our understanding. We each have a story to tell and a witness to share. We will shout praises to God from the mountaintops and continue to look for opportunities to tell all we meet about the mighty works of the Lord". Pastor David Jacobs.  These stories could be of protection from our own or others mistakes or from health issues or about healing; they be could of provision when all sources were finished. Different people will have different stories and each story can be an inspiration to someone somewhere. Sharing it is also a thanksgiving for deliverance, as we let our life itself become a witness. Today we urge you to share your story. Send it to us so we can s

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" . 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV "We may think it is complicated to search for and know God’s will in our personal lives. Some may think it is for them to become a pastor, a teacher, a doctor, or to run a business. While all these are actually personal choices that God has freely given to us, He had a specific will for all His people. .... the opening scripture reveals that God’s perfect will is for us to remain thankful to God in all circumstances. When we are thankful, whether in good or bad seasons, it means we see God moving, and this keeps our faith going! Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), which is why being thankful is a crucial element of walking in the Father’s perfect will! " What are you thankful to God for today? Quoted from Watchdis Media in KJV Devotional. 

Pascal's wager is a philosophical argument advanced by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), seventeenth-century French mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian. This argument posits that individuals essentially engage in a life-defining gamble regarding the belief in the existence of God. So, true to form, we humans have evolved a devilishly clever logic to follow God, based on the premise that we have everything to win and nothing to lose. If that is the motivation, I am afraid that's a no go because belief and love of God is based on faith and faith is based on experience. Faith follows no logic. God follows no logic either, because our logic is based on the natural order of things in this world which were anyway created by God. Therefore, God created His won logic. For us, the parting of the red sea followed no logic. The healing of the lepers followed no logic. The resurrection followed no logic. If you are peaceful, that is illogical because how can you find peace in th

Whatever continually occupies your mind is your God. Your job, worries, burdens, children, wife, husband... whoever comes first. Why not give God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that place? That is not to say to ignore all others. But Those are responsibilities which we can fulfill with the help of our God. It's not easy to relinquish control but do remember, every night when we sleep, by default we pass the control to God. It's time we gave Him priority in our conscious time and our attention as well. Proverbs 3:6 proclaims, “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success,”