This Week With Jesus

                           "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. " - John 15:13 In a small village in Japan, there was an old house that had been abandoned for many years. One day, a man decided to renovate the house. As he started to remove the wooden wall panels, he noticed something unusual. A small lizard was nailed to the wall by one of its feet. The man felt sad for the lizard, which must have been trapped there for a long time. However, as he examined the lizard more closely, he noticed something even more surprising. Another lizard was bringing food to the trapped lizard, ensuring that it didn't starve. Despite the hardship of being nailed to the wall, the trapped lizard had been sustained by the unwavering care of its companion. The free lizard had dedicated itself to feeding the trapped one, showing an incredible level of devotion and compassion. This story serves as a...

  “God’s purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God’s glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion.”  (Jonathan Edwards) “What you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.” (Hans Urs von Balthasar) “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” (John Wesley) “We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of heaven. The beauty of heaven is seeing God.”  (Max Lucado) “We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.” (A.W.Tozer) “Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.”  (R.C.Sproul) “When we are securely roo...

When the Christian faith becomes defined by who we are and what we do and not by who Christ is and what he did for us, we miss the gospel - and we, ironically, become more disobedient. Tullian Tchividjian The truth is the real Christian experience is truly about repenting every day because there is no Christian that doesn't sin. Stephen Baldwin I'm excited to create more awareness about the importance of giving the youth of America a choice. There's a 24-hour music channel. There's a 24-hour comedy channel. I believe there's a 24-hour gay channel coming. Why isn't there a 24-hour Christian channel that's edgy and hip and cool and new and different, like all that other stuff? Stephen Baldwin Some of us live a Christian life as if we're always under the stern, watchful eye of our Father and he is very impossible to please... No, God delights even in our heartfelt attempts at obedience. Kevin DeYoung If creators of Christian culture hope to produce work...

Money is never enough. We keep striving and working for more. This is not new; it is from eons that we already always trying to earn money and more money. Tom Harper explains this from a Biblical perspective. Imagine you suddenly find $100 million in your bank account (and it's rightfully yours). What would you do with it? Once you've celebrated, paid off all your debt, bought a couple cars and moved into your new private-island home, what would be next in life? An Indian saint and poet, Sant Kabir Das, said thus -  "Sayeen Itna Deejiye, Ja Mein Kutumb Samaye. Main Bhi Bhookha Na Rahun, Sadhu Na Bhookha Jaye". (Please God, give me enough so that I can support myself and my family, and so that no one goes hungry, not me nor any saint who comes to my home).  Proverbs 30:8-9 also says it so well: "…give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the Lord?" And if I am too poor...

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. Francis of Assisi Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. Vince Lombardi Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. Warren Buffett When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost. Billy Graham My home is in Heaven. I'm just traveling through this world. Billy Graham Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has. Billy Graham The main rule to me is to honor God with your life. To life a life of integrity. Not be selfish. You know, help others. But that's really the essence of the Christian faith. Joel Osteen 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 h...

 

“Religion today is not transforming people— it is being transformed by people. It is not raising the moral level of society— it is descending to society's own level and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smiling, accepting its surrender.” - A. W. TOZER (1897-1963) These words reflect the true state of society and Christianity today. As Christians, do we embody Christianity? Or do we take what is convenient and ignore or justify the rest. Christianity is not a convenience. It is a way of life to be led by emulating Christ for the Glory of our Father in Heaven. Don't we pray that? When we help someone in need is it for Gods glory or our own? When we perform church activities, is it for our own name to be up in lights or for the body of Christ? When we pray for someone to be healed is it for Gods glory or because we just like that person? Do we use the church as a social and networking platform or THE house of God? Do we follow Christ with a zer...

                                           A Pastor in Haiti related this parable to make a very strong point. We relate it as it is: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2000. Another man wanted to buy it very badly, but he was a poor man and he couldn't give the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house to the man for $1000. But the reduced price came with a stipulation. The owner would sell the house, but he would keep ownership of a large nail, protruding from over the front door. Several years later, the original owner decided he wanted to buy the house back. Understandably, the new owner was unwilling to sell. As a result, the original owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog in the street, and hung it from the nail he still owned. Soon, the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell to the owner of the nail. The Hai...

The coffee story is quite a common analogy to human nature. If you are carrying a cup of hot coffee and someone jostles your hand, the coffee in the cup (or whatever is in it) spills over. Similarly, in humans, hidden feelings, frustrations, fear etc spill over and out of us when our life is jostled by circumstances or someone's behaviour. We can take some ones advice negatively and react or some thing which hurts us. In our life stresses and "jostles" are inevitable. Consider the cup to be the heart and mind and whatever is in it to be the coffee. Whatever we fill in the cup is what will spill out, when jostled. King David's cup ran over with Gods goodness and provision in his life because he recognised God. He understood His works. He talked, God answered and he listened. David was Gods friend. King David's heart was filled with God. His cup ran over with God. Today let us meditate on ourselves: when we are under stress what spills out of our cup? Can I fill my ...

  "God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile." — Max Lucado "You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read." — John MacArthur "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." — C.S. Lewis "It is not the trials in your life that develop or destroy you, but rather your response to those hardships." — Charles Stanley "If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. It is we, of course, to whom things look 'little' or 'big.'" — Elisabeth Elliot "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." — Chuck Swindoll "The greater your knowledge of the goodness and grace of God on your life, the more likely you are to praise Him in the storm." ...

                             "We can look at Job, we can look at Lamentations, we can look at the Psalms, we can look at so many heroes of the faith who at different times had questions, who faced unbelief, yet God kept them, and they continued, in their doubts, to lean towards God, to lean and doubt in a way that continued to keep them attached to the vine and seeking Jesus in all of it." — Laura Wifler "Every single thing He has ever or will ever say is true. The simplicity of faith is this: taking God’s Word for it." — Jackie Hill Perry "No matter what has happened to you in the past or what is going on in your life right now, it has no power to keep you from having an amazingly good future if you will walk by faith in God. God loves you! He wants you to live with victory over sin so you can possess His promises for your life today!" — Joyce Meyer "Hearing how God is moving in other places encourages and inspi...

A wise judge once said, "it is not only necessary for justice to be done, but as importantly, it needs to be seen to be done." Drawing from these wise words, as Christians, it is not only important to follow Christ in letter and spirit, but also to be seen as followers of Christ, in our behavior and our attitudes to fellow men. We ourselves are the biggest witnesses to Christ and we are also our own enemy. We may preach the best of sermons, be most devout in our day-to-day devotions or know the Bible verbatim, but if our language, behavior and attitude does not reflect Christ, it is all in vain. Christ Himself spoke at length about the way we are to behave toward others; friends and enemies. More than that, however, the life He lived, accentuated by His love and compassion for the lost, provides the consummate example of what Christian behavior should look like, enabled by the Holy Spirit. The best barometer is how one reacts or behaves when facing extreme pressure of a threa...

                                            Out in the highways and byways of life, Many are weary and sad; Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, Making the sorrowing glad. Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing. Out of my life may Jesus shine; Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray. Make me a blessing to someone today. Have you ever heard this hymn? It was introduced in Sunday schools in 1924 and music added a decade later. These simple words are often used to challenge believers to make their lives useful to God. Today, let's try and understand this simple yet powerful hymn and how we can implement it in our lives. blessing can be defined as conferring prosperity, approval, or happiness. But what does it mean for a person to be a blessing? Perhaps this means that through our actions we help bring happiness and peace to those around us. It's not about money. Even someone who...

Man does nothing without a reason. President Dieter Uchtdorf once said ... "what we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are — and who we will become" . He was speaking about how and why we love God. So, the question today is - why do we love God and Jesus? Is the reason temporal or eternal? If eternal, are we really so concerned about life and death after we have died here, a state we cannot see today. Or are we more concerned about the business of life today. Why we love God, Jesus and His Holy Spirit is a very personal question, different for each one of us. An anonymous writer says this- "I was recently asked Why I love God, His only Son and His word? It is quite simple really. Because I am not satisfied with what I have in this world today. I want to be in a world where I can play with a lion, run with the deer, walk where I want without the fear of being hurt. A world where there is no si...

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Forgiveness, kindness, communications of love, between acquaintances, friends and relatives cannot be left for another day, it may be too late. Sometimes we, being carried away by the business of life, job and activities, do not have time to talk to close friends and  relatives who we may have spent life with. We keep putting it off, with long absences. One day, suddenly, we get the news that the relative died giving no one time to say goodbye. This situation is familiar to millions of people during covid and happens all the time around the world. The net result is lifelong regrets and self blame. Similar situations can happen in our relationship with Jesus and God and His Holy Spirit. God waits for our attention everyday, and every hour. But many of us, keep searching for a convenient time and place. The learning...

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching . – Francis of Assisi The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor – Charles Stanley Jesus’ mission is not to make converts, and it never has been. His mission is to make disciples. – Jim Putnam It is the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor. – Martin Luther The greatest proof that the Bible is inspired is that it has stood so much bad preaching. – A.T. Robertson We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first. – Oswald J. Smith Revival is when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented that He shows Himself . – Leonard Ravenhill God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him. – Hudson Taylor The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: life is a story about me. – Donald Miller The world needs Christians who don’t tolerate the complacency of their own lives. – Francis Ch...

How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts! - Benjamin Franklin This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people. - C.S. Lewis I believe there are too many practitioners in the church who are not believers .- C.S. Lewis Every man should keep a fair-sized cemetery in which to bury the faults of his friends. - Henry Ward Beecher Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us. - Charles Spurgeon Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite. - Charles Spurgeon Experience tells us that each man most keenly and unerringly detects in others the vice with which he is most familiar himself .- Frederick W. Robertson Steal the hog, and give the feet for alms. - George Herbert The Pharisees broke Moses' tables into pieces, and, gathering up the fragments, took to themselves what part of duty they pleas...

Reference: 2 Timothy 2 14-26 Our world revolves around two things - assets and liabilities. We define and classify people around us with these two scales. That is of course in the material world. In the Christian world, a similar question arises: are we an asset to Christ? Firstly, let us understand that we are NOT a liability. We, each one of us are valuable to God. Not because of who we are or what we have done, but because of what we have cost . Second, just because we are not a liability does not mean we are an asset. An asset is something or someone who is useful to the world, people around us and to society at large. As assets we become agents of change for the better. Last, and following from the above, as assets we become agents of change for God. His word tells us what we need to do, how we must behave and act. How we need to build a relationship with Him as well as the people around us. That we, become a lighthouse for Him, guiding others to Him. If our light starts to dim, w...

Author Unknown A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. when she asked him why he returned the stone, he said, "I've been thinking: I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone." In today's circumstances, sometimes it may make more sense and wisdom to give someone in need a skill, a tool or a job, rather than just money. It may have more impact.  Remember: A little boy gave up h...

“He that watereth, shall be watered also himself” Proverbs 11:25 "I read this touching true story of a boy selling from door to door to pay for his school. One day he found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry and brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly and then asked, how much do I owe you?” You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “mother has taught us never to accept pay for kindness.” He said … “then I thank you from my heart.” As he left the house, he felt physically stronger, and his faith in God and man was strong. He had been ready to give up and quit. Many years later, that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease....