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Message

Hold on to this promises

On Friday 17th August 2012, Pastor Paul has reminded the congregation about the fulfillment of Gods promises towards our lives. He also specified that this year he has keenly observed about the fulfillment of His wonderful promise towards him as he was lifting up the promise in his daily prayers. He disclosed some of the examples from Gen: 27:29 “May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed”. (This is his promise for this year)

He said, when God promises you something he will fulfil it. No matter what the circumstances are – Trust in the Lord and His promises. He illustrated the story of Isaac. Isaac prayed 20 years for a son as he loved Rebecca very much. Even after getting the promise of God Rebecca struggled with labor pains and she gave birth to twin boys. This was the first miracle in the world. He encouraged the congregation to wait on the Lord until He fulfills His promises. Isaac has not questioned but waited on the Lord until the given promise to be fulfilled. Through this word, he encouraged the congregation not to be disheartened with anything that this life brings on us. Take heed and do not try to go to Egypt (back sliding/nor mix with the world). He encouraged everyone to have the testimony like Isaac had.

He said all the promises are yea and amen even today because Abraham obeyed God. He was faithful in obeying God’s word. According to Gen 26:5 “Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge my commandments, my statutes and my laws”. He addressed the congregation to follow these above four things because we are his chosen people. He also said that we have to cling to His promises because He is our almighty God (He is not a man to lie).

He stated the second parable from John 2:1-11. When mother of Jesus was much concerned about the wine and she told him that they ran out of wine. Then Jesus said to his mum that his hour has not yet come. Immediately, without asking a question she told the servants to follow the instructions of Jesus. They obeyed and believed the words of Jesus, and did as he commanded them. So God gave them the best of the best. The water has changed into wine. Likewise, we need to be obedient to Gods word and be in His presence more and more. It then, he said, that our Lord changes our water into wine (Great blessings).

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Message

Kingdom of God

My topic for tonight is very simple. Most of us have already prayed about it tonight. Someone prayed that we have a lot of challenges in this world; someone prayed that we need His grace. It’s just like that word in the bible where it talks about the life of a man as being a moment but God is there forever…forever same.

So the word has already been preached for tonight but the only interesting bit is…are we putting what we hear into practice? The topic tonight is the Kingdom of God. We all know and heard many messages about the Kingdom of God. We are all hoping that one day we would reach this kingdom that Jesus talks about. That’s our aim but the question is how well do we know the kingdom of God. And if we know about this kingdom of God, what are we doing to reach towards that. What are our strategies, our drawbacks in life that are keeping us from moving towards this Kingdom of God? How well are we equipped with the burden to reach the kingdom of God?

If you have a look at Luke 19:1…It says “While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once”. While Jesus was talking people assumed that the kingdom of God was going to come just like people today. In these last days, many are deceived by false calls to the Kingdom of God and Jesus appearing in various parts of the World. But Matthew 24:14 clarifies this anticipation and false calls. It tells us when this gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed to the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Let’s look at the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), most of us know this parable quite well. I am sure many of us have heard messages about it as well. It’s regarding this Master who handed over talents to his servants. Two servants have responded in a positive manner but one servant was lazy and buried it in the ground. This is not about how good one servant did and how bad another one did. This about judgment! We can use the master’s illustration as Jesus Christ. The master said I am going for a purpose; I will come back and talk to you.

You can see that two servants made an effort and brought back a return by working hard at what they had. The third man however said to the master that he wasn’t a good man. He also said that Master wanted to reap what he did not sow and gather where he has not scattered seed. He knew that his master was not a good man.

So that brings us to a question…do you know your master? The basic analogy is a servant listens to whatever a master says. We know this even better because we come from India. If you think about it, how hard is it to say to your master as a servant that the master was a hard man. It’s very hard! He keeps building blame on the master. God gave to me this thought and I kept asking what was the point God was trying to tell me.

Its very clear, this person knew about his hard master so why didn’t he say in the first instance when Master was handing out the talents that he would not have it. This person doesn’t want to work hard. He had a bad attitude. The master trusted his servants despite the fact that there was no accountability. He gave out the talents on the basis of trust alone. The master did not demand anything and neither did he warn them of loosing those talents. He didn’t say he was expecting something when he returns. He said simply to just do the business.

Similarly, Jesus Christ trusted us and gave us talents. Each one of us has specific skill sets/talents given by God himself. Now, It is up to us to use those talents. It’s not about how hard you use those talents or multiplying talents or loosing talents…it’s about our responsibility.

When he comes back, are you able to stand up and says…Lord, here is what you gave me and this is what I have done with them or are we going to be a lazy servant who buried what he had and returned it back to the master. You can see from the parable…the reward that these two people who worked hard for their master have got. Double of what they initially had. Be responsible…It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not…whether you feel like it or not. Jesus Christ, our master has called each of us to be responsible for his kingdom.

The day will come where we will stand in the presence of His majesty and glory…we have to account for each and everything we have done. We are all called to do something. He said, Go into the nations and preach the gospel. We all have different opportunities where we can see the gospel of Jesus Christ advance so people get to know the kingdom of God.

Jesus believed in us…he trusted us with his valuables…so lets be serious about our father’s business.

– Pastor Paul Talluri (Nazarene Prayer Fellowship)

This is an Audio Transcript from 13th July 2012 at All Nations Church of Nazarene

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Inspiration Message

Ask it in Jesus Name

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:14)

Dearly beloved,

God will fulfill the desires of your heart for His glory. God said to Abraham, “…Do not be afraid Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1). God had given such a wonderful promise to Abraham. It is so easy to receive God’s promises. But when we go through trials and tribulations, it is very difficult to cling on to them.

The Bible relates, “And Abraham said, ‘You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.’ Then the word of the LORD came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir…Look up at the heavens and count the stars–if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:3-6).

Our God is such a loving God. As promised, He blessed Abraham with Isaac when he was hundred years old. There is nothing impossible for God (Luke 1:37). He calls those things which do not exist as if they do exist (Romans 4:17). He fulfilled His promise in the life of Abraham. Probably, you are living in tears without a child. But the Lord is able to bless you also in the same manner. Cry out to God saying, “Lord, please grant me Your blessings.” It is God’s desire that you should lead a prosperous life in this world.

I present below the testimony of Sis. Swetha Manuri of Kolkata who received such a blessing from God: “I have had abortions twice. Hence, I was going through much agony. I participated in the Jesus Calls Prayer Festival held in Kolkata in 1991.

“During the prayer time Sis. Evangeline Paul Dhinakaran sincerely prayed, ‘Lord, grant the gift of a child to those who do not have children. Remove all problems from their uterus. Let all cysts disappear. Place a child in their womb right now.’ The Lord heard her prayer and blessed me with two lovely children. I have enrolled both of them in the Jesus Calls Children Blessing Ministry. I give all glory to God.”

Our God is such a loving God. He will bless us in an abundant measure. Sis. Swetha had problems in her uterus. She might have thought that she would never get a child. But God proved that there is nothing impossible for Him. Whatever we ask in His name, He will give it to us (John 14:13,14). The Bible says, “What the righteous desire will be granted” (Proverbs 10:24).

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus,

I praise your wonderful name. You are glorious and worthy to be praised. I bring my requests before You. I ask You to shower your blessings upon me. I believe in You and cling on to your promises. Accept my prayer and bless me according to your promises. Fulfill the desires of my heart. Let the miracles bring glory to your name.

In Jesus name I pray.

Amen.

In Jesus Name by Sis.Evangeline Paul Dhinakaran (Jesus Calls Ministry)

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Message

In God’s Eyes – Greg Laurie

I was with my granddaughter Stella (age 6) the other day and she said the cutest thing. She looked deeply in my eyes, then pushed her little nose right up to mine and said, “Papa, I can see myself in your eyes!”

What Stella was saying was that she saw her reflection in my eyes. I responded, “Stella, you are always in my eyes, and in my heart too!”

Do you ever wonder how God sees you?

I think you might be surprised. We may think that God looks askance at us or with anger or disappointment—or that He may, as my friends in Hawaii like to say, be “giving you the stink eye!”

The fact of the matter is God looks at you with love.

We read in Scripture of that rich young ruler who came to Jesus. He was brash and proud and demanded to know what he needed to do to enter God’s kingdom. Before Jesus would reveal the answer, we read, “Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him” (Mark 10:21 nlt).

That is also the way He looks at you. With love. He sees you for what you can become, not just what you are.

Jesus gave to Simon the fishermen the new name of Peter. The name Peter means “Rock.” If there was anything Simon was not, at this point, it was a rock. He was legendary for his hot-headedness, impulsiveness, and willingness to speak his mind on pretty much everything. But Jesus saw that Simon would grow into that new name of Peter.

In the same way, we look at our own lives and see a lump of clay. God sees a beautiful vase.

We see a blank canvas. God sees a finished work of art.

We see coal. God sees a refined diamond.

We see problems. God sees solutions.

We see failures. God sees potential.

We see an end. God sees a new beginning.

Yes, you can see yourself in His eyes, just like Stella saw herself in mine. But to do so, you need to get really close.

“Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you” (James 4:8 nlt).

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Pastor Vipul’s Message – 16/09/2011

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Inspiration Meditation Message

Treasures of Darkness

God was speaking to king Cyrus the king of Persia Ezra 1:1-3. Thus saith the Lord to his anointed….I will go before you and make the crooked places straight “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, …that you may know that I the Lord,….Am the God of Israel. (Isa 45:1-5). Darkness resembles putting things away which God didn’t like in us. God visits each of us in very special way. Darkness is not always the consequences of sin, but if it is due to sin, you find, there is a treasure of forgiveness in it. If we are faithful and repent of our sins, God is just and faithful and he is willing to forgive. Even in darkness there is a treasure of forgiveness, but always remember one thing, when we are sinning we are dining with the  devils.

Apostle Paul said, all things are good but all things are not profitable. So try to renounce those things. In Rom 13:11-14 he emphasized that this is the time, Awake from sleep. Now is our salvation. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Try not to make any provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light. Christian life is not easy life but it is a wonderful life. Hidden darkness treasures make our life worthy to live as Christian life in God. Take sincere step in your life and God will surely bless you.

When we are going through dark times, we need to seek the Lord. Darkness sometimes means sorrow, problems, weaknesses of human nature, loneliness, loss of the loved ones, and so on. Our Lord allows such things from time to time. Each of us experiences these dark moments in life (problems) but it is only God who makes a way out. God teaches us new ways of life in these dark times like repentance, not to repeat the sins and to learn new spiritual lessons. Every day we encounter the spiritual warfare. We are not always on the mountain tops or in some deep valleys. In either situation, we need to look to our Lord from the depth of our soul and we need to wait patiently in the secret place, until we receive answer from God. It’s no use trying to find a way out to escape out of these troublesome, painful, heart-breaking situations.

Whatever darkness you’re facing today, You can be assured that God is holding your hand. God’s always at work in your weak areas. Everything works for the good of those who believe in Him (Romans 8:28). The only thing we can do is, ask god’s grace in these dark times. He is moulding us and making us to match his own image. The image of our savior, Jesus Christ.

Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God (Isa 50:10)

Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourself with sparks: walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—This you shall have from My hand: you shall lie down in torment. (Isa 50:11)

Bro. Jonah Ravinder briefly illustrated these above verses. You must fear the Lord and obey our Master (Jesus) and trust in his name and stay with God in our darkest of times. The bible says, He that believeth on Him shall not be disappointed.

Verse Eleven is where the hardest situation is. If some problem comes upon your life don’t try to find a solution yourself. Don’t try to light your own World. If we try to go in our own ways, we will face the consequences. So therefore, wait patiently upon the Lord till he brings you out of that darkness. As the psalmist said, “Truly my soul silently waits for God; …..(Psalm: 62:1& 2) Encourage yourself to do like this.

In 5th verse King David has no choice but to wait patiently and silently longing for the Lord. Christian life is always ‘look forward’ life, meaning that we need to ask God to strengthen our souls and pray. We need to rely more upon Holy Spirit than ourselves.

Dear children of God, trust Him all the time, even when we don’t feel Him, or see Him. When you are going through some dark times, pour out your heart like Hannah (Prophet Samuel’s mother) and there’s nothing more enjoyable (in spiritual sense) than a sorrowful spirit in God’s presence.

God spoke to Moses through the dark clouds (Exo: 20.21). When he was out of Egypt, I am sure he went through his own dark times. Even while he was on that mountain, he had to wait upon God in those dark clouds. It was only then that his face was supernaturally radiant (Exodus 34:29-35).

Whatever darkness you are going through in your life, don’t worry, God is with you. In Psalm 18:11, God makes darkness His hiding place. Jesus said “my soul poured out before the Lord”. We got salvation through the cross. Jesus went through the darkest hours while he was in pain and agony on that cross. (Ninth hour at about 3 o’ clock) At this very moment, redemption was paid and the treasure of our salvation came out of that darkness.

For this reason Jesus said in verse 45 My God My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matt 27:45 & 46). Here, Jesus clearly illustrated on how one would feel when he is walking through darkness. I am sure even we felt like that sometimes but look at our redeemer now who sits at the right hand of our almighty God.

We need total dependence on God and obedience to his teaching in those dark times. So, wait patiently upon God until he redeems you and brings your out of your darkness. 

GOD BLESS YOU

– Bro. Jonah Ravinder

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Devotion Inspiration Meditation Message

Which stage have you stopped at?

God anointed Elisha with a double portion of the anointing that Elijah had. This was God’s seal of approval on Elisha’s life. But before God anointed him thus, he had been tested.

As in the case of all true servants of God, Elisha too was called to the ministry while he was faithfully doing his secular duties.

“Elijah found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him.”(1 Kings 19:19).

Thereafter, Elisha spent many years doing menial jobs for the prophet Elijah. He was known as the one “who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”(2 Kings 3:11b).

He did not seek great things for himself, but God had great plans for that young man.

Before Elijah went up to heaven, Elisha had to be tested. And so Elijah told Elisha to stay on in Gilgal, while he himself went on to Bethel. Elisha refused to stay back and was determined to go with Elijah. At Bethel, Elijah again tried to shake off Elisha by saying that he had to go to Jericho; but Elisha stuck on like a leech. Finally, at Jericho, Elisha was tested once more in a similar way. Again, Elisha passed the test of persistence and accompanied Elijah to Jordan. It was thus that he got the double portion of the anointing – God’s best for his life (2 Ki.2:1-14).

What is the message here for us? There are various stages in our spiritual development at which God tests us to see whether we are satisfied with what we have already received or whether we will press on to God’s highest.

Gilgal stands for the place where our sins are forgiven.

“The Lord said to Joshua, `Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.”(Josh. 5:8-9).

Many Christians get thus far and stop there.

Some press on till Bethel (meaning ‘the house of God’) – which stands for fellowship with believers in the family of God.

“And Jacob called the name of that place Bethel. Then Jacob said, `This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house.'” (Gen. 28:19,22).

Some stop here.

But a few go still further to Jericho – which stands for the manifestation of the supernatural power of God.

“The people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat…..and they took the city (of Jericho).”(Josh. 6:20).

This is as far as most Christians ever go.

Very, very few go all the way to Jordan – which stands for identification with Christ in His death, as symbolised in baptism.

“Then Jesus arrived at the Jordan, coming to John, to be baptized by him.”(Mt. 3:13).

Very, very few are willing to walk the way of the cross – “the new and living way that Jesus has inaugurated for us through His flesh.” (Heb. 10:20).

But it is these few, who are wholehearted enough to press on to total death to self, who receive the double portion – God’s best.

The Test of Perseverance by Zac Poonen

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Message

Bro. Jonah Ravinder on 08/04/2011

Last Friday Bro. Jonah Ravinder spoke from Matthew 24 & 25. From the very beginning of 2011, the story in this world hasn’t changed much. In fact, there are more stories now than a year ago. The stories aren’t good either. There are stories of fighting for freedom, earth quake in Christchurch and japan, conflict between religious views, territories, wealth and the list goes on. Matthew 24:3-8 tells us watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” and that all things are just beginning of “birth pains”.

I am also able to see the steady decline in people’s prayer life. It is becoming a ‘challenge’ for pastors and leaders to keep the church intact. There are lots of programs being organized for people in God sanctuary but what use is it to a man if he doesn’t have a ‘true’ relationship with the Almighty God. Just as pastor Vipul has said earlier, the more time we personally spend with God, the more the fellowship grows since fellowship should be considered as a pronoun in objective form – ‘me’. You can be assured of God’s word in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”.

He concluded from Matthew 25:1-10, we have three things in us that need satisfaction. One is satisfied with food, another that is satisfied with the things of this world (eg. drinking, smoking etc.), and the last is satisfied with the things of above (eg. spending time with Almighty God). He said, if you don’t crucify the second one (satisfaction from things of this world), it will kill the other two. This is why Paul says, “I die daily…” and this is why we need to address the temptations in the beginning, not during the period or near the end.

Matthew 25:1-10 is a bridegroom and bride story that most of us are well aware of. We can see clear separation between the wise and the foolish. There were those who carried the lamp with oil (resembling God’s presence, the spirit of God/Holy Spirit) that filled up just the framework and those who carried spare oil in case the oil wasn’t sufficient. How much oil are we carrying? Its a question for each one of us to examine ourselves. If you want to live a life full of power and anointing, crucify the flesh daily. The bridegroom’s delay is for our own advantage but remember, your delay to meet him is leading to destruction. There clearly distinction between the wise people’s words and foolish peoples words. Foolish people tend to depend on others a lot while wise tend to depend on no one and in-turn give wise advices to others around.

Do you want to know the saddest statement in the bible? Well, here it is, “verily, I say unto you, I know you not” (Matthew 25:12). Now we all know what happens in the end but the point I am trying to get to, is to help you understand the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom comes from the Lord (Psalms 111:10) but knowledge can be gained from this world. One servant of God put it this way, “Wisdom is the skill, in the art of living life under the complete dominion of God”. In other words, Wisdom is nothing but depending upon God for every decision, temptation, trials, and so on. We usually tend to go to God just for ‘big’ decisions and make the small ones using our knowledge. Having wisdom is very important in our lives, since without it, we cannot meet the bridegroom.

You see, if you don’t meet the bridegroom the first time, there is NO second time. You cannot go back, the choice you made stands true for eternity and remember your eternity has NO end. For example, there is something really interesting on TV that contradicts the word of God, but you really want to watch it. Wisdom in this case is taking the decision on whether to remain under the dominion of God’s will or to choose our own way of doing things. You can take a wise decision and abstain from it or take foolish decision to conceive sin. Job 28:28 says, “the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding” (KJV). We also know that fools despise wisdom, they are consumed up with things of this world, speak uselessly and it simply means there is very less or even NO oil left to burn your lamps.

I want to encourage you to spend time in the presence of our Almighty God, irrespective of where your job, family and children stand. It is only then we can see oil lasting long in our lamps and that we might bring forth that light that lits up every dark place. Be sure to remember that our only strength is when we are under dominion of our God. In other words, we are continuing to have him as our refuge, our shelter. When we despise the word, it is synonymous to carrying a lamp without oil. As you spend time, God will speak to you and he will pass his advice. I will assure you of that, it may be slow but surely he will do it.

Many of us talk about humility. It is one of the most centric topic around Christians these days. It is nothing but saying Lord you are strong, you can take care of me and you are the sovereign Lord over all. Its about depending on God rather than yourself. God helps those who are weak, humble, and those who submit themselves to God completely. Don’t fear about what will happen tomorrow or in days to come. Put your trust in the Lord and he will help you in the times of need. The things that we can see now are temporary, they will come and pass away.

Some people worry about the stock market due to their heavy investment but oh, how terrible it is to not be able to realise that it will soon pass away. It is like the rich mans story who has everything saved up to enjoy for the rest of his lifetime. But how foolish to not realise that his soul might be required of him anytime. The things of this world will fluctuate like the stock market but God’s word remains the same just like him.

We are able to see many things unveil right in front of our eyes. It is getting more closer to God’s return than ever before. Remember, when we have oil in our lamps, we can contain that anointing to be able to live a successful christian life. There is no such thing as “multiple options/ways” in christian walk, there is only one way and that is through walking by God’s words.

So dear brothers and sisters, “…we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

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Inspiration Message

Wisdom of God

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2: 6)

The Dhinakarans Wisdom is the divine nature found in Jesus Christ. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of the knowledge” (Proverbs 1: 7). In whom (Jesus) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2: 3). Jesus became wisdom for us from God (I Corinthians 1: 30). When Jesus, who is perfect in wisdom, comes into you, automatically His wisdom will descend on you. What kind of wisdom is it? He has the wisdom to see what the father does. That is why Jesus has said in John 5: 19, “The son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the son also does in like manner.”

Many years ago, a particular country was hit by a severe drought. During that time no business could flourish. A young engineer in that country was struggling to come up in life. One night, in his dream, God showed him a diagram of a modern ploughing machine. In the morning, he recalled it and drew it on a piece of paper. The next day, when he took the diagram to the scientists, they were amazed to see it. They said that it was a new and modern ploughing machine which nobody possessed so far.

The young engineer got the patent for that machine and he began to manufacture a number of the modern ploughing machines. There was a boost in the sales and he earned millions of dollars. Even during the time of drought, he received immense blessings from God. Such is the wisdom shown by God. Similarly, God is going to open your mind’s eye. When you keep looking at Him and do things as per the wisdom shown by Him, you will receive perfect blessings.

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus,

Your wisdom is more precious than rubies and better than gold. It will protect me from the ways of the wicked. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in You. Kindly bestow me with the heavenly wisdom and help me know Your ways.

In Your matchless name I pray.

Amen.

Dr. Paul Dhinakaran @ Today’s Word of Blessing

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Devotion Inspiration Meditation Message

LEARNING NOT TO DESPISE PEOPLE

“Jesus spoke this parable to some people who viewed others with contempt” (Lk.18:9).

There are various reasons why people view others with contempt. They may have been taught by their parents from childhood to look down on others who are inferior in social status, or wealth, or education, etc. Or, if you are very intelligent and top your class in school, you can begin to view others in your class with contempt. If, in addition, you are unfortunate enough to have foolish parents who make you imagine that you are a genius, then matters could be even worse.

Let me plead with all parents: If your children are intelligent, please don’t ruin them by boasting about them. I made it a rule in my house that my sons were never to tell anyone about their rank in class or the prizes they got anywhere. I knew that if they became proud, they would lose the grace of God immediately. Then they would fall into sin, and never be able to fellowship with ordinary brothers. I fear that many parents have ruined their children thus.

It is a common habit among children to make fun of someone who cannot speak English (or whatever their mother-tongue is) with a good accent. Beware of encouraging that in your home. Did any of us come out of our mother’s wombs speaking with a good accent? We should thank God for any ability that we have. But we should never be proud of it. Do you know what accent they speak with in heaven? The accents of humility and love. Let us learn those accents clearly.

Perhaps you are a woman who keeps your house spotlessly clean, with everything in its proper place. Then you see someone else’s home untidy and slipshod – and you despise her. You are then a Pharisee; while the person whose house is untidy may be a godly person.

Some brothers have very poor music sense, and if they start singing a chorus in an open time of praise in the church, they will invariably sing totally off tune. Don’t despise them, because God doesn’t listen to the music; he listens to the words. And that brother singing the wrong tune may be more sincere than you, who can sing the right tune. Personally, I have thanked God for such brothers, because they humble all the clever musicians in the church. It is Pharisee musicians who destroy the church, not the non-musical brothers. God loves non-musical brothers just as much as anyone else – but He rejects Pharisees. Many a surprise awaits such Pharisees when the Lord returns.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t come first in your class, or that you shouldn’t keep your house tidy, or that you shouldn’t sing in tune-Not at all. By all means let us do all these. But let us be humble about them – and not despise anyone else who cannot do what we can.

There are many areas like this where we can despise others quite easily. It says in Job 36:5 that “God is almighty, but He doesn’t despise anyone”. The more we become like God, the more we will value people and never despise anyone – for anything.

So let us cleanse ourselves and learn to look at people as God looks at them. “What do you have that you did not receive from God? How can you boast then about anything or despise anyone else?” (1 Cor.4:7).

– By Zac Poonen (Christian Fellowship Church)