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"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7, 8)

Where does our confidence lie? Is it in our acquired knowledge, acquired strength or acquired money? These can help us to an extent but people who rely on only these often tend to fail miserably after a while. God has some advice regarding this for all. He says,
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches." (Jeremiah 9:23)
Our breath is in the hands of the Almighty. He can give and he can take back this breath at his own discretion, so we do not have anything to glory in except in the Lord who has given us life breath.

Instead God advices us to boast about this: "let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,". (Jeremiah 9:24)

If your confidence is in Jesus, you will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:31) Praise the Lord.

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I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Matthew 26:13)

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. (Matthew 26:6-12)

Whatever we do for the Lord Jesus and his kingdom with love in our hearts is like beautiful fragrance in his presence. Here, the woman brought very expensive perfume which she poured on his head. What we offer for the expansion of God's kingdom here on earth may not be as costly as what the woman brought, but it has great value in the eyes of the Lord.

And Jesus' promise that "wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." has been proved true. It has been read & it has been preached about countless times.

So do not consider the work that you are doing for the Lord to be trivial. Do it with all your heart. You will be rewarded in the Lord's good time.
The Bible says,
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
God bless you.

The fragrance of her worship still permeates the air today . Much like this dear lady we can bring the fragrance of life with us as we walk through life with a worshipful heart.

Amen Jeremiah.

As we do what the Lord call us to do, no matter what others may think(if it is great or small to them) it does not matter.

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When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."(John 8:12)

Do you have the light of life? If you are following the light of the world ‘Jesus’, you will be the light of the world. Jesus said,
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.(Matthew 5:14-16)

Darkness will have no dominion over you because the light of the “Son of God” will always shine upon you.
After Moses was in God’s presence for 40 days, his face was radiant because he was in the presence of eternal light.
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

In Psalms 4, David prayed,
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. (Psalms 4:6)

In Psalms 31, he again prays,
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. (Psalms 31:16)

Asaph prays thrice in Psalms 80 for God’s face to shine upon the Israelites. (3,7,19)

It should be our prayer each day that God’s face which is brighter than the sun shines upon us, our families, our nation and the whole world so that darkness be dispelled continually. One of the blessings that God asked Aaron and his sons to bless the Israelites with was this:
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

And may God’s face shine upon all you who read this. God bless you.

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For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him. (Psalms 109:31)

God is near to all who call upon him; all who call upon him in truth. In Psalm 109, David speaks about his enemies who wanted to destroy him with their words and actions. Though his life was constantly in danger for many years, God’s protective hands always saved him from disastrous situations and destruction. Finally David sang a song when God had given him victory over all his enemies. That is Psalms 18, the title of which says,
“For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.”

In Psalms 16 & verse 8, David says,
I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Joseph’s brothers wanted him dead because they were jealous of him (Genesis 37), but God saved him and finally exalted him to become the second in command to Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt; a country where he had been brought to and sold as a slave at the age of 17. Imagine coming to a country with a new language, new culture, new people and new circumstances. Yet God helped and saved him in his time of need and after 13 years, he stood in the presence of Pharaoh to give him counsel.

If you have been living a life pleasing to the Lord, obeying his Word, the Lord stands at your right hand too, to save your life from the wicked plans of the enemy. Not only to save you, but also to exalt you in his divine time. God bless you.

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My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)

Jesus affirms that no one can snatch a believer (who listen's to his voice and follows him) from his hand or his Father's hand. But there’s always a possibility of a prodigal walking away from the hand of the Father and landing in grave trouble.

The protection remains as long as one abides in the shelter of the Most High, but once a believer moves out of the shelter, living a worldly life and indulging in things which are not pleasing to the Father, the shadows of darkness fall on his/her life and they suffer at the hands of the powers of darkness.

The story of the prodigal son as told by Jesus is relevant for our generation too. Believer’s desire to be blessed by God in every sphere of their lives and God does bless, but then some fall away being unfaithful to the Father who gave them their heart’s desire.

God blessed Israel and gave them promises that he gave no other nations.
He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. (Deuteronomy 32:13,14)

But they backslid, grieving the Lord who had rescued them from slavery.
Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. (Deuteronomy 32:15)

We have much to learn from these examples. There’s safety in the Lord’s hands. If we move out of his protection, danger lurks at every corner. So let us be firm in our decision to hear the Lord’s voice and follow him steadfastly. God bless you.

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But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

Jesus spoke about the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, defining his role in the lives of those who believed in Jesus and accepted him as Savior.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. (John 14:16)
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)
"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. (John 15:26)

If you have trusted in Jesus and accepted him as Savior, the Counselor will start his work in your life. He will be with you always, he will teach you all things, he will testify about Jesus and he will remind you of what Jesus has said.

The Counselor has been given the task of helping us believer’s reach eternity in heaven. He is there to guide us all along the way giving us wise counsel and leading us in the paths of righteousness. Sadly, some believer’s do not know much about him, some others ignore him. He wants to fellowship with us and tell us what Jesus desires in our lives.

As a believer, do you fellowship with your Counselor? Though you can’t see him, he is always there to speak to you and guide you through the Word of God and through dreams and visions and will speak to you with his still small voice. It’s a great experience once you start having fellowship with him. Just speak to him as though he were your close friend. His power will manifest through your lives. He is the spirit of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. He will help you with all things, whether great or small. As the Israelites were led by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night in their journey to Canaan, so also the Holy Spirit will lead us in our journey to the heavenly promised land. Praise the Lord.

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So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. (Isaiah 28:16)

If you have trusted in the tested and precious cornerstone Jesus, you will not be dismayed. People in authority often oppress subordinates and get away with their mischief. Often God doesn't punish the miscreants immediately, but that doesn't mean he favors them. He has his day of judging and when his time comes, he deals with them. But God's faithful eyes are always on those who trust in him.

Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land." (Genesis 26:18-22)

Isaac trusted in God and his persistence despite opposition paid rich dividends. Trust in the Lord and look ahead. A shut door doesn't mean the end. It signals the opening of several doors for a child of God. God bless you.

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The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." (Judges 6:16)

The Lord's call for service often comes in the most unexpected of places. Gideon was not exactly in a "fasting & praying" session when the Lord called out to him through an angel.
The following is what happened:
The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian." The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" "But Lord, " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." (Judges 6:11-15)

To the question ""how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family", God answered and gave the promise--"I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."

God's call for service in his kingdom can come at any age in a person's life. Jeremiah's call came when he was young and so also in the case of the prophet Samuel. But Moses and Aaron were called when they were in their 80's. I guess they were already in their retirement age.

If God calls you today, what will you reply? Hope your reply will be like what Isaiah said.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)