Continue To Seek

As Jesus was speaking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, He said, “no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). He then explained being “born again” as a spiritual birth which occurs when we believe; “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). EVERYONE who will spend eternity in the Presence of God must be born of the Spirit – it is impossible to be a Child of God without being “born again.”
This spiritual birth is part of the New Covenant through faith in Jesus and was revealed over 500 years before Christ through the prophet Ezekiel; “I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Paul referred to the spiritual birth as becoming “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), but it is most often referred to simply as being saved; “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
The process of spiritual birth is relatively easy to explain: God reaches down and transforms our heart by the power of His Spirit. However, the exact events which lead to the spiritual birth (and when the birth actually occurs) remain somewhat a mystery. On one hand, God’s Word is very simple and clear; “Whoever believes will be saved.” But understanding what it means to really believe can be difficult. We can talk about submission, obedience, sacrifice, love, or the basic faith of a child, but these will always fall short of an adequate definition of belief.
Only God can save: only He is fit to judge, and He alone can look into the innermost part of our heart and determine true belief. All we can do is seek Him with all our heart…and trust He will be found.
Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Our Salvation was initiated by God when Jesus came to earth and died as a perfect sacrifice for our sin. He chose us for an intimate and eternal relationship when His Holy Spirit began to call us near. And, if we will but answer the call and begin to seek His face, He will be found. In an instant, which He alone determines according to His perfect timing, He will transform our heart and adopt us as His Child.
We may not be able to explain or even fully understand true belief, but if there is any call of God on our heart we CAN ask, seek, and knock. God never hides or runs away; “He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). He is waiting for us to reach out and call on His Name. Today, let’s trust He will be found as we give Him all our heart and continue to seek.

CONTACT US :

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

Debt of Love

Much of Paul’s letter to the Romans is a love story between a righteous God and sinful man. Even though our sinful state sentenced us to an eternal death (Romans 6:23), God looked upon us with love: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Our Heavenly Father loved us long before we knew Him – He loved us when there was nothing in us that deserved His love – and He gave His Son as a sacrifice for sin so that, through faith, we might experience His deep and wonderful love for all eternity. This is a love I don’t think we fully appreciate or even understand. And yet, this love which was demonstrated through the life of Jesus has become the standard for how we are to love others; “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).
When Jesus came to earth He revealed the true love of God. John wrote of the awesome power of Jesus; “Through Him all things were made” (John 1:3). But we also know that the Creator of the Universe “made Himself nothing…being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). Jesus Christ came to earth in human form; He “humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8). His entire life was an act of divine love which revealed the love of God. And this is the same love He commands us to have for one another; the love which Paul says we must continually repay.
Romans 13:8
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.”
Paul knew the fullness of Jesus’ love and he knew we were commanded to love one another in a like manner. He also knew we could never truly fulfill Jesus’ command of love because His love was simply too great. And though the love involved in our Salvation is beyond comprehension, His love continues even more with the gift of His Spirit for daily guidance and strength. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each loving one another, together pour out their love on us with a blessed abundance. We definitely have a large love-debt!
But notice that our debt of love to God has become a debt of love to others – a “continuing debt” which will be with us for the rest of our life. Though we can never fully repay, we can honor Jesus’ command by welcoming our debt and joyfully loving those who are placed in our path; “We love {others} because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Honoring the command of Jesus doesn’t mean we love just the loveable or those who love us in return – it means we love…and then we love some more! Let’s accept our debt and love one another as we make regular (daily) payments toward our continuing debt of love.

His Message and His Ministry

Ahithophel was a highly regarded advisor to King David; “Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God” (2 Samuel 16:23). But when David’s son, Absalom, rebelled and sought to become the new king, Ahithophel joined with Absalom. Ahithophel had reason to be angry with David; he was the grandfather of Bathsheba and had watched as David violated his granddaughter and then had her husband killed (2 Samuel 11).
In his anger Ahithophel advised Absalom how to defeat David, but God had other plans; “The Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom” (2 Samuel 17:14). When Absalom refused to follow his advice, Ahithophel took the rejection very personally.
2 Samuel 17:23
“When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself.”
Ahithophel had once been close to God and was used for many years to give godly direction. But at some point Ahithophel began to take too much ownership of his ministry. He determined his self-worth based on the results of his ministry and began to use his gifts for his own selfish purpose. When his message was no longer trusted and his ministry was not going in the direction he desired, his self-worth fell and he found he had no reason to continue.
God has called each of us to be His messengers and has given us a ministry of sharing the Gospel; “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Some are called to preach a message of hope to a large congregation. Others have been called to instruct a small group or to encourage just one…but we have all been called!
We are never responsible for the outcome of a ministry, only for the obedience of faithfully delivering His message. God remains in complete control of any and all results: “My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). As we walk in obedience, His purpose (not ours!) will be accomplished.
We must never lose sight of the One who called us to serve. Our worth is in being a Child of God, not in the praises we receive or in what we can accomplish. We must continue to be obedient messengers who proclaim the Good News, teach the truth, and encourage at every opportunity. And when we become discouraged, we must check our focus and always remember…this is His message and His ministry.

CONTACT US :

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

God’s Thermal of Encouragement

Many of us have experienced that low spiritual valley where we thought the sun would never shine again. Some were sent quickly into the valley by a very specific event. Others drifted slowly to the bottom and can’t say by what path they arrived. In either case, we wandered in this gloom until something began to lift us to new heights.
Isaiah 40:29-31
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
An eagle seems to fly effortlessly through the air with only an occasional flap of the wings. These great birds are experts at finding areas of rising air called thermals which allow them to soar without using any of their own energy.
God uses spiritual thermals to lift up those who hope and trust in Him. Those who believe the truth of His Word and diligently search for the rising currents through prayer and undeterred worship will be freed from the heavy baggage which prevents upward flight – they will be lifted up by the guidance and strength of His Spirit.
If we find ourselves back in the valley today, we must continue to seek Him with all our heart and trust that our thermal is on the way. He has promised to strengthen us and cause us to soar once again! And if we’re currently flying high in our communion with God, we must give praise and honor to our Heavenly Father; but we must also recognize there are many others in the valley who desperately need a lift – many who are searching and feeling overcome with darkness. As we soar, we must understand that we are never called to fly alone.
God has chosen to use people to accomplish much of His work on earth. He could have chosen other methods; “If they {the people} keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40), but He chose us. We are to “encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 3:13). Why? Because there is a valley full of people waiting and hoping for that rising current to lift them up and set them free. We can be a rising current for others with simple words or acts of encouragement which show them God’s love and gently lead them back toward His peace.
We have been adopted into the “Family” of God…and our Family needs each other very much! Let’s dedicate ourselves to soaring high by worshipping God in absolutely every area of our life. Let’s continue to rise to new heights and always look for others in need of God’s thermal of encouragement.

CONTACT US :

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

God will make a WAY....

 

CONTACT US :

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910

Clear Line of Communication

Communication is a key part of any relationship. Without proper communication, a relationship will slowly drift apart and feel isolated. This is true of friends and married couples, and certainly true in our relationship with God.
Without communication, we begin to drift and will soon be unable to even recognize His voice. When faced with sudden burdens we will feel alone. We may awkwardly call out to God but find our communication line has become noisy, filled with distractions. It’s difficult to receive direction or comfort when we can’t even hear or understand what God is saying.
To keep the communication lines clear, we must develop the habit of continually talking with God; “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We cannot limit prayer to those times of great need. David was in the habit of morning prayer; “In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before You and wait in expectation” (Psalm 5:3). But we must also learn to talk with God throughout our day so we are prepared for those times of extra need.
Jesus never suffered from a breakdown in communication with His Father; “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). And yet, when faced with major decisions or burdens, Jesus still set aside special time to talk with God.
Luke 6:12-13
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles.”
There are always going to be times in our Christian walk when we urgently need dedicated time with God – times which involve “critical” or “crisis” situations. These times are greatly enhanced if we have already been walking in daily communion with the Father. Our “crisis” prayers will need to be more intense and require us to intimately know the One to whom we pray; require us to know His voice and understand His ultimate plan for our life.
Our Heavenly Father desires to light our path by giving daily guidance. Let’s develop the habit of continual prayer so we will follow His leading and walk each step in praise. Let’s KNOW Him during the trivial and mundane portion of our day so we will be prepared to know Him during the urgent. Let’s prioritize our life to ensure we have a free and clear line of communication.

CONTACT US :

For more information, Prayers and counseling you can contact,

Rev. Adbhuta Rao. Garnepudi

Millinium Baptist Church

Nambur, Guntur (Dist), A.P, S.India.

VISIT US : http://www.sites.google.com/site/wordmini/home

MAIL US : wordministries.india@gmail.com

CALL US : (+91)9848150491, 9908054910