He is Our Joy

 When Jesus came to earth, He took on human form and accepted many human limitations. He knew His purpose long before He was crucified: “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). But He also knew the pain He must endure…and the pain would be very real!
In the hours before His death, Jesus was beaten, whipped, spit on, laughed at, yelled at, and made to wear a crown of thorns. The Creator of the Universe was required to lay bloodied and disfigured as nails were hammered through His hands and feet. His chosen people had turned against Him and demanded His death – and those He loved the most had deserted Him.
Hebrews 12:2
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus endured more humiliation, disappointment, and pain than we can imagine. But the “joy” that allowed Him to endure the cross was the very reason He came to the world. He came to bring God’s children back into a relationship with their Heavenly Father. The sacrifice of His death allowed a bridge from death to life. His joy was knowing that God’s children would be able to come to Him and truly know Him; that they could talk with Him and worship Him; that they could sit in His presence and be comforted in His loving arms.
We are those children. We are the joy that allowed Him to “endure the cross.” How much love is wrapped up in this deep sustaining joy? Enough love to walk with us through the hottest fires, enough love to carry us when we are weak, and enough love to NEVER let us go! “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
We all face various kinds of trials, but the One who “endured” continues to walk by our side today. He has given us Himself – a true joy which allows us to endure even as He endured. He has given us the joy of an eternity to worship in His throne room, an eternity to be comforted and praise His Holy Name! He has given us the joy of a love and an unequaled strength which this world cannot begin to understand! We too can face our “cross” with great hope. We WILL endure any and all trials. We will endure because He is our joy.

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

 

Desires of Our Heart

 We often talk about the gift of Salvation as a transformation of the heart. Jesus came to give us eternal life through faith in Him and His sacrifice on the cross. His death established a new covenant for all who would come to Him in faith; “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin” (Matthew 26:28).
When we enter into this covenant we are transformed; “I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). This is the same transformation referred to by Paul: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is also referred to as the “circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit” (Romans 2:29).
As we continue our walk with God – as we continue our journey with a new and transformed heart – we begin a process of being “conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29). This transformation, which begins in our heart, continues for all the rest of our days. We may call this process growth or maturity, but the result is a heart which is becoming more and more like Jesus.
Psalm 37:4
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
This verse is sometimes misinterpreted to say that God has promised to fulfill all our current desires. There are people all over the world thinking that if they “pursue” God, they will receive an increase in their financial status – a better job, a nicer car, or a bigger home. This is a sad misapplication of scripture! When we are far from God, our heart is full of worldly desires. Apart from God, we will spend a lifetime trying to fulfill these desires only to find we are never satisfied or content.
But God says we need not spend our life chasing these unfulfilling desires. As we are diligent to draw close to God, learn of His ways, and become obedient to His commands, He gives us new desires – the desires of Jesus. As we love the Lord with all our heart, our current desires are replaced with something infinitely better. The single desire of Jesus was to glorify His Father by completing the work He was given to do (John 17:4). Jesus was content beyond our comprehension because He was truly one with His Heavenly Father!
The wonderful blessing from God is that as we delight in Him, He transforms our desires and also gives us the ability to fulfill these desires. This is the only way we will ever find true contentment and peace. Let’s learn to live each moment delighting in our Lord. Let’s allow Him to continue the transformation by giving us, and then teaching us how to satisfy, the desires of our heart.

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

Entrusted With His Secret

 We have been given an incredible gift. Jesus Christ came into this world two thousand years ago to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin, and to bring us back into a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Jesus knew God’s plan of grace before the world was ever created; “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9-10).
We are a fortunate people living in a uniquely blessed time; “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (1 Peter 1:20). Through faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, we can now “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrew 4:16), knowing we have been made clean and our relationship with God has been restored.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
“So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
I’ll say it again…we are a very fortunate people. Through no effort of our own, we have been born in a time where the “secret things of God” have been revealed. We have been given the opportunity to hear the full gospel message and believe. Thank You Lord!
But God has done more than just give us this opportunity to hear and believe, He has “entrusted” us with His message of Salvation. To prove faithful to His trust, we must live in a manner which holds up the gospel message for all to see. We are saved by a grace which cost God the death of His one and only Son. This grace must be cherished and honored with a life void of all compromise and hypocrisy. An understanding of His great love ought to cause us to surrender ALL and live each day to bring Him glory and honor.
Proving faithful to His trust also means we must confidently and accurately share His message of hope with all who cross our path. We must diligently study His Word and be prepared to share His grace through our words as well as our actions.
No matter how hard life may sometimes appear, we are truly blessed. We have been given a gift which can sustain us through our most difficult circumstances, and provide an eternal home filled with praise and worship. When the world beats us down, we can be encouraged that the Creator of the Universe believes in us. He has revealed His Son and made us stewards of His message of grace. Let’s live lives worthy of the trust we have been given. Let’s prove faithful to the great honor of being entrusted with His secret.

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

 

Step off the Shore

When Moses died, God assigned Joshua to the position of leadership. The people of Israel needed to know God approved of Joshua and would continue to direct them as they entered the land of Canaan. God was aware of this need and chose to work through Joshua as the people prepared to cross the Jordan river; “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses” (Joshua 3:7).
God told Joshua to have the priests carry the ark of the covenant directly into the Jordan river, which was flowing at flood level during the harvest season. He promised that when the priests stepped into the water, He would cause the river bed to dry and the waters to be “cut off and stand up in a heap” (Joshua 3:13).
With all the Israelites waiting in great anticipation, the priests picked up the ark – their most honored possession – and took their greatest step of faith.
Joshua 3:15-16
“As soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away.”
God always teaches us about faith and trust by directing us down a path we think is too hard to travel – into circumstances we do not understand. After all, if we could clearly see and understand, there would not be a need for faith. But we often miss the opportunity to experience the true glory of God because we fail to obey and take the first step.
By working through Joshua, God gave the people confidence in their new leader. By requiring an initial action (the first step), He taught a valuable lesson on obedience and trust. The river did not gradually pull back as the priests approached. Nothing happened to the river until the priests left the safety of the shore and stepped into the water. God patiently waited for a full commitment before revealing His mighty hand.
I often hear from people who are hesitant about giving their life to God. Mostly, they are scared by what they can’t see or understand, so they remain frozen where they are. They desire to have a more fulfilling life but are paralyzed by the fear of what they may lose in the process. Oh, if we could only see the life we would gain by giving Him our all!
God is waiting. He is ready to pull back the flood waters and lead us into a new land – a land filled with His peace and true contentment. But we MUST commit. Let’s trust Him with every area of our life. Let’s take a firm hold of His hand and boldly step off the shore.

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

 

Attitude of Encouragement

 EVERYONE needs encouragement. No matter how secure and confident someone may appear, everyone needs to be reassured, built up, and comforted. And we are all called to minister to one another, every day, with encouragement; “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today” (Hebrews 3:13). Therefore, we are all called to meet one another’s need for encouragement.
True encouragement requires us to be “others” oriented: “Consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). We will never effectively encourage until we begin to look outside our own needs and intentionally examine the needs of others. And our encouragement of others will always be hindered unless we are genuinely excited by the new growth and health we see in others.
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
“For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His Kingdom and glory.”
I was excited when each of my children learned to roll over, and I cheered when they began to crawl. When they started to walk I clapped my hands and beamed with pride, as if my kids were the first in the world to ever move about on two feet. Each small accomplishment was encouraged…and my manhood was never threatened by their progress. I wasn’t worried about losing my position within the family, and I had no desire to be the only walker in the house. Every time my children fell, I picked them up and encouraged them with full confidence of their future success.
Our journey with the Lord actually begins long before our day of Salvation as He calls us and draws us to the cross – we would never even seek if He did not first call and soften our heart. This part of the journey (the part which leads us to His secure arms of Salvation) may last MANY years and require encouragement from many different people. But as we place our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and continue our journey (with all the many hills and valleys), our walk is definitely much easier and enjoyable if we join with others and walk together.
Let’s encourage one another with each wonderful step toward Heavenly glory. Let’s be proud and excited for the accomplishments of others no matter how great or small. And let’s refuse to become threatened when we witness others mature and grow – we are absolutely secure in the love of God (and we really don’t want to be the only walker in His Family!). Let’s turn our hearts outward and begin to minister with a compassionate, loving, and secure attitude of encouragement.

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