Bro.Paul, N.India

Please pray for Bro. Paul, our overseer in Northern India. His wife sent and email asking for prayer as he has not arrived home as planned from his mission trip. She has been unable to reach him by phone as well. The area he was going to is dangerous for Christians.

Update

Bro. Paul has returned home, but was injured in an attack. Please pray for his healing and continued encouragement.

Milk of the word

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye ma grow thereby.
1 Peter 2:2

A whole lot to say on this, but simply want to thank the Lord for a renewed desire to be in His word more and more.

Love not the World

And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
(Mar 10:17-22)


This young man seemed to be full of great zeal to do what was right. After all, he came RUNNING to Jesus. And as Jesus begins to remind him of the commandments, he acknowledges that he had observed those things since he was a youth. But then Jesus points out "One thing thou lackest".

We must be careful in feeling good about "following" all the commandments. Serving Christ is not about checking things off of a list, but about serving Him with all of our heart. One small part of our heart not sold out to Him means we are lacking. I don't want to be found falling short of His desires for my life. Lord help us not to coming running, eager with zeal, but to have to go away in sadness because there is something in this world that we love more that our Saviour.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
(1Jn 2:15-17)

Not Understanding

And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
(Mar 8:29-33)

Peter is found here in a situation many people find themselves in, not understanding God's plan. He had just stated that he believed Jesus was "the Christ". Peter's view of who the Christ was to be, as with many of the Jews, was totally different than what God's plan for Christ was. The Jewish people were looking for a political-military deliverer. Someone who would make them an independent nation once again. God's will was to send someone to deliver them spiritually!

How often do we look for God to do one thing, when He is really wanting to do something else? We pray and read our Bibles, and are just sure that God is going to do "A", when His will is that "B" happens.

To avoid this, we must do what Peter was not doing in the passage above. We must LISTEN to the Master. Jesus, in describing what would happen, was trying to clear up their misconceptions on what He was there for. Yet Peter, the very one who had just stated that He was the Messiah, rebuked him ?!

Let our prayer be, Lord help me to listen to You!

We must not stay

And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;
(Mar 7:32-36)

Above is one of the many instances where Christ touched someone's life, and told them not to be telling anyone, and yet they could not contain themselves because of the wonderful things that had been done for them. It seems that all too often Christians find themselves in the opposite situation. Christ has come set us free from the burden of sin and from the despair of this life. He has commanded us
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. And yet we contain what He has done for us without telling others like we should.

May God help us to be as Jeremiah and sayBut his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.