INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: Just testify for the Lord!

“But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness at Rome,” – Acts 23:11

This was a painful and frustrating time for Paul. He was under arrest and uncertain of his fate. The bottom line is that the Jews wanted him dead – only that they did not have anything warranting a death sentence. Here he was in prison for professing the truth. On his own he was probably in despair and actually afraid because of the situation he found himself in. 

No man could rescue him here. No man could comfort him under these circumstances. But the Lord Jesus himself showed himself to Paul. Him alone could give Paul the courage he needed. He knows what we are going through. He knows our thoughts and He knows the intents of our hearts. He is the one to give us the rightful words of encouragement at any given time.

Sometimes we go through situations and we wish to have a certain answer. Sometimes we wish we could be delivered from the situation. Sometimes we wish we could be taken out, removed from the situation. We feel like we are better off without undergoing that situation. We worry about our own wellbeing. We worry about our own safety. We put our own interests ahead of anyone else.

There is something we can learn from Paul, a man who fought the good fight of faith in Jesus Christ. This is a man who devoted his life for the gospel since meeting Christ. This is “a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the Gospel of God.” He faced so many trials and tribulations but he was not interested to save his life in the midst of every tough encounter with opposition.

When Paul was in need of comfort the Lord was there to say, “Be of good cheer, Paul.” Regardless of the chains the Lord was there to say “Be of good cheer, Paul.” When there was no visible sign of relief the Lord was there to cheer him up.

Perhaps Paul could have wished for a miracle that will shake off the chains, open the doors for him and lead him out of the prison. But no; the Lord had a different game plan. In as much as the Lord was cheering him up, He was practically telling Him that he will stay in chains much longer.

The fascinating thing about this encouragement is that the Lord is revealing an assignment He has for Paul. Most importantly is that Paul proved his worthiness to carry out this assignment to testify for Jesus in Rome. He had a good track record for testifying for Jesus in Jerusalem. So Jesus encouraged him by saying that what brought Paul to jail is what he will have to continue doing even in Rome. Could it get tougher than that?

Paul was dedicated to ensure that whatever happens his conduct is worthy of the gospel of Christ. He bore witness of Jesus in Jerusalem and he was arrested, falsely accused of causing a rebellion amongst the Jews. It does not matter what life situations you are going through, you have to give testimony about the Lord Jesus. The Lord has pulled you through other tough situations and you trusted in Him. You will have to trust Him again.

You may be going through different stages in life, where life seems to be tough but you have to know that the Lord is with you and watching over you. He is keeping track of the way you conduct yourself. Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Just testify of the horn of our salvation.

Lord Do Not Pass Me By

“My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant ” – Genesis 18:3

“Pass me not , O gentle Savior,

Hear my humble cry,

While on others Thou art calling

Do not pass me by.”

“My Lord, do not pass me by” is a cry for help. A cry when you are in need, to the sense of desperation. A cry with the burning desire to get hold of that source of hope, a source of strength and source of life. A cry that is founded on the knowledge that there is no one to help you but your Saviour.

We have a Saviour and His name is Jesus Christ. There is no other name that can save us but the name Jesus Christ. When you are plunged in that miry clay, Him alone can lift you up. When you are drowning in the sea of sorrows or troubles, Him alone can rescue you. You need to call on Him, cry out loud, “Lord Save Me.”

The two blind men who were sitting by the road, heard that Jesus was passing by and cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” They had that wonderful opportunity to receive the mercy of the only Saviour. It was so important for them not to let the Lord pass them by without blessing them. It was worth everything they were. The multitude tried to silence them but they had one thing on their mind, “Lord, do not pass me by!” They were blind, but they had a voice that was able to call upon Jesus as He passed by.

When Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, could not let this opportunity pass him by. Fully aware of his short stature, he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him because He was going to pass that way. He was short but he had legs to carry him up the tree. In his heart I believe he was saying, “Lord, do not pass me by!” and indeed he caught the Master’s attention.

When Jesus passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee, He entered a village where He met ten lepers. They changed their song and lifted their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Regardless of their illness, which barred them from being in contact with other people, they could not allow the Savior to pass them by.

Our Lord hears that humble cry. He is abundant in mercy, full of grace. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16).

There is one thing that was so crucial in the wonderful testimonies highlighted above. The awareness of who was passing by. The two blind men were aware that Jesus was passing by and turned a deaf ear to the crowd. Zacchaeus was a sinner, and he knew it, but he could not allow Jesus to pass him by. The ten lepers were outcast in society but could not allow the opportunity to receive merciful blessings from Jesus to pass them by.

When you are aware that Jesus is passing by, you forget about what people think of you. You forget your shortcomings. Your forget your position in society. You forget your usual way of doing things and you lay hold of Him. Deep inside you know that no one else can save you but Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.

The important thing is to discern who has come to your shores. Abraham was sitting in the tent door in a very hot day. He discerned that the Lord had paid him a visit. “So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.” (Genesis 18:2-3).

It is amazing that when Abraham looked up he saw three men standing, but when he went to meet them he said, “My Lord…” His physical, natural eyes were seeing three men standing but his spiritual eyes were seeing the Lord. He discerned in his spirit that the Lord was standing before Him. He was aware that this was a special visitation.

I do not know who were these three men. Most likely they were angels. But according to Abraham, it was the Lord Himself. I want to believe these three men symbolized the triune of God, that’s why Abraham addressed them as “My Lord” and he addressed himself as His ‘servant’. Whatever the case is, Abraham was conscious of the presence of the Lord.

Abraham was not only aware of the presence of the Lord, he went out to meet Him. As the custom in those days dictated, a visitor would stand and wait for an invite to the house (or tent). Likewise, the Lord is in your presence but He is waiting for your invitation. He is waiting for your humble cry. He is standing before you, fully aware of your situation. Are you going to stand there and watch Him pass by or you will run to meet Him just like Abraham?

Coming to the gentle Saviour requires one to believe in Him. Paul says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:10). Abraham was cognizant of this truth. He knew that the Lord whom he served is full of grace. That is why he asked, “…if I have found favor in Your sight…” Grace is defined as the divine favor towards man. This is the kind of favor that Abraham was asking from God.

What was the favor? “…do not pass on by Your servant.” Referring himself to a servant only reveals the humble heart of this man. Abraham was a man of God, who served God no matter what. A true servant of the Lord. He was making a humble request to his Master, the Almighty God.

Interestingly, God had purposed to come to Him. The Lord had no intention of passing him by. But He respects a person’s choice and decision. He is waiting for you to make a decision. Do you invite Him to save you? Do you allow Him to pass you by? My friend, I know that God has an answer to your troubles but He is waiting for your call. He is waiting for your invite.

When Abraham invited the Lord to his tent, He was actually inviting good news. God was there to confirm that indeed Sarah, despite her age, was going to conceive. “Is there anything too hard for the LORD?...” (Genesis 18:14).

My dear friend, the Savior is waiting for your humble cry. Call upon Him and say, “Lord, do not pass me by!”

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: The Greatest Desire

"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple."  (Psalms 27:4)

Testimonials are great. When someone gives a testimonial about something it means that particular person was impressed by whatever he is giving testimony to. It means that person believes in that product, service or person. That person is actually recommending what he has experienced. That means you, listening to that testimony, have to pay special attention to that which is given a good word.

David is a man who received a great testimony from the God Almighty himself. Here is a man whom God was proud of and testified of him, "I have found a man after my own heart!" How great it is to receive a testimony from God! What testimony does God have of your own life towards Him?"

The man who is said to be after God's heart had one great desire. He said, "THAT I will seek after..." He was making that commitment to seek after his desire. He knew in his heart that God will grant him the desires of his heart. He knew that God will not withhold anything good from him. But he commited himself to seek after this one particular desire.

His desire was to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of His life. In simple terms, David desired to be in the presence of the LORD all the time. He commited to seek after God's presence everyday. He desired to behold the beauty of the LORD.

In David's era God chose to dwell in the temple. It was in the temple where David could encounter and experience the glory of the LORD (the beauty of His holiness). David had a deep longing to behold this beauty. He desired to worship the LORD in the beauty of His holiness. Oh what a wonderful experience! This is the same man who reckoned that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy.

This is where he delighted himself in the LORD and the Almighty found pleasure in granting David the desires of his heart. Why? David's heart was in the right place. His heart was after God's heart. He desired to 'enquire in His temple.' To enquire is to seek to know the truth by asking questions. David knew that he could only find the truth from God who was dwelling in the temple.

Don't you know that you are the temple of the living God? His glory is shining in our hearts through the Spirit of the living God. We worship Him without fear, in righteousness and holiness all the days of our lives. His glory is manifested in our lives just like the cloud that led the children of Israel through the wilderness.

We all have our desires and God desires to give us the desires of our hearts. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us the principle: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things shall be added to you. In other words, desire and seek after the presence of the LORD - His righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

When you desire to dwell in His presence, your desires change. You begin to desire what the Holy Spirit (God) desires. He transforms you, from glory to glory. You find delight in His presence and He delights to grant you your desires because they are according to His will.

May the LORD grant you all your heart desires and fulfill all your needs. May He answer all prayers and grant you more exceedingly than you asked for. He is faithful to do it according to His great mercy and amazing grace.

"SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS..." (Matthew 6:33)