Made in His Image

A few months ago, I was on a train looking out the window. It was around 6 am and the sky was overcast with rain clouds, but it has not started raining yet. The morning breeze was ticklishly chilly and saturated with a plethora of smells...wet earth, green leaves, smoke from a fire lit in a thatched hut. Even though there was no sun, the sky was illuminated in a magnificent way giving the entire scenery a brilliant grey background.

A few white birds flew past when I felt the tender voice of the Holy Spirit tell me that all of what I was seeing and appreciating, all of mother nature in her magnificence, was created by the Word, the Breath, the Vibrations from the mouth of God. He spoke and they came to be. Hallelujah!! My spirit rejoiced with the Spirit of God. And then in a way that only God can, He blew my mind with the next thing which He pointed out. He said, "..but son, I formed you by My hands"!! Oh the joy that flooded my spirit at that moment. A silent but powerful revelation.

The Psalmist realized the glory of God which was manifested in the human form and proclaimed in worship, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalms 139:14). Beloved we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Although we are on earth, our blueprints are heavenly, we are images of the Holy, Omniscient and Omnipotent Master of the universe. Hallelujah!! Our bodies were not meant to be afflicted with maladies and stress. We were created to soar, to commune with Heaven and walk hand in hand with Elohim. The human body is a masterpiece. It is perfectly designed to resist disease, fueled by two sources of energy - one of the world and one divine (proving our supernatural tie with the Creator) and built to live long and meaningful lives on earth and then live forever in Jesus Christ.

Beloved, you are not an accident. You are not a product of chance, improved over millions of years of evolution and survival of the fittest. You are a masterpiece crafted carefully in the comforting hands of a Loving and Caring Father. His love for you is unfathomable. The Apostle Paul concludes, "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever may believe in Him, will not perish but will have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Beloved the Messiah, promised to Abraham was born on Christmas day. The Christ, Yeshua, the Saviour was the Son of God, the Holy One of Yahweh made flesh, born to die, the Lamb who would take away the sins of the whole world (John 1:29). Hallelujah!!

Paul, by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost" (1 Corinthians 6:19). Declare these truths over you bodies today, and witness the healing power of Jehovah Rapha in your lives as you call on His Name. Finally, I quote the words of John, who knew the Love of God, he said, "Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers" (3 John 1:2).

Shalom!!

Born to Die: The Christmas Story

Mary lifted her eyes up to the heavens to gaze at a particularly bright star. It was almost as if it guided them to their destination. They had finally arrived at Bethlehem, Joseph’s birthplace; for he was of the family of David and according to Caesars decree each man had to return to his place of birth for the census. Joseph seemed tensed, although their long and tiring journey had at last come to an end, there was another thought which troubled him. The baby was coming and they had no room to spend the night, no place for Mary to give birth. A gentle evening breeze kissed her face as she, bravely enduring the pains of labor, watched her husband run fruitlessly from one door to another, pleading for a roof over their heads. Bethlehem had no room to accommodate the desperate couple that night.

Beloved, all circumstances surrounding the birth of our Lord were in no way coincidental, (Jeremiah 31:15) they were a series of events beautifully orchestrated by the Holy One of Israel. Joseph and Mary not finding a place to stay was just another piece of the Master Plan being executed at just the right time.

“And by and by they found a nook in a stable all forlorn / and in a manger cold and dark Mary’s little boy was born”

 - Bethlehem Ephrathah, the place where the baby lay in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes was not an ordinary animal shelter. It was the place where newborn lambs were set apart for the Passover. As the ewes would give birth, the new born lambs would be wrapped in swaddling clothes to make sure that they remain without blemish, to maintain them as the perfect sacrifice. So when the angels described the baby to the shepherds they had absolutely no trouble finding that particular stable where the King of kings lay. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy in Micah 5:2 “And you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you being least among the thousands of Judah, out of you He shall come forth to Me, to become Ruler in Israel, He whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.”

The branch from the stem of Jesse promised by Isaiah....the heir of David.... the Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty One of Yahweh, the Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace) was born; God made flesh, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the World – they named Him Yeshua, as instructed by the angel of the Lord.

A group of shepherds watching their flocks by night they were startled by a brilliant light in the heavens. A million floodlights of our day could not match the brilliance of the angelic host that came to proclaim the birth of the Son of God. The Father lit up the sky to announce that His Son had been born as the Son of Man.  And the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)

These lowly shepherds became the first ones to witness the incarnation of God as Man, the Holy one of Israel as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a stone trough where animals were fed. None could imagine the depth of that glorious sight which lay before them. The babe wrapped in cloth lying in a stone trough looked awfully similar to a dead man lain in a stone tomb.

As some time passed, the three wise men who knew about the prophecies concerning the birth of the Savior of the world reached Bethlehem. They claimed to have followed a new star that had appeared in the heavens and it led them to the city of David. Matthew 2:11 says, “And coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother. And they fell down and worshiped Him. And opening their treasures, they presented gifts to Him, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

Gold offered as a gift fit for a descendant of Royalty, for the baby in Mary’s arms was the long awaited heir of David (Jeremiah 23:5). Frankincense, offered to the high priest of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7) who would one day stand before Elohim, as the perfect mediator – the One Job longed to have (Job 16 and 17). The last gift was unusual; it was Myrrh, bitter herbs, to embalm the body of the Perfect Sacrifice.

 Mary knew that her firstborn was different; He was not another human baby for He was not born of man but of the Holy Spirit. She understood why the scholars and shepherds came to worship her Son. She knew that the joy in Simeon’s eyes was the joy of the Lord, like a fountain gushing from a dry well, the man had seen God. His words “For my eyes have seen Your Salvation” is literally translated “For my eyes have seen Your Yeshua”. (Luke 2:25-30) The words of Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:38) confirmed to all who were eagerly waiting for redemption, that unto them a King had been born, the babe in Mary's arms was the Savior of the World.

Right from the day He was born, Jesus was set apart to be offered up as propitiation for our sins. That our sins be placed on Him and His righteousness imputed to us by faith in His perfect work. (Romans 3:25)

The ram caught in the thicket by the horns, (Genesis 22:13) the perfect sacrifice for Abraham to offer to God in his son’s stead……the Passover lamb, whose blood on the doorposts of the Israelites saved their firstborn and earned them their freedom (Exodus 12:7, 13)……these were all shadows, prophetic events in history pointing to the final offering that would once and for all time (Hebrews 9:28) reconcile man to God… the Messiah, who was born on Christmas Day. Praise God!!

Mary, did you know

that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know

that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?

Did you know,

that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?

This sleeping child you're holding, is the great I AM.

Hallelujah!! Merry Christmas to you all. Shalom!

Fulfilling the Great Commission out of the Overflow

Many believers today misunderstand the Great Commission. Churches literally force people to go out and preach the Gospel to unbelievers. The results are often not very good. 

One of the reasons why many of our sincere efforts bear no fruit is because we have been taught a mixture of the Law and Grace. Beloved what Peter preached in Acts 2 and 3000 were saved, what he preached at Cornelius' house and Gentiles (for the first time) were baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 10), and what Paul preached mentioned in Acts 13 that caused a lame man to receive faith to be healed (Acts 14:9), is what really matters. Yes, not HOW, WHEN, or WHERE they preached but WHAT they preached!!!!

They preached GRACE, undiluted, unadulterated, unaltered, pure Grace. They preached that through this Grace (Jesus Himself) there is forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, 10:43, 13:38) available to all who believe in Him (Romans 10:9-10) for God SO loved the world. (John 3:16)

The great commission was never about us. If Jesus wanted Peter and the apostles to go out and fulfill the great commission by themselves then He would have not told them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). If God required men to go out and save the lost then Paul would not have cried out, "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives through me" (Galatians 2:20) and Jesus could never have said, "who ever my Father sends to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37)

Beloved, it is El Shaddai who seeks and saves the lost......the loving Father who looks out for His lost Son....Jehovah Rohi who rejoices when He finds that one lost sheep. Amen!!

So how exactly do we fulfill the great commission? 

What we receive by grace through faith in Jesus edifies us. And how much we receive is always more than we can handle. (Ephesians 3:20) It is the overflow that causes us to fulfill the Great Commission. It is the ABUNDANCE of what we receive that reaches out to our lost world. It is His light reflected off of us that draws in the weary and heavy laden to Christ (Matthew 11:28). His light makes us that city on a hill which cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:14)

Let me clear the air regarding how exactly the disciples and apostles went out "to the uttermost parts of the earth". (Acts 1:8) Immediately after the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, the disciples stated in Jerusalem as the Lord commanded. (Acts 1:4) Even after Peter's first message they remained in Jerusalem. All throughout Acts 2 to to Acts 7 it is mentioned that they would go to the temple to preach and many were healed (Acts 5:12,16) and the church grew in number (Acts 2:41, 43, 47, 5:14). Still no apostle moved out of Jerusalem (except the people from different nations who had been there for the feast of the Pentecost, they went to their homelands with the Good News oblivious of the great commission). Acts 8:4, makes it clear that it was only after Stephen's death and when Saul started persecuting the followers of Christ in Jerusalem that the brothers were "caused" to scatter to other place, and there under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the dunamis of God, they PREACHED the Gospel. He made all things beautiful in His time. Hallelujah!! 

Today do not be burdened with guilt because you are not preaching the Gospel. Condemnation kills but the Law of the Spirit of Life in JESUS CHRIST has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) Do not let anyone force you into coercive preaching, it is never effective. Beloved, do not try to do the work of the Holy Spirit by yourself. But rejoice because under the New Covenant most of the time believers end up ministering and witnessing to people even when they are NOT aware of it. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that "you shall be my witnesses", our lives will be living testimonies and that is what will draw people in darkness to come out into the light of Jesus that shines through our lives. Amen!! God will confirm this preaching of His word with signs and wonders (Mark 16:20)!! So no more worries about making up excuses as to why miracles did not happen, because you better brace yourself as all heaven will break open and the dunamis of God will flow when His word goes forth from the mouth of His beloved son or daughter! Amen!! Praise the Lord!!

Beloved the same power that flowed through Paul, Peter and the 1st century believers is alive and well able to do the same and even greater works in us today. The first century church was no different than us today. they faced the same difficulties, made the same mistakes and had the same power which we have today.So quit disqualifying yourself, blaming the "evil times", quit playing the blame game. Jesus' perfect work has made you a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and you are now the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Believe that there is nothing wrong with you because of Jesus' perfect sacrifice, look up and see the blessings flow, miracles manifest and experience the power of God making each of the days of your natural lives, SUPERNATURAL!! Hallelujah!! 

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

Beloved this kind of a life, we abiding in Jesus and His word in us (John 15:7); this life will speak to the ends of the earth and declare that JESUS is Lord, and whatever we ask for in Jesus' name, will be done for us by the ever loving and gracious Father, the one and only wise King, to Him be all glory and honor and praise, forever and ever! Amen! 

Many are later called into full time ministry by Jesus like Paul, Dr. DGS Dhinakaran, Pas. Joseph Prince, Smith Wigglesworth was a plumber before being called full time but there are instances in his life when he would go to do his job and the glory of God would be manifested in the way he spoke and acted so much that people would themselves approach him to ask him what kept him so happy and satisfied. The answer obviously was Jesus!! Beloved it is of utmost importance that we do not rush in on our own but wait for the call, besides that the word assures us that our very lives will touch people and make paradigm shifting changes wherever we are!! Look to Jesus, beloved, only He can give you that abundant life (John 10:10) where you do not end up "making it through" the day, instead you LIVE EACH MOMENT EXPERIENCING HEAVEN ON EARTH for the GLORY of GOD!! Amen!!

Blessed?? Hallelujah!!

Of Food and Freedom

Beloved, I want to discuss an area which has confused me a lot in the past but thanks to God that today by His Grace I no longer stand divided in my mind. God is “Jehovah Shalom”, God our Peace; it does not mean that He give us peace; He IS our Peace. On this note I would also encourage you to look to Jesus whenever you are troubled or confused and He will guard your hearts and minds with His shalom peace (Philippians 4:7). Amen!

This is about food offered or sacrificed to idols or the “prashad” which many of us have been offered some time or the other in the past. I have always avoided taking this and many a times been confused my conscience, not by partaking of this food but by seeing believers who partake of this food openly.

Now let me point out that those who believe in Jesus and yet partake of this are under no condemnation, for they give thanks to God and because He has made all things clean, “the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof” (1 Corinthians 10:26).

The problem, beloved was my weak conscience and lack of knowledge.

Let us look at what Paul says. With regard to food sacrificed to idols the first thing he says is, “with regard to food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) Hallelujah!! The wisdom of God!! Powerful!!

Beloved the knowledge of freedom too can cause us to become ignorant of people who lack it. So this is why the Holy Spirit brings this up, we who have the knowledge that idols are nothing in this world (1 Corinthians 8:4), no food is unclean (1 Corinthians 10:25-27), and food does not cause  us to go closer to or farther from God (1 Corinthians 8:8)  -  must “be careful that this liberty of ours does not become a hindrance to the weak." (1 Corinthians 8:9)

Yes, all food is clean but as Paul says “everything is not beneficial” (1 Corinthians 10:23).

Regarding food, I wish to tell you as Paul did, “Eat everything that is available in the marketplace” (1 Corinthians 10:35) but meditate on what Jesus told Satan when he asked Him to turn the stones into bread (Matthew 4:3-4). Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 saying “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. Let me point out to you that in the original Hebrew text, the word “word” is not there. Instead it reads, “man shall not live by bread alone but by everything (every vibration) that comes from the mouth of God”!! Hallelujah!! So I can safely quote that “food is not even NECESSARY!!” Jehovah sustains us by His word.

Coming back to food offered to idols, let us see how Paul expands on this topic in 1 Corinthians 10. He says by the Holy Spirit that idols are nothing but demons and that the pagans (unbelievers) offer sacrifices to them. So it is impossible for us to partake at the table of the Lord and that of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:20-22) The Spirit knew that we can be alarmed by this so He says in the very next verse that all things are good and that all food is good (1 Corinthians 10:25-26), and even when you are invited to the house of an unbeliever do not hesitate to eat whatever is offered to you (1 Corinthians 10:27). And then Paul adds, that if an unbeliever (or a weak believer at any other time) happens to mention that a particular food has been offered to idols, then do not eat it (1 Corinthians 10:28). Not for the sake of defiling yourself (because you can never be defiled by what you eat or do not eat) but for the sake of the other person whose conscience is weak. (1 Corinthians 10:29)

Beloved, Paul says that if by eating a certain type of food we cause a weak brother to fall into sin, it is better to avoid that food. (1 Corinthians 8:13)

You now possess the knowledge regarding food sacrificed to idols, now let us look at love. Beloved, love builds up. This knowledge is useless without love because we can now easily exercise this knowledge, become puffed up and end up causing many with weak consciences to fall into sin and confusion. So how do we exercise this love.

The answer is in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22

For though I am free from all, yet I have made myself servant to all, so that I might gain the more.

And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews. To those who are under the Law, I became as under the Law, so that I might gain those who are under the Law.

To those who are outside Law, I became as outside Law (not being outside law to God, but under the Law to Christ), so that I might gain those who are outside Law.

To the weak I became as the weak, so that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, so that I might by all means save some.

This is love. The love that builds up lies in us exercising our knowledge (the freedom from guilt regarding what we eat or do not eat) to go and be with unbelievers and weak believers, to eat what they eat and be with them to proclaim the Gospel to them, so that they too might one day be free in Jesus' name. Amen!!

So those of you, who are new believers, do not hesitate to eat the “prashad” offered to you at home. Give thanks (for He has made all food clean) and partake lest you lose the opportunity to testify about Jesus at your own homes. And to believers in Christ who are under no such compulsion, you are free to exercise this knowledge but do so in love for your fellow believers who are weak.

Shalom!! 

Marriage vows revisited

About three months ago brief discussion with my uncle on the wedding vows we normally use at Christian weddings sparked a tiny flame. 

Half of the things which we say and anticipate will be a part of our married lives are downright pessimistic under Grace. For example, we say, “to have and to hold in sickness and in health, for better or for worse..”

Clearly this is like cursing a union before it even begins. Sure the argument that “anything can happen” and that “we should consider all possibilities” may hold true for unbelievers; but for the children of the Most High God such a statement is absurd.

Beloved Yeshua suffered and died one of the most painful and agonizing forms of death just so that we, today, will be free from all sin, sickness and worries. So to declare or even hope to encounter such things is wrong. The writer of Hebrews says, “…and who have fallen away; it is impossible, I say, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify the Son of God afresh to themselves and put Him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:6)

Beloved, repent!! Metanoea!! Change the way you think!! Because the work of Christ is complete. It was one sacrifice, offered once, for all our sins and it was accepted as perfect by the Father. So if there was any sin which God had not forgiven that day at the cross, He (the Father) could not have raised Jesus from the dead. So perfect health, prosperity and peace of mind are blood bought gifts given to us freely by faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

“Till death do us part…” is another inappropriate phrase. 

Beloved, for a believer the word death is invalid. Believers pass on into eternal life. The “zoe” life which the bible speaks of begins when this mortal life ends. And the Saviour who died to reconcile all mankind to the Father is not in the business of parting us from our loved ones. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall fully know even as I also am fully known.” Then when we are perfected in heaven we will know each other, all the painful memories will be gone but all the good times will be enhanced.

Today when we are separated from those we love…parents…siblings…spouses…we feel void, incomplete and alone. 

Eve was made because God saw that Adam was alone (Genesis 2:18). And Adam loved Eve, because we see when man fell and the woman was cursed Adam declared over his wife that her name shall be “Chavvah” (Eve) which means life (Genesis 3:20). Wow, imagine they had just lost their immortality and this guy names his wife “life”. I believe that they know each other in heaven and I am sure that we all will know our loved ones too.

Beloved, the covenant of marriage is holy. God made man and woman to be with each other.

Paul explains the deeper significance of marriage in Ephesians 5, mentioning what Jesus, the Bridegroom, did for His bride, the Church. Here husbands are instructed to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). Christ died for His bride so that He may present her without blemish before God, by the washing of water by His Word. (Ephesians 5:26-27) Husbands are the priests of their households. It is their duty to wash their families with the “washing of water by the word”; to intercede on their behalf and to be the representative of the love of Jesus in their families. Amen!

Wives are told to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22) not as slaves rather as worthy equals. The picture is of the Holy Spirit and the renewed spirits of the redeemed (2 Corinthians 5:17). The unsaved spirits of unbelievers cannot stand before Spirit of God, let alone receive from Him but when a sinner repents he is made a new creation. This new creature (spirit) is perfected by the work of Yeshua and can stand face to face and receive from the Spirit of God. Hallelujah!!!

“for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and be united with his wife…”(Ephesians 5:31). The cause is simple, beloved. The cause is LOVE. Jesus is LOVE. God is LOVE. Marriages on earth represent His Love for us, His Bride.

So marriage vows under grace would sound something like as follows:

I take my beloved <name of your spouse> as my lawfully wedded husband/wife

To have and to hold for all eternity

In the abundance of health and happiness

For better moving on towards the best

Till we are perfected in love when we stand face to face with the author and perfecter of our love, Jesus Christ

Amen

Beloved this is a truth, and Jesus said that the truth always sets us free. Feel free to renew your wedding vows with your spouse if you are led. For those who are not married yet, declare these promises in your heart so that when God brings the right person to you, you will declare life over them in Jesus’ name. 

Yes, beloved, when we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. We will rejoice in the arms of our Lord and celebrate with all whom we love. It will be a grand grand reunion.

Shalom!

Why I do not cry on Good Friday!!!

Someone once asked me, "Is Good Friday a sad day?"

Surprisingly, I took a little longer than I should have to reply, "No, it's a happy day!!"

And I am sure that by the time you finish reading this post you will agree with me too.

Jesus Christ, the only begotten, beloved Son of the most High God (Elohim) suffered the most painful, cruel and agonizing form of death known to man. Death on a cross. 

There is a curse in the old testament which says, "...cursed is every man who hangs on a tree." (Deuteronomy 21:23)

King David was instructed to avenge the murder of the Gibeonites by killing those responsible by hanging them on trees (2 Samuel 21). They were cursed by God. Suspended on trees they were neither of the earth nor of the heavens. Rejected....despised......cursed.

The Law (The Ten Commandments) came with blessings (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) for those who could keep it and also with a curse, for those who went astray. The curse of the Law is listed in excruciating detail from verse 14 onwards in the 28th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. 

So what exactly happened on Good Friday 33AD. 

I call it an "exchange", a "divine exchange" took place. 

The bible says in Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone having been hanged on a tree")"

"For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

So believe it or not, all who believe in Jesus are RIGHTEOUS people. Righteous not by their works but by Jesus' work. All the sin, shame and suffering of the world, of the past, the present and the future, were on Jesus on that day at Calvary. The full fire of God's holy wrath fell upon the body of the Messiah.

That agonizing cry of Jesus, "Eloi Eloi!! Lama Sabachthani" (My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me); is an understatement. The only beloved Son of God had to bear that moment of separation from His Father. Jesus was so full of the sin of the world that God could not bear to look at Him, God turned away from His Son......and the fire of His wrath fell on the Man who hung on a tree that day. 

Terrible!! Right? But wait. That is not all. After the full fury of God was exhausted, Jesus was still there and He cried out “It is FINISHED!!!!!” The sins of the entire world, of all generations had been punished on the body of He who knew no sin! The sacrifice was greater that the fire of Judgement. The Law was fully satisfied and God’s wrath was appeased by the perfect sacrifice of His beloved Son. The book of Hebrews says, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right of God….” (Hebrews 10:12)

So the exchange was that He, Jesus, bore all the sins of mankind and died under the curse of the Law and in doing so made us an heir to ALL of the Blessings of the Law; and because of His perfect sacrifice God CANNOT see sin in us!

And because of His perfect work, a new Covenant was established.

A Covenant of Grace, of righteousness by Faith, of Power, of Love; a Covenant which no man can break because it was not wrought by man, but by God the Father and God the Son, Jesus, the Messiah!! Hallelujah!!!!!

Just look at the terms of this new Covenant!!

The writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 33, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put My Laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” also He adds, "their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:16-17)

Notice the double negative in that second verse, “their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more”.  So today when God the Father looks at you He cannot see sin. He sees the righteousness of His Son in you and blesses you with what Jesus deserves. That, beloved, is Grace. The unmerited and undeserved favour of God bestowed on an undeserving world through the perfect work of His beloved Son, Yeshua!!!!

Beloved, today when you accept Jesus as your Lord, your beloved elder brother, you become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and the Grace of God is made to abound in your life (Romas 5:17). Health, prosperity and favour are released onto you not because of who you are and what you have done, but because of who He is and what He has done.

Beloved, God demands nothing from you except that you come to Him.

Jesus said, “I say to you that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7) and in Matthew 11:28, He says, “Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”

The Saviour did not come to make you work to receive the favour of God. He came out to bring you into His rest.

The writer of Hebrews understood the meaning of this rest, he says, “For he who has entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.  Therefore let us labour to enter into that rest…..” (Hebrews 4:10-11)

Today the only work that we are called to do is to labour to enter into His rest; a point where we are completely dependent on Him. To not be anxious about anything but to bring all our requests before God, a point at which the Holy Spirit meets with the Shalom peace of God and guards our hearts and minds from all doubt and evil. There we are safe and free from all worries, in the arms of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. (paraphrased from Philippians 4:6-8)

Beloved what a merciful God we serve. And that is not enough. Jesus’ work also bestowed on us the Spirit of sonship, by which the Most High God has adopted us as His sons and daughters (Romans 8:26). So not only are you righteous saints of God but you are also His heirs, the heirs to Heaven and the Universe!! God will provide for you (Jehovah Jireh), He is your healing (Jehovah Rapha), He will guide you like a shepherd (Jehovah Rohi), He is your righteousness (Jehovah Tsidkenu),He is your peace (Jehovah Shalom), He is your Daddy (Abba)!! Hallelujah!!!

So you see, beloved, it is impossible to grieve when you have so many reasons to rejoice for what Jesus did when He died for you and I.

Shalom!!