“Oh, great were the celebrations of Christmas as the church sings the silent night with all around the twinkling lights and Santa comes running and jumping with the songs of joy, isn’t it a beautiful sight. Oh, the baked cookies and cakes, the sweets shared. Oh, great was the celebration.”
Now, the time have come, time most awaited to pick a promise card right at the sound of the clock ticking 12.00am during the watch night service. Here is a question that flashed through my mind and made me to ponder up for a while; what God has done for us the everyday of our passing years and especially how God enabled to sustain through the hardest times and plunge the smoothest times and how He made us to smile? Yes! Wow Hallelujah will be the answer, isn’t it? Hope you enjoyed your journey through your passing years seeing God working in your lives.
But my question still remains, Does God enjoy me/us? How many times does God felt happy when he thinks of his Children in Christ (John1:12)? The reason behind God’s greatest creation; human being, is to have a relationship with them. Our God is a relational God, which made him to leave the riches in Heaven and come down to earth in search of the wretched like me. Despite, all this what he has done we just treat him like an ATM card. We expect him to bless us with all happiness. Not thinking of whether we please God; does I make God smile. Mostly we enjoy God and his gifts but rarely we take to thank for the most precious gift that God gave us freely, is purchased by God at the cost of his only begotten son’s life. “He was crucified laid behind the stone, lived to die rejected all alone like a rose trample on the ground, he took the fall and thought of me…. Above all.”
How would your birthday be without any gift not even a single birthday wishes, no body posting your photo on their what’s app status. Especially when you give a grand treat or a party; everybody just eats, wash hands and go, how will we feel! This is what exactly He might be feeling. This is how we are treating God when we enjoy Him throughout the year and just eat Christmas cake and return back to work till December comes again. Is it what we are busy in doing, and is this why God made created us and saved us for? Ecc12:13.
Almost everybody of us take new year resolutions in the beginning of the year but do we stand till the last day of the year? Can we boldly say, with all my heart, body, mind and soul pleased God in everything he wanted me to do? This year before picking up a promise card from God’s bag of Blessing just peep into your heart, do I please God.
Here is my promise card for God, through which I would like to please and may be successful in bringing smile on God’s face. You can try them too.
Promise card to LOVE Him genuinely… Duet 6:4
I remember one of my classmates who went of so crazy after a girl he loved that he committed suicide from the Zobra bridge build on river Mahanadi at Cuttack, Orissa. As a freak forgetting everything just jumped for the shake of love. This is the level of commitment dipped into extremism towards the perishable love. Even you might also know many love stories which involve an extremism to demonstrate their love. If this is the level of commitment a person can show for their earthly love, then what should be the standard of love we should show in return to the divine love shown by our Heavenly Father, who graciously gave the greatest gift wrapped up with highest sacrifices.
We think how can I repay God for his love but trust me there are several ways to please God through love. The gospel writer in John 14:15 recorded the words of Jesus himself, “If you Love me, Keep my commandments”. If I really love God; I would push myself to express in action. When an earthly love can “Kill and be killed” than what not for Christ, who shed the last drop of blood for me. It is not the nails that held Christ on the cross but the love for Lost(me).
Saint Paul to Romans urged, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living scarifies holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship” he goes on to say do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good and pleasing and perfect will. Rom 12:1-2. Here Paul unlocked the way to live, if you say I love God.
St. Mark also writes aptly, “When one of the teachers of law questioned, “Of all commandments which is the most important command” Mark 12:28. When it comes to observe the most important of all commandments, vs29 the most important one,” answered Jesus “Is this: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God , the Lord is One , vs30 Love the Lord your God with all your Heart and with all your Soul and with all your Mind and with all your Strength.” Here is the command that his people shall, love God, and this is not the deep affectionate love for a personal God but rather an in junction to loyalty. Let’s check, “am I loyal to his love”? Promise saying, I live to love and love to live for God alone, if I die it’s a gain for me. This was the commitment what made Apostle Paul to state with confidence that “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” Phil 1:21. Mr. Christian, St. Paul’s life is a real example of a diehard Christian who is in love with God. He lived a life as an example that we may know the demand and benefits of loving God or being in love with God.
If you say you love him check whether you keep his commandments? am I regular to Bible reading and mediation many times we start well in the early days of our promise to God that I will delight in your word, I will mediate it daily but slowly its not because you are busy in work but of your Luke warm love which keeps you away from your 1st love. Let’s prioritize Loving God back to the deepest desire of our heart. Dearly beloved friend let your priorities be right, so that you may boldly say at the end of the year that, “I fulfilled my promise to God” and surely the Holy Spirit will help us, John 14:16-20. Jesus continues saying “he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” John14: 21. Hallelujah, this statement is only valid for those who love him and keep his commandments. It’s time to check where are we!
If you are in perfect love with him, be assured “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:38, 39. If not then let this be printed on the promise card to Godhead.
My Promise card to Trust God…
My Traveler’s guide (Contemporary English Version Bible) puts it in this way “it was their faith that made our ancestors please God.
Faith is the other side of the promise card without it our Christian life is incomplete. The writer of Hebrew pens down “But without faith it is impossible to please Him…” Heb11:6. Many times when we are questioned, what faith is? We answer with a confidence that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Heb 11:1, but understanding of its use when times of crisis in life makes the answer complete.
Hebrews 11 Faith chapter notes 27 times the use of word “by Faith” and 18 times faithful servants. I think the writer wanted to explain the importance of Faith and then he goes on to some how bring the whole chapter in a single verse that is without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb 11:6. Everyone along with their weakness tried to do the best to please God with their unshakable faith. They all were success stories you read but the success came only when the colors of faith was put on the board of action. Yes! Generally, we are so good in singing loud that even we take faith as a song to sing and forget but what bible teaches is faith not in words but faith in action. Heroes of Faith in Bible made an ordinary move with faith and God made the move, a movement of motivation and inspiration to learn. Are you ready to add action to your daily faith?
It was not easy for them but they trusted on God who is greater than every test and difficulties. They knew the One who is inside them, is greater than the one who is outside. Operating faith becomes easy for those who trust God with all of their heart, mind, body and soul. Let nothing come in between you and God, and let no doubt ask you, can you do it? Can you sustain? Can you overcome? Every time Satan puts a doubt, don’t scratch your head; just say yes, I can do all things through him who loves me Rom 8:31, 37. Tap on your heart and say all is under control by Him to whom I entrusted my life with. Check your heart for this faith that increases every moment you walk nearer and nearer the Lord you Trust fully.
All sorts of problems in life are under his control just trust him; he will not let you down. This is the reason why bold buddies with brave heart screwed up the mouth of the king with a powerful statement saying “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, o king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, o king that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up”. The statement is a brave declaration of Love wrapped with complete Faith. Dan 3:16-18, when commanded to fall down and worship the image in V15. I would like to quote a young man who quoted one of my favorite verse in Bible, 12 were sent to explore Canaan the promised land, after seeing the giant size people only one young man Caleb dared to say this” we should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Wow! were did this confidence come into Caleb’s heart that he could say so in front of all who felt it impossible to invade the promised land, yes, the confidence in God, he learnt that “when God is with us Who can be against us”. The right faith can even move mountains. I suppose he meditated on what God has been doing in the past, the meditation was put into application and you know what followed the incident.
Promise God that this coming year let come what may, no turning back. Don’t forget Peter was walking on the water till his faith was over shaded with the fear of storm. Stand firm to your faith to reach Christ in all circumstance and he will stretch his hand to hold you surely before you drown and never forget that he can with his words are able to stop all that raises against you.
Rejoices that in all situations for He is always there to uphold us and carry us in His arms in places were walking becomes difficult. Men who walks with God in faith, has nothing to do with superstition and traditions, let Faith produces obedience and righteousness which helps to strengthen our promise, for “Just shall live by Faith “Rom 1:5, 17.
May the Lord help us to search our hearts with sincerity to deepen the level of Love and increase the intensity of Trust on God. We have been operating through these passing years and let’s make a vow to God that here I am Lord to completely be lost in Loving you and Trusting you.
Now the promise card printed and painted with love and trust is ready for Godhead, and let’s put all our efforts to stand firm with the promise made for 365 days and for the years to come. Remember before you pick a promise from God put your promise card in lift of Prayer that He may take a glimpse and may the card bring smile on His face.
