Dearly beloved in Christ,
I greet you in the name of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
What we do first, we do with enthusiasm and vigour. Let us assume that there are two children in a family. The mother asks one of them to bring her some water and asks the other to go and eat the sweets on the dining table. What would happen? Each one would like to taste the sweet at the table first. This would be the case in most of the families. The Bible teaches us what we should do first and what should be avoided in our daily lives.
What should we do first?
1. Realize Your Fault
“...He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.” (John 8:7,8).
The Lord Jesus Christ was in a synagogue and was delivering a message. Then there was brought before Him a woman caught red-handed in adultery. There were scribes and pharisees who wanted Jesus to pronounce His opinion on the matter. According to the law of Moses, she should be stoned to death and a group was interested in stoning her. They wanted to test Him to identify grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus was stooping down and writing something. Then He came out with this statement: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” On hearing this, everyone was pricked in their conscience and withdrew from the place and she was left alone. Then Jesus enquired her about those who accused her. There was no one to stone her. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. ”Now go and sin no more.”
There is always a section of people who blame others and show themselves to be good to others in the society or in the community. To accuse others is the act of the devil. He is “the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God, day and night, has been cast down” (Rev. 12:10). No one realizes his or her faults or mistakes. “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression” (Psalm 19:12, 13).
Jesus Christ in His sermon on the Mount preached on several aspects of life on how we should be. He says, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7: 3-5). Understand the truth of this statement and try to act accordingly in your family, community. If you judge others, you will be judged likewise. When you keep accusing others, you do sin and come under judgement.
Once a person acted against the Head-master of a school by petitioning authorities and Diocese for conducting monthly All-night Prayer Meetings in the school campus. It was an anonymous petition. But the Lord who accuses the accusers permitted deaths in the family. Let us transform ourselves to plead for the mistakes of others and be blessed.
2. Seek the Lord
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
We take interest to know what is best for us in various things with the help of others and seek to have those things with a whole heart. In matters like food and dress, we want to excel. Beloved in Christ, you need not worry about any of these. First seek the Lord. Then all these things will be provided to you. This is what Jesus Christ told us. When we seek the Lord, He bestows on us more blessings than what we pray for or imagine. When we do not have what we desire, we try to get them by loaning or borrowing money from others on interest. When we resort to borrowing, we indirectly declare that the Lord has not blessed us. The Bible assures us: “For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.” (Deut. 15:6). But we act contrary to the Word of God.
Before I was saved, I was working in Bishop Heber Higher Secondary School near Theppakulam. I was interested in helping others. Not only did I use my money, but also I borrowed money from others for the purpose. I did not know that borrowing money was against the Word of the Lord. I had borrowed money from all the thirteen teachers who worked with me. I had taken three loans from my Provident Fund. I also pledged the jewels of my wife to get loan from banks. Some of those who got money from me returned only the Principal and I had to pay the interest. Many of them were dodging the payment. But I had to pay the monthly instalment along with interest. So I had to borrow from others to meet my expenses. I used some lie to keep borrowing.
After I accepted Jesus as my Saviour, I believed in the Word that the Lord would bless me and stopped borrowing. In the school where 108 teachers worked, in the salary bill there would be a red line against my name every month. As my salary was not enough to pay the instalments, I had to pay from my hand. By the grace of the Lord, this red dash against my name was removed the very next month after my salvation. All my P.F. loan instalments had been paid and I took the decision not to loan any more from the P.F. account. I also came out of the school Co-operative Society to stop loaning money. I took efforts to settle all the debts which had high rates of interest. At that time, my salary also increased and I received arrears in payment of salary. So debts decreased and over a few months I was fully delivered from the debts. I could retrieve all the pledged jewels of my wife. After I received full pay, I was led by the Lord to resign and take up full-time ministry.
Thus for me to be delivered from the burden of debt, the basis was seeking the Lord first in my life. My wife and I decided to seek the Lord in prayer at night from 11 O’ clock. We began to thank the Lord for all the good things we enjoyed that day till 12 O’ clock and after that we praised the Lord for the new day. We also prayed for all those who were close to us and to those who had given prayer requests, for the good qualities of our children and their lives. As we sought the Lord, the Lord enabled us to have the best in our life.
3. Speak the Word
“Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first...” (Acts 13:46).
The gentiles were interested to know and learn more from Paul and Barnabas the Word and the warning of the Lord at the synagogue and they requested them to speak the next Sabbath too. After all those who had gathered there dispersed, the Jews and those who feared God among them continued to follow Paul and Barnabas. They gathered in large numbers the following Sabbath too to hear the word of the Lord. Seeing the crowd, the Jews were annoyed and became jealous and began to speak against what they taught. They blasphemed. Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.” When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region.
Dear Brother/ Sister, the word of God is both spirit and life. Knowing the word we begin to give good fruit. We would also prosper in all that we do. Moreover, these words of life give us the counsel for deliverance. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” At times of struggles and tribulations, as you call upon the Lord, you would have deliverance from problems, and would have healing, peace and joy. Thus you are blessed.
Once a young man told me about his life full of defeats and desperation. He was overwhelmed by worries. He was often prompted to think of suicide. He lost his sleep and hated night. At night he would continue to watch the clock, yearning for the dawn. Thus he shared about his life full of disappointments, tears and defeats. I told him that the Lord Jesus Christ had already borne all our sorrows on the cross to release us from them. If only he acknowledged that fact, he would be delivered from all of them. We turned our faces away from Him. He was disregarded. We did not take Him into account. But truly He has borne all our sorrows on the cross. Thus I counselled him and asked him to meditate upon it. I assured him that if he acted according to the word of the Lord, he would be blessed miraculously. Then I prayed for him and sent him away. He accepted my advice and committed to act accordingly. Without himself knowing it, peace crept into his life and life changed. He began to be filled with the praises of the Lord at nights. All the bitterness in his life left him; he was filled with joy and peace. The Lord led him to accept an unexpected work in an unexpected place and to live a happy life. When we meditate upon this word and act accordingly, we would receive great blessings.
Another young man approached me with his problem of underpayment. Though he worked in an IT company, the salary was very low. It did not match his qualification. Whenever he attended marriages and house-warming ceremonies of his friends, he yearned when he would have such a life. He was worried. I told him that the purpose of God in having us on earth is only to declare His praise (Isaiah 43:21). The Lord God indwells the praises of Israel. David says that “His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1). “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:3). I asked him to consider these verses and to praise the Lord Jesus Christ daily for an hour standing on his knees for the good things done by Him and for the good things He is going to do. I assured him that the Lord would exalt him in seven days and I encouraged and comforted him. He also accepted my advice and did accordingly. It so happened that he did receive an appointment from a big IT company which offered him five times the pay he earlier received. Thus the Lord exalted him.
Dear Brother / Sister, the Lord God can do such a mighty act and exalt and bless you also. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has borne your afflictions. He will make abundance to sprout in your life also. There would be peace and joy in your boundary. The Bereans were “more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts. 17:11). The word is the truth. When you meditate on the word of the Lord, we are transformed and sanctified for the Lord to dwell with us. Let us give room for meditating the word and love the word and let us have a peaceful and hale life.
4. Honour the Lord
“Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (Proverbs 3:9).
Beloved child of God, all that you do should be worthy and should be to the glory of God. How to exalt Him and glorify His name? This might be your question. You have to do it with your possessions and with the first fruits of your increase. This is honouring Him. Many people give a portion of what they earn to the Lord as a routine. Sometimes, we have questions as to why we should give to the church or to ministry. We are asked to give. The Bible teaches so. But how they spend is a question that prevents us from giving. Jesus Christ said: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38). Let us give with a fullness of heart. It will be measured back to us. Let us not forget that.
The Lord fed Elijah in a wonderful way. He was bold enough to declare to the King Ahab in the name of the Lord, before whom he stood, that there would be neither rain nor dew in those years except at his word. He was asked to hide himself near the Brook of Cherith. The Lord fed him through ravens. After the brook dried up, the Lord sent him to Zarephath of Sidon. There He had prepared a widow to provide for him. When he met her, she was collecting firewood to prepare the last meal for herself and her son. She had been left with just a handful of flour and a little oil. Then Elijah asked her to bring some water and as she was about to do that, he said to her: “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. . . The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.” So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household. The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Elijah (1 Kings 17:15-16).
As we honour the Lord with first fruits according to the word of the Lord, the Lord blesses us abundantly.
5. Cleanse the Interior
“... first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matthew 23:26).
We do several things to make us appear clean and acceptable in the sight of men. Some get up early in the morning and take bath before sitting before the Lord in prayer and in praising and meditating His word. They spend a lot of time for exterior cleansing. But the Lord insists on interior or inner cleansing. That is more important. The Lord looks at the heart, and not the exterior face or appearance. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21,22). First these things should be removed from the heart. The Lord searches the heart; how do we appear before Him? Is our life like the painted sepulchre?
Jesus Christ came to this earth to cleanse us from all our sins. We know that He came to save the sinners. To cleanse us, He bore our sins on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). He does not forsake any sinner who comes to Him. For our sake, He shed His blood on the cross to redeem us from our sins. The Bible says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). When we confess our sins to Him, He forgives us and then a new life of holiness begins. When you commit to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith in Him, you will be cleansed of all your sins. “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).
Let us commit to be cleansed. Let us be blessed by being transformed into a vessel of honour in His hands.
Let us all be thus blessed!
In the service of Christ,
Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul
