What does it mean to 'Abide in the Word', Who is the 'All Consuming Fire' ?

What does it mean to 'Abide in the Word', Who is the 'All Consuming Fire'?

Isaiah 33:14-16 ESV

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: "Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?" [15] He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, [16] he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

I was contemplating on this. These 3 verses speak volumes about our abiding in the Lord and about being transformed into His likeness.

God is a consuming fire. Who can stand in His presence forever?

The melting point of gold is 1,064 degrees Celsius, this refers to pure gold, or 24ct (99% pure) gold. 

Once it is heated to that temperature,  impurities are separated from it and removed. 

But to use the gold for higher purposes, like in medicine, electronics and space industries, it has to be boiled further to be changed into gaseous form. The boiling temperature is more than 2000°C.

'Occasionally, gold is used in gas form to make incredibly thin gold coatings. This is done in the electronics, medicine, and space industries. Given gold’s high melting point, it is perhaps unsurprising that gold also has an incredibly high boiling point. The boiling point of gold is an extreme 2,856 Celsius or 5,173 Fahrenheit! Getting gold to reach this temperature is usually done with High Electron beams as even industrial arc furnaces don’t typically reach temperatures high enough to boil gold.' - an exerpt from the link below.

To read in detail about how gold is melted you may refer to the link below.👇

https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/index/gold/melting-point-of-gold/

Only gold can withstand intense heat up to 2,856° Celsius or 5,173° Fahrenheit.

Therefore we who abide in Christ Jesus  are not just relaxing there and enjoying a holiday, doing what pleases us.

Some may think that when we come to Jesus we have no more problems,  no trials and suffering.  But they are greatly mistaken. 

The real trials and tribulations start only when we come to Jesus and begin to abide in Him. 

Just as gold is heated in intense fire to remove all impurities from it and further boiled to be used for higher purposes, we, the children of God are being purified in God's consuming fire daily. To further use us for His  higher purposes, God intensifies our trials and sees if we are ready for His higher use.

You may think that this God Who puts His children under such intense suffering and trials is a Monster. 

Our Father God is not a cruel tyrant. He is a compassionate,  merciful and ever loving Father. He does not throw us who abide in Him, into the fire of His wrath. 

Yes, God is the 'All Consuming Fire'. Yet, this same fire consumes us in two different ways. 

1. God gently nudges, prods, and purifies us, His children,  in His fire of love to remove the impurities in us and to shape us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.

2. God's wrath is poured upon those who knowingly disobey, rebel against and vehemently sin against Him and who cause others to sin and rebel against Him. Why? It is because they are causing eternal harm to themselves.

We must remember that a moment by moment help to withstand and triumph, is given to us by the Holy Spirit Who is dwelling within us, who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. God does not leave us as orphans.

Therefore to abide in Jesus the vine (John 15:4,5), we branches must be ready to be pruned often. Only then, the fruit which the Holy Spirit produces in us will be succulent.

Someone who does not do the same things, does not speak the same way, does not enjoy the same entertainment that everyone enjoys or does not watch the movies which they watch, does not participate in the wrong others are doing like gossip or cheating for example, he will most often be ridiculed and ostracised by the people of this world. When we idolise the things of this world instead of putting God first,  when we eat too much or eat way too little,  when we eat or drink what we should not, when we tell lies or take what does not belong to us, when we are lazy, when we waste our time and money on the things of this world and on what brings God dishonour, there are sure consequences. Then we suffer the consequences which come in the form of sickness or a stern warning or discipline from God. These are just a sample of the trials, those who abide in Christ Jesus have to go through.

There are many more trials every human being will face daily.  Like healrh issues, communication issues, not being able to see eye to eye with others, misunderstandings between husbands and wives, parents and children,  parents in laws and sons/daughters in laws, between siblings, employers and employees, etc. Most of these, occur often in each family. 

The one who has surrendered himself to Christ Jesus and who abides in Him faithfully, will be able to handle each trials with the help of the Spirit of God within him. Thus his perspectives will be aligned with God's perspectives.  His character will be perfected. The fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control will be evident in his life.

Again, who can stand in the presence of our God, Who is a consuming fire? 

The answer is:-

Isaiah 33:15,16

[15]He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, [16] he will dwell on the heights;

In short, it is he who wants to be holy, who is humble, is repentant, fears the Lord and trembles at His name.

It is him whom God is seeking to dwell within, as He says in

Isaiah 66:1-2 ESV

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? [2] All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

God our Father seeks one who lives righteously, is humble and repentant and has the fear of God within him always.

That is the person who abides in the Lord and who allows God to purify him step by step, change his character and transform him into the image of Christ Jesus. 

All who think that becoming a Christian will make them prestigious, powerful and wealthy will be sadly deceived.

All others who come to Christ Jesus thinking that they will have a jolly good time abiding in Him,  will leave when trials and tribulations hit them. This is a sad fact.

So my dear brethren, who call yourselves Christians, are you ready to abide in Jesus our Saviour faithfully, without complaining,  grumbling and finding fault with Him? Are you ready to die to your fleshly nature, die to your worldly desires and crush your ego under your feet and walk in the narrow way with Jesus?

If you are, then it is you whom He is calling, "Come Follow Me!"

Are you ready to be sanctified and transformed by Him, our loving Father, Who is also the 'All Consuming Fire'?

Yes? Yes! Great! 

Then, come on and abide in Him our Saviour and our God and draw unending graces from Him as you are pruned, shaped and sanctified by His Spirit. 

In humility, with repentant hearts and a holy fear of Him, we shall live and make ourselves His holy dwelling place. This is what He seeks as in Isaiah 66:2 and asks in Isaiah  33:146

Do not run away from the trials and tribulations we go through because these very same trials and tribulations are from Him Who loves us. These are necessary to grow our faith, help us to be persevering and gives us the hope that we will be with Him forever in His holy presence forever.

Paul emphasises this in:-

Romans 5:1-5 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

You may ask, "What do we gain in this world by abiding in Jesus?"

By abiding faithfully in Jesus, these are what we gain on earth:-

1. Peace, when going through trials, that this world can never give.

2. Hope of dwelling with God now and for all eternity.

3. Joy that surpasses all understanding.

4. Gradual transformation of character which is pleasing to God.

God bless you as you abide in Jesus, the Word of God and submit yourself to Him!

Be Blessed 🙌 

Mary Augustine ✍️🌹 

Friday 24th March 2023

Best Friends? Think Again!

The Story of Doug and Bob!

Once upon a time,  in Southern Australia lived two best friends. They were Doug and Bob. Bob lived in a lovely little cottage beside Doug. They often studied and played together.  They cared for each other. They were as inseparable as twin brothers. 

One day Doug heard that there was a wild fire spreading across the forest and that their cottages were in the way of that fast spreading fire. 

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1st Ending:-

Doug went over to Bob's cottage to warn him. Bob just laughed and shrugged it off. Bob was very sure that the winds will blow the fires the opposite direction as it had always done the previous years.

Doug did not want his best friend to perish in the fire. But he also was aware that if he forced Bob, Bob would get angry with him. Doug did not want to offend his best friend. He felt that his relationship with his best friend was most important.  So he stopped warning him of the fire. He continued to spend his time studying and playing with his best friend. Over the next few days, Doug himself forgot about the fire. He just lived as though the fire will not spread to his cottage.

The fire spread rapidly and ravaged both their cottages. Both Bob and Doug perished pitifully in that fire. 

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2nd Ending:-

Doug went over to Bob's cottage to warn him. But something stopped him. Doug knew that Bob did not believe that these wild fires in the forest would spread toward the cottages. He was always optimistic that the winds will blow the fires away.  He never believed in weather reports either because half of what the weathermen predicted never came true.  Also Bob never liked to be forced into accepting the views of others. He believed in only what he was convinced in. Therefore Doug did not want to offend Bob. He did not want to ruin their brotherly friendship. So he did not bother to warn Bob. 

Meanwhile Doug had already packed his stuff in his own cottage. He was selfishly prepared to go to a safer place when the fires were near. He was prepared to flee. While waiting for the fires to spread, he continued to study and play with Bob as though all was fine.

The north winds blew suddenly without warning and the fires rapidly spread towards their cottages. Doug took his bags and fled to safety. 

The fires ravaged both their cottages. Bob who did not believe Doug, began to scream in fear, "Doug, why did you leave me and run? You were like a brother to me! Couldn't you have tried to make me understand and convince me somehow and brought me along with you? What kind of a friend are you? Doug! Doug! I trusted in our friendship! You betrayed me! Help! Someone help meeeeeeee!" Then there was a deafening silence all around. 

Bob sadly perished in the fire. Doug was still alive somewhere with a guilty conscience because He did not try to get his best friend saved. 

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3rd Ending:-

Doug went over to Bob's cottage to warn him. Doug knew that Bob was always skeptical about these forest fires spreading towards their cottages. Bob believed that the usual South winds would blow the fire away, the other direction as it always happened. 

This time the weather report predicted that the North winds will  blow much stronger.  But again, Bob never believed in the weather reports as most often what was predicted never came true. He believed only what he felt and saw with his own eyes. 

Doug knew he could not change Bob's mind. He loved his friend too much to let him die in the fire.Therefore Doug did the only thing he knew would work.  He knew that the only person who could change Bob's mind was God. 

Doug knelt and prayed outside Bob's cottage. He humbly asked God to give Bob the understanding and to open Bob's eyes to see the truth. He knew he could not convince Bob by his own effort.Then after praying, he knocked confidently on Bob's door. Doug warned  Bob about the fire. Skeptical Bob, did not believe Doug at first. Somehow Doug explained the condition of the weather in a convincing manner to him. Bob was somehow convinced  and he immediately packed his things. He got ready to leave his cottage with Doug. 

Doug knew it was not his way of convincing but God Who helped to change Bob's mind. He knelt humbly and thanked God Almighty for opening the mind and heart of Bob to know and accept the truth. 

Both Bob and Doug fled to safety before the fires ravaged and burnt both their homes down. Their cottages were completely burnt to ashes, but they both survived through God's grace and mercy. 

Both Bob and Doug lived happily ever after as best friends and brothers till a ripe old age. 

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My question to the reader is this. 

If you were Doug, which ending would you have chosen? Why?

My friend,  would you be that best friend, that brother/sister, and pray for your friend/friends to be saved from hell's eternal fire. Then would you obediently go with the Holy Spirit's help to convince your friend to put his/her hope in Christ alone? 

Praying for those who do not know Jesus and for those who reject Him is the right thing to do. But that alone is not sufficient. We must obey the command of Jesus in Matthew Chapter 28. We must go and tell them about Jesus and what He did to save all the human beings from eternal death. 

I pray that God will be with you as you humbly and boldly go and spread the Good News to all you meet. God will reward you greatly in heaven for your faithful obedience. 

God bless you 🙌 

Mary Augustine ✍️🌹 

Friday 24th February

The Holy of Holies is within us.

Hey dear family and my Brethren in Christ Jesus.  

Here is something I urge all of you to be aware of. Do read further to know what I mean:-

During the OT times, whenever the high priest entered the Holy of Holies unprepared, he was immediately killed by God. God is holy and He expected (still expects from us) holiness and He held it to a very high standard.  

As the High Priest entered this most sacred room, he would first burn incense before the ark, filling the room with smoke. He then exited and then reentered the Holy of Holies with blood from the sacrifice, which he sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant seven times. No one else other than the high priest was allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies where God's holy presence was. 

Today the Tabernacle of God is, each one of us who has believed in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus and are covered by His precious blood. The Bible says, we are the temple of God most holy. 

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? [17] If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

The Holy of Holies is right within us. God resides within us. How much more reverant should we be with that knowledge. 

We most often think thoughts displeasing to God. We speak unholy words and our actions put Him to shame most of the times. 

Even today, God expects the same standard of holiness from us.

 Let us be thankful that we are not dead for dishonouring God within us. We are not dead because Jesus stands at Father God's right hand pleading for us; pleading Father God to be merciful to us, who are covered by His blood. 

Let us therefore first repent before Him. Bow down in worship before Him. Then let us enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! - Psalm 100:4  

When we praise and offer Him thanksgiving, our praise and thanksgiving rise up like the the sweet aroma of incense to God's throne. 

Then throughout each day let our every thought, word and action be a form of worship unto Him. Let us never put Him to shame and dishonour Him by our thoughts, words and actions. 

Let us dress modestly, behave appropriately eat and drink moderately and live wisely.

Let us be mindful of God Almighty 's holy presence within us at all times and guard it with reverence.

Remember, the Holy of Holies is within us. We are God's temple. 

God bless 🙌 

Mary Augustine ✍️🌹

22nd February  2023

The Fruit of the Spirit :- LOVE

The Fruit of the Spirit :- LOVE 

What is 'Love'? 

The Bible says that God is love and that humans crave love from the moment of existence. But the word love describes an emotion with vastly differing degrees of intensity.

Four unique forms of love are found in Scripture. They are communicated through four Greek words (Eros, Storge, Philia, and Agape) and are characterized by romantic love, family love, brotherly love, and God's divine love.

To know more about these four kinds of love please refer to the following link:-

https://www.learnreligions.com/types-of-love-in-the-bible-700177

How can we truly love one another without pretence? 

We can only do that with the help of God's own Spirit. First He will teach us to love God with all our heart, mind and soul and He will pour His love into us so that we can love everyone like we love our own selves. 

God IS Love!

The Bible says God is the embodiment of Love. We are called to.love one another as God loves us. We call ourselves, the followers of Christ Jesus.  If so, then should we not be loving God and others as Jesus Himself showed us how to love? Are we deceiving ourselves and others by calling ourselves Christians?

1 John 4:7-12 ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

What is Godly ❤️ love? 

It is:-

To see everyone with the eyes of God and to treat them with God's mercy and compassion in our hearts. God says he wants mercy and justice and not sacrifice. 

Hosea 6:6 ESV

For I desire steadfast love(mercy) and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Godly love  is to love the unlovable; the one who keeps hurting us with his words or actions, the one who falsely accuses us, the one who shuns and ignores us, the one who often misunderstands us, the one who envys us and all that happens in our lives, the one who is rude in mannerisms  and /or words towards us, the one who refuses to forgive us even after we sincerely apologise to them, the one who keeps harbouring past hurts and traumas in his mind, the one who is bitter towards us, the one who is hostile towards us for imaginary reasons & for things we never did and the one who refuses to respond to sincere love shown to him; It is also to love the homeless, the marginalised, the poor, the orphans, the widow, the needy, the lonely, the sick, the drunkard and the drug addict, the murderer, the prostitute and the terrorist and to have a heart to help them and pray for them. (If the love of Christ Jesus does not flow through us to them,  how can they be transformed?)

Oh wow! Is that not a tall order? Is that even possible? How? Continue reading...

Abide in God, to love as He does!

How can we love like God does? We must abide in God to love as He does, then His love will abide in us. We must soak ourselves in the Word of God to know Who God is and only then can we confidently say that we are abiding in Him. Only when we know the heart of God, can we love as He does. Only then can His love be formed and perfected in us.

1 John 4:12-16 ESV

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. [13] By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. [16] So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

The Heart of One Who Loves Genuinely. 

The heart of the one who loves like God, will ache for the people who do something wrong or sin. He will stand in the gap to intercede for,  not only his family but also his acquaintances, his neighbourhood, his church and all the churches, his nation and the world. He will never turn away and ignore them but will pray for them and point the right way to them. He will not laugh at, or gloat over their mistakes. He will willingly forgive the ones who wronged or hurt him. His heart will ache for the one who is unable to forgive him and love him back. He will, with compassion, understand that this person has unresolved hurts and bitterness in his heart and will pray for his hurts and bitterness to be healed.

When Misunderstandings Occur.

When a misunderstanding or friction happens between him and his family member or close friend, he will, with God's help, find a way to have an amicable and peaceful relationship with that person. But if that person is just an acquaintance,  he will just forgive and maintain a peaceful demeanour whenever the need arises to meet that person. If the family member or close acquaintance does not respond to him or accept his sincere apology for something he had said or done, and chooses to alienate himself or herself from him, then he will bring the matter before God and surrender the whole situation to the Almighty. But he will continue to love that person and pray for that person. 

There is a Reason for a Family Nucleus.

God placed us in a family nucleus so that we will be united in love and by our love the world will come to know God's sacrificial love. From the beginning of the creation of the man, Satan has come against family unity by causing division. He plants doubts in man's heart and then induces him to blame the other. Division is Satan's strategy against God. We must win back our families from him. The one who truly loves, will desire all to be in heaven with him and therefore will pray for everyone day and night. He will battle for family unity by abiding in Jesus and doing what it takes to bring about unity. He knows that if he does not forgive others, God will not forgive him. He will always want to be in right standing before his Creator. 

Matthew 6:14-15 ESV

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, [15] but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

God's Heart.

God not only forgives us but in His Word, the Bible, He says that once He forgives, He will no longer remember our sins. 

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 Isaiah 43:25 ESV

"I, I AM He Who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Struggles are real but we can overcome.

We are fallen human beings. From the moment Adam disobeyed God and fell from God's grace, humanity has been blaming one another instead of trying to do what is right. It is we, who are struggling to forgive and love as God does. It is we, who are unable to forget the wrongs done to us after we say, "we have forgiven them".  We may say that we need to remember what happened so that it does not happen again. We can and should remember the reason something happened so as to avoid it from happening again. Albeit, we must not purposely keep thinking of all the other actions and behaviour of that person, because then we will be harbouring bitterness in our hearts for life. We can only overcome our struggles when we seek the help of the Holy Spirit. 

The Litmus Test.

The litmus test is this:- when we remember why something happened and the words and behaviour of that person comes to mind, does it sting and hurt us, as it did on the first occasion? If it does hurt and brings back all the ill feelings and bitterness into our hearts and gets us all worked up and miserable again, then, we have not truly forgiven that person. We need to humbly ask God to help us truly forgive till it stings no more. The love of Christ Jesus which is shed abroad in our hearts will blot out all offences, heal our hearts and minds and it will not sting anymore.

We need to take the Initiative.

A normal human being cannot love in all of the above ways. We normally choose whom we want to love and how we want to love them. We marvel at someone who is able to forgive and love his son's murderer. We are amazed by the wife who forgives, loves and accepts back her husband who commits adultery when he repents. Yet, when it comes to us, we seldom go out of our comfort zones to love as God does. Humanly speaking it is impossible. But with God it is possible. We need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and take the initiative to genuinely love others whom by ourselves we cannot forgive or love.

From Normal to being Extraordinary.

We are not called to be just normal or ordinary. We are called to be extraordinary in Christ Jesus.  Therefore, when we love as God does, the earth will seem like heaven. Words spoken from a loving heart will build a person up instead of tearing him down. Jokes made will be truly clean and humorous instead of being lewd or sacarstic. Mistakes will be corrected in a loving firm tone instead of adding unnecessary words and sacarsm, which breaks the person's spirit. 

Godly love is Genuine love.

Genuine love, never takes advantage of a person or situation for selfish reasons and never manipulates others. Love hopes the best for others just as for one's own self. 

Genuine love believes not in untruth but trusts in God and believes that God is in control of every situation. It will know that God is able to turn the hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It believes that God will work in and through others to change them and help them achieve their full potential in His own time and His own way. Genuine love never trusts one's own heart, but trusts God completely. It does not believe in this world's slogans and sayings but believes in the 'Whole Counsel of God' in His Word, the Bible, and strives to obey it.

Not Me, But Jesus Says This. 

Godly love, will show the other cheek to be slapped when humiliated and will carry the burdens of others for an extra mile. It is the complete opposite of what the world teaches us. 

Matthew 5:39-48 ESV

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. [40] And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. [41] And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. [42] Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. [43] "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. [46] For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [47] And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? [48] You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Growing into the Image of Christ Jesus. 

To grow into the character of Jesus is to love like Jesus does.  Paul describes this kind of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

1. Love is patient

2. Love is kind; 

3. Love does not envy

4. Love does not boast; 

5. Love is not arrogant 

6. Love is not  rude. 

7. Love does not insist on its own way; 

8. Love is not irritable or resentful; 

9. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, 

10. Love rejoices with the truth. 

11. Love bears all things, 

12. Love believes all things, 

13. Love hopes all things, 

14. Love endures all things. 

15. Love never ends. 

Genuine Love encompasses all other virtues. 

Love, is the first fruit or virtue, of the Spirit. We cannot produce it by ourselves, in ourselves. We are just bearers of the ninefold fruit in our souls. It can only be produced by the Spirit of God in us, slowly and steadily. He moulds and shapes us through various trials, problems and trying situations in our lives. It may just take days or even years. Only when we humble ourselves and surrender our wills to God, He will produce His love in us sooner. If it delays, then it is not Him but us, not submitting to His moulding. 

This is what our flesh desires. 👇

Galatians 5:16,19-21 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

How can we then Love as God does?

The answer is to surrender our wills to Him. Total surrender to God and cooperating with the Holy Spirit Who abides in us, is the key, to love as God does. Only then we can abide in God, immerse ourselves in Him and love as He does.

Galatians 5:16-17,22o23 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Love is all encompassing!

Love is the first, of all the other fruit (virtues) and it enfolds all others in itself. Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-control follow Love. 

Notice that we don't say 'fruits' but 'fruit'. It is because all these nine virtues, formed in a person turn him into the image and likeness of God, just as when God created Adam. When Adam disobeyed God, sin entered us human beings and marred God's image in us.

But when we abide in Christ Jesus,  we will love as He does. Then we will also bear the rest of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Then we will be recognised as the bearers of the image of Christ Jesus and we will glorify Him by our lives. 

Mark of a Person Who Genuinely Loves and belongs to Christ.

The person who loves like God,  will be a joyful person at all times. God's peace will abide in him even in the midst of stormy situations because he trusts solely in God. He will be a very patient, forbearing person and kind to all in every way. He will wait upon God for his prayers to be answered. Being patient and forbearing does not mean condoning and tolerating a sinful action by someone. When he sees someone doing something against God,  a sinful action he will be quick to instruct and correct that person firmly yet lovingly and gently, and teach him/her what is right. 

Goodness will flow from him at all times and he will be gentle mannered. He will be faithful to God, his spouse, his family, his employers, his co-workers, friends and faithful to complete the work he has begun. He will be recognised mostly by his humility and self-control. He will put others before himself and not glory in himself nor boast about his achievements but will give God all the praise and glory.  He will also give thanks and credit to those who have helped him along the way. He will measure every word he speaks, because he knows that he has to give God an account for the words he uses. He will not be rude, will not be critical, will not speak ill of others, will not gossip, will not curse but will bless everyone,  will judge correctly by God's standards and not assume. He will practise self-control not only in his speech but also in his thoughts, in everything he eats and does. Yes, he would have crucified his flesh with Christ Jesus on the cross to love as Jesus does.

Galatians 5:24-26 ESV

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Perfect Love casts out all fear!

Do we have the confidence that we can stand before God on 'Judgement Day' without fear, look Him in the eye and say, "I loved as You did!" We can, only if we truly abide in Jesus. Then as we have the Love of God in us, we would have loved as He does. Then we will have the confidence to face God boldly because then we would be as Jesus is, 'Love personified'. We will have no fear on judgement day. 

1 John 4:16-18 ESV

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. [17] By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Then we who loved as He did on earth, while we lived, will go on loving in heaven continually. 

Love never Ends.

That's why the Word of God says, all other gifts like prophesy and speaking in tongues will end but not love. Love will never end because we will continue to love one another in heaven eternally. 

Recap:- Surrendering of our Wills, Humbly to God is the Solution.

It will surely take a lifetime to bear all the nine fruit in our character, but when we surrender our wills to God humbly, it is possible for these virtues to be evident in us, sooner and in God's time. 

Examine our Conscience Daily. 

We human beings are not perfect. That is why we need to examine our conscience daily and repent and seek forgiveness from God and our fellowmen if we have wronged them. We need to humbly correct our ways with God's help. When we repent, He is willing to forgive us without questioning us.

Agape Love.

Volumes can be written about 'Agape Love' which is God's love, but instead let me end by showing you the embodiment of love.  He is Christ Jesus the Saviour of humanity. He suffered and died a cruel death on the cross to save us from sin and eternal hell fire. He gave up His own life for us while we were still sinners. But He rose victoriously on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. When we repent of our sins and believe in Him, He washes away our sins and we will become spiritually white as snow.  He will send the Holy Spirit into our hearts to teach us to love as He does. He has promised that we will live with Him forever even when our bodies die on earth.

Reminder for Me & You.

I will expound on each of the other fruit(virtues) in my forthcoming articles.  Till then, let's continue to seek the Holy Spirit's help, to love God and others as Jesus loves us. This article is a reminder, for me to walk in the love of Christ Jesus every moment of my life, just as it is for you. I am far from perfect and rely completely on God's mercy and grace. Whenever we fail let's be gracious to repent, say sorry, and forgive one another and continue to love as Jesus does.

Are we challenged?

This whole command to love as God does, may seem to be challenging to us who are of flesh and blood. But as we continue to abide in Jesus and know our own weakness, we will humbly seek the help of His Spirit living in us to love as He does. God's Word says that if we say we love God but do not love our 'brother', we are liars.

1 John 4:20-21 ESV

If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [21] And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

All that we have read above in this article may seem unattainable now. But when we ask His Spirit to help us, we have the confidence in Him Who is faithful, that we will be empowered to love as Jesus does. So let us ask Him now.

Let us pray!

Fsther we repent of all the times we have sinned against  You and our fellowmen. We are truly sorry. We repent and we humbly seek Your help to forgive and love and to be a reflection of Jesus in our lives. Come Holy Spirit, come, cleanse us and fill us. We surrender our wills to Father God and resolve to stay rooted in Jesus our Saviour. We humbly surrender to Your moulding and shaping of us into the image of Jesus. We need Your constant reminder and help, to stay surrendered. We need Your help to love everyone with the perfect love of God. We are weak but You Lord are strong.  Breathe Your fresh anointing upon us today. Empower us to think, say and do everything that pleases Abba Father. Let Your perfect love be evident in us. Unite us and all whom You have given us, in Your love ❤️ so that the world will know Jesus through us. Help us glorify the Father through our daily lives. Stay in us, with us and never leave us Holy Spirit. We cannot love as Jesus does, without Your help.Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on us. Revive us now.  We pray this in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. Amen. 🙏🔥🔥🔥

Read:- Ephesians Chapter 4

A good article to read and contemplate:-

 https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/january-web-only/joseph-brothers-relationship-broken-reconciliation-genesis.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=article

God bless us and be gracious to us in our love journey. 🙌

Mary Augustine ✍️🌹

24th January 2023

Parable of the Ten Virgins

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Let's observe what happened here to both the wise and foolish virgins.

All ten virgins took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. The very fact they took their lamps shows that they all wanted to shine bright light along the way. It was dark and they needed light to walk. In this dark and dreary world when we need to be the light of Christ Jesus,  we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of Who Jesus is in our lives. We need to go out with zeal 🔥, which is the first love💓 which was shed abroad in our hearts for Jesus, to fulfill His 'Great Commission'.

All ten are said to be virgins. Spiritually speaking, that means they have kept themselves pure without blemish, for the bridegroom.

5 wise virgins. 

1. Virgins

2.  Took along their lamps which had oil in them, that were lit (also took along jars of oil) (preparedness)  (prepared with the Word of God in their hearts and minds). 

5 foolish virgins.

1. Virgins

2. Took along their lamps which had oil in them, that were lit.

After some time all the ten virgins, were tired and sleepy and they slept. They could have been both physically and spiritually tired and weary doing what they have been doing all along.Their human strength could have been depleted. They all wanted a little rest.

When we set out to fulfill the Great Commission,  we are bound to meet with those who reject Jesus, those who believe half heartedly and those who do not care. Serving others, to bring them the love of Christ Jesus and to make Him known, usually takes a great toll on us. If we do not have an ongoing, intimate relationship with Jesus we are bound to be exhausted easily.

At midnight the cry rang out: "Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!"

The call was sudden. This is what we usually call the 'Rapture of the saints' when Jesus comes to call His church home. This is in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

It can also be the suddenness of our individual home going with Jesus, our death; whichever is earlier. 

All the ten virgins woke up to that voice which they were expecting. They have been eagerly awaiting His arrival. They got up excitedly and trimmed their lamps. 

Alas, some of their lamps were not burning brightly.  They were about to go out. Those who brought along oil in jars, topped up their lamps with oil and their lamps burned brightly. The ones who did not bring along extra oil, said to the wise ones, "Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out."

The bridegroom was there to meet them. They had to hurry along, with their brightly shining lamps, to meet Him.

“No," the five wise virgins replied, "there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves."

Were they being selfish? No, not at all. The wise virgins could not give them the oil they had, even if they wanted to. When we go out to do God's work, we cannot depend on someone else's spirituality or their intimate relationship with and knowledge of Jesus.  We cannot depend on their anointing. We have to be filled with the Holy Spirit and with our own intimate relationship and knowledge of Jesus and with the zeal to spread His love and to tell the world Who Jesus is and what He has done for us. 

We are human beings and we need to be constantly recharged with the 'first love' from on high. Daily quiet time with God, daily praise and worship and daily reading and meditating on God's Word is the right way to be spiritually recharged. That is how the five wise virgins topped up their lamps. The five wise virgins had that kind of relationship with the Bridegroom. Sadly the five foolish ones lacked that kind of zeal. They had compromised with the world somewhere along the way and had inadvertently lost their 'first love', even as they were about God's business. 

What could have happened? Looking around at the world today, there are so many various kinds of ideologies and worldviews, so many kinds of fatal attractions and if we are not rooted deeply into God's Word, we can easily fall prey to the ideologies of this world and the wrong worldviews and can become spiritually lethargic. We can easily make compromises with the world. Our motives may change. Instead of doing it all for the glory of God, we may start doing it all for our own glory. What we started with God's anointing may have been damaged by the eagerness to prove who we are, to others and by the pride to glorify 'self' that has entered our hearts. Thus our lamps start to burn dimly and eventually get extinguished because of the lack of the first love for Jesus and the zeal to glorify Him. 

The Word of God must be on our minds and in our hearts at all times as required in Deuteronomy 11:18 and Proverbs 3:3-4.  Only then the Holy Spirit can fill us with the fresh oil of gladness, which He takes from the Word of God to enlighten us as stated in John 16:13-15.

Apparently, the 5 foolish ones were on their way to buy the oil, when the bridegroom arrived. They realized too late that they have lost their first love and that they were far far away from Jesus although they professed to do His Kingdom Works. They were trying to make ammends when it was already too late.  The virgins who were ready with their lamps burning brightly, went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

Later the others also came. "Lord, Lord," they said, "open the door for us!"

But he replied, "Truly I tell you, I don’t know you."

Jesus does not tell us whether they got the lamps filled with oil. All He said was, they came asking to be let in.

It was a little too late! Will they be given another chance to repent and start all over again? Jesus does not mention that here. But we know from God's Word, that as long as we are alive, we still stand a chance to repent and we are assured complete forgiveness for our sins. So this Parable seems to warn us of the final moment when death has separated us from our mortal bodies or the 'Rapture' when those who are prepared and ready, will be suddenly caught up with Jesus in mid air. It is Now or Never! 

Is this not alarming? To hear, "Truly I tell you, I don’t know you, " is a devastating admonition to those who were once burning brightly for the Lord, until their lamps ran out of oil.

If this could happen to the five foolish virgins, it could happen to any one of us. 

The question is not, "Are we eagerly waiting for the Rapture?" But it is, "Are we prepared to meet our Bridegroom Jesus when He calls us home suddenly?" 

Let's not go around chirping, "I hope 'Rapture' happens soon!" and "Cannot bear the way people treat me lah! I hope we are raptured soon!" 

If we cannot bear the trials and problems posed to us in this world patiently, and want to be raptured while the rest do not know Jesus, aren't we being selfish? 

We can all start at the same starting line in a race. But the winner will be the one who runs steadily, persistently and patiently and finishes the race well.  Then we will hear Jesus saying,  "Welcome home. Well done my good and faithful one, you have finished your race well!"

Jesus ends this Parable with this loving warning, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

As we meditate on this Parable let us each, therefore, watch and pray and be rooted in Jesus, filled with the first love for Him. Filled with the Holy Spirit, our Advocate. Let the image of Christ Jesus be evident in us as we bear the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,  goodness, gentleness,  faithfulness and self-control) in our character. Then our light will shine brightly and we will be ready to meet Jesus when He suddenly calls us 

God bless you 🙌

Mary Augustine ✍️🔥

23rd January 2023

The Importance of Daily Surrender to God!

Surrendering our daily lives first thing in the morning to our Creator God will help us in ways we cannot imagine. Reading His Word every day without fail and spending time meditating on it and obeying His Word, helps us look at situations with His eyes and look at people with His compassionate and understanding heart. At the end of each day when we rest we will realise that it is He who works in us, through us and for us. It is He Who circumvents every situation and works it all according to His good purposes for those who love Him.

Then our hearts will sing with thankfullness, "Thank You Father for each success and each failure, because Failure or Success, You turned it around for my good.  You mercifully have granted me a life to know You, love You and thank You! I don't know what my future holds but I know that my future is safe in Your hands. 

Thank You Father God!"

Be Blessed as you surrender yourselves and your family to Father God  🙌

Mary Augustine 

3rd December  2022

Just Existing or Truly Living?

Are you Just Existing or Truly Living?

Anyone can exist.

Plants exist.

All Creatures exist.

Many people exist.

To Just Exist,

One just has to eat, sleep,

work, rest & enjoy life.

But to Truly Live,

A Human Being made in God's image, needs the empowerment and enablement of the Holy Spirit.

Life without God's Holy Spirit.

If one does not have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in him, then he goes about life, just existing. There will not be much of a difference between him and the plants and creatures, except that man has a soul. They all live and die without knowing Who God truly is.

The man who does not have God's Spirit dwelling in him, will not know where he will go after his death. He will have many differing theories about life after death, but not a definite one. All that matters to him will be, this one life and after physical death, either extinction or re-birth, which is not true. So he will work and earn, just to eat, sleep and enjoy life. He may be moved by his conscience and may do good works but it will be of his own wisdom and strength. Not the wisdom and strength which comes from God. 

He who does not have God's Spirit dwelling in him, will end up like King Solomon, the once wisest king in the entire world, who eventually rejected God's authority and wisdom, relied on worldly wisdom, let his heart go astray and began to worship idols. He rejected God and His authority and at his end and his kingdom's end everything was desolate. 

The one who claims to be a Christian but in reality rejects Jesus by his way of thinking and living, does not really have the Spirit of God in him. God knows his thoughts and motives. How will He send His Spirit to live in a man who has not accepted Jesus as his Lord in truth, but just for an outward show? This man does not repent for his sins although God prompts him through his conscience. He  will be like Judas, one of the apostles who was with Jesus, heard His sermons, saw the miracles Jesus did and was at the last supper with Him. He rejected Jesus for money. He sold Jesus. He later despaired when he realised what he did. But he did not repent and ask God for forgiveness. His end was devastating.

Life with God's Holy Spirit.

When one is filled by the Holy Spirit of God, he will first of all be a humble repentant. He will abide in Jesus, obey God's commandments and will be submissive to the Spirit of God and do what God prompts him to do. He will do good works for God's glory and not his own fame. Though he fails and does mistakes at times, he will submit to the conviction of God's Spirit, will repent and walk in sweet fellowship with Jesus again. He will live in intimacy with the Holy Spirit, with Jesus our Saviour and with Father God. He will truly live, because he has been born again.

Ask! Think! Ponder! Pray!

So my dear brethren in Christ Jesus, are you born again? My dear family and friends do you know Jesus? Are you  just existing or truly living? If you are not truly born again,  or if you do not know Jesus, I humbly suggest that you go on your knees before God and repent of all your sins and ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life. Father God will send His Spirit to live in you. Make a commitment to live your life in cooperation with God's Holy Spirit.

God speaks in...

Ezekiel 36:27

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Paul says in...

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Jesus says in...

John 11:25-26 ESV

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Let us truly live and glorify God and shine the light of Christ Jesus for all to see Him and run to Him. 

Let us pray,

Father God, help me abide in Jesus steadfastly always. Never let me reject Jesus and go my own way, chasing after worldly things. Give me a humble and undivided heart which repents, obeys Your Word and cooperates with Your Spirit. Help me keep Your temple which is my body, holy at all times. Keep me under the shelter of Your wings and within Your hedge of protection, covered by the precious blood of Jesus. Help me truly live to glorify You. I pray in Jesus' precious name. Amen. 

Praying for you always 🙏

Mary Augustine ✍

12th September 2022