Transforming Nations - The Ultimate Adoption Plan

Five year old Jane was jumping up and down squealing with joy! She wanted to hold little Joel whom her parents John and Jennifer brought home for the first time. Jennifer made her sit on the couch and gently laid the infant on his sister's lap. Stroking his hair gently, Jane whispered sweetly into his ear, "Welcome home my little brother!"

Baby Joel got adopted into a family which loved him tenderly and cared for him as their very own, with all that they had. Every need of his was attended to. Every tear from his eye was wiped away gently. Every desire of his heart was prayed for and answered with wisdom. He grew up to be a loving, caring and compassionate god fearing gentleman, who brought joy into the lives of many.

Joel, just like his parents decided to adopt. He was a maverick in adoption. He brought adoption to a whole new level by what he did.

Joel began by adopting his immediate neighbourhood. No paper work or signing of documents were involved. It was just a simple, sincere agreement he made with Father God. He adopted it in his spirit.

What made him do it? His neighborhood was well known for gangsterism, drug trafficking and prostitution. No one could walk safely outside after 8pm at night. Families in his neighborhood were quarrelling, impoverished and many were unemployed. Suicide rates were increasing. Pupils were playing truant. Teachers were exasperated not knowing what to do. Numbers in the churches were dwindling. Believers were backsliding. Instead of praying for one another, believers were gossiping about each other and pastors were at their wits end. Many believers were leaving their churches and going to churches which were preaching 'Once saved, forever saved' and prosperity messages. 

Joel was troubled. "How long will this go on?" He asked himself. He wanted to save souls. Therefore he decided to do the one thing he knew best; that is, surrendering it all into the hands of the Almighty and be burden free.

One day, Joel sat before the Almighty in his quiet time and surrendered his neighborhood into the Father's hands. He told Father God that he was adopting his neighbourhood and every family and shop and building, school, church and hospital in it, in his spirit. Then every morning, he would praise, thank and worship God. He would soak himself in God's presence and His Word, for at least 2 to 3 hours daily. Following that, he would talk to Father God telling Him all that he knew, about what was happening in his neighborhood. Then instead of being troubled or stressed, he would (based on the Lord's Prayer) pray for God's Kingdom to come and reign there and His Will to be done in the lives of every person residing, schooling and working there. After that Joel used to pray in tongues for his neighborhood for an hour. In the evenings he would walk around his neighborhood praying in tongues and asking God to send His angels to stand guard in his neighborhood. He would also thank God for destroying all evil and sinful activities there and for restoring peace and joy in the lives of the residents and workers. He would pray that many would come to know, accept and experience Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

To the surprise of everyone who lived in that city, within 6 months to a year of Joel's adoption, gangsterism, drug trafficking and prostitution were completely eradicated from his neighborhood. People who were unemployed got job offers supernaturally. Broken relationships were mended and financial security was restored. Pupils who were troubled and lazy, went to school with enthusiasm. There was zero suicide rate. Fewer people were getting sick and getting admitted. People were not afraid to walk outside after 8pm. 

Eventually Joel was able to talk to a previous bar owner who allowed him to use his building which had been operating as a bar previously. Joel turned it into a 24hr worship centre. Anyone could now come and praise and worship God freely at anytime of the day and night.

The worship centre was now filled with former gangsters, former drug traffickers, former  prostitutes and former backsliders  who gave their lives completely to Jesus. Instead of the vices which they used to be engaged in, they were now raising an incense of praise and thanksgiving to the Father and were worshipping Him in 'Spirit and in Truth'. All those who stopped going to church now occupied the front seats in their churches and were getting involved in serving. Moreover several home churches or cell groups as some call it, sprung up within a month of the supernatural change. Everyone living and working there were touched by the invisible presence of God.

In short, Joel's neighbourhood was converted into a mini 'Garden of Eden'. That,  once infamous neighborhood which became famous, was the talk of the entire city. Everyone was baffled. No one knew what made the transformation take place. Joel did not tell anyone that he was responsible for it. He continued to do what he was doing even after the change. He did not quit.

Why was Joel's adoption plan a great success? Because, he did not do it in his strength. He relied totally on God's. 

Firstly, he surrendered his neighborhood, which he adopted, to God. Then, all he did was praise, thank, worship God and got soaked and saturated in God's holy presence and in His Word. 

The Bible says in Psalm 8:2, "Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." 

Next, Joel prayed, the Kingdom of God and the Will of God, into his neighbourhood and the lives of all the people there. 

After that, he prayed in tongues. This is the most powerful prayer because it is the prayer of the Holy Spirit, to Father God. Romans 8:26 says, "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." Therefore it was the Spirit of God, Who prayed through Joel, for all the needs of the residents, workers and pupils in that neighbourhood. 

Finally, Joel walked around his neighborhood at least once, everyday praying. Because he was saturated in God's presence, wherever he went, he carried God's presence with him. God's presence was, like fresh oil, dripping from his feet wherever he walked and people got touched by God's presence and were convicted of their sins.

Like a parent who has ten children, and who never stops praying for his adult children till his very last breath, Joel never stops praying for his 'Adult Adoptees'. While continuing to pray for them, even now, in his 85th year,   Joel continues to adopt new individuals who are distraught, new neighbourhoods, new hospitals, new churches, new schools, prisons, new organizations, other cities and other nations. He continues to see God's transformation in them and continues to praise and thank God, through Whom the transformation comes about.

If Joel as one single person, could collaborate with God and transform the entire neighbourhood with God's power and strength, why can't we? What is stopping us?

How wonderful will it be, if we too can adopt and pray as Joel did! How awesome will it be, if we too can get saturated in God's holy presence and His Word, and drip His presence wherever we go, like sweet honey.  We may not be able to walk around the entire neighborhood and we may not be able to walk daily, but it doesn't matter. Let us walk around our neighborhoods in spirit. But wherever we walk or go, when we are able, let us drip God's presence there.

Only if we cared to get soaked in God's presence, adopt, love and pray for others as a loving parent would (although it is tough), will we be able to establish God's Kingdom and His Will in the lives of the people residing, working and schooling  there. That is the prayer Jesus taught us and that is the Will of the Father.

It can only be done with the help from the Holy Spirit. By ourselves we can't. We need the power, strength and wisdom from above. 

Finally, let us not expect any reward here on earth. Let us, like Joel, do what we are called to do, without letting our right hand know what the left hand is doing. We don't need the approval nor the praises of anyone to save souls. When we go about bringing the Kingdom of God into the lives of people silently, and without any fanfare, our rewards will be reaped in our after life when we meet our Saviour Jesus Christ, face to face.

I pray that many, like-minded believers, with the compassionate heart of Father God, will come forward to adopt the various neighborhoods, communities, churches, organizations and persons in our nation. Let us arise and ask the Spirit of God to breathe His life into the dead bones and make our nation, a nation which gladdens the heart of God our Father.

Pray with me:-

Psalm 141:2 KJV

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

I pray this in Jesus mighty name. Amen!

Original story :- Mary Augustine

20/02/18

Which Quenches Thirst?

Which quenches thirst? The pot or the water within?

There was once a huge pot full of cool water! The pot had a tap attached to it. It was placed on a table at a construction site. The weather was hot, humid and the workers were so fatigued. When work was done the workers came to the pot in the sweltering heat, turned the tap and drank the water. Then each worker, as his thirst was quenched patted the pot with glee and walked away satisfied. When the water ran low in the pot the foreman will fill it up again. This happened day after day.

As the days went by, the pot began to swell with pride and a sense of accomplishment. It looked around at the thirst quenched happy workers and thought to itself, how great it was. It said to itself, "Wow! What a great pot I am! Day after day, I am quenching the thirst of these poor workers. What would they do without me? I am indispensable!" At this thought it swelled more with pride.

One day, as the workers came to drink water from the pot, one of them saw a crack on it and noticed water seeping swiftly through the crack. He alerted the foreman. The foreman immediately removed the pot. He brought out another pot from the shelter and emptied the water from this pot into the new pot.
The workers continued to drink water from the new pot and patted it with glee as they had done before.

From a distance where it was dumped, the old proud pot watched all this. Only then did it realize that it was the water which quenched the thirst of the workers. Pride made it swell and caused it to crack. Now it lay forlorn in the dumpster, stripped of all its pride. But alas, it was too late!

How many of us are like the pot. When we  help someone, we think that we are the ones helping him or her. When we pray for a sick person and that person gets healed we swell with pride, as if healing came from us. We fail to realise that it is God Who gives us the means to help someone; God is the One Who heals them as we pray.

Let us not be proud because God can use anyone to help or heal others. When we remain humble God will be able to use us. When we swell with pride we develop ugly cracks and become unusable.

A word of caution to the youth of today.

Many think that they can study, earn a degree, get a job etc with their own intellect and energy. Many think that they can build their bodies doing various exercises with their own strength and power. The world attests to this and encourages the young and old saying,
"Come on, you can do it! The power is in your mind! You have the power and the strength to do it. Think positively and you will achieve! Put your mind to it and you will succeed!"

But alas, they don't realize that the world has beguiled them. They have been conned into thinking that they will succeed when they rely on their own strength. So much energy is wasted because they can't do anything in their own strength, without God.

People who despise God and/or who don't believe in God, or those who have no time for God, try on their own and may seem to succeed. But when they meet tragedy or some trials in life they will be lost for they won't know who to turn to or what to do. Many atheists and agnostics in times of extreme trials take their own lives. For many who do not rely on God, their lives turn out to be chaotic in many areas. Outside they may seem to be happy but inside they will be wrecks. But there is reprieve for them when they turn to God, acknowledge Him, repent and seek forgiveness.

Let us look at the following verse from
Genesis 2:7 (NIV)
Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The very breath in us is not ours. It is God's. He breathed into us and He has the power to remove it when He pleases. It is by His strength and power that we live and move and breathe. Blessed is the man who acknowledges the Lord and gives Him thanks, for it is he, who will succeed in life.

Therefore let us always be humble before our Creator God and thank Him at all times. Let His praise be always on our lips.

Mary Augustine
14/02/2018 

The 'Humble' will be exalted!

The 'Humble' will be exalted!!

Genesis 41:40
"You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

Oh what a great privilege and honour will it be to have someone tell us this. Imagine the Prime Minister of Singapore tell you this, " Mary (Whatever your name is), You shall be in charge of the government of Singapore, and all the people of Singapore are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to my position as PM will I be greater than you!"

This was told to Joseph(the dreamer), Jacob's favourite son, by the Pharaoh of Egypt, when Joseph interpreted his dream.

For a Pharoah to put a prisoner whom he just released, on the pedestal and appoint him as Prime Authority and ruler of Egypt, is unthinkable. How much must he have trusted Joseph in order to do that?

Why did Pharaoh trust Joseph so much? How did Joseph earn the trust of the Pharaoh? Let us look at Joseph's life. He was Jacob's beloved wife Rachel's eldest son. Therefore he was Jacob's pet son. We know that Jacob sent him to check on his elder brothers while they went out to let the sheep graze and even gave him a multicolored cloak which made him more special above the other siblings. This induced the jealousy of his brothers. If Joseph was not trustworthy, loyal and acted with honesty and integrity his father would not have sent his beloved seventeen year old son alone to Shechem to supervise his brothers. His father told Joseph, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock; and bring word back to me.” Shechem was where Jacob's daughter Dinah was raped by the prince Shechem and the brothers of Dinah murdered him. Now Jacob would surely be worried about the safety of his sons who  had been away for a long time. There was no hand phone or internet in those days for them to keep in touch. Even now Jacob was worried that some relatives of prince Shechem might harm his sons. So obviously he had to send someone who was reliable. If Joseph was not reliable he would not have sent him to such a dangerous place.  Joseph proves his reliability by going further to Dotham when he finds out from a passerby that his brothers went there. He could have easily come back and told his father that they were no where to be found, instead he journeyed faithfully to Dotham to see if his brothers and the flock were ok.

Next when he was sold as the slave to
Potiphar who was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
The Word of God says in Genesis 39:2,
[2] The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.

'The Lord was with him!' This is something to be noted. Is the Lord with us?

Now Potiphar noticed that God was with Joseph and that all the works of his hands were succeeding. Moreover Joseph was hardworking. Therefore he made Joseph his personal assistant. Joseph was loyal to both God and his master. He never once betrayed the trust of Potiphar but was falsely accused and imprisoned. Even then he trusted God and submitted to Him and waited upon the Lord.

God rewarded Joseph for his hardwork, patience, integrity and his humble submission to authority. Even when Pharaoh said to him, in Genesis 41:15,16   [15]... “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.” [16] “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”

We see that Joseph had come to rely on God in total humility. He was able to interpret the Pharaoh's dream accurately with humble confidence. Even Pharaoh could see that God was with Joseph. That is why he entrusted his prized possession which was his land and people to Joseph a prisoner whom he just released.

Integrity, honesty, loyalty, hard work, humble submission to God and being able to wait upon the Lord patiently will allow God to be with us and use us.

Let us reflect upon this today and ask the Father to breathe His life giving Spirit upon us, to empower us to rise above our situations and trust wholly on Him. Let us practise integrity, honesty, loyalty, be hard working , submit humbly to God and wait upon the Lord patiently.

When we are found trustworthy in little things by our Father, He will empower us and use us for His greater honour and glory.

Mary Augustine
28/01/2018

Let us shine the Light of Christ for all to see!

Let us shine the Light of Christ for all to see!

Matthew 14:10-14 NLT
So John was beheaded in the prison, [11] and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. [12] Later, John's disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened. [13] As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. [14] Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Jesus did not worry about what others would say nor did He act out of His own interest. When He heard the news of His cousin's cruel death, Jesus wanted to be alone. But when He saw the needs of the people He healed them and then even fed them miraculously. Through this compassionate act of feeding He taught His disciples how to have faith even in dire situations and engaged the miraculous.

Do we do likewise? When our plans are interrupted what would we do? Sulk? Complain? Get furious? Withdraw into our enclosures? Or would we respond with the right attitude? Would we do what Jesus would do, if He was in our place? Or would we do what we feel like doing?

In these modern days people are programmed into thinking that they and they alone matter. There is scarcely any compassion found in today's society.

Even Christians behave selfishly. If we, who are to be the 'Lights' of the world live in darkness, then who will shine the light to the unbelievers?

Let us reflect on this and turn our hearts to our Saviour Jesus Christ. Let us reflect on His life and do what He would do. Let us shine the Light of Christ for all to see!

Mary Augustine

26/01/2018

What is the Unforgivable Sin!

God is our all forgiving and merciful Father Who is abounding in love and grace. To every one who repents and seeks forgiveness He is gracious to forgive. Then why would He not forgive the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

Now to understand what the sin against the Holy Spirit is, we must first know and understand Who the Holy Spirit is. He is a Person.

His distinctive characteristics are:-

1) Knowledge - He Knows the secrets of God and reveals them to us.
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT
But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. [11] No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.

2) Will - He Decides.
1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT
It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

3) Emotions - He Pleads for us.
Romans 8: 26 - 27NLT
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.

4) Love - He helps us Love one another.
Romans 15:30 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.

5) Paraclete, Comforter, Encourager, Advocate - He will  never leave us unless we reject Him. He will be with us as our Comforter and Encourager and Guide and will teach us everything and remind us of the Words of Jesus.
John 14:16,26 NLT
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. [26] But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative-that is, the Holy Spirit-he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

6) Person of Authority:- He will instruct us what to do and where to go ( when we are close to Him and are listening to His still small voice)
Acts 16:6 NLT
Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.

7) Person Who appoints people into office - He will appoint each one into the office of what Father God has destined us to do and be (when we are open to hear Him)
Acts 13:2 NLT
One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them."
Acts 20:28 NLT
"So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock-his church, purchased with his own blood-over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.

The Holy Spirit is a Person and not just a force or power. He is the 3rd Person of God. We cannot ask for more of the Holy Spirit so that we can use Him. He is not a force which we can use. He is not an 'it' but a 'He'! He is the divine Person of infinite majesty, glory, holiness and power, Who is ever willing to dwell in us and ready to use even us, to glorify the Father, if we allow Him. This is so humbling when we consider His greatness and our puny selves.

Now  in Matt 12:31-32 Jesus says that  every other sin will be forgiven but not the sin against the Holy Spirit. Jesus was referring to the Pharisees who said that He, Jesus drove away evil spirits because He had an unclean spirit in Him. Why is this sin unpardonable? Because the Pharisees who (practised meticulous adherence to their interpretation of the Torah as well as their eschatological views and applied Jewish law to mundane activities in order to sanctify the every-day world and believed in the resurrection after death) were learned in the law of Moses and had knowledge of the scriptures, yet insulted and rejected the Holy Spirit, in Jesus. They refused to acknowledge that the Spirit in Jesus was the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of God, the Majestic Spirit, Who comes to every person and gently convicts and prompts him or her to  accept Christ Jesus. Thw Holy Spirit in Acts was poured upon all the people who were listening to Peter speak. They were unbelievers at first but when they yielded their hearts to the Holy Spirit He was able to transform them (Acts 2:1-42). He is the Majestic One Who dwells within the believers of Christ, loves us and patiently waits for us to respond to His call, teaches us everything about Jesus and pleads for us to the Father. He convicts us of our sins again and again and waits patiently for us to change.

When we repeatedly reject the Holy Spirit, this Majestic Spirit, the Spirit Who comes from the Father to dwell within us who are mere sinful creatures,  and when we refuse to be convicted by Him, we actually slight and insult Him.  Continuous rejection of the Holy Spirit hardens our hearts. Our conscience becomes seared. When that happens, sin will no more seem like something wrong but will seem so normal and even 'right' in our eyes.  We then will miss all the opportunities given to us by God, to make all wrongs right. We then will be unable to repent, because we have rejected the Holy Spirit. There will be no conviction of sin without the Holy Spirit.

In summary,  to sin against the Holy Spirit is to reject the Holy Spirit and to live an unrepentant life (becoming the walking dead- spiritually dead although still alive) and die an unrepentant death. When one dies with a seared concience and an unrepentant, hardened heart, his end will be disastrous.  God cannot forgive the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. No repentance, no forgiveness.

Having said that, in conclusion, I would like to add this:-  No one can judge another to say whether he or she has sinned against the Holy Spirit. Only God knows each person's heart. Only God knows each person's motives. God can in His mercy change anyone, anytime and bring him or her to repentance. When we judge others, we are judged with that same measure. Therefore I would urge all believers to sincerely  pray for one another so that no one would be lost. Let us look at our own lives, examine our hearts daily, to see if we have offended the Holy Spirit, repent and change  and bear the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives. 

"Search me oh God and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there be some wicked way in me. Lead me in Thy way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23,24.
Help me always remain pliable in Your hands dear Father. Never let my heart grow cold. Holy Spirit come live in me and never let me go. Teach me Your way  so that I will bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control in my daily life and glorify the Father. Transform me into the likeness of Christ Jesus. I pray this in Jesus' most precious name. Amen!

Mary Augustine

(Special mention:- thanks to Br Vinay for helping to check for errors)

The Kingdom of God!

There have been countless debates with regards to the Kingdom of God. Many wonder what it is, where it is and what it will be like, living in there!

Some think that the Kingdom of God is in heaven and only in heaven. But Jesus said otherwise. Even John the Baptist was ushering in the Kingdom of God and when the promised Saviour came, He, Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God is within you!" Luke17:21

First of all let us see what a Kingdom is. It is a land or place ruled by a king. So obviously the Kingdom of God is where God rules. Therefore wherever God rules, whomever God rules, His Lordship, His Rulership, His Kingdom, His Government is established there.

Let us examine what Jesus said about God's Kingdom.:-

In John 3:3-7, Jesus said,
"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again"
"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

Therefore to get a glimpse of  God's Kingdom and to enter in and experience it, one must be born again of the water and the Spirit of God. Therefore only baptised believers, who are born again of the Spirit of God, can enter God's Kingdom.

In Matthew 11:12, Jesus said, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."

God's kingdom has been forcefully advancing through John the Baptist who shouted, "Repent and be baptised!" ;  Through the Son of God who forcefully gave up His life for us and later through the apostles and disciples who forcefully preached the Word. We too are called to advance His Kingdom. We can only do it if we are violent enough and grab it. That means we must know what it is and work wholeheartedly and selflessly in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and establishing God's Kingdom every where we go, despite our circumstances and the danger we go through. We must go and pray for people, get them healed, tell people about Jesus, teach them about His ways and get them baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit, in order for God's Kingdom to be established in their hearts and around them.

Now the question is can we experience it on earth? Yes we can! That is why Jesus came. He wants us to live under His rulership and experience the joys of the Kingdom of God even while here on earth. Then finally when our journey on earth ends, we will be forever united with Jesus in His Kingdom in heaven.

How then can we experience God's Kingdom while on earth? Well, if a king is a tyrant then his subjects will be suffering under his tyranny. But we know that our God is abounding in mercy, kindness and love. Therefore in His Kingdom, wherever God rules and reigns, be it your family or your heart or your workplace, there will be peace, love and joy unending there.

How can one continually live in peace, love and joy when there is so much of chaos, sickness, turmoil  and war on earth, you may ask! Let us see what Jesus said about this. In John 16:33 Jesus told His apostles, " These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus also said in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."

Jesus also said one more important thing about God's kingdom, in Luke 18:17 (NASB)

Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."

First we must be child-like. What are the qualities of a child? Innocence, a trusting heart, humility and faith in Christ. Yes these are the qualities we need, to receive the kingdom of God. The most important of all is the free gift of faith from God. All other gifts flow through faith, which acts as a channel. Then, when we receive God's kingdom with child-like faith, we can enter into it. 

Conclusion:- In God's Kingdom there will be unending peace, love and joy. In this world you can't find that. To enjoy the benefits of God's Kingdom, we must be a baptised Christian, one who is born again and fired up by the Holy Spirit and one who has faith in Jesus and abides in Him at all times. In this world we may face sickness, problems, lack, but when we have Christ in us, we will be living in unending peace, joy and love.

That is why Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father in heaven, holy is Your name. Let Your Kingdom come and let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

When we begin living under the Lordship of our Father in the Kingdom of God, we can safely proclaim with Paul, "We give you thanks Father, You Who have qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For You have delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of Your Beloved Son!" (Col 1:12-13)

Mary Augustine

Who Do You Say I Am?

Who do others say I am? Kind, loving, caring, patient helpful, artistic, hardworking, pious,etc?

How is that going to help me when I stand before my Creator God?  Can I carry the praises of people with me when I die? Or, are the angry words of those who misunderstand me send me to hell? Do I live for the praises of people or do I live to hear my Lord tell me, "Well done my faithful daughter! Welcome home!"

Now what I am concerned about is not what or who others think I am, but what Jesus thinks of me!  Ultimately, only what Jesus thinks of me will matter!

In Mark 8:29 NLT
Jesus asked his disciples, "But who do you say I am?"

But here I am asking, the same question in reverse.
"Jesus my Lord, who do You say, I am?"

Only He knows the real motives of my heart. My inner thoughts are made bare before Him. When I stand before Him all my works which are not of pure motive will be burnt to ashes like straw.  I can pretend before men, but not before my Jesus!

So Jesus, please tell me, who am I to You?  I want to be Your child. I want to be Your friend. I want to be one worthy of Your suffering and death on the cross. I want to be wholly Yours!

Am I obedient to Your commands? Am I faithful to You? Have I borne the fruit of the Spirit in my life? Have I remained in You Lord?

Help me always be conscious of my position before You my Saviour!

I want to be, who You want me to be Jesus!

Mary Augustine