Repentance 2 Restoration

Job 42.

We all know the story of Job; his suffering and then his wonderful restoration. The way to that restoration wasn't easy. It was painful and required Job to do one thing : Repent. He had to humble himself before the Lord in order to be restored. 

Throughout the book of Job, you will see conversations between him and his friends. Job continues to question what has he done to deserve this suffering and his friends continue to condemn him instead of comforting him. Finally when the Lord speaks, Job repents before the Lord and suddenly finds a sense of peace within himself. He doesn't find the need to justify himself any longer. He realised God's truth and His ways of working. He repented and prayed for his friends, only then was he restored. Repentance frees us and makes it easier for us to pray for all those who hurt us. 

Job 42:10 NKJV

And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Acceptance of our faults and true repentance brings restoration of God's peace and joy in our lives. The need for justifying ourselves doesn't arise, because we realise that truth, in itself is justified. We find easier to pray that God blesses those who are against us rather than praying for God to give us justice, because we can rest in the fact that God is just and knows best what to do and when to do it.

Luke 6:28 NKJV

bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

Walking in repentance and humility, and walking in His truth will lead us to the restoration God has planned for us. 

James 4:10New Living Translation (NLT)

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Be Careful Little Mouth!

She maybe a victim of hatred

He may be suffering with a aching heart;

Let not your words make the wound even more difficult to heal,

Be careful little mouth, what you speak!

Her situation might be lifeless 

He might have lost everything;

Let your words not bring darkness and death,

Be careful little mouth, what you speak!

Whenever you speak let love and life flow out of thee,

Let uplifting and encouraging thy motive be.

May what you speak keep their candles burning bright

May you not blow off their light,

Be careful little mouth, what you speak!

Do not be haughty for where you stand

Forget not thy humble beginnings

For God is just and to Him matters the heart that serves,

Abel's offering He considers

So speak kindness and grace

Strengthen and uplift the weak,

Oh be careful little mouth, what you speak!

Broken and Stronger!

There are days when we feel frustrated, hurt by words and actions, shattered and completely broken. Those are the days when we go into the "pity mode"; days when we remember how good we have been and that we deserve to be treated better. It's completely natural to think that way.

I felt that way a couple of days back and I cried. Later I prayed. Whereas, I should have prayed in the first place. God asked me a question, 'Is your crying making things any better for you?' And I knew deep within, that crying only worsened things. I was crying over something that I felt bad about and was stuck there. I continued to remain in that hurt whereas the person who hurt me didn't even care. In doing so I ended up increasing my heartache rather than feeling better.
Just then, God reminded me a couple of dreams I saw about my situation. And I realised that when the dreams God shows about our storms come to past, we need to stop pitying ourselves and not cry much over it. Instead, stand up in prayer and ask God to lead. Face it. We need to thank God for the victory He will give us.

We need to trust God and His justice. Even though situations seem unfair, our God is not unfair. Understanding this truth will help you retain your peace and deal with things in the love of Christ. There might be times where you will be required to stay patiently in the situation you are and see God's deliverance. At other times, you may be required to move on letting go of what or who hurt you. When you let go of the unwanted, you will see growth in certain areas that were previously a stumbling block for you.

Let God heal you. He can only do so when you surrender your all to Him. When you are broken, He makes you stronger.

Finding the Gomer in Me

Hosea 3:1,2

"THEN SAID the Lord to me, Go again, love [the same] woman [Gomer] who is beloved of a paramour and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins [used in the sacrificial feasts in idol worship]. 

So I bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley [the price of a slave]."

Now, sit back for a while and think; your partner is in love with many others. How does it feel to accept your partner in that case? You know that your partner is cheating you, and that too openly. How would that make you feel? 

Now coming back to Hosea, God told him to marry an adulteress, which he did. They had kids and were happily married. But, being a human, she felt weak. She returned to her old ways. Hosea should have left her. She didn't deserve his love. After all he did for her, accepted her knowing who she was, she just didn't deserve his love. But God asked him to BUY his wife, and Hosea BOUGHT his wife. 

Buying someone who belonged to him! Buying someone who was already his...paying a price for someone who didn't care. But he did so. 

You might be wondering, 'how can I relate to all of this?' Well, to be brutally honest, we all have a Gomer in us. No offense, but we do commit/have committed/end up committing adultery. How, you ask? Just like Gomer, we forget the love and sacrifice of Christ thus, returning to our old sinful ways of living. We forget that HE PURCHASED WHAT BELONGED TO HIM. We forget that HE PAID A PRICE FOR THE FOOLISHNESS OF HIS CREATION. But because of His unending, unconditional and selfless love for us, He bought us. 

Are we still running away from Christ because of our selfish desires? Are we hesitant to run into His arms open wide because of the guilt we carry in our hearts?

Well, the good news is that : THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE HIS LOVE FOR YOU. He's already lavished it. A love that covers multitude of sins. So, let not your guilt or selfish desires take over the place of your Saviour. If you're broken or lost, suicide is not an option nor a solution; Jesus is. His sacrifice at the cross, His blood is more than enough to set you free, complete you and heal you. 

I'd like to conclude as Chris Tomlin has sung:

Come home running

His arms are open wide

His name is Jesus

He understands

He is the answer

You are looking for

So come home running

Just as you are!

Let His arms be your home. Get enveloped in His embrace because, He is more than enough for you. 

When I Stopped Praying For Myself

I received my healing
I slept in peace
The day I went on my knees,
The day I stopped praying for myself.

I saw His joy overcome my mourning
Uplifting me, setting me free
The day I prayed for her world that was crumbling,
The day I stopped praying for myself.

I could forgive and love freely
Without receiving the same toward me
The day I prayed for his heart bleeding hatred,
The day I stopped praying for myself.

I covered myself with His blood
Thanked Him for all I had
Then I stood in the gap for them,
Assured that He knows my needs.

I lay their burdens at His feet
He being faithful knew how and when to give
He did His goodness to me reveal,
And all my needs He did meet.

He gave me joy, He renewed my strength
He helped me soar and my peace I regained
The day I let go off my self,
The day I stopped praying for myself.

Something known as Dating!

‘Dating’ - might seem such a taboo in our society. People always seem to have a negative notion about the concept of dating.

My husband and I dated for two years before marriage, and I must say that those are the most cherished days of our relationship. Now before you jump to any conclusions, we had something that I would like to term as healthy dating.

Since it was a long distance relationship, it became easier to maintain our testimony. But we ensured that we were careful each time we met. What I really liked about him was that he would seek the permission of my parents each time he took me out. Everything we did was known to our family and hence, we had nothing to fear. Walking in the truth will always cast out fear. We ensured that we do not commit mistakes that we made in our past relationship. That made our journey of courtship even more special. Our pastors were aware of our plans and so were our families.

It’s so important in the sight of God to maintain your purity. We all make mistakes. What’s important is that we learn from them and don’t repeat them. Having people to guide us who have been through such experiences proves to be a blessing in disguise as we can be more cautious about doing the right thing.

I’d like to share somethings that I’ve learned about healthy dating:

1. When you date a person, you are basically trying to get to know the will of God even as you spend time talking with the person. Dating can never let you know how compatible you are with a person. If you look into yourself, you will be surprised to find out that you aren’t aware of most of your weaknesses and strengths. So you can’t possibly know a person just by spending hours of talking with him/her. I’ve known a girl who was dating a boy for almost eight years yet, there was this side of his that remained unknown to her and finally was the cause of their separation. How can you be so sure that the person you are dating is not deceiving you? The best you can do is seek the will of God because God sees the heart and knows who’s best for us.

2. When you date someone, you DO NOT OWN THE PERSON! So please hold your horses back! You haven’t promised the person to to stand by him/her until death separates you. So, there is a possibility that you haven’t been sensitive enough to the voice of God or you decide to turn a deaf ear to His plans. In either case, if it’s not His will it won’t last long. You need to bear in mind that The person you date might be someone’s future husband/wife. Don’t enforce yourself on the person and don’t give in to the wrong demands of the person as well. It’s better to know your limits and stay safe and right. It might seem difficult in the flush of all emotions you go through, but trust me, it is possible!

3. Don’t expect a lot from the person you date. Know the desires and plans of the one you date and share yours as well. You can always find out ways to mutually plan out things and find a way out. Accept the person with his/her individuality. There might be a lot of differences, but love surpasses them all!

4. Don’t walk in lies. Let your journey of courtship be truthful. It’s always better for your pastors, elders and family members to be aware of it. They are way more experienced than you are and can guide you in the right way. When they sense something fishy, ensure that you follow the advice and check if you are attuned to God’s word. This way, you can be sure of maintaining a good testimony and an example for others.

A healthy dating experience will help your conscience feel free and peaceful. Eventually, you will also see God’s plan unfold beautifully in your lives.

Perfect Love

When I was younger, the picture of ‘love’ looked so perfect in my mind. Like a perfect person or perfect parents or a perfect marriage. However, God gradually led me to the deeper meaning of love. Love is not about the good people or the good moments you spend wit someone. Love is all about being with someone through all the dirt and mess they carry. Love is not about expecting perfection, but it’s all about accepting the imperfections and loving them anyway. True love is all about sacrifice, just like Jesus sacrificed His glory for us. Just like the Father sacrificed His only Son for us. That, to me, is love; unconditional love, yet not blind love. He knew the cost. He knew the pain and suffering. Yet, he chose to carry the cross because He loved us, and still does.

Love will never let you fall in a pit. True love will help you stand and face the tests of life, and help you rise above your situations. It considers the beauty of the heart above the external beauty. There is no fear in love.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”

-1 John 4:18

Sometimes, we continue to hold onto relationships because of fear, but we mistake it to be love. When we love in our hearts, there will be no room for fear.

There is a difference between genuine Christ-like love and its counterfeit known as attachment. Attachment says, “I need you to love me, so I will love you in order to gt your love.” But true love says, “I don’t need you, but I love you and hope all the best for you.” True love will always stand by you and never fail you.

When you understand the love displayed at the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished”, you will be able to love unconditionally and experience unconditional love as well.

-Sarah Timothy & Sussanah