Love of God; Mercy & Voice of Cross 
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WELCOME to the Mar - 2008 edition of the Shalomindia.com E-Info Service.
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THE
POSSIBILITY OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
"Lord, increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye have faith
as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine
tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and
it would have obeyed you."-- Luk_17:5-6 (R.V.).
YOU ARE asking me to perform the impossible; I am sure that I
can never become a great tree, said a tiny mustard seed, which
is the smallest of all seeds, as it lay on the soft mould
where it had dropped.
Suddenly it was caught up with a spadeful of earth, and
buffed, it seemed, fathoms deep; in reality but a few inches!
There it lay in darkness and neglect. After some weeks, a tiny
green shoot appeared above the ground, and looked up to where
the great parent-tree was growing; it whispered softly to
itself, "Perhaps I shall be able to do it after all." "Do
what?" "Perhaps I shall become a great tree in which the birds
may shelter." "But a few weeks ago you said it was impossible
. then I had no idea that Mother Nature would work in me as
she has done; if she goes on pouring herself into me as she
has been doing of late, there is nothing that I cannot do; yet
not I, but her life which dwelleth and worketh in me."
There is no need to explain or enforce the meaning of the
allegory. Our Lord had bidden His disciples forgive "until
seventy times seven," and they had replied that such a thing
would be impossible, without a great increase of faith. "No,"
said the Master, "you do not need quantity but quality."
All God's fullness will flow through the tiniest channel that
faith opens out on His Almighty power. Faith is the open heart
towards Him, and through the channel of faith Christ lives in
and through us. Hudson Taylor heard God say: "I am going to
evangelize inland China, and if you will walk with Me, I will
do it through you." D.L. Moody said that the beginning of his
marvellous ministry was the remark made in his hearing: "The
world has yet to learn what God can do through a man wholly
yielded to Him." It is not what we do, but what God does
through us, that counts; and His mighty power, passing through
the tiniest aperture of faith, keeps hollowing it wider.
PRAYER
Most Gracious Lord, Thou didst truly say, "Without Me ye can
do nothing.'" We know that this is so by our past failures,
when we have wrought in our own strength. Help us to use the
little faith we have that it may become the channel for Thy
wondrous power. AMEN.
ILLUMINATED
LIVES
"The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord."--
Pro_20:27. "'For Thou wilt light my candle."-- Psa_18:28.
THE TABERNACLE constructed by Moses, and Solomon's Temple
were modelled on the divine pattern, and consisted of three parts, outer Court, with
its altar and laver, facing the world of human life; the Holy of Holies, facing the
unseen and divine; between them, the Holy place, with its candlestick, altar, and
table.
Transfer that picture to your own nature.
The body is the outer court, and through it we touch the
world around us; the spirit is our most holy place, and through it we enter into
fellowship with God; the soul lies between the two, the seat of our personality,
including conscience, will, intellect, and emotion.
Our text tells us
that "the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord." The candle is for illumination,
but there are many unlit candles! Has the Divine Spirit kindled your spirit, and is
the flame burning clear? The windows of your spirit command a view of the Delectable
Mountains and the City of God, but have the blinds been drawn up all round, so that
the sunshine may shed its radiance into the common places Of daily living? In other
words, Is your religious life in living touch with the Person of Jesus Christ?
In its ultimate essence, Christ is the All and In-All of our holy religion. Not creed,
nor ceremonials, nor the life of active philanthropy, but His personal life and
presence in the heart are the supreme goal of the New Testament. What the Father was
to Him, He desires to be to us. Remember He said: "As the living Father hath sent Me,
and I live by the Father, so he that eateth (receiveth) Me, he also shall live because
of Me," but this indwelling can only be experienced when we have learnt to find all
our fresh springs of life, love, and inspiration from Him with whom our life is hid in
God.
When we sit before the Lord in meditation, or kneel in our accustomed place, we shall
know that the Lord, whom we seek, has suddenly come to His Temple, and the glory of
the Lord will illuminate the house of our life, and shed its radiance on the world
around. Our life will still retain its characteristic nature, but it will be infilled
by the "second man, the Lord from Heaven."
PRAYER
O Holy Spirit, Love of God, infuse Thy grace, and descend plentifully into my heart;
enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling, and scatter there Thy cheerful
beams; dwell in the soul that pangs to be Thy temple. AMEN.
Living by Grace: Humility and
Faith
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble . .
. through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.
(Jam_4:6 and Rom_5:2)
How does a believer in Jesus Christ
access the ongoing, sanctifying grace of God for daily godliness? It is accessed the
same way that the initial, justifying grace of God was acquired - - by humility and
faith. We were justified, declared righteous in God's sight, when we humbly trusted in
the Lord Jesus. We humbly agreed with the Lord's account of our guilty condition.
"For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God . . . For the wages of sin is death" (Rom_3:23; Rom_6:23).
We also put our trust in Christ concerning His offer of life (based upon His death and
resurrection on our behalf). "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord" (Rom_6:23). Thereby we partook of the justifying grace of God, through humility
and faith.This is how the Lord wants us to continue to relate to Him for sanctifying
grace.
Our God wants us to walk in humility, because grace is what we need for growth in
godly living. Remember this great truth of grace: "But grow in the grace . . . of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2Pe_3:18). If we are unwilling to walk in humility, we
will not enjoy this wondrous sanctifying impact of grace, because "God resists the
proud, but gives grace to the humble." When we live by self-sufficiency, God's resists
us. When we function in humility, God gives us grace for living.
Our God also wants us to walk in faith, because faith accesses grace. "Through whom
[Christ] also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand." We now stand
in a kingdom that offers "grace upon grace" (Joh_1:16). Abundant grace is available
for every step we are to take. This grace is partaken of by faith. Whenever we trust
in the Lord Jesus concerning any issue of life, we are reaching by faith into God's
unlimited resources of grace, by which we are enabled to live effectively.
Hereby we see that living by grace
involves two relational realities: humility and faith. We do not produce either.
Neither are a work. Humility admits we cannot do the work (of being holy, loving,
perfect). Faith relies upon the work of another, the Lord Jesus Christ. They are both
relational realities, since they become real in our lives through a growing
relationship with the Lord. The more we get to know the Lord Jesus Christ, to that
degree humility and faith will become realities in our lives.
Prayer
O Lord, You are my salvation, from justification throughout a lifetime of
sanctification. Forgive me for underestimating my need for You. Forgive me concerning
the self-sufficient, self-confident ways by which I have often lived. I humble myself
before You. I want to live by trust and confidence in You. I long to live by Your
grace, not by my best efforts. Help me to know You, that humility and faith might
develop in my life, Amen.
Shalom India Prayer Cell
Prayer Requests
===============
Please contact us for your prayer requests at
http://www.shalomindia.com/prayer.php
At the ShalomIndia.com, we received numerous
prayer requests each day through our online prayer request page. These
prayer requests are a wonderful opportunity for both the giver and the
receiver. Those who submit the prayers are opening the door to
communication and healing from God. Those who receive the prayers are
giving themselves the opportunity to join with God in the process of
extending God's Love, Peace, and Truth in reply.
Being a member of the Prayer Requests Team is a wonderful opportunity to
deepen your own healing, peace, and understanding as you extend it to
others. There are, of course, no obligations by joining the ShalomIndia
Prayer Cell Team. Joining the prayer group is absolutely free
So we request you to come and join with us for your
deliverance as well as your fellow beings.
Prayer Cell Address:
Shalom India Prayer Cell
313, St. Lawrence High School, Asha Nagar
Thakur Complex, Kandivali East, Mumbai 400101
Tel. 93246 30219
Timing : Shalom india Prayer cell
meet on every Sunday evening 5 to 8 Pm to pray about
specific topics which we have receiving through our online prayer as
well as personal prayer request from the gathering.
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