Wish you all a blessed  new year. We all might have renewed our commitment to Christ in the break of another year, but are you truly enjoying your life with Christ? Are you struggling in your Christian life to be committed in prayer, reading and meditating the word of God and also to do your part to serve Him in every means you could. Is it a struggle and starve situation, where there is no spiritual profit? Like  any other relationship Jesus wants us to savor the beauty of being with Him. He wants us to do it out of love and commitment to Him than being a Hipocritic to our own self.

    We are a time bound generation. Everything we do or practice is designed by the time available for a task, time designs the depth of  our relationships, fellowship, recreation and also sets and limits our Christian walk. Today Holy spirit is calling you to come out of that spiritual sleep pattern that have  trapped you in for long. Many time our spirit is ready but our body is so fragile with the fallen nature of clay, that we are succumbed into temptations by  flesh. The result is gratification of self and slumber of inner man.  Many times satan binds our spirit from the knowledge of time, many often we forget the crucial time we are living in, we live in our comfort zones unaware of our mission to be useful for the Kingdom of God. We need to put away the sleep,let’s come out of those cozy blankets that tempt us to take extra hours of snooze, it could be anything that blinds you from reaching the mountain God have set before you, retracting you from savoring the sweet fellowship with Christ. Lets examine our priorities in life, take some time to sit in the presence of God and analyze the time we neglect each day on our fanciful likings towards small things in life, the time we overspend with a loved one, the time we waste in for the luxuries of life.The holy spirit will reveal the corrections needed in your life.

    In the above portion I was happy to read the verse “for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”Salvation can become near to us only if we grow in our salvation. Each day we need to experience a growth , a better experience with God, a new lesson learned from Him, growing in the fruit of the spirit.Inability to grow in our faith life is spiritual death and slumber. We can attain this growth only if we put on Christ in each day of our faith life. With out His image growing in us we will not be able to overcome the flesh.Dear child of God if you are in a struggle to improve your relationship with Christ, don’t take it by yourself. Pour your heart in the presence of the author of salvation,Jesus himself. He has plans for your life. Its hard to climb the mountain of God by our strength,but if you fully yield yourself to obey Him and clothe yourself with Christ, He will bless you with grace and transcend you into new levels in your faith life where you won’t be just practicing faith, but day by day you become perfected in faith. The  time, for the glory of God to be revealed to us is so near, lets be prepared and let the armor of light which is the character of Christ shine through us.Let the grace of God encompass us to fulfill another years journey without slumber.

Blessings,

Smitha Thomas.

“Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”  Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”  So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God”. I Kings 19: 5-8

            The above verses sparked the picture of a spiritual slumber in my mind. The great Prophet Elijah, who did mighty things in the name of the Lord, has now receded to be under a broom tree,waiting for His death.Here we can see a lack of statement from all His previous experience, an accepted defeat without fighting against the situation, under estimating Gods purpose for His life and choosing wilderness over the busy ministry God handed over to him.Many times we have also been in desperate spiritual slumber, but the God we serve, is so compassionate who knows our weakness and He provides us with the rest and strength  in due time.  Elijah’s ministry was nothing ordinary;He was a  man who stood boldly against sin.He was appointed to talk against the sin of a nation. He stood before Ahab the most evil King of Israel, who sinned against Lord by worshipping Baal. God used Isaiah to bring back a nation to Him, with  the price of humiliation and loneliness.He obeyed God when God revealed Him the three hard years of drought and stated boldly the beginning and end of it,putting total trust and faith in God.A man who stood alone, with God against the 850 heathen prophets of Baal and proved that Jehovah is the true God. He was given divine protection from the cruel hands of Ahab, by being carried from one place to other by the spirit of God;He experienced the provisions from God at the brook of Cherith, through the Ravens and from the house of the widow at Zarephath.

        After experiencing the power of God in such a mighty way, we see a Prophet who is desperate to die; a man who is so successful in His ministry, running to the wilderness and asking God to end it.After defeating the Prophets of Baal in  Mount Carmel, instead of celebrating the paramount of His victory given by God,he is seen in the wilderness,sleeping under a broom tree. When Jezebel send Her messenger to Elijah, threatening to kill Him within a days notice, He was shaken.Elijah slumbered from the position of a mighty man of God to a person deprived of faith and confidence. Elijah ran for His life into wilderness and there He sat under the broom tree and pleaded to God to end His life.The evil words of Jezebel had such an impact on Elijah that it made Him forget His past experience with God.Just after two answered prayers and a great experience with God, Elijah got slumbered and discouraged. He showed the whole nation that Jehovah is the true God, but in his personal situation He failed to believe or even ask god for a deliverance in His life.Dear Child of God ,have you been in desperate spiritual slumber where it was even hard to believe Gods hands are capable to deliver you?

    I love the above quoted verses where we see  how God dealt with Elijah’s petition of taking His life.I guess Elijah was expecting His death and sleeping under the broom tree.When the angel of God came and touched Elijah, He might have thought Gods angel came to take Him to heaven, but the angel is not explaining much to Elijah;instead showing Him the cake baked in coal and a jar of water and asked Him to “Arise and eat”.How many times have you experienced the loving touch of heaven when you are weak and discouraged?Here the angel came, the first time and asked Elijah to rise and eat. Elijah had the cake and again went back to sleep. We see the angel calling Him again and asking to  arise and eat and also mentions about a great journey.Here Elijah is about to learn some lessons from heaven.When God gave Elijah the cake and water for the first time,the troubles of His past are taken care of,it took care of His physical ailment.When we are tired of our past experiences,Jesus will not leave us in our weakness to struggle ourselves dealing with our past, instead He will come besides us and give us spiritual food that warms our spirit and quenches our thirst.After giving enough time to rest and recover,the angel calls Elijah ,the second time and provided food and with the strength of this food He traveled for 40 days and nights and reached Horeb,the mountain of God.After taking care of our past God will equip us with a mission for tomorrow.Before anointing you into another level, God will renew and strengthen you.Jesus is concerned about your physical ,emotional and spiritual security. Even when Satan tempts us showing the valley of death and fear, Gods plans are steady for your life. Even when fear sets a storm in our heart making us unable to revisit our past experience with God, the compassion and mercy of Jesus is so great that with his everlasting grace he will lead us to newer spiritual experiences and lead us to Horeb.

    Often we feel if we set our feet steady ,we can reach Horeb the mountain of God,where God revealed himself. If we see I Kings 19:8,it says the travel of forty days was fueled by a single meal provided by the angel.Dear child of God,our own strength and limitations together can take us only into wilderness, but it is the strength that perfects in our weakness provided by the holy spirit can make us run all the way to see the face of Jesus,in a falling world.If you are in  a state of spiritual slumber,just admit to Jesus exactly the way you are.He can provide you with cake baked in coal and water to warm our heart and soul and help you set your steps steady to run the race ahead of you.

May God bless you.

Smitha Thomas.

        After the resurrection, Jesus was with His disciples for 40 days strengthening them,  giving assurance and also providing each one of them who went lost; a chance to recognize Him and to believe him.Jesus answered their questions,when He was with them He spoke about the Kingdom of God and the disciples expected  a material Kingdom in Israel ,free from the hands of Roman empire. They could not recognize that the kingdom Jesus was speaking was the eternal Kingdom of God,and is established in our spirit when we accept Christ as our Savior. Some of them were short sighted, some were timid, some were having a hard time to believe, some of them were in fear of persecution, few of them denied Christ in the midst of their trials,some were heavy laden in their heart considering the experiences their loving Master went through.After the fulfillment of the purpose that Father God commissioned upon Jesus, He went back to his disciples who were perplexed and went astray when their Shepherd was been caught. He interacted with each one of them, strengthened them in their weakness, and gave all a chance to repent and belong to him.I believe the abounding love of the Savior, set them all back in their designated roles as disciples before Jesus returned to heaven to be with the Father. 

          Jesus was taken up in a cloud to heaven, after which we see the disciples obeying Christ with a zest and zeal that could not stop them. This time they were not doubting about what He promised them.They returned to Jerusalem travelling what is described as a “Sabbath days journey”,supposed to be a distance of less than half-a-mile, the distance to which, according to Jewish tradition, it was allowable to travel on the Sabbath day without violating the law.They went into the upper room of the house they were staying ; wasting no time, they got down on their knees and obediently watched and waited for what Jesus promised them. He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;  for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”Acts 1:4,5 also Acts1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”The upper room experience is a period of waiting in the Lord. It requires humbleness. None of the disciples knew how it would be like when they experience the Holy Spirit. They haven’t experienced it before, or did not know what to expect.From their walk with Christ they knew their Lord is a promise keeper. Once they were together in prayer;there came a spiritual unity,  all the difference of opinion melted away, all the boundaries of their personalities and attitudes were broken down. It was the time when heaven made their heart burn with love and zeal for Christ. It was the yearning for the promise to be seen fulfilled in their life. The experience in the upper room made them to carry the torch of Pentecost, the light of the gospel to the ends of the earth.

         Dear child of God are you waiting upon the Lord for the anointing of God to fall on you? Are you ready for an upper room experience in your life? The upper room is a place away from the rest of the activities and busy schedules of life. It is a place where all our impurities should be cast away, so that we are in one accord with the word of God.It is a place of separation from the world.It is where we should be able to reprove our commitment to Christ.Our expectations about the experience in the upper room should not be based on the level of spiritual standards set by the society or church, let it be a personal and unique time experiencing the overflowing presence of heaven.The empowerment we gain through our encounter with the Holy Spirit, will transform all our imperfections so that they be manifestations of the glory of God.We need to know that the confidence and zeal to be in the upper room is the result of our trust in the promises of Jesus.With total trust, gratitude and faith enter the upper room, Jesus will fill you and equip you with the insight, wisdom, direction, boldness, confidence and authority to be His witness.May God bless you.

Smitha Thomas.

Psalms 4:7

                Dear reader, have you sought the gladness presented in the above verse for your life?The gladness mentioned by the Psalmist comes from Heaven. It will not get weakened or become worn out in few days. It comes from the assurance of Gods promise and is perfected with the fulfillment of heavens desire for your life.The gladness we receive from Christ is something that a believer get to renew every day,it will never go out of date. It is the gladness that keeps us merry under stormy skies ,it is the kind of joy that excels within our spirit even in days of drought.Gladness is a state of our mind wherein we are contented , joyful or very much delighted. Usually a sense of being glad comes to man on some kind of achievement or during the good times of life,it is seasonal. But for a person who have set His heart and desires on God,He have more to expect in His life beyond the material blessings.What makes you glad today? Try to list down and see with a truthful heart on what makes you to rejoice in the Lord today? If you feel like you do not have enough reasons to rejoice in Him, ask Him for that gladness which comes from the joy of salvation, which ties us to heaven through the chords of eternal love.The joy that the world gives you wont last much:when the season of grain is over, disappointment holds grip over your heart.As the season of wine and celebration wind up;there is no reason to rejoice.

              Only a child of God have a reason to rejoice even during situations that are not favorable.Are you privileged to be part of that family of glad @heart?The privilege to be loved by everlasting love,the privilege of divine protection,privilege of divine provisions, privilege to be called as sons and daughters of the Almighty God,the privilege to be comforted by the holy spirit,the privilege of having divine purpose in our life.Above all the privilege of having the fullness of Joy in Christ. Jesus wants each and every child of His to rejoice in Him, to reach this fullness of joy;the gladness that the world can never separate from our spirit.

In Christ Jesus,

Smitha Thomas.

Blessings,

Smitha Thomas.

Mother Teresa’s Varanasi Letter (excerpts)

My dearest Children,

Jesus wants me to tell you again, how much is the love He has for each one of you – beyond all that you can imagine. I worry some of you still haven not really met Jesus – one to one – you and Jesus alone. We may spend time in the chapel – but have you seen with the eyes of your soul how He looks at you with love? Do you really know the living Jesus – not from books, but from being with Him in your heart? Have you heard the loving words He speaks to you?

Ask for the grace, He is longing to give it. Never give up this daily intimate contact with Jesus as a real living person – not just an idea.

How can we last even one day living our life without hearing Jesus say " I love you" – impossible. Our soul needs that as much as the body needs to breathe the air. If not, prayer is dead – meditation is only thinking. Jesus wants you each to hear Him – speaking in the silence of your heart.

Be careful of all that can block that personal being in touch with the living Jesus. The hurts of life, and sometimes your own mistakes – may make you feel it is impossible that Jesus really loves, is really clinging to you. This is a danger for all of you. And so sad, because it is completely opposite of what Jesus is really wanting, waiting to tell you.

Not only that He loves you, even more – He longs for you. He misses you when you don’t come close. He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you don’t feel worthy. Even if you are not accepted by others, even by yourself sometimes – He is the one who always accepts you.

My children, you don’t have to be different for Jesus to love you. Only believe – you are precious to Him. Bring all you are suffering to His feet – only open your heart to be loved by Him as you are. He will do the rest.

You all know in your mind that Jesus loves you – but in this letter Mother wants to touch your heart instead. Jesus wants to stir up our hearts, so not to lose our early love …

Why is Mother saying these things? After reading John’s letter on "I thirst," I was struck so much – I cannot tell you what I felt. His letter made me realize more than ever how beautiful is our vocation. How great is God’s love for us in choosing us to satiate that thirst of Jesus, for love, for souls – giving us our special place in the church. At the same time we are reminding the world of his thirst, something that was being forgotten.

For me, Jesus’ thirst is something so intimate. Jesus must be the one to say to you " I thirst." Hear your own name. Not just once. Every day. If you listen with your heart, you will hear, you will understand.

Why does Jesus say "I thirst"? Something so hard to explain in words – if you remember anything from Mother’s letter, remember this – " I thirst" is something much deeper than just Jesus saying " I love you." Until you know deep inside that Jesus thirsts for you – you can’t begin to know who He wants to be for you. Or who He wants you to be for Him.

How to approach the thirst of Jesus? Only one secret – the closer you come to Jesus, the better you will know His thirst. "Repent and believe," Jesus tells us. What are we to repent? Our indifference, our hardness of heart. What to believe? Jesus thirsts even now, in your heart and in the poor – He knows your weakness, He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you. He is not bound by time. Hear Him. Hear your own name. Make my joy and yours complete.

Let us pray,
God bless you,
M. Teresa

         While I was meditating the above verse, I was uplifted by the depth of eternal life beaming from it.  Apostle John is testifying about the manifestation of eternal life on earth, which is nothing else but Jesus himself. When God created man ,He made us in His own image and gave human race life, which was through His own breath and, was  a life eternal. When we sinned and came short of His glory ,this eternal life was cut off from us and we became mere vessels of clay and lost the eternal fellowship with God. But when Christ came to earth , He was life manifested or materialized to mankind. What does it infer : Is it not that we all are demonstrations of life? Dear child of God, when the Apostle John refers to life being manifested(revealed or disclosed) through Jesus, it is nothing but eternal life.

“The upliftment for just clay beings to a glory eternal”.Clay is subjected to divinity by the phenomenon of grace.Clay is been looked upon as a cheap and worthless element,Which is easily available and of very low status in the society .When this clay is been embedded with life offered by Christ,there is  an immense upliftment in its nature. The clay is now united with something most holy,divine,prestigious and its value got replaced to a level much higher. How precious is this eternal life given to us whose worth is altogether a breath.How much thankful we should be to our father who elevated us to a level beyond which we are worthy to hold His divine manifestation of life in our human framework. How much serious attention we should give to preserve this valuable gift, whose esteem is beyond the largest treasure found on earth.

     When Jesus laid down His life for us ,we all became living manifestations of this life. Let us commit ourselves today to this beauty and value Jesus invested on us by uplifting us from the nature of flesh to His divine life. Let it be our passion to be a witness to this eternal life manifested on us.

“And this is the promise that He has promised us- eternal life.” I John 2 :25.

In Christ Jesus ,

Smitha Thomas.

         Apostle Paul is writing in this teaching to the church Of Corinth,about the grace of God he received. There are many beautiful things that we as a believer need to recognize from this.Even after knowing that the new testament is the chapter of grace added to mankind; how often do we acknowledge our personal position with respect to Gods grace.Here Paul says ‘but by the grace of God I am what I am’. Today are we able to say with our whole being ,I am what I am by the grace of God. The sweet relationship we enjoy with Jesus,our hope of eternity,forgiveness of sin, our material and spiritual blessings,protection offered to us through the blood of Jesus; Can we give the total glory of all this to that abundance of grace showered over us on Calvary? If we see the above verses of the context verse we can see that Paul is referring Himself as the least of Apostles, and also says maybe not even an apostle as He was persecuting the church of Jesus.But even in His position big or small , the essence is recognizing His position as something appointed through grace.Precious child of God many times Satan will try to take our focus away from grace  and will make  us rely on our own strength. Do not be deceived because in our life with Christ there is no “self” and thereby we are all entitled to called the children of God only through grace. Many times we love to think in flesh that may be the love of God came in search of us because of our righteous deeds or because of our pleasing character.If we are doing so then we are binding ourselves to the law again and casting out the beauty of grace in our life.If we are still trying to gain salvation through our righteous deeds or being proud of our self created imaginations instead of identifying ourselves living by the grace of God,then the grace that was offered to us will become vain. Jesus paid a big price,His own life to offer this glorious grace onto us ,just vessels of clay . When we go ignoring this enormous grace to live in our imaginations we are re-crucifying our Lord . In the last part of the verse Paul says He have labored more than the other apostles, which may sound to us as boasting. But Paul adds to that carefully that it was not Him ,who was capable of doing that but; the grace within Him. How beautiful! The more we are able to identify the grace God added in our life,the more He equips us for His ministry. The more we are able to humble ourselves,genuinely ;there will be more grace added to us. Yes! the grace of God will help us become conquerors in the middle of our weakness.

     Dear child of God, try to exercise by faith to recognize the grace of God in all areas of your life; acknowledge and Thank God for his grace in your life and He will add more grace enabling you to say I am what I am by His grace. May God bless you.

In Christ Jesus,

Smitha Thomas.

                    Gideon,is a man who was chosen by God,from a generation whose heart was far away from God. Gideon was an ordinary man but with an extra ordinary anointing and call from God.The word Gideon means, ‘great warrior’ or ‘one who cuts down’.He was called to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites and also to destroy the alters of Baal. When God chose Gideon he was not in the best time of his life. For a better understanding I would like to introduce you to the background from which Gideon,who was threshing wheat by a winepress,to hide it from the Midianites was raised to the call of God, “a mighty man of valour”. .The people of Israel  were doing adultery which was evil in the sight of God and the Lord gave them into the hands of Midianites for seven years. The people of Israel forgot, how God delivered them from the bondage of Egyptians and all the mighty things they have seen and experienced on their way from Egypt;they forgot how God gave them the land they were dwelling in… God wanted His people to return to Him and so He gave them into the hands of Midianites,and it was not for few days or months but for seven years of severe oppression.The hands of Midianites dominated over Israel, after the crops were sown by the people of Israel, the people of Midian along with others came and destroyed all the increase of the earth, as well as the cattle and the riches. All their hard work went unpaid and the people lived in severe fear and they went away from their dwelling places and started to live in  caves and mountains.  The normal life of the children of Israel were disturbed,there was great impoverishment in the land and the people started to cry to the Lord because of Midianites.In the midst of all this brutality and persecution,we see Gideon threshing wheat in His fathers winepress.When many chose to leave their inheritance and fled to caves, Gideon was trying to save a small amount of grain,the labor of His hands,risking His life.While He was in the winepress the angel of the Lord appeared to Him and said “The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor”.

                 The first thing I would like to share with you is the striking part from the above verse ‘Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress’.The winepress is usually found in the middle of a wine yard and the purpose is to extract wine from grapes. But here we see a winepress being used for a different purpose; Instead of producing the exotic wine Gideon is threshing wheat, and saving some ordinary grain.The joy of a wine yard is when wine is extracted in due season, here we see the joy being lost and Gideon is in great fear of Midianites. The reason why He threshes wheat in a wine yard is because the enemy won’t expect the wine yard being used for a different purpose.Dear child of God,today are you threshing wheat in the winepress like Gideon? Are you in great fear that Satan will take over your inheritance? Are you afraid of the enemy? Do you think God is not watching you when Satan stole your inheritance of peace and joy, that Christ gave you at the cross.Are you striving hard at your winepress and still all you can find is some wheat, just enough for your survival? God saw Gideon when nobody saw him.When Gideon was in the winepress he thought no one was watching Him. That is when the angel of God appeared before Gideon.God saw His helpless and timid situation. Jesus is watching you doing all that hard work and knows the circumstances that limits you from reaching the fullness that God has planned for your life;the fullness of joy and peace of mind,a blessed family life,total healing of your illness, financial or spiritual increase.When you are in a position of distress, Jesus is watching you closely and He is ready to open the gates of heaven and He wants to be involved with you to help you overcome your discouragement and torment.

                The angel of God appeared to Gideon and said ,”The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor”.A person who is afraid of the midianites is called as a man of valor?The word valor means some one very bold and courageous to face the enemy.Heaven has a testimony about each one of us and that is based on our true potential.It is not about how we think about ourselves,it does not count how we react in any given situation,but it is about what we can do when God’s hand is upon us.In the midst of your present situation ,do you realize your potential? Many times we are so unaware of our abilities. In the midst of problem we tend to underestimate the value God added in our life.When we are depressed we often forget How precious we are in the eyes of God. We forget the immense power Holy Spirit has implanted within us to become more than conquerors.How far have you implied this power within us to be useful for God? But realize this today, even when we are not considering our capabilities, God sees us with respect to our true potential;He has implanted some talents in us which could only be brought out through the power of Holy Spirit. God likes to call us all,  Mighty men and women of valor. Today if he calls and commissions you to proclaim something that you consider as a mission beyond your capacity,do not hesitate to say “use me Lord,I am available for you, even when I am weak” because God knows our true potential,He will not embarrass you in front of your enemy,but will make you a conqueror.Gideon had many excuses when He was called by God ,but when the power of God came upon Him,He did mighty things and saved the people of Israel out of bondage.Dear child of God today God has seen you at the winepress and He likes to encourage you.Jesus likes to add value to your life by giving His anointing upon you.If you call upon His name He is there by your side to redeem you.

In Christ Jesus,

Smitha Susan Thomas.

    The above verse from the book of Mathew is heaven’s revelation on the mission of Jesus,on earth.We might have read this portion many times but here, I would like to say few things that touched me,the fragile nature of a reed and the hopeless position of a smoldering wick. Reed is a very fragile plant whose stems are empty and they were used in making baskets ,also they were used in making music in olden days.The fragile nature  makes it easily bruised if not  tenderly  cared. And once if its broken its usually thrown out as they were cheap, easily available and they are of ordinary use, a reed does not have much to boast about.A bruised reed tells us a story of rejection,pain,emptiness and weakness ; nobody  cares enough to mend a  bruised reed. If we look a  smoldering wick,the unpleasant smell and darkness around it will drive everyone away from it.It cannot function in its normal manner, and if there is a smoldering wick,it is usually snuffed out soon, so that it won’t pollute anymore.

      Our lord came in search of those bruised reeds and smoldering wicks,which the society could not accept. He came into the world for the rejected,the out cast and the hopeless to spend some quality time with them. When the world looks at them  with eyes of hatred ,His eyes are overwhelmed with compassion and faithfulness.Dear child of God, if you feel helpless in your situation, if you feel that nobody cares enough to understand you and mend you , here is good news,Jesus is faithful and His faithfulness on your life will repair and mend you.Today take heed under the Justice provided by Jesus,accept His loving will in your life.He have charge over your broken situation, He have control over your repeated futile attempts in life, Believe Him,and take the step of action by giving your life for Him. He is the only anchor of hope in our life, the only name we can trust.Yes, He is there for the meek in spirit, His loving kindness wraps all areas of your life. Don’t limit Gods control in your life, set Him above all precious things in your life  and enter into the sweet fellowship of Christ, where He is waiting for you to open your hearts door for Him.Today pray to Jesus ask Him for forgiveness of your past and ask Him to come into your life, He can give you hope. He can cast away your burdens and would like to trade it for love and peace. All your rejections He can turn around and give you acceptance by grace into His Kingdom.Let His love flood your soul.Today speak to your soul, My redeemer is here and my day of redemption is near,Jesus will turn around my situations. Our father have the time and patience to consider our case before Him,than ignoring us as a bruised reed or a smoldered wick ,as He finds us all precious and worthy in His sovereign gracious eyes.

May God bless you abundantly,

In Christ Jesus,

Smitha Thomas

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”

               Our God is the creator and the Master behind all the universe,and His same hands made you and me in his very own image.We all acknowledge to the fact that God created us,but the above verse leads us to another level,that makes us all very special. We are all the creation of God ,but our design is altered greatly when we are in Christ Jesus. When we accept Jesus, our old man who is bound to do sin is altered to the nature of Christ by the holy spirit.Now there is  a new life and new spirit that works within us.2 Corinthians 5:17“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”Now our dysfunctional old system and design is created anew and the purpose of this new design is to do good works in Christ. The good work that God expects from each of us would be different but definitely all of them would bring glory to God and bind us to the assurance of an eternal life.The last part of Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that  God has prepared a pre-destined plan of good works that we have to walk through and this particular design is unique in each one of us.I would like to explain this last part based on the understanding God gave me on this subject.

             Sometimes to learn lessons from God, we really do have to go through small disappointments.This incident happened recently; we gave our house back in India, to do the interior work.We found a trusted interior designing firm and told them exactly what we wanted.I had such a passion towards the kitchen of this house,so I designed it custom,having in mind every concept I have known so far to have an efficient and purposeful kitchen. I spent my time and put my thoughts into it.I had so many specifications with the cabinetry,the drawers,the pantry area and every part in this kitchen was designed with one goal,a functional kitchen which suits my way of cooking, and also 100% based on my likes and dislikes . We were personally not present to look how the work was coming up. The work got over and we got reports from all who visited the house that the kitchen looked beautiful.Based on my design we were thrilled to see how the finished product would look like.One morning,I received the pictures of the finished product;to my disbelief I found the builder did not follow any of my instructions and he did a different design for my kitchen.I became very upset because the kitchen will not now function in the way I imagined and even though its beautiful, I know it would have been better if they followed the exact design I had in my mind. Few days after this incident, God bought this to my mind and asked me to think it on the basis of Gods purposeful artistic design for our life and how trueful are we to follow His instructions? When we are not following Him 100%,how much variation will be there to the Master plan He has custom designed for us. Jesus reminded me the pain He has when we  won’t follow His plan for our life, based on our time limits,our priorities in life and our convenience. When we come out of the pre ordained experiences ,God has some expectations about our quality as a  believer. He wants us more like Christ,He wants us to have an end result of good works that brings glory to His name.By going through certain tough situations God wants to bring out certain beautiful talents in us; sometimes it is to build our character to  a level God desires in us.For some others it could be to build a relationship with God like they have never experienced before. Some situations God wants us to learn humility and to honor others.Some situations would be to overcome certain weaknesses in our body or spirit. For some others it could be to produce some impartations to others; sometimes God brings situations to bring certain people closer to us and the result He intends would be  a joint ministry;at times it would be  to excel in some spiritual gifts. Yes,never limit God’s plan in our life. When God brings our attention on certain matters to be prayed or to do certain things promptly, never ignore it or delay it. Because there is a certain beautiful outcome that God expects from that. When we delay the things God asks us to do the beauty of His plan for us is ruined. This brings pain to the Father’s heart. We may feel happy that God used us to a certain level but the intended plan God had for us gets aborted. So dear child of God when God puts us in a position for his purpose be 100% true to His plan.

Philippians 2:13 (NIV)

“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

May God bless you to become a purpose fulfilling person bringing glory to HIs name.

In Christ Jesus,

Smitha Thomas.