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Tag: Abide in me and I in you

The Lord makes room (for fruitfulness)

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On March 11, 2016

In Christian

Genesis 26:18-23 gives the account of Isaac, the son of Abraham, re-digging the wells of his father, that the Philistines (of Gerar) had stopped. When Isaac’s servant dug in the valley of Gerar, there was a well of springing water, which the herdsmen of Gerar came and strove for, claiming that the water was there. Isaac called that well Esek, meaning “strife.” Then Isaac’s servant dug another well, for which was even more strife, combined with hostility by the herdsmen of Gerar. So Isaac called that well Sitnah, meaning hatred or hostility. Isaac moved from this hostile territory and dug another well, but the third time, the Philistines did not strive for the water, and Isaac, called it Rehoboth meaning that the Lord had made room for them and that they will be fruitful in the land.

Points to ponder:
When we are faced with strife and hostility, we must not give up for the Lord can make room for us (if it is in his permissive will) and so that we can be fruitful. The Holy Spirit is the spring of living waters in us and when he abides in us and we in him, we shall be fruitful (John 15:1-7) and the Lord will make room for us (to be fruitful). The Lord makes room for you to be fruitful with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) – the question that remains is – Do you make room for the Lord?

Genesis 26:18-23 (KJV)
18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.
21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.
22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

The Lord is with me (and I with the Lord)

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On March 20, 2014

In Christian, Ittai

Our beloved second born son, Ittai Aidan Paul, turns two on March 20, 2014 (today) and as I pondered over God’s goodness in our lives, here are a few words that came to mind, which was penned …

Ittai_SuitedUpIttai Aidan, our beloved second born son, turns two
and we praise God, for his  faithfulness and mercies, afresh, anew
Named after the Gittite who epitomized loyalty
We pray that you shall be always be the son of the Almighty Royalty.

As a son and a brother, you are loaned from above,
and we pray for heavenly wisdom to raise you in faith, hope and love.
In Hebrew, your first name means, ‘The Lord is with me’
And ‘you with the Lord’ we pray that you will always be.

Named secondly after the Apostle of the English, a missionary of Lindisfarne
We pray that like a little fire, you will be God’s light, his alarm
And be kept from all evil and all harm,
As you grow in God’s favor and man’s, in wisdom and in charm.

Ittai Aidan, our beloved second born son, you turn two
and for you, a gift from above, we praise God, who is Faithful and True
Be a follower of Christ, always, imputing solely his piety
So that you will not just be known as our son, but as one of the Almighty.

Happy Birthday, Ittai
We love you dearly.

Points to ponder:
Ittai in Hebrew means, “The Lord is with me” and Jeremiah 20:11 states the the Lord is with us as a mighty warrior.
Jesus promised to be with us, even unto the end of the world.
The question that remains then is “Are you with the Lord?” (John 15:4-5)

2 Samuel 15:19-21 (KJV)
19 Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile.
20 Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee.
21 And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.

Jeremiah 20:11 (NIV)
11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.

John 15:4-5 (KJV)
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jesus Christ – The Ark :: Roomy

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On December 11, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, Jesus Christ - The Ark, Noah's Ark (and Jesus), Through the Bible

This article is part of the series, Jesus Christ – The Ark, where in we learn of Noah’s ark as a pre-type of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, as The One and Only Ark to save mankind.

God told Noah to build the ark with gopher wood and immediately following this instruction, on the kind of wood to use, God tells Noah that he should make rooms in it. In fact, it is in this account that the word “rooms” is used for the very first time in the King James Version of the Bible. Ever wonder why God would state something such as a “room”, which is implied so explicitly, as his requirement in the building of Noah’s ark. Logically it would make sense that these rooms would possibly serve as storehouses for the provisions needed to sustain life, but these rooms would also serve as the dwelling and resting place for Noah, his family, and the other creatures that Noah was to bring onboard the ark.

Points to ponder:
Jesus said “In my Father’s house are many mansions (rooms) and that he was going to prepare a place (room) for us (Jphn 14:2)”. The ark was made with many rooms to house many creatures just as Jesus will house his new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) in his Father’s house.

Interestingly though, when Jesus was born of a woman, in this world that he created, there was no ‘room’ for him in the inn (Luke 2:7). Today, there are many who are rejecting Christ and shutting him out, as if there was no room in their lives for him. However, because he is a God of love with great faithfulness and new mercies (Lamentations 3:22-23), he has a room for you, if you repent and confess to him and receive him as Lord and Savior, believing that in your heart.

Jesus said, come unto me and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Only if we abide (dwell) in Christ Jesus and he in us, as one would in a room, can we be assured of true rest. Like Noah’s ark with many rooms for its inhabitants to dwell and rest, Jesus is God’s room for the resting of our souls. No evil shall befall those who make the Lord, even the most High, their habitation (room) (Psalm 91:8-10).

Jesus asked “I stand at the door and knock and if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20). Do you have room in your life for Jesus?

Genesis 6:14 (KJV)
14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

John 14:2-3 (KJV)
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions [rooms]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Revelation 3:20 (KJV)
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

The pre-requisite for being fruitful

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On September 17, 2013

In Christian

Genesis 4:1-2 reads “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”

Cain and Abel were God’s reward, the fruit of the womb (Psalm 127:3) who came about because of intimacy shared between Adam and Eve.

It is no surprise that in the physical sense, intimacy is a pre-requisite for being fruitful. In like manner, in the spiritual sense, without being intimate with God, one cannot bear fruit.

Jesus said, unless we abide in him and he in us, we cannot bear fruit (John 15:4). The fruit of God’s spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23), which we cannot bear unless we know God intimately. In fact, to know God is eternal life (John 17:3) and those who do not bear good fruit is [to be] hewn down and cast into the fire (Matthew 7:19).

Points to ponder:
The pre-requisite for bearing the fruit of the Spirit is being intimate with God. Are you/Am I fruitful, as a follower of Jesus, bearing fruit again and again?

Genesis 4:1-2 (KJV)
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

John 15:4-5 (KJV)
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

John 17:3 (KJV)
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Christian Verbs :: J is for Joining

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On July 23, 2010

In Christian, Christian Verbs

The Bible tells that if Christ be in us, then the Spirit of God bears witness that we are children of God, and as children heirs, but not just heirs, but joint-heirs with Christ Jesus (Romans 8:10, 16-17). This means that we also jointly inherit what God has  provisioned for Jesus Christ, His Only begotten Son. The operative phrase in this text is “If Christ be in you”. This means that we ought to join with Christ, because He responds by joining in us with His Spirit. Jesus said, I am the Vine and you are branches, abide (join) in me an I in you (John 15:1,4). To abide in Jesus is to be grafted (joined) into the Vine. In horticulture, grafting is the process of fusing dissimilar plants so that the result is one plant. Likewise, when we join we Christ, we need to be fused with Him and we should be One with Him. And when we are One with Him, we are not just heirs, but joint-heirs with Him.

Point(s) to ponder:

  1. Are you joined with Christ i.e., Have you believed in Him and accepted Him as your Savior and Lord?
  2. Are you grafted with Him i.e., Are you fused with Jesus Christ and His Holiness. When the Root is Holy, the entire plant bears good fruit? What is the kind of fruit you/I are bearing?

Romans 8:16-17 (KJV)
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

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