Why Should You Accept Jesus Christ as Lord & Saviour

The world is a full of suffering and misery. At the same time, it’s full of bliss and pleasure. Whichever world you’re in, I want you to displace your mind from that arena and to instead focus on what matters. In this post, I want to offer you three reasons why you should accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Christianity is perfect for your mental health and I intend to convince whoever is reading of accepting Jesus Christ.

You Can’t Find Anyone like Lord Jesus

I dare you to find a single individual as influential as Lord Jesus. But here’s what’s even harder to find….

I dare you to find a person who can make the claims Lord Jesus made and then back up those claims with actions even thousands of years after the initial event.

Here are three examples of claims Lord Jesus made.

Matthew 11:28-30 World English Bible (WEB)
 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

John 8:36 World English Bible (WEB)
If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

John 10:10 World English Bible (WEB)
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

Here’s the thing, there are countless testimonies all talking about how Christ transformed their lives. Search up “Christian” and “testimony,” you will find countless people talking about how Lord Jesus transformed their lives most of the time, miraculously. This is because He does exist and He is still loving on people today and wants them to trust Him.

But let’s first take a step back because you might be a bit confused. Let me listen to your questions…

Wait, what’s to say there is a god? For all I know, we’re lonely sentient creatures making gods to soothe our cravings for comfort?

I will grant you the fact that we as social creatures do want someone to exist beyond our grasp. We do want a higher power, we don’t want to be alone.

That’s why Buddhists in Sri Lanka tend to supplement their Buddhism with Hinduism (which has a plethora of so called “deities”) even though Siddhartha clearly told his followers to not even think about any higher power.

Accept Jesus

But just because we have the desire for a higher power, doesn’t invalidate the possibility that there is a higher power. Just because we want something, doesn’t mean it’s fantasy. What if we were designed to want that?

“Yeah, but, say there is a god, what makes Christianity any different from other religious leaders who made religious claims?”

Ah here’s the thing, unlike other religions, Christianity makes claims and then provides evidence. Islam doesn’t guarantee healing to its followers nor does Hinduism. But the God of the Bible does guarantee healing if you have faith.

My God is not silent. He refuses to be silent and He makes His mind clear all the time. Sure, he doesn’t speak audibly all the time, but I know for a fact that He is speaking. He is intervening in human affairs and I’m a child of His so I have nothing to fear.

Do you want some evidence that the God of the Bible speaks?

Go to your room, lock the door, and get on your knees. Then clasp your hands together and pray audibly. Ask if there is truly a god, and if that God is the God of the Bible, Lord Jesus Christ, then reveal Himself to you.

I have so much confidence that He will answer your prayer because He is just waiting for you to take that one step of faith in the pursuit of truth. Once you pray this, He will reveal Himself to you in the way you expect least.

No Other God Loves You Like Christ Loves you.

I want you to accept Jesus Christ not only because He is true but because He is interactive, intimate, animated. He is a real being with real desires.

Now, I’ve the smartest man say the dumbest thing saying that he believes the god of spinoza and that if there is a god, he wants nothing to do with humans since God transcends humans on every level.

That’s silly. Imagine a father telling his 6 month old baby girl he doesn’t want to interact or care for her because she’s dumb and he’s beyond her mental capacity.

Remember the Bible calls God our Heavenly Father and although He does transcend our mental awareness, He also is in love with His children and wants everyone to trust Him as their Heavenly Father.

Isaiah 55:8-9 World English Bible (WEB )
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

And yet at the same time, the Bible also tells us…

Romans 5:8
 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

So at the end of the day, Christ tells us He loves us even though we’re far from perfect. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord, it’s the best thing you could do.

But if you’re still skeptical, my advice is to pray to the God of the Bible and ask Him to reveal Himself as Lord Jesus Christ if He’s real. I don’t know how He’ll do it, but He will, you just need to be patient.

The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom

Do you take God seriously? I’ve heard many people mention God. They sometimes talk about Him as if He’s okay with everything under the sun. Still others say there’s no hope for y’all because He’s gonna condemn you for your sins. And yet sometimes, I hear people who say He’s just one of many gods and that you can become a god too. After hearing all this garbage, I realized that people don’t take God’s name as seriously as they claim to. They’re not even willing to stand at the beginning of wisdom. If they did, they’d have kept their mouth shut about what they clearly know nothing about. So, this all comes to one bold yet important question we ought to ask ourselves, myself included, “Do I take God seriously?”

“I’ve Got More Time”

Newsflash! Time ain’t on your side 99% of the time (pun intended).

And yet, we all seem to think we can take time for granted and whichever God we choose is a choice we can make tomorrow. But what if it isn’t? Are you really capable of taking such a tremendous risk?

Arrogance…

Most of us haven’t been humbled. We’re so relaxed about everything, we just go with the flow and throw caution to the wind. It’s quite silly when you think about it.

And unfortunately, this mentality leads to people giving up on pursuing God. While for others, this mentality leads them to pursue any god but the God of the Bible.

For some reason, the character of the God of the Bible seems unattractive to some people. He seems too harsh, too old, too restrictive, too unreasonable, too unapproachable.

Exodus 34:14 World English Bible (WEB)
14 for you shall worship no other god; for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Well if that’s what you think of God, may I dare to say something a bit harsh? Nevertheless, I’ll say it for your sake.

Could it just be that God seems restrictive, jealous, unreasonable, and all these generally considered negative traits because He sees things for what they really are hence why He reacts so harshly? And maybe… you’re the one who really needs God to thump your head because you just can’t see what He sees?

I mean if He is the one who made you in your mother’s womb, wouldn’t He truly feel jealous when He sees you worshipping another so-called god? I’d tell you what I’d feel in His position. Absolute rage!

Yet, too many of us spend our lives serving other gods, some dedicate themselves to New Age ideas, others become slaves of alcohol, and others obey their lustful desires.

The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom

And that brings me to my main point, whether you’re Christian or not, you’ve got to take God seriously. And if you’re not Christian, take the time to reconsider your position because there’s only one way to Heaven and that’s through accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

Proverbs 9:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.
    The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The beginning of wisdom starts when you decide to fear the Lord. And fearing the Lord doesn’t mean you’re scared of him like you were of the boogeyman. It means you don’t take Him too lightly, and you honour Him in the highest regard.

Now, if you’re no a Christian, here’s what I mean by taking God seriously. Here’s your next step.

Just say a little prayer where you ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Saviour. Why should you? It’s because you in and of your own ability cannot pay the price for your sins. When you stand before God one day as we all must at some point, you’ll need someone to pay the price for your sins whatever they may be.

Sure you might have been a good person, but a good person still must pay the price for their sins, that’s the harsh reality of our existence.

Nothing we do is granted to us, it’s all just accumulated debt. And at some point, you’ve got to pay the moral debt you owe a sinless perfect God of Justice.

Now too bad for God, He’s too kind, He’s too loving, He’s too graceful. He couldn’t bear to let your sorry posterior carry the weight of your hell. He’s given you a chance to change your fate.

Over two thousand years ago, He wrapped Himself in human flesh and died on the cross for your sins. So instead of you suffering hell after Earth, He suffered your hell on Earth as He died on the cross. I talk more about it and righteousness here.

Reject Folly! Follow Wisdom! Who is Wisdom?

Now for the born-again Christian, I carry another message. Hold strong to the convictions we read in the Bible. I talk about it here also, but, this is the point.

The point is to dedicate your life to Christ Jesus as your Lord. He is not only your Saviour, He is also your Lord.

He is the main motivator for your existence. Like come on! He alone died on the cross for your sake, He suffered hell on your behalf, the least you could do is to treat Him rightfully as King He is.

Philippians 2:9-11 World English Bible (WEB)
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Don’t just wait til you’re in Heaven to bow your knees before God, why not do it now?

Follow Wisdom, reject Folly. If there are temptations you face, overcome it through your Saviour, Christ Jesus because He is your Lord also.

You know, in the Bible, the Spirit of Wisdom is represented as a woman, she calls to the foolish that they may turn away from their foolishness and follow the Lord.

Proverbs 8:1-4 World English Bible (WEB)
1 Doesn’t wisdom cry out?
Doesn’t understanding raise her voice?

2 On the top of high places by the way,
where the paths meet, she stands.
3 Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,
at the entry doors, she cries aloud:
4 “I call to you men!
I send my voice to the sons of mankind.

And yet, the way we ought to start our journey on the path of the wise is by making sure to fear the Lord. So, worship the Lord, pray to Him, and read His Word. Live by His Words and follow His Spirit wherever He leads. Then, God will also grant your the Spirit of Wisdom as you start at the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 28:14 Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
14 O the happiness of a man fearing continually, And whoso is hardening his heart falleth into evil.

By Andre Dillon Wijesekera

Brokenness in the Eyes of the King in Purple

Jesus crucified for me

The focus of this post deals with the issue of brokenness. It is quite easy to adapt the belief that restoration is impossible. And that leaves many of us in brokenness or despair. Those who see themselves as permanently broken cannot progress from their depressed state. That is why we’ll be exploring a new angle on the mental health issue of depression, and despair, in this post.

The Purple Robe

To approach this issue, I must start at the cross. In the landscape of the Biblical narrative, there is one event that ties EVERYTHING together. That event is the cross of Calvary where Jesus Christ was crucified.

Jesus Christ is God and He came down to Earth in the flesh as a human being with one purpose in mind. His purpose was to provide an atoning sacrifice for mankind. You see, humanity is flawed. And we have all sinned or done something which isn’t right.

And so, to accept an imperfect, far from godly-natured, beloved people into God’s presence in Heaven, is impossible without an atoning sacrifice. That is why Jesus Christ made it His mission to experience the hell which we deserve, on the cross.

Now, pharisees and religious leaders pressured the Romans of that time, to crucify Jesus. They could not help but be jealous of His perfect nature, and persisted in the belief that they are good enough to enter Heaven, all by themselves.

They detested change, and so, the same devil who tempted mankind in the garden of Eden, inspired a hellish hatred within the hearts of the people. But, God used that hatred to His advantage as the devil could not understand how Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for those who are lost.

And so, it is with this premise, that I want to introduce the below scripture to you.

John 19:5 King James Version (KJV)
Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

The Brokenness Behind the Crown of Thorns

So, as the above verse now states, Jesus stood on the platform after a cruel scourging. And as He stood, He wore a crown of thorns embedded into His skull, along with a purple-dyed robe.

Furthermore, the verse offers quite a few surprises to those willing to dig deeper. I looked at the HELPS Word Studies on the Greek word used for “purple” in this verse. The Greek word used for “purple,” transliterates as “porphurous.”

The interesting part of this word study is the conclusion that porphurous is a word describing a purple-reddish dye or cloth. So, this purple cloth was a mix between purple and red. And in the culture of that time, purple symbolized royalty. Whereas, red represents His sacrifice, His blood shed for you.

Even more, I believe God is communicating to us a message through this scripture. The message is that He let himself become physically BROKEN for you and for me. And to further emphasize His brokenness, I must call to remembrance a verse from the Old Testament of the Bible.

Numbers 4:13 World English Bible (WEB)
13 “They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it.

In the time of the Old Testament, the priests were responsible for taking away the ashes from the altar after a burnt offering. Then, they’d spread a purple cloth over the altar. God instructed more steps as to how they should conduct the burnt offering. But, for the sake of this post, I am referencing only this scripture from the chapter.

Nevertheless, I believe God was instructing Israel to do this seemingly strange act to symbolize the way in which He’d come to actually atone for us, permanently, as Jesus Christ. He was symbolizing how He’d be in ashes as the burnt offering when He wore a purple robe.

His instructions would serve as a prophetical image of the future, one-time, burnt-offering sacrificed for the people who’d choose to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

The Living God Among Us

And so, if you haven’t already, I urge you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. But, the point of this examination of the scriptures is to really carve a proper understanding of the brokenness of Jesus at the cross.

As I mentioned earlier, many of you are suffering from depression, despair, brokenness, and more. You might just even feel like you’re in ashes. And I sense a very similar vibe through the picture painted of Jesus in the scene of His crucifixion.

Jesus became physically broken. He was in ashes. And He died, He actually died on the cross. But, that’s not the end of the story. After three days and three nights, Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. He physically resurrected.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 King James Version (KJV)
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

What am I getting at, then? I’m getting at the vivid picture of His resurrecting power! You may feel dead and in ashes, but, there’s always a chance to rise. I am declaring to you that there is life in the Christ.

You may have an excuse to despair or to sulk in depression, maybe it’s some kind of terrible experience or it could even be as petty as a mood swing. But, that’s why the cross is about dying to one’s self. And by dying to one’s self, I mean to put an end to the beliefs or mindsets which ruin your life.

Put depression to death, put negativity to death, put fear to death, and put the selfish appetites or behaviours to death! Furthermore, as Christ rose again, so also you rise again. You are a new being in Christ Jesus, and not even depression can stop you from being the child of God who Jesus loves.

Romans 6:8 World English Bible (WEB)
But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;

Therefore, Jesus Christ calls the brokenhearted to Him. He does not delight in your suffering, He delights in you realizing that you are His child. And that you’ve always been His from the day He let those rusty nails pierce Him to a cross, and even before then, in eternity, when your lovely image pierced the tender heart of His imagination.

Reflecting on What God Has Made!

Jesus is the Latter Rain!

The importance of reflecting on one’s self is very significant. There is no telling in the results of an individual who reflects on how they can improve. In fact, many of the issues we face today, such as the stigmatization of mental illnesses or the guilt-laden youth, arise from a lack of self-awareness and self-reflection. And even the Bible supports reflecting and being aware of one’s condition, as it guides us to do it in the right way. Because anything good done in the wrong way could end up in unnecessary disaster.

Self-Awareness in the Bible

It is quite apparent when reading the Word of God, that when God uses people, they tend to be self-aware. And what self-awareness really means is that a person is capable of analyzing where they’re at in life, and that they understand who they are in the context of their situation.

An example of this from the scriptures is Peter, who is one of the twelve apostles of the early Church.

1 Peter 1:24-25 King James Version (KJV)
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

As you can see from above, Peter was aware of his state. He recognized that we are all people, and as with all people, we are immensely fragile.

Psalm 103:14-16 World English Bible (WEB)
14 For he knows how we are made.
    He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass.
    As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone.
    Its place remembers it no more.

Furthermore, King David, another significant character from the Bible recognized his status when compared to God’s status. He acknowledged himself as grass compared to God, and was self-aware even as the King of Israel. And so, when you are aware of how fragile and how small you are in comparison to God, you start to realize that life is not only about you. It’s about the One who created you.

You may be the toughest person on the planet, with a cold heart, an unbreakable will, and a stubborn attitude, but you are still a human being. Nothing less, and certainly, nothing more!

Reflecting on the Fragility of Man

After world wars, civilizations rising, societies crumbling, and all the likewise, God stands tall above it all. He is the God who blessed Abraham, He is the God who delivered Israel out of Egypt, and He is the God who came to Earth in the flesh as a human being to die on the cross at the hands of His own people, both for you and for me.

Romans 5:17-18 World English Bible (WEB)
17 For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ18 So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to take the punishment for your sins and died a cruel, hellish, death, but, after three days, He rose again victoriously so that your salvation would be justified. And I urge you today, if you have not already, to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

I cannot imagine a better outcome in my life, if I had not accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Why? Because there are countless times from the day of my birth to the day I write this blog where God has intervened in my life only to bless me and to guide me. He is my Lord because my life belongs to Him, and He is my Saviour because He paid a heavy price to save me.

Once you’re aware of that, there’s meaning in your life. You’re not just a random product of time plus matter plus chance. Ultimately, with God in the picture, you become a sacred being.

So in the example of your case, you must ponder where you’re at in life. You can ask yourself, “Am I happy with where I am in life?”

If happy, do you believe your life has any meaning and can you justify that? I believe the only coherent justification to a life with meaning, is only possible through Jesus Christ. If you’re unhappy with your life, or mental health for that matter, why? And, how can you fix it?

As I said earlier, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Whether happy or unhappy, read the Word of God and commit yourself to prayer. God will hear you, and He cares for you. And as you walk with God, you will feel a comfort and love like never before. So, be aware of your limits as a human being, but recognize also that God still cares for you!

1 Peter 5:7 King James Version (KJV)
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Self-Reflecting in the Bible

Now, if self-awareness is the bread, then, I’d say self-reflection is the butter. Self-reflecting is identifying what you’ve done wrong and as to how you can improve yourself.

This is very different from guilt. In fact, self-reflection relies on conviction whereas guilt relies on condemnation. Now, the only one who can really convict you, is Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:25 World English Bible (WEB)
25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.

And Holy Spirit is the spirit of God (Jesus Christ) who comes to guide you and lead you once you accept the atonement work of Jesus. He does not condemn you, but, He does convict you.

Godly conviction, furthermore, is when God aids your heart in identifying where you’ve gone wrong and as to how you should do better. On the other hand, condemnation is a fallen nature which punishes your conscience for the ways you’ve erred.

John 16:8 World English Bible (WEB)
When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment;

So, throughout your life, allow Holy Spirit through prayer and through reflection on the Word of God to convict and correct you so that your life and mental health aligns with His love. This is the self-reflection which God wants. Spending your time reflecting on Him allows you to improve and to make yourself more like your Heavenly Father.

Therefore, trust God that He forgave you, and through time spent with Him, you will face a life saturated with blessings. God’s very spirit will guide and convict you to be the best person you could possibly be. And be aware of yourself in God’s eyes, don’t be proud, but, be humble and have faith in the love of God in Christ Jesus. The key to self-reflection or self-awareness is in reflecting on the love of God.

By Andre Wijesekera

Acceptance and Tolerance of That Which Is Sacred

Give it to God!

Sacredness and humanity is something that goes hand in hand. But, how do you view yourself? We often talk about issues dealing with how people view others. Yet, we mustn’t forget that to enjoy a good life, you must first deal with how you view yourself and inner-acceptance. Food-eating disorders, low self-esteem, and many mental health issues which our society faces, relate to how a person views himself or herself. So, to find out what’s the right way to deal with the matter, continue reading.

What is Sacred?

The acceptance of that which is sacred first starts with what you define as sacred. To be sacred means to hold a divine purpose. And so, do you hold a divine purpose? Has God willed your life into being?

These are all valid, thought-provoking questions which one must answer in order to live a life worthwhile. I believe God assigns everyone a divine purpose. And God created you with the intent of you bearing His image, to represent Him.

Genesis 1:27 World English Bible (WEB)
27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.

You are sacred. I placed a period directly after the previous sentence because it is a fact and there’s no way to argue the contrary. God intends for you to be in His image because you are a sacred individual.

Now, just because you hold divine purpose, doesn’t mean that whatever you do is divine. In fact, your lifestyle might be as far apart from divine purpose as the East is from the West. But, there is a way to come back to your divine purpose.

When mankind rejected God, the devil found a way to ruin mankind’s perception of its own sacredness. You could read more about that in Genesis 3 of the Bible or in this post.

Thank God, He (God) came in the flesh 2000 years ago as Jesus Christ and died on the cross to take your sins and my sins upon Himself so that He may restore us to our divine purpose and in His image; after 3 days, He rose again to fully justify your salvation.

So, if you haven’t already, please acknowledge with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour.

The Hideous Made Beautiful

Furthermore, there are those of you who hate your physical appearance or hold what many people and psychologists call a “low self-esteem.” This is why many people, especially women, seem to hold eating-disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.

Anorexia is when one has a severe fear of gaining weight even when unhealthily skinny. And bulimia is when someone binge eats unhealthily but then tries to purge what they ate, or fasts for a while through unhealthy means.

Now, scientists and doctors relate the causes of such eating-disorders to a combination of biochemistry and environmental factors. Whatever the cause is, I know this is a fallen world where things don’t function the way God intended them to. And what I need… is a solution.

I believe that solution is, in the case of people with eating disorders, in taking your eyes off magazines along with media that limit a person’s worth to their physical ideal, and to realize that God loves you just as you are, physically. And to really drill the right idea into your head, read the Bible (start with the New Testament) and commune with Him.

If you want to be physically healthy and fit, then follow a proper, healthy, nutritionally-sufficient diet and exercise at a moderate level. Just don’t forget that God loves everyone, fat or skinny, poor or rich, black or white, and He will always considers you as sacred.

Colossians 3:9-11 World English Bible (WEB)
Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, 10 and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator11 where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, or free person; but Christ is all, and in all.

Jesus is the key to a healthy lifestyle!

When in Christ, there is no factor by which one is worth less than another. You are all created for God’s glory in the way God calls you to be. So, read the Bible, pray, and worship Him. When you do that, you will automatically renew what you know of His image so that your life will closely resemble His perfection. There’s power in acceptance of who you are in Christ Jesus.

Acceptance of the Temple of God

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 World English Bible (WEB)
19 Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

There’s a stark reminder in the Word of God that you do not belong to yourself. When you make a paper airplane, does that paper airplane belong to itself or to you? It belongs to you, and in the same way, God made you and He owns you. You were never supposed to belong to yourself. It’s just not possible to live a life of purpose in a life not surrendered!

Your body is sacred and holy to God. It’s a living temple which His Holy Spirit inhabits. Moreover, I can argue that not only are you sacred but that you are sacred on top of sacred. You are the pinnacle of sacredness of all creation to God.

And that’s because God made the animals and all nature, for your existence, which He subjects to you. So, those things are sacred, but they are sacred because they were made for you! Thus, making you a divine purpose of purposes.

Genesis 1:28 World English Bible (WEB)
28 God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

Surrender your everything to God before it’s too late!

Even more, whether you look good on the outside or not to yourself, God is pleased with you when you surrender your physical being (alongside your entire self) to Him. If you want to be healthier, you can workout and eat healthily, but, do it for the glory of God, not out of fear or unhealthily obsessive conditions.

1 Samuel 16:7 King James Version (KJV)
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Adjust and Adapt to the Carpenter’s Vision

We're part of His heart!

In this blog post on Latter Rain, we’ll explore the importance of obedience as to how you grow and change. A magnificently large portion of your mental health relates to your spiritual health. Purpose, lifestyle, and feelings are all connections between your spiritual health and your mental health. How you view certain aspects of life as a spiritual being impacts the way you experience life in your mental health. So, if you want to learn why you should adjust and adapt to how God calls you to live, continue reading.

Visiting the Carpenter

First of all, you must know what is a carpenter. A carpenter is someone who constructs and repairs wooden structures. They envision a wooden structure like a table or a chair, and then, they set out to build the thing. And the unique thing about carpenters is that they first start out with nothing but with some materials. At the beginning, there’s no table, no chair, there’s nothing, but, there’s a vision of a chair or table in their head.

Now, God came in the flesh as Jesus Christ and before He started His ministry with signs, wonders, and miracles, He worked as a carpenter.

Mark 6:3 World English Bible (WEB)
Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended at him.

As Jesus Christ’s ministry unfolded, the crowd in the above verse could not understand who stood before them! Unfortunately, they did not realize that Jesus Christ was a carpenter to prove a certain point.

1 Corinthians 15:46 World English Bible (WEB)
46 However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.

Why did He do it? I’ll tell you why, He did it to let you know that God can take your nothing and make it into His something. Moreover, God was proving a point through the natural means as a carpenter so that He might prepare them for the spiritual means. He’d shown Himself as a physical carpenter so that He might prepare them to behold Him as the spiritual Carpenter of carpenters, soon enough.

Just as a carpenter starts out with nothing but a vision and some materials to bring about something useful, God only needs a vision to make you into something glorious! That’s just the way God gets things done.

And there isn’t a single person who can get in His way until He’s done what He’s set out to do.

Isaiah 22:22 World English Bible (WEB)
22 I will lay the key of David’s house on his shoulder. He will open, and no one will shut. He will shut, and no one will open.

When a carpenter pulls up his sleeves, bears the pinches of splinters in his palms, and gets to work with his hammer, that pile of wood ought to become what the carpenter wants. In a similar but heightened manner, the Carpenter of carpenters, Jesus Christ, pulled up His sleeves, carried a wooden cross, let the splinters of hell tear at his back, and bore the flesh-splitting pinch of nails in His hands and feet. Your life ought to become what He sees in His vision for you.

A Vision and A Purpose

As a person, made in the image of God, God has a vision and plan set out for your life. You do not need to fall into depression or extreme lows, because God went to the lowest possible point of human experience to give you the greatest experience a human being could ever enjoy!

So, whatever trauma you’ve been through, whatever hell you’ve experienced, Jesus knows it all! He knows it to an extent you could never dream of imagining.

Isaiah 53:3 King James Version (KJV)
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Jesus experienced social rejection, He experienced physical pain of the highest order, and He died on that rugged, wooden cross. As a matter of fact, when you look at the above verse, they called Jesus Christ, “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”

According to the verse, people associated grief and suffering with Jesus Christ. He suffered to such an inhumane extent that whenever people would think of the person of Jesus Christ, they’d have to think about suffering, too. But, you see…

He had a vision.

This vision was not anything to laugh at. This vision was pulling Him to embrace His suffering and to keep on going. He didn’t die on a wooden cross, humiliated and despised for nothing. I’ll tell you what He saw… It was you.

Hebrews 12:2 King James Version (KJV)
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He saw you as you were called to be, as a victorious, blessed, joyful child of God. There ain’t a carpenter like Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 World English Bible (WEB)
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

Adjust and Adapt to His Vision

Jesus Christ died on the cross so that by His suffering, you would not have to suffer as He did. No one but Jesus Christ is perfect. We’ve all lied, we’ve all stolen, we’ve all done things which are far from moral perfection.

Romans 3:23 King James Version (KJV)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Furthermore, the only way for a morally perfect and upright God to excuse us from the punishment that awaited us, was to unleash His fury upon a perfect individual. That perfect individual was Jesus Christ, God Himself, in the flesh as a human being!

If you still do not comprehend as to why Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, visit this post, which might shed more light on the matter.

But, for those of you who do understand, and who have not accepted Him already, I urge you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

Matthew 11:29-30 World English Bible (WEB)
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

For those of you struggling with depression, God deeply cares for you and wants you to listen to His plan for your life. To those struggling with suicidal thoughts, Jesus Christ died and rose again for you; His will is for you to live for Him. For those of you who can’t seem to take your mind off grief and trauma, I advise you, to think about the suffering Christ whose suffering makes you whole. And to those who are happy with their life as it is, I tell you that without Jesus Christ, your life will never be complete.

Your life is not meaningless, it is not purposeless, it is not the by-product of a purely naturalistic reality. There is meaning within you. Your life is His and His alone.

Ephesians 2:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

Therefore…

Allow the Carpenter of carpenters
to bring about His vision

so that the life you indeed hold
will become something glorious to behold!

By Andre Wijesekera

Observing the Beauty of His Holiness

God shares His beauty with us!

The attraction to beauty in this modern age is undeniable. Beauty attracts eyes and ears like how lights attract flies. Humans love the act of observing the beauty of art pieces, movie cinematography, literature, and more. But, what is it that draws people to entertain their imaginations and natural delights with these things? And in this post, we’ll be looking into how beauty can help us to understand God.

The Beauty Around You

As I mentioned earlier, beauty is highly accessible in this day and age. Many embrace the thing called, “Art.” The reason that is so, is because people love to feast their eyes or ears on beautiful things. We, as a human race, adore beauty and want to see pretty things.

That is why there is a business for graphic design and advertising. Our human nature recalls beauty in its most primordial instincts and desires. The human heart loves observing the beauty around us.

As a matter of fact, you may enjoy rap songs, paintings, drawings, sketches, poetry, or anything else art-related. And I encourage you to enjoy art so as long as it fits within God’s boundaries for beauty since it can be very good for your mental health.

But, the main idea of this post is that beauty surrounds you. You don’t need to go to an art gallery to see beauty. Beauty is in the flowers of your garden or in the vastness of grand, ancient mountains. Wherever you are, there’s some sort of beauty surrounding you because at the end of the day, God’s an artist!

Psalm 19:1-4 World English Bible (WEB)
19 The heavens declare the glory of God.
    The expanse shows his handiwork.
Day after day they pour out speech,
    and night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
    where their voice is not heard.
Their voice has gone out through all the earth,
    their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,

Every scene from nature seems to be a divine masterpiece!

Observing the Beauty of Holiness

Psalm 96:9 King James Version (KJV)
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

The Bible says to worship God in the beauty of holiness. Now, worship, if you don’t already know, is the way or the attitudes by which we exalt God in our lives for who He is. So, singing to God out of our love for Him can be a way of worshiping Him. Or giving to the poor because of our love for God, is another way of worshipping Him.

But, the Bible instructs us to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. Why? What does that mean? First, you’ve got to wrap your minds around what holiness means.

Holiness is the way in which we set things apart for very particular purposes. In the context of the Bible, to be holy means to set apart one’s life for God.

So, when the Bible talks about worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holiness, it means to lift Him up in your life by admiring how He is set apart. He is set apart from every other individual on the face of the planet because He is God.

Taking communion’s also an act of worship!

And He, being God, came in the flesh 2000 years ago as Jesus Christ so that He may die on the cross with the punishment for your sins along with my sins; then, He rose again from the dead after 3 days to fully justify our redemption in Him. I talk more about it in this post.

So, if you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, please do so, now. When you accept Him into your heart, His life flows through you, and you can truly recognize His beauty everywhere you go. Whether His beauty manifests through the creatures He’s made or the natural laws of the universe, His beauty is there nonetheless.

Living a Beautiful Life

Furthermore, there’s another reference to the beauty of holiness in the Old Testament of the Bible.

2 Chronicles 20:21 King James Version (KJV)
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

The verse above is a specific situation where singers were chosen in ancient Israel to praise God’s beauty of holiness. Again, there’s a beauty in the fact that He’s set apart from the rest of this world. But, this time, instead of worshipping God for that, they praise Him.

This is different because that means they’re giving thanks to God for the beauty that He’s unique. They’re not just exalting Him in their lives because of their love for Him, they’re thanking Him for the fact that He’s set apart.

So, God puts such importance in His individuality or His uniqueness. He is not like the other kings of this world who demands things from us for their selfish ambitions, He is the one King who cares for each of the people who serve Him and who loves each and every one of us.

Moreover, God has called you to be holy like Him. He made you in His image and now that you believe in Him, He calls you to live a life where your beauty is inwards not just outwards.

1 Peter 3:3-4 World English Bible (WEB)
3 Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing; but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

You are set apart for God once you accept Him into your life and that means you don’t enjoy profane forms of art, but instead, art which glorifies the attributes or nature of God.

1 Peter 1:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Make His Word, your life source! Be holy as He is holy…

Therefore, live a beautiful life by following the footsteps of God. He is beautiful because He’s not like the others in this world who seek things selfishly and entertain insatiable yet carnal appetites. And so, as He is, so are you. You are holy when you live the life God paid for on the cross. You are truly at your most beautiful state, when you are holy for God. So, don’t stop observing the beauty of God.

By Andre Wijesekera

The Life-Giving Power of Listening to Those Who Care

The Life-Giving Power of Listening

Your words have tremendous potential and impact. There’s no doubt that your words can either bless or destroy a person. But, in this post, we’ll be discussing the power of listening to life-giving words! Listening is a key part of living a life worthwhile, and if you want to experience the wonderful benefits that comes to those who listen, then, read this post as I hope this will profoundly bless you.

The Life-Giving Power of Listening to Those Who Care

Listening is etched into every single person’s life. It could be through audible words, books, or sign language, but, everyone needs to receive words or things they can interpret so that they may function in everyday life. If you have a job, you need to listen to a specific set of instructions or if you’re a student, you need to listen to what the teacher says. Otherwise, your life’d be in chaos!

But, first, you’ve got to realize the undeniable, life-giving power of words. Because without the proper understanding of what words can do in your life, there’s no need to listen to what really matters.

Proverbs 18:21 King James Version (KJV)
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

The power of life-giving words is unpredictable!

If you love life, then loving the life-giving power of words is a no-brainer. If you don’t love life, then I advise you to read this post. It concerns the One, Jesus Christ, who being God, came in the flesh as a human being 2000 years ago and received the divine punishment for your every sin and mistake; He then rose again after three days so that you may be justified, redeemed, and blessed before the judgement throne of God. He did this because He believes your life holds significant value.

Romans 10:9 World English Bible (WEB)
that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

There’s a power in accepting words that are meant to uplift you. Receive life, not death.

Proverbs 4:20-22 World English Bible (WEB)
20 My son, attend to my words.
    Turn your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes.
    Keep them in the center of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
    and health to their whole body.

Listening to the God of Wisdom

How many of you out there, know that God thinks? God is a thinking God. He has emotions, He has a personality, and He made you in His image. Even more surprising, God thinks about you.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 King James Version (KJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Seek Him!

God is thinking about you and His sole intention is for your good. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a mess of a person or a philanthropist, God loves you. And He revealed that when He came as Jesus Christ. He revealed that when He let Himself be skinned alive by whips and nails, all for your sake.

Jesus Christ did it for a reason, and I won’t be able to cover everything in this blog, but that’s why you’ve got to call upon Him, read His Word, pray to Him, and you’ll find out.

Furthermore, God is wise, He made the heavens and the Earth. He knows you inside and outside, so, if you want words that matter, words saturated with life, meaning, and hope, visit the Word of God.

John 6:63 World English Bible (WEB)
63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

God is telling you, today, to listen to Him. Listen to what His Word says because what He says matters! And He has nothing but good things for you.

The Prince Who Opens the Ears of the Deaf

Matthew 11:5 World English Bible (WEB)
the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,Isaiah 35:5 the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.Isaiah 61:1-4

Back when Jesus Christ walked the Earth, He performed so many miracles. One of the main things He did was that He opened the ears of the deaf. God’s Word has so many layers and His Word can apply to the physical and figurative senses at the same time.

So, from a figurative context, if you have trouble with listening to the Word of God, ask Jesus to heal you. He will because He never denies a prayer in search for Him. If you’re physically deaf, ask Jesus for healing, He still performs miracles, even today, including the miracle of opening deaf ears. I talk more about it in this post.

Nevertheless, listen to what God has to say. And He’ll talk through the Bible, He’ll talk through men/women of God, He’ll talk through your parents, He’ll talk through your loved ones, and more.

Job 33:14-17 World English Bible (WEB)
14 For God speaks once,
    yes twice, though man pays no attention.

15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on men,
    in slumbering on the bed;
16 Then he opens the ears of men,
    and seals their instruction,
17 that he may withdraw man from his purpose,
    and hide pride from man.

Be willing to let God change your mind…

God will try His best to speak to you, whether it be through a vision, a dream, or through people. But, don’t be like an ordinary person and ignore what He says as the above verse states. Listen to your Heavenly Father and heed His advice as any child would do.

Therefore, trust God and trust that what He says is the way to go. If He tells you to start showing more love towards others, then do it. If He tells you to be more organized, then do it, if He tells you to take a risk, then do it. Seek God and ask Him for His advice, let His life-giving words minister to you and obey them no matter whoever God uses to speak to you.

Romans 10:17 King James Version (KJV)
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

By Andre Wijesekera

The Seemingly Endless Potential of Growth

The seemingly endless potential of a path walked with God!

Growth is life’s tool to carve you into what God wants you to become! To become mentally healthy, you must make it a goal to grow. And growth can be a wonderful thing, but, it can also be a very painful thing. The choice as to whether you’ll love growth or not is up to you and so is the decision to grow. In this post, it is my goal to clarify the importance of growth and as to how you should unlock the seemingly endless potential of growth within your life!

What’s Growth?

The quick and short definition of the word, growth, is the progress we receive as we continue on life’s journey. And the thing about growth is that it can manifest in a multitude of ways.

Sadly, many people dislike the concept of growth. They just want to stay as they are and to avoid who they’ve been made to be. Furthermore, God has left the power to make that decision in your hands. He will not force anything upon you, but, He wants you to obey His voice.

Proverbs 18:2 World English Bible (WEB)
A fool has no delight in understanding,
    but only in revealing his own opinion.

Some examples of when you must decide as to whether you should grow include the following…

You must decide on whether to read the Bible and to actively commune with God or to spend that time watching TV. It is your decision to focus on your job or to slack off and watch YouTube videos on your phone. You must decide on whether to study for your upcoming test or watch a movie on Netflix. It is yours to decide on whether to spend half an hour exercising or to pop open a bag of Cheetos for your hourly snack.

These are all decisions where you make the decision to grow. And God is gracious enough to leave the seemingly endless potential of growth as something which you alone must decide to pursue.

1 Timothy 4:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all.

The Seemingly Endless Journey of Growing

Now, growth sometimes feels like the end of a rainbow, but, I like to think of it more as a juicy fruit at the top of a tree. And if you want to actually grow as an individual, then, that means there is potential for you to grow. The end result of your growth is not something which you cannot obtain but something which you can obtain through the help of Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 11:1 World English Bible (WEB)
1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.

To grow in the best way possible, it is absolutely necessary for you to trust God. You have to have faith that God will take you to the place you want to be. But, if you have not yet taken the step to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, do so now.

God’s got your back!

When you accept Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh, the One who died on the cross as the punishment for your mistakes and sins 2000 years ago, and rose again, Jesus puts His Holy Spirit within you. I talk more about it in this post.

Romans 8:11 World English Bible (WEB)
11 But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

So, if you believe that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead and now His Spirit lives within you, what is impossible for you? The seemingly endless potential of who you can be is now a reality, as God, Himself, wants you to be who He has called you to be.

Let God grow you in your spiritual life, in your emotional life, and in your physical life. Allow Him to help you to become the best person you could possibly be and just do what you know God wants you to do. Don’t hesitate on what God tells you to do, especially, if God is calling you to do something great!

Luke 9:61-62 World English Bible (WEB)
61 Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”

Growing in Christ

The seemingly endless potential of who you can become is only possible if you walk with God. However, I warn you to not do things by selfish ambition and through trying to build a legacy for yourself.

Philippians 2:3-4 King James Version (KJV)
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Be active and do things for God’s glory! When you accomplish something, give the credit to Christ Jesus who lives within you. God did not create you to revel in your success but to do as much as possible for His glory. He wants you to be healthy in your mental, physical, emotional, and most importantly spiritual life.

Psalm 35:27 World English Bible (WEB)
27 Let those who favor my righteous cause shout for joy and be glad.
    Yes, let them say continually, “May Yahweh be magnified,
    who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!

In the above Bible verse, God shows pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. This Bible verse is from the Old Testament of the Bible, so, how much more would He delight in the prosperity of His friends in the New Testament? Because now, you are His friend. Moreover, you are also His child.

John 15:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

John 1:12 World English Bible (WEB)
12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:

Above all, seek Him as that should take top priority in your life. Do what you know God wants you to do although it might be difficult. If God wants you to do something for His glory such as studying or working, He will make sure that it is nothing more than Christ in you can handle. And if the Spirit of Christ within you rose people from the dead, I doubt there’s anything in your way except yourself.

3 John 1:2 World English Bible (WEB)
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you! – Matthew 6:33

By Andre Wijesekera

The King Who Wipes Away Thy Tears

The King of Kings reaches out to you.

As humans, we all face times when we’re sad or just heart-broken. Sometimes, a feeling of sadness can just overwhelm you and you don’t know what to do with the rest of the day. Whether it be past memories of failures or current situations at your workplace, there are many reasons to become sad. Don’t confuse this with depression, as depression and sadness are very different in that depression is a much more severe and consistent issue than sadness (I talk more about depression in this post). But, in this post, we’ll be discussing how to overcome sadness and how to stay happy instead of sad, because of the King of Kings.

Grief and Sorrow

To start off, when you are in a time of crisis or a period of sorrow, you must first realize that God values your tears. Now, I’m not saying to cry like a wimp over meaningless issues such as a preference over a meal or a lack of time to play video games.

The sorrow that I’m talking about concerns issues which actually challenge you, such as the loss of a loved one or a rough break-up. These are all things where people tend to find it hard to move on from. And even King David, a man from over 3000 years ago, asked questions similar to what you’re asking within your heart.

Psalm 13:2 World English Bible (WEB)
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
    having sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

And especially, if you’ve lost a loved one, it’s very difficult to move on. The feat almost seems impossible.

Job 3:1 World English Bible (WEB)
1 After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.

Job is the book of the Bible which talks about how a guy named”Job” dealt with severe grief and tragedy. All on the same day, thieves stole his livestock (that was his source of income) and all his children died as a tornado struck their house. To top it off, he then caught a painful disease which really pushed him to the brink of his sanity. That’s why he regretted being born in the above verse.

The man was devastated, and you may be, too. But, as Job found hope even in the midst of such disaster, so also, I want you to find hope in the midst of your tragedy.

The Incredible Value of Tears in the King’s Eyes

So, what do you do when you face these feelings? Well, first of all, you recognize that God loves you. And that means a lot, because what that means is that there’s hope for the future.

A hope for the future is definitely a reason to be happy. But, as you read the book of Job, it is very hard to pinpoint God’s love until God reveals Himself to Job nearer to the end of the book.

Nevertheless, God loves you so much that He values ever tear drop that leaves your eyes.

Psalm 56:8 World English Bible (WEB)
You count my wanderings.
    You put my tears into your container.
    Aren’t they in your book?

He collects your tears not because He has an obsession over tears but because He values and cherishes the one who’s crying. God is a loving God. It’s intrinsic to His nature to really love you. And if you’re going through tremendous hardship, there may be only one shoulder to cry on and that shoulder belongs to God.

Jesus loves you and that’s not just some cheap phrase coined by Christians to spread a religion. It’s meaningful, it holds such purpose and whatever tragedy has set itself upon you, you’ve got to know that the King of Kings is calling you out of the sorrow and into His love.

Revelation 21:4 World English Bible (WEB)
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”

In the above verse, God is prophetically talking about those in Heaven who’d cry and how He wipes away their tears. So, if God does it over there, of course, He’s here to be with you as the King who wipes away your tears.

Showing the World There’s a Reason to Be Happy

Please, read the below passage, word by word.

Luke 7:11-15 World English Bible (WEB)
11 Soon afterwards, he went to a city called Nain. Many of his disciples, along with a great multitude, went with him. 12 Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Don’t cry.” 14 He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” 15 He who was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.

Jesus saw this lady, crying and distressed. She had lost her husband, she had now lost her son. And the Bible says that when Jesus saw her, He had compassion on her. He knew that the son would be happy in Heaven, but, His heart could not ignore the sorrow of the grieving mother.

And so, Jesus told her, “Don’t cry.”

After that, He raised the dead man back to life because Jesus is the King of Kings.

If you’ve been crying your eyes out of their sockets, Jesus is telling you, “Don’t cry.” And I’m telling you that you ought to listen to what He says because He’s planning for a miracle in your life. For the widow, He raised her dead son back to life. For you, I don’t know what God’s planned, but He’s planning to give you a testimony.

God’s Not Done Yet

All I know is this, God loves you and He plans to bless you. Even with the catastrophe you’re facing, the King of Kings will bring about good from it. So, listen to Jesus’s plea as He tenderly tells you, “Don’t cry.”

Romans 8:28 World English Bible (WEB)
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.

If you haven’t already and you want to show God that you love Him as it says in the above verse, then, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Jesus Christ died on the cross 2000 years ago and rose again from the dead so that as soon as you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, His empowering, graceful Holy Spirit would live within you where you can have a relationship with God. I talk more about it in this post.

When you commit your life to God, He commits to you, too!

Therefore, come out of your grief and sorrow to witness the love of God just as Job did when He declares this in the verse below.

Job 19:25 World English Bible (WEB)
25 But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives.
    In the end, he will stand upon the earth.

God even gave Job double of what He lost and restored Him to the point of where we now read the book of Job as a testimony!

Job 42:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

By Andre Wijesekera