[ecko_quote source=" Matthew 7:11"]If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? [/ecko_quote]
Two sparrows were resting on the house top and observing people who were passing by. Looking at those people, they thought to themselves, they were so restlessly going on with their chores and going from one place to another. One of the sparrow’s said, "Why are men so full of worries and cares?". Insightfully, the other sparrow replied, "Maybe they do not have a heavenly Father as we do". This is just a story in our perspective, but the Bible says "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will" (Matthew 10:29) Not one of them is forgotten before Him. (Luke 12:6) So will He forget you, who are of more value than all these sparrows?
How true it is, we live and act as if we are orphans and forgotten. We want to live our lives in our way instead of depending on our heavenly Father on a daily basis. Sadly, we often forget that we have been created as dependent creatures. The Ministry of Jesus was primarily an encouraging ministry. He put forth several parables and stories to illustrate our Heavenly Father’s Love towards us. Jesus came into this world to show us the Father’s Love.
Further, Jesus said, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they (Matthews 7:26) And if your heavenly Father feeds the birds of the air, how much more will He feed you, His precious, beloved child! One of my brother in his recent testimony said to us that, when you call "Father", our Heavenly father instantly look at us from Heaven and respond to our need.
At one time, my son came from his University and told me that he need a particular computer for his studies and that he needed it immediately. As soon as he finished putting forth his petition, he simply walked away joyfully telling his mother about the computer he was getting. However, the burden was on me to sort out the finances and buy this item as per my son’s desire. Being an earthly father with several shortcomings, I know my responsibility. To provide my children with the best things to excel in their field of study. Our Heavenly Father (we are His offspring – Acts 17:29) is challenging us how much more He can do for His Children with His full of power, authority and wisdom. When we see our God, as a Heavenly Father, the real relationship would be evident in the way we depend on God. Nevertheless, our Father is a God, Creator, Lord and more but for the redeemed children, He is the "Heavenly Father".
The above scriptures are explained by a comparison taken from our earthly parents, and their readiness to give their children what they ask. Parents are often foolishly fond, but God is all-wise; he knows what we need, what we desire, and what is right for us. Let us never suppose our heavenly Father would bid us pray, and then refuse to hear, or give us what would be hurtful.
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[ecko_quote source="Matthew 11:28"]Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest [/ecko_quote]
The Bible is the greatest book ever written. In it, God Himself speaks to mankind. It is a book of divine instructions. It offers comfort in sorrow, guidance in perplexity, advice when we face problems, convicts us of our sins, and inspires us daily to cater for all our needs.
The above scripture is known as the greatest invitation to the humanity by our Saviour Jesus Christ. It is also said that no religion on the face of this earth has ever provided such an invitation. No great leaders, rulers, or Kings have ever made such an invitation. Jesus is asking us just to come to him, but most often we would not go to him until we finish our attempts and secure our defeats. This is our continuous human tendency. Even going through tough times, we are reluctant to put forth our problems at His feet. Instead, we do whatever is possible. We even seek help from the friends and families, including doctors (for particular problems) but refuse to surrender and submit our troubles to him. There is nothing wrong in seeking help from other sources… provided, we seek Him first.
My dear ones, It is an open invitation without any conditions attached to it. Christ invites all of us to come to Him to receive rest for our souls. He alone gives this invitation; men come to him when feeling their guilt and misery, believing his love and power to help, they seek him in fervent prayer. Thus, it is the duty and interest of weary and heavy-laden sinners, to come to Jesus Christ. This is the gospel call; Whoever will, let him come. All who thus come will receive rest as Christ's gift, and obtain peace and comfort in their hearts. Jesus is simply asking us to come to Him with our burdens and labor. In turn, He is assuring us the provision of rest. Whatsoever our problems that are causing us unrest, despair, or even depression. Our Lord is saying to us that we cannot overcome or solve our problems, the one who fallen into the well, needs help from above and he cannot help himself. The world says “help yourself”, but Jesus says come to me… I will give you rest. The rest what Jesus provides is beyond our understanding and comprehension. The scripture states “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Jesus is saying to us “come to Me”.So, How can we go to Him? We have to go to Him in prayer and pour our hearts out to Him. If that seems difficult, then I don’t think there is any other way. God draws our attention in several ways. I once, read a story of a well-trained dog who loved water. One day the dog was playing in the lake. Its owner went out to call him, but it wouldn’t come. It was a good and a well-trained dog. After several attempts of calling him, the man finally threw a stick in the water. When the dog saw it, he swam over, grabbed the stick, came back and laid the stick next to his master. Likewise, It just may be that God who is our master had given you a burden because he can’t get your attention. He is calling us to do what he wants us to do. Our Master wants us to come and lay it at his feet.
My dear ones, God, might be seeking your attention because of the situations you are in. The best way for us to come to Him is to lay down our burden at His feet. Then, surely the peace of God will take control of our lives.
Is your heart aching today?, Come to Him and cast your burden at His feet and allow His peace to fill your heart. (Psalm 55:22)
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[ecko_quote source="I Corinthians 1:8-10"]Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord [/ecko_quote]
There was an old Arabian story about the great King Shah Abbas. He was a wealthy king who found it fun to disguise and hang out with the poorest of the poor. After putting on thin rags, he approached an impoverished area of the city where most of his servants lived. He met with one of his poor servants, started a conversation with him and spent some time with him. After a while, the poor servant offered him his meagre lunch of bread and water. The King in his disguise continued to visit this poor servant and developed a deep friendship with him. Since this poor servant had no idea who Shah was, after a while, the great King Shah finally decided to reveal his identity to his servant. After explaining who he was and proving his true identity, King waited for the servant to ask him for something. He was ready to grant any request his friend had. But the servant sat and quietly gazed at the King with love and admiration.
Then King said to the servant "Are you not understanding all this?" I am the great King Shah Abbas, and I have the power to make you wealthy and noble. I can give you a city; I can appoint you as a great ruler. Don’t you want to ask me for something?
In response, the servant said "Yes, I understand, but you have already given me the most precious gift imaginable. You have left your glorious surroundings and have sat and fellowshipped with me all these months. You have cared about my worries; you have listened to my heart. You have shown me, true love. You gave me the precious gift of your presence. What else would I need from you. Similar occurence exists in the TV show - 'Undercover Boss', where the boss goes in disguise to see what his employees are up to. Most of the time, the bosses are so moved, they end up rewarding the workers greatly.
If we relate the story to our context, we can truly appreciate our Lord Jesus who left all of His heavenly glories and riches and came down to meet us. He fellowshipped with us and shown us our Heavenly Father’s great love towards us and exposed the lies of Satan. God’s greatest gift to humanity is His love and fellowship.
My dear ones, we too have the opportunity to give the precious gift of our presence to others. By spending time with them and listening to their problems, hurts, pain and by consoling them. There is nothing more precious of a gift than giving our time and having a fellowship with them. Therefore, visit our dear ones who are going through hard times, console them, and strengthen them with the Word of God. Surely I know we can make a great impact on their spiritual journey.
Whom can you give the gift of your presence this week? Whom can you simply listen to, spend time with, and demonstrate the love of Christ? Ponder upon these things.
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