Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Living in contentment

Living in contentment
“...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances”
(Philippians 4:11, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
In life, it’s easy to get so focused on our dreams and goals, the things we want, that it consumes us. We can get to the point where we’re not happy, and we’re not going to be happy until it happens. But I’ve found that if we have to have something in order to be happy, our lives are out of balance. When our goals and dreams start to frustrate us, and we lose our peace and we’re not enjoying life, that’s a sure sign that we’re holding on too tightly. What’s the solution? You’ve got to release it. Freedom comes when you say, “God, I’m turning it all over to You. You know my desires, and You know what’s best for me. I’m choosing to trust You and Your timing.”

When we learn to be content whatever the circumstances, the power of the enemy is broken. It takes away his ability to frustrate us. Not only that, but by our actions we are showing our faith in God. When you choose to trust in His timing, you can live in peace, you can live in joy, and you can rest in Him, knowing that He has good things in store for your future!


A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, today I choose to trust in You. I release frustration over the dreams and desires in my heart, knowing that You know what’s best for me. I choose to trust in Your timing because You are faithful, and I will bless You in all things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

The King is right here!

The King is right here!

"The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand."
Psalm 121:5, NIV

This summer I have had the privilege of spending nine weeks at Ellel Grange
- the headquarters of Ellel ministries. The house has lovely grounds and surroundings wich we explore on our days off. On our regular walks along the edge of the nearby canal I admired a pair of beautiful white swans. They had their nest in the water and later paddled along with their cute fluffy offspring.

Not being used to life in a monarchy, I was pleasantly surprised when my new English friends explained that swans have a somewhat special position in the UK, because they all are said to "belong to the Crown". Some weeks later, on a trip to the Lake District, I had another opportunity to see swans as they swam and gathered on the shores of Lake Windermere. I was exasperated to see a ruthless and disrespectful tourist grab one of the swans round its long neck and pull it at his side to have a picture taken. "Don´t do that!" I told him, and to give my words more authority, I added: "The swans belong to the Crown!" But the man just glanced at me, disregarded my remarks and kept pulling at the poor creature's neck. Well, the Queen was far away. He needn´t fear that she would intervene to defend her property, regardless of her rights of ownership.

However, this little incident made me think about our position in this world. As children of the Most High,we belong to the crown - the crown of the King of Kings. But in contrast to the Queen of England, our King is always near to us, every day, at every moment. In fact, today´s scripture says He is our shade at our right hand. Whenever the evil one tries to grab our throats He is right there to defend us and when we call upon His name for help He always hears us. And our offender knows that very well. Indeed, he is so alarmed by the fact that he flees just when we speak out the name of our Royal Protector. Our King is always at our side; day and night, he watches over us. What a privilege that is and what a comfort for my vulnerable and sometimes anxious heart!

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You that You opened Your heavenly kingdom for us and gave us citizenship as children of the King of Kings. Please let me always be aware of the wonderful fact that You are constantly at my side to guide and protect me and that the enemy will have to flee when I call upon Your mighty name. Amen.

Today's Writer : Ruth Maechler Ruth Maechler has just finished the 9 Week Flagship Programme at Ellel Grange. She has now returned to Munich, Germany, where she lives with ther family.

The King is right here!

The King is right here!

"The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand."
Psalm 121:5, NIV

This summer I have had the privilege of spending nine weeks at Ellel Grange
- the headquarters of Ellel ministries. The house has lovely grounds and surroundings wich we explore on our days off. On our regular walks along the edge of the nearby canal I admired a pair of beautiful white swans. They had their nest in the water and later paddled along with their cute fluffy offspring.

Not being used to life in a monarchy, I was pleasantly surprised when my new English friends explained that swans have a somewhat special position in the UK, because they all are said to "belong to the Crown". Some weeks later, on a trip to the Lake District, I had another opportunity to see swans as they swam and gathered on the shores of Lake Windermere. I was exasperated to see a ruthless and disrespectful tourist grab one of the swans round its long neck and pull it at his side to have a picture taken. "Don´t do that!" I told him, and to give my words more authority, I added: "The swans belong to the Crown!" But the man just glanced at me, disregarded my remarks and kept pulling at the poor creature's neck. Well, the Queen was far away. He needn´t fear that she would intervene to defend her property, regardless of her rights of ownership.

However, this little incident made me think about our position in this world. As children of the Most High,we belong to the crown - the crown of the King of Kings. But in contrast to the Queen of England, our King is always near to us, every day, at every moment. In fact, today´s scripture says He is our shade at our right hand. Whenever the evil one tries to grab our throats He is right there to defend us and when we call upon His name for help He always hears us. And our offender knows that very well. Indeed, he is so alarmed by the fact that he flees just when we speak out the name of our Royal Protector. Our King is always at our side; day and night, he watches over us. What a privilege that is and what a comfort for my vulnerable and sometimes anxious heart!

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You that You opened Your heavenly kingdom for us and gave us citizenship as children of the King of Kings. Please let me always be aware of the wonderful fact that You are constantly at my side to guide and protect me and that the enemy will have to flee when I call upon Your mighty name. Amen.

Today's Writer : Ruth Maechler Ruth Maechler has just finished the 9 Week Flagship Programme at Ellel Grange. She has now returned to Munich, Germany, where she lives with ther family.

The King is right here!

The King is right here!

"The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand."
Psalm 121:5, NIV

This summer I have had the privilege of spending nine weeks at Ellel Grange
- the headquarters of Ellel ministries. The house has lovely grounds and surroundings wich we explore on our days off. On our regular walks along the edge of the nearby canal I admired a pair of beautiful white swans. They had their nest in the water and later paddled along with their cute fluffy offspring.

Not being used to life in a monarchy, I was pleasantly surprised when my new English friends explained that swans have a somewhat special position in the UK, because they all are said to "belong to the Crown". Some weeks later, on a trip to the Lake District, I had another opportunity to see swans as they swam and gathered on the shores of Lake Windermere. I was exasperated to see a ruthless and disrespectful tourist grab one of the swans round its long neck and pull it at his side to have a picture taken. "Don´t do that!" I told him, and to give my words more authority, I added: "The swans belong to the Crown!" But the man just glanced at me, disregarded my remarks and kept pulling at the poor creature's neck. Well, the Queen was far away. He needn´t fear that she would intervene to defend her property, regardless of her rights of ownership.

However, this little incident made me think about our position in this world. As children of the Most High,we belong to the crown - the crown of the King of Kings. But in contrast to the Queen of England, our King is always near to us, every day, at every moment. In fact, today´s scripture says He is our shade at our right hand. Whenever the evil one tries to grab our throats He is right there to defend us and when we call upon His name for help He always hears us. And our offender knows that very well. Indeed, he is so alarmed by the fact that he flees just when we speak out the name of our Royal Protector. Our King is always at our side; day and night, he watches over us. What a privilege that is and what a comfort for my vulnerable and sometimes anxious heart!

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You that You opened Your heavenly kingdom for us and gave us citizenship as children of the King of Kings. Please let me always be aware of the wonderful fact that You are constantly at my side to guide and protect me and that the enemy will have to flee when I call upon Your mighty name. Amen.

Today's Writer : Ruth Maechler Ruth Maechler has just finished the 9 Week Flagship Programme at Ellel Grange. She has now returned to Munich, Germany, where she lives with ther family.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

The Problem of Patience

The Problem of Patience

Read James 5:7-11
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (TNIV)



I get so impatient about my lack of patience. I impatiently pray for patience on a regular basis! In a world where we are urged to upgrade computers to save a nanosecond or two, patience is an old-fashioned virtue. Getting somewhere fast, getting what we want now, getting immediate answers or information are the common currency of everyday life. As against this, James in this passage has us look at the farmer who having sown a crop can’t reap it immediately. Waiting is the name of the game, and waiting is never easy. Faith at times is simply about waiting. God will be true to his promises, but when? And how? The old-time prophets knew this waiting game well. So did Job.

God can sometimes act with stunning speed. Other times he takes his time. He knows character can’t be produced instantly, he knows he is working with stubborn and resistant material as he works out his good purposes. He doesn’t tend to take shortcuts either. If we insist God speeds things up, we will get frustrated and James suggests we will start complaining. A grumbling spirit arises out of frustration that things aren’t the way we want them to be.

And yet patience is not passive. The farmer has to sow the crop, the Old Testament prophets had to proclaim God’s word. Job wrestled and prayed. A favourite writer Henri Nouwen reminds me that patience will have us enter fully into the present moment, tasting the here and now rather than fearfully and impatiently craning our heads to see what is going to happen next. We figure the treasure we look for is around the corner, and we are badgering God to make it happen now if not sooner. Nouwen reminds me that the treasure we so often look for is so often hidden in the ground on which we now stand.

Patience allows us to discern God in the present moment rather than missing out on him because we are wondering what the future will bring and when it will come. God is to be found not in our anxious, impatient insistence for a change of circumstances, but rather in the present circumstances. Waiting for God to act in some way in the future must never blind us to his acting in some way in the present. Patience is not inactivity, but is a willingness to wait and embrace the activity of God in the present even as we have our hopes and dreams for the future.

Blessings
David Reay
A

Hungering for Heroes

Hungering for Heroes

Read 1 Corinthians 3:3-5

You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere human beings? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. (TNIV)

We have a longing for heroes. Those who will be shining examples of faith and hope and love. We might project these longings onto certain individuals and begin to believe they have the answers, that they have got it together. We start comparing ourselves with them and coming up short. We admire giants of the faith as if they are over and above the mundane troubling realities of our lives.

This leads to some problems. One is that we lose biblical realism. We fail to grasp the fact that the great ones of faith are not perfect, and whatever faith they have has come through hard times. A reading of Hebrews 11 brings us down to earth.

The other problem is that we begin to despair of our own comparative lack of faith or hope or love. We can never measure up and so put ourselves down as inadequate Christians who haven’t made the grade. Compulsive comparison is the death of true contentment. We all fall short of the glory of God, whether we go by the name of Moses, Abraham, or our own names.

And then we might find ourselves falling into the Corinthian error. The Corinthian Christians seemed to exalt individual personalities. They attached themselves to whoever seemed to be the most impressive leader. They fell prey to a guru mentality. Doing this means we unfairly idealise such leaders so when they prove to be only too human our faith is shattered. And doing this means we take our focus off the one person we can truly look up to: Jesus. If we are to have heroes, make Jesus the one.

Blessings
David Reay

Friday, July 6, 2012

GUILT

GUILT

Morning Devotions with Chris Witts

Psalm 32 – re guilt.
If you’ve ever studied something of the 2nd world war, you might know the name Albert Speer. He was Hitler’s chief architect in Nazi Germany and rose to great power within Hitler’s party. At the Nuremberg trial in 1945, he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and wrote extensively about that period of his life. He was the only one of the 24 war criminals who admitted his guilt. He acknowledged that he felt "personal guilt" for what had happened and the tragedy of so many lives lost, and he accepted responsibility for it because he had been part of the Nazi regime. Later in life he went to London and the US and was interviewed one day on the ABC ‘s “Good Morning America” TV show.

The interviewer referred to a passage in one of Speer’s earlier writings and said to him: “You have said the guilt can never be forgiven, or shouldn’t be. Do you still feel that way?” The look of pathos on Speer’s face was wrenching as he responded, “I served a sentence of twenty years, and I could say, “I’m a free man, my conscience has been cleared by serving the whole time as punishment.” But I can’t do that. I still carry the burden of what happened to millions of people during Hitler’s lifetime, and I can’t get rid of it. This new book is part of my atoning, of clearing my conscience.” The interviewer pressed the point. “You really don’t think you’ll be able to clear it totally?” Speer shook his head. “I don’t think it will be possible.”

For thirty-five years Speer had accepted complete responsibility for his crime. His writings were filled with contrition and warnings to others to avoid his moral sin. He desperately sought a way to make amends for his sin. All to no avail. He died an old man in 1981.

Anne Graham Lotz wrote, “ God has built into each of us an alarm system to warn us of the unwanted entry of sin into our lives. The alarm system is called guilt. In our pleasure-seeking, anything-goes, feel-good society, guilt is a problem We run from it.” Do people feel guilt today? I’m sure they do. But we try to not to think about it, ignoring those feelings, hoping they will go away. When the movie “The Passion of the Christ” was showing in theatres across the nation, more than 70,000 reports came in of the film helping people. At least 4 criminals confessed to crimes they had committed including bombings, robberies, and one murder.

In Arizona, Turner Lee Bingham, 20, walked up to a store about eight minutes after the alarm sounded and apologized to police for taking $80 from the register before confessing to five or six burglaries at other places. Bingham had seen “The Passion” with his mother, and he felt guilty, the store owner, Tobias Bright, said police told him. “I’ve seen the movie myself,” Bright said. “I think it’s the kind of movie that makes you stop and think about things for a minute.” The store owner, who identified himself as a Christian, said he wished Bingham would have felt guilty “20 minutes earlier, before he took a baseball bat to one of my windows.”

Guilt plagues everyone to some degree, for we all have to lay our heads on our pillow at night and accept the fact that we have not done as well as we could have done. One Christian psychologist recently stated that "Guilt is the most difficult problem in the whole realm of psychological therapy." One little boy was asked to define guilt. He said he wasn’t quite sure what it was, but he thought it had something to do with feeling bad when he kicked girls!

David said in Psalm 40:12 “Problems far too big for me to solve are piled higher than my head. Meanwhile my sins, too many to count, have caught up with me, and I’m ashamed to look up.” (LB)
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt ashamed to look up?

Our guilt can make us ashamed to ask God for help. But God knows all about your sins and your failures, and he loves you anyway. He is ready to forgive all of them if you will just humble yourself and ask him to forgive you.

Is there any sin that God cannot forgive?
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 (NKJV).

Getting back to David, he made a tremendous decision as he prayed to God.. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32:5 (NLT)

In I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away”.

BEING FAIR TO OTHERS

BEING FAIR TO OTHERS

Morning Devotions with Chris Witts

There was a man who was walking along by the ocean one day and he came across a sea cave in the side of a cliff. And inside the cave he found a large sack filled with little balls of clay that looked like they'd been rolled up and left out in the sun to dry. So he picked up the sack and dragged it along with him as he walked. Every once in a while, he'd reach into the sack, pick up one of those balls, and just throw it as far as he could out into the water.

As he went on his way down the beach, the sack was getting lighter and lighter. It was almost empty when he accidentally dropped one of the balls which hit a piece of coral and shattered. And when he looked inside, there was, to his great surprise, a diamond! So he cracked opened another ball and inside was a ruby, then an emerald, and by the time he finished opening the remaining balls he found that every single one had a precious jewel inside. The man looked in his hands and was excited to see that he now had a handful of jewels, but then he stopped and realized how many of the balls he had thrown away because he couldn't see what was inside!

It's a bit like all of the people that come into our lives. If we could only see them the way that God sees them, if we could only see the precious jewel that's inside of each one...I think it’s an important lesson for each of us because in God’s eyes all people are equal. No-one is better than anyone else, and as it says in James 2:1 “If you have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others”. Then in v8-9 he says “You will do alright if you obey the most important law in the Scriptures. It is the law that commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves. But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scripture teach that you have sinned”.

We need to be careful not to favour some people because of the colour of their skin or background. We are born equal and in God’s eyes we are equal. God has no favourites. I like the bumper sticker that says “At the end of the day only kindness matters”. And that is very true. Jesus always displayed an outstanding level of kindness and fairness towards others in a society that was very cruel and sadistic. He loved and cared for people, and instructed His followers to be the same. And so the question we can ask today is – have I been kind and fair to others today? You can’t say you love Jesus till you love the people Jesus loved. Mark Twain knew the power of kindness when he said, “Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” That’s what God expects of us.

I Corinthians 13 in the New Testament is a well known Bible statement about love, and I recently came across this paraphrase:

I may have a brilliant mind,
a wonderful personality,
and a healthy body;
but if I am not kind to those around me,
it does me no good:
I may have a good income,
a beautiful home,
and an expensive car,
but if I am not kind and generous in sharing them,
I don't make a difference in the world.
I may have great success in my business or profession;
I may have power and influence over many people;
but if I don't treat people with kindness,
I am a failure.

Kindness is love in action.
Kindness is the pebble in the pond, whose ripples can change the world.
Having the faith to move mountains is great,
Having hope in bleak circumstances is wonderful,
But deeds of loving kindness transform lives and last forever.
I may have many wonderful qualities in my life,but without kindness
they are not enough.

Paul, in writing to the church in Rome, reminds us that, “God does not have any favourites” (Romans 2:11)

 Favouritism is also UNREASONABLE
James goes on to write: “God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. He has also promised them a share in His kingdom that He will give to everyone who loves Him.” (James 2:5)

By His mercy and grace, Jesus Christ receives each of us into His eternal family without favouritism. We are all equally loved and valued by Him.

PRAYER:
Almighty God, your Son instructs us to treat other people as we want to be treated. It sounds so simple, but we realize that we often fail to live up to his standard. At times we expect others to treat us like royalty, while we treat them as if they’re less valuable or as if they’re objects to be used to achieve our goals. Forgive us for being callous. Forgive us for treating others with contempt. Forgive us for failing to live up to Jesus’ teachings. Help us not only to embrace the promise of the resurrection, but to learn from our Saviour’s gentle ways that we may become more like him. Amen.

Monday, July 2, 2012

THE STING OF BETRAYAL - PART 2

THE STING OF BETRAYAL - PART 2

Morning Devotions with Chris Witts

I said yesterday that the act of betrayal is a dreadful and hurtful experience. My guess is that you have felt the sting of betrayal at some point in your life. If you haven’t, you probably will. We can feel betrayed by our spouse, our children, our extended family, or our friends. We can also experience betrayal in the context of our work—from our boss, our co-workers, or even our employees. It has the potential to ruin friendships and families.

The Bible tells about Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. It’s a well known story in the New Testament of a follower of Jesus who was greatly respected and loved by Jesus. He was highly trusted in the small group of disciples with Jesus, and was the Treasurer and he carried the money bag. They trusted him to do the right thing. Judas had experienced everything that the other disciples had. He had been there to pass out food to the 5000 people that Jesus fed with a few fish and some bread. He had seen Lazarus raised back to life. He had seen Jesus heal the blind and the lame and the deaf. He had been a part of all that. And on the night of his betrayal, Jesus had washed his feet. He had shared the Passover meal with Jesus. Jesus had placed him in the most favoured spot at the table – right next to Jesus. Judas had been a part of all the blessings that came along with being with Jesus. That night would have been a spiritual high point for anyone who was present there. And yet, Judas still chose to walk away into the night of his own sin. He knowingly betrayed Jesus at that critical moment which led to His death on a cross, all for money. Every time that Judas’ name is mentioned in the Bible, either the passage is dealing with the events surrounding his betrayal, or the phrase, “who betrayed him” is attached to his name. Judas Iscariot – the one who betrayed Jesus. We know nothing good about this man. But the other disciples, who ran away from Jesus when He needed them most, their betrayal is never mentioned again beyond the record of the actual event. Why? Because they received forgiveness and restoration. The past, as dark as it was, was wiped away. We read that Judas went out one night and hung himself. What a tragedy!

How ironic it is that Jesus was betrayed not by a stranger, but by a close friend. Judas had eaten bread with Jesus, and he had done that many times. Judas had eaten bread with Jesus at Lazarus’ house and at Zachheous’ house. They had enjoyed fish grilled over the fire on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. To eat bread – a meal – with someone was to indicate your closeness to that person. It showed your agreement with one another in lifestyle and beliefs. That’s why Jesus was criticized for eating with tax collectors and sinners and why Jews were forbidden to eat with Gentiles.

There’s a wonderful story about the cardinal of the Philippines, named, oddly enough, Cardinal Sin. When Cardinal Sin was a bishop, a young woman in his parish claimed that she had visions of Jesus. Bishop Sin was given the task of determining if these visions were authentic. He called her in for an interview, after which he made this request: “Daughter, the next time you see Jesus, would you ask Him what sin your bishop committed as a young priest and then come and tell me His answer.” She agreed. The bishop, aware that nobody knew his sin except himself, his confessor, and Jesus, felt this would be a valid test. Months later the young woman returned, reporting she had seen Jesus again. The bishop said, “Good. Did you ask Him about my sin?” She said, “Yes,” “What did He say?” “He said, ‘I’ve forgotten.’”

Would it have been any different for Judas? Of course not! I refuse to believe otherwise! Judas’ betrayal did not cause Christ to love him less. It was for sinners like Judas that He was about to give His life!

So, how are we to respond to those who betray us? Our calling and God’s command of us is to forgive those who sin against us—and is there any better description of betrayal? We must let go of our hurts and wounds, and refuse to nurse them in anger and resentment. Chances are, the deepest betrayals will demand an ongoing commitment to forgiveness—for, in our humanness, we often find it difficult to let go of such things all at once. Resentment and bitterness has a way of continuing to raise its ugly head, continually trying to draw us into its trap once again. My own experience is that it’s a day-by-day process, an ongoing entrusting to the Lord of our feelings and the situations with a refusal to give in to bitterness. The Lord knows that our hurts will consume us and destroy us, if we let them—and He is our greatest ally in our determination to let go of such wounds.

One way in which we’re helped in this process is to dare to remember the ways in which we, in our sin, have betrayed Christ ourselves. We might also remind ourselves of the ways in which we have surely left others feeling betrayed. We dare not be too smug in refusing to forgive those we feel have betrayed us. And in seeing all of this through Resurrection eyes, the disciples of Jesus were all too aware of their own guilt of jealousy, selfish ambitions, denial and defection from Christ. They were surely humbled in acknowledging their own failures—just as we might also be as we commit to resolving our own responses to those who have betrayed us.

So, how are we to deal with the sting of betrayal? As sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, we are called to respond with forgiveness. Because our sins have also been forgiven, we are called to be part of God’s redemptive work in the lives of others. With the help of the Lord, we can learn to let go of our feelings of bitterness and resentment, trusting such things into the hands of the Lord. We can move on with our lives, set free from that which would destroy us from within. And, with the help of the Lord, we can learn to trust again, though perhaps more wisely and more discriminately. And as we do, we focus our energies in pouring out our lives for the sake of others, just as Jesus did. It’s the way not only to blessing others, but also the way to be truly blessed ourselves.

Source: Chris Witts

Saturday, June 30, 2012

How do I forgive when I can’t?

How do I forgive when I can’t?

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Matthew 6:14-15, NIV

Long before I was involved with Ellel Ministries I went through a horrible time of deep betrayal. It had huge consequences in my life and I struggled with the whole issue of forgiveness. I started to say things to God like, “I will do anything you want, just don’t ask me to forgive!”

Each time the issue of forgiveness came up I would see people’s faces in front of me and the barriers were just too big, too strong. I did not feel like forgiving, in fact I felt that I should devise ways of getting even! I wanted revenge. I wanted to hurt them even more than they had hurt me. I started to become quite bitter.

Verses like Matthew 6:14 leapt from the pages of my Bible! ‘For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins your Father will NOT forgive your sins’. I knew somehow I had to do it, but how? Finally I came to God and said, “I know I have to do this but I really can’t” and I heard Him say, “You are absolutely right you can’t”. ‘Apart from Me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5).

The next Sunday I went to a church which was new to me, and the preacher began his sermon by saying, “This morning I am going to tell you about how to forgive when you can’t”. I knew God was speaking to me. He said “firstly, this is not a transaction between you and the person who has done you wrong, this is a transaction between you and God. Do not see the face of the person. God has said in His word that we must forgive so He will give us the empowerment to do so”.

Part of God’s character is His heart to forgive, so we need to ask God to come supernaturally with His Spirit of forgiveness. Then having received first from Him we can release forgiveness to the person or persons that we need to forgive. We forgive the ‘unforgivable’ because He has first forgiven us. We forgive to be obedient to the Word of God but by so doing we let ourselves out of prison.

Secondly, we are not pardoning them, Only God can pardon. The only place anyone’s sin can be forgiven is by God at the cross. We are releasing them into the freedom of our personal forgiveness. Thirdly, we are not letting them off the hook, but we are taking them off our hook and putting them on God’s hook. We stop judging them and instead we say, ‘Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ Genesis 18:25. We can surely trust Him with this.

God can start to heal the memories. We are unlikely to ever forget what happened, but when we remember it no longer has the power to trigger bitterness and anger. Forgiveness will be the gateway for our own healing.

That Sunday morning I knelt at the altar rail and asked God to come and fill me with His spirit of forgiveness… and He did. I wept buckets as I chose to forgive from deep inside my heart. I poured it all out to the Lord. It took ages but when I was through I had a deep joy well up within me and at last there was closure. I was aware of God smiling and taking hold of my hand to lead me into a new season in my life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank You for dying on the cross for me and for the forgiveness of all of my sins that I have confessed to You. Help me to truly forgive all those who have ever hurt me and to walk continuously in the Spirit of forgiveness, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today's Writer : Jill Southern-Jones Jill Southern-Jones was a successful business woman before becoming the Director of Ellel Pierrepont, home of the Luke Nine Eleven Training Programme (NETS). People from all over the world come for 5 – 10 months and learn to teach and minister on NETS. Jill’s book on Sex: God’s Truth is an essential guide to the restoration of Godly order in sexual relationships.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Beware the Schemes of Man!

Beware the Schemes of Man!

“This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.”
Ecclesiastes 7:29, NIV

When I am praying for people, especially those who have suffered many things in their lives, I have in my mind a definition of Christian healing that God gave me many years ago at the outset of the work of Ellel Ministries – the restoration of God’s order in a person’s life. So I sometimes start by asking people the obvious questions about possible roots of disorder in their own lives and the lives of their parents and those whose influence and control they have been under down the years.

Often, however, I discover that some people are only looking for the healing of their present symptoms, and are not really interested in asking God what those roots of disorder actually are. As our Scripture implies, disorder is the fruit of mankind wanting to go after the many schemes that both men and women dream up for themselves – usually with a little help from the schemes of the devil that Paul warned us about in Ephesians Chapter 6! God created mankind upright, but following the schemes of man has resulted in a lack of uprightness. And none of us can escape the reality expressed by Paul in Galatians 6:5 that there is a law of sowing and reaping which applies to our lives as well as our crops.

It is a sad fact that, in the stories of the Kings of Israel, the Bible tells us that many of their problems were caused by things like a lack of uprightness in their lives or because they were not wholehearted in following the Lord. As I read this Scripture afresh I felt God challenging me to examine my own heart and ask Him to show me any areas of my life where the schemes of man have got in the way of the plans of God. May I encourage you to do the same and trust God as you seek His best for every area of your life.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see myself as You see me. Help me to see those places where there has been a lack of uprightness in the things I have done. I want to put things right with You and anyone else who has been affected by my decisions and actions. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Today's Writer : Peter Horrobin Peter Horrobin is the Founding and International Director of Ellel Ministries. He has now written and is currently developing Ellel 365 – a completely new online training school. This is specifically designed to help people understand and apply the practical truths of God’s Word into their lives. Already there have been many remarkable testimonies of what God is doing in people’s lives. The Ellel 365 website has now been completely updated. To take a look for yourself click on the Ellel 365 link on this page.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Hidden Problems

Hidden Problems

"How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults."
Psalm 19:12, NLT

I wasn’t expecting it! There was no visual sign that it was necessary. I was feeling no discomfort from it. So I was surprised when the dentist said that treatment to one of my teeth was necessary to prevent the decay, that he could see, from developing and causing trouble in the future.

So a few days later I was back in the dentist’s chair allowing him to inject, drill, prod and poke, fill, smooth and polish the tooth which, had it been left unattended would have caused future pain, discomfort, and no doubt affected my life in so many ways, as severe pain can. Pain can affect our lifestyle, our relationships, our work, our ability to think properly, and really make us feel out of sorts. Therefore I was prepared to experience the relatively short period of discomfort in the dentist’s chair for the longer term benefits.
The dentist with his skill, understanding and experience was able to detect that all was not right with my tooth. He also knew what treatment was needed and had the skill, the ability and the equipment to carry out that treatment.

There can be things in our spiritual lives we have no idea of, which, if not attended to, could later cause great pain, discomfort and disruption to our lifestyle, our family, and our ability to function properly as the person God intended us to be.

Jesus, like a ‘Divine Dentist,’ can see where the trouble lies and He knows what pain it could cause later on if it is not dealt with now. He also knows how best to treat it, if only we submit to Him and His ways.

The treatment may be painful in itself (like having a tooth filled), as we allow Jesus to reveal the root of the problem and show us how to deal with it, but the long term benefits will be well worth it.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Help me to allow You to reveal those hidden places in my life which are not as they should be - those areas which if not dealt with could cause problems in the future. Give me the courage to let You deal with them so I may become the sort of person You want me to be. Amen.

Today's Writer : Malcolm Wood Malcolm Wood and his wife Anna became part of the Ellel family as House Managers at Ellel Grange in 1990. Since then they have been involved with many aspects of the developing Ministry. In 2001 they became Directors of Ellel Scotland where now at Blairmore House they host several International Schools and Operation Blairmore.They have three sons.

Monday, April 30, 2012

What am I worth?

What am I worth?

... And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness...”
Genesis 1:26, NKJV

As human beings we have both intrinsic value and added value.

The Bible makes it very clear that every individual has significant value simply by virtue of being a creation of God, made in His likeness. In addition to this innate value which exists from conception we are called by God to spend our lives growing in His character and pursuing God-given gifts which, in our relationship with one another, empower the Body of Christ.

This added value develops as a consequence of the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we follow the commands of Jesus. At the fall man’s value was not lost but defiled through separation from our Creator. Jesus came to earth and died on a cross to bring reconciliation between Father God and His children, so we might once again know the full value of our God-created identity and destiny.

The world is not so sure about the intrinsic value of human life and has largely rejected the concept of sin and the damage this has caused. The Bible truths about innate human sin are increasingly replaced by the philosophy of innate human rights, and an assessment of value is based on celebrity.

Jesus loved His disciples simply because they were precious and therefore worth His death on a cross, but He also told them (in John 15:16) that He had chosen them in order that they would go and bear fruit, in other words that they would display the added value of His character growing in their lives. We are each a priceless work of divine creation, immensely valuable, but God wants to give us added value, if we are willing, by restoring us from the damage that sin has caused.

Prayer: Father God, I believe that I am extraordinarily precious but needing much repair. I choose today to lay my life afresh before You, in order that Your Spirit can grow the fruit of the character of Jesus within me and therefore glorify God in my body. Amen.

Today's Writer : David Cross David Cross is now the Western Europe Director of Ellel Ministries. He trained as an engineer, built bridges in Hong Kong and ran a ski school in Scotland before he and his wife Denise joined Ellel Ministries in 1993. His recent books on Soul-Ties and Covering are already best-sellers.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Where Do Your Roots Go?

Where Do Your Roots Go?

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."
Colossians 2:6-8, NIV.

Where do your roots go? This is an important question for everyone who seeks to gain maturity in Christ. It’s key. Because, no matter how good the food (teaching and ministry) you personally receive, unless you’re rooted in good ground you still won’t be able to grow to significant depth.

What do I mean by roots? Your roots are what you stand on - the place where you get your stability, the ideas or policies on which you’ve built your personal strength. In this difficult world it’s so easy for us to root ourselves in wrong things. Things like our skills or ability to produce money, our assets or family inheritance, our reputation or qualification, our past successes, relationships or contacts, or maybe an ability to manipulate. There are countless things waiting for us to lean on them for strength, and an enemy waiting in the wings to encourage us to do so.

In order to move on as a disciple of Jesus however, trust in these worldly things has to go - not just in a surface decision, but in the depths of our hearts. Trust instead must be put in Christ Jesus who has promised to be our provider - "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), our strength - "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13) and our help in times of trouble - "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour" (Luke 4:18-19). That doesn’t usually happen in five minutes, as deep choices often take time to commit to wholeheartedly; but what a joy when the day comes that your heart no longer looks to the things of this world for strength, stability or identity.

When rooted in Christ we’re no longer blown around by the winds of this world. Not becoming some kind of heartless machine immune to the difficulties of life, but instead having an inner strength which isn’t based on circumstance and therefore cannot be stolen or broken by the enemy.

Where are you at on this journey today? Don’t receive condemnation if you know deep in your heart you still lean on the things of this world, but look to God to lead you on to fullness in Christ and ask Him to reveal and ‘unroot’ your bad roots in His timing. As He reveals them to you and you agree with Him, dealing with any sin as you’re convicted, your roots will begin to move to the good ground that is Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You are my Saviour, my Redeemer, my Lord and my King. Thank You that it’s possible for me to be rooted in You and that You are trustworthy to hold such a position. Lord, I long to live my life in You and I ask that You break down every wrong root in my life that gives me wrong strength. Let me be built up in You to be a strong (man or woman) of God. Thank You for loving me so deeply, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today's Writer : Richard Fila Richard Fila has a background in IT Consultancy and Accountancy Practice. He first came to know Ellel Ministries at Ellel Grange in 2006 and has since attended the NETS school at Ellel Pierrepont. He now works for the Corporate Support Team based at Pierrepont which supports the Ellel centres located around the world.

Monday, April 2, 2012

LESSONS FROM THE TITANIC

LESSONS FROM THE TITANIC

Morning Devotions with Chris Witts

One of the memorable movies I’ve seen is “Titanic” – the 1997 film based on the story of the tragic sinking of the “unsinkable ship”, RMS Titanic ..April 14, 1912, when the biggest maritime disaster of all time happened at 11.40pm. I guess we all know basically what happened when the ship hit an iceberg . The iceberg glanced the side of the ship causing her plates to buckle and rivets to pop below the water line 300 feet in length. And the Titanic was doomed .. there was a total of 2,206 people on board this magnificent ocean liner .. It broke in two and only 705 passengers and crew were rescued. What a tragedy. There’s a lot to this story .. but it was said back then that this ship could never sink, and people boasted “not even God Himself could sink the Titanic”. What a strange statement .. it seems that they felt they were in charge of their own destiny. How wrong were they. They had no fear of the elements, or the deep ocean. It was believed man’s intelligence and wisdom could conquer the universe.

The passengers ( many of whom were very wealthy and well known) had every confidence in this world class ship that everything was under control ..they thought everything had been provided. On that disastrous night, they were ordered to put on life jackets, but some refused saying they didn't want to get dirty and mess up their evening gowns. Some were urged to get into the boats and they said, "Why should we get into the boats and go out into the cold night, when we'll just be coming back on board in a few minutes? Many of them laughed when the porters and stewards tried to warn them that the ship was going to go down. An absolute tragedy.
This movie reminded me that life is unpredictable ..indeed James Cameron, the film’s producer and director himself said “the lesson of this story is – life is uncertain, the future unknowable, the unthinkable possible”. No-one on board RMS Titanic that day believed they were in deep trouble and in risk of losing their life. It couldn’t happen.. The loss of the Titanic left a shaken world in disbelief and made people stop and think ..but I found Psalm 108: 12 helpful. It says “Give us help from trouble, for no-one else can rescue us”. How true that was for these poor people – a nearby ship ignored the distress call and was too late to save most of the passengers and crew. Many drowned in the terrible icy waters of the ocean. God is in charge of our world and He alone has the power to help us. Nothing else can protect us.

In Ecclesiastes 9, Solomon says “as long as we are alive we still have hope..life is short.. the fastest runners and the greatest heroes don’t always win races and battles. Wisdom, intelligence and skill don’t always make you healthy, rich or popular. We each have our share of bad luck. V12 – “none of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap”. So this wise man urges us to make the most of life while we can .. We live as if we are the master of our own fate, the captain of our soul. How foolish we are!
James 4:14, “How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog - now you see it, soon it is gone.” (Living Bible). This verse is quite a shock, but it’s absolutely true. How long will you live? The passengers on board the Titanic had no idea of what was to happen on 14 April 1912. They were having a good time ( well many of them were depending on their social status and privilege I guess) and enjoying the best of everything, with no inkling of tragedy looming .. so what lesson is there out of this? Simply
Celebrate every day of your life to the fullest. Don‟t get so involved in planning for tomorrow that you fail to appreciate today. “What is your life?” Tomorrow can be an enemy because your life isn’t lived out tomorrow. It’s lived out in today. A study years ago asked 3,000 people, “What do you have to live for?” Psychologists were shocked that 94% said they were simply enduring the present waiting for something exciting to happen tomorrow. The reality is we don’t know what tomorrow is like. The passengers had no idea of that iceberg.

Remember that line from Kipling‟s poem: “If you can dream and not let dreams become your master then you‟ll be a man, my son.” A lot of us allow our dreams to master us. “We’re going to enjoy life someday, when we get more secure and get our problems solved.”. 1,500 men, women and children were killed in the early hours of that April morning.

Source: Chris Witts

SET FREE

SET FREE

Morning Devotions with Chris Witts

I wonder if you can remember back to October 1987 when a little 18 month old girl named Jessica McClure had fallen into a well shaft in Midland, Texas. She had only been left alone for a few moments in her aunt's back yard. She had playfully dangled her feet over a very innocent looking eight inch wide hole in the ground. But when Jessica tried to stand up, she slipped into the hole, one leg up and one leg down, and found herself wedged in the pipe 22 feet below the surface. Rescuers drilled a 29 foot shaft parallel to the well and then bored a five foot horizontal tunnel through solid rock in an attempt to reach Jessica. All the while, medical people were worried that dehydration and shock would take her life before the rescuers could get there. The rescue took far longer than anyone expected. The solid rock, plus equipment failure, meant that it took 58 hours before they could reach little Jessica. But they finally bored through and reached her, but the way she was wedged in the pipe, they couldn't move her! Medical personnel hooked up monitors to her and they discovered the worst - that she didn't have any time left - that critical point between life and death had arrived. The medical personnel conferred and they told the rescuers pull hard - she has no time left- you may have to break her to save her! And they pulled! And miraculously, little Jessica popped free without any serious injuries. It was an amazing rescue and many thousands of people watched this unfold on TV news around the world, and had prayed for her recovery. She had been rescued from overwhelming odds.

Life is sometimes like that – a desperate effort to overcome difficulties or the odds we may face, whatever they are. No matter how bad it looks, no matter how hopeless and helpless we feel, there is God. And God can and often does make a way. We learn that this God is none other than the God that made heaven and earth, this is the God who was Lord over history who weaves every event of history into his perfect plan of salvation for his people. This is a God who is Lord over every cell in your body and mine. This is a God who cannot be handcuffed. This is a God who is omnipotent. This is a God who can deliver. God is on our side. This God is for us always, even when you and I are against Him, even when we sin and turn our backs on Him. He still is for us, and my friends, that is the awesomeness of grace. That this God loves you and me so unconditionally and infinitely in Jesus Christ, that this God by the power of his Holy Spirit is for us and can make a way for you and me no matter what we are up against. This God is for us, this God can deliver. I can think of a song that says “God can make a way when there is no other way”. Written by Don Moen on an airplane as he travelled to attend his nephew’s funeral. His nephew had been killed in a car accident and these words came to him. “God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me., He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side, with love and strength for each new day He will make a way. By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me and rivers in the desert will I see. Heaven and earth will fade but His Word will still remain, He will do something new today”.
Psalm 50:15 “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me”.
The story is told of an only survivor of a wreck who was thrown on an uninhabited island. After a while he managed to build himself a hut, in which he placed the little that he had saved from the wreck. He prayed to God for deliverance, and anxiously scanned the horizon each day to hail any passing ship. One day on returning from a hunt for food he was horrified to find his hut in flames—all he had had gone up in smoke. The worst had happened it seemed. But that which seemed to have happened for the worst was in reality for the best. The next day a ship arrived. “We saw your smoke signal,” the captain said. If our lives are in God’s hands “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).

Wallace Johnson, builder of numerous Holiday Inn motels and convalescent hospitals, said, “When I was forty years old. I worked in a sawmill. One morning the boss told me. ‘You’re fired!’ Depressed and discouraged, I felt like the world had caved in on me. It was during the depression, and my wife and I greatly needed the small wages I had been earning.” When I went home, I told my wife what had happened. She asked, ‘What are you going to do now?’“ I replied, ‘I’m going to mortgage our little home, and go into the building business.’ “My first venture was the construction of two small buildings. Within five years, I was a multi-millionaire! “Today, if I could locate the man who fired me, I would sincerely thank him for what he did. At the time it happened, I didn’t understand why I was fired. Later, I saw that it was God’s unerring and wondrous plan to get me into the way of His choosing!”

Psalm 91:15B I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

Source: Chris Witts

MONEY MAD

MONEY MAD

Morning Devotions with Chris Witts

I recently came across the inspiring story of Bill Borden who was bought up in a very wealthy aristocratic family. There was plenty of money in this family ..his father made a fortune in real estate in Chicago and silver mining in Colorado. By 1908, Bill was worth $1 million, which in today’s standard is about $40 million. He had everything – good education and on his way to making a personal fortune. But something very dramatic happened. He heard the preacher Dwight L Moody and gave his life to Jesus Christ and became a practicing Christian. His whole life changed, and at age 25 he did the unthinkable. He gave away his entire fortune – half to the church and the other half to overseas church missions. It made headlines throughout America. His university friends thought had had gone mad ..He felt God called him to be a missionary and so at age 26 he left to work as a missionary in Egypt and then to a remote part of China. Tragically, his life was cut short because he died of spinal meningitis after arriving in Cairo. His family were deeply shocked, But after his funeral, someone found his Bible which was handed to his Mum & Dad and inside was a note that said ‘No reserves. No retreat. No regrets”. I thought this was an inspiring story. There are times when following God’s way is more valuable than amassing a fortune.

Money is not everything, in spite of what so many people think. Many of us hold money in high regard. Some of us may worship and covet it.. Money cannot buy happiness, but I guess it is indispensible for allowing you and those you love to lead a healthy and happy life ..but there’s a lot more in this topic than we first realize.

What were you taught about money as you were growing up? Something like "money doesn't grow on trees", or "money is the root of all evil", or maybe "all rich people are greedy"? Psychology Today magazine did a study back in May 1981 about the influence of money on people’s lives. The survey showed that people who are “money conscious” don’t have a satisfactory relationship with others, and they tend to be troubled by constant worry, anxiety and loneliness.

Henry Fielding said “make money your God and it will plague you like the devil”. Money is something that is with us every day. And it is used - saved - spent - scrounged and squeezed every day in our lives. People will do anything for money. And it makes you think doesn’t it? How better to find God as our rock solid foundation, instead of money. God values you more than any amount of money. He loves you for eternity. Money ends when we die.

It’s time to see what Jesus said about money, for in fact He spoke about money quite a lot. Why? Because He realized how it can trip us up in life. He knew how distracting money can be when it's out of control. And He knew the power of it and how easily it can get a strangle hold on us spiritually. Luke tells us in chapter 12 of his gospel “As thousands of people crowded around Jesus and were stepping on each other .. a man in the crowd said ‘teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of what our father left us when he died’. Jesus answered ‘who gave me the right to settle arguments between you and your brother?’ Then He said to the crowd ‘Don’t be greedy. Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe”. (v1,13-15). Another version says "Beware! Don't be greedy for what you don't have. Real life is not measured by how much we own." (Luke 12:15) This is important teaching today because so many think that wealth equals success. But says who? God’s Word doesn’t say that. The truth is, however, that becoming the person God wants you to be on the inside and achieving the goals He sets for your life make you successful. Money or wealth or the lack of it has virtually nothing to do with you becoming the person God wants you to be... God is never impressed by monetary wealth. He is impressed by our obedience, our faith, and our reliance upon Him to guide us in all matters. Jesus simply said it like this - Be on your guard. Beware. Don't fall into the trap of being greedy for what you don't have. Be content. Your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions.

Your life isn't about your stuff and things or what you own. Or your investment portfolio. Your life is worth so much more than that.

Jesus was saying this. Significance does not come from being worth money. Significance comes from realizing who God has made you to be and living in the daily knowledge that God values your life and that He loves you beyond measure. It is only when we get a true picture of our worth in God's eyes...that we will know true significance..

You are valuable not because of what you have, but because of who you are. Your value comes from God. He values us more than we will ever know.

Source: Chris Witts

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

204. Hasil iman - Markus 5:25-34

Alkitab berkata,"bahwa iman tanpa perbuatan, pada hakekatnya mati. Tanpa iman, tidak ada seorangpun yg berkenan kepada Allah. Itu juga berarti, bila kita beriman, kita juga pasti berkenan kepada Allah. Berkenan kepada Allah, bukan berarti bahwa Allah senang kapada kita, tersenyum kepada kita dan berkata,"Anakku, apa yg engkau buat adalah baik!

Tetapi saya percaya bahwa bila Allah berkenan kepada kita, maka hal-hal yg luar biasa akan terjadi. Jika Allah berkenan kepada kita, Allah sembuhkan sakit kita, Allah akan berkati masa muda kita, keluarga kita akan selalu diberkati, jika Allah berkenan kepada kita, maka jalan kita akan terus maju dan tidak mundur. Kita akan terus naik dan tidak turun. Kita akan melihat perkara-perkara yg luar biasa di dalam hidup kita. Oleh karena itu, saya percaya bahwa iman bukanlah sebuah konsep, tetapi iman adalah sebuah pengalaman pribadi berjalan melalui kemenangan bersama Yesus setiap hari, haleluya!

Kita lihat di Markus 5: 25Adalah di situ seorang perempuan yang sudah dua belas tahun lamanya menderita pendarahan. 26Ia telah berulang-ulang diobati oleh berbagai tabib, sehingga telah dihabiskannya semua yang ada padanya, namun sama sekali tidak ada faedahnya malah sebaliknya keadaannya makin memburuk. 27Dia sudah mendengar berita-berita tentang Yesus, maka di tengah-tengah orang banyak itu ia mendekati Yesus dari belakang dan menjamah jubah-Nya. 28Sebab katanya: "Asal kujamah saja jubah-Nya, aku akan sembuh." 29Seketika itu juga berhentilah pendarahannya dan ia merasa, bahwa badannya sudah sembuh dari penyakitnya. 30Pada ketika itu juga Yesus mengetahui, bahwa ada tenaga yang keluar dari diri-Nya, lalu ia berpaling di tengah orang banyak dan bertanya: "Siapa yang menjamah jubah-Ku?" 31Murid-murid-Nya menjawab: "Engkau melihat bagaimana orang-orang ini berdesak-desakan dekat-Mu, dan Engkau bertanya: Siapa yang menjamah Aku?" 32Lalu ia memandang sekeliling-Nya untuk melihat siapa yang telah melakukan hal itu. 33Perempuan itu, yang menjadi takut dan gemetar ketika mengetahui apa yang telah terjadi atas dirinya, tampil dan tersungkur di depan Yesus dan dengan tulus memberitahukan segala sesuatu kepada-Nya. 34Maka kata-Nya kepada perempuan itu: "Hai anak-Ku, imanmu telah menyelamatkan engkau. Pergilah dengan selamat dan sembuhlah dari penyakitmu!"

Saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, wanita ini sudah 12 tahun mengalami pendarahan, dia sudah datang ke berbagai tabib, keadaannya bukan semakin membaik, tetapi semakin memburuk, hartanya habis sama sekali, kelihatannya sebagai manusia, wanita ini sudah tidak memiliki pengharapan sama sekali, tetapi dengar baik, imannya...itulah yg menyelamatkan dia. Mungkin saudara berkata,"bukankah Yesus yg menyembuhkan dia, betul!

Tetapi tidakkah saudara mengerti bahwa Yesus ada di sana, dan orang banyak berdesak-desakan dan berbondong-bondong di dekat Dia. Pertanyaannya, apakah orang banyak itu tidak ada masalah? Semuanya pasti memiliki masalah, tetapi pertanyaannya, kenapa hanya wanita ini yg meraih mujijat dan disembuhkan? Jawabannya sederhana, karena yg lain hanya mau menonton dan menyaksikan apa yg terjadi? Tetapi, wanita ini datang pada Yesus, bukannya ingin pegang-pegang Yesus atau ingin melihat wajah Yesus itu seperti apa?

Tetapi, wanita ini datang kepada Yesus dengan iman. Sementara orang banyak sedang bersentuhan dan bersenggolan dengan Yesus, dan berdesak-desakan. Tetapi Yesus tidak peduli, sampai Yesus merasa bahwa ujung jubahNYA dijamah dan merasa ada tenaga yang keluar. Iman mendatangkan Kuasa Allah keluar dari diri Allah sendiri dan menjamah perempuan ini. Tahukah saudara bahwa banyak orang yg berdoa, tetapi tidak menghasilkan apa-apa. Atau ada banyak orang pelayanan-pelayanan, tetapi tidak menghasilkan apa-apa.

Lalu ada orang yg berkata,"bahwa saya dekat Yesus, tetapi tidak menghasilkan apa-apa!" Tetapi, kenapa ada orang lain yg terima mujijat/terima kemenangan. Ada orang yg rumah tangganya dipulihkan, tetapi saya tidak terima apa-apa. Jawaban saya sederhana, karena orang lain hanya berdesak-desakan/ikut-ikutan, tetapi wanita ini menjamah Yesus dengan iman, dengan kepastian, bahwa Yesus akan berbuat sesuatu bagiNYA. Saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, bila kita berdoa dengan iman, bila kita melayani dengan iman, berbuat sesuatu dalam ibadah kita dengan iman.

Saya percaya bahwa sesuatu yg luar biasa akan terjadi buat saudara. Bila saudara mengikuti program ini dengan iman, berdoa dengan iman, saudara buka hati dengan iman, saya percaya bahwa sesuatu yg ajaib akan terjadi buat saudara. Karena Yesus Tuhan tidak berubah, dulu, sekarang dan selama-lamanya.
Bagaimana iman kita bisa menghasilkan sesuatu dalam hidup kita:

1. Iman kita akan menghasilkan sesuatu bila kita tidak menyerah
Kita lihat ayat yg ke-25Adalah di situ seorang perempuan yang sudah dua belas tahun lamanya menderita pendarahan. Ini perempuan menderita, dan sudah 12 tahun, kemudian di ayat yg ke-26Ia telah berulang-ulang diobati oleh berbagai tabib, sehingga telah dihabiskannya semua yang ada padanya, namun sama sekali tidak ada faedahnya malah sebaliknya keadaannya makin memburuk. Saudara bisa bayangkan, sebetulnya dia sudah sangat kecewa. Kemudian di ayat yg ke-27Dia sudah mendengar berita-berita tentang Yesus, maka di tengah-tengah orang banyak itu ia mendekati Yesus dari belakang dan menjamah jubah-Nya.

Ada banyak alasan untuk wanita ini, agar dia lemah, patah semangat, dan tidak punya iman lagi! Tetapi, ada 1 kata yg bisa kita tiru: "dia tidak pernah menyerah..., dia tidak pernah menyerah!" Tantangan boleh berat, masalah boleh berat, tetapi ada 1 yg tidak pernah hilang di dalam hidupnya, yaitu:semangat, semangat untuk meraih mujijat, semangat untuk sembuh, semangat untuk tetap percaya dan bergantung kepada Yesus, dan Yesus tidak pernah gagal.

Saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, saya mengerti...mungkin badai besar sedang menerpa hidup saudara, tantangan-tantangan berat mungkin sedang saudara jalani. Tetapi ingat, selama engkau masih mau bertahan, selalu ada jalan keluar di dalam Yesus. Selama engkau tetap beriman kepada Yesus, tetap ada jalan keluar. Kapan mujijat tidak pernah terjadi lagi? Saat kita menyerah! Tetapi selama engkau masih mau bangkit dan mau bertanding, selama engkau masih tetap mau berjalan, Yesus pasti akan beri jalan keluar buat saudara. Ingat, iman kita akan menghasilkan sesuatu asal kita tidak menyerah! Jadikanlah Allah sebagai teman dalam hidup saudara, Yesus sumber kehidupan kita!

2. Iman akan hasilkan sesuatu jika ada kuasa yg mengalir
Ayat ke-29Seketika itu juga berhentilah pendarahannya dan ia merasa, bahwa badannya sudah sembuh dari penyakitnya. 30Pada ketika itu juga Yesus mengetahui, bahwa ada tenaga yang keluar dari diri-Nya, lalu ia berpaling di tengah orang banyak dan bertanya: "Siapa yang menjamah jubah-Ku?" Apa artinya Kuasa Yesus mengalir?
Ada banyak orang yg berpikir bahwa beriman itu sama dengan percaya diri. Percaya diri berarti bahwa saya menggantungkan kemampuan saya pada diri saya sendiri.

Tetapi, bila iman saya bergantung pada Tuhan, pada Allah yg hidup, pada Dia yg bagiNYA tidak ada perkara yg mustahil, saya yakin bahwa Allah saya luar biasa. Saya percaya bahwa kuasa itu akan mengalir, mujijat akan terjadi!

3. Iman akan menghasilkan sesuatu bila kita datang apa adanya
Kita lihat ayat yg ke-33Perempuan itu, yang menjadi takut dan gemetar ketika mengetahui apa yang telah terjadi atas dirinya, tampil dan tersungkur di depan Yesus dan dengan tulus memberitahukan segala sesuatu kepada-Nya. Perempuan itu begitu jujur, meskipun air mata mengalir, dia tidak memiliki siapa-siapa lagi, tidak punya apa-apa lagi.

Itulah Yesus bilang,"Kalau kamu tidak datang seperti anak-anak, kamu tidak akan bisa menjadi pewaris Kerajaan Sorga! Kenapa Yesus bicara mengenai anak-anak? Karena anak-anak polos, apa adanya. Inilah yg Yesus cari, orang-orang yg tidak menutup-nutupi dirinya, tetapi datang dengan apadanya,"Tuhan, dengan kekurangan dan kelemahan saya, Engkau terima apa adanya, dan percayalah bahwa Tuhan akan mengerjakan mujijat bagi saudara!"

Doa:
Bapa, dalam Nama Yesus, hamba berdoa, untuk setiap kami yg berbeban berat, yg sedang mengalami pergumulan, di dalam Allah tidak ada perkara yg mustahil. Di dalam Nama Yesus Tuhan jamah, Tuhan bangkitkan imannya. Sehingga kita boleh melihat mujijat dan kemenangan yg luar biasa! Biarlah iman kita bisa menghasilkan sesuatu dan memberikan kemuliaan bagi Tuhan, amin!

Monday, March 12, 2012

203. Beriman di tengah keputusan yg sulit - Markus 5:21-24, 35-43

Saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, ketika keadaan senang, baik dan mendukung, mudah buat kita untuk beriman. Tetapi, tahukah saudara, bahwa salah 1 point yg berat untuk beriman, ketika kita harus ambil keputusan yg sulit. Kita lihat di Markus 5:
21Sesudah Yesus menyeberang lagi dengan perahu, orang banyak berbondong-bondong datang lalu mengerumuni Dia. Sedang Ia berada di tepi danau, 22datanglah seorang kepala rumah ibadat yang bernama Yairus. Ketika ia melihat Yesus, tersungkurlah ia di depan kaki-Nya23dan memohon dengan sangat kepada-Nya: "Anakku perempuan sedang sakit, hampir mati, datanglah kiranya dan letakkanlah tangan-Mu atasnya, supaya ia selamat dan tetap hidup." 24Lalu pergilah Yesus dengan orang itu. Orang banyak berbondong-bondong mengikuti Dia dan berdesak-desakan di dekat-Nya.
35Ketika Yesus masih berbicara datanglah orang dari keluarga kepala rumah ibadat itu dan berkata: "Anakmu sudah mati, apa perlunya lagi engkau menyusah-nyusahkan Guru?" 36Tetapi Yesus tidak menghiraukan perkataan mereka dan berkata kepada kepala rumah ibadat: "Jangan takut, percaya saja!"37Lalu Yesus tidak memperbolehkan seorangpun ikut serta, kecuali Petrus, Yakobus dan Yohanes, saudara Yakobus. 38Mereka tiba di rumah kepala rumah ibadat, dan di sana dilihat-Nya orang-orang ribut, menangis dan meratap dengan suara nyaring. 39Sesudah Ia masuk Ia berkata kepada orang-orang itu: "Mengapa kamu ribut dan menangis? Anak ini tidak mati, tetapi tidur!" 40Tetapi mereka menertawakan Dia. Maka diusir-Nya semua orang itu, lalu dibawa-Nya ayah dan ibu anak itu dan mereka yang bersama-sama dengan Dia masuk ke kamar anak itu. 41Lalu dipegang-Nya tangan anak itu, kata-Nya: "Talita kum,"yang berarti: "Hai anak, Aku berkata kepadamu, bangunlah!" 42Seketika itu juga anak itu bangkit berdiri dan berjalan, sebab umurnya sudah sudah dua belas tahun. Semua orang yang hadir sangat takjub. 43Dengan sangat Ia berpesan kepada mereka, supaya jangan seorangpun mengetahui hal itu, lalu Ia menyuruh mereka memberi anak itu makan.

Nah, saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, saudara bisa bayangkan bahwa Yairus sedang berada di tengah kesulitan besar. Kenapa dia ada di tengah keputusan yg sulit? Karena, saat itu anaknya perempuan yg baru berumur 12 tahun sedang sakit keras dan hampir mati. Naluri ke-BapaanNYA akan berkata begini,"Biarlah kalau dia mati, dia mati di tangan saya." Itu adalah naluri seorang Bapa. Tetapi, naluri sebagai orang percaya,"aku akan mencari Yesus kemana saja sampai saya dapatkan, karena buat Yesus tidak ada perkara yg mustahil!"

Dia berada di tengah keputusan yg sulit, karena menurut kejiwaan, saya sangat sedih karena saya tidak dapat bersama dengan anak saya, saya hanya akan merasa puas sampai melihat anak ini mati dan menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya. Tetapi secara rohani, apa artinya? Karena saya tidak bisa menolongnya. Dan hanya Yesuslah yg merupakan satu-satunya jalan keluar. Dan saya percaya bahwa orang banyak mendukung keputusan yg pertama,"Janganlah kamu tinggalkan anak ini lama-lama, nanti kalau ada apa-apa, kamu pasti menyesal!"

Tetapi akhirnya Yairus mengambil keputusan yang sangat tidak familiar, ia mungkin tidak disukai orang, kita pasti berpikir, apa yg akan dipikirkan oleh istri Yairus, orang-orang banyak. Mungkin mereka berpikir,"beriman sih...beriman...tetapi jangan nekat seperti ini dong! Tetapi, di tengah situasi yg membingungkan, Yairus terus berjalan mencari Yesus. Ketika Yairus berbicara dengan Yesus, ada seorang wanita yg sakit dan menarik jubah Yesus, kemudian wanita itu sembuh.

Setelah kejadian itu, saudara Yairus berkata,"anakmu sudah mati, buat apa engkau susahkan guru!" Dan saya percaya ketika Yairus mendengar suara itu, saya yakin air matanya mengalir dan menangis! Kalimat itu bukan hanya mengabarkan bahwa anaknya mati, tetapi kalimat tersebut ada berbau tuduhan,"keputusanmu salah....kenapa engkau sebagai Bapa tidak bertanggung jawab!" Imanmu gagal, anakmu bukan semakin baik, tetapi ia mati! Tetapi Yesus dengan tenang menatap Yairus dan berkata,"Jangan takut, percaya saja!" Ada pelajaran yg menarik dari peristiwa tersebut:

1. Iman kita seringkali membawa kita pada posisi pilihan yg sulit
Iman seringkali membuat kita ambil keputusan yg sulit. Apakah saya harus tinggalkan pacar saya yg belum kenal Tuhan? Atau saya harus tetap bersama dia, karena saya sangat mencintai dia. Iman dapat berkata apapun yg terjadi,saya tetap berkata,"tidak!" Dengan iman saya dapat berkata,"saya tinggalkan kebiasaan saya merokok yg sudah 12 tahun, karena itu menghancurkan tubuh saya yg adalah merupakan bait Allah!"

Walaupun temen saya ajak saya ke tempat judi, night club, diskotik. Tetapi karena saya cintai istri dan keluarga saya, saya tinggalkan semuanya itu. Iman, seringkali bawa saya pada posisi pilihan yg sulit. Pada saat saya tergoda untuk menggelapkan keuangan perusahaan, saya harus mengambil pilihan bahwa dengan iman, saya harus berjalan sesuai dengan kehendak Tuhan. Disakiti orang, secara naluri saya mau pukul orang itu, tetapi karena saya orang beriman, saya harus ambil keputusan untuk mengalah, tetapi tetap memberkati dan tidak membalas kejahatan dengan kejahatan.

2. Iman seringkali diuji dengan berita-berita dan fakta-fakta yg masuk akal
Ketika Yairus mendengar "Anakmu sudah mati, apa perlunya lagi engkau menyusah-nyusahkan Guru?" Ini adalah berita dan fakta yg masuk akal, dan memang terjadi, tetapi tetaplah beriman dan berani menghadapi situasi seperti itu. Di kala dokter berkata,"penyakitmu tidak dapat disembuhkan!"

Mungkin saudara sudah berdoa dan berpuasa, dan kesembuhan belum terjadi. Jawaban saya sederhana bahwa dalam iman kita harus tetap setia, bertahan, sampai janji Tuhan dapat kita lihat tergenapi. Meskipun berita-berita tidak masuk akal, tetaplah percaya bahwa Tuhan saya adalah setia dan adil.

3. Iman kita harus stabil
Tetapi Yesus tidak menghiraukan perkataan mereka dan berkata kepada kepala rumah ibadat: "Jangan takut, percaya saja!" Air mata boleh mengalir, tetapi langkah kita haruslah terus berjalan. Hati kita boleh kecewa dan gelisah, dan secara manusia kita boleh berkata,"Tuhan, saya engga tahan lagi!" Tetapi, kaki kita haruslah tetap berjalan terus. Iman kita harus tetap menyala dan berkata,"sekali saya mengiring Yesus, saya tetap akan mengiring Yesus, saya tidak akan mundur...saya tidak akan mundur! Karena, Tuhanlah yg selalu akan menyertai saya!

Walaupun hari ini air mata saya mengalir, tetapi saya percaya bahwa harinya akan tiba bahwa saya akan melompat dan bersorak, Tuhan saya ajaib dan luar biasa, yg mengerjakan kemenangan-kemenangan besar!

Doa:
Bapa, kami berdoa untuk kami semua yg sedang berbeban berat dan menghadapi masalah, maupun tantangan-tantangan hidup dan harus mengambil keputusan yg sulit dalam hidup mereka, hamba percaya bahwa bagi Allah tidak ada perkara yg mustahil, di dalam Nama Yesus, Tuhan jamah, yg sakit engkau sembuhkan, yg lemah engkau kuatkan, yg sedang ambil keputusan, engkau tuntun, sehingga kami dapat mengambil keputusan yg benar. Di dalam Nama Yesus, kami berdoa, amin!

Monday, March 5, 2012

202. 2000 babi mati - Markus 5:1-20)

Firman Tuhan selalu memberi damai, selalu memberi sukacita bagi kita. Kita lihat bagaimana Yesus merelakan 2000 babi, agar 1 orang bisa dilepaskan dari ikatan roh jahat. Ada orang yg berkata,"bagaimana Yesus mau menuruti permintaan roh jahat untuk pergi ke 2000 babi, sehingga membuat rugi pengusaha babi, di dalam pelayanan pelepasan ini?"Kita lihat di Markus 5:
1Lalu sampailah mereka di seberang danau, di daerah orang Gerasa. 2Baru saja Yesus turun dari perahu, datanglah seorang yang kerasukan roh jahat dari perkuburan menemui Dia. 3Orang itu diam di sana dan tidak ada seorangpun lagi yang sanggup mengikatnya, sekalipun dengan rantai, 4karena sudah sering ia dibelenggu dan dirantai, tetapi rantainya diputuskannya dan belenggunya dimusnahkannya, sehingga tidak ada seorangpun yang cukup kuat untuk untuk menjinakkannya. 5Siang malam ia berkeliaran di pekuburan dan di bukit-bukit sambil berteriak-teriak dan memukuli dirinya dengan batu. 6Ketika ia melihat Yesus dari jauh, berlarilah ia dan mendapatkan-Nya lalu menyembah-Nya, 7dan dengan keras ia berteriak: "Apa urusan-Mu dengan aku, hai Yesus, Anak Allah Yang Mahatinggi? Demi Allah, jangan siksa aku!" 8Karena sebelumnya Yesus mengatakan kepadanya: "Hai engkau roh jahat! Keluar dari orang ini!" 9Kemudian Ia bertanya kepada orang itu: "Siapa namamu?" Jawabnya: "Namaku Legion, karena kami banyak." 10Ia memohon dengan sangat supaya Yesus jangan mengusir roh-roh itu keluar dari daerah itu. 11Adalah di sana di lereng bukit sejumlah besar babi sedang mencari makan, 12Lalu roh-roh itu meminta kepada-Nya, katanya: "Suruhlah kami pindah ke dalam babi-babi itu, biarkanlah kami memasukinya!" 13Yesus mengabulkan permintaan mereka. Lalu keluarlah roh-roh jahat itu dan memasuki babi-babi itu. Kawanan babi yang kira-kira dua ribu jumlahnya itu terjun dari tepi jurang ke dalam danau dan mati lemas di dalamnya. 14Maka larilah penjaga-penjaga babi itu dan menceritakan hal itu di kota dan di kampung-kampung sekitarnya. Lalu keluarlah orang untuk melihat apa yang terjadi. 15Mereka datang kepada Yesus dan melihat orang yang kerasukan itu duduk, sudah berpakaian dan sudah waras, orang yang tadinya kerasukan legion itu. Maka takutlah mereka. 16Orang-orang yang telah melihat sendiri hal itu menceritakan kepada mereka tentang apa yang telah terjadi atas orang yang kerasukan setan itu, dan tentang babi-babi itu. 17Lalu mereka mendesak Yesus supaya Ia meninggalkan daerah mereka. 18Pada waktu Yesus naik lagi ke dalam perahu, orang yang tadinya kerasukan setan itu meminta, supaya ia diperkenankan menyertai Dia. 19Yesus tidak memperkenankannya, tetapi Ia berkata kepada orang itu: "Pulanglah ke rumahmu, kepada orang-orang sekampungmu, dan beritahukanlah kepada mereka segala sesuatu yang telah diperbuat oleh Tuhan atasmu dan bagaimana ia telah mengasihani engkau!" 20Orang itu pun pergilah dan mulai memberitakan di daerah Dekapolis segala apa yang telah diperbuat Yesus atas dirinya dan mereka semua menjadi heran.

Pertanyaan yg seringkali kita tanyakan:"Mengapa Yesus mendengarkan perkataan roh jahat ini? Lalu, mengapa Yesus membiarkan 2000 babi mati sia-sia, bukankah itu mendatangkan kerugian yg besar. Ada beberapa hal yang menarik yg dapat kita pelajari dari ayat-ayat di atas:

1. Itu menyatakan bahwa betapa mahalnya harga jiwa
Tahukah saudara bahwa engkau berharga buat Tuhan. Saudara mungkin berkata,"tetapi saya ini orang miskin...atau...tetapi saya ini anak haram pak pendeta (saya lahir di luar pernikahan)....atau...saya ini engga punya apa-apa dalam hidup saya,...saya ini hanya seorang penjahat....,saya ini hanya seorang penzinah, yang hidup dalam dosa, engga ada orang yg mengasihani saya, atau peduli dengan saya!"

Tetapi, melalui program ini, saya mau beritahukan buat saudara bahwa saudara berharga buat Yesus. Begitu berharga jiwa saudara, sehingga Yesus mau korbankan segala-galanya demi selamatkan 1 orang. Yesus pernah berkata,"Apa artinya engkau memperoleh seluruh isi dunia ini, jika jiwamu binasa!" Dunia ini sedang mengukur harga jiwa berdasarkan kepemilikan yg dia miliki. Dengan lain kata, harga seseorang diukur dengan apa yg dia miliki, mobil apa yg dia kendarai, kedudukan apa yg dia jabat?

Tetapi saya mau beritahu bahwa di hadapan Tuhan, semua jiwa itu mahal. Meskipun engkau orang miskin yg menderita dan engga punya apa-apa, tetapi saya mau beritahu bahwa engkau berharga di hadapan Yesus. Yesus berani curahkan diriNYA mati di kayu salib, menebus dosamu supaya engkau mau diangkat, dipulihankannya dan diberkatinya dengan Kasih KaruniaNYA yg kekal. Itu sebabnya Alkitab berkata,"Tidak diinginkannya 1 orang binasa, tetapi keselamatannya yg diinginkannya, kenapa?

Karena harga jiwa itu mahal. Berarti tidak ada 1 orangpun dari kita yg mengeluh dan berkata,"Tuhan, saya engga punya apa-apa!" Tetapi, kita bisa bangkit dan berkata,"meskipun saya engga punya apa-apa, tetapi kasih Yesus menyertai saya, saya berharga di mata Tuhan, saya dikasihi Tuhan, selama saya hidup, saya mau jadi berkat bagi banyak orang, haleluya! Oleh sebab itu Allah kita adalah Allah yg anti aborsi, Allah yg anti pembunuhan, Allah yg anti merendahkan martabat orang lain. Itu sebabnya gereja yg benar tidak membedakan si kaya dan si miskin, itu sebabnya orang percaya tidak boleh menyinggung perasaan orang, hanya karena ia lebih miskin, atau kedudukannya lebih rendah. Saya mau beritahu, itu adalah kebodohan, kalaulah kita orang yg lebih kaya kemudian engkau merendahkan orang yg lebih miskin!

Atau sebaliknya, saudara merasa minder, karena saudara orang miskin...itu adalah suatu kebodohan! Karena, jiwa kita mahal di hadapan Allah. Oleh karena jiwa kita, Yesus mau curahkan darahNYA. Tidak perlu kita sebagai orang percaya merasa minder, ini saatnya saudara bangkit dan percaya, meskipun saya miskin dan tidak memiliki kedudukan yg tinggi, tetapi Yesus mencintai saya dengan cintaNYA yg kekal. Sehingga kita dapat bangkit dan berjalan di dalam kasihNYA. Ingat! Bicara tentang 2000 babi mati, ingatkan kita bahwa harga jiwa kita itu mahal!

2. Yesus tidak pernah menebus binatang
Di hadapan Yesus, binatang bukanlah sesuatu yg perlu dikorbankan. Binatang tidak masuk hitungan dan tidak mendapat tempat di dalam Kerajaan Sorga. Kadang kala ada orang yg begitu peduli dan sayang dengan anjingnya sampai ia engga peduli dengan anaknya. Atau suami yg begitu sayang dengan burungnya sampai ia engga peduli dengan istrinya. Saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, di hadapan Tuhan, binatang engga punya nilai sama sekali.

Yesus datang untuk menebus manusia dan bukan untuk menebus binatang. Jadi, 2000 babi mati, engga ada hitungannya bagi Yesus. Yesus datang dan menghargai manusia, tetapi dunia yg serba modern ini seringkali lebih peduli dengan binatang daripada manusia. Kalau saudara perhatikan, orang yg menabrak kucing/anjing...ia bisa turun dari mobil dan ambil itu binatang, tetapi bila menabrak seseorang, ia lari begitu saja!

3. Yesus siap korbankan apa saja demi kelepasan dan kebahagiaan hidup manusia
Jadi, bila saya menghadapi tantangan dan masalah, maka saya tidak perlu takut. Karena
Yesus siap korbankan apa saja demi kelepasan dan kebahagiaan hidup manusia. Saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, engkau sedang menderita kah? Engkau sedang berbeban beratkah? Inilah saatnya saudara mengingatkan diri saudara sendiri. Tuhan, 2000 tahun yg lalu, engkau ijinkah 2000 babi mati, hanya untuk kelepasan 1 orang. Hari ini, aku juga percaya bahwa engkau akan ulurkan tanganmu memberikan kelepasan, kemenangan dan berkat yg sempurna bagiku.

Doa:
Kami berdoa untuk setiap dari kami, kami menyadari bahwa Engkau adalah Tuhan yg luar biasa! Di dalam Nama Yesus, Tuhan jamah, Tuhan ulurkan tanganmu, yang sakit Tuhan sembuhkan, Tuhan angkat dan beri kekuatan baru, yg merasa tersingkir dan tak berharga, biarlah Tuhan yg meyakinkan bahwa Engkau mengasihi dan punya rencana yg indah dalam hidup mereka. Di dalam Nama Yesus, Tuhan jamah, Tuhan pulihkan dan kerjakan mujijat, sehingga perkara-perkara yg ajaib engkau kerjakan dalam kehidupan mereka. Terima kasih Bapa, amin!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

201. Orang yg dikuasai kegelapan - Markus 5:1-7

Banyak orang yg selalu beranggapan bahwa orang yg dirasuki setan adalah orang yg rambutnya acak-acakan, gila, dan selalu berteriak-teriak,"saya ingin bunuh kamu!" Tetapi tahukah saudara bahwa "orang yg duduk diam", dia bisa dikuasai oleh kegelapan. Misalnya: Orang yg sudah punya istri, anak-anak, tetapi ia masih tertarik dengan wanita lain. Apakah orang seperti ini orang biasa? Jawaban saya sederhana, orang seperti ini adalah orang yg dikuasai kegelapan.

Kadang kala, orang biasa pergi ke gereja, tetapi ia tetap lakukan hubungan sex sebelum nikah, tertarik dengan blue film. Apakah orang seperti ini orang biasa? Jawaban saya sederhana, orang seperti ini adalah orang yg dikuasai kegelapan. Kita percaya bahwa mengikut Yesus bukan berarti kita memiliki sebuah agama dan belajar tentang ajaran-ajaran yg baik. Tetapi, mengikut Yesus berarti memiliki kuasa untuk melepaskan diri dari setiap ikatan kegelapan, sehingga kita bebas.

Nah, saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, melalui program ini saya mau beritahu bahwa Yesus bukan hanya sekedar pembawa agama, tetapi Yesus membawa kelepasan dari suatu ikatan. Karena itu injil Yohanes berkata,"Jika Anak itu memerdekakan, kamu benar-benar merdeka!" Kita lihat di Markus 5:

1Lalu sampailah mereka di seberang danau, di daerah orang Gerasa. 2Baru saja Yesus turun dari perahu, datanglah seorang yang kerasukan roh jahat dari perkuburan menemui Dia. 3Orang itu diam di sana dan tidak ada seorangpun lagi yang sanggup mengikatnya, sekalipun dengan rantai, 4karena sudah sering ia dibelenggu dan dirantai, tetapi rantainya diputuskannya dan belenggunya dimusnahkannya, sehingga tidak ada seorangpun yang cukup kuat untuk untuk menjinakkannya. 5Siang malam ia berkeliaran di pekuburan dan di bukit-bukit sambil berteriak-teriak dan memukuli dirinya dengan batu. 6Ketika ia melihat Yesus dari jauh, berlarilah ia dan mendapatkan-Nya lalu menyembah-Nya, 7dan dengan keras ia berteriak: "Apa urusan-Mu dengan aku, hai Yesus, Anak Allah Yang Mahatinggi? Demi Allah, jangan siksa aku!"

Saudara bisa lihat dari kejadian di atas bahwa setan bisa menguasai seseorang. Di sisi lain, Yesus punya Kuasa yg lebih besar, sehingga setan tidak pernah tahan dalam hadirat Tuhan. Ciri-ciri orang yg sedang dikuasai kegelapan:

1. Dia senang dan tertarik dengan dunia orang mati
Kita lihat di ayat yg ke-1Lalu sampailah mereka di seberang danau, di daerah orang Gerasa. 2Baru saja Yesus turun dari perahu, datanglah seorang yang kerasukan roh jahat dari perkuburan menemui Dia. 3Orang itu diam di sana dan tidak ada seorangpun lagi yang sanggup mengikatnya, sekalipun dengan rantai,...

Ada orang yg senang belajar dan terus tertarik dengan dunia orang mati. Orang yg senang berdoa di kuburan. Tahukah saudara bahwa ini adalah tanda bahwa Roh Jahat itu sedang membelenggu hidup kita, Roh jahat sedang menguasai dan mengikat hidup kita.
Sehingga, apa yg terjadi? Kita adalah orang yg hidup dan sebagai orang yg hidup, kita tidak ada hubungannya dengan orang mati. Tetapi, banyak orang yg saat dia menghadapi masalah, ia berusaha memanggil opanya yg sudah mati, dan berdoa,"Engkong...tolong saya, saat ini saya sedang menderita." Padahal opa/engkongnya sudah lama mati.

Nah, saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, orang yg sedang dikuasai kegelapan, selalu memandangnya kepada kematian dan dunia orang mati. Seringkali bermimpi dengan orang-orang yg sudah mati. Saudara bila dalam mimpi anda bertemu dengan orang-orang yg sudah mati, saudara harus berani berkata,"dalam Nama Yesus, setan keluar!" Karena, orang mati yg menjumpai saudara, itu bukan orang yg sebenarnya, tetapi itu adalah Roh Jahat yg menyerupai mereka. Janganlah anda tertipu, karena gelap dan terang tidak dapat bersatu!

Alkitab berkata bahwa antara yang hidup dan mati terpisahkan oleh jurang yg tidak dapat terseberangi. Jadi sekali lagi, orang yg dikuasai kegelapan tertarik dengan dunia orang mati, senang berada di kuburan, coba-coba untuk cari kekuatan di sana.

2. Orang tersebut tidak dapat dikendalikan
Kita lihat pada ayat yg ke-3Orang itu diam di sana dan tidak ada seorangpun lagi yang sanggup mengikatnya, sekalipun dengan rantai, 4karena sudah sering ia dibelenggu dan dirantai, tetapi rantainya diputuskannya dan belenggunya dimusnahkannya, sehingga tidak ada seorangpun yang cukup kuat untuk untuk menjinakkannya. Seringkali kita jumpai orang yg tidak mau ditegur/diatur, dan orang itu kadang bingung dengan dirinya sendiri, kenapa saya begini?

Nah, saudaraku yg kekasih di saat seperti itu, hanya Yesus yg dapat tolong saudara. Mungkin saudara punya anak yg sudah tidak dapat ditegur lagi. Saudara maki diapun sudah tidak ada gunanya lagi. Memukuli diapun, itupun hanya menghancurkan tubuhnya. Jiwanya sedang sangat tertutup, dan rohnya sedang sangat terbelenggu. Perintahkanlah di dalam Nama Yesus dengan doa saudara, panggil Nama Yesus, minta Yesus lepaskan belenggu yg ada di dalam RohNYA. Dan ingat, doa orang benar besar kuasanya.

Alkitab bilang bahwa peperangan kita bukan melawan darah dan daging, tetapi melalui Roh-roh jahat yg ada di udara. Ada seorang yg berkata kepada saya,"pendeta, suami saya sepertinya sudah tidak bisa dikendalikan lagi!" Saudara berdoalah, minta Kuasa Tuhan menjamah hidupnya. Karena, bila saudara memaki dia, itu hanya akan mempercepat proses perceraian. Saudara berdoa, agar Roh jahat dihancurkan dalam hidupnya, agar suami saudara dapat kembali kepada kasih Tuhan.

3. Jiwanya tidak tenang
Ayat yg ke-5Siang malam ia berkeliaran di pekuburan dan di bukit-bukit sambil berteriak-teriak dan memukuli dirinya dengan batu. Kita lihat ciri yg ke-3, biasanya orang tersebut tidak dapat tinggal diam, dan musik-musik rock biasanya menjadi pelampiasan dari orang-orang yg dikuasai kegelapan, sehingga mereka bisa berteriak sekenceng-kencengnya. Mereka sering kali memaki orang seenaknya, menyakiti orang lain dengan kata-kata yg kasar.

Mereka senang menyiksa dirinya sendiri dengan obat-obatan terlarang, senangnya kebut-kebutan dan berjalan dekat sekali dengan kematian. Karena iblis itu datang untuk mencuri, membunuh dan kemudian membinasakan.

4. Tidak mau berjalan dalam otoritas Allah
Ayat yang ke-6Ketika ia melihat Yesus dari jauh, berlarilah ia dan mendapatkan-Nya lalu menyembah-Nya, 7dan dengan keras ia berteriak: "Apa urusan-Mu dengan aku, hai Yesus, Anak Allah Yang Mahatinggi? Demi Allah, jangan siksa aku!"
Orang ini bisa saja tahu hal-hal yg sifatnya rohani, tetapi tidak mau berjalan dalam otoritas Allah, tidak mau dipimpin, tidak mau diatur, tidak mau dikendalikan sesuai dengan Firman Tuhan, pedahal dia tahu hal-hal rohani.

Jangan saudara pikir bahwa orang yg dikuasai kegelapan, ia tidak pergi ke gereja. Ia bisa saja rajin ke gereja, baca Alkitab. Tetapi Alkitab tidak mengendalikan hidupnya. Ia hanya mencari ayat-ayat yg menyenangkan, ayat-ayat yg dia sukai untuk dia pakai menyerang orang lain. Itu sebabnya, ketika orang itu datang, hanya 1 yg dia takuti, yaitu Yesus sendiri. Itu sebabnya, kalau anda tidak bisa ngomong lagi dengan suami/istri saudara, maupun anak saudara. Saya mau ingatkan bahwa sekuat apapun setan yg berusaha membelenggu hidup seseorang, tetap ia harus tunduk pada kuasa Yesus.

Karena itu pergunakanlah Nama Yesus, doa dengan iman, dan jangan menyerah! Janganlah anda berkata,"saya tidak tahu lagi apa yg harus saya perbuat dengan anak saya/istri/suami saya, keadaan sekeliling saya?" Tetapi, sebagai hamba Allah saya mau ingatkan bahwa Yesus punya kuasa yg cukup untuk menaklukan setiap kuasa kegelapan ini. Mungkin saat ini saudara sedang dikuasai kegelapan, hidup saudara tidak tenang, dan saudara tidak kebetulan mengikuti program ini. Tuhan sedang ingin menjamah saudara. Yesus mau memulihkan hidup saudara dan buat sesuatu yg ajaib dalam hidup saudara. Saya percaya bahwa hari ini adalah hari kemenangan saudara.

Doa:
Di dalam Nama Yesus, hamba berdoa bagi kami yg saat ini mungkin merasa sedang dikuasai kegelapan. Di dalam Nama Yesus kami patahkan setiap belenggu yg menghalangi hidup kami, biar Tuhan jamah dan pemulihan terjadi, haleluya, amin!

Monday, February 20, 2012

200. Meredakan angin ribut - Markus 4:35-41

35Pada hari itu, waktu hari sudah petang, Yesus berkata kepada mereka: "Marilah kita bertolak ke seberang." 36Mereka meninggalkan orang banyak itu lalu bertolak dan membawa Yesus beserta dengan mereka dalam perahu di mana Yesus telah duduk dan perahu-perahu lain juga menyertai Dia. 37Lalu mengamuklah taufan yang sangat dahsyat dan ombak menyembur masuk ke dalam perahu, sehingga perahu itu mulai penuh dengan air. 38Pada waktu itu Yesus sedang tidur di buritan di sebuah tilam. Maka murid-murid-Nya membangunkan Dia dan berkata kepada-Nya: "Guru, Engkau tidak peduli kalau kita binasa?" 39Ia pun bangun, menghardik angin itu dan berkata kepada danau itu: "Diam! Tenanglah!" Lalu angin itu reda dan danau itu menjadi teduh sekali. 40Lalu Ia berkata kepada mereka: "Mengapa kamu begitu takut? Mengapa kamu tidak percaya?" 41Mereka menjadi sangat takut dan berkata seorang kepada yang lain: "Siapa gerangan orang ini, sehingga angin dan danau pun taat kepada-Nya?"

Murid-murid Yesus begitu panik dan ketakutan luar biasa, Petrus yg begitu mengenal danau itu, ia mengenal badai dan angin, karena Petrus adalah seorang nelayan. Tetapi semua murid pada hari itu begitu terkejut, dan takut serta sibuk mengeluarkan air dari perahu, dan akhirnya mereka sampai pada kesimpulan bahwa kita semua ini akan binasa. Jadi, sebagai seorang yg ahli, orang yg mengenal laut, orang yg mengenal danau, semua orang berkata bahwa tidak ada jalan keluar lain! Tetapi, apa yg terjadi?

Ketika dibangunkannya Yesus, Yesus dengan tenang, bangun dan menghardik,"Diam! Tenanglah! Dan saat itu juga, angin dan badai tenang. Mungkin Petrus yg masih tercengang berpikir,"kenapa engga dari tadi yah saya bangunkan Yesus!" Lihat, saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, kadang kala kita begitu panik, kadang kala kita begitu bingung, yah...hancur deh..rumah tangga saya, yah...hancur deh....bisnis saya...yah...hancur deh masa muda saya.....wah..saya pasti binasa.

Tetapi, kalau segala sesuatunya kita bawa kepada Yesus, kita panggil Nama Yesus, saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, Yesus selalu punya jalan keluar yg terbaik buat anak-anakNYA, haleluya! Ada pelajaran-pelajaran menarik, bagaimana kita bisa meredakan angin ribut:

1. Tetap biarkan Yesus yg memimpin
Ada orang yg pernah berkata kepada saya,"Kan, Yesus yg mengajak mereka ke sebrang seperti dikatakan pada ayat yg ke-35. Kenapa Yesus yg ajak, tetapi badai tetap terjadi? Atau, kenapa Yesus engga bisa cegah supaya badai tidak terjadi? Tetapi, kita lihat di ayat yg ke-36Mereka meninggalkan orang banyak itu lalu bertolak dan membawa Yesus beserta dengan mereka dalam perahu di mana Yesus telah duduk dan perahu-perahu lain juga menyertai Dia.

Tadinya Yesus yg mengajak dan membawa mereka. Tetapi, tiba-tiba ada pergantian di sini, dan merekalah yg membawa Yesus. Saya percaya, bahwa Yesus yg memimpin, perahu Yesus yg ada di depan, Yesus yg memegang kemudi, dan mengendalikan perahu ini, saya percaya bahwa badai tidak akan turun dan menghantam perahu ini. Sehingga saya percaya bahwa danau itu akan tenang. Tetapi karena danau ini, karena kegelapan sudah melihat dan Yesus sedang tertidur di buritan, kuasa kegelapan berusaha untuk mencobai.
Dan persoalannya sederhana, mereka tidak membiarkan lagi Yesus memimpin. Mereka berpikir, bahwa merekalah yg memimpin.

Yesus kan anak tukang kayu, kami kan nelayan-nelayan yg lebih berpengalaman dan tahu suasana danau, kami lebih mengerti tentang arah angin. Jadi, kami yg mau memimpin Yesus di sini. Saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, saudara boleh saja seorang dokter, maupun seorang pengacara, atau boleh saja saudara seorang businessman yg dimana saja Tuhan telah tempatkan. Saudara boleh saja seorang yg kaya raya, atau seorang Insinyur yg terkenal. Tetapi, sebagai hamba Allah saya kembali mau ingatkan, tetap jadikan Yesus yg memimpin hidup saudara.

Sebelum mulai apa-apa, mulailah bersama Yesus. Sebelum mengambil keputusan apa-apa, mintalah Yesus terlibat dan jadikan pemimpin dalam hidup kita. Tanya Tuhan,"Tuhan, apa yg harus saya perbuat?" Tuhan, tuntun saya, Tuhan saya ambil keputusan ini, tolong kalaulah ini dari Tuhan, Tuhan materaikan, tetapi kalau bukan dari Tuhan, biarlah Engkau singkirkan. Begitu pula, saat kita didik anak kita, mungkin anak kita sedang keras kepala akhir-akhir ini, atau kenapa anak saya pacaran dengan orang yg tidak seiman, tetapi tetap minta tolong sama Tuhan. Jadi, kalau kita biarkan Yesus yg memimpin, Yesuslah yg mengatur segala sesuatunya.

2. Jangan panik
Ayat yg ke-40Lalu Ia berkata kepada mereka: "Mengapa kamu begitu takut? Mengapa kamu tidak percaya?" Seringkali kita panik dengan keadaan sekeliling. Tetapi, kita harus belajar untuk tetap menenangkan diri. Tuhan, saya masih punya Tuhan, IA bisa bantu saya! Karena bagi Tuhan tidak ada perkara yg mustahil.

3. Panggil Yesus
Ayat yg ke-38Pada waktu itu Yesus sedang tidur di buritan di sebuah tilam. Maka murid-murid-Nya membangunkan Dia dan berkata kepada-Nya: "Guru, Engkau tidak peduli kalau kita binasa?" Kita panggil Yesus, karena Yesus tidak pernah terlalu sibuk, sampai IA tidak bisa mengulurkan tanganNYA dan membantu kita. Yesus kelihatanNYA tertidur, tetapi ketika murid-muridNYA memanggil Yesus dengan suara hati yg terdalam, Yesus pasti meneduhkanNYA. Mungkin masa mudamu/keuanganmu sedang dihantam badai, percayalah bahwa Yesus dapat meneduhkannya. Imani dan percayalah, karena bagi Yesus tidak ada perkara yg mustahil.

Doa:
Bapa, lihat kami sekalian yg membutuhkan mujijat dan jamahan, di dalam Nama Yesus, Tuhan jamah, Tuhan kerjakan mujijat, sehingga kami yg percaya boleh melihat kemenangan yg luar biasa, di dalam Nama Yesus kami berdoa, amin!

Monday, February 13, 2012

199. Biji sesawi - Markus 4:30-34

Tahukah saudara bahwa biji sesawi itu lebih kecil daripada pasir! Maka, apapun yg kamu katakan, asalkan tidak bimbang, maka apapun yg kita percayai itu bisa terjadi. Tetapi, seringkali, iman kita di hadapan Kristus itu lebih kecil daripada biji sesawi. Dan, biji yg sekecil itu bila ia tertanam, maka ia akan tumbuh menjadi sesuatu yg besar.

Yesus mau menggambarkan bahwa iman adalah sebuah potensi. Yang kalau dibiarkan itu tidak memiliki potensi. Tetapi, kalau ditanam, dan disirami dengan Firman Tuhan, dia ditumbuhi dengan kebenaran, maka apa yg terjadi? Dia akan menjadi sebuah kekuatan yang membawa kita pada kemenangan lepas kemenangan menuju KemuliaanNYA yg kekal, haleluya!

30Kata-Nya lagi: "Dengan apa hendak kita membandingkan Kerajaan Allah itu, atau dengan perumpamaan manakah hendaknya kita menggambarkannya? Hal Kerajaan itu seumpama biji sesawi yang ditaburkan di tanah. Memang biji itu yang paling kecil dari pada segala jenis benih yang ada di bumi. 32Tetapi apabila ia ditaburkan, ia tumbuh dan menjadi lebih besar dari pada segala sayuran yang lain dan mengeluarkan cabang-cabang yang besar, sehingga burung-burung di udara dapat bersarang dalam naungannya." 33 Dalam banyak perumpamaan yang semacam itu IA memberitakan firman kepada mereka sesuai dengan pengertian mereka, 34dan tanpa perumpamaan Ia tidak berkata-kata kepada mereka, tetapi kepada murid-murid-Nya Ia menguraikan segala sesuatu secara tersendiri.

Ada beberapa hal yg dapat kita bicarakan mengenai biji sesawi:
1. Biji sesawi melambangkan ketidakmampuan
Yesus berkata,"Hal Kerajaan itu seumpama biji sesawi yang ditaburkan di tanah. Memang biji itu yang paling kecil dari pada segala jenis benih yang ada di bumi." Kecilnya sesawi itu sebenarnya melambangkan ketidakmampuan, ketidakbisaan kita. Sebagai manusia, kita adalah manusia yg tidak mampu. Dan dalam bahasa Yunani disebut Mikro, artinya: kecil sekali. Makanya ada kata mikroskop. Yaitu, sesuatu yg harus dilihat dengan pembesar.

Kalau kita lihat di 2 Korintus 3:5-6.."5Dengan diri kami sendiri kami tidak sanggup untuk memperhitungkan sesuatu seolah-olah pekerjaan kami sendiri; tidak, kesanggupan kami adalah pekerjaan Allah. 6Ialah membuat kami juga sanggup menjadi pelayan-pelayan dari suatu perjanjian baru, yang tidak terdiri dari hukum yang tertulis, tetapi dari Roh, sebab hukum yang tertulis mematikan, tetapi Roh menghidupkan.

Jadi, Paulus di sini menjelaskan bahwa kami tidak sanggup, seolah-olah itu pekerjaan kami sendiri. Semua itu adalah pekerjaan Allah, dan semuanya itu adalah pengorbanan Kristus. Karena, apa yg Yesus kerjakan di atas kayu salib, itulah yg memampukan kita. Jadi, kalau kita bicara mengenai iman, kita tidak bisa bicara mengenai kesombongan. Karena ini adalah 2 hal yg berbeda. Ada yg berkata,"saya ini orang beriman." Tetapi, hidupnya sombong. Saudaraku yg kekasih dalam Tuhan, iman adalah sebuah pengertian bahwa saya tidak mampu, bahwa saya tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa/tidak sanggup berbuat apa saja, tetapi Kristus yg buat kekuatan buat saya. Anugrah memberikan keberanian buat saya, kuasa Roh Kudus yg menciptakan keberhasilan buat kita.

Jelas di sini untuk kita bahwa biji sesawi adalah lambang dari ketidakmampuan. Makanya Yesus berkali-kali bilang, bahwa kesombongan, tinggi hati, keangkuhan, ditentang oleh Allah, bahkan di dalam perjanjian lama dijelaskan..."Aku tidak suka mereka yg melakukan keangkuhan. Alkitab dengan jelas berkata,"orang sombong, aku benci."

Oleh sebab itu di dalam doa Musa di Mazmur 90.."Manusia hari-harinya seperti rumput, tidak berdaya, pagi dia bertumbuh, tetapi pada waktu petang ia lisut dan layu." Kami semua hilang karena gemasmu. Tetapi, ajar kami menghitung hari-hari sedemikian, agar kami beroleh hati bijaksana. Dengan lain kata, sejauh kami dekat pada Tuhan, sejauh kami menyadari berkat-berkat dan anugrah-anugrah Tuhan yg telah IA sediakan buat kami, maka hidup kami akan memandang pada Kemuliaan Allah yg luar biasa.

2. Biji sesawi melambangkan pertumbuhan
Yesus bilang Memang biji itu yang paling kecil dari pada segala jenis benih yang ada di bumi. 32Tetapi apabila ia ditaburkan, ia tumbuh dan menjadi lebih besar dari pada segala sayuran yang lain dan mengeluarkan cabang-cabang yang besar, sehingga burung-burung di udara dapat bersarang dalam naungannya." Walaupun yg paling kecil, tetapi ia tumbuh menjadi yg paling besar.

Jadi, Yesus mau gambarkan bahwa hidup Kristen yg tidak bertumbuh adalah hidup Kristen yg menjadi batu sandungan. Kalau kita mengaku Kristen, tetapi tetap berzinah/judi, kita tetap memaki orang, egois dan inginnya menang sendiri, serakah dan munafik, itu bukanlah kehidupan yg Allah hendaki. Jadi, bila hidup Kristen kita tidak bertumbuh, kita bukanlah orang Kristen yg sebenarnya. Tetapi orang Kristen yg sejati adalah orang menjadikan Yesus Kristus sebagai dasar utama kehidupannya.

Sama seperti bayi, tadinya tidak mengerti apa-apa, tadinya hanya menuntut. Kalau lapar menangis, kalau popoknya basah menangis. Dia hanya meminta perhatian dan menuntut haknya, ia hanya minta pertolongan, dan tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa. Tetapi, semakin dia besar, semakin dia bisa menolong, semakin dia bisa bertanggung jawab, mulai melakukan tugasnya sampai akhirnya ia menjadi dewasa. Setelah dewasa, ia tidak perlu lagi menuntut haknya, tetapi mengerjakan tanggung jawabnya. Jadi, setelah ia bertumbuh, ia selalu berfokus bahwa saya mau buat ini untuk Tuhan. Semakin dewasa, semakin ia memiliki kerinduan untuk menyenangkan hati Tuhan. Kita yg sebagai orang percaya, biarlah mau menjadi berkat bagi banyak orang.

3. Biji sesawi melambangkan pertumbuhan iman kita
Matius 17:20 "Ia berkata kepada mereka: "Karena kamu kurang percaya. Sebab Aku berkata kepadamu: Sesungguhnya sekiranya kamu mempunyai iman sebesar biji sesawi saja kamu dapat berkata kepada gunung ini: Pindah dari tempat ini ke sana, maka gunung ini akan pindah, dan takkan ada yang mustahil bagimu.
Pertumbuhan kita dan kemampuan kita sangat bergantung dengan iman kita. Itulah sebabnya Yesus berkata,"Jika anak Manusia datang kembali, masihkah dijumpai iman!" Walaupun iman kita kecil, tetapi kita tabur firman, kita praktekan dalam kehidupan kita sehari-hari, maka iman kita akan terus bertumbuh, kita maju dalam kemenangan, sehingga menjadi berkat bagi banyak orang, haleluya!

Doa:
Bapa, terima kasih buat saat ini, saya berdoa untuk kami semua yg berbeban dan bermasalah dengan kehidupan kami, kami berdoa, di dalam Nama Yesus, Tuhan kerjakan mujijat, sehingga saat ini kami dapat berkata, Inilah hari yg Tuhan jadikan buat kami, dan kami mengalami kemenangan serta mujijat yg Tuhan sediakan, haleluya, amin!