SCRIPTURE:
"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don't know why things happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, TLB)

Dear friend, how many of you have come face to face with DEATH?
I do not know about you, but there are so many out there who are devastated because of the loss of a loved one as the recent tragedy in Minnesota when the bridge collapsed reminds us. In all this grief, people cannot seem to make sense out of anything. I want you to know that Jesus Christ, knows the pain people are going too. He reaches out with His Helping Hands.

Each day lives are lost that do not even make the news but every life is precious even if some do not think so. If it is someone you have loved, you feel like a part of you has died too.

Many years ago, there was a man who loved to serve others. He based his life on loving the Lord and loving mankind. When you saw him, he would always smile and ask how you were doing. He would make time to meet with you individually. He lost his life during the peak years of his ministry in a drive-by shooting but he left a legacy behind. Though in the body, he died, His vision and mission lives on in the lives of those he touched including me! He was as instrumental in me going into ministry as others later became!

Even at this very moment, He is with the Master Himself. All pain and sorrow is gone. I am talking about Sam Brunsvold, who lost his life tragically but is now with the Lord. The impact he made will live on in the lives of the people he touched. Most of all he tried to obey the Lord living for Him. Even though absent in the body, he is present with the Lord. May his memory live on and may we all understand that death is only temporary and there is everlasting joy ahead.

As we hear about the bridge collapse in Minnesota, I am reminded of the relationship between man and God.

I got to meet a Hindu person by background who wanted to know more about Jesus!

I prayed and then put two newspapers together and shared with him how MAN and GOD were together in the beginning.

Then, I pulled the two newspapers apart and told him that is what sin had done to our relationship with GOD. Sin had separated MAN from GOD and now MAN and GOD were apart and there was a big chasm.

Now MAN tried to do everything he could to reach GOD by doing good works, etc but whatever MAN did he still could not reach GOD. All his good works were falling down the chasm. His good works were not providing a way to reach GOD. I told him that you can do 99 good things and one bad thing which will still separate you from GOD because GOD in His Holiness cannot allow sin to enter His presence. It is like having 99% pure water and 1% of cyanide. It is not pure anymore!

Then I told him that is how religions of the world are. In all the religions of the world, people are trying to reach GOD by their good works. They think if I do this and that, it can give me access to GOD. I told him some think praying three times a day will make them right with GOD, others think worshipping idols will make them right with GOD but the bottom line is MAN made religion and everything still falls in the chasm. All our good works we do are like filthy rags to GOD, so that will not give us access to GOD.

So, I asked him, "If God should ask you why should I let you into Heaven what would your response be and to think about it.?"

I told him if your answer is the good works you think you do, that will not cut it and GOD knows that. Then, I mentioned to him because GOD knows MAN is trying to reach Him but cannot, GOD decided to take it upon Himself to provide the WAY to MAN.

GOD loved MAN so much that He sent JESUS CHRIST into the world to come and save MAN when MAN turns to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

I told him we do not get access to Heaven because of anything we do but because GOD decided to reach out to us in His mercy and grace through the promise of JESUS CHRIST.

JESUS died on the cross for you and shed His cleansing blood to wash away all your sin so now when you come to JESUS CHRIST and ask Him to come into your heart, He will forgive you of all your sin and live in you and you can have access to GOD and heaven.

I told him when GOD asks me why He should let me into Heaven, my response would be not because of anything I have done GOD because whatever I do is not good enough for you GOD because you in your Holiness cannot allow sin to enter your presence but because I believe in what JESUS CHRIST did for me and am covered by JESUS and His precious blood, so when you see me, you see JESUS’ blood covering over me and JESUS in front of me, I can have access to you.

Then I told him when MAN and GOD were together and sin separated MAN and GOD, creating a huge chasm, GOD in His love for us provided JESUS CHRIST to become THE WAY to reach GOD.

Now, I took the 3rd newspaper and the pamphlet and made a CROSS out of it and put it where the separation and the dark chasm existed. I told him the CROSS became the BRIDGE for MAN to get across to reach GOD.

I took the 1st paper and walked it on the CROSS to show him, MAN did not fall in the chasm anymore but was able to reach GOD when MAN decided to depend on what JESUS did for him. I emphasized JESUS CHRIST and Him alone to save us from our sin and reach GOD because of His grace. I told him JESUS CHRIST became GOD-INCARNATE to reach us.

I wanted to emphasize to him that it is by GRACE we are saved through FAITH and not of any good works that we should boast! Now when we come to Christ genuinely, His Holy Spirit will work in our lives to produce good works. The good works are a result of our faith in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit.

I want to share the bridge diagram with you here which I did not have to share with him in animation format:

After a while and a lot of questions, he prayed with me to receive the Lord Jesus Christ into His life.

Friend, people in Minnesota who tried to reach their destination could not because all of a sudden the bridge collapsed in front of them. The same bridge that took them to places now was in the river.

Human beings place so much faith in man made things but man made things do crumble including religions that are man-made. When you come to Jesus Christ, you will always have a permanent bridge to reach God. The bridge will never collapse. It is the cross of Jesus Christ that is held strong by the red color that becomes invincible. It is the precious cleansing blood of the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world.

Friend, if you do not know Jesus Christ, come to Him as you are. No matter what you have done or where you have been, He receives you with Arms of love. Friend, some want to wait until everything is perfect in their life or they are ready to give up this and that before they come to the Lord. The problem with that approach is none of us know when our life will end. More than that, we are depending on our own works to reach God. All Christ did for us would be in vain if we think what we do will reach God.

No friend, Salvation comes through grace through faith in the One who made it possible for you and me. It is by grace we have been saved through faith so that none could boast it is their own doing.

Now is the time of Salvation friend. It is appointed to man to die once and then the judgment! Yet, we need not be afraid of judgment when we give our lives to Christ and ask Him to lead us and guide us through life.

When we come face to face with God, His judgment will Passover us because when God sees us, now He sees Christ’s cleansing blood covering us in Righteousness, for that is the only antidote for this virus known as sin. Because Christ covers over us, God in His Holiness can allow us into His presence for we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God.

Yes, friend you and I can have Christ in our lives as we turn to Him. No matter what is happening around us!

"But despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us. For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels won't and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God's love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are-high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us" (Romans 8:37-39, TLB)

When people feel so lonely and so empty losing the one they love, remember that Jesus is taking care of them right now because they know Him. They are in their Savior's loving arms :). Death here on earth is not the end, it's just the beginning of a brand new life with the Savior in Heaven. We are living on perishable earth while our loved ones are living in a wonderful mansion in Heaven when they know Him. One day, we can travel to Heaven and be together in a big, big family reunion with the ones we love.

We don't know why things happen the way they do. Unfortunately, because of the deadly virus known as sin, we still struggle with pain, suffering, and death. If we are in agony, we should pray to the Lord, pouring out all we are feeling. He loves you so much and will help you deal with your pain. You can be honest with the Lord. What we don't understand right now in our limited mindset, Christ will make us understand one day. We who know the Lord need not fear death. For to live is Christ, to die is Gain. We all need the Lord, and He wants us to be His children. Don't wait any longer. Life is short. Pray Hard! Accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior.

Jesus told her, "I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again. He is given eternal life for believing in me and shall never perish. Do you believe this Martha?" (John 11:25-26, TLB)

This song goes out to all who have lost a loved one through death or relationships!

For He Sees You!
(c) Copyright 1996,"Frost at Midnight" by Ramesh C. Reddy

There is so much hurt.
There is so much pain.
There is so much grief.
Cause the one you lost.
Is the one you love.
Too much was the cost.
And you know how.
What path will I take?
There is too much to bear.
There is too much to care.
Will it ever End?
Endurance Christ will Send.
Your wounds Christ will Tend.
Broken Hearts Christ will Mend.
For He sees you, when you Weep
For He sees you, when the pain is Deep
For He sees you, when the burden is a Heap
For He sees you, when you cannot Leap
For He sees you, when the joy you cannot Keep
Amen!!!

"Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you." (1 Peter 5:7, TLB)

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don't know why things happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, TLB)

"So we do not look at what we can see now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever" (2 Corinthians 4:18-20)

Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to all who come to Him (Luke 4:18-19, NIV)

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, we come before you now and ask you for your healing touch in the lives of those who have lost their loved ones. You know their grief and pain. Only your healing touch can comfort them. And Lord, those that lost loved ones and could make up before the tragedy, please intervene in their lives to and let them feel your love around them. Oh Lord, come and heal now! Be their Lord and Personal Savior! Only you can understand their pain so fill them by the power of your love and give them strength to go on! Thank you so much Jesus! IN YOUR NAME I PRAY JESUS! AMEN!

If you want to be a soldier in the Lord's army, you can become it right now. Now is the time of Salvation! You do not have to wait but can pray this prayer and give your life to Christ to serve Him daily! There is no draft but coming to Christ is voluntary. He loves you so much and wants you to come to Him! He will take care of you, guiding you and leading you!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us. I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Spend time in His word and let the Lord speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through. Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in Bible Live Eternally!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-720-4579

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Love in Christ,
Ramesh

Express Your View

AUGUST 2007:

HELPING HANDS:

"Letting Go and Letting God!" (Aug 01, 2007, 9:34 a.m.)

MAY 2007:

BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS:

CHAPTER 1:

Phil 1:1-2: "What kind of S.L.A.V.E will you be?" (May 05, 07, 11:23 a.m.)

Phil 1:3-6: "Who are you C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T in?"(May 07, 07, 7:41 a.m.)

Phil 1:7-8: "What do you do with God's G.R.A.C.E?"(May 08, 07, 9:45 a.m.)

Phil 1:9-11: How is your A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E?" (May 09, 07, 10:39 A.M.)

Philippians 1:12: "How can you feel S.P.E.C.I.A.L when things are going wrong?" (May 10, 07, 9:45 a.m.)

Philippians 1:12-14: "Chained? Healing Answer Is Now Savior! (C.H.A.I.N.S)"(May 11, 07, 11:01 a.m.)

Philippians 1:15-17: "How are your M.O.T.I.V.E.S?"(May 12, 07, 9:52 a.m.)

Philippians 1:18-19: "Who do you C.A.L.L often?"(May 14, 07, 11:08 a.m.)

Philippians 1:20: "What is C.O.U.R.A.G.E to you?"(May 15, 07, 9:56 a.m.)

Philippians 1:21: "How do you see L.I.F.E and death?"(May 16, 07, 10:23 a.m.)

Philippians 1:22-26: "What are your C.H.O.I.C.E.S based on?"(May 17, 07, 9:24 a.m.)

Philippians 1:27-28: "How do you C.O.N.D.U.C.T yourself?"(May 18, 07, 8:57 a.m.)

Philippians 1:29-30: "How do you handle S.U.F.F.E.R.I.N.G?"(May 21, 07, 10:18 a.m.)

CHAPTER 2:

Philippians 2:1-2: What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in?"(May 22, 07, 10:03 a.m.)

Philippians 2:3-4, How do you respond to C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S?" (May 23, 07, 10:30 a.m)

Philippians 2:5-7: How do you match J.E.S.U.S' attitude?"(May 24, 07, 9:24 a.m.)

Philippians 2:8: "What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you?"(May 25, 07, 8:41 a.m.)

Philippians 2:9-11: "How do you handle the N.A.M.E?"(May 29, 07, 9:01 a.m.)

Philippians 2:12-14: "What is your type of S.A.L.V.A.T.I.O.N?"(May 30, 07, 8:18 a.m.)

Philippians 2:15-16: "How is your B.E.H.A.V.I.O.R?"(May 31, 07, 9:59 a.m.)

JUNE 2007:

Philippians 2:17-18: When do you live out your F.A.I.T.H? (June 01, 07, 1:28 p.m.)

Philippians 2:19-24: "How do you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y?" (June 04, 07, 10:37 a.m.)

Philippians 2:25-30: "Has Your H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G begun?" (June 05, 07, 11:02 a.m.)

CHAPTER 3:

Philippians 3:1-11:"What is R.E.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N to you?" (June 06, 07, 9:56 a.m.)

Philippians 3:12-14: "How do you handle the P.A.S.T?" (June 08, 07, 10:22 a.m.)

Philippians 3:15-17: "Do you succumb to the T.R.I.C.K of Satan or the T.R.E.A.T of the Savior?" (June 11, 07, 8:59 a.m.)

Philippians 3:18-19: "Where are your T.E.A.R.S shed?" (June 12, 07, 10:00 a.m.)

Philippians 3:20-21: "Where is your C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P?" (June 13, 07, 10:44 a.m.)

CHAPTER 4:

Philippians 4:1:"Where do you S.T.A.N.D?" (June 18, 07, 8:49 a.m.)

Philippians 4:2: "How do you respond to a P.L.E.A.D?" (June 19, 07, 9:50 a.m.)

Philippians 4:3: "How have you C.A.M.P.A.I.G.N.E.D for Jesus?" (June 20, 07, 10:46 a.m.)

Philippians 4:4: "When do you R.E.J.O.I.C.E?" (June 22, 07, 9:49 a.m.)

Philippians 4:5: "What measure of G.E.N.T.L.E.N.E.S.S do you have?" (June 25, 07, 6:15 a.m.)

Philippians 4:6-7: "How do you handle W.O.R.R.Y?" (June 27, 07, 7:26 a.m.)

Philippians 4:8: "What is your T.H.I.N.K.I.N.G based on?"(July 02, 07, 9:35 a.m.)

Philippians 4:9: "What kind of S.O.L.D.I.E.R will you be?" (July 03, 07, 10:11 a.m.)

Philippians 4:10: "Who do you show C.O.N.C.E.R.N for?" (July 11, 07, 7:31 a.m.)

Philippians 4:11:"What makes you C.O.N.T.E.N.T?" (July 12, 07, 9:31 a.m.)

Philippians 4:12-13: "Where do you need S.T.R.E.N.G.T.H?" (July 20, 07, 9:48 a.m.)

Philippians 4:14: "How do you S.H.A.R.E in others troubles?" (July 24, 07, 10:58 a.m.)

Philippians 4:15-18: "How do you F.I.N.A.N.C.E a person in ministry?" (July 24, 07, 10:58 a.m.)

Philippians 4:19: "What are your N.E.E.D.S?" (July 26, 07, 7:26 a.m.)

Philippians 4:20: "How do you see F.A.T.H.E.R?" (July 27, 07, 7:45 a.m.)

Reproduction or reuse for profit prohibited without written consent from Pittsburgh Standard

EXPRESSIONS

Video: Delta Zeta Deliciously Delivers Lusciously with Lambda Chi Alpha

Video: Chi Omega's Operation Offers Nothin' But a Gangsta Party at Kappa Alpha Psi's Place

"Faith, Hope, and Love in spite of Death"

By Ramesh C.ReddyPittsburgh Standard August, 02, 2007

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

August, 02, 2007