“Lord
Instills Faithfully Emancipation (L.I.F.E)!”
Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher
SCRIPTURE:
"No one sews a patch
of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will
pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new
wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new
wine into new wineskins." (Mark 2:21-22, NIV)
Observations:
I asked
myself what are the words/phrases repeated in these verses?
-
Old (3)
-
New (4)
-
Wine (4)
-
Wineskins (3)
Interpretations:
I asked myself why the above words were repeated?
Usually when words are repeated,
there is significance attached to them.
Observations:
I asked myself what two
illustrations does Jesus use to make a point?
Jesus uses the
illustration of cloth and wine!
I asked
myself what is the significance of Jesus' illustration?
The point that came to my mind
was that we cannot mix our old life with our new life. Jesus came to
give new life to the people.
Implications:
I saw important implications for
our own lives. When we come to Jesus, we are
given new life in Christ. This however does not mean, we did not have an
old life. Our new life in Christ must be mixed with the new things that
Christ offers us. However, if we decide to mix our Christian life with
the life we used to live when we were not Christians, there would be a
bigger mess.
Once someone becomes a follower of Christ, people have
different expectations of them! If the person goes back to their OLD
ways, then they are worst of now than they were before because they
tasted the Good News and have decided to go back to their old ways.
People will start thinking, he/she is supposed to be a Christian and
this is how they are acting. They are supposed to be different and they
are not!
Jesus was making a point to the disciples of the Pharisees and disciples
of John that his disciples are doing things differently because they
have Jesus with them. With Jesus on their side, they are living a new
life and it would be disaster to mix the new life with the old life. He
was also making the point regarding the act of fasting. Since Jesus was
with them they did not have to fast at that moment but a time would come
when they would fast.
I ask you now dear friends, how do you see
your L.I.F.E now?
Dear friends, your life may seem
good or bad to you. Your life may seem the same old life or a new life.
I do not know how you see your life. The way you see your life is
dependent on what you emphasize to be important in your life.
However
you have perceived your life to be, I have Good News for you. Yes, I do
friend! Jesus is His Name and He wants to give you a life with no shame.
No matter where you have been or what you have done, a new life in
Christ is available for you! You can have a new life in Christ and allow
Him to work in your life. He will make the difference and help you
through your life.
Jesus will do that for you because He loves you so much and went to
the cross to die for you shedding His precious cleansing blood to wash
away all your sins no matter how stained they are. Then, Jesus came back
to life to save all those that would come to Him. Jesus loves you so
much that even when you have messed up as a
follower of Christ and gone back to your old ways, Jesus still reaches
out to you with His arms open wide for you to come to Him. You are never out of
His love; you are never out of His reach. Come to Him as you are.
I know I am excited to have
Jesus Christ in my life. There have been times I have messed up badly
that would even make me shudder that I call myself a Christian. But you
know what, Jesus in His grace and mercy works in my life and lets me
know that if I don't follow the Spirit, I will mess up so I need to constantly
put on the new self and crucify the old self with His help as I lean on
Him. You can do that too! Do not be discouraged when you mess up for our
Lord and Savior is there to forgive us and help us through. Yes, He is
friend!
"There is now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus for the power of the life giving Spirit
has freed us from the law of sin and death!" (Romans 8:1)
LIFE
By Ramesh Reddy
Where is this generation headed,
can we say we know ?
Are we doing what is right,
doing what God wants us to do ?
What happened to the beaver ?
Shame to seem him gone,
gone with the wind,
having all his morals and values
dried up like sun-baked clay.
Now are we battered, bruised, and burned
seeing shows depicting immorality,
causing restlessness
like pain in the back ?
Are we going to a shrink ?
What good will that do ?
It will only shrink our pockets
as our minds get shrunk
like delicate fabric
in improper washing.
What happens to our sanity
as our anxiety rages
like thundering sea waves ?
We want to know answers,
answers to the questions of life.
Do we end up in our self-world
dreading in despair,
despair that brings us to the edge
like an uncontrolled automobile
about to fall off the edge of a cliff.
We have our own hopeless life to live,
life that seems to end in misery?
Where does our hope come from,
hope that can lead us to a blessed life,
life that brings us perfect peace ?
We can only have true contentment,
contentment in our hearts,
only if we find peace,
peace that will end strife
when we come to know the
PRINCE OF PEACE
Who is this Prince of Peace ??
J esus, the Savior of the world.
E verlasting peace comes from knowing him.
S urely goodness and mercy will follow
U nconditionally all the days of our lives
S trengthening us to do what God wants us to do.
Amen!
May you know the wonderful new
life, Jesus Christ offers you! Amen!
“Lord
Instills Faithfully Emancipation (L.I.F.E)!”/How do
you see your life now?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for the new life you offered to the disciples and
let the disciples of John and Pharisees see that they were holding on to
their old life. Lord, many times it is so easy to go back to the old way
of doing things. I know you don’t want that for our life for the thief
comes to steal, kill, and destroy but you have come to give life in all
its fullness giving us abundant life. Help us to take the abundant life
you offer us and to hold on to you. I am so sorry for my sin. Please
forgive me of my sin. Come into my heart Jesus and make my heart your
home. Thank you Jesus we are never out of your love and out of your
reach. So right now Jesus, I ask you to live in me Jesus and I pray that
I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I
want the new life you offer me. Help me Jesus. Thank you for your help.
Thank you for dying for our sin and cleansing us with your precious
Blood. Wash us and we will be whiter than snow. I thank you Jesus! I
acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you Jesus for
being my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for the new life you give
us! Thank you for hearing us and answering us Jesus! In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
ANALOGY OF INVITING PEOPLE TO THE GREAT PHYSICIAN:
We are like an ambulance taking
sick people to the
hospital. People are dying and there is an emergency because of an
epidemic virus. The ambulance takes the initiative to go to the place
people are dying and bring them to the hospital. They are not dead yet
but there is no time to wait. The ambulance needs to get to the hospital
for that virus to be treated. The virus has infected the mind, body, and
soul spreading rapidly. You and I cannot do anything to heal our friends
of this virus except be the AMBULANCE taking them to the HOSPITAL where
the GREAT PHYSICIAN waits.
Once at the hospital, there is a GREAT PHYSICIAN that waits. The sick
are gathered from all corners of the earth and come to this hospital.
This hospital is called CALVARY OF SALVATION and the EMERGENCY WARD is
called GOLGOTHA.
The GREAT PHYSICIAN is not like other doctors who can only treat
patients with physical ailments but this GREAT PHYSICIAN is much
more and knows He has to stay 72 HOURS for every dying person there to
be healed.
He knows what He has to do! This GREAT PHYSICIAN knew that only His
BLOOD can wipe away this epidemic VIRUS, so for you and me He went to
the blood transfusion room where people were about to die. There He lay
down on the bed made of wood.
The surgeons walk into the room. They turn this GREAT PHYSICIAN on
His back. Instead of using an IV, a WHIP with sharp glass, etc is
used to draw out the BLOOD from the GREAT PHYSICIAN'S back! It does not
stop there but to elevate the head on the bed of wood, a CROWN OF THORNS
is used which draws more BLOOD.
As the head is elevated, the GREAT PHYSICIAN's hands are stretched
wide on the wooden bed. Then the feet are bound together. This is done
for the BLOOD transfusion to begin. Instead of using an IV, NAILS and a
HAMMER is used. The NAILS are pounded through the hands into the wooden
bed with a HAMMER so the BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. The NAILS
are pounded through the feet into the wooden bed with a HAMMER so more
BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. As the BLOOD continues to flow from
the GREAT PHYSICIAN's body, the GREAT PHYSICIAN flat lines. Then the
surgeons insert a SPEAR into the heart to make sure all the BLOOD is
out. All the BLOOD is out!
Now, the GREAT PHYSICIAN is moved into the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA MORGUE
being guarded by security.
Now the CALVARY OF SALVATION hospital has a BLOOD DONOR whose BLOOD
can be used to save everyone there from this EPIDEMIC VIRUS.
Those dying need to be taken there to receive the BLOOD transfusion
that is available. However, the BLOOD will not be forced upon those
dying! THE PUREST RED ANTIDOTE is only given to those that are willing
to receive the BLOOD TRANSFUSION so they could LIVE.
All that accept the BLOOD are being CLEANSED of this EPIDEMIC VIRUS
in their system that is infecting the mind, body, and soul. This
BLOOD goes into the dying person's mind, body, and soul and eats away at
the virus cleaning them and making them pure. This VIRUS is known as
SIN. The BLOOD is the PRECIOUS CLEANSING BLOOD OF THE GREAT PHYSICIAN,
JESUS CHRIST.
The WOODEN BED is the CROSS OF CHRIST where the dying need to be led
too.
72 HOURS LATER, there is a commotion at the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
MORGUE. THE GREAT PHYSICIAN is not there anymore and the ANGELS that
visit tell loved ones who came there, that THE GREAT PHYSICIAN IS ALIVE
and will save all that come to Him.
It is true even to this day, for all that come to the HOSPITAL OF CALVARY come to realize that His CLEANSING
BLOOD shed on the WOODEN BED (CROSS) will never run out. Anyone infected
who wants to be healed of their sickness can accept what Jesus did for
them and be covered in His precious CLEANSING
BLOOD.
I have done that friend and know that at the foot of the cross where
Jesus died shedding His precious cleansing blood for my sin and the sins
of the world, I can find forgiveness and grace.
Thanks be to God that Christ's death on the cross was temporary to
remove all His precious cleansing blood for our sake but after He was
buried, Jesus came back to life to save.
To this day, all who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved when
they acknowledge what Jesus Christ has done for them and what He can do
for them.
Friend, Jesus loves you so much and if you were the only one living
on earth, Jesus would have done the same for you. What I shared with you
was an analogy but in real life it has happened. Jesus went to the cross
for you and me and His precious cleansing blood was shed so you and I
could have life. Jesus came back to life 72 hours later and is alive but
His blood continues to heal people on every corner of the earth to those
that accept Him.
You can invite the GREAT PHYSICIAN right now as you make this your prayer.
Dear Jesus,
thank you for healing the paralytic after forgiving his sins. You set him
free to go home. I want to be free. I don’t know
everything about you. I still have a lot of questions. What I do know is
that you died on the cross for my sins. When it comes to sin, I am a
paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with this deadly disease known as sin.
I am not perfect but a sinner who needs your cleansing blood to clean me
of my sin. I confess to you my sin and repent of my sin. I know
you have forgiven me when you died on the cross. I want to accept that
forgiveness. Thank
you for shedding your cleansing precious blood for me. You were nailed
to the cross because of me. It is like I actually held the hammer and
pounded the nails so I could be free. Thank you for willingly dying for
me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and pain for me. Thank you for
doing that to set me free. I come to the cross and ask you for your
healing in my life. Thank you for the power of your Blood to redeem
humanity. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and give us
Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we are. I
love you Jesus. I want you Jesus. Even with my questions, I come to you now and accept you
into my heart. Please Jesus come into my heart and make my heart your
home. Give me a transfusion of change. Live in me Jesus and I will live
for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus
for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for
living in me Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal
Savior. Please be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my
Lord and Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when
God looks at me, He now sees me covered in your blood and His judgment
passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me.
Thank you for being with me Lord. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit.
Thank you Jesus I now belong to you and never need to be alone! You will
always be with me and have given me Salvation. In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?
One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this
example one Sunday at the
RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh
Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:
If
you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin
and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no
peace.
But
as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to
tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.
Yes,
friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life
through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on
the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE
with us.
Yes,
friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE
& LIVING GRACE.
When
we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive
us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.
"For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)
Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our
sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge
so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the
finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.
"For it is by GRACE you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not
by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)