Updated Wed, June 01, 2011 at 9:23 a.m. JUNE 2011 Edition
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“Savior's Precious Encouragement Comforts In All Lives! (S.P.E.C.I.A.L)”
Ramesh C. Reddy
Observation:
Interpretation:
Implications:
HOW THE
GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING S.P.E.C.I.A.L: When we feel special, it is also because of knowing in our separation, the Lord Jesus has been using our lives to advance the Gospel for His glory. Just as the Philippians missed Paul very much and Paul wanted to be with them but was encouraging them from prison, we encourage each other in the Lord knowing we are special in the Lord's sight and no good thing will He withhold from those He loves. So neither of us should complain but rest in the Lord for the paperwork to come through in His perfect timing even though it seems like a huge delay, God is never late. Praise the Lord! We learned that what we thought of as negative things happening to us or what others think of negative things happening to us is not necessarily negative in the eyes of the Lord. But, instead the Lord Jesus sees us as special in His sight and He can use any situation for His honor and glory and make something good come out of it so it is not negative. I learned the purpose of today's devotional is to know that I can feel special in the Lord's eyes no matter what is happening around me that He will use it to advance the Gospel. Wow, though situations can be painful, Jesus can use those situations for good just as Paul shared.
I ask you now dear friends, how can you feel special when things
are going so wrong in your life? It was hard for any of us to feel special when my dad went into cardiac arrest but I praise the Lord that though He was bedridden for 3 months, my mommy got to read him the Word of God almost everyday from Gospel of Matthew to Revelation including the Psalms. I don't even remember how many times my mom finished the New Testament aloud so my dad could hear the Word of God. Later, our mom shared with us in the hospital that my dad gave his life to Christ and the night he gave his life to Christ is the night the Lord Jesus took away all the pain and took him home to be with him in Heaven! My mommy found her identity in Christ and knew even in our sorrowful situation, the Gospel can be advanced. Thank you Jesus. Through this all, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was advanced for His honor and glory because a dear friend of mine, Ryan, now Dr. Ryan Li, told me when he looked at my dad's charts, he saw how in the report, one of the medical students who looked after my dad had written there about the faith the Reddy family had in Jesus and how strong it was without being shaken even though their dad was in the ICU. It was special to hear about that because her religious background was that of a Indian Hindu. She was so impacted that she wrote about Jesus in the medical charts during her debriefing time. She was specifically speaking about my mom's faith in Christ through this terrible hardship. My mom did get to speak to her about Jesus a little. I got to share about Jesus with my dad's dialysis doctor who was Jewish. He did not believe in miracles, let alone Jesus but I shared with him that my dad can be healed if Jesus chooses to. I shared with him how even in this century, miracles have happened through the power of Jesus Christ and we will not give up. My mom got to share her faith with so many in the hospital. Pastor Hugo would come and visit us to be a counselor for my mom, praying with her and us. It was a time of blessing in times of sorrow. Even though my dad went to be with the Lord Jesus, and could not be healed physically, the greatest miracle is the miracle of the soul that he could give his life to Jesus and how God gave our entire family confidence of that. My dad is with Jesus now and though we miss him, we know he is special in the eyes of the Lord and so are we. Through the years in different kinds of pain, the Lord Jesus has made me feel special. I do not know friend if you feel special in your life when things are going so wrong but I want you to know that you are special and precious in the Lord's sight. This does not have to do with the things you do for the Lord but because the Lord loves you and wants you to see yourself as His precious creation. Oh yes, He does! If you were the only one living you would still experience His love. Praise the Lord. Jesus reaches out to you. He shed His precious cleansing blood on the cross to pay the ransom you nor I could pay for our sins. Jesus did that for you and me and offers us His grace to be saved through faith. Jesus took upon Himself our sins so that we can become righteous through Him when we turn our lives over to Him. That is exciting to know! Whatever you are feeling or going through come as you are to the One who saves and wants to make you feel special. Hear what the Lord says to you friend, yes to you. Yeah you! He loves you! He loves you! He loves you! "BUT NOW the Lord who created you, O Israel [your name], says, Don't be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up--the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 43:1-3) Our family has experienced that and we always need Christ in our lives to strengthen us and help us through. Even in the worst of circumstances, look to the Lord who wants to carry you and show you things unimaginable to you. It is in times like these when things go wrong in our lives, we are vulnerable to Satan's attacks if we are not on our guard. So let us look to Christ, the Solid Rock on which we should stand, all else is sinking sand. Allow the Lord to work through your pain. Give Him room to come and heal you. Whatever wounds or scars you are facing, His love for you is so strong that He will walk you through this pain. He will also give you strength and endurance to bear. For in Christ is your hope of glory. I have been through some rough times in the past so I speak from experience. No matter what is happening in your life, the most important concept to realize is that we are so special to the Lord and precious in His sight. He loves us so much than we can even imagine and He will get us through. When we find our identity in Him rather than our accomplishments, our athletic ability, our academics, our relationships, etc we will experience the peace our Prince of Peace wants us to experience. Once we know we are accepted by Jesus and are in His loving care, we can go on. The other day my friend Bryan Baird and I were talking about being confident about our identity in Christ no matter what job we are in because the most important thing is what will serve to advance the Gospel. Both of us shared that God will have us where we are at for His purposes and we need to be faithful. I really enjoyed our conversation about the difference having Christ makes in our lives beyond that of feeling special. That can only happen if we gauge from a biblical viewpoint instead of a worldview point. If God be for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for our sake, how much more will He do for us! Praise the Lord! Please take time to read Romans 8 for the Lord will speak to you through this passage. Listen to the Lord and claim His promises. You are special and you will know that as you receive the Savior's precious encouragement in accepting life. "Savior's Precious Encouragement Comforts, In All Lives (S.P.E.C.I.A.L)"/"How can you feel S.P.E.C.I.A.L when things are going so wrong in your life?" Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, we live in a world where fame, fun, and fortune are emphasized. It is so easy Lord Jesus to find our identity in so many things but you. Lord we do know that only you can rescue us and set us free. You alone can free us from the pain and hurts that haunt us. You are our Counselor who can deliver us from the wounds and scars we may have faced in the past or currently face. We come to you Lord for your healing. Jesus, we thank you that you see us as so precious and special no matter how our past looks like. We thank you that you can take the worst of circumstances & worst of sinners and can bring something good from it even now. We know that you are Sovereign and depend on you whatever we are facing. We thank you for the comfort and love, you send our way. I pray right now Lord Jesus for those who are suffering, for those who are still haunted and trapped by their past. I intercede on their behalf and ask you Jesus please to set them free, wash them completely by your Blood, and please let them receive your forgiveness. I thank you Lord no matter what we have done in our past, you remember those sins no more but set us free. We thank you that we can be free in you no matter what our sin has been and become a new creation as you work in us and through us! Thank you Jesus so much that you hear us and answer our prayers! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen! May the Lord Jesus guide you in His love leading you! Amen! No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turniLOVINGg them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help by His grace alone! 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 412-641-9426 "This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
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 2011 DEVOTIONALS: Philippians 1:9-11: "What is your L.O.V.I.N.G response be based on?" (May 31, 11, 9:01 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy John 12:24: "Why should M.E.M.O.R.I.A.L day not be limited to a Picnic/BBQ Holiday?" (May 30, 11, 7:47 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:8: "Why cannot you be in a loving R.E.L.A.T.I.O.N.S.H.I.P in life?" (May 28, 11, 12:34 aPm.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:7: "Why cannot you be saved by G.R.A.C.E alone?" (May 27, 11, 9:23 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:6: "Where are you C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T in?" (May 26, 11, 1:03 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:3-5: "How can you attain a P.A.R.T.N.E.R.S.H.I.P in the Gospel?" (May 25, 11, 10:15 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:3: "How will others R.E.A.C.T towards God when they remember you?" (May 24, 11, 10:50 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:1-2: "What do you do to B.L.E.S.S others in life?" (May 20, 11, 9:18 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:1: "Why bother to let others T.R.A.I.N you when you are already a leader?" (May 19, 11, 10:42 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:1: "Why should you believe you are H.O.L.Y instead of being a sinner?" (May 18, 11, 8:31 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 1:1: Who will you be a S.L.A.V.E to in life? (May 17, 11, 7:21 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Philippians 2:8: "Why bother with the C.R.O.S.S. when you are living in the 21st century?" (April 23, 11, 1:32 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy 2010 DEVOTIONALS: John 12: "Will you be the offspring of the S.E.E.D cultivated?" (Mon, March 29, 10, 10:09 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy John 12:3: "What costly S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E will you make for Jesus remembering His stinky/dirty feet?" (Sat, March 27, 10, 11:06 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Proverbs 23: "What has A.L.C.O.H.O.L done to you in life?" (March 20, 10, 9:17 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 10: "What do you do with an I.N.T.E.R.R.U.P.T.I.O.N in life?" (March 13, 10, 11:40 p.m.) Mark 10:13: "Why S.H.A.R.E Jesus with others in life?" (March 09, 10, 4:59 a.m) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 10:13: "Why B.R.I.N.G Doggy Poo to Jesus?" (March 08, 10, 9:01 a.m) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 10: "When have you become an A.D.U.L.T.E.R.E.R in life and what now?" (Feb 24, 10, 9:31 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 10: "Why D.I.V.O.R.C.E the one you marry in life?" (Feb 22, 10, 12:15 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 10: "What do you do with what is P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D in your life?" (Feb 20, 10, 10:08 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy 1 Corinthians 13: "How will you be someone's V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E using 16?" (Feb 13, 10, 12:16 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 10: "Who do you become an A.T.T.R.A.C.T.I.O.N to and why?" (Feb 05, 10, 9:43 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 9: "How can you be a S.A.L.T in someone's life today?" (Feb 04, 10, 11:27 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 9: "What do you help your friends E.S.C.A.P.E from?" (Feb 03, 10, 12:30 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 9: "Why bother with H.E.L.L in life?" (Feb 02, 10, 2:39 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 9: "When are you planning to cut your hand, foot, or eye to escape Hell?"" (Feb 01, 10, 1:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy Mark 9: "Why heed Jesus' W.A.R.N.I.N.G in your life?" (Jan 30, 10, 12:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy
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