As we have just celebrated Thanksgiving recently, let it not only be a practice on that one day. A life of gratitude expands goodness that the Lord has provided to us, a smile breeds another and a thankful speech delights another soul. 
  
The Bible shows the miracle of giving thanks when Jesus faced a lack. Jesus did not fret when He did not have enough to feed the multitudes. He did not heed the requests of the disciples to send the multitudes away instead, He gave thanks to His Father in Heaven for the little He had and we knew the rest of the story about the miraculous multiplication that left twelve basketful of food and the 5000 people fully fed.

In another words, Jesus did not listen to the negativity of the disciples, he did not walk away from the trials, instead He focuses on what He already has and He gave thanks. The Bible did not record any lengthy prayers either. Everything God did, He does it with purpose and faith in His Father’s love for Him.

Let us embrace a thankful and grateful approach to all lacks, stir ourselves to praise the all-knowing Lord and avoid complaining or murmuring. Surely, He will not let His children fade away.
 
Psalms 100: 4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

- John W.

Some of the loneliest people in the world are those who are constantly surrounded by others, yet they feel that no one truly knows or understands them. They may even have an abundance of material things yet the loneliness they feel still stings. 

We may have a spouse or dear friends who love us, but even they will never know or understand us completely. We may climb the heights of success or accomplishment, yet there is no one who can fully share the emotion of that moment when we finally reach our goal. Even some of our dearest friend could be strangers to our supreme joy and don't always understand our most bitter pain. Some tears are always shed alone. No other human being can ever enter the deepest recesses of our mind or soul.

God Himself is the answer, the fulfillment to these deepest recesses. He who made us is the only One who can fill every part of our life. God’s Word says He is our “satisfying portion.” Not until He fills that inner longing will we ever be truly satisfied or completely free from loneliness.

There’s no need to ever be lonely. Jesus promises in Hebrew 13: 5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and “I am with you always.” 

So when you feel this loneliness, it is the voice of Jesus saying, “Come to Me.” And every time you feel that no one understands or the load is too heavy to bear alone, it is a call for you to call unto Him again. The truth is, you can never bother or tire God too often, His limit is endless. Come as often, come as you are. His presence satisfies the lonely soul.

Psalm 16:5-11
LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

- Anonymous

We often ask the question, "Why didn't God help me sooner?"

It is not His order. He must first adjust us to the situation and cause us to learn the intended lesson from it. His promise to us is, "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him."

God must first be with us in the trouble until we step into our own persevering quietness. Then He will take us out of it. This will not come until we have stopped being restless and fretful about it. He desires for us to be in calm disposition and trustful. Then we may find Him say, "It is enough."

God uses trouble to teach His children precious lessons. They are intended to better us. When the good work is done, a glorious recompense will come to us through them. The Lord does not regard trials as difficulties but as opportunities. Without difficulties we cannot have a mercy worth praising God and the glory to see His sovereign power. 

Psalm 91: 15
He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

- Writing of  A. Simpson 

Oh, how it helps and comforts us to remember that we have a Saviour who spent the first thirty years of His life swinging a hammer in the carpenter shop at Nazareth, he was covered with sweat and grimy dust, physically weary as we often are, and without a doubt, able to understand all our experiences of drudgery and labor of daily lives.

Moreover, He still loves to share our common tasks and equip us for our difficult undertakings every day every hour. Yes,  He will help you at the kitchen and the house as gladly as at the hour of prayer. Yes, busy laborer, He will go with you and help you to swing the hammer, or handle the saw. You will be a better mechanic, a better student, a successful worker at the office because you take His wisdom for the common affairs of life.

There is no place or time where Jesus is not able and willing to walk by our side, to work through our hand and minds. In this way He proves Himself to be our all-sufficiency for all things. Prayerfully lay your task to the Master and let Him guide and strengthen your every step with His loving peace. Find His promised rest in your souls.

Matthew 28:20
Jesus said, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

- Writing of A. Simpson

 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." (1 Kings 19:7)

After killing the false prophets, Elijah fled for his life. At one point he asked God to take his life and God said nothing but told Elijah twice, to get up and eat for the journey ahead will be too much for Elijah to bear. God then asked Elijah what he was doing and he told God that he was the only believer left and the rest have been killed.
 
Probably most of us can identify ourselves as Elijah sometimes. We think we have done the right thing for God or that we have done our best but instead of achieving victory or a breakthrough, we felt like we have hit a big boulder or a dead end.
 
Can we listen to God’s voice when we feel exhausted and even to the point of desperation? Can we feel assured that God knows what happened, what you are currently experiencing and what you will experience in the future?
 
Just as God assured Elijah that He knew the journey is too much for him and did not belittle his response to fatigue, we can rest assured that God knows what we are going through. As He provided for Elijah’s sustenance to continue his journey, we also have the assurance to continue our journey in the midst of any uncertainty life may throw at our path. Cry out to the Lord, He is listening attentively and He will provide.  

- Jenni Wang

O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? …and You have not rescued Your people at all (Ex.5:22-23).

In the Book of Exodus, I found it interesting that at the end of chapter two, God shows concern to His people by calling Moses to deliver them.

But at the end of chapter five, the situation of the Israelites worsen than before God came to their rescue. Only after ten agonizing plagues fell on the Egyptians, the Israelites were allowed to leave Egypt. As they continued on their journey, we know the Bible has recorded many troubles they had to go through but through all those times God has shown Himself as a faithful God who holds on to His promises.

During this time of uncertainties from Covid-19, I'd imagine that we are like the Israelites at chapter five. We pray and we believe God is listening, but things seem to remain the same or appear to worsen.
 
We may be tempted to ask God on why He has allowed such calamity to fall upon our world but the Bible has shown us records after records that He has been faithful with all His promises. Trials always reveal God’s glory at the end. He showed His greatest love at the cross and we can trust the Lord knows how this trial will reveal His victorious glory at the end.

- Jenni Wang

We are entering the month of what some called a season of joy. Indeed, it is a season to be joyful about. The birth of a Saviour, who loves us greatly that He dies on the cross so that we do not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Jesus loves you, yes it is true. But, how much do we believe that saying? You and I, are greatly loved by our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Romans 8:38 says that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing, simply nothing will make Him stop loving you. The devil knows full well and since the fall in the garden, he has been devising schemes to make you stop loving God because it is impossible for God to stop loving you.

Every day, demonic stronghold is being set in motion in our minds when we go through trials of life. When disappointment, fear and discouragement creep into your heart, lies about the Lord not caring for you are poured to your mind consistently.

The devil would make you shut your door to God. Your heart would harden and you say no to the love source (for love is from God - 1 John 4:7) or even to praying. Life starts to feel dry, depressing and hopeless. Joy will be replaced by solitude and depression; you may even find yourself saying or thinking, “no one understands.”

Don’t shut your door. Jesus always stand at the door and knocks. Welcome Him, trust the process and let Him love you. He promised that He will never leave you or forsake you - Deuteronomy 32:6 - no matter what circumstance feels or looks like. Let Jesus’ love for you always be your reason for joy.

- Annie Pisca

​In Corinthians 10: 3 – 5 (ESV) Paul wrote:
 
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
 
What are the strongholds that spiritually imprison people? Arguments and opinions.
What arguments are raging in your mind? What arguments and opinions do you have of God and most importantly what do you know of His arguments and opinions of you? Arguments and opinions are more than just strongholds. They are deadlier than any weapons. Adam and Eve (and us, included) fell to sin because of an argument. They believed the serpent’s argument and stopped believing God.
 
When we stopped believing God, whose argument and opinions do we believe? The argument and opinions of the world? And where do you think they come from? Our enemy, the devil. We do not want to believe his lies, he is a liar and the father of all lies - John 8:44. He is out to kill us with his lies.
 
When we believe wrongly about specific things or issues, emotions such as anger, discouragement, depression, anxiousness, self-pitying, fearfulness or irritation may likely follow.
 
Monitor your emotions as it may indicate what arguments are currently raging in your mind. The devil does not want you think clearly, he wants to keep you confused, unclear, imprisoned and disarmed. Press on and fight, warrior of God. He has overcome the world and in Him, we will find peace. .
 
John 8:31-32
If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. 
 
John 16:33
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

John 8: 43 - 44 
Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

- Annie Pisca

​​Oh, how it helps and comforts us in the plodding of life to know that we have with us the Christ who spent the first thirty years of His life swinging a hammer in the carpenter shop at Nazareth, covered with sweat and grimy dust, physically weary as we often are, and able to understand all our experiences of drudgery and labor!
 
Moreover, He still loves to share our common tasks and equip us for our difficult undertakings of hand and brain. Yes, housewife, He will help you at the kitchen range and sink as gladly as at the hour of prayer. Yes, busy laborer, He will go with you and help you to swing the hammer, or handle the saw, or hold the plow in the soil of life. You will be a better mechanic, a more skilled workman, a more successful man because you take His wisdom for the common affairs of life.

There is no place or time where Jesus is not able and willing to walk by our side, to work through our hand and minds, and to unite Himself in loving and caring partnership with all our needs and tasks and trials. In this way He proves Himself our all-sufficiency for all things.
 ​
Matthew 28:20
...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

- Writing of A. Simpson

God's sweetest memorial is the transformed thorn and thistle blooming with flowers of peace and goodness where once recriminations grew. God is waiting to make just such memorials in your life out of the things that are hurting you most today.
 
Take the grievances, the separations, the strained friendships and the broken ties which have been the sorrow and heartbreak of your life and let God heal them. Allow Him to give you grace that can make you right with all those with whom you have been wrong. You will wonder at the joy and, blessing that will come out of the things that have caused you nothing but regret and pain.
 
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9). The everlasting employment of our blessed Redeemer is to reconcile the guilty and the estranged from God. The highest and most Christlike work that we can do is to be like Him.
 
Shall we go forth to dry the tears of a sorrowing world, to heal the brokenhearted, to bind up the wounds of human lives, and to unite heart to heart and earth to heaven? Instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree.
 
Isaiah 55:13 NLT
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the LORD's name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

-  A.Simpson