"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father." (Matthew 10:29)
This fascinating bit of first-century pricing information, seemingly so trivial, provides a marvelous glimpse into the heart of the Creator. Of all the birds used for food by the people of those days, sparrows were the cheapest on the market, costing only a farthing for a pair of them. In fact, they cost even less in a larger quantity, for on another occasion Jesus said: "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?" (Luke 12:6). The "farthing" was a tiny copper coin of very small value, so that a sparrow was all but worthless in human terms.
And yet the Lord Jesus said that God knows and cares about every single sparrow! God had a reason for everything He created; each kind of animal has its own unique design for its own intended purpose. Modern biologists continue to waste time and talent developing imaginary tales about how all these multitudes of different kinds of creatures might have evolved from some common ancestor. Even some evolutionists have started calling these whimsical tales "just so" stories. They would really be better scientists if they would seek to understand the creative purpose of each creature, rather than speculating on its imaginary evolution.
The better we comprehend the amazing complexity and purposive design of each creature, the better we realize the infinite wisdom and power of their Creator. Then, all the more wonderful it is to learn that their Creator is our Father! He has placed them all under our dominion, and we need to learn to see them through His eyes, if we would be good stewards of the world He has committed to us. We can also thank our heavenly Father that we "are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:31).
HAND OF GOD
1 Chronicles 4: 10 – “10 Jabez cried to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request.
The Hand of God is a figure of speech which points to God’s sovereign power in creation and in His actions on His people’s behalf, especially in redemption. In our Scripture we hear the cry of Jabez who understood the need to have the Hand of God upon his life in order to see a difference. He knew the impact his life would have if the Hand of God was upon him!
a. God creates by His hand [Acts 7:50]
b. God holds the world in His hand [Psalm 95:4]
c. God’s creatures are fed from His hand [Psalm 145:16]
d. God’s hand ensures success for His people [Isaiah 41:10]
Living under the Hand of God signifies that we are living under the realm of His influence. When we prepare ourselves and seek God we will come under the Hand of God. Being under the Hand of God is a life filled with faith in God – it does not mean that we will not face any difficulties, but that we will be protected and shielded from the work of the enemy. There are four aspects of the Hand of God I would like to highlight based on the Word of God.
1. Outstretched Hand of God! Jeremiah 32:17
The Hand of God that is outstretched signifies God’s POWER! Nothing is too hard for the all-powerful, invincible, mighty God! It is the mighty power of His Hand that parted the Red Sea and the River Jordan. Every miracle is manifestation of the power of His Hand! As the prophet Habakkuk says, power is hidden in the Hand of God. [Habakkuk 3:4]
2. Unchanging Hand of God! Hebrews 6:17, 18
The unchanging Hand of God signifies God’s PERSON! His personality that is consistent is revealed through His Hand. God is dependable and by making an oath, God makes an un-breakable covenant with us. God does NOT change [Malachi 3:6], He is the same yesterday, today and forever [Hebrews 13:8] God Himself asked Moses if His arm was too short to save? Surely not! [Numbers11:23]. God’s unchanging nature manifested through His Hand:-
a) Gracious Hand of God [Nehemiah 2:8]
b) Healing Hand of God [Luke 5:13]
c) Right Hand of God [Psalm 118:16 ;Isaiah 41:10]
d) Comforting and Strengthening Hand of God [Genesis 49:24;Psalm 18: 31-34]
3. Everlasting Hand of God! Deuteronomy 33:27
The everlasting Hand of God signifies God’s PROTECTION! God’s love is displayed by His everlasting arms that are always there to protect and shield you! He has drawn you with His loving kindness and loved you with an everlasting love [Jeremiah 31:3], and He stretches forth His arms against your enemies that try to harm you. [Psalm 138:7]. In order for God’s Hand to be upon our lives, we need to abide in Him. Be close to God and live a life of faith. Seek Him sincerely and let His Hand guide us all the days of our lives.
4. Upraised Hand of God! Isaiah 10:4
In talking about the Hand of God, we cannot but mention that the upraised Hand of God signifies God’s divine PUNISHMENT! A father that loves his children will not stop at disciplining his child. Similarly, the love of God, the Father is sincere and complete hence when we fall short of His desires He will punish us ONLY so that we may return to Him and do what He wants! He is a just God and He loves us too much to let go off us!
May God’s Hand be upon us, so we will be highly favored!
THE TRUE STORY OF A MAGNIFICENT GIFT
by Finis J. Dake
I rejected Christianity in my youth, until I found some believers who lived the life they professed. Faced with truth backed by Christian example, I knew I had to make a decision. After weeks of struggling with my conscience, I chose to serve God the rest of my life and do His will, whatever it may be. I had the witness of the Spirit with my spirit that I was a child of God, the blood of Christ having cleansed me from all unrighteousness. I was baptized in water as an outward symbol of an inward work of Christ in my life.
by Finis J. Dake
I rejected Christianity in my youth, until I found some believers who lived the life they professed. Faced with truth backed by Christian example, I knew I had to make a decision. After weeks of struggling with my conscience, I chose to serve God the rest of my life and do His will, whatever it may be. I had the witness of the Spirit with my spirit that I was a child of God, the blood of Christ having cleansed me from all unrighteousness. I was baptized in water as an outward symbol of an inward work of Christ in my life.
But I was more hungry for God than ever before. I cried out for a closer walk with Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I spent hours in prayer and worship, seeking God.
After three months of wholehearted surrender, I received a great anointing of the Spirit. A cool and rushing wind came over me. From the depths of my being came the “rivers of rushing water” that Jesus promised in John 7:37-39. Torrents of praise began to flow from my lips as I received in measure what the disciples had on the day of Pentecost. It was May, 1920, and I was seventeen years old.
I was immediately able to quote hundreds of Scriptures without memorizing them. I also noticed a quickening of my mind to know what chapters and books various verses were found in. Before conversion, I had not read one full chapter of the Bible. This new knowledge of Scripture was a gift to me, for which I give God the praise.
From the time of this special anointing until now, I have never had to memorize the thousands of scriptures I use in teaching. I just quote a verse when I need it, by the anointing of the Spirit.
I then began to study the Bible without ceasing, and have now spent around a hundred thousand hours digging into the wealth of its teachings.
From the first of my studies, I found the Bible to be simple and clear. Daily study, coupled with my ability to quote the Bible as I yielded to the Spirit, helped me “rightly divide the truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Difficult passages in prophecy and elsewhere did not seem mystifying to me, for what was unclear in one passage was made clear by other scriptures on the same subject. Hours of study provided a rich storehouse to draw from as I yielded to the Spirit. When I was eighteen I enrolled in a Bible Institute to prepare for the ministry. I soon learned that one must either believe what the Bible alone teaches, or spend his life wrestling with the confusing and varied interpretations of men. The professors did not agree among themselves on some of the basic truths, and a number even disagreed with what the Bible plainly stated on certain subjects.
I thus became acquainted with a perplexing array of doctrines. Some of them were in agreement with Scripture and could be proved when all passages dealing with the subject were examined. But others turned out to be “hand-me-down” theology from a former generation of preachers, many of whom were great in spite of their doctrinal errors.
I had to decide either to respect my gift and depend on God and the knowledge of the Word He had given me as a guide to determining scriptural truth, or go along with the crowd.
My decision was firm. I vowed to the Lord never to teach one thing I could not prove with two or three plain Scriptures, agreeing with Paul that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (2 Cor. 13:1). Believing also that “no prophecy . . . is of any private interpretation” (to be interpreted without comparison with other Scriptures, 2 Pet. 1:20), I reasoned that the Bible is God’s Word in human language and means exactly what it says. Any interpretation which is out of harmony with what is plainly written must be rejected as the theory of man.
It was a big decision for a lad, and cost me a few friends now and again - friends who preferred to listen to almost anyone who had gray hair, rather than a youth just emerging from his teens. But my hair is gray too now, yet my decision remains the same. The prophecies, promises, admonitions and doctrines are there in the Bible the same as they were when I began quoting them years ago. They are in plain language, understandable by anyone who can read and will take time to look up an occasional word in the dictionary.
My early decision has paid off in many ways, one of them being letters I receive now and again from someone who says, “I didn’t have much use for your teaching years ago, but now I find your writings a great help and inspiration.” Such testimonies are my reward for carrying out my early vows to teach exactly what the Bible says on all subjects it deals with.
If I have inspired you to study God’s Word with an open mind; if I have influenced you to take Scriptures literally; and if my testimony has made you hungry for God, His Word and His anointing, then I have accomplished the purpose I had in mind - that of blessing your life!
“Colgate”
The Colgate-Palmolive Company is one of the oldest in America, going back nearly two hundred years. It was started by a young man named William Colgate. He left home at sixteen years of age to seek his fortune, and everything that he owned in this world was tied in a bundle that he carried in his hand. But as he walked along on his way to the city, he met an old neighbor, the captain of a canal boat, and the words the old man spoke to him on that day stayed with him his entire life.
“Well, William, where are you going?” asked the canal-boat captain.
“I don't know. Father is too poor to keep me at home any longer, and says I must make a living for myself now.” William went on to say that he had no skills, that he didn't know how to do anything except make soap and candles.
“Well,” said the old man, “let me pray with you and give you a little advice.”
There in the pathway, the two of them-a teenager and an old man- knelt down and the man prayed earnestly for William. Then, rising up, the boat captain said this:
“Someone will soon be the leading soap maker in New York. It can be you as well as anyone. Be a good man; give your heart to Christ; give the Lord all that belongs to Him of every dollar you earn; make an honest soap; give a full pound; and I am certain you will yet be a prosperous and rich man.”
When William arrived in New York, he had trouble finding a job, but he followed the old man's advice. He dedicated himself to Christ, joined a church, and began worshiping there. The first thing he did with the first dollar he earned was to give 10 percent of it to the Lord's work. From that point on, he considered ten cents of every dollar as sacred to the Lord. In fact, he soon began giving 20 percent of his income to the Lord, and then he raised it to 30 percent, then to 40 percent, then to 50 percent. And late in his life, he had become so successful that he devoted the whole of his yearly income-100 percent of it-to the Lord.
And even today, this very morning, nearly two hundred years later, some of you brushed your teeth or washed your faces with products from that young man's factory.
BRO.SAM KISHORE TESTIMONY PART-1
BRO.SAM KISHORE TESTIMONY PART-2
SIS.SHARON N BRO.PRAVEEN TESTIMONIES PARTS 1-4
CINE HERO RAJA TESTIMONY
