Colgate was a tither throughout his long and successful business career.He gave not merely one-tenth of the earnings of Colgate’s soap products;but he gave two-tenths,three tenths and finally five-tenths of all his income to the work of God in the world.
During the later days of his life he revealed the origin of his devotion to the idea of tithing.When he was sixteen years old he left home to find employment in New York City.
He had previously worked in a soap manufacturing shop.When he told the captain of the canal boat upon which he was traveling that he planned to make soap in New York City the man gave him this advice:
‘Someone will soon be the leading shop maker in New York .You can be that person.But you must never lose sight of the fact that the soap you make has been given to you by God.Honor him by sharing what you earn.Begin by tithing all you receive .’William Colgate felt the urge to tithe because he recognized that God was the giver of all that he possessed,not only of opportunity,but even of the elements which were used in the manufacture of his products.
“Give and there will be gifts for you,a full measure,pressed down,shaken together and overflowing will be poured on your lap”. Luke 6:38
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. Mathew 20:29-34
It’s really very interesting to find two blind persons ,they could not see anything and they had only heard of Jesus from other people yet they were so sure of Jesus’ authority that they didn’t pay heed to what the crowd said.
The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet and we all know the meaning of crowd ;crowd means a gathering of many people and in our daily lives we keep our mouth shut out of our fear of the crowd.We don’t dare to speak the truth because we are often worried of what the crowd would feel,say or do.
It is very strange that we haven’t mastered the real art of living.Would you mind if I say that it is useless to have two large eyes if we cannot see the glory of God?
Blessed are those two blind men because they realized the real power of Jesus and that is why they were able to shout aloud saying ‘Lord,have mercy on us,Son of David!’ Whenever the crowd ordered them to be quiet they shouted even more loudly.
My dear friends during this pandemic more people are praying and repenting to be saved .More people are praising and worshipping the Lord but we do not know whom the Lord will ask ‘What do you want me to do for you?’.Yes we have a little idea,a probability that the Lord will certainly ask such a question to a person who is not scared to praise adore and worship the Lord with all his/ her strength despite the warning of the enemies who are always trying to stop us from doing so.
So let us praise the Lord like those blind men and be sure that the Lord will stand still and call out your name ,their names or may be my name.
I am sure we are ready to spend a few minutes of our twenty four hours to praise him .Remember the fact that he is the best master on earth and heaven .He will pay you for even a minutes praise and worship.Nothing will go in vain.
Pray for all and pray for me too as I am a worst sinner.
february 18, 2017DISCLOSURE: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.
(This post contains affiliate links but all opinions are my own)
You’ve done it! You’ve taken that giant leap of faith and started blogging about your faith in Christ. Your blog has been established among your peers and you may have even made some connections. All of a sudden, reality sets in about how much actually goes into blogging. Everything may have started off smoothly but now you are faced with roadblocks that threaten to deter you. Don’t be discouraged for you are definitely not alone. Can I just give you a hug right now and tell you that I’ve been there? Let’s get through these issues together…null
Spiritual Warfare – Please do not be surprised when it feels as if everything is going wrong. Our adversary HATES what you do and will try anything he can to put an end to God’s work. Perhaps you are getting hit financially, medically, and emotionally. Relationships are falling apart at the seams and you have no idea why. There are spiritual forces at play here and you will do good to put on your armor and pray for strength. The devil does not play fair and he will hit you where it hurts.
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 NLT
Grab Carmen Brown’s eBook “By His Grace We Blog” To encourage you on your blogging journey
Lack of Time with Jesus – There is so much to be done in the blogging world. You have content to write, there are newsletters to send, and there is social media to keep up with. It can be so tempting to put off our alone time with the Lord to squeeze something else in. The truth is that the enemy is jumping for joy when we do this. He doesn’t want us to be spiritually fed and geared up for our fight. He’d rather have us relying on our fickle feelings so that we can start doubting what it is we are supposed to do. Without His word guiding us we are bound to make wrong turns. In order to know where we are headed we need Him holding our hand every step of the way.
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalms 119:105 NLT
Overwhelm –
You may begin to feel like you are being bombarded with information and suddenly it feels as if there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. Slowly but surely, you are starting to feel overwhelmed. It’s easy to feel like you aren’t doing enough and that you should be doing more because everything out there is saying you should jump on their bandwagon. I get it and I’ve fallen victim to it. The truth is that it’s easy to get your priorities mixed up when you are in this state. Remember to hold onto what is true and right. God first. Family second. Let’s break this down a bit…
– You should be praying on each decision that you make with your blog including which courses to take, which strategies you implement, etc. There is nothing to big or small for the Lord and He will give you the wisdom you need to make the correct choices instead of making too many all at once. You’ll also be wise to pray about what you should be saying yes to so that you are not adding too much to your plate.
– Your obligations to your family should not be playing second to your blog. For example, the dishes are stacking and laundry is piling up. Your to-do list is beginning to burden you. Which choice do you make? Do you blog for an hour or do you use that hour to take care of responsibilities at home? I assure you, that if you choose blogging the overwhelming feeling will just keep piling up till there’s no where to go but down.null
As you continue to make wise decisions with your time you will find that the overwhelming feeling will lessen. The Lord promises to lessen our loads so no better reason to bring everything to His feet.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.” Luke 12:31 NLT
Dwindling Numbers – It is easy to get caught up in the numbers game and compare yourself to other bloggers who seem to be having more success than you. Please try to refrain from this type of thinking. As you see your numbers go up and down you may start to feel defeated. Maybe you’re wondering why you even started blogging in the first place. This is a definite roadblock that can run you right off the road if you are not careful. It is likely that you did not start blogging so that you could focus on how popular you might become, but how you could make an impact for God’s glory. Try and remember that when you become tempted to stay focused on the numbers aspect of blogging. It is better to be faithful in what you have been given. Keep going no matter what the analytics tell you.
“Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” Galatians 6:4 NLT
Unworthiness – This roadblock is last but certainly not least. I can’t even tell you how many times I have questioned my calling. It makes no sense to me, and yet it makes perfect sense to God. When God gives me a mission, the enemy is there to pounce on my courage and I know I’m not alone in this. The simple truth is that Jesus doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. If I let my feelings of unworthiness dictate how I lead my life then I won’t get anything done.
“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant.” 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NLT
All of these roadblocks might be threatening in nature but His word and Holy Spirit are just the detours we need to get the job done. As we learn to break through the barriers our endurance has the chance to grow. Then we will be better equipped so we won’t shrink back from the next battle. We will be able to fight the good fight.
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.” Romans 5:3 NLT
If you are searching for help with building your blog and establishing an online presence then I highly recommend an eBook by Carmen Brown from Married By Her Grace called “By His Grace We Blog“. Carmen touches on various challenges that we face as bloggers and she gives biblical insight to help guide you through them. There isn’t another book out there that I could recommend more. You can purchase yours here.
I’d also like to extend a personal invitation to anyone who is an established Christian Blogger to join Carmen and I in a private Facebook Group. You will find it’s a place of encouragement and support while on your blogging journey. We only ask that you are able to provide your blog link upon request. The group called By His Grace Bloggers and you can join here.
“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel.Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. – Ezekiel 33:7-9
So by now we all know our duties to have a healthy spiritual life.Many of us had a wrong notion of spiritual upliftment .It is not at all a selfish intend to strive hard to be spiritually strong ,we can be strong but not individually because a pious person has to be involved in acts of sharing.
It is not always that we have to share material objects but we can make others happy by sharing the word of God with them.It is of utmost necessary to tell about the statutes of the Lord to all those who we are living with.
It is like living in a containment zone with more people affected by corona virus.Surviving in such an environment even after following all the precautionary measures is really very difficult .
Similarly we cannot remain faithful to the Lord in a family where all the other members are atheists.If my being pious doesn’t compel my dear ones to believe in prayers then my own salvation is like a mirage.
So we ought to accept the message conveyed in the top excerpts from the Holy Bible from the book of Ezekiel .We need to remind our dear ones,neighbours and friends that they must follow the commandments laid down in the Book of the Lord to avoid being punished .
Very often I wondered as to why the dead people will be judged after the end of the world and not today after their death.
I have got the answer and the reason is that My salvation depends not only on my mortifications ,prayers and piety but it depends on the good works of my beloved ones with whom I had lived or I live.
If my son,my wife ,my daughter don’t repent in their life times and are judged to be the residents of Hell then I am sure I will have a share of their results.
That’s because I was assigned to look after them ,I was given the task to teach them goodness,Charity,piety and generosity.Their failure doesn’t mean my success.This is the reason that a person who dies today is not rewarded immediately after his /her death for his good work on this earth .
All those who are dying are allowed to be in the resting place to rest in peace till the last Judgement .
Read the next part of the Holy Bible carefully to know that those who die early are in a resting place .
Samuel had died some time earlier,and people from all over Israel had attended his funeral in his hometown of Ramah.
Meanwhile, Saul had been trying to get rid of everyone who spoke with the spirits of the dead. But one day the Philistines brought their soldiers together to attack Israel.
Achish told David, “Of course, you know that you and your men must fight as part of our Philistine army.”
David answered, “That will give you a chance to see for yourself just how well we can fight!”
“In that case,” Achish said, “you and your men will always be my bodyguards.”
4 The Philistines went to Shunem and set up camp. Saul called the army of Israel together, and they set up their camp in Gilboa. 5 Saul took one look at the Philistine army and started shaking with fear. 6 So he asked the Lord what to do. But the Lordwould not answer, either in a dream or by a priest or a prophet. 7 Then Saul told his officers, “Find me a woman who can talk to the spirits of the dead. I’ll go to her and find out what’s going to happen.”
His servants told him, “There’s a woman at Endor who can talk to spirits of the dead.”
8 That night, Saul put on different clothing so nobody would recognize him. Then he and two of his men went to the woman, and asked, “Will you bring up the ghost of someone for us?”
9 The woman said, “Why are you trying to trick me and get me killed? You know King Saul has gotten rid of everyone who talks to the spirits of the dead!”
10 Saul replied, “I swear by the living Lordthat nothing will happen to you because of this.”
11 “Who do you want me to bring up?” she asked.
“Bring up the ghost of Samuel,” he answered.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. Then she turned to Saul and said, “You’ve tricked me! You’re the king!”
13 “Don’t be afraid,” Saul replied. “Just tell me what you see.”
She answered, “I see a spirit rising up out of the ground.”
14 “What does it look like?”
“It looks like an old man wearing a robe.”
Saul knew it was Samuel, so he bowed down low.
15 “Whyare you bothering me by bringing me up like this?”Samuel asked. – 1 Samuel 28
So beloved friends let’s decide to take care of as many souls as possible and vow to spread the message of Salvation to all those who have not heard anything about the death and Resurection of Our Lord.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:”Go down to the potter’s house ,and there I will give you my message.”So I went down to the potter’s house,and I saw him working at the wheel.But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands;so the potter formed it into another pot,shaping it as seemed best to him.
Then the word of the Lord came to me.He said,”Can I not do with you ,Israel,as this potter does?”declares the Lord.”Like clay in the hand of the potter,so are you in my hand,Israel.If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,torn down and destroyed,and if that nation I warned repents of its evil,then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned .If at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,and if does evil in my sight and does not obey me,then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem,’This is what the Lord says:Look !I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you.So turn from your evil ways ,each one of you,and reform your ways and your actions.’ -Jeremiah 18-:1-11
Oh how great is the Lord because he has the authority to do anything he wants but he has been kind to me and my beloved ones.Others do not know anything about my evil ways but I know it,yet the Lord is slow to anger ,he is more generous to us .
It is true that he has paid a ransom I mean a very heavy price for our sins but that doesn’t assure us of a confirm berth in Paradise.He would certainly be the happiest person if he could allow everyone an entry into heaven.
The reasons for not allowing everyone an entry into heaven…
1)We cannot live in the same place for ever and ever because we don’t like each other.
2)Very often we avoid meeting people whom we hate on this earth.
3)Many times we pray for disasters to be fall on our enemies.
4) Jesus doesn’t want to take the devil’s disciples to Paradise because they belong to his kingdom(Hell).
5)If I am a murderer then I have no place in Paradise because the person who was deprived of his precious life and could not complete his full life span on this earth for me deserves to be in heaven and in such a case I can’t be a part of heaven because Paradise is not a place for antisocials and criminals.
So the death and resurrection of our Lord doesn’t assure evil people of salvation unless and until such people decide to follow the commandments and statute of the Lord.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a confirm ticket of salvation for a person who wants to enjoy life as per his own wish keeping the ticket in a vault or in his pocket.
That is what the Lord said to the Prophet .The Just Lord is always altering his plans to make sure that no one dares to question him of partiality or biased ness.
He is not interested in bribes because he is the author of everything we are enjoying.
So let us live a life pleasing to the Lord ,even though such a life is full of sorrows and difficulties.The master had to carry the cross to be the ruler of Paradise similarly all those who are aspiring to be with him one day must take up his/her own cross and follow Him.
Today the world is commemorating the birth anniversary of the Saint of the gutter,Mother Teresa.I couldn’t meet her personally though I got thousands of chances to meet her .
I was living in Kolkata very close to AJC Bose Road ,it was a distance of five minutes walk from Dehi Serampore Road .
Almost every evening I walked down the footpath on AJC Bose road and I had noticed the Door of Mother House with a message “Mother Teresa in”.
Perhaps God had a different plan for me so as a young boy I never felt like meeting her or speaking to her.It wasn’t because of my haughty attitudes but my humility and simplicity that made me feel very small so I didn’t dare to press the calling bell.
After her death I have come across many sisters of Missionaries of Charity who had worked with Mother Teresa.I remember one particular nun in whom I had noticed the similar attitudes of Mother Teresa.Her name is Sister Therese Marie.At present she is a superior in a state called Rajasthan.She had told me many facts of Mother Teresa.
One incident that touched me very much was ,one day Mother Teresa had gone out to seek help from the rich business men of Burra Bazaar and there she had put forward her right palm for help to support the orphans of her homes .The business man immediately spat on her palm.Mother Teresa was so humble and determined that she wiped her right palm on her uniform (Saree) and said to the business man that she got whatever she deserved and put forward her left palm and requested him to give what the helpless abandoned inmates of her home deserved.
The business man was shocked at the attitudes of that little humble nun and finally he agreed to help her .
Her indomitable strength and faith in the Lord made things possible .There were times when she was not sure of the ration of the next day for her inmates .Like angels people poured in with more than what was required .
I personally have seen very rich people drove in at Sishu Bhawan with gifts for the abandoned children which included new clothes ,food articles,sweet meats etc.
It is matter of great joy that we have an example of a soft spoken person’s success in following the footprints of our Lord.She started with a rented room and today there are homes in almost all the countries of the world .
I stay very close to a home run by the sisters of Mother Teresa and I was called many times to assist them to take the dead bodies for the last ritual .My family members and I feel privileged to be close to her home.I thank the Lord for sending such people to inspire us with their examples.
Children are indeed beautiful flowers to all of us.We all love children, whether it’s our own or someone else’s. Parents without children live a very sad life,to them life is monotonous. They do almost anything and everything to have a child.Similarly there are parents who tolerate all kinds of tortures in the family just to remain close to their kids.They can’t even dream of being separated from their kids.Children are so important for this world that almost every human activity is connected to a child,for examples..hospitals,nursing homes, schools,colleges,shopping malls etc.Having children and bringing them up in the proper way are two different dimensions.
Practically speaking children are abused in many ways in today’s world.Even the parents’ hectic schedule is a bar to a child’s proper growth.The love and care of parents have been replaced either by different gadgets or by the caretaker/governess. Here I confess my disability to spend a proper time with my own son,who is writing his ISC Examination.(completing his 12th standard) Sometimes I regret for my sin of not spending time with him.I felt, I should give him the best education for which I work from dawn to night.When I go for my work in the morning he is in his bed.When I have my lunch he is in the school,during his dinner I return home after my work.
So it is very important to have intimacy with our children,to be close to them for a part of the day. If we fail to spend time with our kids then after a certain age they may not talk to us openly rather frankly.They may not speak of their problems or fight shy of their beloved ones.They have their sufferings of their own and they keep it in their heart.In this way they create a load for themselves.which becomes heavy after certain time and anything may happen when list expected.In today’s world the worst accident that is occurring in many families and the consequence of such accidents can’t be understood easily.Abortion(filicide) is that accident which spoils the family and with it the single kid. Trying to have a single issue to ensure that one child can be brought up in a proper way is a way to total destruction.
Sorry to say it is filicide, that is spoiling the present nuclear families.Single child certainly doesn’t know about one or two filicide in the family but a hatred grows in the living child against the killers of his /her own brother or sister (parents)naturally.Such a child is usually arrogant,disobedient to the parents and can even revolt against his/her parents in some matters concerning his
own life.Perhaps the blood understands or considers the parents as enemies.Another important cause of child’s change of attitudes is the abandonment of old parents (Child’s grandparents).Again it’s the blood that declares a cold war against the parents.Situations like this are really deadlier than a real war.Peace in the family is totally destroyed.Parents either become very arrogant and impose conditions which are often not acceptable for the child or become mentally and even physically disturbed.In such a state sometimes one of the parents try to come closer to the child to save him.A differences of opinion emerges.If it is not nipped in the bud then arises the question of separation and finally one sin compels to commit more sins and then a hellish state of affair is created in the family.So beware,don’t dare to ignore child’s total needs by means of filicide.It’s not enough to give the child the worldly things but we must keep in mind the fact that children deserve real affection and support in the family with brothers and sisters,parents are sometimes not enough for a funfilled and jovial life.
Ever had writer’s block and need some ideas for lifestyle blog posts? Especially for a lifestyle blogger, there are so many trending lifestyle topics you can talk discuss. Writer’s block is inescapable for every blogger,…
