O MAGNIFY THE LORD WITH ME!

 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;  let the afflicted hear and be glad. 3  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4  I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5  Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7  The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8  O taste and see that the Lord is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him! 9  O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! 10  The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.        

  11  Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is there who desires life, and covets many days, that he may enjoy good? 13  Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15  The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. 19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20  He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21  Evil shall slay the wicked; and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. 

PSALM 34 (RSV)

SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE!

Ephesians 4: 15-32 (ESV)

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self,[f] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt throughdeceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

LOVE IS PRACTICAL NOT ABSTRACT!

 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20 (ESV)

God created man in His own image so we see some of His attribute in man. Genesis 1:26-27 says that "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness' ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Made in His image means that we reflect God's creative, spiritual, intelligent, communicative, relational, moral and purposeful capacities here on this Earth. We are creative because God is creative. We are spiritual (possesses spiritual aptitudes and 

capacities) because God is Spirit. "The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis 1:2). We communicate because God communicates. We are intelligent because God is intelligent. We develop relationships because God relates with His creations. 

How we, therefore, relate and show love to each other reciprocates our love to God. There are many religious fanatics in the world who claim to be acting in the name of God. They hate, kill, destroy, and suppress others in the name of love for God. How is this possible when God is love? He loved the would so much that He gave His only begotten son to die to save us from the punishment of our sins which is death.  

To love God is to show a caring attitude towards your neighbor. To love God is to be accommodating and tolerant to those who are different from you. To love God is to provide for the poor and needy in the society. To love God is to provide shelter for the homeless and destitute. To love God is to create peace with one another. To love God is to love your children and your spouse. It means not to harm or abuse them. The love of God is a practical demonstration of selflessness to humankind not mere talk.  

It is easy to love somebody who is far away than near, so is loving somebody who is invisible. Today, in all that you do, let your love of God be reflected in your daily relations, communications, and dealings with your fellow human beings. You will be blessed if you do this. 

A NEW YEAR OF SUCCESS

Isaiah 41:10King James Version (KJV)

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

With the beginning of any new year, many people develop fear, uncertainties, and dismay because they do not know what the year holds for them. Dismay is a state of sudden or complete loss of courage, utter disheartenment, sudden disillusionment, agitation of mind, pertubation, or alarm. This verse is very appropriate for the beginning of the year. The Lord is assuring us of His presence and help in time of need. He says, you should "Fear not for I am with you." There is nothing better than knowing that our creator and almighty God is ever present and near to those who trust and believe in Him. If you make Him your God, you will never be disappointed. He will turn your weaknesses into strength. Your maker knows your needs. He knows what you need to succeed in life. He is ready to guide you through this year with His righteous right hand. He will renew your strength if you wait patiently on Him daily. What is making you fearful of the coming days? Is it a disease, sickness, or infirmity? Fear not, for you have been healed in Jesus' name. Let not your heart fail you. With Jesus on your side, you are always a winner. God's words are always true and His promises always come to pass. 

KEEP TRUSTING THE LORD AND YOUR YEAR WILL BE FULL OF SUCCESSES!