BE BLESSED AS YOU FAITHFULLY SERVE GOD!

by Dr S Sam Selva Raj, Founder and Pastor, Echo of His Call Ministries, Chennai, India

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Editorial Notation:
It was 56 years ago that a young man responded to God’s call to serve Him faithfully… and he did, willingly. I have known Dr Sam for many years and can declare him as an achiever for God’s kingdom, having had the honour of ministering in the main church as well as some of his outreaches. I also had the joy of being special speaker at a Nehemiah Bible College graduation service, encouraging the enthused graduating students eager to minister in the Holy Spirit to their fellow countryfolk.

I count this servant of faith as my brother-in-Christ. He and his family know their calling in God and haven’t hesitated to be led by Him, always relying on the Holy Spirit to win souls for Jesus, open doors, provide needed finance and enable them to be accomplish whatever the ministry challenges have been, still are. And God has blessed them all!

What the ministry has accomplished over the past 56 years (celebrated earlier this month) through ready willingness to serve God is incredible! May Dr Sam’s article this month encourage readers to be daring and ‘go for it in God.’

It has blessed greatly me to support Dr Sam and Echo of His Call Ministries in whatever way I can, especially his special daily YouTube broadcasts. Karthar ungalai aasivathipar! Bhagwan tumhare saath ho!
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(August 26, 2024) S. Sam Selva Raj encourages and strongly challenges…

Abounding with God’s blessings is the reward of leading a faithful life! But this is not always seen… and some Christians can wrongly think, ‘What is the use of living a faithful life?’

Take heart! The truth is that those who are faithful to God and His wishes receive divine help abundantly!

‘A faithful person will abound with blessings…’ confirms Proverbs 28:20NASB. CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) reads, ‘A trustworthy person will receive many blessings.’ Message: ‘Committed and persistent work pays off.’ 

God will—

  • Listen to the faithful servant’s prayers.
  • Answer their applications in His perfect timing.
  • Help when they are in danger.
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VARIETY: CARS, CHARACTER, COLOUR, CHOICE

(August 20, 2024) Mama Lava shares some thoughts… and asks some questions…

Variety… the quality or state of being different or diverse; the absence of uniformity or monotony.

How do you, dear reader, feel about variety? Is it the spice of life? Or is it overrated?

When my husband Michael and I took a short road trip last weekend, I couldn’t help but notice the cars around us throughout the day. They lacked character. Why? So many were all the same colour!

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THE PEOPLE GOD CHOOSES – PART 3

(August 19, 2024) Brian Bell shares more on this theme, quoting from 1Samuel NLT(1996)…

In Part 1 of this short series, we looked at some thoughts about Noah, whom we might call him ‘God’s boat builder.’ And while God declared him to be the only righteous man on earth at that time, we also saw that Noah was overtaken by sin.

The sin of Noah did not take God by surprise, it was in God’s foreknowledge, yet it did not prevent God from choosing and using Noah and what encouragement that should bring to our hearts today.

In Part 2, we looked at some thoughts about a woman God chose to place in a leadership position, Deborah, a prophetess and judge.

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THE FOCUSED CHRIST

(August 17, 2024) Wayne Swift again calls it as it is…

Focus—

Now that’s a word meaning ‘the main or central point of something, especially of interest or attention.’

Did you ever realise that your salvation depended on Jesus’ focused resolution to suffer the cross and all that that entailed? That before Christ even went to the cross He had to focus on His commitment to the task ahead.

Jesus’ Origins
It’s amazing really that Almighty God had made the incredible decision to come to this world in human form as Jesus Christ for our sakes!

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THE BLESSING OF A TIMELY WORD

(August 14, 2024) Norman and Margaret Moss share another precious meditation…

Through the years we’ve been blessed with good hearing.

Recently I (Norman) have noticed that my friends have a tendency to mutter and this led me to experiment with a redundant hearing aid belonging to someone else. I was surprised to find that wearing this device attracted a number of song birds to sing beautifully outside my window. 

I recalled the old story of the elderly lady who had just been fitted with a hearing aid. She returned to report to the audiologist.

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FAILURE IS NOT FINAL!      

(August 14, 2024) Richard Winter encourages casting in deep waters…

Luke 5:1-11 tells of Peter and friends being out all-night fishing and catching nothing — seems like a classic waste of time, a failure.

It certainly must have been a disappointment to Peter as he was a professional fisherman… good boat, best nets, knew where to fish.

But even pros can strike out sometimes. And this one was going to learn that failure isn’t final!

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MANDATE MINISTRIES UPDATE

(August 12, 2024) Ross and Donna, Mandate Ministries, share from Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, including news regarding Ross’ health…

Health Update
Ross is continuing chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The PET scan on July 1 showed the oesophageal tumour is reducing as is the cancer in the liver, for which we are praising God.

We are not out of the woods yet but headed in the right direction. The next scan will be in September.

  • Please join us in prayer for complete healing.

Karen People in Myanmar
We are currently back in Thailand for two weeks which has been a great opportunity to catch up with our ministry partners, particularly Brother W who is our project manager for our ministry to the Karen people in Myanmar.

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MAKING WISE CHOICES: THE KEY TO LIFE

(August 08, 2024) Carol Round encourages us to make wise choices…

The choices I made sometimes led me down the wrong path. It was like tripping over a small pebble that eventually led to a rock slide down a mountain. I didn’t always learn my lesson, either.
 
There were times I’d find myself in the same situation, making the same wrong choices. However— once I chose to follow Jesus, reading scripture and praying, my stumbling feet remained on solid ground.
 
Standing on Solid Ground
In Psalm 26:12NLT, David writes, ‘Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the Lord.’

In a recent daily devotional at The High Calling website, the author states the following about Psalm 26: ‘David proclaims that he stands on the “solid ground” of righteousness, the result of God’s mercy in his life and that which is demonstrated in his rejection of evil and his love for worshipping the Lord. Thus, in the final line of the psalm, David proclaims, “I will publicly praise the Lord.”’

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BAAL PERAZIM — THE LORD OF BREAKTHROUGHS!

(August 07, 2024) Angeline Selvakumari encourages us to discover God’s barrier shattering power…

Greetings to all my Echo of His Call extended family. It is always a great joy to connect with you all.

The Bible teaches us that God makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This includes our seasons which around the world season are changing… and every season possesses its unique beauty. We require both the heat and the rain for growth.

As Solomon said, there is a time and a season for everything under the sun. Now I’m unsure of the season you have experienced thus far this year— but remember, the best is yet to come! The crucial aspect is learning to embrace God’s promises. Often, we are aware of God’s promises but struggle to make them ours. 

1. Achievement With God
It may take weeks, months, years, or even decades to witness God’s promises manifest in our lives. David waited more than 15 to 20 years to see the prophecy over his life fulfilled, from Samuel anointing him to becoming the king of Israel.

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THE PEOPLE GOD CHOOSES – PART 2

(August 06, 2024) Brian Bell shares more on this theme quoting from Judges NLT(1996)…

In Part 2 of this short series I share with you some thoughts about a woman God chose to place in an Old Testament leadership position. Judges 4:4 introduces us to Deborah — a prophetess who had become a judge in Israel.

It is important to set the context. Following their entrance into the land God had promised to Abraham, under God’s direction and Joshua’s leadership, the children of Israel began to take possession of the land and subdue the occupants.

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