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CSI Good News
(Church of South India Good News)
Vol. 2 / Issue 47 / December 28 2000
Contents of this issue
Editorial
Forever Friend
News Items (Common to all issues) :
Through the Valley of Death & other Books
Download Articles in Handheld Computers
Kids Page - Free Tutorials
Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
Your Spam Folder
Your Feedback
Editorial
By Sherly Isaac
Christmas is over and many of us are enjoying our holidays with family and friends. But many are all alone, those who do not have any relatives or friends to visit. For them holiday time is the most difficult one. But there is one who wants to befriend us and who wants to take away all our loneliness, tears, pain and sorrows from our hearts. He wants to share in our joy, in our tears, our problems, our sorrows, our pain, our sufferings and wants to make us happy and peaceful. He is none other than Jesus.
God of the Bible is the God who wants to have fellowship with us and wants to share in our personal things with Him. You may be in this situation that no one is there to share your heart, no one to listen to your cry or no one near by to give you consolation or comfort in time of trouble but Jesus wants to share all your burdens. That’s why the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” And also the Psalmist says in Psalms 55:22, “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
If you have not yet accepted Jesus in your life, invite Him today and you will never be alone. He is more than a friend. Friends can listen to your problems but they cannot give you peace, joy and happiness. They cannot solve your misery or they cannot take away your pain from your heart but when Jesus becomes our friend, He removes all our pain, sorrows and tears because He is the prince of peace and in Him only is the fullness of joy.
My dear friend, in this holiday season and when we are about to enter into a brand New Year, invite this new friend – everlasting friend - in your life who will never leave you nor forsake you, who will walk with you when you go through fire and storms. He will be with you always in times of trouble. He will go before you and make a way for you where there is no way. He will protect you from the rear and be a shield and buckler. Yes, when He comes in, your life will not be the same again.
We thank all of you who sent best wishes and Christmas and New Year E-cards. It is not possible for us to thank each of you personally. Our prayers and best wishes are with you and your family. May God bless you in the coming year and may He give your hearts desire and may all your dreams come true in the New Year.
Forever Friend
By Sherly Isaac
2 Chronicles 20:7, "Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
Also the Bible says in Isaiah 41:8, "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.”
When we read the Bible we find that God was forever the friend of Abraham, whom God chose and brought out from idolatry and to whom He gave the status as His friend. What a privilege and honor to be God’s friend. You may have many friends but I guarantee that there can be none as friendly as God is to you.
Once, one of my friends sent me this poem which describes what a Friend is:
A friend......
(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "Hi"
(D)oesn’t give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (Even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)understands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plain things you don’t understand
(Y)ells when you won’t listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality
Yes, a friend has these qualities, but I think that no man/woman can fulfill all these qualities. But there is one who is perfect and we see all the qualities of a friend in God. That’s why Jesus said in John 15:15, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
God wants to share everything with us and He wants to share our things, our problems etc. But the problem is that many a times when we face difficult situations we go to our friends or relatives for advise and forget that God who is our friend can only help us in a better way than our relatives or earthly friends.
His love is everlasting Love:
The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.” Friend’s love does not end seeing you in sin or unfaithfulness. But a friend loves at all times no matter how the situation may be. And the Bible says that Jesus loved us so much that He gave Himself for us so that we may never die but have everlasting life. Bible says in Song of Solomon, “For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.” (Song 8 –6-7)
God has this type of love, for us, Love as strong as death love that cannot be quenched. When you go through valley of death, He will come with you. When you go through shadow of dark moments, His love will not fail you. When you go through heartbreaking experiences, His love will sustain you. Yes, His love is an everlasting love and He has loved us with an everlasting love.
My dear friend, you may be thinking that there is no one to love you or care for you, but look to Jesus who loved you so much that He gave His own life for us. He is calling you with His outstretched and loving arms. Will you mind accepting His everlasting love in your lfie?
He is everlasting friend:
Hebrew 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Yes, once He becomes your friend then He will never leave you nor forsake you. Your friends may leave you and forsake you and even your wife or husband may leave you, but God says that He will never leave you nor forsake you. That is His promise for us. He will be with us always and guide us, lead us and give us advise as a friend.
Isn’t it marvelous to have this wonderful friend in our life? Yes, my friend, if you want this wonderful friend to become your friend too, then invite Him in your life as your Lord and Savior. Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Why should He stand and wait outside of your home? Will you not allow Him to come in and have fellowship with you?
Through the Valley of Death & other Books
As many of you know that in the year 2005, our dad was very sick even unto death. God miraculously healed him. We have compiled it in a book form. I sure believe that it will inspire you and encourage you greatly.
This book is available for purchase at JasmineCorp Store
Also read these two books by Sherly Isaac "Allah and Elohim - Are they the same God" Available at JasmineCorp Store, and "Is Jesus God?" Available at JasmineCorp Store,
Both books compares the Bible and the Quran and read eye opening facts about Jesus, God of the Bible, Allah and Islamic faith. I am sure that you want to read this.
Download Articles in Handheld Computers
You can now download articles in Palm Doc format for your palm handheld computer. It will work with any devise that has Palm OS and Palm Doc Reader installed. To download click on the link named "Palm Doc Format" i.e. at the top of this page by the side of each articles.
Kids Page - Free Tutorials
Now you can learn Graphics and web designing online at Kid's page. These tutorials are free for kids who subscribe for CSI Kids Newsletter. Currently tutorials for Paint Shop Pro, HTML and Dreamweaver are available.
So please enroll your kids by going to http://kids.csinewsletter.org/member/join.asp
And visit CSI Kid's page at http://kids.csinewsletter.org
Hindi / Malayalam/Tamil Bible Online
Now you can read Bible in Hindi online at http://www.hindibible.org
in Malayalam online at http://www.malayalambible.org
in Tamil online at http://www.hindibible.org?ver=tamil
Your Spam Folder
If you are getting this newsletter in your bulk/junk/Spam folder please hit the "not junk" or "not spam" button so that you could receive it in your mailbox. Also adding news@csinewsletter.com email address into your contact list can avoid this email from ending up in your bulk folder.
Your Feedback
Your feedback and comments are Welcome. Please send your Parish news & articles to Editor (Sherly N. Isaac) at this address News@csinewsletter.comThe messages submitted will be checked whether they are correct according to the word of God. Editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit the messages. The writers are responsible for the contents of their writings.
 
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