Dear Father, I pondered on the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman. I was particularly struck when she said, “I have no husband,” and His response to her, saying, “Thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband...” Five husbands?! What exactly fueled this drive? Should I call it a need, an obsession, or the air she thought she must keep breathing to stay alive? How was she able to seek more after having two, even after having five? I may never know the exact reason she kept trusting that, after five failed relationships with men, what she still needed was a relationship with one more, but I see a case of fitting wrong solutions into unrelated problems. And sadly, some of us are guilty as well--of seeking perfection in imperfect things. We may not go seeking and obtaining a list of husbands and ex-husbands, but perhaps we have obtained a list of certificates and still seek more, whose acquisitions may not be bad in themselves but are still faulty because of our motives for acquiring them: to be better or to feel complete? In this context, there is a need to distinguish between fulfilment and complements: people and material things can become complements to what You are doing in our lives, but they are not designed to be the source of our fulfilment. So the issue arises when we strive to find fulfilment in complements, and with temporary satisfaction, we seek even harder, seeking the right things in the wrong places. I pondered again on the various areas of my life where I may be found wanting. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6 : Portuguese #LettertoGod #fulfilment #completeness #perfection #solutions

🚶‍♂️ You can take steps to feel whole. At God’s Mighty Word, we want to support you as you discover the completeness He alone provides. 🌐 Discover more encouragement: www.godsmightyword.org #GodsMightyWord #FindYourPurpose #PeaceAndClarity #GodsWord #FaithJourney #ExperiencingGod #DailyWisdom #ChristianLiving #SpiritualGrowth #Wholeness

Dear Father, I pondered on the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman. I was particularly struck when she said, “I have no husband,” and His response to her, saying, “Thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband...” Five husbands?! What exactly fueled this drive? Should I call it a need, an obsession, or the air she thought she must keep breathing to stay alive? How was she able to seek more after having two, even after having five? I may never know the exact reason she kept trusting that, after five failed relationships with men, what she still needed was a relationship with one more, but I see a case of fitting wrong solutions into unrelated problems. And sadly, some of us are guilty as well--of seeking perfection in imperfect things. We may not go seeking and obtaining a list of husbands and ex-husbands, but perhaps we have obtained a list of certificates and still seek more, whose acquisitions may not be bad in themselves but are still faulty because of our motives for acquiring them: to be better or to feel complete? In this context, there is a need to distinguish between fulfilment and complements: people and material things can become complements to what You are doing in our lives, but they are not designed to be the source of our fulfilment. So the issue arises when we strive to find fulfilment in complements, and with temporary satisfaction, we seek even harder, seeking the right things in the wrong places. I pondered again on the various areas of my life where I may be found wanting. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French in comments Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #fulfilment #completeness #perfection #solutions

CHRISTIANITY IS A LIFELONG JOURNEY How long does it take a Christian to reach completeness, to become spiritually mature; to display all God intends him to be? The simple answer: a lifetime. Christianity is a lifelong journey, an adventure. It's not an event or a temporary project. In Phillipians 3, Paul had just written about his goals to gain Christ, and be found in Him with the righteousness that comes only through faith in the sinless Son of God. He wanted to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, even through fellowship with His suffering. (Phil. 3, 8-11) Paul had come far in his spiritual growth, he had completely surrendered all his former status for the cause of the gospel of Christ. He had progressed from persecuting followers of Jesus to teaching believers how to live the christian life. (Phil. 3, 17) Throughout the epistles, christians are instructed and encouraged to "grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord". We are to "press on ... that we may "lay hold of that which Christ Jesus" has obtained for us. (Phil. 3, 12) "Press on" suggests pursuing the goal with all deliberate speed and intentionality. It is a continual action and each new day presents another opportunity to become more of what God has designed us to be.

COMPLETENESS “And I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 Whenever something begins to disturb your relationship with Jesus, turn to Him immediately and ask Him to give you His rest. Don't allow anything that is destroying your peace to remain in your heart. When you become troubled, overly focused on yourself, or worried about what people think about you, bring it to Jesus. Self-consciousness can slowly lead to self-pity: “Nobody understands me.” “They should apologize to me.” “I need to explain myself.” “People should recognize what I have done.” Instead of focusing on yourself and what people are doing, turn your attention back to Christ. Ask God to make you more conscious of Christ than you are of yourself. What does completeness mean? A complete Christian life is like the life of a child—simple, trusting, and restful. A child does not constantly analyze everything. A child trusts. When we are constantly asking, “Am I doing God's will? Is God pleased with me? Is God answering my prayer?” it can show that we have lost our sense of rest in God. A child of God learns to trust that God is present, God is working, and God hears prayer. When we move away from God's will, we begin to feel the need to ask, “Lord, what is Your will?” But as we remain close to Him, our lives naturally begin to follow His will. Jesus does not want us to live constantly focused on ourselves. He says: > “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 The more we focus on Jesus, the less we become controlled by ourselves. Don't spend your life thinking about how people see you, whether they appreciate you, or whether they understand you. Look to Jesus. Where Jesus is truly in control, He brings rest, peace, stability, and completeness.

Proverbs 10:9 (NIV) Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. (Passage: Proverbs 10:1–10) As we read the words Solomon wrote, we should remember that although the pen was in his hand, God was the true Author. Keeping that truth in mind helps us properly weigh the comparisons found throughout Proverbs. The word “integrity” comes from the Hebrew tom, meaning completeness and uprightness. “Securely” comes from the Hebrew betach, which means safety and confidence. I was always taught that it is best to tell the truth at all times—because the truth simply is the truth. If you lie, you must constantly remember every detail of the falsehood. When we walk in integrity, there is nothing to hide and nothing of which to be ashamed. By contrast, “whoever takes crooked paths” reflects the Hebrew aqash, which means to make crooked, to distort, or to twist—in short, anything other than the truth. Such a person may escape notice for a time (how long is unknown), yet we can rest assured that they “will be found out.” God’s Word is Truth! When we follow it without distorting or twisting it to suit our own desires, but instead hold fast to His will, we walk in integrity. The moment we turn aside from the Truth, God knows and will not be deceived. Therefore, both in the physical realm and the spiritual realm, we do well to walk in integrity.

She was going blind when the hymn about turning your eyes upon Jesus came to her. Her husband left when the blindness became permanent. She lived to 97, writing music until nearly the end. Helen Howarth Lemmel was born in England in 1864 and came to the United States as a child. She was gifted musically from a young age and became a professional vocalist and music teacher, performing in choirs and giving voice lessons across her adult life. Music was not merely her faith expression — it was her livelihood. In 1918, her eyesight began failing seriously. The nature of the condition is not fully documented, but its trajectory was clear and devastating for someone whose professional life depended on reading music, teaching students, and moving confidently through the world. Around this period, she came across a gospel tract written by Lilias Trotter — a remarkable English missionary and artist who had herself turned away from a potentially legendary career in fine art to serve in North Africa. The tract was called "Focused." Inside it, Lemmel read a line that stopped her: "So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness." She went home. The hymn formed in her mind — both words and melody — with a speed and completeness she later described as something given rather than constructed. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace." Her husband left her as her blindness became permanent. The accounts of this are sparse but consistent in the broader biographical record — the disability that cost her so much professionally also cost her her marriage. She kept writing. She produced over 500 hymns and songs across her lifetime, composing and dictating well into old age. She died in 1961 at 97 years old — having lived nearly a century beyond the moment the words first came to her in a failing eye's half-light. "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen." — 2 Corinthians 4:18 #TurnYourEyesUponJesus #HelenLemmel #ChurchHistory

IN CHRIST, YOU HAVE PEACE “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33 KJV Beloved, as Jesus prepared to go to the Cross, He assured His disciples that in Him, they would have peace. The word ‘peace’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘Shalom,’ which signifies completeness, nothing broken, nothing missing. In Him, we have that perfect peace! Jesus is free from sickness, poverty, and sin; therefore, you too are free from them. The world is full of tribulation, yet in Christ, you have peace. So, do not fear or be anxious. Be of good cheer, for Jesus has already taken care of it all. He has stripped the world of its power to harm you. The enemy may bring challenges against your life, but Jesus lifts you up and protects you. The Bible declares in 1 John 5:4: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” As a child of God, you are a world overcomer. The systems and struggles of the world are already under your feet. Do not allow the world to intimidate or discourage you. In Christ, you are above every worldly system because you are born of God. The enemy cannot trip you. Sin cannot dominate your life because you know who you are. You cannot fail, and you cannot be overtaken by sickness, for the seed of God resides in you. The seed of God and sin cannot coexist. The seed of God and failure cannot coexist. The seed of God and sickness cannot coexist. You carry the seed of God in you. The evil one cannot touch you. In all things, you are more than a conqueror. In Him, you have peace. You will not die; you will live and prosper in the fullness of His victory. Further Reading: John 16:20-33, Isaiah 26:3.

Most Christians know about the feeding of the five thousand. Almost nobody notices the feeding of the four thousand is a completely different event with a completely different meaning. The feeding of the five thousand occurs in all four Gospels — Jesus feeding a Jewish crowd in the region of Galilee with five loaves and two fish, with twelve baskets of fragments collected afterward. The number twelve would have carried immediate resonance for any Jewish reader — twelve tribes of Israel, twelve disciples, twelve as the number of completeness for the covenant people. Then in Matthew 15 and Mark 8, a second feeding miracle occurs. Four thousand people. Seven loaves and a few fish. Seven baskets collected afterward. The location is the first key. Mark 7:31 specifies that this miracle occurs in the region of the Decapolis — the group of ten largely Gentile cities on the eastern and southeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus has just healed a deaf and mute man whose friends brought him in an episode where Jesus uses physical gesture and saliva — healing methods more familiar in the Gentile world than in Jewish practice. The crowd that has been with him for three days eating nothing is a Gentile crowd. The numbers are the second key. Seven in Jewish numerology was the number of completion for the nations — God rested on the seventh day, bringing creation to its full completion. Seven loaves, seven baskets — the language of completeness for a people who are not Israel but are equally fed by the same hands. Jesus did not perform the same miracle twice by accident or because the tradition confused two memories of one event. He performed it once in Jewish territory and once in Gentile territory, with numbers that said, to anyone who was listening carefully, that what he had done for Israel he was also doing for the nations. The same bread. The same miracle. Different numbers that meant everything.

Here is the English translation and refined presentation of your text, maintaining the spiritual depth and clear layout: --- ## Discipleship is Eternal Life (*శిష్యత్వమే నిత్యత్వం*) > **Matthew 28:19–20** > The Lord commanded us to make disciples of all nations. ### 1. The Greatness of Discipleship The Lord reveals the profound importance and greatness of discipleship to us. That is why He commanded His disciples that discipleship is not reserved for a select few, but is essential for **all people and all nations**. --- ### Moving Beyond Mere Belief After believing in Christ Jesus, many people settle into comfortable roles—remaining merely as believers, helpers, teachers, or ministers within their own limited boundaries. In reality, for many, their faith has simply shifted from one god to another, without a deep internal transformation. They may change: * Their name * Their religion * Their habits * Their customs and traditions **However, they fail to fully understand the Lord's calling and His ultimate purpose.** --- ### The True Power of Discipleship True completeness and spiritual maturity are found **only in discipleship**: * **Completeness** is found in discipleship. * **The Spirit of God** rests in discipleship. * **God’s Divine Purpose** is fulfilled through discipleship. * **True Repentance** happens within discipleship. The Lord clearly taught that the fullness of Christ Jesus is attained through true discipleship (**Luke 14:25–27**).