Thoughts for another day

July 28, 2008

Today's verse: 1 Cor. 16:13. Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. (NIV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Paul’s exhortation to readers of his letter to the Corinthians consists of four parts 1. Be on your guard, 2. Stand firm in the faith, 3. Be men of courage and 4. Be strong. Living daily life, requires that all the above are maintained, perhaps not in equal measure but each to suffice as the situation demands.

Our living here on earth is filled with the danger of fiery darts from the evil one. We do not know his strategy for us and he strikes at any time, just as these days in India, the place I live in, people do not know if they are safe in public places because of bomb blasts on consecutive days in different places. Hence, it’s necessary to be on our guard. Know that it’s the moment of gay abandon the evil one seeks to make you his slave. And he will do it for sure.

Paul’s next advice: Stand firm in the faith. God has given each one of us a measure of faith – it’s like the foundation on which we stand when the fiercest winds of the world blow, threatening to uproot us from our roots. Stronger the faith, stronger is the root. To be rooted in faith is a matter of fact and we need to develop this faith completely depending on God to make it grow as we clear each hurdle of faith in Him.

Paul then exhorts us to be people of courage. I have seen that fear is the crack, which the devil uses to wreck havoc with our lives. In every situation with God besides us, we are to be fearless for we are aware that the Rock is with us and He’ll never allow us to fall. Paul also urges us to be strong. Not in our own strength but strength that comes from the creator of the universe who makes the tallest mountains quiver at His breath.

With a mighty God with us and with all power at our disposal coming from the God of glory, sometimes I wonder, ‘how can I be so weak and so frightened?’ Then I remember that I am made of mud and my ‘all’ is only in Him as is the branch, which withers if it does not receive the sap from the vine! And in thus envisioning, I remain strong and courageous in Him, rooted in faith and guarding myself with His Grace at each juncture, lest I be yanked from my perch and made to scrounge for the devil.