Thoughts for another day

January 30, 2009.

Today's verse: Rev. 7:12. Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

You know our Lord is worthy of all the above. Even as I write, I ask myself, who has authorized me to give a chit to the Lord, the Most High God of His worthiness; none; but I want to echo what His Word says about His magnificence and eligibility to all honor, glory, might, power, worship, thanksgiving and whatever comes out of the human heart in laudatory terms.

Truly, He is so great and worthy. In ch. 5 of Revelation, John sees a sealed scroll in the right hand of the Father of all glory. An angel proclaims, ‘who is worthy to open the seals of the scroll.’ None on earth or in heaven were and this saddens John, but one of the elders comforts him saying, ‘There is One who is worthy…The Lion of Judah!’ Blessed one of God, our God is worthy. Someday, we shall shout it out from the roof-tops…HE IS WORTHY.

A word of His and things are created. His presence is in the lowermost parts of the earth and the uppermost part of the heavens at the same time. He strikes down kingdoms and nations and set up thrones for those who are zealous for Him. There is none who can defy Him, nor can anyone challenge Him. His might can splice the sea or break fortresses. Thunder and lightning quake at His approach and when He gets up the earth quivers in reverence.

The sun can hardly compare to His brilliance nor can the galaxy stretch beyond His span. He knows where the foundation of the earth is and He controls the movement of the planets. At this very moment, He knows everything about you and He is looking at you with love. Isn’t it amazing that we have the privilege of having such a God and what’s more, He yearns to be called, Abba, Father by us! Again, on bended knee I must say: YOU ARE WORTHY LORD, YOU ARE WORTHY.

Thoughts for another day

January 29, 2009.

Today's verse: Rom. 2:1. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

As I reflect on the above verse, I can recall the number of times I have judged others. I have called those I judged, fools, samples, dim-wits, and what have you. I have even judged people to be righteous or unrighteous and whether Spirit filled or not (this many times without the intimacy and revelation of the Holy Spirit. Most of the time I realise I judged because I wanted to show myself in superior light and to belittle the person I judged. Little did I bother to note that Jesus said of Himself, ‘for I came not to judge the world but to save the world.’ And who am I then to judge?

I must honestly say, the spirit to judge still resides in me. Now you may say, what kind of a believer am I and what not and I would agree. I would not want to offer excuses but just to ask the LORD to liberate me from the spirit of judgment because it binds me to the caution that the Lord gave when He said, ‘judge not for with the measure you judge, you shall be judged’. My heart is saddened at the thought of how many people’s characters I have assassinated by my words used in stupidity. And words they cannot be taken back. They hit hard and do irreparable damage.

Today’s verse comes as a warning. A severe indictment awaits those who judge for when we judge others, we condemn ourselves. Did you ever think of this? Imagine in judging others, I lay myself bare for the condemnation of God and the Word of God says, ‘Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, says the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’ Take heed my friend lest we land up in His courts having to answer why we judged when we shouldn’t have.

Thoughts for another day

January 28, 2009.

Today's verse: is. 1:18b. though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

What greater joy can it give to us, God’s creatures than that He promised to wash us clean of our sins? It means we now enabled to share the heavenly portals and enjoy the sweetness of the abode of the Most High, who is none other than our Abba Father.

Even before God laid the foundation of the world, He knew the devil would beguile man, made of dust and make him perish. It was the dictate and justice of God that Adam not disobey Him. God wouldn’t change this eternal law for that would disprove His divinity. But, the Son of God, Jesus Himself who would be the Anointed One, seeing the dismay of the Father committed to becoming small…very small, emptying Himself of all His glory and going down to earth to die, so that our death would be transmuted onto Him and we would be saved. Jesus, knew what it meant to become sin, for us to become righteous in Him, which is why because of human weakness He prayed intensely in the garden of Gethsemane, imploring the Father to allow the cup to pass from Him but giving room for the Father’s will to be done.

What does this mean for us? No matter the extent of damage we’ve done our souls by sinning, we can dare to lift our eyes and behold Him and pray, ‘Lord let Your glory shine upon us.’ For we know that even though our sins are as scarlet, they shall be white as snow and though they are like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ This is the promise we have in Him who loved us and died for us. Behold now, we are assured that we will partake of the Groom’s wedding feast, where the bride is none other but us. Where the joy is not ours alone but of the Father’s too, who delights in us, His inheritance. Imagine, the Father of lights and glory taking us to be His inheritance; how good is our God!

Thoughts for another day

January 27, 2009.

Today's verse: Pro. 21:13. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

These days whenever I talk about the poor and ask people to look at them and take care of them, the immediate question is, should we give to the beggars on the streets? In our city, Mumbai, there are so many beggars that you give to one, ten others turn up out of nowhere and ask. Therefore in that context, this is a pertinent question. Besides, in today’s context of professionalized begging, you know that the money you give does not actually only belong to the person you gave and so on. Well whether to give to beggars or not is undoubtedly a good question, I would like to look at who signifies the poor. Sure, the beggars do qualify but are they the only ones?

Just look around and see the world around you. There are families out there who are struggling to make ends meet. Monthly rations, school fees, train fares, house rents, and what have you are enough to drain the money in a jiffy. Then again, there are elderly people living out there, rather just subsisting and eking out a living with no decent meals going into their bellies. There are children living in slums just next door who don’t even know what the taste of ice-cream is. Well, can you do something about it? Can you reach out with perhaps just a little…that will be much.

Back to the question of beggars; my viewpoint is pretty succinctly brought out by a Jain friend of mine when he once told me, whoever stretches his/her hand in front of me, I will give to that person, no matter what the world says. To this end, he keeps a lot of change with him and uses that change to give. You know before the Father in Heaven, we are also like beggars going to Him for this and for that. Now, if He would also start thinking and saying to Himself, ‘this one is not poor enough or not deserving enough’ what would be our state? Would you like God to do that? And let me tell you, our verse today is quite clear about the same.

Thoughts for another day

January 26, 2009.

Today's verse: Ex. 20:8. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

In the 1970s when I was small and learning the Ten Commandments by rote, I wondered what the above, meant. All the other commandments when explained to my small brain made sense for they warned about not doing something wrong. But, keeping the Sabbath holy what did it mean? Not many could explain satisfactorily and for many it meant and for me too it came to mean, going for Sunday service (the Mass as I am catholic). Besides, it also meant a good dish for lunch and a lazy day at home.

On growing up, I wondered whether that really was keeping the Sabbath holy. It could probably be considered a small part but in no way could it be the whole picture. The commandment stretches further saying, ‘six days you may labor and do all our work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God…’ It is necessary to understand that God meant the Sabbath to be a day when you laid down all things and gave Him the day. You consecrated the whole time to Him. Perhaps on the days of work, you may not have time to think of God. You may not be able to worship or adore Him. That’s why you took a break from work and set yourself apart for God on the Sabbath.

In developing this understanding, a whole new dimension opens up. Sabbath becomes a sign of relationship and communion with God our Creator. Our relationship with Him must blossom into a mature relationship of being together like that of a man and woman after marriage. The Jews of Jesus’ time though did not quite have a right understanding of the Sabbath. It was a pretentious keeping of tradition. But Jesus corrected that by healing on the Sabbath. For us too walking in the shadow of His wings does not mean alienation from others, rather a better relationship with them, reaching out in love because of our connection to Him who is the fount of love thereby achieving a state of being right before ‘God and man’.

Thoughts for another day

January 23, 2009.

Today's verse: Lam. 3:25, 26. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

In Ps. 27, David exhorts us to wait upon the Lord. In his life, he discovered the joys of being with the Lord and waiting upon Him. In fact, in this very psalm He says, ‘One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.’ When I read this, I’m deeply touched by the intense desire of David to be with the Lord and it makes me want to do the same.

You know the result of this pattern of David’s life: God made an eternal kingdom for him and blessed him so much that David asks Him, ‘What am I Lord and what is my family that You’ve chosen to bless me so much?’ What I can glean here is, when I dedicate my time to the Lord, He takes care of all needs in my life. You know when I go to pray, there are times I think maybe I should use that time to do something for myself so that I can earn more money and save more. But then I know that my bank account in heaven is filled to the brim and from there I can draw the funds for my needs Besides, deep within I feel that no need of mine shall remain unfulfilled because of Him, whom I serve and wait upon.

And that is the crux of the message God wants to give to us today. He is important and the fulcrum of our lives has to be Him. There is need of only one thing said Jesus unto Martha and that one thing is to silently sit at His feet and just take in His aroma. My friend, leave all business to God. He knows how to handle things far better than we can ever imagine. Let not the thoughts of tomorrow worry you unnecessarily. Let them not tug at the depths of your mind to make you rob your sleep but rather take them to Him. For in waiting upon Him are achieved all the goals of our lives, laced with His peace and His salvation.

Thoughts for another day

January 22, 2009.

Today's verse: Jer 51:20. Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Have you ever given a thought to the fact that you could be an instrument of God? Consider not the ‘blasé-ness’ of your self for when God has a purpose for you and you are ready to be an instrument of His, then you can be commissioned into His service and great glory can be brought unto His Name.

Today’s verse talks about God granting the ability to simple people to be His mighty weapons. Think about what He says, “You are My battle axe and weapons of war with which I will break in pieces the nations and destroy kingdoms!” Imagine the power that is associated with the task knowing of course the helplessness you and I exhibit. Yet He says, with us He will destroy nations! Seems difficult if not impossible, no?

But then when we look at it from His point of view, nothing is impossible. All that’s needed is a willful surrender to Him. A simple coming on knees is enough before God. Look at the state of Moses. He had run away from Egypt and was literally nothing when he returned to the very place he left and stood before Pharaoh. Nothing could frighten him, yet his demeanor did frighten Pharaoh. Look at the power God coated Moses with that he could withstand the might of Egypt!

Today too, God is looking for His battle weapons. Each one of us can be a powerful instrument for God. Really, He is looking for powerful weapons – to break the bonds of captives, shatter the oppression of people, recovery of sight to the blind and build hope in the despairing heart of the helpless. Giving people, the glad tidings of His Gospel, so that His kingdom can arrive in this world. He’s directly looking for you. Do you want to be His weapon?

Thoughts for another day

January 21, 2009.

Today's verse: Ps. 33:18. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

A man once fell into a hidden and large ditch from which there was no way out without help. He shouted but no one came. The ditch was close to a path less traveled and unless people wanted to go up the adjacent hill, no one would come on that path. He grew tired and waited and waited. It was early morning when he fell and now getting to be late evening and anxiety started creeping in his heart: what would happen if he had to stay in the ditch the night. He knew people wouldn’t even bother to come that way and the thought was frightening. He was hungry and thirsty. He started worrying about his family too. What would his young wife and two little children think and do? Sitting helplessly in the ditch, thoughts of God floated in his mind. He recalled last Sunday’s sermon when the Priest mentioned that God’s eyes are upon His people, particularly those who feared Him and hoped for His mercy.

He had always reverenced God; now all he could do was hope that God would rescue him; though a faint doubt did creep in his mind - how? A silent prayer escaped his lips, ‘God if you are looking, let me out of this ditch pls. God…’ After a while suddenly, something fell in the ditch. From the form he realised it was a goat. The goat started bleating loudly and in the dark of the night, he heard foot steps on the grass. He lost no time in yelling and then he saw the light of a lantern approaching the ditch. He shouted, warning the person about the ditch and not to come close. The person gradually came close and shining his light spoke to him asking him to hold on till he could get help. A little while later, he and the goat were both pulled out from the ditch.

Back home recounting his experience to his wife, he mentioned his thoughts about the scripture he’d remembered and how God had helped him. They wondered how the goat had fallen in the same ditch at that late hour which was very unusual. It happened that the goat had escaped that night and its owner was searching for it tracking its path. God brought the goat on that path and that’s how he came to be rescued. They realised it was God’s plan of rescuing him. What a marvelous God and what a way He worked in the life of this man! Truly, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him and who hope in His mercy.

Thoughts for another day

January 20, 2009.

Today's verse: Rom. 5:8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

God always talks of His love in His Word and we know that God’s love is not an empty phrase. He says, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ and in His Son, Jesus Christ He proved He does. Understanding the love of God is really an enigma and a mystery. Why would anyone love someone who is depraved, disobedient and selfish? Who’s programmed to do his own thing, leading to his own destruction; and destruction of the things created by the one who is asked to love him. Human comprehension cannot grasp the marvel that is the love of God.

Yet, we have our Heavenly Father do the very things that escape human rationale. He loved us so much that He gave up His only begotten Son, whom He loved so much, so that we sinful worms will be saved. Think about it my friend asking the Lord, ‘what’s in me Lord that you yearn for me?’ No matter what you think of yourself, to Him you are precious. The only thing that could separate us from Him was our sin but that too He has done away with by the blood of His Own precious Son. There is nothing that can now keep us away from Him.

Today, God’s Word, reminds us of the un-conditionality of His love for us in that even when we were living in depraved states, He reached out to us from His divine and holy abode in Heaven and pulled us up from the muck we were in. He did this because of the immense love He has for us, a love that eludes the greatest thinkers of its reason and a love which is so immense, it goes beyond the dimensions of the mind. It is not a love we have earned but we have received freely from Him who loved us and gave His life for us. It’s a love not to be questioned, but to be received just like that.

Thoughts for another day

January 19, 2009.

Today's verse: Ps. 78:34. When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Today’s verse points to a great irony that rules our relationship with God. The irony is, when He blesses us we move away from Him. But when He allows distress, we come close to Him. Look at people around and you’ll see what I mean. Many families used to be God-centered in the past, but when you see them today, they’ve moved away and only a small amount or none of their time is occupied in things concerning God. Why? Because the children moved up in life, have migrated from home going to better climes and having prospered are now no longer inclined to look at God.

The theory I would like to surmise is that, the more prosperity we have, the more we move away from God. That’s why in Deuteronomy Moses talks to the Israelites about the danger of prosperity particularly in Ch. 8 verses, 6 to 20. Personally, I thought if God blessed me, then I would always be close to Him. God of course in His kindness doesn’t hold my being close to Him to bless me, but He knows that I will stray after He does. And I did see how life shaped for me when God gave me prosperity. I had no space for God. Therefore, in His mercy, He had to yank the prosperity off me so I could be close to Him and I thank God for that. He weaved my life around a certain pattern for a no of years honing me into the mould He wants me to be in with which I now know that no matter if He sends me prosperity, I will spend it for His glory which is paramount…not my passion, but His glory!

Although that’s my story, the fact still remains that around the world, the same irony works itself day in and day out. I trust that you my dear reader be conscious of this. Ensure that no matter what God blesses you with, you find the time to savor your relationship with Him. For let me tell you, without Him, all the wealth in the world is useless.

Thoughts for another day

January 16, 2009.

Today's verse: Jer. 10:23. O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

There are many greats who walked the face of the earth; some we still remember and perhaps pay tribute to even today. Most great men understood one thing: Though they may be in eminent positions, they control nothing. They realised that though the reigns of power are in their hand, they can do nothing to rein in the greater things on earth like controlling the movement of the sun and the stars or give life anew. They realised they couldn’t create anything but only destroy what was there and that too they couldn’t restore if they wished.

Today’s verse is the total sum of the status of man before God. God is sovereign and supreme. He rules the world and all in it. For a while the devil can kid himself thinking all belongs to him as he did even at the time of Jesus, when He tempted our Lord saying that if He fell at his feet and worshiped him, he would give Him all He saw! Make no mistake my friend, God controls everything. I remember a toy I was fond of when young. Formed of transparent plastic with about 6 steel balls spread all over, you had to bring them together in a circle at the center. While you play the game, the steel balls may behave erratically thinking they have the power to move wherever they want but eventually, they had to obey you and go to the center. So it is with God and us. Only, God is a lot more powerful than we can think and imagine and more merciful than ever we may need of His mercy.

It is best we fall on God to direct our ways. The vagaries of life demand that we lean on Him so that we don’t falter and I assure you that some day, you will say like David, ‘He lifted me up from the miry clay and set my feet on solid ground.’

Thoughts for another day

January 15, 2009.

Today's verse: Mt. 20:28. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

I was once talking to a man who was extremely powerful and influential. In the course of his life, he discovered the Living God and swore his allegiance to Him. After that his life changed completely. He realised that the things he would do earlier, he was just not able to do. It initially rattled him when he knew he could with just one call swing things in his favor rather than wait and wait for a simple application to be passed. But since this man had dedicated his life to Jesus, Jesus would not permit him to live the way he lived earlier.

Over a period of time, this man changed and how. He who had was used to people bowing to him and going to him for their solutions now had no one like that coming to him except the helpless who needed counseling he could provide as a channel of God! Nobody feared him anymore and people even took advantage of him knowing he would do nothing. This troubled the man and sometimes he’d be furious and seethe within. But, Jesus wouldn’t allow him to go any further. Rather, Jesus would tell him about how He, even though the Owner of the universe came as a mere carpenter and served those who came to Him. This quieted the man and gradually, he realised that the trappings of the world were really not worth anything and that the people only paid him respect for what he could do for them and not what he was. He also realised that behind him, they would pour venom on him.

Today’s verse is key in understanding that Christian living is not to be served, but to serve for Jesus Himself came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. Whenever we crave for worldly power, let us remember this verse and in remembering also know that if Jesus, our Lord and Master, served, how much more we should!

Thoughts for another day

January 14, 2009.

Today's verse: Deut. 30:15. See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Our God is a God who provides us choices. From the beginning, God created the earth and laid down its principles of functioning. There are the inanimate things which are directly under His control for e.g. the earth, the sun, the moon, the rain clouds, the winds, etc. But to us who have been bestowed His intelligence and wisdom, He has given free-will with which we are to exercise our loyalties.

Because of our free-will and of course our wisdom, we are able to exercise our choices and choose for ourselves the things we want to associate our lives with. God gives us the stimulus; for e.g. when He sent angel Gabriel to Mary, she had a choice to which she answered, let it be done to me according to your Word. She exercised her choice in a definitive and valuable manner because of which the Savior of the world could be born and we could be saved.

We too are put at the crossroads many times by God when we are to exercise our discretion and express our choice. Like in the above verse, God could set up a very important choice in our life. As He told Moses of the blessings and curses, He may also tell us about them and give us an opportunity to choose. What we will do at that time is determined by the value we place on our relationship with Christ. The man who has Christ in His heart will always choose life through the choices God makes available to Him and the others will choose death. Today, if God were to ask you to make your choice, what choice would you make? Life or death?

Thoughts for another day

January 13, 2009.

Today's verse: Ps. 108:12,13. Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Over the past few months, there is this deep instinct in me to go to God for everything, no matter how big or small my concern. And I am already seeing the results. To be honest, there still is that little bit of dissonance when I don’t go to God immediately with the issue; but in His mercy and love God reminds me and then go to Him, rather sheepishly, but I obey and I like Him for reminding me.

The time has come today for us to look at the above verse carefully and heed it. As was and is my experience, so will it be yours if you trust only God fully and run to Him. Do not be afraid or apprehensive about what God will say if you run to Him with some very foolish things too; God understands and He will accept. Our very act of being submissive works wonders with our relationship with God. Remember the Centurion whose servant was sick and how he just prayed the Lord asking Him to say the Word for his servant to be healed…he suggested that Jesus need not even go to his house as he did not consider himself worthy for the Lord to go under his roof! Mt. 8:5-13. Jesus marveled at his faith! How much more will He marvel at ours when we stand up in faith in everything we do using it demonstrably.

In all our difficulties, God asks us for our trust in Him. And when we show that trust however weak it be, God is honored. It’s because we have placed Him above everything else as it should be. In God’s honor is the answer to our prayer and we get what we desired (delight thyself also in the Lord and He will give thee the desires of thine heart – Ps. 37:4). And yes, God is all-powerful and though Him we shall do marvelously for He is the power behind us and the ship in which we shall traverse even the roughest seas and be victorious.

Thoughts for another day

January 12, 2009.

Today's verse: Is. 1:18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (NIV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

I had a dream. I was approaching the Light. The great place I was to be for eternity. There was some anxiety, yet there was a joy inexplicable. All my life on earth I had served my Master and Savior Jesus Christ and my being was filled with His Name. The anxiety was of a person walking towards something totally new. I remembered the promise of Jesus: In my Father’s house are many mansions. I go before you to prepare a place for you. I was comforted because I knew He loved me and that He had prepared a place for me.

My steps became confident and as I moved, He stood next to me and held out a robe. It was white and brilliant. I knew my sin scarred soul would look fabulous in it as I reflected on His Word, ‘My soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.’ You know I looked so beautiful.

Then He whispered into my ear, ‘My love, the beat of My heart, I have long waited for you and you will now enter the joy of My Father.’ A chorus of angels descended and sang glory to the Father in Heaven, even as the Lamb led me onwards to the place where He alone was the light. I woke up and suddenly, the brightness vanished. But the pictures were so vivid in my mind. I shall recall them all my life. But importantly, I look at our above verse and take delight in my Lord and Master. Oh, what a God we serve. He has traded His blood for my dirt. He took away my sins and gave me His righteousness. What He said, ‘your sins, though be like scarlet, shall be white as snow!’ rings in my ears, the echo of which I love.

I think of that dark afternoon on Calvary, when the Lamb said, ‘It is finished’ and He installed me as the child of His Father. He made me righteous, by His very own righteousness and capable of wearing a garment of white. My being shall serve Him all the days of my life and Worship Him every hour henceforth; for who is like Him?

Thoughts for another day

January 9, 2009.

Today's verse: 2 Cor. 13:5. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test? (NIV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

To be sure of living long lives, people assume regularity habits. Many go for regular morning walks. People form habits of healthy food intake, etc. and many also do their health check ups regularly. May it be added to the regular list, what is contained in our verse above: Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith and I’d add, do it regularly.

Faith is the essence of our lives. We live and move by faith. We do everything by faith. We plan and work things out with faith. This faith is in God our supreme Father, Creator and Sustainer. It is faith in Him that brings about the greatest peace in our hearts. Achievement of goals for the man of faith is the reason for his great peace. It demonstrates the presence of God in his life more clearly than anything else.

There are others having no faith and yet achieve. But usually, their achievement leads to dissatisfaction and also to the greed of doing something bigger. I’m not implying we don’t need to dream big but that victory over the small steps in our big dreams have to give a joy that cannot be described as God wants us to rejoice always.

Christian living is lived in rejoicing at each small thing the Lord does for us. Because He has done the utmost anybody can do for another by giving of Himself. So we know that He will help us achieve our dreams. A simple examination of our lives is enough to tell others whether Jesus Christ lives in us…an avid expression of our faith.

Thoughts for another day

January 8, 2009.

Today's verse: Eccl. 7:29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Uprightness is the nature of God and in and thru His nature He created man who was upright and who needed to be upright. But the deviousness of the devil has turned the equation awry. Far from being upright, man has become the architect of many evil and devious plans in accordance with the deceit the devil plants in us.

The world as we see it today is mired in the craftiness of men. Greed, the craving for power, the abject need to control environment and life and other such malevolent desires have made man a caricature, a thing to be looked down at rather than the epitome of beauty he was at the time of creation, at which God looked and found to be very good! It’s a sad reflection on the free-will He has given us and our misuse of it. Many ponder and think, why did God give us free-will when He knew we would misuse it, the answer to this is, God is a just and a fair God and the ability to exercise our own franchise, emanates from it. Without free-will, we would be puppets and that goes against the ways of God in the sense, were He to make us puppets, how would He exhibit and get thanks for the love He bestowed.

Be that as it may with our many machinations, God knows how to destroy the web of deceit of the devil. He has given us His Son so that we believe in Him and gain eternal life. This is an irrevocable covenant and God guards this covenant furiously. So we know if we believe in His Son, eternal life is ours. Hence we tend to be joyful and we utter praises to Him. We rejoice and bless His Name for He is our God and we are His children. We know that He has saved us and we shall enjoy eternal happiness with Him. What greater happiness would a man need?

Thoughts for another day

January 7, 2009.

Today's verse: Is. 54:17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

God’s promises remain, come what may. His promises are for all those who are His and want to lead a life in accordance with His plan. And in these times of uncertainty, the promise in our verse comes like the comfort of a bed and warm food for a traveler after an arduous journey.

When you look at the promise, you can raise your head in confidence and strut about merrily for it says that no weapon formed against thee shall prosper. The other day, while watching television, I saw how in one country, bullets were freely available just like vegetables in our local markets. The commentator mentioned about how the boy, a 10 year old, selling the bullets did not even know that each bullet was marked with the name of an innocent person’s life.

Today, I’d like to tell you that even if there is a bullet marked with your name, it shall not hurt you for the Lord your God is behind you to thwart its plans. By extension, no danger can come near you when you have the God Most High with you. Besides, no evil tongue raising itself against thee shall succeed for He will arm you with the power to thwart it and destroy its sinister plans. The Word of God also tells us that we who are the servants of the Lord have this wonderful privilege and there’s more…our righteousness is of Him, which means we are made righteous by Him no matter how dirty we are. Look at the graciousness of our God and marvel because He is your God, the Most High who bends down to pick you up!

Thoughts for another day

January 6, 2009.

Today's verse: 2 Cor. 4:4. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Blindness is very common! Not blindness of the eye, but of the mind. Turn where you will and you will notice the blindness. Blindness to God’s presence in nature; blindness to instruction, blindness to right things, blindness to wrong consequences and of course blindness to the light of the Gospel - I’m not talking of belief in the Lord to gain eternal life but the basic tenets of the Gospel, like love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you or give to the Lord, etc.

The worst form of blindness is to the knowledge of God; to refuse to believe that He is there and loves us. Many believers also suffer from this kind of blindness even though they would be liked to be called believers. These are the ones who have no time to spend with God nor do they have time for prayer. Eventually, they become so calloused and alien with God, that they fail to see Him in the small things of life and if someone does, they ridicule.

Today, I’d request you to see if you have any blindness. Remember, the god of this world is so shrewd that it’s possible, unless you see very closely, you may not even know there’s blindness in you. But with His Grace, try see and you will be surprised. Our relationship with God gained by spending quality time with Him can alone enable us to see our blindnesses and correct them. For you and I, its time to check and see if there are error areas and pray for His Grace to wipe them off and also pray for Grace to deflect the enemy’s attempts to blind us further.

Thoughts for another day

January 5, 2009.

Today's verse: Jn. 6:44. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

As we delve deeper and deeper into God, with His permission of course, we clearly understand one thing: God’s domain, and other things are given to us only by Him. No human endeavor can manage any space with God by self. Everything is permitted and facilitated only by Him.

If today, you are contemplating on this, then know that God has made it possible for you to read it. Without His allowing, it wouldn’t be possible for you to have access to His things and that goes for even those who are morally right and usually peace loving people, who may not have access to God themselves except if they know God. Access to Jesus is given only by the Father and without the Father’s knowledge, nothing moves.

God gives us this access to Him when He knows that we will use it to bring glory to His Name. God fearfully guards His secrets but reveals them to him who listens to His voice and hearkens to His call. Once you are allowed the privilege to be drawn to Jesus, your blindness goes away and your understanding opens up. Then you will know what is the hope of your calling and the riches of the glory of His inheritance in you. When God calls you, then understand that you life is marked for great things. The rhythm of your life changes to hold the weightier things of this world, without being burdened by them. Because of this lightness, you will get into a position to help ‘unlighten’ other people’s burdens and bring light into their otherwise dark lives.

God’s call is irrevocable and defeats all attempts by the enemy to keep you busy with other things. God will yank away all that act as a stumbling block and build a hedge of protection against you. You will work in His harvest and will rejoice at His mercy. And our verse promises even further things by saying, God’s drawing you to Christ will ensure that Jesus raises you up on the last day and heaven will belong to you.

Thoughts for another day

January 2, 2009.

Today's verse: Is. 40:11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

As we are in the beginning of the year 2009, I want to give you something you can hold on to all your life and the Lord as usual worked marvelously in assigning today’s verse to keep in our hearts. Here’s a promise you can be content about. Here’s the picture of the Lord we’ve often seen and heard about and for us who trust in Him alone, it’s a picture we’ll see unfold in our own lives as our Shepherd lifts us up tenderly to His bosom and caresses us with warmth and a love we will never experience anywhere else.

My friend, keep this in mind: God is our good Shepherd. He’s interested in us deeply. His eyes are on us and even in our darkest moments, He looks upon us tenderly waiting for us to tell Him about our pains and our sorrows. He knows how to pull us out of our sufferings and show us ways of comfort. It is not that we will be sleeping on a bed of roses, but even if a thorn were to scratch us, He’ll be there will the balm.

At the outset of the year, remember He loves you so much that there never will be another love of the same intensity. He desires you absolutely and will never forsake you. You cannot see Him, but that’s the only challenge He puts toward us…for then only can He gauge our trust in Him and declare: ‘this child does not even see Me but believes!’

As we move into the year, note the gates of heaven are open. There will be troubles and calamities in plenty but don’t forget, the Rock of Israel is behind you and He moves in front to face your problem if you but invite Him. As you read, say this small prayer in your heart: ‘Father, I might have never communed with you, but today, I surrender my all to You. Guide me and lead me this year towards the goal You have for me and let me always ponder on how I should please You than men. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.’