Walk The Bible

Perfect Peace and protection

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 16:43:00 +0000

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts you" - Isaiah 26:3

We all long for peace in our life. There are people who are willing to offer anything in exchange for peace. Peace is very much essential for any successful relationship, whether it is between two nations or among people. In fact, one needs to be at peace with himself to become successful in life.

In the above verse from the Bible, God is promising to keep him in perfect peace. The important phrase to note is "perfect peace". One thing to note is that this is peace from God, which comes from above. If we read this verse in amplified version, it is beautifully described as "you will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace ...".
This peace is perfect peace - There is nothing that needs to be added or in want of beyond this peace
This peace is constant peace, which means this will not be taken away
There is protection (God will guard him)
Next, we need to ask to whom this peace is promised. The verse indicates that this peace is promised to him, whose mind is stayed on God. We can make our mind stay (focus) on God by putting our complete trust in Him.
Trusting in God involves
Committing one self to God
Leaning on God
Hope confidently that God fulfills the promises He made.
I encourage you to look into your heart and check if you are one of those who put their trust in the living God, who is the maker of heave and earth.
If you are yet to put your trust in Jesus, what is it that prevents you from putting your trust in Him?
Here is the continuation of the promise to those who trust in God:
"So trust in the Lord forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [The Rock of Ages]" Isaiah 26:4

Technorati Tags: peace, Jesus, perfect, trust, God, protection, focus, mind

What is your delight?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 05:15:00 +0000

Read Psalms 37:4

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"

While I was going through Psalms 37, I came across this wonderful promise of God that assures that He will bring to pass the desires of our heart. Isn't it wonderful to know that God will fulfill our desires, dreams and plans. I am sure many of us would have wondered why our prayers are not being answered. This is one of the promises that gives key to prayers that brings an answer from God.

The key to answered prayers and fulfilled heart's desires is "Delighting yourself in the Lord"

What does it mean to delight in the Lord? What are the practical ways one can delight himself in the Lord?

Here are some ways that we could delight in the Lord:

Delighting in the Law of God (Commands, instructions) Psalms 1:2
Obedience to the Lord
Delighting in God's promises, having confidence that He will fulfill them
In spending time with the Lord through prayers and Bible Study
In being blessing to others

Questions to Ponder:

Where is your delight? In God or world?
What conscious actions you can take to delight in God?

A testimony of God's protection

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:54:00 +0000

It was around 5AM on 3rd May 2012, while I was traveling in the bus that the bus met with an accident when a truck almost collided with the bus. The truck went on scraping the side of the bus, leaving the front glasses of the bus broken and very few minor injuries to 2 or 3 passengers. If it would have been another 2 or 3 inches inside, it would have been a major accident.

I was thanking God for His protection and watching over us.

To day morning, while I was driving to the church, a car comes in the opposite direction (even though the road I was traveling is supposed to be one-way) and I almost would have hit the car. But in the last minute, we slowed down and escaped the accident.

At this point, I was reminded of God's protection over me again and am putting down this testimony to thank God for He is watching over me.

Psalms 121 describes God as the Lord, who watches over His people. He neither slumber nor sleep but keeps a watch over His people. I was reminded of this fact in both of the above incidents.

"The Lord will keep you from all evil
He will keep your life
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore" Psalms 121:7,8

What a joy to know that the maker of heaven and earth is our protection and shield.

Here is my song of praise:

"God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble

The Lord of Hosts is with us
the God of Jacob is our fortress" Psalms 46: 1,7

You O LORD, are a shield about me
My glory and the lifter of my head

I lay down and slept
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me - Psalms 3:3,5

Technorati Tags: protection, accident, God, keeper, shield, christian, Faith

Why Jesus' prayers were answered by Father?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:42:00 +0000

Ref: Hebrews 5:7 (AMP)

In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety, in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the Father].

I am taking directly from the verse:

He was heard because:

His reverence toward God (Godly fear)
He distanced Himself from the horrors of separation from the fellowship of the Father (remember His cry on the cross: Lord, Lord, why have you forsaken me!!!)

If a perfect man like Jesus worried about His separation from the Father, how much more you and I should be concerned about it?

Technorati Tags: Jesus, Prayer, Father, Answer, Fear, Fellowship

The Lord is my Light and the Rock of salvation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 07:04:00 +0000

Read Pslams 27:1 - 3

¹THE LORD is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?

²When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

³Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, [even then] in this will I be confident.

In this Psalm, the author sings with confidence "The Lord is my light and the rock of my salvation. Whom shall I fear, whom shall I fear".

Important fact to note is the confidence with which he sings. Many times, we go through our days without confidence and peace that we observe in the psalmist. The author goes to the extent of declaring that he will not be afraid even if an enemy encamps around him or a war comes up.

There is a promise in the Bible, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayers and thanksgiving submit your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" Ref Phil 4:5. Here we see that if we can submit our desires, requests and plans to God, God's peace will setup a guard around our hearts to protect us against the enemies that tries to rob our confidence and peace.

What made the psalmist so confident? It is the object of his faith. He has put his confidence in the Lord, who is the Light and the rock of salvation. How many times have we put our confidence in material things or in mere mortals? I am sure time would have proved them wrong to instill any confidence in us.

Psalmist has found Light in the Lord

Psalmist has found salvation in the Lord (Salvation is found in the name of Jesus. No other name under heaven is given in whom there is salvation Ref Acts 4:12)

He has found his strength in the Lord

Questions To Ponder:

Do you spend your days with confidence and peace?

Write down your fears, anxieties and enemies that rob your peace

Have you found the Light, salvation and strength in the Lord?

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Jesus' way of Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:06:00 +0000
"In that very hour Jesus was healing many [people] of sicknesses and distressing bodily plagues and evil spirits, and to many who were blind He gave [a free, gracious, joy-giving gift of] sight. " Luke 7:21

When John the Baptist sent his disciples to confirm if Jesus indeed was the expected Messiah, they come to Jesus to ask and at that moment, they saw Jesus healing people from all kinds of infirmities and bondage. Jesus blessed these people unconditionally. Whenever He saw people with infirmities and bondage, He was moved with compassion to heal them and deliver them. No strings were attached for receiving this blessing from Jesus. The above verse indicates that the blessing Jesus gave was free, gracious and something that gave joy.

This made me think about what is going on in the world. Most of the times, it is a transaction - you give and then you will be blessed. But that is not what the Bible teaches. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of heavenly lights (James 1:17). The word "Gift" itself indicates that it is free and not earned by the receiver of the gift.

As people who are blessed by God to be blessing to others, lets imitate our Father by being generous in blessing others. In summary, God's way of blessing is -
Free
Unconditional
Generous
Questions to Ponder:
What is your understanding of God's blessings - is it a transaction or unconditional?
Can you list down some of the blessings you have received freely?
Think of some practical ways of being generous in blessing others.
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Word of Authority

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:18:00 +0000
During the time when Jesus was on this earth, there was a Centurion in the city of Capernaum. One of his bond servants fell ill to the point of death. When he came to know that Jesus was in the city, he sent some men to request Jesus to come to his house and heal the servant. After some time, he sent some more men to implore him not to come under his roof, but just to speak word of healing. What made the centurion to change his mind?

The centurion understood the power of word spoken with authority. In his daily life he had been experiencing it when he commands the soldiers and servants under him.
"For I also am a man [daily] subject to authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my bond servant, Do this, and he does it." Luke 7:8
The same principle he applied towards Jesus. He heard about Jesus - His word carrying authority to forgive sins and heal the sick people. He must have reasoned out that if my word (from a mere human being) can carry such an authority, what about the word from Jesus? He understood the divine nature of Jesus.

This logic made the Centurion to approach Jesus with faith to request help, "But [just] speak a word, and my servant boy will be healed." Luke 7:7

When Jesus heard these words from the Centurion (Not an Israelite, a Roman military officer), He made a wonderful statement:
"Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and He turned and said to the crowd that followed Him, I tell you, not even in [all] Israel have I found such great faith [as this]." Luke 7:9
Questions To Ponder:
Do you believe that Jesus' word (God's word) carries authority?
Think of various situations in your daily life you can apply this truth?
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I turned to Him in my disturbance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:43:00 +0000
I woke up today with a feeling of disturbance in my mind. Lot of concerns were going through my mind and they were weighing on me. Some concerns are due to what is happening in the world economy, some are due to my own mistakes and the list goes on. I observe that the list of worries is an endless one :)

I opened my Bible to the book of Daniel and was reading the incident where Daniel and his friends were facing death sentence along with the wise men of Babylon. I was encouraged by Daniel's response and my heart was at peace. He along with his friends turned to God to solve the impossible problem. God solved the problem as a mark of respect for the confidence that was laid on His faithfulness.

Later I came across a devotional where surrender was the theme. In surrendering to Him, who is able to do beyond what we can ask or imagine, we find rest.
"He is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]" Ephesians 3:20
In the modern world, 'surrender' is a sign of weakness. But it is a fact that it depends on to whom you surrender. One dictionary defines the word 'surrender' as "to relinquish possession or control over". In effect, by surrendering to God, what you and I are doing is to relinquish control over our concerns, desires, dreams and plans to God. Even if you take it as a sign of weakness, God turns it for our advantage. It is in our weakness that we experience God's power being made available for us. As a result, surrendering to God becomes our strength.

All over the world, people are going through hard times because of the meltdown of global economy. It is in these difficult times that I find Bible more relevant and turning to God an appropriate response from us.

Scripture to Meditate:
"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" John 16:33
"My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
Questions To Ponder:
How do you respond when you are disturbed or troubled?
Do you find it meaningful to turn to God and His word in a time like this? Give it a try and share your experience.
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Sons of the Most High God

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:37:00 +0000
"Be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate) even as your Father is." Luke 6:36

Most of us know the famous sermon on the mount by Jesus Christ (Read Luke 6:27 - 36). When I was meditating on this, one thing that I observed was this: You will be the sons of the Most High. Here is the list of the characteristics of a son of the most high -
Love your enemies
Treat well those who detest you and pursue you with hatred
Invoke blessings upon them that curse you - It is interesting to note that sons of God can invoke blessings on others if we choose to.
Pray (implore God's favor) upon those who abuse you
If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also - Sign of patience and long suffering.
If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic - Sign of generosity and kindness.
Give to everyone who asks you
If anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back
Do to others as you would have them do to you
What it means is that a son of the most high God will exhibit these characteristics as was exemplified by Jesus Christ. One cannot say I am the son of the living God and yet fail to show up these fruits. If we fail to show up, it could mean either of the following:
We are not sons of God - How does one become a son/daughter of the living God? We read from John 1:12 - But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name.
We haven't grown into son ship - We are still toddlers in our walk with God and need to be renewed in our mind.
If we do these things, our reward will be great (rich, strong, intense and abundant).

Questions To Ponder:
If you do a self evaluation based on the characteristics of the sons of the most high, where do you stand?
What actions can you take to become a son/daughter of the most high God?
Can you list down some of the practical ways you can cultivate these characteristics in your daily life?
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Care to be different and make a difference

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:41:00 +0000
"And Jesus replied to them, It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
I have not come to arouse and invite and call the righteous, but the erring ones (those not free from sin) to repentance [to change their minds for the better and heartily to amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins]." Luke 5:31,32

The above words were spoken by Jesus in response to Pharisees and scribes who were complaining that Jesus and His disciples were eating with tax collectors and preeminently sinful people.

The Pharisees and scribes were the religious leaders of the day and they were living hypocrite lives and misunderstood the whole concept of living separated life (Holy life). Outwardly, in view of the public, they were very religious, looking very gentle and pious. At the same time, they distanced themselves from common people who were needy, such as sick people, tax collectors, slaves, poor people etc.

They had this wrong understanding about the heart of God that if they live such separated lives, Messiah will come for them and will reward. But they didn't realize that Jesus is indeed the Messiah that they were looking for, even though from time to time this fact had been revealed.

Unfortunately, in modern times also, many people misunderstood what it is to live a holy and separated life. Instead of letting ourselves insulated by the grace of God, we try to distance and exclude ourselves from the people around us. This will result in issues such as
We try to protect ourselves with our own strength and eventually we fail. It is God's plan that we shall be protected and insulated by His grace becoming perfect in our weakness.
We lose the wonderful opportunities to be witnesses unto God. If we distance ourselves from the needy people, where is the opportunity to be of any use? If we look at Jesus, He consciously made himself available to all kinds of people who were in need such as tax collectors, sick people, sinners, poor, social outcasts, weak. He made Himself available for the purpose for which He came.
Biblical understanding of separated life is not to isolate or distance oneself from the so called sinners around him, but to be insulated by the grace of God. When God's grace is freely available for us to be of positive influence in our circle of influence, can you care to be different?

Questions to Ponder:
What is your understanding of Holy life? Distancing your self or insulation by God's grace?
Have you distanced yourself from the needy people around you?
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Question of willingness

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:59:00 +0000
When Jesus encountered a man full of leprosy, very interesting conversation happened. Here it is:

"While He was in one of the towns, there came a man full of (covered with) leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cure me and make me clean.
And [Jesus] reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed! And immediately the leprosy left him." Luke 5:12,13

As I was contemplating on these 2 verses, tears welled up in my eyes. Here was a man full of leprosy, a social outcast, who is not allowed to move freely among the society. His words spoke volumes about his faith in Jesus, but humble enough to seek confirmation about Jesus willingness to heal him. In other words, we can infer that none of the people around this man are willing in his well being. He was kind of helpless.

Jesus response and actions were equally surprising -
He reached out His hand - This action of Jesus signifies that it was His purpose to bridge the gap between the human race and God. Until Jesus arrival, man and God are separated but upon his arrival, there is a bridge between the two parties - the bridge being Jesus Himself.
He touched him - Even though it was prohibited by Moses' law to touch a leprous man, Jesus touched him. I am wondering, in our modern times (where we have so many advanced medical facilities) how many of us are willing to touch a man full of leprosy, who is in need of help.
He confirmed, "I am willing; be cleansed!" - What a great news. By confirming His willingness, He is making a statement that God is willing to reach out, touch and heal us. It is indeed a good news for us - "God is willing!"
Knowing the fact that God is willing, now the question is are we willing to seek God's hand in our day to day matters by thanking Him for His willingness to intervene in our lives? As a matter of fact, this is what God's grace is all about - His willingness.

Questions to ponder:
Knowing God's willingness, are you willing to seek His help?
If not, can you make a note of the reasons?
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The ground to cultivate your Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:17:00 +0000
"Simon (Peter) answered, Master, we toiled all night [exhaustingly] and caught nothing [in our nets]. But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets [again]." Luke 5:5

It wasn't a profitable day for Peter and his buddies as they went for fishing in the evening. They had worked very hard whole night to catch some fish, but couldn't succeed. At the dawn of the next day, they came out of the water and started washing their nets to leave for their homes.

Meanwhile Jesus came there, got into the boat that belongs to Peter and continued to teach the crowd. After He completed his teaching, Jesus asked Peter to take the boat into deep waters and cast the net to catch fish. After some hesitation and doubt, Peter says, "But on the ground of your word (Rhema - Spoken word), I am going to put my trust and am going to do what you asked me to do".

Jesus had asked Peter to do something that was against the natural activity. It is natural that fishermen fish during the night time as that is the best time. But Jesus was asking Peter to cast his net during the day time and miracle happened. Peter's confidence on the word of Jesus was rewarded. The differentiator is the spoken word of Jesus.

Peter was a seasoned fisherman and yet he obeyed. What made him to obey Jesus word?

Peter had been listening to Jesus' teachings in the past and also he had seen his mother-in-law healed of high fever by Jesus (Luke 4:39). This produced in him, the kind of faith in Jesus word that can make him to obey against his logical thinking.

In order for Faith to be rewarded, it should grow on the ground of God's word and there has to be an associated act of obedience on our part. Faith and Obedience go together.

Questions to Ponder:
Are you cultivating your faith on the ground of God's word?
Does your faith and obedience go together even when things go wrong?
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Passing the Test

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:24:00 +0000
"Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor's] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12

From Luke 4:13, We can observe that Jesus was tempted and tested in every possible way in the wilderness during the trial period of 40 days. He came out of the test victoriously in spite of being constantly subjected to tests.

In the same way, Joseph came out victoriously after being tempted by the woman. The woman had tried to seduce him time after time but he would not listen to her, yield to her or to be with her (Genesis 39:10).

I am wondering how did they come out victoriously?

It was not by luck or mere coincidence that they could come out unscathed from the trials. Here is what we could observe from the Bible -
The Lord was with Joseph - Genesis 39:2, 3. Please read my other blog "Key to Fruitfulness" to understand how we can be assured that God's presence is with us.
Joseph held himself accountable to God - Genesis 39:9. Having assurance that his God is living God and He is constantly with him. One of the key reasons for David's fall was lack of accountability. Please read "Fall of David - Man after God's own heart".
Joseph was faithful to his earthly master - Many times we ignore the importance of being faithful to our earthly masters or authorities. But we can see from Joseph's case that it helped him to say "NO" to the temptation.
Jesus was full of Holy Spirit - Luke 4:1.
Jesus was controlled by Holy Spirit.
Jesus was led by Holy Spirit.
Jesus was well versed with the scriptures - With the understanding of the scriptures, He knows how to live (Luke 4:4), whom to worship (Luke 4:8) and how to relate to God (Luke 4:12).
We should realize that God allows us to go through only those tests and trials which we can bear. He trains us, equips us before allowing us to go through the test. Above all He provides the way of solution too. His desire is to build our character in the process and bring us out triumphantly.
"God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Questions to Ponder:
What is your attitude towards trails, tests and temptations?
Who is controlling you?
Whom are you accountable to?
Are you feeding on God's word on a continual basis?
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Bearing Fruits of Repentance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:31:00 +0000
"Bear fruits that are deserving and consistent with [your] repentance" Luke 3.8

These are the words spoken by John the Baptist, to those who were approaching him to take baptism. Baptism is a decision made by people in repentance of their sins, past life of sin. This verse made me think what are the fruits that are being referred here? Here are they -
Character reflecting the changed heart
A heart abhorring sin
Christ like heart - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22)
It is a natural phenomenon that a Mango tree shall bear the fruit Mango. Here is what the Bible has to say -
"Does a fountain send forth [simultaneously] from the same opening fresh water and bitter? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt spring furnish fresh water." James 3:11,12
Unfortunately with us, human beings things doesn't seem to work that way. Our behavior is not consistent with what we say, "who we are". We have the classic examples of the so called successful companies, which have misled the share holders by wrong accounting practices. If we have to carefully search into our hearts and confess, we are not in a position to declare that we are bearing the fruit, we ought to bear.

I am wondering what could be the reason? Two things come to my mind when I look into my heart -
The seed that is sown in me - The seed determines the kind of fruit that can be expected. It is the nature of the seed that can make all the difference. By nature, I inherited the sinful nature from Adam. This was the seed that was sown in me as part of my natural birth. This is the case with all of us, the human race. But God out of His love and grace, intervened into our lives and planted a different seed.
"It is the incorruptible seed of the word of God. You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God." 1 Peter 1:23
The choices that I make - God granted every human being the freedom of choice by His sovereign will. God will not force us in our decision making process. He will lead and guide us if we are interested to obey Him. Now, even though I have the right seed sown in me, my choices determine the fruit that I bear.
Now, the tricky part is "Choices made by the individual", because many times we are in moral dilemma in our choices and we end up in helpless situations. Not only we, but the Apostle Paul too has the same confusion. We can read in his own words: Romans 7:19 -
I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing.
But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, who is the hope for us and who intercedes before father on our behalf.
"He replied to him, Leave it alone, sir, [just] this one more year, till I dig around it and put manure [on the soil]. Then perhaps it will bear fruit after this" Luke 13:8,9
Questions to Ponder:
Are you bearing fruits of repentance?
What is it, that is preventing you from bearing fruits?
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Understanding the Fatherhood of the Living God

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:09:00 +0000
Our son is 1.5 years old now. Normally he sleeps by 8 PM and during the night while sleeping, he gets up crying for milk or for some attention. Either me or my wife pick him up and look after his needs. There were some nights in which he used to wake up frequently and we had to give him more time and lose our sleep. Some times it was very difficult to put him back to sleep. In spite of all this, I have observed that I never felt like ignoring his needs. Either me or my wife would get up, take care of his need and put him back to sleep.

I am sure many of us who have children will agree with me. The reason I am narrating this is that in many such situations, I was reminded of my Heavenly Father and felt a comforting assurance from God that He is indeed my Father and I am His beloved son. No matter what my short comings are and how unfaithful I had been to Him, still God reminded me of His unfailing love and the covenant that He has established with me. We read from the Bible in Isaiah 54:10 -
"For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you."
Unfortunately many of us have a blurred and partial understanding of God. Some think of Him as a strict enforcer of some laws whose only interest is to take away our freedom. But if we look carefully into God's nature, He is a God who is interested in our freedom and He has given us 100% freedom. We lose our joy and privileges of being the children of the living God if we continue in our partial understanding of His nature.

We all might have observed that children demand things from their parents out of freedom, love, selfishness etc. The wonderful thing to observe is that the child has the right to everything the father has. Remember the good old story of "The prodigal son" from the Bible? Why do you think Jesus told that story? It is only to understand the loving heart of our Heavenly Father.

Now, we human beings, being imperfect with all our limitations and weaknesses know how to love and give good things to our own children, what about the perfect Holy God, who chose to be our Heavenly Father? Read what the Bible says in this regard from Matthew 7:11 -
"If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him!"
I am confident that many of us have found such common instances of life which gives us keys to understand the uncommon love of God, who is the creator of heaven and earth. Please share your experiences in understanding such loving Heavenly Father.

Questions to Ponder:
What is your understanding of the living God?
Are you taking rest in your Heavenly Father?
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Wake up call - who are your Real Guests?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:26:00 +0000
Even though it is the beginning of a new year, I thought about the end of the past year as I came across these shocking verses from the bible last night. Here are they - Luke 14:12-14
Jesus also said to the man who had invited Him, When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, lest perhaps they also invite you in return, and so you are paid back.

But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind.

Then you will be blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied), because they have no way of repaying you, and you will be recompensed at the resurrection of the just (upright).
The above verses hit straight at me and I introspected about how I (In general people) spent days at the end of the year 2008. It was the time of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New year. We all have invited our friends, relatives and people from fellowship for lunches and dinners. But did we invite the Real Guests as mentioned by Jesus? The ones that should be invited are those who cannot repay our kindness that we show them.

Unfortunately most of us would have invited the not so important guests such as those who can repay our kindness and lost the opportunity to please our heavenly father. It is alright to invite these kind of guests, but it is much better if we follow the above advice from Jesus in addition to inviting our usual guests.

I am wondering why are we not inviting the real guests to our lunches and dinners? Some of the things that came to my mind are -
We may have distanced ourselves from them.
We may not be willing to identify ourselves with them.
We may be concerned about our security.
We may not be mindful of them.
The list can go on if we honestly introspect ourselves. The truth of the matter is we lost touch with the Real Guests, with our sophisticated life styles. Where as if we look at Jesus - He came to die for these Real Guests who cannot repay the price. While He was on the earth, He moved closer to them, didn't ignore their physical needs and ate with them. In short, He was and is mindful of them. As the wise saying goes, "Where there is a will, there is a way", I am sure we can find ways to follow the advice from Jesus.

This kindness need not be limited to lunches and dinners only. It can and need to be extended to lending to poor and helping the needy. It is worthwhile to read Deuteronomy Chapter 15 from the Bible to understand the importance God gives to these Real Guests.

It takes real faith and a Christ like heart to practice this. We are called to be different and to be compassionate just as our heavenly father is. It was a wake up call for me and I pray you that you will take it as a wake up call for you too.

I would love to listen to your thoughts. Please don't hesitate to post your comments.

Questions to ponder:
If you are not mindful of the Real Guests, can you write down some of the reasons?
Do you have the courage, faith and a Christ like heart to be different going forward?
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Celebrating Christmas with Real Meaning

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:52:00 +0000
"The angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people" Luke 2:10

I am finding it very meaningful and renewing to remind my self of what Christmas actually means to me and to the whole world. Traditional and false understanding of the Bible takes away the power from the word of God. It always helps to take a fresh look at what the Bible has to say about the birth of Jesus. Here is another verse from the Bible which gives real meaning of Christmas - Birth of Jesus, the Christ:
Christmas is good news
Christmas news is of great joy
Christmas is for everyone
What makes this news so special?

It's because Jesus (Greek word Jesus means Savior) is born. Jesus is the Christ - the anointed one, separated one for the purpose of saving people from the bondage of sin.
"For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord!" Luke 2:11
To understand the value of freedom, one should talk to the people who were under the bondage. When I read about Corrie Ten Boom from the book "The Hiding Place", how she was able to go through the concentration camp with real joy in her heart in the midst of tears and how God miraculously freed her from it, I was able to appreciate the value of freedom that Jesus has given me from my sinful nature.

Here are some simple ways to celebrate Christmas with real meaning -
Realize that this great news is for you.
Understand the real meaning of Christmas - Don't be under the cloud of false understanding.
Share the news with others - share your understanding with family, relatives, friends and children.
Worship the Lord and be thankful to God for the salvation - Worship individually as well as with your fellowship.
Learn to take rest in the Heavenly Father.
Finally rejoice in the Lord with good food.
I would be glad to know other meaningful ways of celebrating the birth of Jesus. Please share your thoughts.

Questions to Ponder:
What is the reason for you to celebrate Christmas?
Do you take rest in the Heavenly Father this season?
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Ask the Readers: Why was the news of Jesus' birth first revealed to Shepherds?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:29:00 +0000
As I was going through the Christmas story from the book of Luke, chapter 2, I observed that the news of Jesus' birth was made known to Shepherds first.
"And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid." Luke 2:8,9
I am wondering why the news went to Shepherds first and not to others? I am sure there were many prophets, wise men and serious synagogue goers who were waiting for the news. What made these shepherds so special to receive the greatest news of the world first?

Here is what came to my mind -
At the time of Jesus birth, these were the people awake, keeping watch over their flock.
Shepherds were poor people and they need God's favor most.
God was going to reveal Himself as good shepherd, so shepherds will be able to carry out this news to others with lot of passion.
I am not sure if my thinking is correct. What do you think is the reason?

Share your comments.
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Understanding Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:37:00 +0000
We have been halfway through the Christmas season. Many of us must have gone through lot of Christmas seasons and I am sure we all have enjoyed them with our families and friends. Over the years, I realized that I can really enjoy Christmas when I understand the true meaning of Christmas. This year, I started digging deeper into the Bible to understand the real meaning of Christmas.

Reference from the Bible: Luke 1:67-79

This was the prophecy by Zachariah after the birth of his child John the Baptist. He was prophesying about the salvation that is going to be made available through the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is nothing but God implementing His plan of salvation for the world.

At this point of time in history, the people of Israel were under the bondage politically,
in darkness as there was no revelation (word) from the God for a period of 400 years,
they were going through shadow of death spiritually. Under this background came this prophecy as rain in the desert.

Christmas gives us a glimpse of God's character -
He is interested to give freedom - Freedom from sin and enemies (v68)
To empower the people (v69) - Jesus being the mighty and valiant helper, author of salvation, we can count on
He fulfills His promises
He remembers His covenant with us (v72)
He carries out His covenant (v72)
His heart is full of tender mercy (v78)
He is loving (v78)
He is kind (v78)
What is the purpose of God behind Christmas?
It is to bring out freedom, deliverance and salvation to those who are in bondage, darkness and going through the shadow of death.
Enable us to worship and serve Him without fear, in boldness and confidence.
Enable us to serve Him in holiness.
Enable us to walk in righteousness.
To lead us into the way of peace - wholeness, lacking nothing and being complete in every aspect.
"To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him all our days." Luke 1:74,75
"To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:79
In summary, Christmas is the time to remember God's love, understand God's character and renew our covenant with God in response to His salvation.

Question to Ponder: Is it time for you to renew your covenant with God?
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A life that lost it's focus

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:13:00 +0000
"Saul died for his trespass against the Lord [in sparing Amalek], for his unfaithfulness in not keeping God's word, and also for consulting [a medium with] a spirit of the dead to inquire pleadingly of it, And inquired not so of the Lord [in earnest penitence] ..." 1 Chronicles 10:13,14

Saul, the first king of Israel, began his walk very well. It was the ideal start any one could look for - with all the favor from God and Prophet Samuel, being the tallest one among the people, being the first king of Israel. But along the way, he lost the focus and the end was a miserable and sad one. I am sure you will agree with me that it is how you finish, is more important than how you start. It is definitely an advantage to start well, but finishing is more crucial.

The above verse made me think on why Saul's end was a sad one? What are the lessons that I could learn from him?
He disobeyed the specific command to destroy the Amalekites
Not keeping God's word - In general, Saul never took interest to keep God's word. He didn't confirm his life to God's standards. We see that not keeping God's word is counted as unfaithfulness to God.
Not inquiring the Lord - When he was in trouble and confusion about the direction he has to follow, he chose to seek the guidance from a medium but not of the Lord. What do you think are the reasons for Saul not inquiring the Lord? Think about it. In various circumstances, Saul's confidence was in the people and his army but not on the living God. How sad it is?
Indeed, Saul's life is a reminder for all those, who start very well, but lose the focus along the way. But God being loving and compassionate, I can assure that if we choose to turn to God by being faithful to Him and inquire Him, He will prove himself to be faithful to us.

Questions to Ponder:
Where is your confidence when you are faced with confusion and trouble?
Do you have the habit of inquiring the Lord? If not, honestly list down the reasons for so.
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Fear of the Lord

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:32:00 +0000
As I was studying the life of King Josiah, I was intrigued by his response to "The Book of the Covenant". His response reminded me of Fear of the Lord. Let me go through his responses as mentioned in the bible:
He rent his clothes - As a sign of repentance for the sins of his people and forefathers. He didn't ignore the sins done by his predecessors, but took the responsibility for their sins (2kings 22:11)
He chose to inquire of the Lord about what he heard from the book of the Covenant (2Kings 22:13)
His heart was tender towards God (2Kings 22:19)
He was humble before God (2kings 22:19)
He wept before the Lord (2kings 22:19)
He gathered all the people of his kingdom in the presence of God (2kings 23:2)
He read the Book of the covenant in the presence of the crowd (2kings 23:2)
He made a covenant before the Lord (2kings 23:3)
He cleaned his house (Rest of 2kings chapter 23)
What a remarkable character this leader has exhibited! Even though he was not directly responsible for what has happened, he took the initiative and lead from the front.

Throughout the Bible, we hear about having the fear of the Lord. Many people have the wrong concept of "Fear of the Lord". They view God as some one who is unapproachable, hard hearted etc. But the above response of Josiah gives us a glimpse of what it means. The fear of people, circumstances, failure etc cripple us. But the fear of the Lord gives us wisdom, freedom and security.
"The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and skill" Psalms 111:10
Here are the lessons we can learn on Fear of The Lord from Josiah's response:
Show respect to God for what He is - Acknowledge Him.
Approach Him - Though God is Holy and awesome, He delights in people who approach Him.
Make a covenant with God - to confirm to the book of the covenant: The Bible
Clean your house
Questions to Ponder:
Do you have a covenant with the God - creator of heaven and earth?
Do you fear God or people?
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Handling a bad news

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:09:00 +0000
"Because your heart was [tender and] penitent and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation, [an astonishment and] a curse, and you have rent your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. " 2Kings 22:19

It was indeed a bad news for King Josiah to hear about the wrath of God that is going to come up on his nation. But he responded in a wise manner which brought an answer from God. I am sure we can learn some lessons from this incident.
Be sensitive to God's word: From the above verse, we see that his heart was tender, soft and penitent. He was quick to heed the word of God. He didn't ignore the word that came to him.
Ask the Lord for guidance: When he heard what was written in the book of the Law concerning the wrath of God that is going to come on the nation of Judah, he was quick to seek the guidance from the Lord. Even though it was not his fault, still he was taking the responsibility for his people. This is the heart of an effective leader (Read verse 13). It makes a lot of sense to approach the one who could provide the solution.
Be humble before God: He was humble before God even though he was the king. He understood the place of God in his personal life and in his kingdom.
It was irony that Josiah being a king, took very unconventional approach to handle the situation. He had the power, people and money under his control. But he approached God for the solution.

Being open to God and humble before Him takes away lot of stress from us. We don't have to deal with all those things which are beyond our control.

" ... O blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are all those who seek refuge and put their trust in Him! " Psalms 2:12

Questions to Ponder
If you are in King Josiah's place, what would have been your response?
Do you recognize the place of God in your life?
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Faithfulness leads to Empowerment

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:28:00 +0000
" ... There was no accounting required of them for the money delivered into their hands, because they dealt faithfully." 2kings 22:7

Empowered individuals make empowered organizations. The organization could be a family, church or a big corporation. Often times organizations take lot of pain to create empowered organizations. The above verse from the Bible gives a clue to empowerment. It starts with every individual comprising of the organization.

Integrity, Trustworthiness and Faithfulness of a person enables him to be empowered, resulting in freedom. These things cannot be taught in a crash course because they are nothing but the reflection of a person's heart or character. Unless a person's heart is transformed, he cannot exhibit these traits.

I have listed below some of the areas of life in which we need to be faithful. The list is just a sample, not complete. Ensuring integrity and faithfulness in these areas will make us empowered individuals, confident before God and society.
Faithfulness to God - Enables to live guilt free life with peace and joy.
Faithfulness to Spouse - A loving relationship will be built which can be cherished for a life time.
Faithfulness to Children - Your children will learn to be faithful.
Faithfulness to Employer - You will be empowered, opening the doors for successful and meaningful career.
Encouragement from the Bible

" ... Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) ... " Matthew 25:23

Questions to Ponder
Do you take conscious effort to cultivate Faithfulness?
How difficult it is to create an empowered organization?
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Godly influence or Badly influence

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:39:00 +0000
Whether we realize or not, every individual influences some body else in his circle of influence. Very few can say that his/her choices will not impact any one. In general, it is a fact that our choices impact some body else in some way. The choices made by husband and wife impact each other as well as their family. The choices of father/mother impact children. A king's choices will influence the whole kingdom. The leader's choices influence his/her followers and the list goes on. The ability of an individual to influence is a powerful truth.

As I was going through my quiet time (2 Kings 21), this truth dawned up on my heart. This chapter gives the details of two kings of Judah namely Manasseh, son of king Hezekiah and Amon. They chose to depart from the ways of God and followed the practices that are detested by God. This in turn led the whole nation to sin against the Lord. The kind of influence they had on their people was not a godly one, not an encouraging one. I call it badly influence, which made the people depart from following the Lord.

This came as a warning to me as well as an opportunity for me. I have the choice to be a badly influence, which is a warning or to be a godly influence, which is an opportunity for me. I cannot chose to influence or not to influence, but I can choose the kind of influence I would like to have in my circle of influence. I thank God for making me aware of this.

Questions to Ponder:
Do you realize that your choices impact somebody?
What kind of influence would you like to have - Godly or Badly?
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Promise keeping God

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:29:00 +0000

" ... He will do the thing He has promised ..." 2 Kings 20:9

What makes the Bible stand apart from all the other books in the world?

As I was meditating the above verse, I felt so calm in my heart and the assurance that the word of God, the Bible will stand the test of the ages. The Bible is special because it is the word of God, word revealed by God, backed up by the creator of heaven and earth. God will stand by what is mentioned in the Bible.

We can take comfort in the promises made by God in the Bible, because God cannot change and He will show up to accomplish what He has promised. God's glory is dependent on the authenticity of the Bible and the manifestation of the promises there in. For this reason, God is very eager to accomplish His word.

"The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this." 2Kings 19:31

Question to Ponder: Have you picked up any promise from the Bible recently? Then be assured that the zeal of the Lord will accomplish it for you.
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