Kingsly's Scribbling

Attaining the State of Unattained….

2011-12-10T03:05:00.000-08:00

Paul in Philippians 3:12 says “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal..”

In this chapter he explains about his qualification of a Jew and the things he could boast. He had his worldly qualifications. Then he renounced everything for Knowing Christ. He had his spiritual qualifications. He has set his goal very clearly as he says “I want to know Christ”. After saying all these things he says I have not attained it yet. This was a very profound statement. This state of dissatisfaction always kept him learning and doing more things for God.

Many today feel that they know it all. They claim to have attained all that God has for them. And in the process they are saturated. I have heard many say that they have become perfect and they have completely matured. But Paul’s attitude was that he always had some distance to cover in meeting God’s standards. This kind of attitude made Paul to always look forward for God.

So to achieve his goal what did he do?

Verse 13 says “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead”

He forgets his past achievements and his credentials. He does not allow it to bring him to a complacent state. He forgets it. What do you have to forget to know Christ? Is it your family background, or past achievements? Or is it the thought of being superior spiritually than most others? What do you have to forget?

Then he says Straining towards what is ahead. It is not just moving ahead. Its straining. It is working hard to achieving his goal of knowing Christ. Many just go around doing nothing and they want to know Christ. They want Christ to reveal himself in some extraordinary way. It will not happen. Knowing Christ involves intentional work. One has to sit long hours and take pains to study and understand the Word of God. What efforts are you taking to know Christ?

Let us like Paul attain this state unattained so that we would Achieve more for God and we would know God more intimately.

Has the Lord Finished His Conversation?

2011-12-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

We live in a Fast Food age. When we finish our work or do our work faster we are considered smarter. People rush everything now a day. Even their quite time with the Lord.

As I read Genesis 18:33, Abraham sets us an example of how your time with God should be.

Genesis 18;33 says “When the Lord has finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way and then Abraham returned to his tent”.

I find it interesting that the Lord finished his conversation with Abraham and left first and then Abraham went about doing his duty. Many times we rush out of our prayer time once we have finished talking not waiting for the Lord to finish his conversation. Can we learn from Abraham to stay long enough for God to finish speaking? Let us not rush out. Let us slow down. Has the Lord finished speaking to you Today?

Messy yet Perfect Christmas

2011-12-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

I Just came back from a Christmas program. Children beautifully enacted the nativity scene. Mary was happy with all her makeups and her baby doll. Joseph was standing tall as he knew what his script was. Manager scene was brilliant and as Jesus was born, the choir was singing with joy.

But the scene when it actually happened was far from what we see in the nativity scenes now a days. Mary was wailing in birth pains. Joseph was walking up and down anxiously. May be the cattle in the manger were irritated since their place was occupied by some one else. As Jesus was born, he was crying. Mary and Joseph haven’t practiced their scripts earlier. They didn’t know what was coming next. They were anxious. They were disturbed. They were drawn out of their comfort zone. Mary could have been irritated. Joseph could have cried saying “Where is God in this mess” If baby Jesus could have answered he would have said “I am here in the centre of it all” The first Christmas was a perfect one not because all the circumstance was perfect but because Jesus was in the Centre of it all. This Christmas season your circumstances may seems messy and far from perfect. You may be disturbed and brought out of your comfort zone. But just look at the centre of it all and if you could see Jesus, then you are experiencing the perfect Christmas. Let us follow HIS script this Christmas. Let Jesus be in the centre of it all. Have a Messy but a Perfect Christmas.

Sandwitch Christian

2011-11-26T01:52:00.000-08:00

My past two weeks has been hectic than usual. And over this period, I have developed a new pattern of living. I start of my day with God. And then I get busy with my work and all the tasks I have to complete. Then finally as I lay tired in my bed I finish my day with God. Though I started my day and ended my day with God, I knew this pattern of God sandwich would not work well.

During the busy day I forget to be attentive to the gentle voice of God. I don’t want to continue with this pattern.

My first step in breaking this pattern is to acknowledge that I am living this sandwich Christianity through this blog post.

The second thing is I have decided to take five minutes off every one hour and thank the Lord for way things are going and listen to him as he speaks.

Hopefully I would allow God to penetrate my stuff and have His way through my Day.

Is Worry Your Greatest Worry?

2011-11-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

As people who follow Christ, we are expected to produce fruits as the seeds of his words are sown into our life. But many lives are fruitless.

One of the reasons that Christ states in the parable of a Soil, is worry. In Mark 4: 19 he states that Very soon the message is crowded by worries of this life …and so no fruit is produced. Worry chokes us and keeps us from producing that great harvest that God has in mind for us.

In Mathew 6, Jesus talks about worry and how to solve it. He says that worrying about this life here on earth is the thought that dominates the life of an unbeliever. (Mt 6:32)

Is worry your greatest worry? Jesus tells a few remedies for worry, which if we remember would end our fruitless life.

1. Look at the birds (Pl go look at it) (Mt 6:26)

2. Look at the flower(should I say it again)(Mt 6:28)

3. You are more valuable to Him. (Mt 6:26)

4. He will certainly care for you. (Mt 6:30)

5. You have a Father in heaven who knows all your need. (Mt 6:32)

6. Seek his kingdom (Mt 6:33)

7. Live righteously (Mt 6:33)

A Message from a Distance……….

2011-11-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

It has been 9 years since my father passed away in an accident. A few days after my dad passed away, my mom received this poem. It was as if my dad had written this to my mom and us. Still we do not know who had given this to my mom. But it brought us great comfort and reminded us of the task at hand. Today I happened to see it again. I would like to share it with you.

A message from a distance……….

Dear Deepa and Children,

I am home to heaven dear ones,
Oh! So happy and so bright,
There is perfect joy and beauty,
In this everlasting light.

All the pains and grief is over,
Even restless tossing passed,
I am now at peace for ever,
Safely home in heaven at last.

Did you wonder I so calmly,
Trod the valley of the shade?
Oh! But Jesus love illuminated,
Every dark and fearful glade.

And he came himself to meet me,
In that way so hard to tread,
And with Jesus arm to lean on,
Could I have one doubt or tread?

There is work still waiting for you,
So you must not idly stand,
Do it now while life remains,
You shall rest in Jesus hands.

When that work is all completed,
He will gently call you home,
Oh! The rapture of the meeting,
Oh! The joy to see you come.

With Love,
Soundrapandian

Look for Someone!!

2011-11-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a little kindness. Whether it’s the boy at the grocery store, the server at the fast-food restaurant or the person sitting near you in the bus.

A kind word or a thoughtful deed can brighten their day. Many people labor under heavy loads. Our kindness can mean so much to them. Don’t withhold a kind deed when it’s in your means to do it.

David was looking someone whom he could be kind to. Are you really looking for some one whom you can be kind to? As David found a lame person, he made him come and stay with him and eat at his table. What kindness!! David’s kind act changed the person forever.

May we also like David should learn to look for some one whom we can be kind to today. Look, Look, Look, for someone.

Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul,

that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”- 2 Samuel 9:1

Praying for a Sensitive Heart!!

2011-10-14T03:29:00.000-07:00

As I stood on the pulpit that morning, my heart was heavy. Heavy because of unforgiveness. The previous night as I was preparing for leading worship the next morning, in the middle of it, I caught a fight with my grand mom. I was very much irritated and I shouted at her. Then I continued to prepare ignoring the constant urge in my heart to set things right. The next morning as I was ready to start the service, the urge still continued. As I was thinking about this, my grand mom crossed our church building as she was going somewhere else. I handed over the service to my friend (who was shocked ;)) and ran out of the church. I met my grand mom on the road and asked her to forgive me, which she gratefully did. I then ran back to the service and then started worshiping the Lord in freedom. Real service happened out of the church that day. Though I delayed the process, which is shameful, I am happy that I did it. I just remembered this incident which happened some years back. Tears of repentance are sweet. Knowing that you are forgiven is sweeter. Praying that God will give me such sensitive heart even today.

Praying and Sleeping

2011-09-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

In the passage about the storm in the sea, Jesus was sleeping. All others were crying and praying. Jesus did not ask them to pray. He didn’t say you could have prayed better. He just said you must have more faith. After some time, in Gethsemane, Jesus was the one who was crying. But here the disciples were sleeping. In fact Jesus had asked them to watch and pray. May be they learnt from Jesus, from the storm in the sea session. This happens to all. We pray restlessly like the disciples, when we need to sleep trusting God. But, we sleep in rest like the disciples when we need to bleed sweat. Many times we just need to sleep in the storm having the faith that Jesus will see us through. But we fret and worry about life and things of this world. At other times, we must be pleading with the father about the spiritual battles with the spiritual forces. But we are not even aware that such a battle is going on and we sleep through the battle. May God give us the discernment on when to rest and when to fight in prayer.

When God Lets You Die...

2011-09-03T03:35:00.000-07:00

Recently, I happen to hear a lot of testimonies about how God has delivered them from disease, death and so on. Almost at the end of each testimony I hear them saying, our God lives. I am glad that our God is a deliverer and am Glad that we realize that he is alive when he works miracles in our life.

But there are equal numbers of people who are struggling with unanswered prayers, who are still waiting for their deliverance. Some die with their disease. Does that mean that God is not alive? When our cry for deliverance from the dungeon are not heard, we tend to question him by asking are you really God?

I remember John the Baptist. He was the very first person to identify Jesus and show him to the world. As Jesus came for baptism, John cried, behold the lamb of God. He saw the heavens open, the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus and heard the Father’s voice. If one person who should not have any doubts about Jesus, he was John.

But when he was in the prison cell waiting for his deliverance, he began to doubt. He sent his disciples to Jesus, asking him if He was really the Messiah. God’s silence troubled John. God let him die in prison. Does that mean God is dead?

Have you been praying for something and you have not got the answer? Are you dying in your disease and asking is Jesus alive. When pain pricks and patience end, do you question His existence? When God is silent it’s hard. But does that mean he is dead? NO. So when God lets you die, is he still alive? Yes. One thing I know, that when God doesnot remove our thorns in our flesh, be assured that his grace is sufficient.

Jesus Shouts - Drink

2011-08-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

My mother knew the value of drinking water. She always told us to drink more water. She explained us how water is important for our body. So we drank water. She gave all the statistics about water and how it keeps our body on the right track. But recently she was sick. And the doctors told her that it was because she did not drink enough water. I was surprised. She knew the value of water. She had all the statistics right. She could take you through a lesson on water and you would not be bored. But what she failed to do was to actually drink it. She didn’t drink enough though she knew and taught all things to us.

Well, this may be the condition of many who say they follow Christ. They know the value of the Christ. They may have the statistics of the bible at their finger tips. They also explain about how Christ keeps us at the right track. But someday they fall sick. And the reason, they have not actually drunk enough. As in the case of water, taking a drink is what matters. All the knowledge is good but it’s actually taking a drink from the cup of Christ that matters.
This is what Jesus shouts at you today. “Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”-John 7:37.

Are you thirty in life? Is it time to actually have a drink? It is free and it’s refreshing.

Trust and Fix

2011-08-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

After 100 posts, I needed some rest :). So after a long break, here we go…

Anxiety and worry are greatest enemies of peace. Having the inner peace can be destroyed by these two twin sisters. When I talk to different people, I come across many people who have lost their peace. Losing our peace starts in our mind. Always thinking what others may think about us is one way to stay anxious. Another way would be to fear about the future and worry about the past. So how do you come out of this anxious and worrying thought?

You cannot come out of aniouxs thoughts by thinking more on the problem. The more you focus on the problem which is imaginary most of the time, the more anxious you get.

One thing that I have found helpful to do when I am anxious is to focus on the One who is in Control. Many times we are anxious because we feel out of control or someone else takes control our lives. Isaiah 26:3 is a pill to regain peace. It says, You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

So when you are anxious you need to remember two things:
• Trust God
• Fix your thoughts on Him. (Meditate His word, Pray…)

Anxiety attacked is a very good book if you need to read more on this topic.

Religious Zeal Destroys

2011-07-06T03:33:00.001-07:00

Mathew 16; 21

From then on Jesus[j] began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed…

Acts 8:3
3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.

I was reading these to passages from the bible. Jesus had to suffer at the hands of elders, leading priests, and teachers of the law. He suffered at the hands of these people who were religious.

The second passage says, Saul was destroying the church. Saul was a religious man and he followed all the laws. In his Religious zeal, he was destroying the church.

So Jesus and His Church suffered at the hands of religious people. Even today it is the same. People who are driven by religious zeal and head knowledge about the word of God persecute and destroy the church. Whereas people who are driven by the love of God built the body of God.

Paul who later in his life says the love of Christ constrained him to do his ministry. And then he really built the body of Christ. Base your actions on religious zeal, you will be destroyer. Base your actions because of the love for Christ, you will be a builder.

What drives your service for God?

Good Questions

2011-07-05T01:03:00.000-07:00

It was about noon time as Saul was traveling towards Damascus. It was also the same time when the Light of Life shone brightly as noon day to turn his dark days to light. His encounter with God blinded him and brought him to ground. At times as we encounter God in our lives we too are brought to this state.

As he was in this state, he asked two good questions. He asked the right questions. (Acts 22)

•Who are you, Lord?
•What should I do, Lord?

The first question led him to know Jesus personally as God answered him. As soon as he had this personal knowledge of Christ Jesus, the very first thing he asked is “What should I do, Lord?” From thereon if you see Paul’s life at each point in his life he gets his direction from the Lord. If you have not asked the first question, ask it now with all sincerity. God will reveal himself to you. The second question is very important if you say you are a disciple of Jesus. As you ask Him, may he reveal His plans for you? The answer for these two questions can change the way you live on this planet Earth.

Paul's Prayer Points

2011-06-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever prayed for someone? What is your prayer for others? What do you pray for yourself? St Paul is one person who prayed much for others and lived in such a way that he could say, “Follow me as I follow the Lord”.
So it’s always good learn from Paul on how to pray for others and also we can pray those prayers for our own selves.

I will just take you to one of Paul’s prayers for people of God.

Read Colossians 1 and verse 9 to 11.

These are his prayer points:

•To be filled with the knowledge of His Will.
•To have a deeper spiritual wisdom and understanding.
•To live a life that pleases Him in every way.
•To grow in the knowledge of God.
•To be strengthened to endure and be patient.
•To be joyfully thankful.

Most of us have a different prayer point list. But it’s good to learn from this great man of God. May this prayer points be our prayer and also prayer for others. Well, you may say, “I don’t desire or feel like praying these things for my life”. Don’t worry. Just start praying these words till it becomes your real desire. That’s because these Words are living and powerful.

Do you know some other prayer points of Paul?

Focused and Fruitful

2011-06-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

I have not written for some time not because of lack of ideas but because of there were too many ideas. This is what I would do for the past one week. I would write a couple of sentence on a topic and then stop it and write another 2 lines on some other topic and then stop it and then ..(Well you know the cycle went on for some time.) Though there were so many ideas, I could not get anything meaningful because I was not focused.

Life can be like that. Though you may do so many things, unless you focus on ONE important thing, it would be meaningless.
Here are a few questions for us to ponder.

What is One thing that we need according to Jesus? (Luke 10:38-42)

What is One thing that we lack in? (Luke 18:22)

What is One thing you desire? (Psalms 27: 4)

May our lives be focused and fruitful.

Prayer

2011-06-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a book on prayer, then you must read Philip Yancey’s book Prayer. This is such an excellent book. So what did you learn about prayer may be your question. Well, rather than explaining what I learnt about prayer, I can tell you one thing, this book really made me pray. Page after page and chapter after chapter, I stopped and went to pray. Don’t you think this is the success of the book?

Here is a beautiful paragraph from this book.
“Ben Peterson, currently chaplain at Westmont College, California, tells of a time when he ruptured a disc and the doctor prescribed six weeks of total bed rest. Heavily medicated and lying flat on his back, he found that reading was virtually impossible. In that incapacitated state, he learned an important lesson about prayer.
(He explains it in the following way)
“I was helpless.
I was also terrified. What was this all going to mean? How was I to take care of my family? What about the church? I was the only pastor it had, and I could do nothing for it. Out of sheer desperation I decided to pray for the church. I opened the church directory and prayed for each member of the congregation, daily. It took nearly two hours, but since there was nothing else I could do for the church, I figured I might as well pray for it. It was not piety that made me to do it, it was boredom and frustration. But over the weeks the prayer time grew sweet. One day near the end of my convalescence, I was praying and I told the Lord, “You know, its been wonderful, these prolonged times we’ve spent together. Its too bad I don’t have time to do this when I am well.”
God’s answer came swift and blunt. He said to me, “Ben, you have just as much time when you’re well as when you’re sick. It’s the same 24 hours in either case. The trouble with you is that when you’re well, you think you’re in charge. When you’re sick, you know you’re not.”
I pray that not only during tough times when we realize we need God’s strength but also during times when we are well we would pray and seek the Lord.

Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus

2011-06-01T05:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a small paragraph from the book “Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus”. This is one of the best books that I read last year. It is written by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg. There are many such beautiful paragraphs in this book. It is a good read for learning about the Jewishness of our Jesus, which would enhance our understanding of Jesus and his words.

Here is the Passage.

“Imagine for a moment that you possess the sheet music of the most beautiful piano concerto ever written, but you never heard the whole piece perfectly performed. Then one day you meet the composer’s son, who himself is a great pianist. This man knows his father’s music by heart. As he sits down to play with the orchestra, the music is so achingly beautiful that you began to weep. At last you have heard the most magnificent concerto in the world being played exactly as the composer intended. This is a rough analogy of what Jesus has done for us, not merely telling us but showing us what human beings, created in God’s image, were meant to become.”

This paragraph presents us a beautiful illustration of Jesus. Jesus not only showed us how a human life is exactly to be lived. He showed human beings how exactly God would look like. If you want to know God, Study the life of Jesus. That’s how God will look like.

Likes

2011-05-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

Now a days I have started to realize how much of what I say or think is driven by what others “like”. But I have also realized that the results are not so good. It not only takes my life off track but also becomes a hindrance for other too.

This also can be related easily using a face book “likes”. I would like to know your thoughts about the following couple of questions.

1. When someone “likes” what you write in your FB how do you feel?

2. In life, whose “Likes” is important to you? Is it the “likes” from people whom you live with or is it the “Likes” from God?

Book Review: Max On Life

2011-05-27T01:36:00.000-07:00

If you know me, then you know i love Max Lucado's writings. Max Lucado has written another fine book. Max on Life is a great resource book, especially if you are like me, a great fan of Max Lucado. It is a book in sections based on subject matter, then filled with questions folks have asked about the subjects, and then Max's response. Answers were taken from his already existing books.

Questions fall under these categories:

Hope - God, Grace, and Why am I Here?
Hurt - Conflicts, Calamities, and Why me?
Help - Prayer, Scripture, and Why church?
Him/Her - Sex, Romance, and Any chance of a second chance?
Home - Diapers, Disagreements, and Any hope for prodigals?
Haves/Have-Nots - Work, Money, and Where's the lifeline?
Hereafter - Cemeteries, Heaven, Hell, and Who goes there?

If you have a question or a struggle or difficulty, this would be a good book to go to and easy to look up and find what the bible says on the subject. Also, the answers are not too long and easy to read and completely bible based. It is a great addition to any Christian library. It will also make a great gift. This would be an ideal book to give to someone who has a lot of questions. I would highly recommend this book.

***I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. Above review is completely based on my own opinions.***

Review: Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends : A Bug Collection Vol 3

2011-05-26T22:51:00.000-07:00

Finally the long awaited DVD i requested from BookSneeze arrived.
In this Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends : A Bug Collection Vol 3, there are three discs with three different topics.

1. Milo, the Mantis Who Wouldn't Pray—it's about prayer.
2. Buzby and the Grumblebees—it’s about bee-having.
3. Haily & Bailey's Silly Fight—it’s about getting along.

These stories are truly engaging for both adults and children alike.

In Milo the Mantis who wouldn't pray, Milo does everything he can think of to hear from God. The storyline is comical but sad because we do relate to his struggle with not being willing to wait on God to answer our prayers. The characters used in all these three DVDs are beautiful.

Buzby and the Grumble Bees, shows us what life would be like if everyone only did what they wanted to.

Hailey & Bailey's Silly Fight: Sometimes we lose sight of what's really important and then fight over the small things.

I also loved the teachings by Max Lucado and Hermie in all the three DVDs.

Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends: A Bug Collection Volume 3 is one you will definitely want to get for the kids.

***I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. Above review is completely based on my own opinions.***

Time to Remember!!

2011-05-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was searching my mobile phone for 2 minutes until I realized I was actually talking on phone. ( I know you would want to stop reading the blog of such a dumb person. Well if you are still there let’s continue) I laughed at my forgetfulness. But sometimes we are not able to laugh at our forgetfulness since it may cost us so much. That too to forget the God will definitely cost you more. The first step in moving away from the Lord is forgetting is love, grace and care and the first step to come back to the Lord is by Remembering him and his goodness. Let me give a few characters from the bible.

In revelation chapter 2, as God was giving remedy to the Ephesus church that has lost its First Love, the first thing that he tells them is to Remember the height from which they have fallen. God wanted to correct their forgetfulness first which would in turn lead to their repentance.

In Luke 15, the prodigal son who lived a wayward life and ended up in pig pen, Remembers his father’s house and how even servants in his father’s house had enough food and then he starts to walk towards his father’s house. The first thing he did was to Remember his father.

In Judges 16, Samson forgot the Lord, his commandments, and in the end lost his anointing. At the final state of his life, he remembered his Good God and called unto Him. His desire for the world and women made him to forget His God.

In the book of Jonah we see Jonah was trying to flee from God (How could he ever think of that. Didn’t he know psalms 139 ) He wanted to forget God and the task that God gave him. But God had other plans. So as he was in the Fish’s belly, in chapter 2 he says “As my life was ebbing away, I Remebered the Lord.” After he remembered he started to pray. As he remembered the Lord, the Lord started to act on his behalf.

So the first step in restoring back you First love for the Lord, restoring your relationship with your heavenly Father, restoring back your strength, and restoring back your Life’s purpose is to REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR.

Remember HIM while your doing Good. Or Atleast remember HIM in pig pen or fish’s belly. But please Remember Him while you are alive. As you Start to Remember Him let the Lord Start to Remember you and Restore you.

Till I entered the sanctuary of God...

2011-05-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Recently psalms 73 became a reality for me. I started to look around and see people who don’t care about God let alone pleasing Him, become prosperous. I began to envy them. My foot began to slip and I began to lose my foothold. I envied them because they had no struggles, no health problems, no common human burdens, and no negative things in their life. They don’t even think of God in their life and yet they are carefree and accumulate a lot of wealth. I felt that like I was trying live for the Lord in vain. Every morning seems to bring on new punishment on me. When I thought about all these things my heart was troubled. I began to think that all these things, wealth and things of the world is what I needed. It was then I began to read this wonderful psalm, which resonated with my heart so much. These struggles that I mentioned was not only mine but also of the person who wrote this psalm. After penning down all his struggles, the prosperity of the wicked and also calling his walk with the Lord vain, he was troubled till he entered the Sanctuary of the Lord. He thought he needed wealth and prosperity and that’s why he envied the wicked. But as he entered the Presence of the Lord, the most beautiful place in the whole world, look at the change in his words.
“When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant;
Then he goes on to say this wonderful verse.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
Did you see that? Is this not the same person who wanted the wealth of the wicked? Actually he was troubled because he didn’t get the things that others had. But after spending time in the presence of the Lord, after experiencing God himself, his desire changes and he says Earth has nothing I desire besides YOU. Then I realized, many times in life we think we need this and we need that. But in reality it’s the presence of God we need. It is Him we need. I, like this psalmist, am senseless and ignorant many times. But as I enter his presence, as I experience God, my heart’s desire changes. Today I am beginning to say Earth has nothing I desire besides YOU Lord. May be you are struggling thinking that your needs are not met and may be you are troubled. Why don’t you enter His sanctuary today?

Let Your Tears Fall

2011-04-26T22:33:00.001-07:00

My father died in a bike accident some years back. During the funeral there were so many people, friends, relatives’ and neighbors. Many were trying to comfort me. They said a lot of things which I don’t remember now. But I remember one person, one of my friend, not because what he said, but because what he did. He wept. He wept with me. He never said a word, but he was by my side weeping. And somehow his tears comforted me. His tears showed me how much he loved me. Even today when I think of his tears, I am comforted. Tears somehow have this unique ability to show how much we love a person.
In John chapter 11, we see a beautiful incident. (Please do read the chapter) Lazarus is sick. Jesus delays. Sisters Panic. Lazarus dies. Jesus arrives. Mary weeps at Jesus feet. And you know what I love this verse. JESUS WEPT. He didn’t hide his tears. He didn’t hold back his tears so that he would appear strong. No He Wept. What a God we Have. As we weep at his feet, He is moved, he is troubled, and he weeps. The world tells us that if we weep, we are weak. But not Jesus. He not only gives the permission to weep but weeps with us. And what did his tears symbolize to people who were around him. Listen. This is what they said, “Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” His tears showed people how much he loved him. Many times we hold back our tears and we are not ready to weep with those who weep. And hence we don’t show them how much we love them. Don’t hold back. Its OK to weep. Let your tears freely fall and allow people, friends and family to see how much you love them. Don’t hide your tears. As Jesus raised Lazarus from dead, people didn’t say, see how much he loves him. It was when Jesus wept, people realized his love. You may think you need to do great things for others to show your love, but in reality a few drop of tears can show others your great love for them. There is no great comfort than to see someone weep for and with us. Don’t hold back, let your tears fall….

Wounds of Jesus...

2011-04-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

We all want to be known by our achievements. We showcase our certificates and medals for others to known how great we are. But we hide our wounds from others. As I read John, the penultimate chapter, I see this pattern revised. As Jesus entered the room filled with disciples after the resurrection, there was Thomas. Thomas doubted whether it was really Jesus.

So When Jesus appeared the second time and in John 20 verse 26 he says to Thomas “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” He was saying, Thomas do you want to know that it’s really me, then touch my wounds. It’s interesting to know that Jesus identifies himself with the wounds. As we are used to see in the Jesus movie, after the resurrection Jesus has a glow around his body. I think it’s was not like that. Jesus had to show his wounds for them to believe.

Do you remember the other time when two disciples where walking down the road to Emmaus and Jesus joins them? Well, those two disciples where not able to recognize Jesus the whole time as Jesus was explaining the scriptures to them. (You see they don’t say, hey I see a glow around him, He is Jesus)

In Luke 24:30 we read, “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.” Its then they recognized him. What’s interesting to me is that (And you don’t have to believe me, and it’s what I image would have happened) as he broke the bread and gave them they recognized Jesus. As he gave them the bread, they might have seen the nail print in the hands. May be that’s what made them realize that it was Jesus. That’s what I would like to believe.

Anyway my point here is that even after resurrections, Jesus identified with his wounds. There were no great power display shows standing on top of the temple. He met his disciples and showed his wounds and healed their wounds of guilt, fear, and doubt. His wounds were the sign that he was faithful to God.

Many times I hear people show their blessing and say since I was faithful God has blessed me. But Jesus shows his wounds and says I was faithful to God and to you. Do you have wounds for being faithful for God? Okay I may not have been clear. I was just thinking all these and am putting all these so that you would think about this Jesus and his wounds. I can assure you it can transform you. Share what you learn about Jesus and his wounds these days…I would be grateful..