The Yoke of Christ

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." said Jesus in Matthew 11:28-29.

A yoke is used to tether animals to work in the field or pull wagons, etc., with the farmer or master directing the animals to go on a specific route, making sure to guide them along to accomplish the master's tasks.  On the part of the animals there is a complete dependence on the master to lead them along and meet their needs. Tethered to a yoke, it does not allow the animals to do what they please, they have to rely on the one who put the yoke on them for guidance, directions and instructions.  A good master/farmer always guides his animals along the best pathways.

As you read the Bible verses preceding what I quoted earlier in this blog, Jesus prays to the Father, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike." (Matthew 11:25)  Here Jesus addresses his father as "the Lord of heaven and earth." A master who has power, authority and control over the heavens and the earth, and everything there in or there out. Then he says that this is revealed to those who have childlike faith. The faith of a child in his father is complete, perfect, fully entrusting to meet the child's needs: to feed, clothe, protect, and nurture the child's emotional and physical growth. My dad was just that man!

Then Jesus reveals another point, "My Father has given me authority over everything.  No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27) Jesus has the authority over everything that we see and cannot see, that we understand and that we do not understand.  He has the authority to calm the raging seas and the hurricane wind (Matthew 8:26-27).  The spirit world recognizes him for who he is (Matthew 8:29). Life and death, healing and deliverance are in his word.

It takes faith, child like faith (total belief) for his promises to manifest. Well, you may say, it's hard to believe in things unseen and unknown.  If you need faith, pray for it, ask him to nurture in you faith of those mentioned in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11. He will not deny it to you for Apostle Paul teaches us that Jesus Christ is the "Originator and Perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

Taking the yoke of Christ upon oneself is a commitment to leave our sinful ways behind, subject ourselves to the will of God, seeking his will in our lives through prayer and studying the Bible. You can never go wrong by seeking his will, as Christ tells you that he has authority over everything as given to him by the Lord of heaven and earth. Taking his yoke upon oneself is not a yoke of slavery, rather of mutual dependence. He is a God who loves you and wants your love in return. The first and most important command in the Bible is to love your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength.

Are you tired of living in sin? Have you become weary of the life you are living? Are you weighed down with the pressure of expectations to perform from those around you? You don't have to go about it by yourself.  Come to Christ, for he will give you rest. Take his yoke upon you, let him teach you because he is humble and gentle. You will find rest for your souls. His yoke fits perfectly and his burden is light for he is the Lord of heaven and earth, with authority over everything.

The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! BY his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. And it is good for the young to submit to the yoke of his discipline.  (Lamentations 3:22-27)

The Jonah in me...

Early July I came to find out about the death of a senior official at my work place who had to resign earlier in the year for using his official authority for a private matter. He was sixty seven. He was a person whom I did not really care for.  I did not have any respect for him, and did not feel a bit bad when he had to resign. I felt he deserved it. In my eyes he was arrogant, pompous, a hypocrite, a liar, and thought his actions were always self serving.  My opinion of him was formed from my experience of him. When I first joined the office he exerted his authority over me (a much lower tiered staff) to force me to do something that I thought was not right.  Basically he said to, "do it because I am telling you to and get it done now." I had also heard about a wilder side to him while he fronted a very respectful face in the public. So you know, when he had to resign (fired) I felt he got what he deserved.

Upon hearing of his death, my feelings were not the same as when he was fired, I felt guilt ridden. Like Jonah waited for Nineveh's fall, my conscience pricked me, I waited for his fall from grace, and a deserving punishment.   As a christian my testimony before Christ was less than becoming.

When we read the book of Jonah, we see a reluctant prophet, who when God told him to go to the great city of Nineveh to announce the coming judgement of God against that city, he took a ship in the opposite direction of Nineveh. For he did not want to announce to this city of his hatred about God's judgement, just in case they repented and God forgave them.  His prophecy would seem wrong, and besides, he wished for nothing but the total destruction of that city and its citizens.  I used to wonder why Jonah hated the Ninehvites, until I read Isaiah 37 and 2 Kings 18. There had been a long standing enmity between the people of Israel and Judah and the Assyrian empire. Just to mention one event from the Bible between them, King Sennacherib of Assyria was the cause of much pain and suffering in the land of Judah during his campaign against King Hezekiah. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian empire.

Jonah was not always a reluctant prophet. He was the prophet in Israel during the time of King Jeroboam II of Israel. During the reign of this evil king, God used Jonah to prophesy the expansion of Israel and it happened just as Jonah had prophesied. "Jeroboam II recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had promised through Jonah, son of Ammitai, the prophet from Gathhepher.  For the LORD saw the bitter suffering of everyone in Israel, and how they had absolutely no one to help them. (2 King 14:25-26).  In the case of Nineveh, the pride and prejudice of the prophet stood in the way of the mission that God had for the prophet.

God forced his prophet back to the great city of Nineveh to deliver his message, the same way he removed King Sennacherib from his campaign against the kingdom of Judah.  God told Sennacherib "I will make you return by the road on which you came." (Isaiah 37:29). God put His "hook" in his nose and His "bridle" in his mouth, so to speak! As Jonah ran in the opposite direction of where God wanted him to go, God caused a great storm to arise causing the ship to almost capsize until the ship's crew cast lots and Jonah was tossed into the waves to save the rest.  The Bible teaches us in the Book of Jonah that God caused a great fish to swallow Jonah and after three days and nights caused the fish to vomit him on to the shore. Jonah finally goes to Nineveh and half-heartedly preached God's message of impending doom against the Ninehvites unless they turned back to God and left their sinful ways. The Ninehvites upon hearing the message were pricked in their heart and cried out to God in repentance and asked for his mercy.  Jonah was so sure that the wickedness of the Ninehvites was so beyond salvation that he withdrew to a distance to wait and watch the coming punishment from God. At last, the city and the people whom he hated will meet with just punishment.  I had done the same though I never shared my Christ to this gentleman.

As Jonah waited in the dry hot desert to witness the destruction of Nineveh, God gave him temporary reprieve and comfort by providing for him shade by having a leafy plant to grow over his head for which Jonah was very grateful. The next morning God had the plant destroyed by a worm that he had created to eat away at  the plant. As Jonah became bitter at God for letting the plant die, God asked him if it was okay for him to be so bitter over the life of a plant when a great city like Nineveh was on the verge of God's destructive punishment. Jonah was taught a lesson by God on why he loved to forgive the sinners who repented.

We wish for the worst for our enemies and tormentors, but God only wishes that they knew him. What have we done to make that possible? What did I do for this senior executive to find God? I can't recall once praying for this person, though I recall in my heart cheering at his fall from grace.  I will not have an answer on that day if Christ should ask me - why did you not care?

Let not our pride and prejudices stand in the way of God's mission for mankind, for God has given his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Did not He who made me in the womb make them?

Did not the same One fashion us in the womb? (Job 31:15, NKJV)

The repentant thief

In recent days and weeks my thoughts have been on Psalms 32, psalm of David. This is what it says in the Bible,

1 Oh, what joy for those
     whose rebellion is forgiven,
     whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
     whose record the LORD has cleared of sin,
     whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
     I was weak and miserable,
     and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline
         was heavy on me.
     My strength evaporated like water
         in the summer heat.                                       Interlude

5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
      and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
   I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
        And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.        Interlude

6 Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is still time,
      that they may not drown in the flood waters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
      you protect me from trouble.
      You surround me with songs of victory.             Interlude

8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
      I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
      that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
       but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
      Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

As I read verses one and two, "Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!," the two thieves who were crucified one on the left and the other on the right of Christ came to mind, specifically the one whose sins were pardoned by Christ before his death. We often categorize people and draw boxes around them. We then decide with whom to associate and whom to keep away. But, every single human being is God's child. The thieves on the cross were someones' sons. They had a father and a mother. May be they had wives and children. But they were thieves in the eyes of everyone, including themselves. Their punishments were for their deeds. They died as thieves deserving the punishment for their deeds. Every single person who knew them knew them for who they were - THIEVES - and as they hung on the crosses, if one was to ask if they stood a chance to go to heaven, the answer would be an emphatic NO! None whatsoever would be the answer.

Yet, one of the thieves who confessed himself to the LORD on the cross, received pardon and his soul had the good fortune to spend eternity in paradise with the Son of God - Christ. The other thief never took responsibility for his actions, probably blamed society for the person he had become, never felt sorry for what he had done, and mocked Jesus on the cross. His afterlife does not get a mention in the Bible. (Luke 23:39-43)

In my previous blog about Manasseh, the most evil king of Judah, a descendant of David, who committed the most heinous acts against God and man, that included sacrificing his own sons to Baal, killing the prophets of God, while in his own punishment from God, when he repented, humbled himself before God and called out to the God of his ancestors - Jehovah, the Bible says that God was moved by his plea and restored him to this throne. Psalms 32 was written by Manasseh's forefather - David, who had first hand experience of God's just punishment and mercy on those who truly repent and call on God for forgiveness. This Psalm could very well have been written by Manasseh or the thief on the cross.  Their experience with the God Jehovah paralleled David's experience.

Look my friend, there is no one whose life is unsalvageable, who is unrepairable, who is beyond God's saving grace. Until your breathing stops, and you have not lost your faculties, you have an opportunity to turn from your sins. If you acknowledge Jesus Christ as the son of God and believe in his death and resurrection, repent of your sins, confess them to Jesus, you will have a full pardon and the promise of salvation and an eternal life with God.  In the world's eyes as the thieves on the cross you may never regain what's been lost, but in the eyes of God you will be made a just man, a just woman.

A repentant Manasseh was not able to turn all the people of Judah back to God, but he was able to secure his salvation. David writes in verse six, "Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time, that they may not drown in the flood waters of judgement." Manasseh in his humbling experience of defeat, resulting exile and imprisonment realized the grave errors of his ways and repented, humbled himself before God and prayed to the God of his father and forefathers for forgiveness.  The repentant thief on the cross was not able to change the opinion of his self in the society that knew him, but he was able to change the course of his afterlife and secure a place in Paradise.  And today, his life and its final events impact us by giving us the assurance of God's mercy and forgiving love for every single man, woman and child and give us the hope of salvation we have in Jesus.

When you commit yourself to God, your future will be secure in God, as David writes in verse eight of the Psalms, "The LORD says, "I will guide you [whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight] along the the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." So "do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and a bridle to keep it under control." Rather make the freewill choice when the opportunity exists! May God bless you and keep you!!

All is Lost, so you say...

Have you ever felt like all was lost? Do you think that your life is so far gone in sin that God would not consider you, that there was no hope for you, that you cannot be saved?

Let me assure you that the Bible points towards a God who hates sin, but loves the sinner who would seek him and repent; a sinner who would humble himself/herself in God's presence and trust in his mercy.  He is gracious enough to take you in to his outstretched arms, hug you tight, put a new spirit in you and breathe a new life in to you.

Yesterday night as I was reading through 2 Chronicles, chapter 33, it talked of king Manasseh of Judah. He was the son of king Hezekiah, a very God fearing man. Following Hezekiah's death, Manasseh assumed the throne to the kingdom of Judah at age twelve and reigned for fifty five years.  We read that unlike his god fearing father, Manasseh was a very, very wicked king who did pure evil in the sight of God. He was so wicked that he not only worshiped other Gods, he turned the temple of the LORD that his ancestor Solomon had constructed, where God's glory was to reside, into a pagan temple, worshiping anything and everything except the God of Israel and Judah - Jehovah.  The Bible says that he did things that were detestable in the sight of God. He sacrificed his own sons in the fire, we read. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics.  He aroused the anger of the LORD.

The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people through his prophet, but he ignored the LORD.  Jewish teachings say that Manasseh had prophet Isaiah killed by ordering him to be sawn in half. The man was "evil to his bones" so to speak. God punished him. We read, that the LORD sent the Assyrian armies, who defeated the armies of Judah and captured Manasseh.  They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. Like an animal! Once proud, powerful king brought to his knees, led away like an animal, in public disgrace and humiliation!

While in his imprisonment, in deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and cried out humbly to the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the LORD listened to him and was moved by his request for help.  So the LORD let Manasseh return to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.  Manasseh had finally realized the LORD alone is God!  (2 Chronicles 33:12-13)

A repentant Manasseh set his life straight and cleared out the pagan shrines from the temple of God and encouraged his people to return to God. But the damage of a long ungodly reign, fifty five years, had already done the damage to his kingdom, set the people in their sinful ways.  Manasseh found it hard to completely clean out the pagan gods from his people's lives, but Manasseh found God's mercy.

If a totally wicked, evil man such as Manasseh found mercy and God was moved when he cried out to him in his distress, we should take courage that Jehovah is a merciful God who loves his creation, men and women, created in his own image.  No matter what depths of sin we are in, it is not all lost if we seek his mercy. After all, his son Jesus Christ bore the brunt of the punishment for our sins and through his sacrifice every single human being, the good, the bad and the ugly lives have pardon and a promise for a new life.

Come to Christ, ask God for forgiveness no matter what your sin, have faith that he will forgive, pray for him to remove the guilt for Christ has borne it for you and I, and you will find a new life as king Manasseh did.  The damage of our actions as in Manasseh's case may have been done, but God can set our life straight and through it the damage undone.

In the new testament book of Luke, chapter 15, verses 4-7, we read the parable of the lost sheep that Jesus said.

If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it? And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders.  When you arrived, you would call together your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found.   In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away.

Our past can't be rewritten, but we certainly can do something about our present and set the course for the future.  Would you accept Christ as your savior? Heaven will rejoice when you come to Christ and put your life into his hands. He is passionate about his relationship with you. God loves you!

God's people - who are they?

The sinners in Zion shake with fear.  "Which one of us," they cry, "can live here in the presence of his all-consuming fire?"  The ones who can live here are,

1. those who are honest and fair,
2. who reject making a profit by fraud,
3. who stay far away from bribes,
4. who refuse to listen to those who plot murder,
5. who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong.

These are the ones who will dwell on high.  The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress of safety.  Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance. - (Isaiah 33:14-16)

PS: the last three sentences from the scripture quoted above gives God's children, his people, the assurance that their needs will be met in the most unimaginable of ways, for he is a sovereign God!

A reason for right living...

Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is; time is running out.  Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.  So don't live in darkness.  Get rid of your evil deeds.  Shed them like dirty clothes.  Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light.  We should be decent and true in everything  we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior.  Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy.  But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires - (Romans 13:11-14)

Jehovah of the Old Testament - a God for all humanity!

Often I have had these questions in my mind, and may be you have them too...

1. Was the Old Testament God only for the Abrahamic Jews?
2. Why are some born with disabilities?
3. Does God love them any less than those seemingly with no disabilities? 

In essence, does God have prejudices?

I want to answer these questions by posting God's word from the Old Testament book of Isaiah that helped me form my conclusions. In chapter 56, prophet Isaiah writes under the power of the Holy Spirit,

Blessings for All Nations
56 This is what the Lord says:

“Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you.

2 Blessed are all those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong.

3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’

4 For this is what the Lord says: I will bless those eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me.

5 I will give them—within the walls of my house— a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!

6 “I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant.

7 I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

8 For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.”

Sinful Leaders Condemned

9 Come, wild animals of the field! Come, wild animals of the forest! Come and devour my people!

10 For the leaders of my people— the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds— are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.

11 Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain.

12 “Come,” they say, “let’s get some wine and have a party. Let’s all get drunk. Then tomorrow we’ll do it again and have an even bigger party!”

In these old testament texts it is clear that Jehovah is the God of all. He does not spare the Israelites for their sins (vs.9 to 12) and He welcomes the foreigners and the eunuchs who will commit themselves to God and be obedient to his commands just as much as the Israelites. Who is a eunuch? Though by definition it is someone who has been castrated, someone who will not be able to fulfill God's command in Genesis 1:28, I want you to look past this literal definition and see any person who is not able to perform to his or her full potential as would a normal person. [Our interpretation of what is normal is very subjective.] God wants the outcasts of society, the ones who don't measure up in the eyes of their peers, as noted in 1 Corinthians chapter one.

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God... (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

Christ came in to this world so that each and every one of us may have salvation through his death and resurrection. He was the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. In the New Testament of the Bible, Apostle John quotes Jesus in John 3:16, speaking to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

Romans, chapter 8 teaches us that nothing can separate us from God's love. Apostle Paul writes in verses 31-39,

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.

34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I came across the video posted below on You Tube. Nick Vujicic, a man who lives with disabilities unimaginable, yet whose witness to God's glory and love, puts me, a man with no seeming disabilities, to shame!

Nick Vujicic Fully Living for Christ

John 9:1-3 says "As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him."

I would conclude that this God has always been for all humanity and will continue to be so until the end of time. I encourage you to build a relationship with this God and you will not be disappointed. He will meet you where you are. Will you welcome him in to your life?

God bless you!

PS: You may also want to read Romans 10.

Naked deceptions...

About a week ago one morning I woke up from a dream. I rarely dream when I sleep. On occasions that I have dreamt in my sleep, when I wake up I wouldn't recall what I had dreamt.  This particular morning I woke up and remembered my dream - I was standing stark naked in broad daylight.  Unless you were a nudist, for any grown up man or woman standing stark naked in the broad daylight is an unnerving experience. Especially when you are someone who relies on his clothes to hide the "abs of flab" and all other bodily imperfections.  When I woke up I shared this dream with my wife and as we were talking she quipped - "isn't that how every human being is in the sight of God, standing stark naked! He may be saying something to you."  When I heard her say that, it felt like a jab, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. Aren't we standing stark naked in the sight of God, with all our imperfections and shortcomings, that we hide from our spouses, children, friends, our near and dear ones, and the world. We present to others what we want them to see about us.  The true person that we are, we cover it up well. We are good at deceptions!

Paul wrote, the absence of fear of God in our lives leads us to become full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.  They (the ungodly) are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful.  They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents.  They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. (Romans 1:28-31).  Man does absolute wickedness in the cover of darkness, behind closed doors, hidden away from all prying eyes.

But are we really deceiving anyone with our smartness at this game of cover up we play or are we deceiving ourselves?  In Revelations, chapter one, Apostle John writes of his vision of Christ.  "When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.  And in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man.  He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.  His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow.  And his eyes were bright like flames of fire.  His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.  He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth.  His face was bright as the sun in all its brilliance."

When a lamp is lit in a dark room, it's light brightens up the darkness in the room disclosing/exposing its contents. And so when the omnipresent LORD, described in John's vision, with eyes bright as flaming fire, feet as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, a face as bright as the sun in all its brilliance, is presently looking at us, what we conduct in the secret is absolutely, fully exposed in his line of sight. The Bible says, "the eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." (2Chronicles16:9).

In the book of Zechariah, chapter one, we read of another vision, a vision prophet Zechariah had on February 15, 519 B.C., "In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley.  Behind him were red, brown, and white horses, each with its own rider.  I asked the angel who was talking with me, "My lord, what are all those horses for?"  "I will show you," the angel replied.  So the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the LORD has sent out to patrol the earth." The Bible in 2Kings 6:17, talks of the vision of prophet Elisha's servant as the Aramaen king and his troops were closing in to capture Elisha, "Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!"  The LORD opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire."  God's heavenly host is everywhere, his eyes are upon us at all times!

Our pursuit to gratify our insatiable lust takes form in the innermost depths, the dark corners of our heart and mind, unseen and unknown to anyone else, but they are totally, fully exposed in the brightness of the eyes of the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient LORD.  His eyes, bright like flames of fire search out the darkest corners of our hearts and minds, hid from human eyes, to see if we are fully committed to him.  For if we are not, be mindful of what the LORD says in Revelations 16:15, "Take note:  I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed."

Lord have mercy upon us. As David prayed, search me O God and know my heart. Test me and know my thoughts.  Point out within me anything that displeases you. And lead me in the paths of everlasting life.  May your grace lead us home!

Love

Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  Love does not demand its own way.  Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.  It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

The Promised Son - Isaac, a life of challenges!

One recent night after our family prayer, I was spending time by myself in prayer and bible reading. I can't recall why, but I ended up in Genesis chapter 26, which talks about the life of Isaac and the challenges he faced.  Now, Isaac was the promised child that Abraham and Sarah waited for 25 years, following which, at 90 years of age Sarah conceived Isaac. Abraham was a 100 years old at Isaac's birth.

When Isaac was a young boy, God tested Abraham's faith and obedience, by asking him to sacrifice Isaac.  As Abraham was going through with the sacrifice, God's angel intervened and stopped Abraham.  All through this ordeal Isaac was old enough to know exactly what was happening to him. For the Bible says in Genesis 22:6-8,  "Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the fire.  As the two of them went on together, Isaac said, "Father?" "Yes, my son," Abraham replied.  "We have the wood and the fire," said the boy, "but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"  "God will provide a lamb, my son," Abraham answered. And they both went together."

Isaac carried the firewood, not knowing he was going to be sacrificed, on Mount Moriah.  Once they arrived there and the altar was prepared, Isaac was bound by his father and laid on top of the altar.  And with his father's hand raised with a knife to strike him, could you imagine the emotions experienced by the little boy who faced death unexpectedly at the hand of one whom he trusted, loved and depended for protection.  He was also a witness to God's mercy and provision! Just at the moment Abraham was ready to bring the knife into his son's body, the angel of the LORD stopped Abraham. The LORD then provided a ram in Isaac's place.

He married his first cousin Rebekah at the age of forty.  Rebekah did not bear him a child for 20 years of their marriage. Isaac pleaded with the LORD to give Rebekah a child. (Genesis 25:21). The LORD answered his prayer.  Later in life, we read in Genesis 26 that a severe famine struck the land where Isaac lived with his household and had to move to the land of Gerar in southern Palestine.  The LORD appeared to him there and said, "Do not go to Egypt.  Do as I say, and stay here in this land.  If you do, I will be with you and bless you.  I will give all this land to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands.  And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.  I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws. So Isaac stayed in Gerar."

While there, the men of the land inquired about Rebekah, and fearing for his life that the Philistines might harm him to take her as she was beautiful, he lied to them that Rebekah was his sister.  He lived in fear in the land the LORD promised him until the day King Abimelech of the Philistines discovered Isaac's lie and subsequently issued an order of protection for Isaac and his household.  Even after things settled down for Isaac in the new city of Gerar, trouble seemed to continue to follow him as he grew more richer and powerful than anyone else in that land.

The local Philistines out of their jealousy for the success of Isaac started filling up all of Isaacs wells with dirt.  Could you imagine the impact on his household and its operations when their only source of water is taken away?  How could his large household including all the servants and livestock survive in that land without water? This happened again and again as he dug newer wells.  Finally, even King Abimelech asked Isaac to leave the country. Mind you God had appeared to Isaac personally advising him to not go to Egypt, but to settle in Gerar, when he left his hometown with his household due to the great famine.  Isaac then moved with his household to the Gerar Valley.  As he settled there and reopened the wells that his father, Abraham, had dug in his time, the local shepherds came and laid claim to those wells.  As these troubles mounted, Isaac moved again with his household to Beersheba.

Here in Beersheba God appeared a second time on the night of his arrival.  "I am the God of your father, Abraham,"  he said.  "Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will  bless you.  I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation.  I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant."

In his old age, we read, his oldest son Esau's wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah. As I finished reading the chapter the question in my mind was 'Why does the "Promised Son" Isaac have so many challenges and difficulties in life?'  As a young boy, he almost died at the hands of his father; as a married man he had no children for 20 years of his marriage; faced a great famine and the resulting move with a very large  household and possessions couldn't have been any harder; in the land of the Philistines, even with God's personal promises, he lived in fear for his life; dealt with the jealousy driven actions of the locals destroying vital assets needed for his household's survival; and towards his old age mistreated by his daughters-in-law. Why did Abraham's promise child endure so many challenges in life?

As I sat thinking of Isaac's life, the Holy Spirit dawned it on me that it is only when facing great challenges your mettle is tested.  A nation that was to come through the descendants of Isaac can have the most populous army in the world, but unless and until they'd been tried and tested in actual battles their ability and true character will not be developed.  In order for faith to mature, challenges have to be faced, God's faithfulness has to be experienced.

After Isaac settled down in Beersheba, we read, "One day Isaac had visitors from Gerar.  King Abimelech arrived with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander.  "Why have you come?" Isaac asked them .  "This is obviously no friendly visit, since you sent me from your land in a most unfriendly way."  They replied, "We can plainly see that the LORD is with you.  So we decided we should have a treaty, a covenant between us.  Swear that you will not harm us, just as we did not harm you.  We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace.  And now look how the LORD has blessed you!" They signed a peace treaty amongst them.  Many hundreds of years later God's promise was still true for the children of Israel, the descendants of Isaac, as spoken through prophet Isaiah.  In Isaiah 54:16-17, it is written, "If a nation comes to fight you, it will not be because I sent them to punish you.  Your enemies will always be defeated because I am on your side."

Apostle Paul who knew first hand what pain and suffering was wrote in Romans 5:3-6 "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us -- they help us learn to endure.  And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.  And this expectation will not disappoint us.  For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with love.  When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners." There will be challenges in the lives of God fearing men and women.  God's children have to persevere in the face of challenges.  God will certainly come to his children's rescue, for it's his glory at stake!

Today, the descendants of Abraham and Isaac, the children of Jacob, the nation of Israel, though a tiny nation, its "tough as nails" attitude allows it to exist among neighbors who desire to wipe it of the map!  Even with God's promise upon you, there comes temporary setbacks, but ultimate success is yours, for it is God's glory at stake.

Chris Tomlin - White Flag

Abram to Abraham - Father of Faith

When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him.  God had also said, "Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars," even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible!  And Abraham's faith did not weaken even though he knew that he was too old to be a father, at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children.
- Romans 4:16-19

As I read the chapter and came across these verses, I had been thinking of a friend and praying for his family as he has been going through the toughest time in his life.  As I was reading over these scriptures, I couldn't help but think, it was the faith and obedience of Abraham more so than Sarah's that gave Abraham a son through his wife, and made Sarah a mother.  When the name Abraham is mentioned in the Bible, the word faith is somewhere close by. The Bible calls him the "Father of Faith," but it does not refer to Sarah as, "the Mother of Faith." She is known by many names, as the daughter of Terah (Genesis 20:12), a half sister of Abraham, wife of Abraham, mother of Isaac and mother of many nations, but not as a woman who had extraordinary faith in the God who called and separated Abram and his household from his father's family residing in the Ur of the Chaldees (ancient Mesopotamia) to make a nation out of his descendants.

The Bible states that when God told Abraham something, "he believed." In Genesis 15 we read when God appeared to Abraham in a vision and told him that he was going to bless him. Abraham asked God what good would all the blessing in the world mean to him when he did not have even a son to pass it down to. His servant Eliezer was going to inherit all of Abraham's wealth absent an heir.  We read then, "The LORD said to him, 'No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own to inherit every thing I am giving you.'"  Then the LORD brought Abram (this was his name before God changed it to Abraham) outside beneath the night sky and told him, "Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can.  Your descendants will be like that--too many to count!" And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith.  (Genesis 15:4-6)

Abram believed God though he knew that Sarai was barren. (Genesis 11:30).  Ten years into the promise, Sarah, as she had not yet conceived, offered her maid servant Hagar to Abraham to sleep with and father a child who would be adopted as their son. Then in the 24th year after God first promised a son to Abram and Sarai, God appeared to Abram and Sarai twice and renewed his promise.  During the first visitation from God, he changed their names to Abraham and Sarah. The name "Abram" meant "exalted father" and the name "Abraham" meant "father of many."  The name "Sarai" meant "my princess" and the name "Sarah" meant "princess." Aside from renewing His covenant with Abraham, God asked Abraham to circumcise all the males in his household including his servants and himself as part of their agreement to obey the terms of God's covenant with Abraham. God told that anyone who refused to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for violating the covenant.

We read that on that very day that God spoke to Abraham, Abraham took his son Ishmael (through the maid servant Hagar) and every other male in his household and circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, exactly as God had told him. Abraham was 99 years old at the time.

After Abraham's obedience to God's covenant, God visited Abraham a second time the same year and told him, "About this time next year I will return, and your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was within earshot of this conversation and overheard all that was said. We read, "Now Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent nearby.  And since Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah was long past the age of having children, she laughed silently to herself.  'How could a worn out woman like me have a baby?' she thought. 'And when my master--my husband--is also so old?'"  Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Can an old woman like me have a baby?'  Is anything too hard for the LORD? About a year from now, just as I told you, I will return, and Sarah will have a son.  Sarah was afraid, so she denied that she had laughed.  But he said, "That is not true.  You did laugh." (Genesis 18:10-15)

My intentions are not to play up Abraham's faith and play down Sarah's faith, for as we read the sections of Genesis which talks about them, time and again we see Abram/Abraham's faith wavered in fear for his life, as when he first left his father's household upon God calling him out and was traveling through the Pharaoh's land, he lied to the Pharaoh that Sarai was his sister (though technically correct as a half-sister, she was his wife at that point); he agreed with Sarai when he slept with her maid, Hagar, for an heir after 10 years of not having a child through Sarai though God had promised him a son through Sarai; he lied again in front of King Abimelech that Sarai, now Sarah following God's visitation and changing their names, was his sister for fear for his life.  But even as his faith wavered from time to time, the depth of his faith in his God is shown in his prompt obedience to God's commands for separation, consecration, and sacrifice, that culminated in his actions of obedience when God asked for Isaac as a sacrifice. His faith resulted in God's promise bearing a fruit in the barren womb of Sarah.

My dear friend, take courage from Abraham and Sarah's life story.  Your faith will bear fruit over the barren situations in your family life for God is passionate about his relationship with you.  God bless you and yours!!!!

PS: Another blog on Abraham, click here.

Stand in the "Favor of the LORD"

Study the Word of God for there in are the principles for life!

This is a continuation of my blog from few days ago about the "Favor of the LORD." In the previous blog we looked at the life of a seven year old boy King of Judah - Joash, who lost his way from the presence of God after the death of his earthly mentor.  I mentioned how important it was for us to build a relationship with God, a personal relationship, one that would be based on our experience.  A relationship that is based on a personal prayer life with regular scripture reading and meditation on the word of God with the help of his Holy Spirit.  Absent of which, we are doomed for failure.

Here today I write about another boy King of Judah, King Josiah.  We read of him in 2 Chronicles, chapters 34 thru 35.  Following the death of his father, King Amon, Josiah, the eight year son of Amon, ascended the throne of his father in Jerusalem (Judah) and ruled for 31 years. Unlike his father, "he did that which was pleasing in the LORD's sight and followed the example of his ancestor David.  He did not turn aside from doing what was right."  (2Chronicles 34:2).

At age 16, in his eighth year of reign, "while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year of his reign, at age 20, he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images." And while in the eighteenth year of his reign, the 26 year old Josiah ordered the restoration of the LORD's temple that had again been neglected by his ancestors. Keep in mind that Josiah is a descendant of Joash about whom I blogged previously. There were about eight generations from King Joash to King Josiah. Some good and some evil.

While the temple was being rebuilt, Hilkiah, the high priest, discovered the Book of the Law of the LORD as it had been given by Moses. He had it brought to King Josiah and read to him. Upon hearing the Law of the LORD, and realizing how far his people had departed from the ways of his God over the years, the Bible says, "he tore his clothes in despair" (2Chronicles 34:19) over the punishment written in the Book of the Law of the LORD.  He ordered his advisers to seek the prophet of the LORD in his land, a woman by the name of Hulda.

The prophet confirmed the LORD's punishment over his people, but also informed him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go and tell the man who sent you, 'This is what the LORD says: I will certainly destroy this city and its people.  All the curses written in the scroll you have read will come true.  For the people of Judah have abandoned me and worshiped pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done.  My anger will be poured out against this place, and nothing will be able to stop it.' "But go to the king o f Judah who sent you to seek the LORD and tell him: 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard what I said against this city and its people.  You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance.  So I have indeed heard you, says the LORD.  I will not spend the promised disaster against this city and its people until after you have died and been buried in peace.  You will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this place."

Upon receiving this message the king gathered all his people and read the entire Book of the Law of the LORD to the people and together with them  in the presence of the LORD they pledged to obey the LORD by keeping all his commands, regulations and laws with all their heart and soul.  He restored all the laws of Moses, and the worship order as per the written instructions by King David and Solomon.

Josiah was a king who was passionate about everything about his God. We read in chapter 35 about the celebration of the Passover by the 26 year old young King and the Bible records, "Never since the time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None of the Kings of Israel had ever kept a Passover as Josiah did, involving all the priests and Levites, all the people of Jerusalem, and people from all over Judah and Israel."

Then in the 31st year of his reign, a 39 year old Josiah and his army, confronted and tried to block Pharaoh Neco of Egypt who was marching north to assist the Assyrian king in his battle against Babylon. Though Neco sent his ambassadors to assure Josiah that he had no intentions against Judah, "What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I only want to fight the nation with which I am at war.  And God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you." Josiah was suspicious of  Neco's motives and engaged him in war at the valley of Megiddo.

We read, "But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken and he would not turn back.  Instead, he led his army into battle on the plain of Megiddo.  He laid aside his royal robes so the enemy would not recognize him.  But the enemy archers hit King Josiah with their arrows and wounded him."  (2Chronicles 35:21-22).  Josiah was injured gravely and died.  When we step out of God's plans, even our very best planned efforts meet with failure.

I wonder how come Josiah, a godly man, did not seek out the counsel of the LORD through his prophet as he did when he found the Book of the Law of the  LORD  and realized that the people of Judah had completely fallen off the ways of the  LORD .  All I can think of is our tendency to not seek the  LORD  when we seem to understand our challenges and think we are in control.  It is only when matters are totally out of our control, do we prostrate ourselves in God's presence for his intervention.  When we have a common cold, we don't pray for a healing, we take a Tylenol cold pill and sleep it off, but if we are diagnosed with cancer, we go into fasting and prayer.  We announce it to our prayer circles, summon the prayer warriors to battle the devil!  But, what about standing in the favor of the  LORD  for even that which seems to be trivial.  When we are not standing within the favor of the  LORD , even godly people meet with failure.

Though I should point out that even in failure, Josiah met with an honorable death on the battle field defending his people, unlike his predecessor Joash who was assassinated by his own people as he lay in his bed from his injuries from the war with the Arameans. (2Chronicles 24:25).  Josiah's death was mourned by the entire grief stricken nation of Judah. "The prophet Jeremiah composed funeral songs for Josiah, songs about his death.  These songs of sorrow have become a tradition and are recorded in the Book of Laments." (2Chronicles 35:25)

As I have been dealing with my own health issues, I admit scared at times, I came across Isaiah's prayer for Jerusalem in Isaiah, chapter 62.  In verse 6 and 7, he says, "O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls, they will pray to the LORD day and night, for the fulfillment of his promise. Take no rest, all you who pray.  Give the LORD no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth." Apostle Paul also points out in Ephesians 6:18, "Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians every where."  In the Old Testament times, God had his prophets to advise and admonish his people, and today he has given us his Holy Spirit through the death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ.  Seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit in everything you do, even in matters that may seem trivial. May God bless you!

Jesus Culture - I need you more

The "Favor of the LORD"

As we go through the Bible, time and again we read about "the favor of the LORD." How when one has the favor of the LORD, there is success even in the most unimaginable of circumstances. We see it in the life of the shepherd boy David who defeated the Israelite's foe, Goliath, a much bigger, stronger, well armed, battle hardened, blood thirsty, fearless enemy. I'd been reading the book of 2 Chronicles, chapters 22-24, and the life of King Joash of Judah, a descendant of King David.  The lesson here is - be careful in your christian walk; our careless, callous attitude towards God's goodness that he showers upon us faithfully will result in our losing his favor. And when his favor is no longer upon us, there will be failures and ultimately destruction for certain.

Joash was an infant boy when his father King Ahaziah of Judah met with an untimely end for he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. King Ahaziah's mother, Queen Athaliah, seized the opportunity to establish her rule by ordering the killing of anyone who was from the bloodline of Judah who may challenge the throne. Here's a woman, a mother, who would stop at nothing, ordering the deaths of her relatives including her own children and grandchildren to seize power.  But, there was a covenant promise from God to David that he would keep the throne of Judah in David's royal line. God had told David, "Your dynasty and your kingdom will continue for all time before me, and your throne will be secure forever." (2 Samuel 7:16)

Jehosheba, the sister of Ahaziah, wife of the priest Jehoida, stole the infant Joash away, and hid the child and his nurse in a bedroom in the palace, away from the rest of the family awaiting execution.  Take a moment to pause here and think - where does Jehosheba get the courage to hide the infant at the risk of losing her own life, as the palace is under Athaliah's control with her supporters carrying out her wishes, executing everyone from Judah's bloodline. This was not even her own child! Can you imagine how difficult it would be to hide the infant without his cries reaching others?  Jehosheba and the priest Jehoida, her husband, hid the child for six years in the temple and took care of him.  They risked their lives to protect the baby boy because God's favor was upon the bloodline of David, God's favor was upon the little boy Joash.

In chapter 23 we read that towards the seventh year of Queen Athaliah's reign, Jehoida the priest decides to do something about the throne. He gathers enough courage to approach five army commanders and makes a pact with them to depose Athaliah and put the seven year old boy Joash on the throne as their king. With God's favor, he was able to remind the five commanders of God's promise to David and convince them to pledge their loyalty to Joash. Again, I want you to pause for a moment and think. Here are five battle hardened, grown up men of war, with above average intelligence (as you would need to have to be a leader or commander of an army) pledge their allegiance to a boy and put him on the throne.  They will then be his servants!  This was during one of the most turbulent times in Judah's history, that saw three different rulers in the span of eight years, and here are five army commanders who put aside any selfish ambition they may have had and pledged their allegiance to a seven year old boy King.  Yet it happened for God's promise to David and his favor upon the bloodline of David.  They overthrew the Queen, killed her and crowned the little boy Joash as the king of Judah.  If it wasn't for God's favor that was upon the boy, what else would move the hearts of five grown up men, battle hardened leaders of the army, to put a seven year old boy on the throne of Judah. Jehoida the priest was the guardian of the boy.

Joash grew up under the tutelage of Jehoida the priest who taught him in the ways of the God of Israel, Jehovah, and Joash did what was pleasing to the LORD.  Joash ruled for 33 years. During this time he rebuilt Solomon's temple that was in disrepair and partially demolished during Athaliah's reign.  Following Jehoida's death at the age of 130, Joash was led astray from the ways of Jehovah, and he led the people of Judah in to sin, worshiping idols and the Asherah poles.  God sent his servant Zechariah, the son of Jehoida, to warn Joash. But, Joash's response was to have Zechariah stoned to death.  He had Zechariah, the son of his mentor Jehoida, the one who had risked his life to put Joash on the throne of Judah, the one who stood by him for 40 years, to death. What a way to repay a lifetime's service!

God abandoned Joash and helped his enemies to defeat him.  Ultimately, Joash was assassinated as he lay in his bed, by his own men. The God who protected the life of the infant boy from the murderous hands of his wicked grandmother Athaliah, let go of his hand when the little boy grew up and abandoned his God. The infant, who survived to become the boy king of Judah, for whom people risked their lives, to whom powerful commanders pledged their loyalty, and a nation pledged its allegiance for thirty three years, met with less than a glorious end when he abandoned the God who had been faithful to him.

Following the death of Jehoida the priest, Joash lost his focus, his calling and ultimately his life. Why? One has to have a relationship with God, built on one's own experience of God's goodness, that will anchor our lives when we pass through the turbulent times.  As a christian, we have to anchor ourselves in the Word of God, through regular personal reading and meditation on the Word. We have to have a prayer life and through our personal prayer life we build our relationship with God. Listening to all the great messages, immersing yourself in christian music, reading all the good books published out there, is all good, but unless and until you develop a very intimate and personal relationship with God, you run the risk of being led astray by those who have the next grand sounding philosophy or ideas.  I pray that we won't lose God's favor upon our lives. God bless you!

Hillsong - With Everything

What is your relationship with Jesus Christ? No, really.

the Last Supper

When reading the book of Matthew, chapters 26 and 27, we read of two disciples of Christ, Peter and Judas, and their betrayal of their most trusted friend, teacher, and LORD - Jesus Christ. When the disciples were asked by Christ whom did they think he (Jesus) was, Peter answered without hesitation "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:13-16). While at the last supper, when Jesus told his disciples that his betrayer was at the table with him, having supper with him, Judas asked "Teacher, I'm not the one, am I?" (Matthew 26:25).  Even after witnessing all the miracles performed by Jesus and having been a part of the inner circle of Christ, each man's understanding of who Christ was was so different. To one, he was the transcendent God; to the other, the answer "Teacher, I'm not the one, am I?" seemed to question the transcendence of Christ, "the Son of the living God."

Though they both walked with Jesus, lived and spent a lot of their time with Jesus, their understanding of who Jesus was very different. What Jesus was for each of them was as different as the night is from the day.  It depended on the quality and strength of their relationship with Christ. Though Judas was entrusted with the care of the group's finances (a very important responsibility), it was Peter who would accompany Jesus at the most crucial and personal times for Jesus.

Jesus predicted their betrayal to each individually. (Matthew 26:25, 33). Yet, both betrayed Christ. One to protect his hide, the other to make some gain! The observation I want to make is the glaring difference in the reaction of each man upon realizing their betrayal; they were so different! Peter cried bitterly out of remorse for what he had done, but Judas hopelessly went and hung himself.

I want to ask this question of you - what is your relationship with Jesus? We will all come to those cross roads in life where our decisions will be less than what God would want from us, but do we have the assurance that we can approach him for forgiveness or is it going to be hopelessness? Is your relationship such that you will run back to him or run as far away from him?

If it is hopelessness, I want to encourage you that your savior will pardon a thousand wrongs you have committed and then some more. He forgave the thief on the cross. Even though his (Jesus') suffering was tremendous because of the unimaginable torture he had to endure before his crucifixion, his heart was compassionate enough to forgive a sinner (the thief also on the cross) who was condemned to death by society and government for crimes he had committed. The one thing he will ask of you after pardoning is - sin no more! May God bless you and give you peace!

Casting Crowns - East to West

Rescue me from my rebellion

Psalms 39 (a Psalm of David)

I said to myself, " I will watch what I do
    and not sin in what I say.
I will curb my tongue
    when the ungodly are around me"
But as I stood there in silence--
    not even speaking of good things--
    the turmoil within me grew to the bursting point.
My thoughts grew hot within me
    and began to burn,
    igniting a fire of words:


Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
   Remind me that my days are numbered,
   and that my life is fleeing away.
My life is no longer than the width of my hand.
An entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    human existence is but a breath.


We are merely moving shadows,
     and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
     We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.


And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
    My only hope is in you.
Rescue me from my rebellion,
    for even fools mock me when I rebel.
I am silent before you; I won't say a word.
    For my punishment is from you.
Please, don't punish me anymore!
    I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
When you discipline people for their sins,
    their lives can be crushed like the life of a moth.
    Human existence is as frail as breath.


Hear my prayer, O LORD!
    Listen to my cries for help!
    Don't ignore my tears.
For I am your guest--
    a traveler passing through,
    as my ancestors were before me.
Spare me so I can smile again
    before I am gone and exist no more.

Over this past month, the thought that my life in light of eternity is not even a speck of time has been making me think about priorities. The average man may live to an age of 70 or 80 years and if you are like my grandfather, you will pass the 100 year mark. Even then, what is it compared to eternity that we will face after our life here on earth is over. Though the span of time in this life does not amount to even a speck of time in light of never ending perpetuity - eternity, we get so bent out of shape because of matters here in our lives that we lose sight of eternity.  Our pursuits for love, wealth, power, and acceptance make us lose sight of impacting lives in this moment of time that is our lifetime. Don't get me wrong, we need love, money, jobs, acceptance, but let it not be the all consuming driving force for our existence.  David, whom God brought out of the sheep pens to be the King of Judah and Israel, whose life was spent in pursuit of many things  through many an ups and downs in life seems to come to that realization in this Psalm. We are just "travelers" passing through, as our ancestors before us did. Let our prayers be "LORD rescue us from our rebellion" so that we may not lose sight of eternity.

Brooke Fraser - CS Lewis Song 

The blood of one is good for all...

There was always one thought that I had difficulty answering,

How could the blood of one man wash every sinner's sins away?

After all there is a limited amount of blood in any human being. The average human body has approximately 5 liters (1.5 gallons) of blood.

How could 5 liters of blood continue to be poured out on humanity, billions of people who have come and gone over the last 2,000 years since Christ walked on this planet, earth?

One day about a couple of weeks ago, while travelling to work, as I was worshiping God in my heart, I was reminded that this is the same person (God who became man for you and me) who fed 5,000 men not accounting for the women and children  with five loaves and two fishes at one time. The leftover food filled up twelve baskets full. (Matthew 14:13-21). He is the same person on another occasion fed another 4,000 men besides women and children with seven loaves and few small fishes. We read that the people ate as much as they wanted and there were seven large baskets of leftover. (Matthew 15:32-38).

He is the God who spoke everything into existence; the one who creates something out of nothing; the one who has command over nature and circumstances; all that we see and cannot see; all that we can imagine and that which is beyond our imagination.

His blood flows in perpetuity for all mankind until the end of time, washing clean every sinner who seeks him out.  He forgave the thief on the cross who hung beside him. Where there was no hope, there was Christ besides him giving him new life in paradise. His blood continues to wash our sins. Believe in this God and be saved. His grace will lead you on.

PS:  May 7, 2012 update: I am posting below what apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:21-31 as I think it has bearing on what I wrote in the post,

Christ Took Our Punishment

²¹ But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. ²² We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are or what we have done. 

²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

²⁷ Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. ²⁸ So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

²⁹ After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. ³⁰ There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. ³¹ Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

 May God bless you!

Selah - Before the throne of God above

Hillsongs - Deep of your grace