Thursday, August 30, 2007

May Your Will Be Done

MY FATHER, IF IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR THIS CUP TO BE TAKEN AWAY UNLESS I DRINK IT, MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE. Matthew 26.42.

Loud and even boisterous worship and fervent and even forceful and violent prayersare becoming common in today's Charismatic churches! This may be a welcome change from ‘the old-fashioned, emotionless approach’ to God. But, I am afraid it is creating among us a somewhat ‘patronizing and even belligerent attitude’ in our approach to God! We assert ourselves before God. We assume that He must and will hear us. The Almighty must condescend to answer us because of ‘our boldness!’

True, the Bible encourages us to be bold as we approach the throne of grace (Heb 4.16). The Lord Jesus even told us, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it – the violent will take the kingdom of God by force” (Mt 11.12). But I believe ‘that violence’ is not merely using loud voices or forceful actions! The Lord was teaching and encouraging a holy and reverent fervour in our prayers, petitions, testimony, preaching and all other spiritual ministries.

The real issue is, “How serious are you in seeking God? How importunate are you when you pray? Is your passion consuming, when you are making a request to God? What if your prayer is not soon answered? Will you be still lingering at the throne of God until He condescends to hear? Until He answers us, according to His will and may not be according to our requests!

Dear friends, it is not the decibels of your voice or your violent gesticulations that matter to God or move His heart! It is the holy passion of your soul for God and the things you ask of Him. Surely God will respond to men and women with such passion! But mind you, God is not hoodwinked or easily persuaded. No! Not even the devil is afraid of our whims and fancies. Holy men of old cried out to God and their prayers were heard. Dear old Hannah, a godly woman, went to the temple of God and stood up and prayed at its doorway. She was vexed in her heart and she cried out within her. Her poor soul was open towards her God in whom alone she trusted for help. No words came out of her mouth! Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel and the prophets too humbled themselves, fasted and prayed. Such prayers God has never refused!

Yet, dear believer, we need to learn the precious lesson of submission in the wake of our passion and boldness! It is what our dear Lord taught us in the garden of Gethsemane! He, though He was the Son of God, yet He learned obedience through His submission to the Father’s will. We need to learn the same obedience to the Sovereign will of God. Your will is not always God’s will! His will is good, perfect and acceptable! Only those who follow the footsteps of the Lord will know it! Stick close to Him!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, teach me to follow You closely up on the mountain top or through Gethsemane to Calvary and to learn to submit to the will of the Father in all things. Amen.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Lead Me In Right Paths

AT HIS WORD THEY SHALL GO OUT, AND AT HIS WORD THEY SHALL COME IN, both he and all the Israelites with him, the whole congregation. Numbers 27.21.

Have you ever felt like me, having great difficulty in making decisions? The more important the issue, the more difficult it is. Of course, the problem is that I do not know what the outcome of my decisions would be in the long run. No one wants to make a mistake and ruin his life!

The children of God, the Israel of the Old Testament times, were on their way from the Egyptian slavery to the land that God had promised to their forefather Abraham. They were in the Sinai desert. No one knew the way, not even their leader, Moses. After the death of Moses, his servant, a young man called Joshua, was to lead the people. But how was he to know which way to go, for he had not passed that way before? (Jos 3.4).

That was when the LORD gave him this command. “You shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the decision of the Urim before the LORD; at his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the Israelites with him, the whole congregation."

Israel had the Urim or Thummim, the two sacred objects that the Lord had ordained and given the priest to inquire His will. For the LORD had said, “Put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron's heart ..Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD” (Exo 28.30).

We have no such sacred objects or a special person to find out God’s will for us in any matter, however great or small. There were prophets in the Old Testament times to whom the kings went to seek God's direction, especially for the nation. In the New Testament too, we have 'the gift of prophesy and prophets. But we have no instructions to seek the prophets for guidance or examples of believers going to them for direction from God! But the Lord has not left us without help. Listen to his promise, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it” (Isa 30.21).

Dear friends, the condition for the LORD’S guidance is “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Pro 3.5,6). Because of my lack of wisdom and knowledge of the outcome of my decisions and actions, out of fear and more so of trust, I take all things to the Lord in prayer. My wife and the family too join. At times we fast and pray for guidance. I take such a long while to make up my mind to act that my wife gets frustrated and says, “You never make up your mind!” I retort, “I am waiting to know God’s mind!” Even after all that, at times we make 'mistakes', at least we think so! Who knows, the Lord may be thinking otherwise!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, I am only a child of Yours and I lack wisdom. You have asked all who lack wisdom to come to You, so I come! Lead me in the right paths. Amen.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Christ Gives Me Strength

I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH. Philippians 4.13.

When you are young, it is natural to feel that ‘you can do anything you want!’ It may be just a youthful boast. Older ones too, who are well and strong might also feel they can do anything! I too feel I can do many things! But at my age I cannot cope with all the things the youngsters do!

The apostle Paul was already quite old. He had some incapacitating sickness which made him dependent on the believers. To top it all, he was a prisoner in a lonely cell in Rome, chained to two soldiers, day and night. He couldn’t go anywhere freely or do anything he wanted!

So hopeless was his circumstance and yet the apostle wrote these words to the believers at Philippi, “I can do everything!” Have you ever wondered how someone in Paul's situation could utter such boastful words? The reason, he gives in the second part of his statement, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength”. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) correctly puts it in the order of its emphasis, “Christ gives me the strength to face anything”.

My dear friends, these are days when we face both the goodness of the Lord and the wile attacks of the devil. We experience it in our families, our extended families and friends, and among our church members too! Everyday is filled with gains and losses, success and defeat, health and sickness, joy and sadness and even life and death. No one is exempt. Sometimes the righteous suffer the most. It could be that the devil can’t stand the righteous rejoicing in the Lord’s goodness, like as in the life of Job!

Dear friend, you and I need to learn the secret of trusting in the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ, come what may! We need to gain the power in our inner man that comes from the continuous fullness and power of the Holy Spirit alone. Here is Paul's secret of “How to be filled continuously by the Holy Spirit”. Listen carefully for many do not know how! “Be filled with the Spirit - by reciting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for your own good. Sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts. Always thank God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Many feel and even boast, they are 'spirit-filled'! Their lives show that they are not! Being continuously filled with the Holy Spirit is not automatic to any Christian! It is a divine process! It takes time and serious effort. But it is God’s promise to you.

Then and only then can you say with Paul in every situation in life, “Christ gives me the strength to face anything” and experience it!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me to claim Your promise to fill me continuously with Your Spirit. Help me to do my part. May He strengthen me to face my everyday challenges, however tough. Amen.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Take Away Discrimination

WE CANNOT DO WITHOUT THE PARTS OF THE BODY THAT SEEM TO BE WEAKER. 1 Corinthians 12.22.

In our day and age we still hear public complaints about discrimination according to race and colour in the marketplace. Discrimination among peoples is the curse of the society and nations. The discrimination between the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated or less educated, the fair and the dark-skinned, raises its subtle head in every society in one way or another! It has been the cause for race riots and massacres in many nations. The issue is being addressed by the nations but much is still undone! Maybe because the discrimination between the sexes has suddenly cropped up as a major issue of our times, the greater and more urgent need to stamp out discrimination among the peoples has been dwarfed and even pushed aside!

Regrettably, there has been and still exists many types of discrimination even within the Church, the Body of Christ, also. But the Scripture demands equal acceptance of all. The Church of Christ should take the lead and show the world Christ’s way to equality for all!

In his letter, the apostle James addresses this issue in the early church with honesty. “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here's a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? You have insulted the poor.” (Jas 2.1-6).

The Corinthian church too had the problem of discrimination. But it was a matter of some having the ‘so-called greater or higher spiritual gifts’ than the others. Naturally those with the higher gifts expected greater honour! The members gave it to them! Those with ‘lesser gifts’ were looked down upon! The apostle Paul condemned this among the believers.

The discrimination on the basis of race and colour seen in the world is noticed in the Church also! In certain countries, churches are established according to the colour and race of the worshippers. It is not always that ‘the fair’ frowned on the dark-skinned. The coloured too have shown much contempt and hatred toward ‘the fair’!

The apostle Paul was the greatest exponent of ‘the oneness of the Church’. He compared the Church to “the Body of Christ. “Christ is a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts. For the body itself is not made up of only one part, but of many parts”. "We cannot do without the parts of the body that seem to be weaker". “All of you are Christ's body, and each one is a part of it” (1 Cor 12.12-14; 22, 27).

It took a lot of courage and initiative from Jesus, a Jew, to walk through the land of the hated Samaritans, called ‘the dogs’, and to talk to a fallen Samaritan woman who was considered ‘a pariah’ even by her own people. You are His followers. Dear believer, act like Jesus in your daily dealings with everyone! Deliberately, begin to show love and compassion, not discrimination!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, there are discriminatory tendencies in me. Take them away. Let me not be prejudiced by race, colour or status, but love all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, August 24, 2007

God's Love For The World

GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. John 3.16.

The golden thread that is woven through and through the Bible is ‘THE ETERNAL LOVE OF GOD FOR YOU AND ME!’ The broken chord in the Bible is ‘OUR NEVER-ENDING SELFISHNESS AND SIN!’

I was going to write that the Bible begins with man’s sin and continues with God’s response in love to save us through Jesus Christ His Son. But that would have been like putting the cart before the horse. For the Bible begins with God’s love: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” for man as his domain (Gen 1.1).

This is how God Almighty first revealed Himself to Moses, “He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Ex 34.6,7).

Nehemiah prayed to God, “You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Neh 9.17).King David praised God by saying, “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. ..But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psa 86.5,15).

In that wonderful psalm, David describes God thus, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” (Psa 103.8-13).

The climax of God’s love is expressed in those beautiful words from the mouth of our dear Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. The epitome of God's love is Jesus Christ's death on the cross for all people. The demand of the cross of Christ is that you His follower should live giving your life for others.

I happened to view a CNN programme entitled, "God's Warriors". It showed the hatred and atrocities carried out in the name of God, by the Jews, Muslim and the Christians. What a misrepresentation of the love of God it is to teach that 'you become God's martyr and enter heaven instantly when you kill others and yourself too!' Dear believer, the more we are confronted with the problem of our sin and selfishness, the more we should dwell on the delivering power of the love of God through Jesus Christ. It should be the constant theme of our meditation day by day here on earth and our continuous refrain in heaven.

Pray with me: Dear Father, I thank You for Your great love that made You send Your Only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sin and grant me life eternal. Amen.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Which Acted Like A Neighbour?

WHICH ONE OF THESE THREE ACTED LIKE A NEIGHBOUR TOWARD THE MAN ATTACKED BY THE ROBBERS? Luke 10.36.

The other night, a lady journalist was attacked by robbers while she was returning home after a function. Some ‘good Samaritans’ helped her. There will always be crime, violence and victims and rescuers too. But who ever connects ‘receiving eternal life’ to helping out a wounded victim of robbery?

If you, a Bible believing Christian, were to answer that question that Jesus was asked, “What must I do to receive eternal life”, what would you have said? Without batting an eyelid or thinking twice, you might have quoted the Bible verse (that is if you know your Bible), “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16.31). While this is very true, there is much more to inheriting eternal life than a mere profession of faith in the Lord, as this parable of the Good Samaritan reveals!

Just like today, there were in the early church too, people who professed faith by their mouths but did not show it by their actions. The apostle James was deeply concerned about the lack of love and concern among the believers in the church. Hence he teaches you that your faith must be reflected in our actions. You must love God and obey His commandments. BUT you must equally love people and help them!

Listen to the arguments James puts forth to encourage us to work out our salvation by our deeds to one another. He brings out practical issues of life and asks, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

He continues, "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do….You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?" (Jas 2.17-20).

This ‘Good Samaritan’s story’ which Jesus told in the context of gaining eternal life should stir your spirit to be ‘pro-active’ to the needs of people all around you. You do not have to go on a mission to Cambodia to do good to the helpless! You who call yourself Christian should seriously consider ways and means to be of practical help to all those in need around you, especially believers.

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, You have said, “The poor you have always with you”, meaning that they need my help! (Mt 26.11). Help me to look not only to my own needs, but also to the needs of others (Phil 2.4) and begin to help them. Amen.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Worship of False Gods

GET AS FAR AWAY FROM THE WORSHIP OF FALSE GODS AS YOU CAN. 1 Corinthians 10.14.

Many of us have no time to think about our God. We do not spend a few moments each day with Him. We don’t devote some time daily to read His Word. We care little to talk about Him to others. It is true that most of us do make it to church on a Sunday to worship our God, but that is about all we have to show that we have a God!

If we are not so focused about the One whom we call God, that is because there are ‘other things’ in our lives too that ‘take the place of God’. These are ‘false gods’. We are exhorted to get as far away from the worship of such false gods. What are these false gods that come into our lives and take the place of God and make us worship them?

Money is a false god. You and I need to get far away from worshipping money. We should set right our priorities in life. Make money your servant. Don’t let it not be your master or god, making you slog for every penny! The greed and love for money in comparison to your affection for your God will show who you worship – GOD OR MAMMON! (Mt 6.24).

To some their ‘god’ is their belly! Do you know anyone like that? The apostle Paul did. He said, “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things” (Phil 3.19). There are Christians who love food so much that they eat all the time and ‘sacrifice their lives at its altar!’ As a medical doctor, I am glad that this generation is different and most are body and figure conscious! Only few still make ‘food their god’.

But by becoming ‘physically’ conscious, many young and old folks too have made ‘figure and clothes their gods!’ There are children too young and grown-ups too old who are forever fiddling with their dress or appearance, as if the whole world is watching them. How can you think of YOUR GOD if you are so preoccupied in your mind with WHAT YOU WEAR AND HOW YOU LOOK?

Sex can become an obsession to many and immorality and perversions the way of life. The snares are many and more subtle with the advent of the mass media and the internet. We cannot avoid these everyday temptations. But whether your mind and your time are given over to these demoralising ways determines if they have become ‘your gods!’

Pray with me: Dear Lord, false gods are all around me and they are powerful. Many are worshipping them. Help me to get as far away as I can from the worship of any false gods. Amen.

Seed On Good Soil

THOSE ARE THE ONES ON WHOM SEED (GOD’S WORD) WAS SOWN ON THE GOOD SOIL; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Mark 4.20.

Many Christians do not read the Bible even though they possess it, often many copies of it! Those who read find some portions difficult to understand. You need the Holy Spirit, the ‘real author’ of the Bible, to help you to understand it. If you pray like King David, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psa 119.18), before you begin to read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will help you to understand.

When Jesus began to speak to the people about the kingdom of God, they couldn’t understand Him! To add to their confusion, Jesus began to speak in ‘parables’ or stories. You would have thought that Jesus did this in order to help them to understand the truths better. But surprisingly the gospels say, ‘everything is said in parables so that they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding” (vs 11,12).It is a mystery!

But the disciples always asked Jesus about what they couldn’t understand! “When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables” (v.10). We too need to ask the Lord to explain to us what we do not understand when we read the Bible. But you need 'to go to the Lord’ and give Him time to teach you!

This parable of the ‘Sower and the Seed’ is the first Jesus ever told the people. Jesus taught the disciples the meaning of the parable. He also told them they needed to understand this parable to understand all the others! It is imperative for you to understand this parable well for the simple reason that if you don’t, you will be like the others, “ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding".

Jesus was teaching what kind of person you should be in order for the Word to thrive in your life. We are typically of four types. 1) The roadside type – never listens to the Word well 2) The rocky type – hard ground for the Word to take root 3) Like among thorns – lets the care and anxiety for the material things and lust choke the Word and make it fruitless 4) Like the good soil – receives the Word and allows it to grow and bear fruit up to a hundred fold!

What kind of soil are you – your heart? How do you receive the Word whenever you hear it? Do you listen carefully and put it into practice? The Lord expects you to be like the good soil! When you hear the Word of God, whether by reading it or through someone teaching or preaching, ‘something must happen in you!’ Jesus told clearly what He expects of you – “hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold”.

Early in life, I made it a point to make a mental or written note of what I hear or even read! The reason? I want to get something that will change or improve my life and help me to be a better person! That is why I always carried a pen and a diary. Now I carry a PDA!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, let me ever hear the Word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and even a hundredfold. Please fulfill in me Your expectation. Amen.

Friday, August 17, 2007

The Lord's Coming

THE LORD WILL COME FROM HEAVEN WITH A COMMAND, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. 1 Thes 4. 16

Many of us go to church regularly. We listen to sermons and read the Bible. We get to know many things about this life and the life to come. However, there is much ignorance among the Christians, church-goers, about the many important things that the Bible teaches.

For instance, how much do you know about the ‘Second Coming of Christ?” What do you know about your life after death? What do you know about the future of those dear ones who are dead and gone? The knowledge of many, maybe even yours, at best is patchy and vague. Many in the Corinthian church were ignorant about these things. So are today's believers! We ought to thank God for the apostle Paul for giving us instructions about these and many other matters pertaining to our present Christian life and our future.

One of the major events in our Christian calendar which is anticipated, and it may not be in the not too distant future, is the SECOND COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! It may be ‘before or after’ THE GREAT TRIBULATION (yet another future event to be fulfilled), depending on what teaching one follows. There are enough verses in the Bible to support both sides! But that is no reason for you to forget the PROMISED RETURN OF THE LORD. It is mentioned several hundred times in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Sad to say, because many are rooted in this world, they have long lost their anticipation of the return of the Lord! Is it so with you?

About His coming, Jesus told His disciples long ago, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority" (Act 1.7). But it is most imperative that you should know that Jesus is certainly coming back and what happens when He comes! Hear the apostle Paul: “The Lord will come from heaven with a command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the dead who believed in Christ will come back to life. Then, together with them, we who are still alive will be taken in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In this way we will always be with the Lord” (vs 16,17).

Life has been more than busy for me as a doctor, surgeon and Christian worker. It has been good too! I want to enjoy it as long as I can. Yet, it has always thrilled me to read about the Lord's return. It will be exciting to hear “the shout of the Lord from heaven, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call of God” and to see “the Lord descend from heaven!” That will be enough to make the earth tremble, the graves of the saints to be opened, the dead to be raised to life and the believing saints to be transformed and all to fly up to meet the Lord in the heavens!! What a day it will be! Dear believer, don’t let the Day of the Lord catch you like a thief because you are too busy here on earth!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, I may be busy in this life and seldom think of Your return but let me never lose sight of it and the hope of meeting You and the glory that awaits me. Amen.

Everyone Was Amazed

EVERYONE WAS AMAZED AND PRAISED GOD, SAYING, "WE HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS." Mark 2.12.

We are living in days when increasing millions all over the world are believing in ‘gods’ who are mere idols. They carry them on their shoulders, bow before them and worship them. They attribute ‘supernatural powers’ to them to answer their prayers. Multiplied millions go to special shrines and pay homage to their gods for the miraculous answers to prayers!

It amazes me that in such an age there can be a large section of the Church that call themselves ‘Liberal Christians’ and do not believe in the ‘supernatural’. They do not believe what even the 'idol-worshipers believe – that God answers prayers! They do not believe in the miracles of the Bible, even the virgin birth of Jesus or His resurrection from the dead. It makes one wonder why they should believe in a God at all, if He cannot and will not work miracles!

Jesus revealed the fundamental difference between man and God when He said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mt 19.26).You should not be foolishly persuaded by those ‘Christian unbelievers’ to believe in a God who cannot work miracles. Instead, you should go back to the Bible again and again and discover and rediscover the almighty power of your God in the Old Testament and that of the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

When Jesus came and began performing miracles, healing and casting out demons, the people thronged around Him. The gospel writers mention in a number of places, “many believed in Jesus because of the miracles He did!” Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast (one time) and many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name (Jn 2.23). At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go”. Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him (Jn 11.43–45).

One of our greatest problems today is that we conduct with great publicity ‘MIRACLE CRUSADES’ and proclaim that every illness will be healed and all woes will be gone! But unfortunately, nothing great happens! We also engage in similar ministries in smaller measure in all our churches and individually too. But people do not see the awesome power of God in our midst! Naturally, those who are disappointed do not believe. The unimpressed spectators go away disappointed! People need the LORD! But many are looking for the miracles they need!

Dear believer, It is about time that the unbelieving people begin to see incidents like what we read about in today’s text, “The paralysed man healed by Jesus got up, immediately picked up his cot, and walked away while everyone watched”. Only then will everyone be amazed and praise God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this”. It will happen only when we believers become committed and honest in seeking God and His power. The Lord has declared, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, "the LORD" (Jer 29.13,14).

Pray and practise with me: Dear LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy” (Hab 3.2). Amen.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The Example of Phoebe

PHOEBE HAS BEEN A GREAT HELP TO MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING ME. Romans 16.2.

In an age when everyone wants only to be masters and not servants, it is good to sing now and again at our gatherings the chorus, “Make me a servant humble and meek; Lord, let me seek all those who are weak; and may the prayer of my heart always be; make me a servant, make me a servant today!” It will be a strong reminder to us, followers of Christ, that we also need to be like Him. Jesus called the disciples together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20.28).

Follow through the Bible and you will find that ‘Whoever served God and His people, He raised them up to leadership’. That is the divine criteria to be ‘exalted or lifted up’ in the kingdom of God. The Bible tells us, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Pe 5.6). Not only that, we are also clearly told, “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished” (Pro 16.5).

The Bible condemns a selfish spirit. The apostle Paul taught, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil 2 5-5).

In life and ministry or service, the Lord Jesus Christ must be our supreme example. “He came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk19.10). In doing so, He tirelessly worked day after day and did good to all. Then He also gave up His life for others! It is not in our human spirit or mentality to humble ourselves and serve others. We need to imitate Christ and cultivate it with the help of the Holy Spirit. Even the twelve disciples who were with Jesus did not show humility but expressed the desire to be ‘at the top’ even in heaven – seated at His left and right! (Mk 10.37).

Dear believer, notice in today’s Bible text the apostle Paul describing a dear sister, Phoebe, who was unlike most of us! “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me” (vs 1,2). Oh! That these words may describe your life and mine here on earth and be the epitaph (inscription) on our tombstones! Remember, for that you must begin to do some service to someone today, with God's help!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, (You have to) make me a servant humble and meek; Lord, let me seek all those who are weak; and may the prayer of my life always be; make me a servant, make me a servant today! Amen.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

The Great High Priest

YOU HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST WHO HAS GONE INTO THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD---JESUS, THE SON OF GOD. Hebrews 4.14.

The first time I read from the book of Hebrews that “we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God---Jesus, the Son of God”, it didn’t mean much to me. Those of us who belong to the Evangelical churches have ‘never seen’ a priest, let alone a bishop or Archbishop or the Pope. Hence it is difficult and even impossible for us to think of Jesus as our Great High Priest!

As for the Jewish converts to whom the epistle of Hebrews was written, they had no problem in understanding this and seeing Jesus as their ‘new Great High Priest’. They were surrounded by priests in their temples. The priests accepted the sacrifices and offered them to God on the altar on behalf of the people. The priests spoke to the people the words of God. They also had the High Priest who entered the ‘holy of holies’ and offered the sacrifice of Atonement once a year.

You need to grasp the Person and the Position of Jesus Christ as our 'Great High Priest'. Only then can you begin to receive the full blessings of His ‘God-ordained’ office of the High Priest (Heb 5.6). Knowing Jesus as our Great High Priest in heaven before God is very different from knowing Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. We need to know that it is actually Jesus as our High Priest who presents our petitions to God! We need to know Him as our High Priest who has spoken God’s Word to us! The apostle Paul explains the priesthood of Jesus in these words, “there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2.5).

When we pray and make our petition to God, we always end up saying, “all this we ask in Jesus’ name!” Have you ever thought why the Lord Jesus asked us to do so? For one thing, Jesus knew that He only is our mediator and High Priest. He taught us to present our prayers to Him or to the Father in His name. He would then, offer our prayers to His Father. Jesus knew that our standing with God and acceptance were always in Him, through His righteousness. He was ‘the Son in whom the Father was well pleased’. His prayers Jesus said, "the Father always hears” (Jn 11.42).

Remember the times you have gone to some pastor or leader for prayer because ‘your own prayers’ were not answered? It is all right for they too are our ‘mediators’ before God, only they are human. Indeed, we all are repeatedly exhorted to intercede and mediate to God on behalf of each other. But Jesus, the Son of God is our only 'High Priest and Mediator between God and us. The next time, and why not every time, not only you pray in Jesus' name but also ask Him to pray for you. The Bible says, He is already doing it without our asking because He knows our needs. “He lives in heaven today to make intercession for us” (Heb 7.25).

Dear believer, before you go to any special pastor or leader for prayer for your needs next time, remember to go to your own High Priest who is greater than all pastors and priests. Jesus understands every weakness of yours, because he was tempted in every way that we are (Heb 4.15).

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me to know You as my Great High Priest. May I have the confidence to approach God's throne through You. There I will receive mercy and find grace to help me just when I need it. Amen.

God So Loved The World

GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. John 3.16.

The golden thread that is woven through and through the Bible is ‘THE ETERNAL LOVE OF GOD FOR YOU AND ME!’ The broken chord in the Bible is ‘OUR NEVER-ENDING SELFISHNESS AND SIN!’

I was going to write that the Bible begins with man’s sin and it continues with God’s response in love to save us through Jesus Christ His Son. But that would have been like putting the cart before the horse. For the Bible begins with God’s love: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” for man as his domain (Gen 1.1).

This is how God Almighty first revealed Himself to Moses, “He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Ex 34.6,7).

Nehemiah prayed to God, “You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Neh 9.17)

King David praised God by saying, “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. ..But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psa 86.5,15).

In that wonderful psalm, David describes God thus, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” (Psa 103.8-13).

The climax of God’s love is expressed in those beautiful words from the mouth of our dear Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

The more you and I are confronted with the problem of our sin and selfishness, we should dwell on the delivering power of the love of God through Jesus Christ. It should be the constant theme of our meditation day by day here on earth and our continuous refrain in heaven.

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, forever, I will thank You for Your great love that made You send Your Only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sin and grant me life eternal. Amen.

Use Honest Scales

USE HONEST SCALES HONEST WEIGHTS, AND HONEST MEASURES. I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt. Leviticus 19.36.

We were starting a kindergarten. We got the place all done up, including the air-conditioning. The place was insured because it is the routine thing done in business. But we were in for a big surprise; someone broke in and stole all the air-condition units. The first thing friends told us was, “It must be the people who installed your units!”

Dishonesty in business is rampant in every country and in all societies. “Honesty is the best policy”, they say. But today, the accepted philosophy in the marketplace is, “One cannot survive in business unless you practice lying, cheating and crookedness!”

Sad to say, we Christians too have mostly accepted this ‘new age business ethics’ and many have taken it as a matter of course. The only difference between you and the non-Christian businessman or professional is that he cheats ‘without a conscience’ while you cheat ‘against your conscience’. But as time passes, you too begin to practice all the deceptive ways of the business community. You too lie, cheat and rob with impunity. Your conscience has become immune to the inner voice of God. Your principles and practices made you ‘compromise with the Word of God’ at first. But now you are ‘blatantly breaking the Laws of God’. And still you consider yourself to be a good Christian in the marketplace! You are even witnessing for Christ to your business associates who are non-Christians, with a genuine concern for their souls to be saved from sin and hell.

How do I know these things and why am I writing about them? The simple and genuine reason is that I too am in the marketplace as a medical professional, facing the real problems of survival as a Christian businessman! I need not tell you about the great many complaints against doctors and hospitals of malpractices, overcharging and even cheating the sick and vulnerable!

The good old days of honest professional practice or business dealings are gone forever. The madness of making money for the sake of excessive luxury and incredible wealth has necessitated the price hike of everything necessary for life. Just to graduate from a university today you need up to a few hundred thousand dollars and to become a doctor, the cost may reach more than half a million! You and I have to make enough money to afford these essentials and much more if you go for the luxuries of life. The vicious effect is that, from the labourer to the landlord and the trader to the professional, all have escalated the price for their services and commodities. The pity is that every one complains against the other and no one is happy!

Having explained how we got into this mess, there is one thing we Christians should be absolutely careful about. You cannot violate God’s unchanging Laws and standards of conduct. All of you who are in the marketplace, listen to the voice of God in today’s text and obey it, “Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them”. The reason, “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt!” (vs 36,37). It is in His power to prosper you without your having to cheat and rob others!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, You are the One who brought me out of all my wants, needs, sadness, suffering, sorrow, pain and loss! It was not by cheating for crookedness. Make me honest in all I do. Amen.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Wounds of A Friend

FAITHFUL ARE THE WOUNDS OF A FRIEND, BUT THE KISSES OF AN ENEMY ARE DECEITFUL. PROVERBS 27:6

Nobody ever likes counsel that goes against their own plans! In the olden days, one had very little choice but to accept the counsel of those 'above' him. But today, we have freedom of the individual, even little children! Kids call 911 if the parents rebuke! Everyone is free to think and do what they like! Seldom do people seek counsel or heed it! However there has been no other time like ours when counsellors and counselling courses abound! Why? Ask yourself!

I am a 'great reader' of the "Daily Bible Notes' since my youth. I used different ones at various stages in my life. I have learned much and am now able to teach and preach from the Word. But basically, it taught me the habit of having my devotional time daily! I still do it! Some years ago, I read the following from 'Our Daily Bread' about criticism, not so much counselling, and it is worth passing on to you. Read and be blessed and bless others.

After a church service in which the minister had preached about spiritual gifts, he was greeted at the door by a woman who said, "Pastor, I believe I have the gift of criticism." He responded, "Do you remember the person in Jesus' parable who had the one talent? Do you recall what he did with it?" "Yes," replied the woman, "he went out and buried it" (see Mt 25:18). With a smile, the pastor suggested, "Go, and do likewise!"

If criticism is not given lovingly and with an honest desire to help, it can be cruel and destructive. The words of Lev 19:17, "You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him," are preceded by warnings against spreading slander and nursing hatred.

You can determine when you should criticize and when you shouldn't by asking yourself three questions:

1. Am I motivated by a desire to help the other person?

2. Am I planning to face him honestly, but gently?

3. Am I doing this for the Lord, or because I enjoy being critical?

If your goal is to help, if your motives are loving, and if your desire is to please God, then go ahead and criticize. If you can't pass these tests, keep quiet.

We're building up or tearing down in everything we do;
Are we in the construction gang or on the wrecking crew?
He has the right to criticize who has the heart!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, give me a heart of love and concern for people when I open my mouth to criticise or counsel. Amen.

What A New Creation

IF YOU ARE IN CHRIST, YOU ARE A NEW CREATION: EVERYTHING OLD HAS PASSED AWAY; EVERYTHING HAS BECOME NEW! 2 CORINTHIANS 5.17.

In our Gideon International monthly magazine, testimonies are printed of people from all backgrounds who get saved just because they happened to read a copy of our Bible placed in Hotels and motels or given to them!

I have reproduced some short but remarkable testimonies below to prove the truth of the Bible verse quoted above for today’s meditation. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Venezuela. Colemente Marquez. A street bum and drug addict. Wanted to kill himself by jumping before an oncoming truck. Someone gave him a New Testament (NT). He sat by the highway and read it. The power of the gospel saved him from suicide and also straightened his life.

Detroit, USA. Frank Swastek. A drug addict in college. Someone gave him a NT. He read it and got saved by its power. He became the pastor of a church.

Pennsylvania USA. Art Adams. 29 years a smoker. 26 years a drunk. 17 years on drugs. Read a Bible in a motel. The gospel is still the power of God to save!.

Columbia. A criminal in prison stole 10 New Testaments to make cigarettes and smoke. He glanced through the last one. He got saved by the Word of God. He died as a missionary.

Zambia, Africa. President Chiluba. A political prisoner. Hated his persecutors. A pastor gave him a Bible. It transformed Chiluba’s life. He became the first Christian president.

Manila, Philippines. Hubert Carmona. A taxi driver and gangster. A tourist gave him a NT. To learn English he read it. The power of God’s Word saved him. He became a pastor and has planted a host of churches and trains pastors.

Pandung, Indonesia. Paulus Sabardi Cipto. A muslim motor trishaw puller. Imprisoned for drug peddling. Read a Bible in the prison. Its power changed his life. Witnessed to his family and villagers. Started a church with 65 people.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Elengovan. A young Indian drug addict and criminal. In prison about 20 times. Finally happened to read a NT distributed in prison. Its power saved and transformed him. He is a member of a large church for many years and now a social worker.

The apostle Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1.16). Dear friend, have you been saved by the power of the gospel? If not read it from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Once saved, the Word of God will still continue to act powerfully in the lives of those who read it daily, bringing success and prosperity, both spiritually and materially. God told Joshua, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Jos 1.8).

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, stir up my heart to read Your Word daily and be blessed and become a blessing to others. In Christ’s Name. Amen.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Keep Myself In God's Love

KEEP YOURSELVES IN GOD'S LOVE. Jude 21.

God loved all the people of the world and sent His only Son into the world. He came and lived with them and told them about the Father's love. He loved us while we were yet sinners. Christ loved us and died for our sins while we were all enemies to God through disobedience. God still loves us even though we continue to disobey Him and go against His commandments.

You and I take the love of God for granted! Though God’s love is unconditional, He pleads with us by His mercy that we return His love. In today’s Bible text, we have this command and caution, “Keep yourselves in God’s love”.

How do you keep yourself in God’s love? How do you keep loving God and show your love to Him. The Bible tells us the secret. ‘This is love for God: to obey his commands’ (1 Jn 5.3). Jesus told His disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (Jn 14.15).

Long ago, the fierce Amalakites went to fight against Israel. God sent King Saul to war against them. He fought valiantly and defeated them. But he took the spoils which God commanded him not to do. God sent prophet Samuel to him and asked, “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?” Samuel told Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1 Sam 15.15).

Today, we give the least premium for obedience to God. We would rather tell God all the nice things about Him; sing wonderful choruses to praise Him; do work in His name and for His church and people. But you forget that God asks and even commands you only one thing: Obedience. If you want to keep yourself in God’s love, if you want to show your love to Him, then you must obey His commandments.

Dear believer, learn from the life and fall of King Saul. Samuel said to him, “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!” Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD” (v.23, 26).

Much like us, Saul disobeyed the Lord, but he still wanted to carry on the worship as usual. But the Lord rejected him as king. The Spirit of the Lord withdrew from him. Saul lost God’s love and fellowship – because he disobeyed. Let it not happen to you!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, teach me that obedience is better than worship. You even reject worship without obedience! Help me to obey You and keep myself in Your love. Amen.

No Fear In Love

THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE. BUT PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR, BECAUSE FEAR HAS TO DO WITH PUNISHMENT. 1 John 4.18.

People say, “Only the fearful believe in God!” They fear evil happening to them. They fear that ‘the gods’ or God will be angry because of their wrongdoings or for not pleasing them with gifts. At times, you and I also succumb to such 'pagan' thinking! After believing in Christ and knowing that we are now the children of God, we still harbour such wrong thoughts about God! How could we?

How often when something bad or some accident or calamity befalls you, your first thought is, ‘Ah! It must be God punishing me for some wrongdoing!’ If you are habitually doing wrong and disobeying God’s commandments, then you have good reason to think so. You must find out what evil you have done and confess it to God. He will forgive you. But you must be genuine in your confession. Don’t keep repeating the same sin again! Seek God's help to succeed.

Dear believer, You are a child of God. God loves you. His love is so great that God sent His only Son to die for you while you were a sinner. Now that you are saved and you belong to God, you don’t have to fear that God will punish you or strike you down for whatever wrong you have done or might do! God’s love for you does not change whether you have sinned or not. If you confess your sin, your fellowship with God is restored and is intact. God's promise is: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn 1.9).

In order to drive out ‘the fear of God’ from your life, you need to know God’s love. The Bible says, “the LORD, he is good; his love endures forever” (Psa 106.1). You need to pray for the Holy Spirit’s help “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3.18,19).

In order to drive out ‘the fear of God’, you need to love God. The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Lk 10.27). The Lord Jesus asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these others do (more than everything)?" He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” (Jn 21.15). The Lord asks you also the same question. Won't you want to reply like Peter? Then begin to show your love for God by spending much time with Him in reading ‘His love-Letter’ (the Bible) and talking to Him (in prayer). If you do, slowly your fear of God and His punishment will begin to disappear!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, may Your Spirit help me know Your love and to love You as I ought to so that I will have no fear even when fearful things happen. Amen.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Creator of All Things

WHAT A LARGE NUMBER OF THINGS YOU HAVE MADE, O LORD! YOU MADE THEM ALL BY WISDOM. THE EARTH IS FILLED WITH YOUR CREATURES. Psalm 104.24.

Our grandchildren once spent a night with us in our family home. None wanted to sleep early. They all came to our bed and wanted to hear old tales about us and our family. They didn’t want the bright lights and so they switched them off. All of them shouted with one voice, “Look at Grandpa’s ceiling!” We had decorated it to look like 'the bright night sky with luminous stars and planets and even flying comets spread all over!'

The strange thing is that no one had noticed our artificially created ‘amazing sky with all the heavenly bodies’ until the lights went out and all silently gazed at the ceiling! It forcefully reminded me that unless you and I deliberately pause in the midst of our hectic days and nights and search for the glory of our God and the greatness of His creation, we shall never find them! What a loss it would be! You will miss the wonderful opportunity to witness God’s wonderful creation and worship Him for the greatness of His wisdom and works! You will never get an occasion to witness what King David saw that day and be reminded of all the many and diverse things, great and small, our wonderful Creator has made for us to take delight in!

I complain to my wife that there is one thing that I miss in our present beautiful home God has graciously provided. As before, I cannot get a full view of the beauty of the evening sunset (unless I spend my evening in our bathroom, which I often do!) or see the glory of the moonlit and star-spangled night sky! I miss all that David has described in this beautiful psalm about God’s wondrous creation and the opportunity to be filled with awe and praise to God our maker.

I used to take our family on holidays to scenic countrysides and often deliberately chose the most winding roads that scared my wife. Its picturesque beauty bewitches me! Though I love to drive but because it is not safe to watch the scenic beauty and not concentrate on the roads, others take the wheel from me! It is not unusual that I burst out singing, "Then sings my soul my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art!" and others join in.

Dear child of God, unless you ‘redeem the time’ from all the other important things that need your immediate attention, you will never see God or witness the beauty of His creation. Your worship of God, if at all you find time for it, will be bare and bland singing of the usual stereotyped songs and choruses and nothing more! Take time to 'see God' and make time to 'worship Him!'

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, my Maker and Creator of all things, help me to make time to worship You and rejoice in everything You have created for me to enjoy! Amen.

Against Wicked Spiritual Forces

WE ARE NOT FIGHTING AGAINST HUMAN BEINGS BUT AGAINST THE WICKED SPIRITUAL FORCES in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. Ephesians 6.12.

The number of people in distress in our large church of about 8,000 is beyond belief! One wonders how we could have so many believers with so many problems each week! When people with needs are called out to be prayed for, ‘a small army’ comes out! Many are sick. Some come in proxy for those desperately ill and dying. There are those in wheelchairs. Lots are there with dire financial needs. People with marital or children’s problems are not few. Trouble in the workplace is common. People with anxiety and depression abound.

Seeing this pitiable sight every week and engaged with others in praying for them, at times I myself feel distressed and even depressed. My wife and I share this mutual concern and make frequent intercessions for them. We also pray for the vast number of God’s suffering people all over the world, known and unknown.

We question God, “Why do you give so much trouble to Your people? Why is it that many are in deep distress and others suffer and some even die?" A distressed sister asked the same question. Then she answered her question herself by saying, “It must be that the devil is attacking me!” All trials need not be from Satan, we are the cause for some!

However, what the apostle said long ago is a solemn fact which we tend to forget! “We are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age”. We have always had ‘a kind of knowledge that all evil and sickness are from the devil’. But it didn't bother us much!

Dear believer, you need to realise that your spiritual temptations and trials and sometimes your physical and material struggles are ‘from the wicked spiritual forces’. Job’s woes would tell us that. It is time you begin to use ‘all the armor that God gives us’ in order to gain victory over Satan and get deliverance from your physical and material woes. Don't fight your battles alone in your strength. You cannot leave the ‘fight’ against your sickness to the physicians and medications believing that the battle is ‘only physical.’

You need to know the spiritual weapons God has made available to you and use them. Try to make use of them increasingly: "Know the truth and be truthful. Be right with God. Be a witness for the gospel of Christ. Hold on to your most precious faith. Be saved through the gospel. Read the Word. Use the Word as Your sword against Satan, as Jesus did. Above all pray, ask God to deliver you from the Evil One".

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, You taught me to pray, “Deliver me from the evil one/evil”. Help me to fight him when he attacks, with the weapons You have given me. Amen.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Rejoice In Tribulation

IT MAY BE THAT JEHOVAH WILL LOOK ON MY AFFLICTION, AND THAT JEHOVAH WILL REPAY ME WITH GOOD. 2 Samuel 16.12.

One morning on my way to work, I was thinking about this verse from the Bible - the pleading of King David to his God during his affliction. I happened to pass by the home of a dear friend who just had an operation. He was still in the hospital and so I had a chat with his wife, a dear old Christian sister who is known for her trust in God and life of prayer.

She was going through much affliction of her own and that of her family. She didn’t know why she was having more and more trouble every time she walked closer to God and was a witness for Him. She said that it is as if the devil was hurting her more because of this! David might have felt the same, I thought to myself. He expressed his agony and hope in God by saying, “It may be that Jehovah will look on my affliction, and that Jehovah will repay me with good”.

But dear fellow-believer, to us this is not just a hope and prayer as it was for David but a sure promise. The Word of God assures us of the blessings and benefits of the afflictions we suffer here in this life. You need to know this so that you do not despair in your afflictions, like the dear sister. For the sake of sanity and spirituality too, we need to develop a positive outlook from the Scriptures towards our afflictions. Only the promises of God and His grace can give us strength to face our trials which are many!

The Bible assures us that ‘our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all’. Therefore, we must ‘fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal’ (2 Cor 5.17,18). If not for that blessed promise, ‘the eternal glory we receive will far outweigh our afflictions’, there would have been no meaning to our sufferings. God would not have allowed His children to suffer!

The Bible also teaches us that ‘our afflictions are the testing of our faith’. Though painful, it develops perseverance and makes you mature and complete, not lacking anything’ (Jas 1. 2-3). The apostle Peter says, through afflictions, ‘our faith, though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed’ (1 Pe 1.7).

So, instead of pining and groaning, which are common, we are encouraged by the apostle James to ‘consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds’ (Ja 1.4). In a similar manner the apostle Peter also tells us, ‘greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials’ (1 Pe 1.6).

Dear believer, in times of distress and depression there is great relief in deliberately expressing joy loudly in word, song or music! I have made it my daily habit! I have often proved it effective to burst out in songs of praise like, ‘Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee, How great Thou art!’ It might have startled my family or patients on the operating table! But they are better off with a happy husband or doctor!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, sometimes I am greatly weighed down by trials and afflictions. May Your Spirit sustain me and cause me to rejoice in tribulation through Your promises. Amen.

On Things Above

KEEP YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE NOT ON WORLDLY THINGS. Col 3.2.

Everyone has worked hard for a living right from the days of Adam and Eve. But today, even they would turn in their graves if they ever could perceive how hectic our lives are! Just to eke out a living, some are slogging most of the day and well into the night. With both parents having to work, children hardly get time to spend with them. A bank executive told me while having our Sunday lunch, "The expectation by the bosses for the employees to perform is so great that they many are cracking up!" Even the Christians are not exempt! How difficult, if not impossible it is for us to keep thinking about things in heaven because our minds are too preoccupied with the things of this world! But that is the Lord's command to us!

Much like the apostle Paul’s admonition today, Jesus too cautioned His disciples about worldliness instead of a heavenly outlook! He said, “Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you. "So don't ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt 6.32-34).

Seeking first the Kingdom of God and fixing our minds on things above which are the only things that last makes sense when you realise the outcome is in God's hand. Hence He tells us, “It is useless to work so hard for a living, getting up early and going to bed late. For the LORD provides for those he loves, while they are asleep” (Psa 127.2). What this means is that it is not by our ability that we meet our needs. They are God’s gracious provision! Not so long ago, millions of chickens (more than 25 million) were culled because of the bird flu in the Asian countries. My wife and I were greatly upset to see the poor farmers having to destroy their poultry and lose their precious livelihood! How forcefully we are being reminded that heaven holds the key to our daily bread on earth!

I believe all the more that these are the very reasons why we are commanded in the Scriptures to “Keep your mind on things above, not on worldly things”. It is an attitude of the heart and exercise of the mind that we need to cultivate deliberately and possess. It won’t come naturally or easily. Just a simple thing like praying three times a day like Daniel of old you find it hard to do when you try! I have tried setting the alarm on my watch to remind me. But when it goes off, I may be in the midst of an operation or consultation and I am not free to pray!

Dear believer, how then will you keep your mind on things above instead of worldly things like everyone else? The apostle Paul tells us the secret in another passage. Have a new mind or renewal of the mind or transformation of the mind, by the Holy Spirit. Only He can set our minds free from the cares and covetousness of the world and help us to fasten them on heaven! If you do not learn to do that, even little by little, but remain burdened with worldly things, you will never be ready for heaven when your call comes! I thank God for old age, for it slowly makes you loosen your grip on earth whether you like it or not. It prepares you for heaven! But, dear believer, your call could come anytime! You too must prepare, even now!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me not follow the world, always thinking about earthly things. Instead, help me change the way I think. Let me deliberately take time to think about You and heavenly things. Amen.

I Live By Faith

I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME. Galatians 2.20

When the going is good, we trust in ourselves and do whatever we can to get along in life. And all of us do rather well, most of the time! Few are those who deliberately take the time to thank God for His grace and providence. But when trials come the story is different. We find that we cannot handle things by ourselves anymore, by our own wisdom and skill. It is then that most people turn to God and cry out, “O Lord, save me!”

But it would be wonderful if you and I could live our lives daily like the apostle Paul. His life was quite different from ours. From the time He met the risen Lord Jesus Christ who appeared to him in a vision, he fully trusted in Him. He committed his life totally to Him. He forsook his illustrious past – education and achievements and seat of power among the religious rulers. It was not because Paul could not trust himself and accomplish things on his own! If any one could live by faith in himself, it was Paul.

All that had passed away! Now things were altogether different in Paul’s life. He considered himself dead to self on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was fully convinced that Jesus loved him and gave Himself for him! It was a personal revelation and relationship. Nothing could shake his faith in Jesus any more. He threw off everything of his past and held on to Christ alone. He kept proclaiming to himself and others, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”. It is a good spiritual exercise for us too!

Paul felt a ‘oneness’ with Christ so complete that he did not consider that he had any existence separate from Him! Such must be the true life in Christ which you and I should develop and possess. Only such an attitude will let us give our life fully to Him. Only then will we enjoy the freedom which Paul had. Freedom from sin and anxiety. Freedom from self, selfish interests and self-dependency. Freedom from bad habits and sinful addictions!

To declare like Paul, “The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”, is to live in the true liberty of the Holy Spirit. No matter what happens in life, good or bad, happy or sad, health or sickness, wealth or poverty, it will not upset you. If you no longer live but Christ lives in you, whatever your lot becomes His lot too. He will take care of your todays and tomorrows. He will sustain and lead you.

A true understanding of such a life of total faith in Christ will transform your life. Our spiritual life in Him will thrive. Our physical life will be without its heartaches. We will know what the Scripture says, “The righteous shall live by his faith” (Hab 2.4). It is that kind of faith that will make you triumphantly shout like the prophet, “Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle- even then, I will be happy with the LORD. I will truly find joy in God, who saves me. The LORD Almighty is my strength. He makes my feet like those of a deer. He makes me walk on the mountains” (Hab 3.17-19).

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me to always consider that I have been crucified with You and I no longer live, but You live in me. The life I live in the body, help me to live by faith in You, the Son of God, Amen.