Moses, the man of God!

Last month our church family was shaken up because of a fatal accident in which a senior couple lost their life.  After solemnizing their son's wedding in Chennai, they proceeded to another town to attend another reception when they met with an accident. They were active in many church activities and were a prayerful couple.  Their sudden home-call was a grim reminder of the transience of life!  The Bible says, "Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart"  (Eccl. 7:2).  It allows us to look within and apply a course correction in case our ways are not pleasing in the sight of God!

First Principle of Tithing

The book of Deuteronomy is a treasure trove of life lessons. We have clear teaching about tithing also in Deuteronomy.  Many teach that we have to tithe expecting a return, like sowing a seed.  People are encouraged to say that God blessed them with a big house when they contributed money for a church or ministry!  They are basing their teaching on Malachi 3:10. The Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God.  Have you ever wondered what declares the nature of God? The Bible! The Bible teaches us that God is not only loving, but He is also a consuming fire. Malachi 3:10 teaches God is no man's debtor.  We understand God and His attributes only through the Bible! 

The Heart of Faith

In the travel industry, recce tours are standard. Tour operators do not want surprises and shocks, and so they send a team ahead to check the places of interest and work out the logistics before they offer it as a package to their clients.  This way, they can plan the time effectively and avoid unexpected pitfalls.  But in the case of the Israelites journey to the Promised Land, they did not need one.  The Lord knew that they had not passed that way before, and so the Lord Himself went before them, leading the way.  The Lord had already told them that it was a land flowing with milk and honey.  There was nothing for the people to find out about their destination before getting there. The Lord had it al...

The Power of the Tongue

When I was a child, every Christian home had a wall hanging which said: 'Christ is the Head of this House. The Unseen Guest at every meal. The Silent Listener to every conversation.' After some years, it disappeared from homes, I know not for what reason, but I believe it has a point.  It means that our everyday activities like eating and talking matter to Christ! People are often not thankful for the food on the table or the hands that made them, just like the Israelites, and are too quick to say nasty things.  If we realize that Christ is there with us, I am sure we will be on the best behavior for no one misbehaves in front of a guest!

Disturbed by the bad report brought by th...

Ungrateful Hearts!

The book of Numbers depicts the failure of the people of God.  No wonder this book is called the book of murmurings. As the book of Numbers opens, we see the beautiful plan of God in action.  God had brought the people of God out of the land of Egypt and had transformed them into a nation!  God gave them laws and provided for sinful men to meet God by establishing the system of sacrifices.  More than anything, God Himself dwelt among them to guide them into the promised land.  The Lord was ready to drive out those nations so that Israel can inherit the land of their destiny!  After the Garden of Eden, I believe this is indeed a sorrowful moment in the history of Israel.  It is just...

Reflecting on Leviticus

Coming to the end of Leviticus, I sat reflecting on what God was trying to teach me through this book.  There are lessons on sacrifice, worship, the priesthood, ceremonial cleanness, the Day of Atonement, feasts and holy days, and the Year of Jubilee.  But the main focus of this book is holiness.  "For I am the Lord your God. You shall, therefore, consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy" (Lev 11:44).  The other practical laws for everyday life, the sacrifices, and other instructions have this one principle as their foundation- holiness. God is holy, and He wants us to be holy, sanctified, and set apart.  Commentators say that the word "holy" is found 95 times in Leviticus. Holy thin...

The perpetual fire

In the book of Leviticus, I came across one instruction regarding the Altar that caught my attention.  Leviticus 6:13 says, "A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out …."  The Lord instructs the priests to keep the fire burning five times in this paragraph.   That means even when they were wandering in the wilderness, they had to keep the fire burning.  It means even when the Levites were carrying the Altar, the fire had to be tended constantly and kept burning.  If it was such a necessary instruction, then I thought I must try to understand what  God meant by it.  My NKJV Study Bible gives three reasons for this. Firstly, the original fir...

Faith and Action!

When we think of the book of Genesis, what comes to our mind is the fall.  But the book of Exodus is a book of deliverance! We read about two rescue events, one is the Passover, and the other is crossing the Red Sea.  Both the events are part of the story of the redemption of the Israelites from bondage, but they are a little different from each other.  During the Passover deliverance, the people of Israel were passive onlookers.  The Israelites painted their doorposts, ate the meal, but they were waiting for God to move.  But the crossing of the Red Sea took their faith one step further.  Here the people of Israel had to participate actively.  It required obedience and a deliberate...

Boxed-in!

The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is one of the most remarkable incidences recorded in the Bible.  It portrays the power of God, the plan of God, and the path ordained by God for His chosen people.  God has a plan and purpose for each of us, and God is constantly leading us in that direction.  Sometimes our life is filled with trials and tears; sometimes, with problems and pain;  sometimes, with sadness and sickness.  We want to ask God why He has allowed it in our life. We have many unanswered questions in our hearts.   The Bible teaches an important lesson, vital for our life on earth.  The God of the Bible is all-powerful, all-knowing, and is present everywhere! &...

El Bethel

After the peaceful encounter with Esau, Jacob seems to have forgotten God's command.  While Jacob was in Laban's house, God said, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family…" (Gen 31:3).  Succoth and Shechem were not part of God's plan.  Esau offered to lead Jacob back to their father's place, but Jacob refused and turned to Succoth. He had been living in tents until now, but in Succoth, Jacob built himself a house!  What motivated Jacob to move out of Succoth, we do not know, but when he finally moved into Canaan, he bought a plot of land and pitched his tent in front of Shechem, a Canaanite city.  Isaac, Jacob's father, lived in Kirjath Arba, that is Hebron (Gen 35:27)....