The Trespass Offering

We read about five main offerings in the book of Leviticus. They are burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, and a trespass offering. The burnt offering signified complete dedication to God, and the grain offering signified thanksgiving to God. The peace offering signified fellowship between the worshipper and God. Both the sin offering and trespass or guilt offering appear to have the same purpose. But if you look deeper, you will find an important difference. The two offerings were also administered differently.

Both the sin offering and the trespass offering, covered unintentional sins. The sin offering was for cleansing or sanctification. The trespass offering was instituted to include willful sins as well as unintentional sins. The t...

The Relevance of Old Testament

Some people think that the Old Testament is not relevant for today and that only the New Testament is essential for the faith. As I was reading the book of Exodus, I found many chapters devoted to the construction wilderness Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was central to the relationship between God and His people. In Genesis, we saw sin separating Man from God and the lost fellowship. If God had nothing to teach us through it all, the Holy Spirit would not have included these details in the Bible, and that makes it an important topic as far as God is concerned.

On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses more than just the Ten Commandments. God gave a set of elaborate instructions for the building of a structure that would serve as a meeting place for God and His people. It was a...

What is your focus?

I recently heard this story again, and it got me thinking. Some men were working as stone cutters on a building site. An onlooker who was walking by, asked one stone cutter what he was doing. He replied, saying that he was cutting stones. The onlooker, curious, went a little further and asked another man the same question. That man said that he was working as a stone-cutter because he could not get any other job. The onlooker looked around and spotted a man who was working quite cheerfully, walked over to him, and asked him the same question. That man looked up and said, "I am building a cathedral!" What a difference in the perspective! The story per se is not new, but it spoke to my heart that day!

We think we are studying or working in some institution...

His Time and His Timing!

Just-In-Time (JIT) is a philosophy that evolved after World War II in Japan. It is an inventory management concept which reduced the warehousing and inventory costs in manufacturing. It was first developed and applied in the Toyota manufacturing plants. Taiichi Ohno of Japan known as the father of the JIT concept. It aimed at eliminating waste of all kinds by producing and supplying only when needed and not earlier. Adopting JIT allowed the Toyota manufacturing plants to do away with inventory in the stores, thereby cutting out the corresponding costs. Thus, JIT as a strategy helped companies increase efficiency and minimize waste. The impact of JIT has impacted every area of manufacturing ever since!

It is incredible to see how our God operates Just-In-Time!

Holy unto the Lord!

While the central theme of the book of Genesis is creation and new beginnings, the book of Exodus is all about redemption and the creation of the nation of Israel. Soon after redeeming the people of Israel from Egypt, God gave them the ten commandments and also social laws. The God of Israel delighted to live among His people and so He gave detailed instructions about the Tabernacle and the garments of priesthood. The Bible also describes meticulously the process by which Aaron and his sons were consecrated (Ex.29). One young bull and two rams were set apart for this ceremony. Verse 29 says that they should kill the second ram and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right...

The Hardened heart!

When I was young, whenever I read about the Lord hardening the heart of Pharaoh, I remember thinking how a just God can punish someone when He Himself has hardened his heart! God gives one reason in Exodus 7:3, "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt". But still, why did God punish the Pharaoh after hardening his heart?

God had actually waited for 430 years! God had given time to the Pharaoh to repent! God once again called the Pharaoh to humble himself and acknowledge the Lord as his authority. But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go." (Ex 5:1-2). Even after this, God gave Pha...

Are You a Big-Godder?

Last week we had the opportunity of listening to Dr. Steve Farrar, at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas. He spoke about the awesomeness of God and quoted an anecdote about a Princeton Seminary Professor named Robert Dick Wilson. Dr. Wilson always sat in front to listen to his former students who returned to preach in his Seminary to see if he was a big-godder or a little-godder, because that will then define their ministry. When Dr. Wilson was asked what he meant by that he had replied, "Well, some men have a little god and they are always in trouble with him. He can't do any miracles. He doesn't intervene on behalf of His people. They have a little god and I call them little-godders. Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks and it is...

More than we can ask or think…

My friend had shared the poem 'Drinking from the saucer' by John Paul Moore in WhatsApp. It captured my heart in a nutshell!

As I go along my journey

I'm reaping better than I've sowed;

I'm drinking from the saucer

'Cause my cup has overflowed.

It brought to my mind the scene of Jacob receiving the news about Joseph from his sons. Jacob must have been very anxious for the return of his sons since they had taken Benjamin with them. We read of this incident in Genesis chapters 42-46. There was no means of communication in those days. Jacob must have been very anxious and worried about the welfare of his sons. Many questions must have been swirling around his he...

Teachings by the Lord!

When a baby is born, everyone quickly tries to see who the baby resembles, the father or the mother. If you say that the baby looks like the mother, then the mother is happy, and if you say that the baby looks like the father, then the father beams with pride. As the child grows, we try to identify even traits. We say the child is stubborn like someone or sings well like someone else and so on. When I tell that I write and have a blog, those who knew my mother will immediately say, 'your mother used to write, and your grandmother has published books; so, you are also writing!' We want our children to inherit our good qualities and not our bad traits. It is quite scary to read Isaac repeating the mistake of Abraham (Gen 20:2; 26:7). We do not want our children to repeat the...

The Problem of evil!

People often ask, if God is a God of love, then why is there so much suffering in the world. They also ask if God is good, then does He not have the power to defeat Satan. However, the Bible tells us that God is both, all good (Psalm 25:8) and all-powerful (Psalm 115:3). Dr. Kurt Wise, the Director of Creation Research Center at Truett McConnell University, explains this beautifully in his notes on the book of Genesis. He says that when Satan fell, there was no curse on Creation. However, when Man fell, everything was cursed since the Creation was designed with Man in mind and not angels. Therefore, Man's sin brought destruction to the earth and is punished by natural disasters and disease. Throughout history, God has used the consequences of the fall to accomplish...