Are you a Christian?

A friend of ours shared this true story! One day as he was driving to work, he found a scooter and a man knocked down on the side of the road. The vehicles were steadily moving along, and he had a split second to make a decision. The man was in his sixties and had trouble getting up even though he was not severely hurt. So, he stopped the car and got down. He helped the fallen man up, gave him water, and offered to take him to some doctor. The man thanked him and said that he was alright and that he can manage by himself. As our friend turned to leave, the man called him and asked him a question, "Are you a Christian?" Our friend was shocked by that question, knowing how people relate 'good works' with being a Christian. From that day, whenever our...

Trials and Temptations!

In the Bible, the words trial and temptation are translated interchangeably, and that is kind of confusing. In the Lord's prayer, the Bible says in Matthew 6:13, 'Lead us not into temptation' but James 1:13 clearly states that God does not tempt anyone! A preacher once explained it beautifully.

To understand this, we have to first find out whether God can tempt anyone to sin. Knowing the nature of God through the Bible, we must understand that God will never deliberately lead a person to commit sin because that would completely go against His character and His purpose. Jesus paid the price for our sins on the Cross and imputed His righteousness to us so that the Father will see us as sinless and righteous. It is not in His interest that...

Dare to Leave the Boat!

Decisions are always hard. Critical decisions are very hard! Sometimes God closes all the doors and opens just one, and that is the best of all! But many times, the Lord allows us to choose. He expects us to make responsible decisions based on His Word and His revealed will. That I guess, is the hardest.

Sometimes we take some split-second decisions which we regret for life! After feeding the five thousand men, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side. We read about this incident in Matthew 14:22-33. While the disciples were all in the boat, they experienced rough weather. Jesus saw them struggling (Mark 6:48) and went to them walking on water. Initially, they were afraid but then as soon as Jesus spoke to them, Peter want...

Lessons from Fig Tree

People take pride in many things! People take pride in their education, in their jobs, and in their possessions! Some take pride in the number of times they have read the Bible or how they read it. Reading the Bible is important, but obeying the Word is far more important. Some take pride in how they observe Sundays too! Observing Sundays with Godly activities is good but what we do on all the other six days is far more important to God.

We read about Jesus cursing the fig tree in Mark 11:11-18. Of all the miracles in the ministry of Jesus, this is the only destructive miracle. If this was the only miracle of its kind, then there must be an important lesson in it! Jesus encountered the fruitless fig tree the day after the triumphant entry. Why did Jesus look for...

Excuses!

We all give excuses. Excuses are a way of life! It was no different during the time of Jesus. Once Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath. And there He taught the people using a parable. Jesus said that a man arranged a great feast and invited many (Luke 14: 16-24). The Bible says that all the invitees began to make excuses with one accord. The first said, that he had bought a piece of ground and that he must go and see it. Another said that he had bought five yokes of oxen and that he was going to test them. Still, another said that he had married a wife, and therefore he cannot come. No one buys land without seeing it first, and no one buys oxen without testing them. They were literally 'making' excuses!...

He is not here!

The resurrection appearance of Jesus to some women, especially Mary Magdalene is recorded in all the four Gospels. It is a very compelling narrative. John's Gospel says that Mary stood outside the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb (John 20:11-18). She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. When the angels asked her why she was weeping

Mary said it was because she could not find the body of Jesus! Matthew, Mark, and Luke record that the Angelic announcement, "He is not here; He is risen." John draws our attention to Jesus standing beside Mary, but she did not see Him. Only when Jesus called her name, she recognized Jesus! Mary expected to see a...

The Lord is Risen!

If there is one message that is central to the Gospel that is so vital that it simply cannot be ignored, it is the good news of the resurrection of Christ. Indeed, Jesus is risen! We celebrate the resurrection every Sunday, for that is the reason why Christians from the earliest times switched to meet on Sundays rather than Saturdays like the Jews. The early church would gather every Sunday before the dawn because Christ rose early on a Sunday morning! Jesus had died for our sins, and now He was being raised up for our justification (Romans 4:25). What does it mean for you and me? It means that our sins have been dealt with and that we are made morally clean before God as if we have never sinned. The resurrection is the one thing that gives us hope. For if Christ has bee...

The Cross

Good Friday is the day when we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, but there's more to it than just remembrance. We want to embrace the resurrection, but there is no resurrection without the Cross. The Cross is the road to Easter. There is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. For different people, the Cross means different things. For some, it is an ornament. For some, it is a good-luck charm. For some, it is a tool to fight the devil! As Christians, we use the symbol of the Cross for everything. In fact, there is no ceremony without the Cross. But the question that is facing us today is, what does the Cross mean to you and me personally.

For Jesus, Cross meant ‘Action.' The Bible says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His...

The Lord needs it…

Just before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when Jesus was close to Bethphage and Bethany, He sent two of His disciples into a village that was opposite to them with clear instructions to get a donkey's colt. The two disciples may have been Peter and John, for they were the ones whom Jesus later instructed to make the needed preparations for the Passover observance. (Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-13.) When the two disciples arrived in the village, everything proved to be just as Jesus had said. On one of the streets in the village, they found the colt tied near a door. When they untied the colt, bystanders (the "owners," according to Luke 19:33) asked why they were unleashing it. Then just as Jesus had instructed them, the disciples replied...

Standing in the Gap…

Intercessory prayers are prayers offered on behalf of other people - our friends, family, co-workers, and so on. The Bible says in Job 42:10 that, "… the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends." Intercessory prayers are mighty potent. Abraham pleaded with God for the well-being of the people of Sodom (Gen 18). Moses is also known for interceding on behalf of others throughout his life. Moses prayed with urgency and boldness. Several of Paul's prayers of intercession are recorded in the New Testament. The church prayed fervently for Peter while he was imprisoned (Acts 12:5). Jesus is the greatest intercessor of all time, and still, He is interceding for us before the Father (Rom 8:34). The Bible says in Rom 8:26, "...