Christian Giving!

Sacrificial giving is an act of love to show God how important He is in our life. King David thought the ability to give by itself was a great blessing. David also realized that everything he had was from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). God instituted the laws concerning tithes and offerings and instructed the people to give from what they had been blessed with, the harvest, and the herds. David said that he would not give to God things that cost him nothing (2 Sam 24:24). Jesus commended the widow who gave her all when she gave the two mites she had (Luke 21: 2,3). Christian giving must hurt!

The Bible does not teach us to give expecting a return. Then there is no 'sacrifice' in it. It then becomes a business deal where any investment is expected to bring...

Snakes and Ladders!

Sometimes it is very depressing to even listen to the news! On one side we hear of terrorists blowing-up people, and little children being raped! On another side we hear of the havoc wreaked by the Corona virus and other natural disasters! Besides that, we are constantly threatened with all sorts of life events and disappointments that can shake our very being! The anxiety and fear in our hearts can lead only to depression and hopelessness. Naomi experienced the worst kind of disaster! Naomi had it all but lost everything! The famine drove the family to Moab where she not only lost her husband but also her two beloved sons. Grief stricken in a foreign land Naomi was bitter. Refusing to be called Naomi which meant ‘pleasant’, she wanted to be called ‘Marah’ which meant...

The Consequences of Sin

By the time of Absalom’s rebellion, the Bible says (2 Samuel 15:7) that David had been king over all Israel for quite some years. But David, rather than having a direct confrontation with his son Absalom, began to flee from Jerusalem with a great company of people with him. Shimei one of the relatives of Saul came to curse David and threw rocks at him. When Abishai one of David's generals wanted to take Shimei’s head off, David said, "No, may be God laid upon his heart to curse me, let him go." There was a reason for that.

When David sinned against the Lord, and God sent word through Nathan the prophet and told him of four consequences. He told David that, because of his sin the sword will not depart from his house; his own children will rise up in r...

Ahithophel

Have you ever wondered how God called David to be ‘the man after His own heart’? (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22). Did he not commit adultery with Bathsheba? By the time of his adultery with Bathsheba, he had six wives (2 Sam 3:2-5), seven if you include Michal, daughter of Saul! Every time I think of it, I am amazed! When Nathan confronted David with his sin, David sincerely repented for he later declares in 2 Samuel 22:22,23, “For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.” God honors sincere repentance!

Ahithophel was known to be the wisest in the court of King David. When Ahithophel gave advice, they said it was just as if God spoke...

The Ark of God

Moses built the Ark of the Covenant at the command of God. The Ark had two rings on each side and a pole of acacia wood overlaid with gold placed into the rings for carrying the ark. These poles were permanently fixed. The Israelites carried the Ark with them during their 40 years of wandering in the desert, and after the conquest of Canaan, it was brought to Shiloh. The charge of carrying the Ark was given to the family of Kohath, of the tribe of Levi; but even they were not to touch any of the holy things. The Ark had to be only carried using the poles. (Num. 4:2-15). Clear instructions were given by the Lord! When I followed the journey of the Ark, I learned an important lesson.

During the time of Eli, the Philistines captured the Ark. After the Ark had been a...

May the LORD answer you…

My niece and I had come home to pick up something on the night my husband was whisked from one hospital to another. It was then she prayed this Psalm 20 with me. It seems the Lord brought this Psalm to her mind early that morning and bid her memorize it. She did not know the reason at that time, but God used her and the Psalm to strengthen me and encourage me later that same day. God's ways are immeasurably wise! When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, our hearts are filled with anxiety and eyes with tears! When she prayed this prayer, " May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; ​​May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your offerings, and...

Intercessory Prayer

My husband and his four siblings have lived in the same suburb from the time all of us got married. It is just a miracle of God. My parents-in-law lived with us, and we often had family get-togethers and times of prayer. The thirteen kids of the next-gen almost grew up together! Sometime after 1987, and before 1989, we began to pray together every month as the extended family. Every month 2nd Sunday was set aside, and once in 5 months, each family had the chance to host the prayer. It is God's grace that we are continuing with our practice of meeting for a time of prayer even today. I can confidently say that it has helped our children to grow in the knowledge of God and develop the habit of praying for each other! It is not that we have not had our differences,...

Healing for the Nation!

Politics is a popular conversation topic everywhere. It could be Indian politics or American politics, that does not matter. Usually, people argue with their heart and soul, and even some families become divided in their allegiance! It is common in such arguments to point to the top and lay all the maladies at their feet. We say the country has gone to dogs because of the person at the top! Blaming somebody else for all the chaos is very natural for us! Leadership is essential, and I do not deny that fact! The Bible clearly says that all authority is of God. Paul says that everyone should be subject to the governing authorities, “for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God (Romans 13:1).” Proverbs 29:2 says, “...

Garbage in, Garbage out!

The advent of computers has changed many things. It has changed the way we think; it has changed the way we live, and of course, it sure has changed the way we speak! The idiom of the era gone by was, 'you reap what you sow'! The computers have introduced us to a new phrase, 'garbage in, garbage out'! Computers can do anything and everything, and that too flawlessly. But if you feed in garbage, you will only get garbage out! Our minds are also like that. If we fill our minds with filth and garbage, we will end up deep in sin before we even know it! It always starts with a single look like it did with Eve!

The book of Judges closes with the summary statement that everyone did what they thought was right in their mind. Theologians say that even...

The Double Portion!

We read about Elisha following Elijah from place to place in 2 Kings Chapter 2. Every time they arrived at a location, Elijah told Elisha to stay back, but Elisha would not be left behind! Finally, when they had crossed over river Jordan, Elijah asked Elisha what he was expecting from him. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit upon himself (v9). Elijah said, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so."(2 Kings 2:10). We all know how the story ended. Elisha saw Elijah being taken up in a whirlwind, in a chariot of fire with horses of fire and was blessed just as he wanted!

When I heard a message on Elisha, what caught my attention...