The Abundant Life!

There are many songs in which ‘crossing river Jordan’ is likened to dying and going to heaven.  A song written by the Booth Brothers says, 

Just beyond the river Jordan

There my Saviour’s face, I’ll see.
Just beyond the river Jordan                                                

A better life is waiting me.

Stepping out in Faith!

Many years back, when our elder son was studying at the University of Kentucky, I visited him during one of my official trips. During that visit, he took me to Cumberland National park in Southern Kentucky to see the beautiful Cumberland falls.  It was the time of the year when the Cumberland river was in spate and was overflowing its banks. The noise of the roaring waters made me so frightened that I still remember the fear I felt.  In India, we are not used to seeing rivers full of water!

When the people of Israel were at the Red Sea, the Lord's instruction was, "Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD…" (Ex 14:13).  But at the river Jordan, i...

Faithful in little things!

The dictionary defines faithfulness as the quality of being loyal.   A faithful person is firm in adherence to promises and steadfast in affection or allegiance.  Faithfulness is not about faith, but it is about integrity.  The Bible says stewards are to be faithful (1 Cor. 4:2). Our role on this planet earth is one of stewardship.  The Bible talks about many blessings for those who are faithful.  Psalm 31:23 says, "…  the LORD preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person".   Faithfulness is an important character, and it is part of the fruit of the Spirit. The Bible says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,...

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...