Naomi

The Internet is rife with Mother-in-Law jokes, and each one is terribly mean.  That makes me wonder what kind of a mother-in-law I am.  One of these days, I must ask my daughters-in-love where I stand on a scale of one to ten!  When we read the book of Ruth, we primarily focus on Ruth and so easily miss noticing what a great person Naomi was.  Naomi had some very remarkable qualities.  I believe there is a lot to learn from the life of Naomi.  

First and foremost, I can feel love in their relationship.  The way Naomi addressed her daughter-in-law as 'daughter' and the way she looked for her welfare demonstrates that bond of love.&...

The Winning Attitude

The Holy Bible is a treasure, and every time you read it, the Holy Spirit opens your understanding to some new truth.  When I read the book of Ruth this time, her attitude caught my attention.  When Boaz noticed Ruth in his field among his reapers, he asked them who she was.  They told him that she was Naomi's daughter-in-law.  Boaz had already heard of her kindness to Naomi, so he requested Ruth to stay with his young women and commanded the young men not to touch her.  When Ruth heard Boaz, she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner?" (Ruth 2:10).  When bad...

God’s Perspective!

Our second son lives in San Diego, USA.  While visiting San Diego for the first time, I thought I would see a flat terrain like Chennai since it is on the Pacific coast.  But on the contrary, it was full of hills, valleys, and ups and downs.  

When we go on walks, we can see beautiful scenes of God's creation.  There were valleys, hills, and a lake far away; what you saw depended on where you stood!  It brought to mind a quote from C. S. Lewis: 'What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing,' and that quote made absolute sense to me.  In life, what you see depends on where you stand and with whom you are stan...

Circumcision of the Heart

Even though the Old Testament law required physical circumcision, the Law and the Prophets talk about the need for the 'Circumcision of the Heart'  repeatedly.  Deuteronomy 10:16 says, "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked."Jeremiah 4:4 says, "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings."  The Bible says in Romans 2:28-29, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly...

The Accursed thing

We are now surrounded by preachers who ask us to hold on to God's promises to inherit His blessings!  They encourage people to name it and claim it!  They never talk about our obedience to God's Word or the sin that entangles us.  They only talk about what everyone loves to hear, that God is always ready to bless.  "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11).  Such a famine has already come.  Even though people have the Bible in their hands, they do not preach what the Bible says!  There is no way God will overlook sin. &nb...

His Yoke!

When we think of 'freedom,' a strange truth hits us.  We are free only until we make a choice!  After that, that choice controls us and becomes a yoke!  Whether drinking, smoking, or playing computer games, you are free only until you start.  It becomes our Yoke of bondage after we get hooked!  We are all creatures of habit, with passions and weaknesses, that when we break one Yoke, we at once bend our necks to another and begin to serve something else.  One who makes his belly his god bows down to the lusts of the flesh.  Jesus said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For...

A Step of Faith!

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a great visionary to have thought of Space programs as early as 1962.  The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up by the Government of India under the leadership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962, as envisioned by Dr. Vikram A. Sarabhai.  Mrs. Indra Gandhi formed ISRO on August 15, 1969, and it superseded INCOSPAR with an expanded role in harnessing Space technology.  The journey to conquer Space has been long and arduous, but India has made a mark in world history when Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon on August 23, 2023.  Committing to entering Space when there was nothing visible, I believe, was a step of faith!

Humility!

The Book of Deuteronomy is the farewell address of Moses to the Israelites.  In his first address, Moses recaps the Exodus, and in the second address, Moses goes over the laws given by God.  His third address talks about God's covenant with His people!  Moses beautifully takes the second-generation Israelites through their history so that God can build up their faith.  Moses played the roles of Prophet, Priest, and King perfectly.  What made Moses such a great leader?  Was it his education in Egypt or his natural intelligence?  Was it his leadership qualities or his inherent talents?  I believe what made Moses genuinely great was his humility!  God used Moses bec...

The Tabernacle

God used just two chapters to tell us all about His creative activity. But, around fifty chapters of the Bible are devoted to the wilderness tabernacle and the system of sacrifices, which caught my attention! Then it must be a relatively important topic as far as God is concerned.  I believe the Holy Spirit, the author of all scripture, has a unique and significant purpose in so doing!  We do not have any part to play in the Creation.  It is just information for us, but God established the Tabernacle for the benefit of Man. In the garden of Eden, the LORD God walked with Adam and Eve and fellowshipped with them.  But sin destroyed that fellowship.  The Tabernacle was God's idea, God's initiative, and G...

Traveling On My Knees

Some time back, I had the opportunity to read the poem, 'Traveling on my knees,' written by Sandra Goodwin on my friend's Facebook page.  It is a beautiful poem where the poet wrote her response to Jesus when Jesus told her of the people in need in faraway lands.  The call of Jesus truly challenged her.

Jesus, I can't go to lands across the seas.

He answered quickly, "Yes, you can by traveling on your knees."

And so I did; knelt in prayer, gave up some hours of ease,

And with the Savior by my side, I traveled on my kne...