Meeting Jesus!

Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord according to the law of Moses.  There they met Simeon, a godly man.  Simeon had a gracious promise made to him that he would see the Messiah before he died.  The Bible says Simeon was just and devout and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25-35).  He was known for his piety and communion with God.  We read of another person who blessed Jesus that day.  It was Anna, the daughter of Phanuel (Luke 2:36-38).  The Bible says this godly woman served God with total devotion.  Anna's close walk with God was shown by her love for Jesus.  The Bible says in Verse 38 that "…  in that i...

Celebrating Christmas!

Advent means arrival or visit.  Advent reminds us of the birth of Jesus around 2,000 years ago and points to the second coming of Christ.  Advent is a time of joy and celebration!  For some, it is about wreaths, candles, and Christmas trees.  For some, it is about buying grand new dresses and decorating their homes.  It is about baking, making savories, and planning big parties for some.  For some, it is about singing carols and attending carol services.  Christmas has become more about greed, consumerism, and personal enjoyment!  If Advent points to the second coming of Christ, how should we celebrate Christmas?  That is the question we have to answer today!

The Lord’s Prayer

As soon as we hear the phrase 'The Lord's Prayer,' what comes to our mind is the prayer Jesus taught His disciples.  This prayer is addressed to the Father: "Our Father who art in heaven…."  (Matthew 6: 9-13).   This prayer could have been rightly called the 'Disciple's Prayer!  Our Lord Jesus constantly prayed throughout His ministry.  He prayed even from the Cross.  Our Lord's prayer in John's 17th chapter is the most extended recorded prayer.  John Knox of Scotland was known for his prayer life.  'Give me Scotland, or I die' is the most quoted of all his prayers.  He asked his wife to read John's 17th chapter again and again on his deathbed...

Forgiving others!

Forgiveness does not mean we ignore the wrong done to us.  Forgiveness is not that we pretend that it did not happen.  It happened, and it did matter.  We were hurt, and we were wronged.  Otherwise, there would be nothing to forgive.  But forgiveness is a choice.  It does not change the facts.  It is looking hard at the facts and making a conscious decision of the moral will to set the hurt aside so that it does not come as a barrier between the people involved.  It is easy to say but far more challenging to do!  Today many families are broken because of unforgiveness!

Let us see what Jesus taught about forgive...

Beware of False Teachers

The writers of Scripture take false teaching very seriously, and so must we.  Throughout the New Testament, we see numerous examples of men named false teachers and traitors to the gospel.  Paul warned Timothy that Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus had made a shipwreck of their faith and swerved from the truth ( 1 Tim 1:18-20; 2 Tim 2:16-18).  Their false teaching will spread like cancer unless handled with utmost seriousness.  Failure to do so will result in the infection spreading.  The apostle John also warned his readers of Diotrephes in 3 John 9-10.  Jesus warned the disciples saying, "Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly t...

Martha

I can be categorized as a Type A personality, but these traits vary from person to person.  When I think of myself, I am pretty driven and task-oriented.  I usually start the day with a to-do list since I am well organized.  In my life, everything has a place, and everything has to be in its place!  I cannot sit when things are lying around or have much to do.  These traits contribute to a lot of unnecessary stress, and as such, I can readily identify with Martha!  In the first-century home without any modern gadgets, cooking for a group from scratch is a great challenge, and it is no wonder Martha was irritated with Mary.  It was not that Mary was lazy, but Mary sat at Jesus' feet....

The Prompting of the Holy Spirit!

The earring on my right ear has a way of coming off; a few years back, I lost a pearl earring from that ear.  Sometime back, I had my diamond earring on, and it came unscrewed three or four times, and every time I noticed it, I said, 'Thank you, Jesus, ' and tightened it, feeling thankful to God for prompting me.  This happened many times, and one day I lost the earring!  I searched everywhere but could not find it.  My loss was great.  Last winter, my thin chain came off the hook and fell on the heavily carpeted floor in my son's house in the US, and by chance, I noticed it.  As I picked it up, I automatically said, 'Thank you, Jesus,' but the Lord said in my heart, ‘it is not enough’! It is...

Unrecognized Treasure!

One day in 1799, twelve-year-old Conrad Reed found a large yellow rock-like substance shining in the water in Little Meadow Creek, Cabarrus County, North Carolina.  Conrad retrieved it and found it to be some metal.  The huge wedge-shaped nugget weighed 17 pounds!  He showed the rock to his father, John Reed, who, unable to identify it, immediately used it as a doorstop!  There it sat as a door-stopper for three years unnoticed while the Reeds tended their farm.​  In 1802, John showed the 'doorstop' to a jeweler in Fayetteville, who recognized the metal as gold!  The Reeds had the seventeen-pound golden nugget all along, but they never realized its value, so they did not benefit.  T...

The Test of Obedience!

The Hebrew word Eden means 'delight and pleasure' and is symbolic of the ultimate source of all delight and pleasure.  It was a perfect world created by God for Man.  Adam's work was also pleasurable.   Fruit-bearing trees filled the garden.  All that Adam and Eve saw were theirs.  God Himself walked with them every evening.  While God allowed Adam and Eve to enjoy every tree, He forbade them to partake of one tree!  That was His command and the Lord followed it with a pronouncement of punishment to impress upon them the importance of that command!  I do not know if that forbidden tree had magical properties, but I believe it was a test of obedience!  What G...

The Lord will go before you!

Since I enrolled myself in a program, 'Understanding Genesis 1-11' conducted by THEOn ( Theology online), I started reading Genesis afresh again!  The creation story not only brings out God's power and plan but also displays God's very nature!  God created all that we see from nothing (ex-nihilo).  The order of Creation speaks volumes about God's heart.  God created the environment needed to sustain life in the first three days.  God created the sun and moon on the fourth day to mark the seasons, days, and years.   All living beings need a twenty-four-hour cycle of day and night; that is why God created the sun and moon before He created the living beings.  On the fifth day, Go...