Let your light so shine…

One of the worst Home Improvement projects for plants is painting works!  All pots must be moved and relocated, which is never a good thing for the plants.  However much you may tell the workers that the plants are essential for you, the plants get piled one on top of the other and poorly treated!  We have a Jasmine creeper in our garden, and through everything around it, it still managed to put forth flowers and spread its fragrance.  And that plant taught me a lesson!  The purpose of the Jasmine plant was to flower and spread its fragrance.   It accomplished its goal even when no one watered it.  Even when the painters dumped the pots at their roots, the Jasmine plant bloomed...

THE WONDER OF GOD'S TOMORROW

We celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries, which mark the beginning of a new year in our lives.  These are times we often look back and take stock of our lives and make new decisions!  Entering the land promised to Abraham also marked a new beginning for the Israelites.  On the banks of river Jordan, Joshua urges the people saying, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you" (Josh 3:5).  In Lev 11:44, the Bible gives the reason for this command, "…  you are to sanctify yourselves and be holy because I am holy".  The Bible also says, "Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow" (Josh 7:13).  So Jo...

Dangerous Questions!

Our son loves driving long distances.  From the time the grandchildren are born, they are used to long drives by car.  Whenever we visited the US, we used to accompany them on their travel and see various places.  When the children were young, they used to ask a question repeatedly.  That question was, 'Are we there yet?'  Every half-hour or so, they will ask the same question, and finally, my son would say, 'I will tell you when we get there.  Look outside and enjoy the ride!'  Being strapped to a car seat has its challenges!  The Jewish people during the time of Prophet Malachi had questions to God.  They were not silly and annoying questions but dangerous ques...

Living to eat or eating to live

Living to eat and eating to live are two everyday phrases commonly used by all.  At the outset, it may look like they are not much different since we all have to eat, no matter what!  But there is a world of difference between the two phrases.  When we say living to eat, the focus is on eating, and when we say eating to live, the focus is on living!  The question is, what drives us?  Is it the desire to eat good food all the time or eat what is needed to live a healthy life?  Consider what drives us.  Is it the desire to please God or do what we have to do somehow or the other?  How we do things or what we do shows what we consider as the essential thing in our life. ...

Questions to God!

Sometimes our hearts are filled with questions.  We want to know why God is doing something or not doing something the way we expect!  Last week we had been to our daughter-in-law's parent's place to celebrate her father's seventy-fifth birthday, and God chose to call him home just a day before his birthday.  It was so shocking.  Our hearts are filled with questions when we go through physical and emotional pain.  It is natural, and it is not wrong to pose those questions to God.  When we go through acute financial crisis, our hearts are filled with questions!  Why me?  Why now?  Will I ever come out of this?  God, where are You?  These are so...

Praying without Ceasing!

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17) is a verse that puzzles us always.  Did Jesus pray nonstop?  The Bible says (Luke 2) that Jesus was a carpenter, helping out his father before being baptized by John in the Jordan River.  Indeed this work must have prevented Jesus from continuous prayer, yet this Bible verse challenges us to pray continuously, to cover every moment with prayer.  When we are called to live everyday lives, how is it possible to pray without ceasing?  That is the question we have to answer today.  While working in HTL, Chennai, I used to drive to work whenever the car was available.  One day I was driving to work with a distressed heart.  Sittin...

Intercessory Prayers!

In his own words, Amos was no prophet, nor was he a son of a prophet, but was a sheep breeder and a tender of sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14).  He was from Tekoa, a small town in Judah, the southern kingdom.  But God chose Amos to deliver His warning messages to the northern kingdom and the surrounding nations.  Amos went to Bethel from Tekoa, delivered his message, and returned to his business!  The Lord showed Amos some visions of His impending judgment in the event Israel did not heed His warnings, repent and return to Him.  What is amazing about Amos is his intercessory prayer.  Amos not only delivered God's message to the people but also interceded for them.  The Lord showed Amos th...

The Day of the Lord!

The Day of the Lord is a major theme of Old Testament prophecy.  It is not an isolated or a single event in human history.  It describes any period in which God 'comes down in a dramatic way to bring wrath and judgment and awaken the hearts to repentance.  Joel wrote to call Israel to repentance (Joel 2:12) based on its experience of the recent locust plague.  In some contexts, the Day of the Lord also includes deliverance and restoration for the righteous.  The day of the Lord speaks not only of future judgment but also of future hope, prosperity, and blessing too.  When the plague of locusts and the drought devastated Judah, you might have thought that Joel would speak words of encouragement.  He could have said, '...

Lesson from the Life of Hosea!

Hosea ministered as a prophet in a time of relative peace and prosperity but rampant wickedness.  God knew it would take a rude wake-up call to move this wayward nation of Israel to repentance.  God delivered the shock through the life of Hosea.  Every relationship has its own set of problems but marriage being the most sacred and intimate of all relationships, unfaithfulness in this relationship is most hurtful!  That is why God chose this relationship to teach the people of Israel an object lesson through the life of Hosea.   Just as Gomer dishonored the marriage covenant, the nation of Israel dishonored its covenant with God.  Gomer’s adultery and the names of her children (“not loved...

Daniel

I have heard many sermons preached on the life and character of Daniel. But when a friend of mine pointed out a certain incident in his life, it was truly an eye-opener. Daniel was just 16 years old when he was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon. The chief of the eunuchs in Nebuchadnezzar's court (Dan 1:7) even gave them new names! Daniel's Jewish name meant ‘God is my Judge'. The name given to Daniel by the Babylonians was, Belteshazzar which meant, 'Lady Protect the King' referring to the goddess Sarpanitu, wife of Marduk. The Babylonians gave similar names after their gods to Daniel's friends also.

Rabbi Benjamin Blech in his article on the ‘Judaism and the Power of Names' says that in the Hebrew culture names were co...