The Devil’s Foothold!

The lock-down has been a time of refreshing for the soul! God has given us time to look within and come to terms with even what you may call 'small' sins.  We think of some sins as 'small' and brush them under the carpet!  But in the eyes of God, sin is sin. It is missing the mark as detailed in the Word of God.  There is nothing ‘small’ about it.  Sin in our life gives a foothold for the devil!  Someone explained foothold with an example.  Imagine a thief is chasing us. We run-up to our room and try to close the door, but the person sticks his shoe at the bottom end of the door, and so we are unable to close it. That part of his foot that prevents us from closing the door is called a 'footho...

I will guide you with my eye!

My mother-in-law raised five wonderful children.  My husband tells me that when they were very young, if they misbehaved while visiting someone or when friends visited their home, one look from their mother would make them stop whatever they were doing.  If they had been a little noisy, that look would silence them. The children perfectly understood the message in their mother's eyes and knew exactly what will happen next if they did not obey immediately! An outsider might not understand what exactly transpired, but the children will understand the instruction.  I am sure this has happened in many homes!  

I recently heard Rev. Isaac Johnson of St. Andrew's Kirk, Chennai explain it like this. The Lo...

Out of the Comfort zone!

If someone had a comfortable life in exile, it was Nehemiah.  Nehemiah occupied a prominent position in the emperor's court. He was the trusted cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I, and he lived in Shushan the citadel. One day, Hanani, one of the brothers, brought news from Judah and Jerusalem. By then, the Temple at Jerusalem had been rebuilt,  but the Jewish community was dispirited and defenseless against its non-Jewish neighbors. When Nehemiah heard the news of the desolate condition of Jerusalem, he was deeply disturbed. The Bible says in Neh. 1:4 that he sat down and wept and mourned for many days.  He also fasted and prayed. We all know the story of how Nehemiah obtained permission from Artaxerxes to journey to Palestine...

Prayers of Ezra and Nehemiah

Ezra and Nehemiah took up the long journey to Jerusalem from Babylon during the time of King Artaxerxes.  Ezra took up his journey in the King's 7th year and Nehemiah in the King's 20th year.  Both of them fasted and prayed for the remnant and the task that lay ahead and initiated extensive moral reforms.  But what caught my attention was the fact that both Ezra and Nehemiah did not distance themselves from the actions of the people. Nehemiah prayed saying, "both my father's house and I have sinned" (Neh 1:6). Ezra prayed saying, "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the he...

Sitting at the feet of Jesus

We read about Jesus visiting the home of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42.  The Bible says that Martha was distracted with much serving while her sister Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His Word.   Mary's action disturbed Martha, but when she spoke to the Lord about this, Jesus answered her, saying, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." We all know about this incident.  I always wondered about what Jesus meant when He said 'the good part which will not be taken away.'

We have all been like Martha doi...

Prayer of Jehoshaphat

As we live through the coronavirus problem and all the events it has triggered – loss of jobs, loss of livelihood, loss of freedom of movement, rising cost of living and loss of buying power- it’s actual impact is beyond our imagination.  We have no power against it and we do not know what to do.  Our lives will NEVER be the same again.  Even when life resumes, we will be doing many things differently and those differences will become permanent-  BC/ AC Before Corona and After Corona!

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read about the problem that encountered Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat.  Jehoshaphat identifies the external problem as the armies of Moab, Ammon, and Edom coming against...

Do this in remembrance of Me!

Evangelist Arputharaj Margoschis retired as the headmaster of Caldwell School in Thoothukudi. It seems he had a dream one day. In that dream, he saw the Lord Jesus hanging on the Cross and a young man shaking the Cross again and again. It made Jesus cry out in pain. In the dream, brother Arputharaj was anguished and cried out, saying, 'who is this man Lord, who is making you go through so much pain again and again?'  He heard a clear voice saying, 'You are that man.' He was shattered and realized every time he committed a sin, he was hurting Jesus again and again.  It was he who wrote this beautiful song which I love dearly, and sadly there is no English translation for it.

சிலுவை நாதர் இய...

What are you seeking?

A friend of ours once said that he learned about living a godly life, having a godly home and bringing up children in a godly way from the EU meetings he used to attend during his college days. He had sought to know how to be a godly husband and father even before he got married, and he found it. Many would have attended the same meeting or similar meetings, but all did not learn those lessons!  People go for such meetings or attend church services for various reasons.  Some attend to look holy. Some attend to meet friends. Some attend just out of compulsion or habit. If everyone seeks to know God's way of living, all will benefit. Different people seek different things, and you find what you seek!

A Wake-up Call!

When natural disasters and diseases occur, they are usually confined to some corner of the globe.  When tsunami attacked the southern shores of Chennai, the other places in Chennai were safe.  When earthquake rocked Bhuj in Gujarat, the other places in Gujarat were safe.  When Hurricane Katrina made landfall near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, the other places in the US were safe.  But the coronavirus has engulfed the whole globe at the same time!  The only other time I can think of such a calamity befalling all humanity at the same time was when the floodwaters engulfed the earth at the time of Noah!  At that time, the people did not know that others were also suffering because it was a time before global communications.  The scale may be different, but t...

Nehushtan

Every cloud has a silver lining, they say, and this coronavirus sure has one!  We are confined to our homes due to the nature of the virus.  Lenten days are exceptional in the Church calendar; the Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday culminating in Easter celebrations.  We were blessed much since most of the churches conducted their services online, we could listen to more messages and thereby be edified, challenged, and uplifted.  What was broken was just the tradition around these services. If you think about it, God is not interested in our customs and traditions.  He is interested only in our hearts. He wants every child of His to seek His face, hear His voice, and obey His commands!