Seated on the Throne!

Uzziah ruled as king of Judah for fifty-two years (2 Chronicles 26).  His reign marked the height of Judah's power. The army of King Uzziah was well organized and well equipped.  Special machinery that launched arrows and hurled large stone defended the walls of Jerusalem. Uzziah fought successfully against other nations and expanded the kingdom.  He constructed strong fortifications and dug many wells. Being a man given to farming, Uzziah possessed herds of cattle and even reclaimed the desert areas by water conservation. Isaiah was born and raised during the reign of King Uzziah, and at Uzziah's death, Isaiah experienced a deep sense of loss and fear for his nation's future.  When Isaiah began to fear for...

Under the Sun!

When we see the things that are happening around us, it is very distressing. Those who are supposed to protect the people commit cold-blooded murders. Those who are supposed to uphold justice themselves pervert justice and favor the criminals. Those who have to protect the children violate them sexually and murder them. Even animals do not assault their young ones in this manner! It is not the first time such things are happening. They happen all the time! I think such people think that in this world, they have it all figured out and that they have nothing to fear! They believe their money can buy their freedom. They believe their great connections will help them. They believe their political power will save them. That is why they think they can do wh...

The Message

The Bible is a message of grace, mercy, hope, and eternal life offered to Mankind because of the love God had toward His children.  The right response of Man to such self-giving love is to love the LORD our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. (Matthew 22:37) and obey His commandments. God longs for our love and obedience, prompted by that love.  Whenever I think of the Message of the Bible, I can only think of two things – love God and obey God!  Love for God shows our faith and obedience to His Word shows that faith in action!  In my mind, all other commandments are contained within this.

As I was reading the book of Ecclesiastes...

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...