The importance of Obedience!

Obedience is an important virtue! The human heart is so prone to breaking the moral and ethical rules of the society that we need a figure of authority or a Word of authority to keep us from straying! As parents, we want our children to obey us not because we love to throw our weight around and boss over them. It is because we do not want them to commit the same mistakes and suffer! We may not be able to explain the reasons always, but if they can just obey, they can be saved from many problems! Many times, life opportunities are lost permanently due to disobedience! My mother, who was an excellent pianist tried teaching me to play the piano. But I did not practice enough and learn from her, and thus, I lost a great opportunity in my life, forever! Parents are the authorit...

The Good Works!

It is said that Alexander the Great, on his death bed asked his generals to fulfill his last three wishes. His first wish was that his physicians alone must carry his coffin because no doctor can really cure anyone. Doctors can treat all they can, but healing comes from God. Secondly, he wished that when his casket was being carried to the grave, the path should be strewn with gold, silver, and the precious stones he had collected all through his life. He wanted the people to realize that chasing wealth was a waste of time. Thirdly, he wished to have both his hands dangling out of his casket for he wanted the people to know that he came empty handed into this world and that he went empty-handed out of this world.

The Bible has a lot to say about 'works.'...

The Amazing Grace!

Our daughter in law had put together a write-up on 'Grace' to teach our two granddaughters about being kind, tolerant, and forgiving towards one another! They are just 10 and 8 but still, I guess, it is never too early to understand Grace, or to try living it out! She had brought out how we can live out the Grace which we have received unconditionally in such abundance from the Cross of Jesus in everyday living. She had said that we can show Grace by looking after the needs of others. We can show Grace by keeping short accounts; by forgiving; by accepting everyone and by being the first to say sorry. It touched my heart, afresh! As adults, we think we know all about Grace, but many times we forget the Grace we have received at the Cross in our everyday dealings...

Humbling ourselves before God!

Some years back, I really got confused about fasting. I thought, if my 'fasting' can bring answers, then it was like God's answers were based on something that I can actually 'do.' That cannot be true for God cannot be manipulated by our 'actions'. Answers to prayer depend on many things like our faith, our choices, God's time, and His will for our lives. So, for one whole year, I stopped 'fasting,' but of course, I prayed! If we sincerely seek answers, God has a unique way of answering our questions and providing answers! Here is what I understood!

'Fasting' is a way of humbling ourselves before God. What then is humbling ourselves before God? We think kneeling and praying is humbling ourselves before G...

Are you a Christian?

A friend of ours shared this true story! One day as he was driving to work, he found a scooter and a man knocked down on the side of the road. The vehicles were steadily moving along, and he had a split second to make a decision. The man was in his sixties and had trouble getting up even though he was not severely hurt. So, he stopped the car and got down. He helped the fallen man up, gave him water, and offered to take him to some doctor. The man thanked him and said that he was alright and that he can manage by himself. As our friend turned to leave, the man called him and asked him a question, "Are you a Christian?" Our friend was shocked by that question, knowing how people relate 'good works' with being a Christian. From that day, whenever our...

Trials and Temptations!

In the Bible, the words trial and temptation are translated interchangeably, and that is kind of confusing. In the Lord's prayer, the Bible says in Matthew 6:13, 'Lead us not into temptation' but James 1:13 clearly states that God does not tempt anyone! A preacher once explained it beautifully.

To understand this, we have to first find out whether God can tempt anyone to sin. Knowing the nature of God through the Bible, we must understand that God will never deliberately lead a person to commit sin because that would completely go against His character and His purpose. Jesus paid the price for our sins on the Cross and imputed His righteousness to us so that the Father will see us as sinless and righteous. It is not in His interest that...

Dare to Leave the Boat!

Decisions are always hard. Critical decisions are very hard! Sometimes God closes all the doors and opens just one, and that is the best of all! But many times, the Lord allows us to choose. He expects us to make responsible decisions based on His Word and His revealed will. That I guess, is the hardest.

Sometimes we take some split-second decisions which we regret for life! After feeding the five thousand men, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side. We read about this incident in Matthew 14:22-33. While the disciples were all in the boat, they experienced rough weather. Jesus saw them struggling (Mark 6:48) and went to them walking on water. Initially, they were afraid but then as soon as Jesus spoke to them, Peter want...

Lessons from Fig Tree

People take pride in many things! People take pride in their education, in their jobs, and in their possessions! Some take pride in the number of times they have read the Bible or how they read it. Reading the Bible is important, but obeying the Word is far more important. Some take pride in how they observe Sundays too! Observing Sundays with Godly activities is good but what we do on all the other six days is far more important to God.

We read about Jesus cursing the fig tree in Mark 11:11-18. Of all the miracles in the ministry of Jesus, this is the only destructive miracle. If this was the only miracle of its kind, then there must be an important lesson in it! Jesus encountered the fruitless fig tree the day after the triumphant entry. Why did Jesus look for...

Excuses!

We all give excuses. Excuses are a way of life! It was no different during the time of Jesus. Once Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath. And there He taught the people using a parable. Jesus said that a man arranged a great feast and invited many (Luke 14: 16-24). The Bible says that all the invitees began to make excuses with one accord. The first said, that he had bought a piece of ground and that he must go and see it. Another said that he had bought five yokes of oxen and that he was going to test them. Still, another said that he had married a wife, and therefore he cannot come. No one buys land without seeing it first, and no one buys oxen without testing them. They were literally 'making' excuses!...

He is not here!

The resurrection appearance of Jesus to some women, especially Mary Magdalene is recorded in all the four Gospels. It is a very compelling narrative. John's Gospel says that Mary stood outside the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb (John 20:11-18). She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. When the angels asked her why she was weeping

Mary said it was because she could not find the body of Jesus! Matthew, Mark, and Luke record that the Angelic announcement, "He is not here; He is risen." John draws our attention to Jesus standing beside Mary, but she did not see Him. Only when Jesus called her name, she recognized Jesus! Mary expected to see a...