God, my Rock and my Refuge!

In life, we cross paths with different kinds of people.  Some we can remember with affection and some with pain.  Some we cannot forget for their positive impact, and some for their negative impact!  When we remember some, without our knowledge, a smile breaks out on our faces, but tears swell in our eyes when we remember some!  This is not just my experience with friends and colleagues alone.  Sometimes, we have such experiences even with family members!  We can quickly identify with David, who said, "Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Ps 41:9).  Such experiences are very stressful for me. &nb...

Two young kings!

There were two young kings in the history of Judah!  Joash became king when he was seven years old (2 Kings 11; 2 Ch.24).  When Athaliah killed all the royal heirs, the sister of King Ahaziah and her husband Jehoiada saved Joash and kept him hidden.  At the right time, Jehoiada made Joash king.  King Amon, son of Manasseh, was assassinated by his servants, and the same servants made his son Josiah king in his place in his eighth year.  Jehoiada, his uncle, guided Joash.  Josiah also must have been guided by someone, even though the Bible does not say so explicitly.  After the death of Jehoiada, Joash walked away from the ways of the Lord.   But Josiah stayed true to t...

Humble yourself….

God has been teaching me about humility.  Humility is a great virtue; the Bible encourages us to humble ourselves.  While answering the question of who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus said, "… whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:4).  The apostles also state, "Humble yourselves" (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).  It is advisable to humble ourselves, ourselves!  If the Lord humbles us, it will be unbearable.  Before God humbled King Manasseh, he was steeped in idol worship.  God humbled Manasseh by allowing the captains of the army of the king of Assyria to take Manasseh with hooks bound with bronze...

Amaziah, the half-hearted king!

The Bible says Amaziah, the king of Judah, did not wholeheartedly follow the Lord.  This aptly summarizes a reign plagued by compromise.  Though Amaziah could respect the Mosaic law and respond to prophecy, it is with mixed motives, and it is no surprise that he turned away from following the Lord.  Throughout the Scriptures, we find that when the people of God were ‘half-hearted’ in their service, their hearts quickly strayed away from the Lord.  Half-heartedness in serving God is a severe mistake.  It gives no satisfaction to our Lord and it does not fill our soul with lasting joy.  This attitude in serving the Lord will lead one to darkness, doubt, worldliness, and guilt.  We can...

Under His Wings!

My mother, Indrani Asirvatham, was a pianist.  She also had a sweet soprano voice.  During my college days, we used to choose songs with meaningful words from 'Songs and Solos,' and we used to learn to sing.  We just sang by ourselves as the words ministered to our souls!  This was one such song!

Under His wings, I am safely abiding;

Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,

Still, I can trust Him—I know He will keep me;

He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

The Purpose Driven Life

Pastor Rick Warren, the author of 'The Purpose Driven Life,' says we do not find our life's purpose because we start at the wrong starting point, ourselves!  We did not create ourselves, and so we cannot find the purpose of our existence by looking within us as Eastern religions suggest.  If someone makes a gadget and gives it to us, we cannot understand its purpose unless the designer tells us!  The Lord of the Universe has created us, and only He can tell the purpose for which He created Man.  The Bible says, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, …. All things were created through Him and for Him" (Col. 1:16).  That means we cannot understand...

You are not forgotten!

Movies and documentaries of the Second World War fascinate me.   The strategies employed and the meticulous planning behind every victory are worth understanding and appreciating.  They are great to read and watch because we know the final outcome.  I read an account of a rescue mission in WWII  history sometime back.  When the US Army was forced to retreat from the Philippines, some of their soldiers became prisoners of the Japanese.  By early 1945, only 513 men were alive at the Cabanatuan prison camp.  In an astonishing feat, 120 US Army soldiers and 200 Filipino guerrillas outflanked 8000 Japanese soldiers to rescue the POWs.  Alvie Robbins was one of the rescuers, and he later described how he found a...

Christmas disillusionment

I love to read Calvin and Hobbes's comic strips written by cartoonist Bill Watterson.  The main characters in this strip are Calvin, a six-year-old boy, and his (toy) tiger, Hobbes.  In one story, Calvin makes a long list of his expected gifts from Santa.  His Mom takes the list and reads it with much apprehension.  She knows that Calvin will be a sad little boy on Christmas day because she cannot buy any of the items on that list!  And that got me thinking, will I be happy or sad on Christmas day.  The level of joy at Christmas is directly related to what we seek at Christmas.  What would make your Christmas wonderful and satisfying?  Think about it.  Is it find...

To whom did Jesus come

Awe and wonder mark the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.  Now, notice to whom the angels first go and share the good news.  I might have expected the angels to have gone to the Temple to tell the religious leaders what God was doing.  They should have gone to the governor and let him know that something extraordinary was happening in Bethlehem.  They should have gone to Herod.  After all, he was the king of Judea at that time.  They should have told Herod that God was doing a great thing in Bethlehem and that the King of kings had been born.  But the angels, instead of telling the elite and influential, announced Messiah's birth to a bunch of shepherds.  Of all the p...

Run to Win

As we near the end of the year, we are reminded of the many who have been called to glory!  Some have been plucked away in the prime of life and some have finished their innings.  Those of us who are still running, have to be careful to run our race carefully till the end.  Paul uses the illustration of a runner in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to describe a Christian. When we think of sports, we know that some will get disqualified. Some may fail to reach the goal. All run, but only one receives the prize. Even great players have a bad day! Not everyone can participate. It is all for a select few.  But in Christian faith, the call to run is for every believer!  All of us can finish well and receive eternal life. If it is just for a select few, I will not be...