God’s Guidance!

Parks in our neighborhood (Anna Nagar, Chennai) are not very big, so my husband does not like walking in those parks.  We usually walk along the sidewalks in Anna Nagar.  The sidewalks on significant roads have maintenance holes covered with covers at regular intervals.  My husband always says that we should not walk on those covers.  So whenever I see a cover, I hear my husband in my head saying, 'Walk around it.'  It is challenging not to listen to his voice, so I invariably walk around it!  In every believer's heart, we can hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit pointing us in the right direction, but obeying or ignoring it rests with us.  When we get angry with someone and utter...

Worthy of God’s Blessings!

There is an incident recorded in Luke 10:1-12 where Jesus sent His followers out two by two.  Jesus gave clear instructions, asking them not to carry money, a bag, a knapsack, or sandals.  Whenever they entered a house, Jesus instructed them to say, "Peace to this house." Jesus said if a son of peace were in the place, then peace would rest on him, and if not, it would return to the disciples!  There is a profound principle here!  Just because someone pronounced a blessing of peace, peace will not be in that person's life; he has to deserve it!  When people pray for us, they pronounce many blessings upon our lives.  We sometimes stand in long queues to get prayed over with blessings so that o...

A Prayer of David

Psalm 142 is titled 'A Contemplation of David,  A Prayer when he was in the cave.'  David calls this prayer a 'maskil' or a Psalm of instruction because of the lessons he had learned while in the cave that he desired to teach others.  The cave was probably Adullam cave, mentioned in 1 Samuel 22:1, and Psalms 34 and 57 are also associated with this period of David's life.  David prayed when he was in the cave and every time he faced oppression.   Charles Spurgeon says if David had prayed half as much when he was in the palace as he did when he was in caves and in distress, it would have been better for him.  While in the palace, David arose from his bed, looked down from the roof, and fel...

Thou art the man!

My father, Rev. Ayyadorai Asirvatham, used to preach from the time I remember him.  But he was ordained as a Presbyter in the CSI Diocese under Bishop Lesslie Newbigin only much later. He served the CSI Diocese as an honorary Presbyter in Redeemers Church and San Thome Tamil Church. My father usually gave catchy captions for his sermons. He captioned his sermon on Naaman as, ‘But, he was a leper.’  Speaking from a text in the book of Jeremiah, he captioned his sermon as, ‘Is there no balm in Gilead?’ He captioned his sermon on David as, ‘Thou art the man!’ Even though I do not remember the points he made or the challenges he gave, the titles have stuck with me!  

I am amaz...

Lessons from the life of King Saul

Google Maps is a much sought-after app that has become the go-to app while traveling.  It offers directions; the best part is you do not have to take your eyes off the road to see the map.  It speaks out and says much ahead of time whether you have to turn left or right.  If you obey that voice, you will reach your destination!  It is so wonderful to have such a traveling companion!  I was reminded of the verse in Isaiah 30:21 while thinking of the Google App.  The Lord speaks and directs those willing to listen: "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left."  Saul h...

Naomi

The Internet is rife with Mother-in-Law jokes, and each one is terribly mean.  That makes me wonder what kind of a mother-in-law I am.  One of these days, I must ask my daughters-in-love where I stand on a scale of one to ten!  When we read the book of Ruth, we primarily focus on Ruth and so easily miss noticing what a great person Naomi was.  Naomi had some very remarkable qualities.  I believe there is a lot to learn from the life of Naomi.  

First and foremost, I can feel love in their relationship.  The way Naomi addressed her daughter-in-law as 'daughter' and the way she looked for her welfare demonstrates that bond of love.&...

The Winning Attitude

The Holy Bible is a treasure, and every time you read it, the Holy Spirit opens your understanding to some new truth.  When I read the book of Ruth this time, her attitude caught my attention.  When Boaz noticed Ruth in his field among his reapers, he asked them who she was.  They told him that she was Naomi's daughter-in-law.  Boaz had already heard of her kindness to Naomi, so he requested Ruth to stay with his young women and commanded the young men not to touch her.  When Ruth heard Boaz, she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me since I am a foreigner?" (Ruth 2:10).  When bad...

God’s Perspective!

Our second son lives in San Diego, USA.  While visiting San Diego for the first time, I thought I would see a flat terrain like Chennai since it is on the Pacific coast.  But on the contrary, it was full of hills, valleys, and ups and downs.  

When we go on walks, we can see beautiful scenes of God's creation.  There were valleys, hills, and a lake far away; what you saw depended on where you stood!  It brought to mind a quote from C. S. Lewis: 'What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing,' and that quote made absolute sense to me.  In life, what you see depends on where you stand and with whom you are stan...

Circumcision of the Heart

Even though the Old Testament law required physical circumcision, the Law and the Prophets talk about the need for the 'Circumcision of the Heart'  repeatedly.  Deuteronomy 10:16 says, "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked."Jeremiah 4:4 says, "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings."  The Bible says in Romans 2:28-29, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly...

The Accursed thing

We are now surrounded by preachers who ask us to hold on to God's promises to inherit His blessings!  They encourage people to name it and claim it!  They never talk about our obedience to God's Word or the sin that entangles us.  They only talk about what everyone loves to hear, that God is always ready to bless.  "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11).  Such a famine has already come.  Even though people have the Bible in their hands, they do not preach what the Bible says!  There is no way God will overlook sin. &nb...