His Yoke!

When we think of 'freedom,' a strange truth hits us.  We are free only until we make a choice!  After that, that choice controls us and becomes a yoke!  Whether drinking, smoking, or playing computer games, you are free only until you start.  It becomes our Yoke of bondage after we get hooked!  We are all creatures of habit, with passions and weaknesses, that when we break one Yoke, we at once bend our necks to another and begin to serve something else.  One who makes his belly his god bows down to the lusts of the flesh.  Jesus said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For...

A Step of Faith!

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a great visionary to have thought of Space programs as early as 1962.  The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up by the Government of India under the leadership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962, as envisioned by Dr. Vikram A. Sarabhai.  Mrs. Indra Gandhi formed ISRO on August 15, 1969, and it superseded INCOSPAR with an expanded role in harnessing Space technology.  The journey to conquer Space has been long and arduous, but India has made a mark in world history when Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon on August 23, 2023.  Committing to entering Space when there was nothing visible, I believe, was a step of faith!

Humility!

The Book of Deuteronomy is the farewell address of Moses to the Israelites.  In his first address, Moses recaps the Exodus, and in the second address, Moses goes over the laws given by God.  His third address talks about God's covenant with His people!  Moses beautifully takes the second-generation Israelites through their history so that God can build up their faith.  Moses played the roles of Prophet, Priest, and King perfectly.  What made Moses such a great leader?  Was it his education in Egypt or his natural intelligence?  Was it his leadership qualities or his inherent talents?  I believe what made Moses genuinely great was his humility!  God used Moses bec...

The Tabernacle

God used just two chapters to tell us all about His creative activity. But, around fifty chapters of the Bible are devoted to the wilderness tabernacle and the system of sacrifices, which caught my attention! Then it must be a relatively important topic as far as God is concerned.  I believe the Holy Spirit, the author of all scripture, has a unique and significant purpose in so doing!  We do not have any part to play in the Creation.  It is just information for us, but God established the Tabernacle for the benefit of Man. In the garden of Eden, the LORD God walked with Adam and Eve and fellowshipped with them.  But sin destroyed that fellowship.  The Tabernacle was God's idea, God's initiative, and G...

Traveling On My Knees

Some time back, I had the opportunity to read the poem, 'Traveling on my knees,' written by Sandra Goodwin on my friend's Facebook page.  It is a beautiful poem where the poet wrote her response to Jesus when Jesus told her of the people in need in faraway lands.  The call of Jesus truly challenged her.

Jesus, I can't go to lands across the seas.

He answered quickly, "Yes, you can by traveling on your knees."

And so I did; knelt in prayer, gave up some hours of ease,

And with the Savior by my side, I traveled on my kne...

Marriage!

Creation of Man is the crown of the creation story.  After God created the environment suitable for Man, God created Adam in His own image.  Then God saw that Adam was lonely and created Eve as a suitable helper to him, also in His own image.  In that first marriage, we see God the Father bringing Eve to Adam, and Adam realizing the significance of this great gift, breaks into song!  Adam said Eve was now bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh!  Jesus said, "For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh" (Matthew 19:5).  God expected the husband and wife to be one-flesh but what does it mean to be on...

The Fragrance of the Knowledge of Him!

I love perfumes.  I have tried many perfumes over the years but never really stuck to one perfume.  But in the year 2000, when I visited my elder son who was then studying in the US, he bought me perfume I loved and have used since!  Fragrance is something we all like.  As we walk in, we want a 'whiff' of the perfume we are wearing to precede us and surround us!  Perfumes cover up our 'real' smell and we take great pains to achieve that!  Paul talks about a fragrance in his second letter to the Corinthians.  "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him" (2 Cor 2:14).&nbsp...

Election

Whenever we traveled abroad, we brought our two sons separate bars of chocolates.  But there is another method of giving them goodies.  We could have got a bag of chocolates, handed it to one, and asked him to share it equally with the other.  This method of sharing does not mean one is chosen while the other is rejected!  As I understand God's choice, He did not reject the rest of the world when He chose Abraham in particular and the Jewish nation in general.  His choice of one does not mean His rejection of others.  When God chose the Jews, God expected the Jews to proclaim God's love to the whole world.  That is something we have to understand.  God told Abraham, <...

Brakes!

Once in a physics class, the teacher asked the students why the brake system was installed in a vehicle.  The students came up with many different answers.  One said it was to stop the vehicle; another said it was to make it go slow, and another said it was to avoid collisions and accidents!  But the best answer was to enable you to drive faster!  Just think about it for a moment.  When I read this, an incident came to my mind.  When I was working in HTL Limited, one evening when I left for home, the brakes failed, though not wholly.  By the time I figured out the issue, I was out on the road and did not know whether I should abandon the car on the road and go home or not. &nbs...

‘Tis The Set Of The Sail

Our friends in Rajahmundry in India had put their two children in a boarding school in their town this academic year.  Their son was in sixth grade, and the daughter was in eleventh.  In about two weeks, their son complained about being bullied.  It was because he was the only one who prayed morning and evening and read the Bible daily!  Their daughter also was bullied, but she was able to stand firm.  So they decided to bring their son home till he could handle it.  The poem, 'Tis The Set Of The Sail' by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, brings out this thought beautifully!                      &...