There are many areas in our life where we lack wisdom, intelligence and even the desire to work hard. Even after our repeated efforts to improve our personality, we are not changed. I hope many of us are in such a situation in our workplaces where others are too smart than us and we feel most of the time lacking something.
There was a weight lifting completion. A number of champion weight lifters strongly built with heavy muscles participated in it. They kept on practicing rigorously with the latest techniques and supervised by the best coaches. On the day of the competition, when everyone expected one of the well known lifters to win hands down, an unknown person who was little known and was frail won the event. No one has ever seen him practicing. Now, this is Grace. This is what David had when he encountered Goliath.
All the well trained soldiers in the Israeli army were afraid of Goliath, but David without much training and effort killed him. Maybe to the world, David would have looked like a fool when he told that he would fight the Philistine. But God chooses the weak to shame the strong.
It is grace that we need to fight the battles of the world. We need to surf in the wave of grace which comes on and on without stopping. I am not saying that we need not work hard; we need to put our best efforts in everything. But ultimately it is grace that counts.
To sum up everything, God said to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: 9 “"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Let us never forget this whenever we are downcast and disturbed by our weakness. Grace is one of the most powerful weapons that God has given us through Jesus Christ to wipe off our imperfections. Let us never take it lightly!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Trust in God
Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”
Whenever God puts us through some very tough and unfavorable conditions, we should not fret about it. It is to develop that character toughness in us so that we are not dismayed by anything. He also wants to make us strong to accomplish marvelous things in the future. David had to fight a lion and a bear before he could bring down Goliath and subsequently become the King of Israel.
When we really depend on God for everything sincerely, it is absolutely certain that He will take care of all our needs. We need to “Trust” God. Trust is something which cannot be 10% or 50% or even 99%. It should always be 100%. Suppose if we have to travel from city X to city Y in an aero plane. How much would be our trust on that aero plane and the pilot? I don’t think anyone of us will take that flight with 90% trust. The same applies to our walk with God too. We need to trust Him completely. God honors such people who put their trust in God alone and that is when He would start working in our lives.
There are many of us reading this who are dismayed in our lives after trusting so many people close to us only to find out the emptiness of that trust. But, God is not like human beings to change His word. When He commits something, He will make sure that He does that. It is His character to honor those who trust in Him. I would encourage you to read through the lives of Abraham, Joseph and Daniel to see how God lead them when they trusted in Him. If you are in the brink of failure, cheer up, it is not too late to call on our loving Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”
Whenever God puts us through some very tough and unfavorable conditions, we should not fret about it. It is to develop that character toughness in us so that we are not dismayed by anything. He also wants to make us strong to accomplish marvelous things in the future. David had to fight a lion and a bear before he could bring down Goliath and subsequently become the King of Israel.
When we really depend on God for everything sincerely, it is absolutely certain that He will take care of all our needs. We need to “Trust” God. Trust is something which cannot be 10% or 50% or even 99%. It should always be 100%. Suppose if we have to travel from city X to city Y in an aero plane. How much would be our trust on that aero plane and the pilot? I don’t think anyone of us will take that flight with 90% trust. The same applies to our walk with God too. We need to trust Him completely. God honors such people who put their trust in God alone and that is when He would start working in our lives.
There are many of us reading this who are dismayed in our lives after trusting so many people close to us only to find out the emptiness of that trust. But, God is not like human beings to change His word. When He commits something, He will make sure that He does that. It is His character to honor those who trust in Him. I would encourage you to read through the lives of Abraham, Joseph and Daniel to see how God lead them when they trusted in Him. If you are in the brink of failure, cheer up, it is not too late to call on our loving Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
God is the source of wisdom
During the last few days, I didn't write any articles. I want to share about something that God did for me recently. It may seem so trivial, but the impact and strength that it gave me is unexpressible in words.
I work in IT. I am neither a computer geek nor have any extraordinary talent in computers. I found myself lacking in many skills when compared with others. People were too intelligent at work when compared to me. I was so frustrated when I could not complete my work and meet the expectations. I have learnt a lesson in my life as not to depend on anyone other than God. There was a time that I tried different strategies to increase my intelligence. I would read a lot of personality development articles, try to solve puzzles etc..etc..but nothing really helped.
I prayed earnestly that if God is the source of all wisdom, and if grace is something which is for an undeserving person like me, and if God is the fountain of grace, then I wanted to get drenched in that fountain called grace. I got a revelation that it is not intelligence that counts but all grace. The Bible says "My grace is sufficient for you". Paul says in Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". The next day I went to work not as the same old person. I went with a new attitude, and with a deep vindication that His grace is all that I needed. Believe me friends, I am now able to do my work with least of the efforts. This is the power of grace in action, when we empty ourselves, and surrender completely to Christ.
It is only when I saw my unworthiness, that I could see God pouring His grace on me. This testimony of mine may not be so dramatic, but I want to reach out to everyone who is frustrated because of lack of intelligence and wisdom. Please pour out your inability to God, and He will fill you with His grace to such an extent that you will be amazed at the outcome.
I work in IT. I am neither a computer geek nor have any extraordinary talent in computers. I found myself lacking in many skills when compared with others. People were too intelligent at work when compared to me. I was so frustrated when I could not complete my work and meet the expectations. I have learnt a lesson in my life as not to depend on anyone other than God. There was a time that I tried different strategies to increase my intelligence. I would read a lot of personality development articles, try to solve puzzles etc..etc..but nothing really helped.
I prayed earnestly that if God is the source of all wisdom, and if grace is something which is for an undeserving person like me, and if God is the fountain of grace, then I wanted to get drenched in that fountain called grace. I got a revelation that it is not intelligence that counts but all grace. The Bible says "My grace is sufficient for you". Paul says in Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". The next day I went to work not as the same old person. I went with a new attitude, and with a deep vindication that His grace is all that I needed. Believe me friends, I am now able to do my work with least of the efforts. This is the power of grace in action, when we empty ourselves, and surrender completely to Christ.
It is only when I saw my unworthiness, that I could see God pouring His grace on me. This testimony of mine may not be so dramatic, but I want to reach out to everyone who is frustrated because of lack of intelligence and wisdom. Please pour out your inability to God, and He will fill you with His grace to such an extent that you will be amazed at the outcome.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Water to Wine
John 2:1-11
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." 5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." 11This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Jesus went to Cana in Galilee with His mother and disciples to attend a wedding. In the Jewish tradition, it was customary to serve wine in the wedding as it meant to be a source of joy for them. At this particular wedding, the wine was over before everyone finished dining. We know the miracle that Jesus performed there and the outcome was that everyone had more than enough tastier wine and it ended on a happy note.
We will focus our attention to what we can learn from this miracle. John calls all the miracles as signs. It implies a spiritual truth. Let us break this down and learn from it.
Wine was over
The wine was over soon because it was manufactured by people. The happiness that each and every one of us tries to manufacture in our lives will dry out soon. Whatever we consider as secure will be shattered one day and our needs will be exposed. Nothing in the world will give us the security that our life demands.
Water into wine
Lord Jesus asked the servants to fill the six jars with water and then He asked them to serve it. It became the tastiest wine. This shows us that God will change our sorrows into joy, our despair into hope, and every weakness into strength. But we need to take all our waters to Him so that He could change. The Bible says in John 16:20 that "You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy".
Tastier later wine
The wine that was served later was tastier than the old one. When the Lord blesses whatever we have, it will give us the greatest satisfaction of all. The life that we live with the Holy Spirit inside us will be the best phase of our life. The old wine signifies our old life where we lived in sin under the dominion of the evil one, and it has to come to an end so that we could be born again with the Holy Spirit. This is the transformation that happens when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!". We are renewed in our minds and our lives become joyful and peaceful.
If we have not tasted the new life so far, let us surrender our lives to the Good Shepherd, Lord Jesus Christ now and become the best fruits in His vineyard.
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." 5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." 11This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Jesus went to Cana in Galilee with His mother and disciples to attend a wedding. In the Jewish tradition, it was customary to serve wine in the wedding as it meant to be a source of joy for them. At this particular wedding, the wine was over before everyone finished dining. We know the miracle that Jesus performed there and the outcome was that everyone had more than enough tastier wine and it ended on a happy note.
We will focus our attention to what we can learn from this miracle. John calls all the miracles as signs. It implies a spiritual truth. Let us break this down and learn from it.
Wine was over
The wine was over soon because it was manufactured by people. The happiness that each and every one of us tries to manufacture in our lives will dry out soon. Whatever we consider as secure will be shattered one day and our needs will be exposed. Nothing in the world will give us the security that our life demands.
Water into wine
Lord Jesus asked the servants to fill the six jars with water and then He asked them to serve it. It became the tastiest wine. This shows us that God will change our sorrows into joy, our despair into hope, and every weakness into strength. But we need to take all our waters to Him so that He could change. The Bible says in John 16:20 that "You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy".
Tastier later wine
The wine that was served later was tastier than the old one. When the Lord blesses whatever we have, it will give us the greatest satisfaction of all. The life that we live with the Holy Spirit inside us will be the best phase of our life. The old wine signifies our old life where we lived in sin under the dominion of the evil one, and it has to come to an end so that we could be born again with the Holy Spirit. This is the transformation that happens when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!". We are renewed in our minds and our lives become joyful and peaceful.
If we have not tasted the new life so far, let us surrender our lives to the Good Shepherd, Lord Jesus Christ now and become the best fruits in His vineyard.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Grace and Faith
God stretched His hands
down towards me
invited me to know Him
that was GRACE
I stretched my hands
up towards Him
yielded me to know Him
that was FAITH
GRACE and FAITH
together magnified
pulled me from sin
led me to salvation
down towards me
invited me to know Him
that was GRACE
I stretched my hands
up towards Him
yielded me to know Him
that was FAITH
GRACE and FAITH
together magnified
pulled me from sin
led me to salvation
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Peace
Jesus said "My Peace I leave unto you". If we lack peace, one of the reasons
is that we search for it emotionally. Emotion varies and is temporary. Only
ONE person can give us the peace that we desire. That is our Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the source of peace. Amen!
My heart yearns
My soul longs
My eyes search
My conscience pleads
I feel high and low
crushed and fresh
anxious and calm
dry and flowing
All that I long
for peace and joy
evaded me often
in my emotions
There I found
emotions are futile
they change like clouds
run like a river
Peace is eternal
available free
All that I have to do
set my foot on THE ROCK
is that we search for it emotionally. Emotion varies and is temporary. Only
ONE person can give us the peace that we desire. That is our Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the source of peace. Amen!
My heart yearns
My soul longs
My eyes search
My conscience pleads
I feel high and low
crushed and fresh
anxious and calm
dry and flowing
All that I long
for peace and joy
evaded me often
in my emotions
There I found
emotions are futile
they change like clouds
run like a river
Peace is eternal
available free
All that I have to do
set my foot on THE ROCK
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Great redemption
When we think of that amazing transformation that happens in us when we are born again, it really is awesome to imagine the mercy of God. The instant conversion of a sinner to a saint is the outcome of a supreme sacrifice that God made for us. I am publishing this poem with a hope that it would touch all of us who read this.
It has three section, first talks about our fall,the second about the redemption and the third about the coming of Christ. I believe this sums up everything.
God created man
to rule the world
satan tricked man
made him a slave
From ruler to slave
what a pity
God's mercy stepped in
Grace poured out
It needed a man
who would be perfect
and could smite satan
to rescue the lost
God sent His own son
What amazing love?
A supreme sacrifice
to redeem His world
There came the son
He fought for me
willingly died on the cross
and put the devil to defeat
He rose again
to be my hope
sent His Holy spirit
to be my guide
This I am sure
one day He will be back
to take me home
for ever and ever
It has three section, first talks about our fall,the second about the redemption and the third about the coming of Christ. I believe this sums up everything.
God created man
to rule the world
satan tricked man
made him a slave
From ruler to slave
what a pity
God's mercy stepped in
Grace poured out
It needed a man
who would be perfect
and could smite satan
to rescue the lost
God sent His own son
What amazing love?
A supreme sacrifice
to redeem His world
There came the son
He fought for me
willingly died on the cross
and put the devil to defeat
He rose again
to be my hope
sent His Holy spirit
to be my guide
This I am sure
one day He will be back
to take me home
for ever and ever
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Wrestling thoughts
Many of us find it very painful to control our thoughts many times. It is our thoughts that control our life. We will gain victory over negative and blasphemous thoughts only when we surrender them to God and receive His grace. I wrote this poem so that it would encourage all those who are troubled with uncontrolloble anxious thoughts.
There was a battle
fought in my mind
a great wrestling
of two envious forces
I tried my best
to seperate them
but all in vain
the battle went on
one fine day
My eyes were opened
I could see two spirits
"self" and "God"
There was a decision
to be taken with precision
to choose between the two
before judgement
I looked at the world
found so pleasing
"self" triggered to be chosen
I knew not what to do
But there was a plan
which I knew not
that God had for me
even before I was born
He chose me before
I thought about Him
only a simple act needed
to yeild to Him in faith
The fight ended
"grace" won over "self"
the crown was eternal life
and peace on earth
There was a battle
fought in my mind
a great wrestling
of two envious forces
I tried my best
to seperate them
but all in vain
the battle went on
one fine day
My eyes were opened
I could see two spirits
"self" and "God"
There was a decision
to be taken with precision
to choose between the two
before judgement
I looked at the world
found so pleasing
"self" triggered to be chosen
I knew not what to do
But there was a plan
which I knew not
that God had for me
even before I was born
He chose me before
I thought about Him
only a simple act needed
to yeild to Him in faith
The fight ended
"grace" won over "self"
the crown was eternal life
and peace on earth
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Life Trekking
Hebrews 12:1
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us"
Trekking is a great adventurous activity. Trekkers, while trekking on
unknown places, look for sign posts to find the routes that can be trekked.
If they choose some route which has not been explored, they are in danger
of getting lost. The most comforting thing for a trekker is to find some
foot prints in the route that has been taken. It gives them a great feeling
and assurance that someone else has already travelled that road!.
Life too is a trek in many ways. There are lots of unexplored areas in our
life. We all live inside a small circle, restricting ourselves to very
minumum activities. But, believe me friends, God created the world for us
to enjoy with Him. When we go alone with the world, we land ourselves in a
pit. But when we take God with us in each and every mountain that we climb
in this life, we will not be defeated.
God has already explored all the areas of life. Lord Jesus came to this
world and lived a complete life. He was very much human like each and every
one of us. But, one thing is that He was with out sin. He has gone through
all the temptations, trials, frustrations, disappointments and what not?.
Whenever we go through a rough patch or an unknown situation in our lives,
we need to believe that Christ has already conquered that. This is the
victorious Christian life friends!. Believing in the finished work of Jesus
and accepting Him as our Lord and Savior sums up our life on earth and life
eternal.
He offers a complete life on earth plus heaven for us the moment we
surrender ourselves completely to Him. May be there are many things that
are not clear for us. Life seems like an unsolvable puzzle when we try to
live alone. But, Living the life along with Jesus and the Holy spirit is
awesome. He is a friend, counsellor, and above all the God almighty. "Never
trek life alone".
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us"
Trekking is a great adventurous activity. Trekkers, while trekking on
unknown places, look for sign posts to find the routes that can be trekked.
If they choose some route which has not been explored, they are in danger
of getting lost. The most comforting thing for a trekker is to find some
foot prints in the route that has been taken. It gives them a great feeling
and assurance that someone else has already travelled that road!.
Life too is a trek in many ways. There are lots of unexplored areas in our
life. We all live inside a small circle, restricting ourselves to very
minumum activities. But, believe me friends, God created the world for us
to enjoy with Him. When we go alone with the world, we land ourselves in a
pit. But when we take God with us in each and every mountain that we climb
in this life, we will not be defeated.
God has already explored all the areas of life. Lord Jesus came to this
world and lived a complete life. He was very much human like each and every
one of us. But, one thing is that He was with out sin. He has gone through
all the temptations, trials, frustrations, disappointments and what not?.
Whenever we go through a rough patch or an unknown situation in our lives,
we need to believe that Christ has already conquered that. This is the
victorious Christian life friends!. Believing in the finished work of Jesus
and accepting Him as our Lord and Savior sums up our life on earth and life
eternal.
He offers a complete life on earth plus heaven for us the moment we
surrender ourselves completely to Him. May be there are many things that
are not clear for us. Life seems like an unsolvable puzzle when we try to
live alone. But, Living the life along with Jesus and the Holy spirit is
awesome. He is a friend, counsellor, and above all the God almighty. "Never
trek life alone".
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Song of a soul
God gave me the grace to write this poem yesterday.Please read and hope will find it useful.
I dont know why I am here
Each moment is bitter
An hour is like a day
and day like a year
I tried to do many things
Many dreams have I dreamt
and lived in those dreams
those were the sweeter times
I spend my times in despair
My heart and soul is bitter
Thoughts tossing up like waves
I knew not my life's purpose
As one day I heard a voice
That was so familiar to me
It did not promise me gold or silver
but peace and joy for ever
I looked around to see
could not see anyone
Looked through eyes of faith
found the LIVING ONE
That day I found my purpose
I came to myself
The only reason for me to live
To glorify and praise God
I dont know why I am here
Each moment is bitter
An hour is like a day
and day like a year
I tried to do many things
Many dreams have I dreamt
and lived in those dreams
those were the sweeter times
I spend my times in despair
My heart and soul is bitter
Thoughts tossing up like waves
I knew not my life's purpose
As one day I heard a voice
That was so familiar to me
It did not promise me gold or silver
but peace and joy for ever
I looked around to see
could not see anyone
Looked through eyes of faith
found the LIVING ONE
That day I found my purpose
I came to myself
The only reason for me to live
To glorify and praise God
Downcast soul
A downcast soul is one of the difficult things to comprehend. We may be downcast because of so many reasons. It could be because we dont have a clear goal and purpose, or it could be because of much sin in our lives and we can think of so many things that might take the sweetness out of our souls. We read about this in Psalms 42:5, The writer says,
"Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God."
As we read across Psalms 42, we find the agony and frustration of a downcast soul. Even the bones suffered mortal agony due to the impact of the stress. We all know about stress and its impact in our lives. It leads to all other medical complications and spiritual dryness. But there is one more dimension to it. Stress could be considered as a test. We see in Bible that many of the mighty men and women of God were subjected to stress and we need to learn how they dealt with it.
The basic test that stress poses is this "Are we trying to control it by triggering our emotions? or, "Do we trust in the promises of the almighty God?". Here lies the secret, if we try to put our minds at work, we can never beat stress because our problems are too bigger for our small intelligence to solve. Look at how the Psalmist handles this situation. He says,
"Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God"
Dear friends, many of us reading this might be under unbearable stress in our lives. We may even think as why we need to exist in this world. But, Let us shift our focus from our problems towards God. Our huge problems are nothing in front of such a glorious and powerful God, at whose voice the earth shakes. Shall we praise Him? Shall we lift Him up?. When we earnestly ask God and surrender our "self" to Him, we can be assured that He will deliver us.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 "28Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.".
If the stress that we undergo today leads us towards our loving saviour, that would be the greatest blessing that could be bestowed upon us. Let our downcast soul trust God and find the needed rest in Him!
"Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God."
As we read across Psalms 42, we find the agony and frustration of a downcast soul. Even the bones suffered mortal agony due to the impact of the stress. We all know about stress and its impact in our lives. It leads to all other medical complications and spiritual dryness. But there is one more dimension to it. Stress could be considered as a test. We see in Bible that many of the mighty men and women of God were subjected to stress and we need to learn how they dealt with it.
The basic test that stress poses is this "Are we trying to control it by triggering our emotions? or, "Do we trust in the promises of the almighty God?". Here lies the secret, if we try to put our minds at work, we can never beat stress because our problems are too bigger for our small intelligence to solve. Look at how the Psalmist handles this situation. He says,
"Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God"
Dear friends, many of us reading this might be under unbearable stress in our lives. We may even think as why we need to exist in this world. But, Let us shift our focus from our problems towards God. Our huge problems are nothing in front of such a glorious and powerful God, at whose voice the earth shakes. Shall we praise Him? Shall we lift Him up?. When we earnestly ask God and surrender our "self" to Him, we can be assured that He will deliver us.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 "28Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.".
If the stress that we undergo today leads us towards our loving saviour, that would be the greatest blessing that could be bestowed upon us. Let our downcast soul trust God and find the needed rest in Him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)