OPERATION OVER; SANITATION IN PROGRESS:

These were the words which flashed across the news channel yesterday morning all over the country, when the last of the terrorist was gunned down by the NSG commandos at The Taj; and after they declared the 3 locations held by the terrorist as being 'out of danger'.

The credit for this blog thought should go to Pastor Prince C. Martin of 'Shibah Community Church', where we fellowship ... as he preached a sermon this morning entitled: "Operation Over, Sanitation in Progress".
This message followed from where I left my talk in church last week that God is calling us, His church, to walk into a new level of Holiness.


India woke up on Thursday morning to a rude & devastating news about the terror attack in Mumbai which took the entire nation by shock & the world by surprise - and it was no small event, as innocent lives were taken & many more injured and traumatized for life.

Many realized that whatever power or influence one might have in this world - it's not a safe place any more. And all this, because of the dominance of EVIL in this world and the sheer hatred and an unwillingness to let go of our own pride & ego.

And in that light, it was good news on Saturday morning, albeit temporarily, when the above words flashed across the television screen, to know that the wicked was put to rest by those who laid down their life, to save the many that were taken hostage.
Yes, some hostages were brutally killed & so were those who put their life in danger to rescue them.
But overall, evil was defeated at the end.

And right now, the hotels are involved in sanitizing the rooms, so it's in good and presentable condition yet again.
It's important that this process is done, otherwise the mess will remain.


The co-relation for us in the spiritual realm is that the 'operation' was over at the Calvary, when Jesus laid down His life for us and defeated the enemy ... and for those of us who believe in it ... we need to get going with the sanitation work - which is nothing but the process of sanctification.

Yes, the battle has been won for us, but are we living a life worthy of that victory; or are we still living in that mess which was once there?
Are we perfecting holiness out of reverence for God (cf. 2 Cor.7:1), or do we want to continue on as we once lived?

Paul encouraged the church in Romans 13:11 - "...Do this, understanding the present time...because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed..."


The responsibility is ours to keep clean and to stay pure!
It's important that we clear the mess, and start living afresh.
OPERATION IS OVER; let's get going with the SANITATION part.

Let's not put it off for tomorrow or for another day.
Satan is working TODAY .. NOW - why do we want to push it for TOMORROW?

Many questioned the fact, that the Indian police and the Army/Naval force took that long to kill a handful of terrorists.
But the reality is, it is finished now.

But the real challenge for us is to look inward at our own life.
How long are we going to take before we get started with the cleaning process? It's easy to sit and blame others or point fingers at others - what about us?

We are not talking about a 2 or 3 days affair - but a life-long journey in perfecting holiness, which begins with our next step.

If we think we can start at a later time and are entertaining such a thought, let's take a look below at the next thought entitled: TODAY or TOMORROW?

Let's live a life worthy of our call BEGINNING TODAY, and walk worthy of the sacrifice which was laid for us on the Cross.

Victory has been bought; let's start showing it NOW through our life!

TODAY or TOMORROW?

Ref: Exodus 8:1-10
The Scene: The Plague of Frogs
Background: God raised Moses in response to the cry of the Israelites in bondage.
Moses had made a few futile trips to Pharaoh's courts requesting that God's people be released.
Pharaoh thought it was a joke & mocked Moses and God.
The 1st plague of turning the River Nile from a life-giving source into Blood had already occurred by this time.
The scene is set for the 2nd plague, as Pharaoh's heart is still hardened.
God decided to plague the land with FROGS.

And now: There are frogs everywhere!

Pharaoh was sleeping and felt something slimy - he turned on the lights and there was a frog. He jumped out screaming, "How did this get in here?"
As he jumped out, he stepped onto another frog .. and each time he did that, he was landing on a different frog.
He had enough .. he went for a shower ... turned the shower ON and along with the water, frogs rained down on him.
He goes for breakfast and has Bacon & Eggs, and of course with some frogs to give him company.
He is at office ... and there are some unwelcomed visitors - FROGS.
He opens the filing cabinet and frogs leap out.
He opens the cash box, frogs leap out!
Probably if he had computers, and stretched his hand to hold his mouse, he might have held on to a frog instead!

He goes for lunch and asks the chef, "What's for lunch?" The Chef answers, "Biriyani".
Pharaoh asks, "What Biriyani?"
"Well, I started off with the Chicken Biriyani, but ... but ..." , the Chef drags.
"But, what?", yells Pharaoh.
The chef nervously adds, "... but ... er ..., it ended up becoming a mixed biriyani with .. err ..fr... F.R.O.G.S - I really don't know how it came in - I tried my best to keep the lids closed and keep a watch over it myself, but still ...!!".

Well, there were frogs just about everywhere (vs.3 & 4).

Interestingly, in vs.7 - the magicians were called for and rather than removing the existing frogs, they brought up more frogs - as if they didn't have enough of it already.

It must have been comical, rather than crying over the filth that was raging the land, these guys with the magicians were rejoicing that they too were able to bring the frogs.

By vs.8 - I think Pharaoh had enough of the frogs, as he summons for Moses out of desperation.
He probably screamed at Moses when he appeared before him, "PRAY TO THE LORD AND GET RID OF THE FROGS, & I WILL LET YOUR PEOPLE GO AND MAKE A SACRIFICE TO THE LORD".

Well, if I was Moses I would have said, "Praise the Lord - Hallelujah" and responded to that request. After all, what Moses wanted was to be granted.

However, Moses remains calm and has this unusual response to that cry for help in vs.9 - He said, "I will give you the honour to set a time, when you want me to pray for the frogs to be removed".

I don't know why Moses said that? If we think Moses' response was bewildering, let's take a look at Pharaoh's response as we read on ... it's gets even funnier ...
vs.10 - "Tomorrow", Pharaoh said.

What???????????? What in the world, is happening here???

Imagine, Pharaoh summoned Moses to get rid of the frogs, but when given an opportunity to decide when that will be, he chooses TOMORROW.
In other words, ONE MORE NIGHT WITH THE FROGS!
One more night with the filth!
In essence he was saying, let me enjoy this filth for ONE LAST TIME, before it's taken away.

Isn't it amazing to know what Pharaoh did?
How many of us can be found saying something similar?
I'm sure there are things in our life, which God wants us to get rid of today and/or the things which we want to get rid off .. and graciously He gives US THE HONOUR TO SET A TIME, as to when that can happen ... and guess what? Most of us choose TOMORROW!!!!

Some of us, perhaps are waiting for the New Year to come by, to make a resolution.
Tomorrow might just be too late! Let's act today!

God wants us freed - DO WE?

To be Touched or To Touch!

Mark 5:21-29
We are staying on in the same passage as my previous meditation: Jairus seeking after Jesus to come and lay His hands on his dying daughter & a woman with the issue of blood, seeking to touch the hem of Jesus' cloak.

There are 2 distinct seekers here:
a) Jairus, seeking for THE MASTER'S TOUCH (vs.23), &
b) The woman, seeking to TOUCH THE MASTER (vs.27,28)

Now, which one of these 2 is right? Should we ask the Lord to touch us, or should we touch Him?
Well, both of them came good in their own right.

So, the question is: Are we desperate and determined like these 2 were?
Doesn't matter if we want TO TOUCH HIM or if we are seeking after Him TO TOUCH US.

It's no coincidence that Mark uses the word CROWD 5x in this short passage (vs.21,24,27,30,31), where he talks about 2 individuals. It seems like a huge contrast, but I firmly believe there is a reason for that.

I am sure on that particular day, there were many in the 'crowd' who might have touched Jesus and many whom Jesus might have touched - but they were not changed!
But only 2 ended that day becoming different!
These 2 had an intention to be touched and to touch.

The rest of them witnessed a spectacular event that day, but personally didn't have much to show.
These 2 individuals because of their grit determination combined with desperation experienced something spectacular. Moreover, we know a bit more about these 2 individuals; but as far as the rest is concerned, we only know them as 'crowds'.

Do we have that sheer will to seek after His touch or that desire to touch Him?
If so, God is willing to grant us what we desire.

Let's not pass through life as one in a crowd, and as someone who has witnessed another person experiencing His touch, but let's strive to be that individual whom the world will see - as 'someone who was touched by the Master' or 'someone who touched the Master'.

KEEP ON!

I was preparing this last week for my preaching today at the church, where we fellowship. It was a familiar passage from Mark 5:21-36: RAISING JAIRUS' DAUGHTER & HEALING OF A WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD

I felt God challenge me with a thought which is repeated 3 times in the above passage.
2 of which are hidden in the English text & 1 is pretty obvious. I'll mention it here:

a) vs.28 - "...because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed".
b) vs.32 - "But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it"
c) vs.36 - "Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, 'Dont be afraid; just believe'".

The fact is, all 3 statements are in a present continuous tense - but we can see that only in the 2nd verse. We have lost precious connections in the translation here.
The Gk translation for the 1st and 3rd verse reads as follows:
vs.28 - "...but she kept saying ..."
vs.36 - "...Don't be afraid, just go on believing"

The odds were against these people.
Imagine the woman - for 12 long years, she struggled and spent all the money she had, been to many doctors, but was only getting worse.
Mark makes mention of a large crowd (5x) who were following Jesus on that particular day. Luke in his version (8:42) says that the crowd almost crushed Jesus.
Did this lady stand a chance to go and touch Jesus in that crowd? Perhaps not!
She was an outcast because of the sickness; moreover she was a woman. She might have had a bad odour due to the sickness.
What if after all the efforts, she couldn't reach Jesus?

Well, the odds were certainly against her ... that's where the words SHE KEPT SAYING comes into play.
Whenever she was confronted with a negative feeling/thought to pull her down, she would encourage herself with the words, IF ONLY I TOUCH HIM..I WILL BE HEALED.
She had to keep doing that over and over again, whenever she was faced with such negativity, UNTIL she reached Jesus and touched Him and was healed of her infirmity.


The other incident was with Jairus - here he was confronted with the reality of his daughter's death.
Look at Jesus in vs.36 - He ignored the people who brought the news about the girls death.
Why would Jesus ignore reality?

Jairus might have had a lot of things to think about at this stage ... and that's where Jesus encourages him to "...go on believing".


When reality strikes, we feel lost and fail to see beyond that.
And it's vital that we learn to KEEP ON believing...
To KEEP ON saying...
To KEEP ON thinking...
... and not dwell on that which is going to sink us in.

In vs.32 - Jesus KEPT LOOKING, until he found the person who touched Him. The disciples almost ridiculed and asked him with contempt, how can he ask such a question? They perhaps thought Jesus' nut was a bit loose, when he asked the question, "Who touched me?", in that crowd.


Do we have such determination to KEEP ON?
Maybe the reality is different than what has been promised to us ... but Jesus would ignore that and would say to us, "...GO ON BELIEVING.."

Are we ready for that? We will be faced with odds in life.
We need that courage and determination to KEEP ON.
Christian Life is not a 'flash in a pan' - one day emotional event. It's a life-style of making correct choices to believe in Him and in His Word and in His promises.
Let's keep on keeping on.

Taking Risks in the Kingdom

Matt.13:44-46 – Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

Vs.44 – The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a man who found treasure in a field. He hides it, goes back in JOY and sells ALL he had in order to buy this particular field.

- CHECK OUT THE RISK FACTORS INVOLVED HERE:
What if, after he went away to sell his things and before he came to purchase the land, it was sold to someone else OR if the landlord decided not to sell it?
What if … the treasure had belonged to the owner & before selling decided to remove that treasure and sold just the field? After all, the deal is only for the field.
There is a high possibility that he could have ended up with something of less value, and worse, with nothing at all?

Vs.45,46 – The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to a man who was searching for fine pearls & when he found it, he went and sold everything he had & bought this pearl.

- THE RISK FACTORS HERE ARE:
What if, before this man came back to buy this pearl, it was sold to someone else or what if there was INFLATION and it was still not affordable?


These are 2 short parables with a great challenge for our temporal life, here on earth!
Yes, the treasure has been found, in most cases - as we know the way to Heaven - but what do we do between NOW and until the time it’s fully attained?

The 2 men in the parable took a potential RISK in selling something which was till then their possession, in exchange for something better, as perceived by them.
Could it be, they were getting rid of something which might have been a hindrance in obtaining what they wanted?
Simply put, they were OBSESSED with the idea of getting what they thought was the END-ALL & BE-ALL.

I am personally challenged that we can attain nothing, I mean NOTHING, when we don't attempt a risk. Salvation is free, of course - but the process of getting there is not 'risk-free'.
There is nothing to pay back, yet something to do, in order to experience the extra-ordinary!
Peter, needed to risk his life, when he stepped out of the boat - to actually see he could walk on troubled waters.


I also see a level of INTEGRITY in the first parable, where this man would not take away the treasure saying, "Finders, Keepers" – if he would have done that, there was no risk involved & no selling his things (he could have had both, maybe) – but, he considered the treasure to be part of the field, which he didn’t own, unless and until he paid for it!

Notice that he was JOYFUL about selling his prized possession, for what will be his NEW priced possession.
It's not doing it with a heavy heart.
When we are joyful, it makes it that much more easier to cope with 'risk-taking'.

These men had a CAUSE for taking such risks. What is ours today? Is the Kingdom of God worth our efforts, i mean the risk-taking efforts?

The parable doesn’t go into many details, but presents the value of the Kingdom of God and how we are to long and search for it, even if it means letting go off things we are holding on to, which might hinder us in gaining possession of the things which are worth more!

Risk-taking in the Kingdom doesn't necessarily mean, walking on a tight-rope with no safety belts. Because the safety for us is the One who is calling us to step out, believing He is there and the assurance that He will be with us!

Never mind, if we don’t know the full contract and the T&C in getting to heaven … because we have a God, who is able to give abundantly and more than what we can ask or even imagine.
If at all there are fine prints, it will only be in our favour.
God had our benefits in mind, when He RISKED in sacrificing His only begotten Son.


Are we willing to take that risk?
Don’t worry, Jesus would say to us: MAIN HOON NA (~ I am right there!)
Let's step out in FAITH, to what God is calling us into!