Do we Meditate?

Psalm 39 (full chapter)

Meditation is a powerful tool for us as Christians. No wonder there’s a counterfeit for this act.
When Joshua took over from Moses, it was a huge role / a big gap to fill – but, God gave him a key to succeed: MEDITATION

Often people think of meditation as something complicated.
But we all do that every single day of our life, even without being taught how to do it.
For eg: Do we know how to worry? The answer is YES, almost all the time.
That is, meditation - dwelling on something which is negative.

Meditation is nothing but thinking about a certain thing over and over again. So, there can be negative meditation, as we just saw – ie: when we start worrying about an issue / being anxious / dwelling on impure thoughts / etc.

Meditation leads us to something – usually an action.
Hence, the need and challenge for us to fill ourselves with Godly thoughts, so our actions are geared towards living a holy life-style.

There is a wonderful reflection of who we are as human beings in God’s perspective in this chapter (Ps.39): that we are mere phantoms (one who comes and goes without a trace – in light of eternity), like a breadth that can’t be traced.
And in light of that kind of life, how we relate towards these 3 things becomes a very key issue:
a) Sin (vs.1)
b) Tongue (vs.1,2)
c) Wealth (vs.6)

And we see in the opening verse that David is pro-active in making a commitment to watch his ways. If he didn’t, he would be ensnared in this fleeting world.
The good thing about this Psalm is that, David in his usual style unlocks the mystery as to how to go about it – and that’s what we see in vs.3 - “My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue”.

Here we see a positive reflection of who God is and seeing ourselves in that light. And it helps David to keep his focus right.

There are scores of NT reference, where we are called to dwell on things which are godly (cf. Col.3:1-17; Heb.12:2; II Peter 1:3-11; Rom.12:1,2; I Cor.1:26; Phil.4:8,9) – which will yield positive results.

Those who dwell on earthly things bring out the acts of the sinful nature (cf. Gal.5:19-21). Usually, dwelling on such things, lead to actions which are devastating to self and others.


As we are about to enter another year - let’s keep our eyes fixed on our Lord Jesus. As we reflect on Him and allow His Spirit to kindle us, we will be prompted to live a life-style reflecting His image and also perfecting our likeness to Him who formed us.

The Advent Message

I don't mind repeating this one again ... as it is the passage of the Advent. This was posted on: Friday, December 12, 2008, entitled:
Wise men can trip too - BUT, we don't have to!


Matthew 2:1-12
"The Visit of the Magi / 3 Wise men"

The advent season is always a good time to read the story of Jesus' birth.
As I was reading through that story yet again, I was quite intrigued when I read the verses above, as to what constitutes to being 'wise'?
The normal criteria which we might want to list down is not evident in the lives of these 3 wise men.



We know nothing about these 3 men, other than the fact, they came from the East and they were wise - supposedly 'learned'! They knew how to read the stars and signs and interpret the times.




There is an old saying in Tamil:




Literally translated: "Even the elephant can slip".



1) vs.2 - these men first of all, assumed the 'King of the Jews' must be born in a palace.
It's a natural assumption for anyone to make - so, let's excuse them here.

2) vs.2b-8 - when the King heard that the magi's had come to worship the new born King he was disturbed & all Jerusalem with him.
Reason: There was no baby born to Herod, at the palace.
Going by historians, Herod was insecure and had this fear that he might be dethroned by another, who is not from his lineage.

It's strange that the entire nation is disturbed by this news. Why?
Perhaps, they didn't want a coup!


Given this background, King Herod calls for a meeting of his counsel and finds out more about this King who was born.
Then he summons the magi's in SECRET and finds out the exact time they saw the star first, and tells them to make a careful search for the child and let him know, so he too may go and worship the child.


Look here: When the wise men mentioned that they came to worship the child to Herod, he and entire Jerusalem were disturbed by that statement; but how come the 'wise-men' were not disturbed by this news from Herod?
Surely, they should have sensed something - but they didn't!!! Very strange.

- And what were they doing there anyway, all this while?


3) vs.9,10 - When they realized that Herod's response was not in the affirmative, they continued on with the star leading the way.
- The star lead them in the first place, but then they assumed and headed off to the wrong place (that's what we call, 'running ahead').

Now that they didn't find what they wanted at that place, they continued following the star again.
Why didn't they do this all along???
It seems like the star was always out there to guide them.
But they stopped following.

Running ahead sure messes up things not just for us, but for many others as well.
A little later, we read that there was a massacre of boys less than 2 yrs. old (vs.16-18), as per the time given by the so-called wise men to King Herod in secret!


4) vs.12 - it took a visitation from God, in the form of a dream, with a warning for them to return by another route - otherwise, they could have well messed it up again.


When God guides us, He wants to lead us too!
Many times we assume a lot along the way and loose focus on His guidance and leading.
Here assumption, got the better of the 3 wise men.
I can understand if it is just one guy messing it up, but 3 of them, all at the same time? Well, it's possible, and with wise-men at that!

Let's take NOTHING for granted. Hearing God and following Him is a process, which shouldn't stop. It's ongoing. Let's stick to it!

When we wander off, it takes a while to realize that we are in the wrong direction, but God waits for us patiently to return.

May this season bring new hope for all of us; and may we all move forward into the New Year with a renewed hope, as we commit to follow Him and in His steps.
Let's not run away from His leading or His guidance!

May CHRIST be the reason for this SEASON!
Merry Christmas!!

Are we far from Hearing God?

II Kings 1:1-18 (full chapter)

This chapter reveals the death of King Ahaziah in Samaria, of the Northern Kingdom.
This also reads for an interesting story - as it's not just about the death of a bad king - but there are principles for us on 'how to live'.

In a nutshell, this is what happened. King Ahaziah falls through the lattice from his upper room and injures himself. And he sends messengers to a pagan god, Baal-Zebub of Ekron .. to see whether he would recover from his injury.

Now, the thing to note is: Ahaziah is the King of the Northern Kingdom, Israel - and he was in its capital, Samaria. As far as we know, there was no righteous king in the northern kingdom [there were 19 kings in all and 1 infamous queen]. King Ahaziah was the 8th king, since Jeroboam-1, took over the northern part of the Kingdom – which was divided after the death of Solomon.

This is the Kingdom which was set-apart to reflect God among the other nations. Sadly, right from the start, there were no proper role-models for any of the Kings to follow. Time and again, a prophet would be raised to warn the people – but the kings were always ruthless and ran after the gods of the pagan world.
Ahaziah was no exception – he followed the ways of his father Ahab (cf. I Kings22:52,53).

As the messengers from King Ahaziah head out towards Ekron to consult an evil medium, Elijah appears to them and gives them the message from the Lord (vs.3), “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?”

And they go back and report this to the King.
As soon as he hears these words, he asks them what kind of man it was and as they described, he knew it was Elijah, the Tishbite. He recognized because it was the same prophet Elijah, who also predicted the death of his father, King Ahab (cf. I Kings 21:17-29; 22:29-38). And Ahaziah, who took to the throne after his father, knew about the punishment that God meted out to him.

Perhaps, that’s the reason why he sent a captain with 50 men (cf. II Kings 1:9). They invite the wrath of God upon themselves and as per Elijah’s word; fire comes down from heaven and consumed them (vs.10).

Somehow the word gets to the King, and he sends another captain with 50 more men (vs.11). Here we see the arrogance of the captain in demanding that Elijah comes down to meet the King; and they too meet with the same fate (vs.12).

The King is still persistent that he sends a third lot (vs.13). This captain seems to be a bit wise when he approached Elijah, perhaps he was scared for his life after he heard of the plight of the other 2 groups who had gone before him(vs.13b,14); and the angel of the Lord guides Elijah to the King.

Elijah speaks the same word as he did, when he first met the messengers whom the king had sent. And it seems like there was no positive response from the King.
Earlier we saw that his father was humble and mourned, when he heard the verdict and God relented from doing certain things during his life-time. Here, Ahaziah resigned to his fate, and it so happened as Elijah predicted (vs.16,17).

As I mentioned earlier, there were no role-models in Israel for this King to follow.
Even though he was desperate for guidance, in that he sent to find out from other gods, when the Word of Lord came to him, he was in no mood to listen.
Perhaps, he had gone so far away from the Lord that he failed to connect with him.


How far are we from His presence?
Are we so far away, that we can’t hear Him, when He is speaking to us?
Are we desperate to consult another medium for guidance?

Let’s not stray away too far .. He is there to guide us and He wants to speak to us.

Deeds or Ways?

Psalm 103:7 – “He made known His ways to Moses; his deeds to the people of Israel”.

This Psalm in particular is useful in helping us to remember the deeds of God in our lives, so we can bless His Name in all circumstances.

Several years ago, when I first committed to full-time service, I was pioneering a little village church, approx. 200 kms. away from Chennai. I usually went there on a Thursday evening … visited a few families on Fridays and on Saturdays – encouraged them and prayed with them & invited them to come to church on the Sunday; and send their kids, if any, to Sunday School.
After the service on Sunday evening, I would return back to Chennai. This happened for 6 months.

During one such visit, I saw this lady - a new believer, who was downcast. Upon inquiring, I found out that her only source of livelihood was gone – her calf was dead (which meant, the cow stopped giving milk – which she used to sell in the market).
I didn’t know what to say to her and how to comfort her. While I was thinking of something to say to her, she started speaking: “This incident taught me a valuable lesson to seek Him”.

I was perplexed & wanted to know more about how God spoke to her.

She began, “3 days ago, when I woke up in the morning to milk my cow, I saw the calf dead. My whole world came crashing down, as the cow wouldn’t let me milk her. And while I was sitting there, I suddenly remembered the Prayer Oil which you had given me; so I brought that and sprinkled a few drops on the dead calf and said, ‘Jesus, Jesus…’ – because I didn’t know what else to say in prayer. And within a few minutes, the calf sprang to life, and I was able to milk the cow and take it to the market and sell”.

I thought to myself, "this is a great story; in fact, it's a newsletter kind of a material - so, why is she sad!

After a brief pause, she continued: “In the evening, when I came to milk the cow, I saw the calf dead again. But this time I was not worried; I knew exactly what needs to be done. So, I went in and brought the oil and sprinkled on the dead calf and said, ‘Jesus, Jesus’ – nothing happened. I thought I am not saying it loud enough, but that didn’t work either. Perhaps, I didn’t sprinkle the right amount of oil – still no hint of the calf coming to life. While I kept trying different methods to apply and sprinkle the oil … suddenly, I felt someone saying something to me: ‘Don’t run after the blessings, but run after me – for I am the Blesser. When you have me, you will have ALL the benefits’.”

Wow – that was a revelation for me!

She went on, “I knew I was running after the blessings from God, hoping my calf would come back to life; but God was challenging me to seek Him, so I could have all the blessings & not just one I am after”.

That story truly encouraged me. I went there to encourage her, but I came back very encouraged and lifted up in my Spirit, by what had happened in her life; and a timeless principle which the Lord taught me through her.

Often we run after a miracle, we pray prayers to see or experience something which we are desperate for at that moment.
But do we run after God? When He comes He brings everything with Him. Not just what we are seeking for at that moment!

The verse before us here states just that: the people of Israel knew God’s deeds. Every time they needed to see a miracle they cried out and when it happened, it was a miracle – it was an act of God. Yes, they praised God, but quickly forgot about it also. Largely because they failed to see the God behind that miracle!

On the contrary, Moses knew His ways - in other words, he was caught up with a God, who performed all those miracles – so he was not fazed when confronted with a difficult situation.

The people grumbled because they did not experience God or learn that He is able to take them to the Promised Land, when the tough got going.

Do we want to experience His ways? Or do we want to settle for His deeds, once in a while?
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (cf. Isaiah 55:8), claims the Lord.

Let’s not settle for experiencing something small, when He is there to offer us Himself.
It’s a much richer experience, when we have Him.

Do we KNOW God?

John 8:48-59
Here is Jesus’ response to the accusations of the Jews as to who He really was.

In vs.41, they protested saying they knew who their father was. In the subsequent verses, they went on to say that He was of the devil / demon-possessed and that he was a Samaritan ~ who had nothing in common with the Jews (as per their belief).

There is a stark contrast here to 2 kinds of people:
a) The Jews who thought, they KNEW who their Father was; &
b) Jesus, who KNEW who His Father is
Which one of them actually knows the Father, and what’s the difference?

Well, Jesus gives us a clue in His response to the accusations leveled against Him.
Vs.55 – Jesus defines the difference between them is: I KNOW HIM, BECAUSE I KEEP HIS WORD.
So, ‘Keeping the Word’ becomes crucial in knowing Him.

It’s not about just knowing in our head, but do we know Him it in our hearts – which comes by abiding and walking according to it.

The end result of this is the way in which they both responded:
If at all, anyone should be angry here with the kind of remarks passed at them, it must have been Jesus – but He remains calm & composed here, while we see the exact opposite from those who accused Him.
Vs.59 – the Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus. Is that the kind of response one would have, when they know God?

How about us?
- What kind of response do we have when accusations are leveled against us?
- Does our response reflect the God we know & how much we know of Him?

Help or Wreck :: What the heck?

Luke 5:4-11

Little over a year ago, I had presented a thought entitled: PURPOSE DRIVEN FISHING. Please look in archives for that thought from Sept. '08 or follow the link: http://rajancarmen.blogspot.com/2008/09/purpose-driven-fishing.html
Here’s another thought from a similar passage in Luke, an event in his perspective.

I am not going to be dwelling on the ‘call’ itself; but a key, which might help us handle life’s struggles & trials. And certainly be on the look-out for a vital clue, which might help us persevere and not give-up during such times!

Though all the 4 gospels narrate this incident, there is a slight difference. It’s NOT a contradiction; and I feel it compliments one another, as it may be ‘sequential’.

I would like to place the sequence as follows:
a) John 1:35-42 – these were John’s disciples and were curious to know about the ‘Lamb of God’ – they end up staying a night with Jesus to see who He was and what He was up to.
b) Luke 5:1-11 – with their earlier acquaintance, Jesus now requests them for the use of their boats .. and then they obey when He asks them to launch into the deep & cast their nets.
c) Matthew 4:18-22 / Mark 1:14-20 – only the bit about their call and change in vocation stressed by these 2 gospel writers.


We will pick up the incident in Luke chp.5 from vs.6 – When they acted in obedience to God’s Word, “… they caught a large number of fish that their nets began to break”.

Though it sounds exciting that they caught a lot of fish .. the thing to note here, is that THEIR NETS WERE BEGINNING TO BREAK.
Though it’s an incredible catch, a miracle at that, especially after not catching anything the previous night, to pull in a great number so as to sink – wow!
It seems divine – and it certainly was!

But if we read between lines, these people are not going to be able to use that NET ever again to catch fish.
In fact, when you compare this 1 time catch and their future - they end up losing their tool, to fish the rest of their life ... this catch is surely not going to last a life-time!
Actually, what is supposed to be a BLESSING … ends up as a HUGE LOSS for these poor fishermen, in light of their future.


In vs.3 – Jesus asks these tired, exhausted & morally depleted fishermen to do some work by moving the boat a bit off shore. They oblige and Jesus teaches the crowd.
These fishermen lent their boat for Jesus to preach; and in obedience cast their nets - and are now paying a huge price for it.

The ‘blessing’ suddenly begins to seem a curse.
What’s going on here?
The disciples might have felt USED by Jesus.

Do we ever feel like that, or felt like it in the past?
People around us / leaders above us / those who are our peers - use us for their personal gain. Above all, maybe we feel used by God!

Can we identify with such challenges?
When we commit to doing good, something bad ensues!
Suddenly it looks like there’s no future if we carry on like that?
Or there is no way to go forward also, as the bridge is broken down, as it were!


Before we immerse ourselves with negativism here, let’s pause for a moment:

The ‘supposed’ blessing comes ONLY after they were available for Jesus – in terms of obeying Him, even though they were not sure what to expect in return. It was a time of uncertainty.
Perhaps, the disciples meant to help Jesus as a sign of 'good gesture', since they were already acquainted with him by then (cf. John 1:35-42).


The call for Simon Peter comes only in vs.10 .. but their professional kit (up until that time), begins to tear in vs.6 & their boats begin to sink in vs.7 – though it didn’t really happen! -- way before, they knew about it!


I have had this thought on a few occasions that God always gives us a clue to indicate what is to come ahead.
I am not talking about ‘prophecy’ here.

The fact that these fishermen’s tool kit was virtually non-usable again, is a clue here .. that there was something else in store for them.
Rather than catching fish, they were going to catch men from now on - refer to thoughts from “PURPOSE DRIVEN FISHING” to complete this exciting switch in career.

At times we panic, when we see the ‘immediate’. Maybe, there’s a clue in that mess that which we see before us, as to what God is going to do.
Rather than crying at the mess, we should be looking for the clues that which God is giving us.

Moses may have learnt this vital lesson during his wilderness experience, and could have seen some clues in the way God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, when he boldly declared to the Israelites in front of the Red Sea with the Egyptians pursuing, that God is going to do something marvelous. And He sure did!

Do we have such an outlook, when we are confronted with an issue which we are not expecting?
Can we move on, in spite of …? (you name it!)
Do we look at the wreck before us, or are we sharp to discern the clue that God is giving us?
Do we cast out demons from the clue that is appearing before us - thinking, it's going against the will of God?

Be rest assured of a fact that God never uses us without our best in His mind.

Remember, the clue comes when we obey God, in spite of our doubts and unbelief.
The fishermen just wanted to obey Jesus – they didn’t expect a mighty miracle to take place, which would change the course of their life. But it did!

Simple obedience!

When we obey God, it will change our life!!
A change which will help us see beyond what we see in the natural & experience it too.
Look for the clues - from experience & knowing God, I know it will be there.

Once Saved .. Forever Saved ???

I don’t think so! I can present numerous amounts of Scriptures to prove my point. I understand that this debate has existed in Church history over the years, and I am not trying to resolve it here. It’s my thoughts that are presented to support what I believe in.
Salvation is free, of course – no denying that fact. But there is something which I am supposed to do in response to receiving that salvation, until the time I leave this earth … and I am supposed to work out my ‘salvation’ with fear and trembling, as Paul would say to the church in Philippi (cf. Phil.2:12).

Ephesians 1:15-23
It’s one of those prayers, which Paul prays for the ‘believers’ at the church in Ephesus. I believe this entire passage is ONE verse in Greek, which is broken down into many verses for our reading & understanding. Note: it’s for the believers, those who have accepted the Lord Jesus and are part of the Kingdom.

When I look at vs.15 – Paul talks about their FAITH in the Lord, and their LOVE for the saints. The 3rd key element/ingredient for our Christian belief is missing here, ie: HOPE.
And, Paul goes on to mention that he has NOT ceased to pray for them. Why does Paul need to pray for someone who knows God (when there are others, who have not even heard about Him even once), and someone who walks in light of God’s Word.
Paul had spent a considerable amount of time in the city of Ephesus. Though he had passed through Ephesus during his II MJ (cf. Acts 18:19-21), it was during his III MJ in Ephesus that he stayed here for approx. 3 ½ yrs. (cf. Acts 20:31).

In vs.17, he prays that they will be given the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, that they might know God better.
It’s interesting that these people already know God, but Paul’s prayer is that they know more of Him.
- How many of us settle for what we know already of God?
- Is there a desire and a hunger to know Him more?

Vs.18 – hits the nail on the coffin, as it were, as he talks about their hearts being enlightened to the HOPE which He has called them into. So clearly, Paul is not happy with the fact, that these people have 2 out of the 3 cardinal virtues of Christianity.
- And why should we settle anyway? All 3 put together make for an exciting adventure & a meaningful Christian life.

And this is exactly why “ONCE SAVED FOREVER SAVED” concept will not work, in my understanding. The believers in Ephesus had been Christians for a number of years … 3 yrs. under Paul’s guidance and warning and encouragement during his III MJ; and then the rest of the years about 7-9 yrs. until the time he wrote this epistle to them … it’s been a long time.
So, there are a number of necessary ingredients, for a fruitful walk, which is missing the moment we choose to follow our Lord. It needs to be worked out. Certain things are shaped in us as we commit to a discipline and follow it through.

The whole of Chp.3 to the church in Colossae is dedicated to living a disciplined life-style here on earth.
Romans chp.12 is dedicated to renewing our mind and our thought life.
Almost all the epistles which Paul wrote, the latter half of it are dedicated to the way we walk our Christian life on a day-to-day basis.

Let me sum up this thought, with a concept which I once heard in a different context, but works very well here:
If I am wrong in my belief about having to discipline myself to live my life here on earth, then I have nothing to lose at the end (the only thing is that, I could have lived my life a lot more liberally and licentiously); On the contrary, for those who believe that they cannot lose their salvation, by the choices they make here … if they are wrong, then it’s a matter of eternity / life & death.

So, I choose to err on the 'right' side!

Simple things that matter ...

Ephesians chapter 6 is known for SPIRITUAL WARFARE because of the ARMOUR OF GOD passage (vs.10-20). But early this week, I saw something which might hold a key for my life in my call to bear Christ’s name in this world.
The fact that Paul starts off in vs.10 by saying, “Finally, be strong in the Lord …”, means he has given some instructions already, prior to this. And looking at the earlier verses, we see that he talked about being subject to authorities; respecting one another; living in the light & walking in unity.

I would like to think, that if I do the above and wear the armour, then I am ok.
It would have been, if vs.19 & 20 wasn’t there!

But the problem is Paul adds this bit about soliciting prayers for himself.
And 2 things which come to my mind are:
a) Knowing my call, &
b) Inter-dependency

Paul knew, deep in his heart of hearts, that God had called him to declare the mystery of the gospel, especially to the Gentiles. And by the time he wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus, he had accomplished quite a lot; and now he is imprisoned for his action.
And secondly, a person who has accomplished as much as Paul did – what makes him dependent on new believers?

Surely, a man of his stature doesn’t need anyone’s help. After all, he is self-supported and he has a good understanding of the Lord and the Scriptures (let alone, him writing most of it - though he didn’t know about it then); and not the least, he knows what it means to wear the full armour of God to engage in warfare.

These calls for a serious scrutiny of ‘who we are’ and to check ‘where we stand’ in our walk with the Lord:

- Are we in a place where we think we are ok, if we act alone – just because of the sheer knowledge we possess and the experience we have gone through?
- Are we giving up on our call because of some difficult situations, which might have imprisoned us – even if it is for life?

* Let’s take confidence in the fact that God has not called us to fight this battle alone. We need one another and God has placed us with one another.
* Let’s not stamp on each other to get to the front or to the top (as many are in the habit of doing) – it was never intended to be that way!

Let’s do the basic things right – as that’s what matters!

Is Jesus Just an Entertainer?

This morning in our staff Devotion, we decided to take a small passage for our meditation. Luke 11:29-32
Normally, it's not the kind of passage we would choose to meditate on - but I saw some extra-ordinary thoughts in there for practical living - so, I thought I'll share it with you.

vs.29 - starts off by saying, "As the crowds increased, Jesus said ..."
2 things Jesus points out here:
vs.31 - The Queen of Sheba coming to visit King Solomon - after hearing about his wisdom and greatness, &
vs.30,31 - Jonah, being sent to the Ninevites to preach repentance.

The 2 OT stories in brief are:
a) one came to show respect, after hearing about the wondrous wisdom, &
b) the other was sent, to the people to help change their ways.

Jesus is using that to show that the people had come in great numbers, NOT to pay respect after hearing about His greatness; but were only interested in being entertained by Jesus for what He did.
Secondly, Jesus was sent to the people to help them repent of their ways, but unlike the Ninevites who obeyed the word of Jonah, these people refused to listen to one greater than Jonah.

In fact, if we read the 2 verses above this paragraph, it reads:
vs.27 - As Jesus was saying these things a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you".
vs.28 - He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it".

Jesus is clearly annoyed that people come to be entertained, but don't care to put into practice the truth they hear!

The challenge for us will remain, are we coming to Jesus, just so that we can be entertained?
Are we one in the crowd, without having that personal touch?
Do we settle for just knowing things about God / Jesus, rather than enjoying the blessings which comes from obeying His Word?
Or even worse, watching others being blessed and not wanting to experience it ourself?

For further thoughts on this, please read my Devotional Thought # 6, entitled: 'To be Touched or To Touch'

Let's come to Him with an attitude of honouring Him.
Let's seek to obey what He says to us.

Why we do, what we do?

There are several reasons as to WHY WE DO, WHAT WE DO?
It could be our upbringing; maybe our habbit; because it was always done like that .. the list could go on.

We also justify or rationalize our actions, based on the above.

Today a thought struck me as were meditating from Romans 15:14-22, in our staff meeting.
Paul, when he wrote to the Romans, he had never visited them yet! Though he had a longing to visit them, we are unsure if he ever did. And this is one of the epistles which he wrote, with whom he never had any contact with or a relationship.

His explanation in not visiting them or preaching to them is based on Paul's perception in prioritizing, based on the interest of his audience.

First of all, Paul states 3 reasons, why he doesn't intend to visit them or preach to them in vs.14 - because they are:
a) full of goodness;
b) complete in knowledge; &
c) competent to instruction one another

Paul only foresees few minor issues, which he addresses through this letter itself.
However, his primary commitment is towards the Gentiles (vs.16-21).
In vs.22 - he states that being the primary reason for him not visiting them.

Now, there could be several reasons WHY WE ARE NOT DOING CERTAIN THINGS:
1) Maybe we don't want to do it
2) Because we just don't have the time
3) Perhaps, there is someone else who could do it
4) Or just that someone is better in doing that than us

Or in other words, WE ARE DOING CERTAIN THINGS, which we are not supposed to:
1) Because if we don't, no one else will
2) Because we just like that flare which comes with it & wanting to prove something
3) It's just to keep our self busy, so we don't have to do the 'other thing' which we don't like ...


Whatever it is, that we ARE DOING or NOT DOING ... what is the motive behind it?
Is it in OUR INTEREST, or
Is it in THE INTEREST OF THOSE CONCERNED?

That would be the bottom line for us to answer to check our ulterior motives.
God gave His best, Jesus Christ, for our sake - because He had our interest in mind.
What about us?

Pressing On Toward the Goal!

It's been a while since I posted on this blog .. but things have been super-busy, that this has taken a back seat - in fact, no seat given at all :-(

We all like to press on towards a particular goal that which we set for our self in life.
At times, we fail to achieve it (just as the entries to this blog).

Evaluating one self from time to time, will help us realize where we stand!

In Phil.3:12-16 - Paul encourages us to PRESS ON

The fact that helps us 'PRESS ON', is an understanding or a realization that we have not arrived yet!
And Paul - given his stature & his background (a learned man he was under Gamaliel & an extreme religious fanatic, as any Jews can get - cf. Acts 22:2 ff.) - and with all that he had accomplished up until now; is humble enough to say that he doesn't consider himself yet to have taken hold of it.

Now what is interesting here is what he goes on to say in vs.15 - "All of us who are mature should take such a view of things".
As per this, only those who have grown & hence matured, can have that kind of a perspective in life!

Young people always like to think that they have arrived, or show off that they know everything! Ironically, the truth is only the mature will have that perspective and be open-minded.
So, can you be mature - and not arrive yet?
I think so .. otherwise, Paul wouldn't have mentioned it here. It's an attitude of learning and wanting to learn - as there is so much more than what we know or can know about the things of God, with our finite mind.

Someone once said: "Who said maturity comes with age? At times, age just shows up by itself!"

Quote: "PARACHUTE and MIND are the same - works best, when it's OPEN"

How about us today?
Are we open to the things which God wants to show us?
Are we open to the things which people around us want to point to us?
(Never mind the ugly attitude they throw at us, every now and then, while doing this!)


The answer to living such a life is found in vs.16 - "Only let us live up to what we have already attained"

Living in the light to the extent we know the light.
As we walk in obedience to what we know, more light is shed in our lives .. which allows us to move towards what we need to take a hold off.

Let's PRESS ON - shall we?

Hearing God's Voice # 5

I Samuel 23:1-5
'Keilah' is a town with gates & bars (cf. vs.7), which was part of Israel and under the leadership of King Saul.
David is wandering about, running away from the King - who sought to kill him.

In this passage, we read that the Philistines are 'fighting' & 'looting' the city.
Not sure how long it had been going on, while the report reached David, a fugitive on the run.
The immediate response could have been to go on an attack; or in this case, to let the King handle that situation and stay calm.
David inquires of the Lord - characteristic of a man - which perhaps made God say, 'David was a man after my own heart'.

In vs.2 - David realizing the urgency of the situation - is not waiting on the Lord to speak, but asks a direct question - should he go and attack or not!
The Lord responds positively & David communicates this to his 600 men (vs.13).
Here we see a slight hesitation on the part of the men, who were with David.
Look carefully, that these men did not hear God - so naturally, they were a bit apprehensive.
Secondly, hearing God is subjective.
The fact that David is the leader, did not use his authority to emphatically say, I have heard God and I want you all to obey!
But rather, the implications lay with those who were going to obey, as they were the ones who were going to 'stick out their neck'.
And we see David being sensitive to that.

This group is not even safe in their own land (vs.3), in Judah.

When the concern was raised, David goes back to the Lord yet again (vs.4).
It's a safe thing to do - to fall back on the Word of the Lord or to lean on the Lord for further clarity.
Though the response was the same from the Lord ... David had an inclination to:
a) HEAR GOD, &
b) TO HEAR FROM THOSE AROUND HIM

Ultimately, the Word of the Lord prevailed ... but everyone was satisfied.

Sometimes, we may be at a crisis and all within us wants to retaliate and go out and fight.
Do we take time to inquire of the Lord, just as David did?
Are we waiting for a consensus or are we foolishly asking people to do, what we feel the Lord is saying??
Let's be wise ... and seek to hear Him.

Hearing God's Voice # 4

In my earlier thought on Hearing God's Voice, I had shared a principle that hearing God shouldn't stop with us just hearing Him once, but that it's an ongoing process!
As long as He speaks, we need to be willing to listen!

Here's another small exhortation to re-inforce that thought.
Genesis 22:2 - "Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about'."

God, who was so specific in calling Abraham by name in vs.1; and even more clearer in vs.2 about 'your son..' & then 'your only son' & then 'Isaac' & then yet again 'whom you love' ... and having mentioned the region of Moriah ... couldn't He have had just mentioned which mountain it should be?

Why tell him, '.. I will tell you about ..' it at a later stage??

I believe, generally speaking, God wants us to keep listening to Him.
Herein also is the fact, that God had other ideas in mind, and He ensured that Abraham had to keep listening ..
... and that is the fact, He was going to ask Abraham to stop killing his son (which might seem contradictory to what he was asked to do in the first place).

Are we willing to listen to Him?
Let's not quit listening to Him, as we might end up loosing something which we shouldn't be?
Let's not quit listening to Him, lest we don't receive or experience something which He wants us to!!

Let's listen and grow in our obedience to our Master.

TESTING GOD'S GUIDANCE / Hearing God's Voice-3

Hearing God is very subjective!
So, when we claim we have heard God, we need to be careful. Especially, when we say we have heard God on behalf of someone else.

I sincerely believe that HEARING GOD is like AN ART, which need to be learnt. We get better and better as we keep hearing and walking in obedience!
Remember, hearing God is not the END-ALL!
The next question is, SO WHAT have you done about it?

Since Hearing God is subjective, there are chances to mistake God's Voice.
John 10:3,4 - "My sheep listens to my voice ... they follow me, because they know my voice ... " (paraphrased)

Listen to this: it's the SHEEP, not the LAMB!
Sheep is a grown-up one; whereas the LAMB is a kid!
The Lambs are still prone to making mistakes.

Let me present to you 5 vital keys to TEST GOD'S GUIDANCE:
Whenever we feel that God has spoken to us, before we utter it out publicly and making a mess of it, check the following:

1) Check with the Bible
- God will not speak anything contradictory to that which He has already spoken.
If it is contradictory, then obviously it's not God - 100%
For eg: if there is an inner witness, that we shouldn't forgive somebody ... etc, etc...
2) Will it bring us one step closer to God?
- Will there be maturity in our walk with God, as a result of obeying such an inner conviction?
3) Does it bring freedom?
- Do we experience peace, joy and excitement about it?
4) Is it a blessing to all concerned and those around us?
- Will others be blessed as a result of our obedience?
5) Wait for confirmation
- Especially, if it's a major decision in life. God will bring in the confirmation that which we need.

Well, these questions have really helped me in deciding if it is God's will. But surely this is not an exhaustive list.
I'm sure there will be other things, which we all use as a plumbline to gauge for ourself.

If you do think of something which you use, please use the comments section to share with us those thoughts, so we may all benefit.
Would appreciate that.

May we all be pushed to hear God and obeying His voice.

Is this a 'Year of Recession' with God?

This is the talk of the town, as people go in search of 'greener pastures'.
Can God come through, when the market is down ... especially, if we are relying on the market value for our sustenance?

As we enter into another year, churches have a way of bringing focus, by prophetically speaking out a promise for the year.
Accordingly, we were set-forth a challenge from Genesis 26:12 - "Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him".
With the recession, market-crash, pink slip & lay-offs and big bosses deceiving the innocent share-holders - everything is happening ... to show the famine in the land or in the world at large.

Could this be the year of 100 fold returns, as Isaac reaped?

Let's analyze and see what happened here:
Read Genesis chp.26

vs.1 - there was a famine in the land & Isaac goes to the place where famine will hit last - the king's palace!
- Is it right to go in search of greener pastures?

vs.2 - Certainly the Lord didn't like that option, as He appears to Isaac to re-affirm the promise, with an urge to STAY PUT in the land (vs.3).

vs.8 - Isaac stayed in obedience to God's Word for a long time.
We don't know for sure as to how long this period was!!

In the meantime, similar to his dad, we see Isaac lied about his wife, that she was his sister, for fear of life (vs.7).
- What was the need to lie, when God asked you to stay put?

It works out that Abimelech, when he finds out that Rebekah was indeed his wife (vs.8-10), he gave orders to all his people, that no one should touch or molest both Isaac and Rebekah (vs.11).

It was then that Isaac planted crops in that land and reaped a 100 fold in the same year (vs.12).
- Was the seed planted in the year of famine?
Well, we don't know how long the famine lasted - 1 year or 2 years or more ... but the fact, the Philistines envied Isaac (vs.14), is evident that the famine was far from over!


So, what gave Isaac the confidence to sow in the time of famine?
I believe there are 2 factors here:

1) vs.2-5 - God's Word and his re-affirmation of the promise
2) vs.11 - an assurance from King Abimelech

It seems the assurance from the Lord wasn't enough for Isaac to invest and sow in the land; but only when the king gave the assurance did he venture out.

Let's take a look at the 2 assurances:
a) vs.3 from God
* I will be with you, &
* I will bless you
b) vs.11 from the King
* don't touch them / don't molest them

After a while, the outworking of the assurances begins to happen:
vs.13,14 - He became rich and continued to grow. Perhaps into subsequent years too and not just that year. The Word says, BECAUSE THE LORD BLESSED HIM - God was faithful to His promise (vs.12)

On the contrary, the Philistines didn't touch him (as per the assurance), but OPPOSED HIM (vs.15) and TRIED to stop the blessing.

4 oppositions came from the Philistines inspite of the assurance from the King, on whose word Isaac stepped out:
a) Blocked wells out of envy (vs.14,15)
b) The King himself came and asked him to move (vs.16)
c) Herdsmen quarreled because of freshwater (vs.20)
d) Herdsmen quarreled again because of freshwater (vs.21)


As the Lord continued to be faithful to His Word, it took a while for others to see that! When King Abimelech realized that, he makes haste to return to Isaac to make a treaty.
vs.28 - he says, "we saw clearly that the Lord was with you...".

Now, the Lord was not in person walking with Isaac - so, how did the King and others see the LORD CLEARLY?
- Could it be the outworking of the blessing, which Isaac was walking in, in the midst of the famine?
- Could it be his moral conduct, which proved he was a different man, who didn't choose to grab, when the country was at its worst?

How many of us, can say things like that about our life?

In most films and heroic stories, we see the hero is always the last person to get off danger ... even when there is a limited time left and he could escape unscathed. He always plays the waiting game, by rescuing the rest and eventually makes to safety.

Jesus claimed in John 8:29 - "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do the what pleases him".

Can we make such statements?
Is He with us? Do we do what pleases Him?

When He is with us, no harm shall befall us ... famine will ravage the country, but we are safe in His hands and under His shelter.
Be blessed!