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"Leaders are those who do the basics right" - this was a statement that came out of my mouth last week at the Leader's Training in Ahmad Nagar, when I was speaking to a group of 70 lay-leaders in that city, while teaching on "SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES" and the importance for such a thing in our day-to-day life.
It wasn't prepared or planned, but it just came out .. and while I was still saying it, the reality and its profound meaning hit me, and I decided to dwell on it a little bit more upon return.
And sure enough, I didn't have to wait for too long.
I Thess. 4:1-12
There are 2 things which Paul is encouraging the church in Thessalonica to do, in spite of them doing those anyway.
a) vs.1,2 - living in order to please God
b) vs.9,10 - loving one another
The question is why would Paul urge the Thessalonians to do something which they have already been doing?
The book of Thessalonians has got to do with the lack of 'hope' in the church, concerning their understanding of 'The Coming of the Lord'.
Out of the 3 cardinal virtues of Christianity: love, faith & hope - they seemed to be slightly short on 'hope'.
And Paul is urging them to keep on doing the 2 in which they are good at while focusing on the 3rd one.
Why was that important?
Wasn't it good enough to concentrate on the one which they were low at, so that can be brought to par?
I think the words of Jesus throws light into such a thought.
The 2 greatest commandments which Jesus highlighted in Matt.22:37-40 / Mark 12:30,31, supports the idea that those were vital and it has to be continued and not neglected for the sake of the other.
I like sports and love to watch the game on TV.
And often, what I noticed is the thing that makes a winner in any game, be it: Lawn Tennis / Cricket / Badminton / Table Tennis / Football / etc. - the winner is always, the person who has committed very few errors on the basics.
And it boils down to that in our Christian life as well.
Seriously, if we do the basics right, then the other mountain like challenges which face us, will not pose a threat.
It's simple, yet vital!
Are we getting the basics right in our walk with the Lord?
If not, it's time to get back to it.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Everyday Frustrations
Yesterday we had some friends over and we decided to meditate and pray for a while in the morning. Nothing in particular, we decided to meditate on Psalm 64:1-10 (full chapter).
I thought i will put down some of the thoughts we reflected upon from these verses.
As usual, the Psalmist (David on this occasion), begins with him raising his voice in complaint regarding the conspiracy of the wicked, which he had to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
Though the first 2 verses summarizes his view of wickedness, we see that it takes him further into details of what they do.
One of the things I notice about the Psalms we read in the Scriptures, is the fact that it is very relevant to what we go through today.
It captures our emotional struggles, it accentuates our miseries, it exposes our vulnerabilities, sees our mental tortures and more importantly, connects with our day-to-day frustrations.
However, the good news is that the Psalm doesn't finish there.
Though most of the Psalms, starts off with some sort of a negativity and looking at ourselves and how weak we are in the face of oppositions .. there is always a brighter side to it, when the Psalm concludes. And this Psalm (64) is no exception.
vs.3-6 focus in detail the things which the evildoers are inclined to doing.
And out of the blue, in vs.7 - there is a ray of hope, as it starts off with a huge contrast - B..U..T
It's huge in the context, because from dwelling in a place of 'no hope', there suddenly seems to be a greater sense of purpose to life.
And it's not because he experienced something out of nothing, but he chose to put his focus on the right things / the right place / the right person.
Look at the change in perspective in vs.7-9 in response to the negative thought displayed in vs.3-6 - there is a counter for every negative thing spoken.
(the negative thoughts in RED COLOUR; and
the positive thoughts in GREEN COLOUR)
vs.4a - "They shoot from ambush" (in other words, they wait in ambush to attack the innocent)
vs.7 - "God will shoot them with arrows suddenly ..." (God will suddenly strike them)
vs.3a - "They sharpen their tongues like swords" (to cut & injure others)
vs.8a - "God will turn their own tongues against them & bring them to ruin" (but they are destroyed by themselves)
vs.5b - "They say, 'Who will see them?'" (they want to do in hiding, so no one watches what they do to the innocent)
vs.8b - "All who see them will scorn" (but God does it in the open for all to see)
vs.4b - They go about without fear of anyone
vs.9a - When God acts, all mankind will fear His Name - the Lord God Almighty
vs.6 - They devise their own plans and call it perfect
vs.9b - God's people will ponder on the works of God and proclaim His works
The more we dwell on things which are threatening to us; or looming large in front of us, the more we tend to give in-to such troublesome thoughts & are weighed down.
Let's focus on the positive things .. that God is with us and all the schemes of the evil ones will not prosper.
Whatever they planned will befall them - "... the evil scheme they had devised ... should come back onto their own head" (cf. Esther 9:25)
Let's rise up to the occasion and rather than looking at the evil around us and talking about it, let's praise the Lord as the Psalmist ends his Psalm in vs.10 - "Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart praise Him!"
I thought i will put down some of the thoughts we reflected upon from these verses.
As usual, the Psalmist (David on this occasion), begins with him raising his voice in complaint regarding the conspiracy of the wicked, which he had to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
Though the first 2 verses summarizes his view of wickedness, we see that it takes him further into details of what they do.
One of the things I notice about the Psalms we read in the Scriptures, is the fact that it is very relevant to what we go through today.
It captures our emotional struggles, it accentuates our miseries, it exposes our vulnerabilities, sees our mental tortures and more importantly, connects with our day-to-day frustrations.
However, the good news is that the Psalm doesn't finish there.
Though most of the Psalms, starts off with some sort of a negativity and looking at ourselves and how weak we are in the face of oppositions .. there is always a brighter side to it, when the Psalm concludes. And this Psalm (64) is no exception.
vs.3-6 focus in detail the things which the evildoers are inclined to doing.
And out of the blue, in vs.7 - there is a ray of hope, as it starts off with a huge contrast - B..U..T
It's huge in the context, because from dwelling in a place of 'no hope', there suddenly seems to be a greater sense of purpose to life.
And it's not because he experienced something out of nothing, but he chose to put his focus on the right things / the right place / the right person.
Look at the change in perspective in vs.7-9 in response to the negative thought displayed in vs.3-6 - there is a counter for every negative thing spoken.
(the negative thoughts in RED COLOUR; and
the positive thoughts in GREEN COLOUR)
vs.4a - "They shoot from ambush" (in other words, they wait in ambush to attack the innocent)
vs.7 - "God will shoot them with arrows suddenly ..." (God will suddenly strike them)
vs.3a - "They sharpen their tongues like swords" (to cut & injure others)
vs.8a - "God will turn their own tongues against them & bring them to ruin" (but they are destroyed by themselves)
vs.5b - "They say, 'Who will see them?'" (they want to do in hiding, so no one watches what they do to the innocent)
vs.8b - "All who see them will scorn" (but God does it in the open for all to see)
vs.4b - They go about without fear of anyone
vs.9a - When God acts, all mankind will fear His Name - the Lord God Almighty
vs.6 - They devise their own plans and call it perfect
vs.9b - God's people will ponder on the works of God and proclaim His works
The more we dwell on things which are threatening to us; or looming large in front of us, the more we tend to give in-to such troublesome thoughts & are weighed down.
Let's focus on the positive things .. that God is with us and all the schemes of the evil ones will not prosper.
Whatever they planned will befall them - "... the evil scheme they had devised ... should come back onto their own head" (cf. Esther 9:25)
Let's rise up to the occasion and rather than looking at the evil around us and talking about it, let's praise the Lord as the Psalmist ends his Psalm in vs.10 - "Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart praise Him!"
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Is the Lord among us or not?
Does this question sound familiar?
Does this phrase (Do these words) exist in our vocabulary?
Well, I am just quoting a part of the Scripture verse here. These are the exact words used by the Israelites in their journey towards the Promised Land.
Exodus 17:7 – “And Moses called the place Massah (~ testing) and Meribah (~ quarreling) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
- It was not soon after the Israelites were delivered from a raging Pharaoh …
- It was a few days after God stunningly made way in the Red Sea …
- It was right after God provided them with water at Marah …
- And right after the divine provision of Manna & Quail …
How easy it was for these people to forget all that they had seen and experienced in the last few weeks and to grumble against God?
The question in their mind was not whether God would provide for them or not, but doubting His very presence.
When these people left Egypt, God’s presence guided them by a pillar of cloud by day and by a pillar of fire at night.
Exodus 13:21,22 – “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people”.
In the very presence of God, they were able to grumble about God’s existence amidst them.
I don’t think the pillar of cloud or the fire had departed at this stage, quoting from Nehemiah 9:19 – “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take”.
Surely, God has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (cf. Deut.31:6)
There are 3 things which we can do, to ensure that His presence is there with us, and that we see Him at all times:
a) Focus on what is there, rather than what is not there – The children of Israel forgot to see what was there, but were focusing on something which they didn’t have.
b) Focus on the big picture rather than the present crisis – The immediate crisis should in no way hinder our overall perspective about our life
c) Let God be in control and don’t take over – With the Lord’s presence guiding them, it should have been easier. Just a few days ago, the presence of God led them to Elim (cf. Ex.15:27), where there were 12 springs & 70 palm trees. And this time the presence of the Lord led them to Rephidim (cf. Ex.17:1). Clearly the Lord knew what He was doing … perhaps it was a test (cf. Ex.16:4b – “… in this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions”).
The fact that these people were thirsty (17:3), shows that the struggles in this world will be there, even when we are lead by the Lord.
But the key is always in how we respond.
Let’s keep His presence our focus and let Him be in-charge .. and He will surely navigate us through the storms of life
Does this phrase (Do these words) exist in our vocabulary?
Well, I am just quoting a part of the Scripture verse here. These are the exact words used by the Israelites in their journey towards the Promised Land.
Exodus 17:7 – “And Moses called the place Massah (~ testing) and Meribah (~ quarreling) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
- It was not soon after the Israelites were delivered from a raging Pharaoh …
- It was a few days after God stunningly made way in the Red Sea …
- It was right after God provided them with water at Marah …
- And right after the divine provision of Manna & Quail …
How easy it was for these people to forget all that they had seen and experienced in the last few weeks and to grumble against God?
The question in their mind was not whether God would provide for them or not, but doubting His very presence.
When these people left Egypt, God’s presence guided them by a pillar of cloud by day and by a pillar of fire at night.
Exodus 13:21,22 – “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people”.
In the very presence of God, they were able to grumble about God’s existence amidst them.
I don’t think the pillar of cloud or the fire had departed at this stage, quoting from Nehemiah 9:19 – “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take”.
Surely, God has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (cf. Deut.31:6)
There are 3 things which we can do, to ensure that His presence is there with us, and that we see Him at all times:
a) Focus on what is there, rather than what is not there – The children of Israel forgot to see what was there, but were focusing on something which they didn’t have.
b) Focus on the big picture rather than the present crisis – The immediate crisis should in no way hinder our overall perspective about our life
c) Let God be in control and don’t take over – With the Lord’s presence guiding them, it should have been easier. Just a few days ago, the presence of God led them to Elim (cf. Ex.15:27), where there were 12 springs & 70 palm trees. And this time the presence of the Lord led them to Rephidim (cf. Ex.17:1). Clearly the Lord knew what He was doing … perhaps it was a test (cf. Ex.16:4b – “… in this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions”).
The fact that these people were thirsty (17:3), shows that the struggles in this world will be there, even when we are lead by the Lord.
But the key is always in how we respond.
Let’s keep His presence our focus and let Him be in-charge .. and He will surely navigate us through the storms of life
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