Thanksgiving

"I have heard your prayers; I have seen your tears" (Isa 38:5) For Esther and her friends, fasting was a preparation for intercession before the King. Imagine a "queen" and her maids fasting for three days! The Lord granted her an unusual courage. She declared, "If I perish, I perish!" (Esth 4:l6). Days of mourning gave birth to days of merrymaking. The King granted her request. So the Jews had "light and gladness, joy and honour" (8:16). How can we have laughing without ever weeping, dancing without ever mourning? (Eccl 3:4). Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Mt 5:4). The King of Niniveh commanded men as well as beasts to fast and cry to God for mercy. God was pleased with what they did and He withdrew His judgment (Jon 3:7-10). The Sword of Damocles is hanging over our cities and towns. Sin is rampant and judgment imminent. Humbling in repentance and prayer alone can avert the disaster. ...

"Whoever falls on this stone will be broken;  but on whomever it falls it will grind him to powder" (Mt 21:44) The stone obviously refers to Jesus. He is the "stumbling stone" and the "rock of offense" (Rom 9:33; Isa 8:14a). Here's a lesson of immense practical value: Never work against God! The Lord brought down Paul the religious zealot from his arrogance and pride, and blinded him to teach him the painful truth: "It is hard for you to kick against thorns" (Acts 9:5). Eventhough Paul had studied under Professor Gamaliel, he had not understood this truth properly. For Gamaliel the guiding principle in ambiguous situations was, "If this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you will not be able to stop it. You may even find yourselves fighting against God" (Acts 5:34,38,39). God has raised so many ministries these days at the finishing stage of world evangelisation. Some are indep...

"Blessed is the man who endures temptation" (Js 1:12) Temptation is not sin, but yielding to temptation is. We usually blame someone or something for our failure. A study of how Adam and Christ handled temptations gives us many practical lessons. *  How many temptations Jesus overcame eventhough temptations flooded upon Him one after another. Though in the Scripture (Mt 4) only three temptations are recorded, we know for sure that the devil departed from Him only "until an opportune time!" (Lk 4:13). A particular temptation stops or weakens when we yield. Because Jesus never yielded, the devil kept on changing his tactics and intensifying his fury. So the Bible says, He was tempted in "all" points. For Jesus the temptations were a series and He overcame whereas Adam failed even at the first single temptation. Folks commonly complain, "How can I withstand if temptations come one after the other?" No one but Job other than Jesus has...

"We are not ignorant of the devil's devices" (2 Cor 2:11b) Satan is behind all relationship problems, whether it is between spouses, or among saints, or in the society. As a liar and the father of lies, he makes people believe what's not really true and makes them suspicious of everything and everybody. God has taught us in His Word how we can overpower Satan in this battle.  Ephesians 4:26,27, "Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath nor give place to the devil." Holding anger for long—beyond sunset—even if it may be legitimate, gives foothold to the devil. Even God's anger is "but for a moment" (Psa 30:5). He may make us weep in the night because of His displeasure but He sends joy in the morning because of His favour! Are we holier and greater than God?  2 Corinthians 2:10,11, "Whom you forgive anything, I (Paul) also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for y...

"Add patience to self-control" (2 Pet 1:6) A 16th Century Bishop used to say, "Self-control is nine-tenths of Christianity!" Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) commented, "Intemperance is one of the greatest—if not the greatest—of all evils known to mankind." King Solomon warned, "A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls" (Prov 25:28). Uncontrolled temper is an ugly fruit of sin. It's a wolf too ferocious for the flesh to tame. Our only hope is to let Christ transform our temper. Temperance is self-restraint in feelings, words and actions. One of the paradoxical commandments in the New Testament is, "Be angry, and do not sin!" (Eph 4:26). I understand the meaning of this passage better from a modern paraphrase of the New Testament: "If you are angry, be sure that it is not out of wounded pride or bad temper. Never go to bed angry—don't give the devil that sort of foothold." ...

"The earth shall be filled with the knowledge  of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isa 11:9b) At the Mount of Olives the disciples of Jesus asked Him, "What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Mt 24:3). He listed a number of endtime signs and then concluded, "The Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come" (v14). The Devil is more furious than ever because he knows that he has but a little time (Rev 12:12). He stirs up the powers of hell to work against soulwinners and evangelists. He instigates rulers to persecute missionaries. Persecution has always been there, but it will be intensified towards the end (Mt 24:9,10). The promises of Christ to the Church in Smyrna and the one in Philadelphia are for all missionary-minded Christians to claim: "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer... I have opened a ...

"If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,  we will become partakers of Christ" (Heb 3:14) God chose the people of Israel for Himself; He called them by name and knew them; He separated them from others so they might live holy; He held their hands and taught them to walk; He carried them on His shoulders like a father. They were His portion and inheritance. He could not be silent when they were suffering as Egyptian slaves. He miraculously delivered them. However, these people could not enter Canaan, the land of promise. Why? Just because of unbelief (Heb 3:19). Their sins might have been many, but unbelief was their major offense. "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb 11:6). The only condition for entry into Heaven is solid faith on the "Rock of Ages." The only reason why people go to hell is because of unbelief. Even Moses and Aaron, who were leading the people of Israel, could not enter Canaan. What was t...

"He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 Jn 4:4) David before Goliath! A lad before a giant! A shepherd boy before a champion! With the armour Saul gave David, he could not even walk (1 Sam 17:38,39). David's brother got angry with him (v28). The King underestimated him (v33). The enemy cursed him (v43). But David had his strength and hope in the Lord (v45). He challenged Goliath, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the Name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied" (v45). When we set out to do missionary work we might meet with intimidating powers, but we don't need to be terrified by the giants of science, technology and modern machinery. One man plus God is the maximum! There is no match for that. We need not be afraid of the Goliaths of today — oppositions that arise in the form of unfair "laws," direct and indirect intimidations and...

"God has not given us a spirit of timidity,  but of power and of love and of sound mind" (2 Tim 1:7) "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" (Acts 19:1,2). This was the very first question Paul asked a group of disciples. Not without reason. This is still the most important question for every Christian. The initial reception of the Spirit is called in the New Testament by various names: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:11; Acts 1:5), Enduement with power from on High (Lk 24:49), Filling (Acts 2:4), Receiving (Acts 2:38; 8:15) and Anointing (Acts 10:38). Oh the glorious "Promise of the Father!" (Acts 1:4). A rightful inheritance for every child of God! Folks encounter certain common problems while seeking the Gift of the Spirit. Because these are not tackled, we have simply too many chronic seekers who are never able to appropriate this blessing. First, the problem of  fear.  Some seekers are very apprehensive lest they would...

"I am the Good Shepherd;  the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep" (Jn 10:11) Service and sacrifice were synonymous to Jesus. He could not think of one without the other. Dare we? Christian ministry is not a forced labour but a friendly service which involves and includes sacrifice. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (Jn 15:13). Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing. There are atleast three things we must sacrifice if we are to do a service that pleases God and blesses people. First,  prestige.  "Being in the form of God, He did not consider it a robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant" (Phil 2:6,7). We cannot serve people until and unless we come down from our so-called prestige and position to identify and intermingle with them. The sinless Saviour became the Friend of Sinners. Every Christian must earn this nic...

"He who believes and is baptised shall be saved" (Mk 16:16a) Water Baptism is not an invention of a man or a Church. God the Father instituted it (Jn 1:33). God the Son commanded it (Mt 28:19). The apostles inspired by God the Holy Spirit instructed the believers to be baptised (Acts 2:38). The early Church consistently practised it (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 9:18; 10:47). The only person who never needed to be baptised was Jesus. Even John tried to prevent Him. But Jesus said that it was to "fulfil all righteousness" (Mt 3:15). No spiritual experience is a substitute for water baptism. Cornelius the military official had his prayers answered and alms approved before God. He was even baptised with the Spirit and spoke in tongues. But Apostle Peter "commanded" that he must be baptised in water (Acts 10:1,2,45,46,48). Water Baptism is an outward expression of an inward experience. It is a testimony of our identification with the death, burial and resurr...

"Can these bones live?" (Ezek 37:3) Prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of the backslidden people of God. Nothing but a valley of "very many" and "very dry" bones could explain their awful condition. They seemed to have gone to a point of no return. The people themselves cried, "Our hope is lost!" (v11). God asked the prophet, "Can these bones live?" He threw back the question to God saying, "Lord, You only know!" The situation from a human viewpoint was i-m-p-o-s-s-i-b-l-e ! The Church is no better today. There is form but no power. "They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly" (2 Tim 3:5). There is a name but no life. Christ rebuked the Church in Sardis, "You have a reputation for being alive — but you are dead" (Rev 3:1). There is wealth but no vision (Rev 3:17). There are activities but no love (Rev 2:2-4). Instead of multiplication there ...

"Let us consider one another in order to stir up love  and good works" (Heb 10:24) Love, Christian love, is indispensable to equip believers to do God's work and prepare them for the coming of the Lord. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews speaks about love here in the context of corporate life. In this there is both the positive side and the negative. Positively, mutual love is to motivate believers to good deeds (v24); negatively, it is to prevent them from backsliding (vv26-29). Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 is perhaps the best Old Testament passage to illustrate this New Testament truth: "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour" — This relates to the positive aspect, namely "good deeds." Then the preacher goes on to say, "For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstan...

"Though He was Son, yet He learned obedience  through the things He suffered" (Heb 5:8) Disadvantages in life usually keep us humble and obedient. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was one of the    most godly and successful American Presidents. He had a difficult childhood. His formal schooling was for less than a year. He failed in business in 1831 and was defeated for the legislature in 1832. The next year he again failed in business. His fiancee died in 1835. He was defeated for speaker in 1838. When he got married, his wife became a burden for him. Only one of his four sons lived past age 18. He was defeated for congress, Senate and vice-presidency. But he was elected as President in 1860! There is no one without failures in this world. For those who love God no failure is final. Failures, crises, suffering, losses, disappointments and such things belong to the same category. In the providence of God, all these can be redemptively used to learn obedie...

"Flee youthful lusts" (2 Tim 2:22) The breakthrough in the Television industry is undeniable. There is nothing that arrests people in streets and roads, bus stations and railway platforms, like the motion pictures on the TV screen. While some preachers are using this media to propagate the Gospel, others call it an idol or cinema theatre at home. I am told that in one Church they don't serve communion to those who own a TV set. During my student days I have heard preachers condemning those who owned a radio! In course of time it became an accepted thing because almost everyone started owning a transistor! And radio broadcasting has been very successfully used for evangelism. The same has become true of television also. But there is an important underlying principle we should not miss. While scientific and technological advancements can be used for the good of mankind, the devil invariably uses them to corrupt and destroy people because he is primarily a killer, ...

"Those who are well have no need of a physician  but those who are sick" (Mt 9:12) God works through natural as well as supernatural means to bring health to His people. There is not a single reference in the entire Bible that condemns medical help. Dr. Ambrose Pare confessed, "I bandage, God heals." In answer to his tearful prayer God promised Hezekiah the King through Prophet Isaiah that He would heal him. "Then Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs... So they took and laid it on the boil and he recovered" (2 Ki 20:5,7). Did the Prophet underestimate the healing power of God by prescribing a herbal medicine to a leader of God's people? Or did the apostle Paul undermine the miracle-working power of God by recommending medicinal wine to a young leader in the Church? (1 Tim 5:23). Jesus did not condemn the woman who spent all her money on doctors. Rather He comforted her and cured her (Mk 5:25,26,34). If sickness is a punishment from the Lord...