Thanksgiving

"Backbiters are worthy of death" (Rom 1:30-32) Speaking ill of another person in his absence is called slander or backbiting. We don't help anyone by this act. God has commanded in the Law, "You shall not go as a talebearer among your people" (Lev 19:16). The reason He gives is, "I am the Lord!" In other words, God hates backbiting. We may justify ourselves saying, "After all, I am telling the truth only." Imagine God revealing our sins to others! It was true that Noah was lying naked in his tent because of drunkenness. Ham his son, instead of covering his dad, told the matter to his brothers. The result was that Ham inherited only curse! (Gen 9:20-27). "Love covers multitude of sins!" (1 Pet 4:8). Lovelessness is the root cause of backbiting. Love rejoices not in evil (1 Cor 13:6). We don't realize that it is God who first hears what we speak when we slander against anyone. Backbiting grieves the Holy Spirit because i

"You must be ready all the time.  For the Son of Man will come when least expected" (Mt 24:44) In His discourses on the endtime Jesus emphasised watchfulness in prayer over anything else. "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is" (Mk 13:33; Mt 25:13). Jesus might have known that in these days there would be a slump in prayertime. The world is busier than ever. In spite of so many modern gadgets to do things faster, we don't have so much spare time as our forebears. Everyday it's hectic. The casualty is always the prayertime. In the Bible, watching and praying are often mentioned together (Lk 21:36; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2). The saying goes, "He who prays sins not; He who sins prays not!" In these days when sin abounds, prayer is the only way of escape. Martin Luther (1483-1546) testified, "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day." As our work increases

"I don't seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me"  (Jn 5:30) Man considers self-willed life as freedom. But wisdom cries out, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Prov 14:12). Therefore, "Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek God's will in all you do, and He will direct your paths" (Prov 3:5). More often than we think what we seek in prayer is God's endorsement of our own plans. We think that once we mention our plans and desires in prayer, they are automatically sanctioned by the Almighty. We then go about launching our programmes boastfully. The Bible condemns this kind of life in the strongest possible terms: "Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is: If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (Js 4:13-16). We should speak thus with a godly fear. We are at times so obsessed with

"Christ is the propitiation for our sins;  and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 Jn 2:2) Most of God's people are shortsighted. Some confine themselves to evangelise their own cities, districts or States. Still others feel they can care about people elsewhere only after all their own kith and kin are saved. Such Christians can never think of distant places till their lives last. Meditate on the four Gospels carefully to understand how Jesus was burdened about the untold millions who were still outside the fold. He said, "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring" (Jn 10:16). His concern was always about the "other sheep." He refused to remain in one place. His ministry in Capernaum was a great blessing accompanied by many miracles. Therefore the crowds tried to keep Him back. But He left that place saying, "I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also" (Lk 4:42,43). While

"Be filled with the Spirit... singing and making  melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph 5:18,19 ) The Holy Spirit is like a gentle dove sent by God to be our Companion and Helper. We shall consider today six things we need to do in order to gladden Him ever and grieve Him never! The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of "Counsel" (Isa 11:2; Rom 8:14). Some ways which may seem right to us will eventually lead us to destruction (Prov 14:12). The Holy Spirit, who knows the end from the beginning, will help us to remain in the centre of God's will and lead us in ways pleasing to Him. We must wholeheartedly accept God's will and this makes the Holy Spirit happy. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the "New Covenant" (2 Cor 3:6). He has delivered us from the bondage of the Law of the Old Testament. When we turn our backs to legalism and remain in the liberty given by the Holy Spirit, it rejoices His heart. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of &quo

"Search me, O God... See if there be any wicked way  in me and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psa 139:23,24) The first question that flashed upon my mind when I was diagnosed to undergo a coronary bypass surgery on this day in 1996 was, "Why Lord?" I was instantly rebuked by what I had been preaching for years: "Don't ask God, Why? He would answer, Why not?" Though I could not satisfy the queries of my heart, Prophet Jeremiah came to my help. Lamentations 3:39,40, "Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment for his sins? Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord." How true are the words sung by one of the great singer-evangelists from South Africa, Nataraja Mudaliar,  "O Lord, I have no right to ask why?   Grant me   a heart to bear anything."  But again more questions: Was it God who sent me this sickness? Or Satan? Or did God allow Satan to inflict me? I could not find the answer

"Providing honourable things not only in the sight of the Lord,  but also in the sight of men" (2 Cor 8:21) When VIPs from the religious or the secular world are invited to our programmes, it's our tradition to say, "We are honoured with your presence in our meeting." But Paul's challenge was, "Have I become your enemy because of preaching the truth?" (Gal 4:16). We are called to bless people, not to please them. Jesus is called "a stumbling stone and a rock of offence" (Rom 9:33). And Paul speaks of the "offence" of the Cross (Gal 5:11). Several times we read in the Gospels that those who heard Jesus were "offended at Him" (Mt 13:57; Mk 6:3). Once His disciples came and said to Him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" But He coolly answered, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the

"Search from the Book of the Lord and read" (Isa 34:16a) The Bible is God's Word. The message we receive from it is God's voice. In Greek the former is called "logos" and the latter is "rhema." Under normal circumstances we don't receive "rhema" instantly. We must dwell on a passage of the Scripture long enough until the message comes out. We must read that passage several times. Miles Coverdale (1488-1569) was a Bible translator. His was the first printed English Bible. His version became the basis for King James Version. He has written his own Bible study technique in the preface to his translation —  It shall greatly help you to understand the Scripture, if you mark not only what is spoken or written, but of whom, and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goes before and what follows.  If the Bible is to get into us, we must get into it. Pebbles can be pic

"You are my Lord; my goodness is nothing apart from You" (Psa 16:2) When we talk about the virtue of goodness, there are two aspects—being good, and doing good. The first one leads to the other. Good people will do good, although all those who do good may not be good people. This was the logic of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: "A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit" (Mt 7:17,18). Goodness is a fruit of walking with God. God's goodness is the root of all goodness. Psalmist David confessed to God, "You are my Master! My goodness is nothing apart from You" (Psa 16:2). I believe this is the main reason why God testified of David that he was a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22b). Oftentimes David exclaimed, "O Lord, how great is Your goodness!" (Psa 31:19a). God's goodness is associated with His patience. When He pa

"Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, and He will give it" (Zech 10:1)   In 1904 there was a mighty revival in the country of Wales, and thousands of people repented and were saved. To whom shall this revival be attributed? Evan Roberts (1878-1951) a young man was moved by Christ's love to pray with tears for his fellowmen for 13 years. When he started preaching the love of God, the Holy Spirit brought about a mighty revival. Reaping the harvest is the most exciting part of missionary evangelism. The endtime ingathering of souls is accelerated by the last days' outpouring of the Spirit. "It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh... And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:16,17,21). The Holy Spirit mobilizes the entire Church — not just fulltime ministers — "sons... daughters... young men... old men... men servants... maid servants" f

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness  of mind let each esteem others better than himself" (Phil 2:3) Divisions in Churches are sometimes around personalities or due to various doctrinal emphases or disputes or differences of opinion. Though it is Christ who redeemed us, some people stick around personalities: "I am of Paul... I am of Apollos... I am of Cephas." And there is yet another group — an interdenominational denomination—"I am of Christ" (1 Cor 1:11-13). Paul was perhaps well aware of this problem well ahead and that was why he didn't baptize too many people. Thank God for a preacher like Paul who did not keep a record of baptisms! "I do not know if I baptised any other," he said (v16). If Jesus had baptized people, they would have claimed that their baptism was superior to others. So He let His disciples do the baptizing (Jn 4:1,2). Divisions may also be due to various doctrinal emphas

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory  through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 15:57) Christ is the Captain and we are His soldiers. Our weapons are not nuclear, chemical or biological but spiritual. Through them we destroy the enemy's war machine (2 Cor 10:4,5). The devil is usually goodlooking! He is a masquerader. He came to Jesus in the wilderness as His promoter (Mt 4:5-10). Jesus unmasked him through the spiritual sensitivity gained during the forty days of prayer. On another occasion the devil camouflaged as his wellwisher. Jesus had no difficulty to discern him because of his prayer-wrought alertness (Mt 16:21-23). Prayer is a fine-tuner to catch Heaven's signals. The devil was after Christ from Bethlehem to Calvary. He tempted Him at all points. But Christ never once yielded (Heb 4:15). The Scriptures unfold His secrets of consistent and complete victory. First and foremost, Christ had surrendered Himself voluntarily to the authority of the Fat

"Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears" (1 Sam 3:9)  Abraham is an excellent model for faith and obedience. What is special about him is that his obedience to God was consistent. He obeyed God in small matters as well as big affairs, whether it was easy for him or not. He was God's yes-man always! God said, "Get out of your country," and he departed from there straightaway (Gen 12:1,4). — Difficult obedience! After Lot separated from him, God told Abraham, "Look northward, southward, eastward and westward.... Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width." He unhesitantly "moved his tent" (Gen 13:14-18). — Daring obedience! God commanded Abraham to circumcise all male children. That "very same day" he circumcised Ishmael and all the male members in his house. That "very same day" Abraham was also circumcised (Gen 17:9-14, 23-27). — Delayless obedience! God said to Abraham to listen to Sarah and se

"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name"  (Jn 14:26) It is thrilling to meditate on the following list of comparison between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit: « Jesus Christ is God's first comforter; the Holy Spirit is God's second comforter. « Jesus Christ is compared to a Lamb the gentlest of all animals while the Holy Spirit is compared to a Dove the gentlest of all birds. « Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are holy and they both teach us holiness. « Jesus Christ is the Theme of the Scriptures; the Holy Spirit is its Author. « Jesus Christ is received by faith; we believe and receive the Holy Spirit. « Jesus Christ was rejected by many Jews; the Holy Spirit is rejected by many Churches. « We confess Jesus Christ with our mouth; we speak in tongues after receiving the Holy Spirit. « Jesus Christ is the price of our redemption; the Holy Spirit is the seal of our redemption. « We pray in the Name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy

"If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile,  you are still in your sins" (1 Cor 15:17) Christ is given "the Name above every name" (Phil 2:9; Acts 2:32,36) because of resurrection. In the Name of Jesus we have the victory! "The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Prov 18:10). It's a bunker no scud missile can penetrate! The Name of Jesus is the "Patriot" that intercepts the enemy's missiles, not missing one! David warned 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!" (1 Sam 17:45). In the Name of Jesus, demons will have to flee (Mk 16:17). The Resurrected Christ lives in us (Gal 2:20). He our General is greater than the one in the world (1 Jn 4:4). Jesus triumphantly declared, "I've overcome the world!" What words of cheer to the army in the heat of the

"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;  Blessed be the Name of the Lord" (Job 1:21) No one other than Jesus suffered mentally and physically like Job. The Bible admonishes us to follow the "patience of Job" (Js 5:10,11). What he spoke when he suffered is worthy of close meditation. If patience is the sign of perfection, then words of patience become the crown of a perfect life. The text mentioned above is famous for funeral services. We may read it today formally as a Bible text. But when the lips of Job gave birth to these words, it was an absolutely real confession, which sprang from a heart of honesty. The losses of Job were by no means ordinary. Death of his cattle, their caretakers and his children, all in quick succession (Job 1:13-19). To worsen the situation he became sick with an abominable disease. In order to escape the situation, his wife suggested to him, "Curse God and die!" Several advocates of positive confession tell us th

"Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Lk 23:46) The word Abraham used for the sacrifice of his son Isaac was "worship" (Gen 22:2,5). The self-sacrifice of Christ is the most supreme offering in history. When Jesus commended His spirit into the hands of His Father, the God of heaven and earth received worship that is unparallelled. About this the Son of God had already said in His farewell address when He left heaven for earth, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me" (Heb 10:5-7). No worship is so sweet-smelling before the Throne of God like the offering of our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1). This is the crowning lesson the death of Christ teaches us (Eph 5:1,2). Also no other worship takes us so close to the intimate presence of God. When Jesus gave Himself up into the hands of the Father, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Lk 23:46; Mt 27:50,51). The way into the Hol

"She, out of poverty, put in all that she had,  her whole livelihood" (Mk 12:44) Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury, for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had, her whole livelihood" (Mk 12:43,44). She was poor materially but rich spiritually. Others had more finance but she had more faith. God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith (Js 2:5). Giving our substance to God is one of the most practical expressions of worship. "Money makes many things." "Money matters." These are the maxims of mankind regarding money. That's why the Bible warns us that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10). Deliverance from the love of money is as good as the salvation of soul. It's a "temptation" to overcome, a "snare" to escape, a