Thanksgiving

"By this My Father is glorified, that you may bear much fruit;   so you will be My disciples" (Jn 15:8)  In response to the rain the field must bring forth fruit. Rain is from above. God pours His blessing on us so we may be fruitful to Him. We must be productive to avoid backsliding. The rain typifies God's Spirit, God's Word and God's Grace. Let's briefly study the expected response from us on the receipt of each of these blessings.   God's  Spirit  is rain. This demands a twofold response. First our character. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22,23). The Holy Spirit is out-poured on us that we may bring forth these fruits. If instead we still continue to be manifesting "the works of the flesh" (Gal 5:19-21), we are bearing "thorns and briers" only. Every effort must be taken by us to cooperate with the Spirit to produce...

"Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit..." (Zech 4:6) In these days when so much of Christian activity is carried out by mere human strength and skill, we need to have a fresh look at Jesus to learn how He ministered. Luke, a doctor as well as a historian, explains the secret of Christ's ministry: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). Jesus emptied Himself of all His own power and strength and received the power of the Spirit, thus giving us a pattern. The Word of the Lord to one of God's servants of old was, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts" (Zech 4:6). The sooner we learn this truth the better. Christ's dependence on the Holy Spirit was manifested by the fact that prayer was His top priority. He spent 40 days in fasting and prayer before His 40 months of public ministry. He came out from the wilderness "in th...

"When Christ suffered, He did not threaten to get even. He left His case  in the hands of God, who always judges fairly" (1 Pet 2:23) The trouble with us today is that we want a 707 flight to the Promised Land without walking through the wilderness. Our impatience only learns patience through the thorns of delay and darkness. Though the entire earthly life of Christ was one of suffering from the cradle to the cross, His sufferings intensified infinitely during the final days. Read through the last chapters of the Gospels. His patience stands out. Peter, who was an eyewitness of all the mistreatment and suffering his Master experienced, wrote later, "When you do good and suffer for it, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" (1 Pet 2:21,22). How could Jesus be so patient in suffering? Because, He knew that everything ...

"I have singled Abraham out so that he will direct his sons  and their families to keep the way of the Lord" (Gen 18:19) Happy family is but an earlier Heaven! Sadly the devil has robbed families of joy and peace by offering substitutes. But God desires each family to experience happiness abundantly in every area of its life. It was perhaps to indicate this concern of His for families that His Son Jesus performed His first miracle in a marriage party (Jn 2:1-12). From this first century incident of Cana we can pick out some lessons today and tomorrow, for a happy home.   Presence of Jesus Jesus was "invited" to the wedding! (v 2). This made all the difference. The first secret of a happy home lies here. The presence of Jesus cannot be taken for granted. His presence is promised on condition that two or three shall "gather" in His Name (Mt 18:20). There was a time when it was hard to find Christian homes without family prayer. But nowadays so ma...

"I will declare Your Name to My brothers;  in the midst of the congregation I will praise You" (Psa 22:22) One of the favourite texts used often in charismatic worship meetings is Philippians 2:10,11, "At the Name of Jesus every knee should bow...and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Undoubtedly this is a very appropriate text for worship. But we tend to lose sight of its closing words: "To the glory of God the  Father ." The meaning is, all worship must ultimately be to the Father. We are to worship the Father "by" the Spirit of God and rejoice "in" Christ Jesus (Phil 3:3). "We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Col 1:3). "We bless our God and Father" (Js 3:9). In fact, Christ also joins us in praising the Father! He tells His Father, "I will declare Your Name to My brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You" (Psa 22:22; Heb 2:11-...

"Imitate me just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Cor 11:1) The Bible teaches us to be "followers of God as dear children" (Eph 5:1). Jesus was exactly like His Father. He bade His disciples, "Follow Me" (Mt 4:19). Then comes the third stage. Apostle Paul urged his converts, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Cor 11:1). The teaching of the Scriptures confirms that this chain should not be broken but continue from generation to generation. A chain smoker cried, "Don't tell me why; show me how!" We are desperately in need of men and women who can lead by example. We have often heard preachers say, "Don't look at me; look at Jesus!" This is nothing but escapism and sheer hypocrisy. Concerning such debasing examples among the religious leaders of His day Jesus warned the people, "Whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their deeds" (Mt 23:3). On the oth...

"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 end-time Jesus emphasized 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 prayer-time. 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 prayer-time. 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 increa...

"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 programs 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 o...

"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 baptized 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 emp...

"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 Ho...

"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 th...

"The fool has said in his heart, There is no God!"   (Psa 14:1) Scientific inventions like Cable TV, Cell Phone, Satellite and Super Computer make many people, especially youngsters, in the 21st century to doubt the very existence of God. "Science or Scriptures?" is a question that constantly challenges the mind. The Bible is not against Science. The Bible in fact agrees with true Science. The Bible abounds in scientific facts. It declares that the world is round (Isa 40:22). Even thousands of years before, the Bible has stated that the earth hangs on nothing (Job 26:7). We have learned from the Bible the scientific facts such as the stars in the sky cannot be numbered (Gen 15:5), and there is oil in the valley of Siddim (Arabia) (Gen 14:10). The Bible has also mentioned that iron is taken from the earth (Job 28:2) and that molten glass is cast into moulds (Job 37:18). Surely God who has created Heaven and earth knows all this! Many eminent Scientists ...

"Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit" (Lk 23:46) The sayings of Jesus on the Cross were not yet over when He uttered the victorious words, "It is finished." The only begotten Son of God left His home in glory and came into this world to offer His own precious life as a ransom for man's salvation. After fulfilling the perfect will of His Father, remembering Psalm 31:5, Jesus commended His spirit into the hands of His Heavenly Father. No one was able to take the life of Jesus. It was His own freewill offering. We don't need to fear about tomorrow because Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the one who was, who is and who is to come. He is the "A" and the "Z." Jesus said, "I give My sheep eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand...

"It is finished!" (Jn 19:30) All the demands of a holy and righteous God were perfectly satisfied when Christ offered His body without any blemish, and shed His blood without any spot. His was the perfect offering. There is nothing we can add to it because it is just not necessary. Man thought that Jesus was finished, but He shouted victoriously that the work was finished! Salvation comes to us as a free gift because of the finished work on the Cross. A gift cannot be earned, it must only be received. On God's side salvation is all of grace, and on our side it is all of faith. We are not saved "by" good works but "for" good works. Boasting is totally out (Eph 2:8-10). The gospel is a Good News for those who have done their best but failed! The problem of the natural man with human reasoning is in understanding how the greatest of all gifts can be received by simple faith. In his pride and prestige he wants to "do" something and ...

" I thirst!" (Jn 19:28) Christ who told the woman of Samaria, "He who drinks the water that I give shall never thirst," now on the cruel Cross cried, "I thirst!" After sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was dragged to the rulers here and there. He was tortured by the Roman soldiers. He was flogged, and crowned with thorns. He bore the heavy Cross and staggered as He was led to Golgotha. All this resulted in this agonising thirst as He hung on the Cross with his torn body. He refused to accept the painkiller drink offered to Him. Thus He submitted Himself to consciously undergo anguish and suffering. Why did He suffer thus? Christ thirsted that we might not thirst again. He was wounded for us so He might become an "open fountain" (Zech 13:1). The Shepherd was struck but He didn't run away from the sheep. He leads them to "still waters" and satisfies them with "goodness and mercy" (Zech 13:7; Psa 23). ...

"O God, You are my strength; I wait for You" (Psa 59:9) It is only natural to run for shelter and refuge on the face of threat and danger. It's reflex action that's common to humankind. But in this era of swift and lethal weaponry, no place is absolutely safe unless God protects us. Because our times are in His hands and we are in His palms, we must learn to relax in any situation. The profitability of waiting on God when we are threatened and hounded is best explained in Isaiah 30:15,16, "The Sovereign Lord says: Only in returning to Me and waiting for Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength." God's silence and slowness in acting on our behalf when we are under the severe attack of our enemies may be due to two reasons. Either God wants to strengthen us by delaying deliverance or He wants to sanctify us. Taking time to sit before God in self-examination is the only way to experience victory. There may come times ...

"We are not boasting of things beyond measure,  that is, in other men's labours" (2 Cor 10:15) We painfully watch many faith evangelists in Christian TV literally begging people to help pay their large pending bills or the huge bank loans. This does not bring glory to God. One of the Christian broad- casting agencies in India tells of some evangelists who don't even reply its repeated reminders to pay their long dues of airtime cost. One should not do everything and get into trouble. "No one should think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as God has given to each one a measure of faith" (Rom 12:3). It is good to plan big projects but the Bible cautions us to "sit down first and count the cost" whether we have enough to finish it (Lk 14:28). Expansion in Christian ministries is God's blessing. But don't overtake God. In the parable of talents, all were not given equal number of talents. One was give...