Thanksgiving

"In Him we live and move, in Him we exist..." (Acts 17:28) The blessings of the compound Names of Jehovah, which appear here and there in the Scriptures, are lined up in the most favourite Psalm 23. 1  Jehovah-Rohi The Lord who shepherds (Psa 23:1) "The Lord is my Shepherd" (v 1) 2  Jehovah-Jireh The Lord who provides (Gen 22:14) "I shall not want" (v 1); "Green pastures" (v 2); "My cup runs over" (v 5); "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (v 6) 3  Jehovah-Shalom The Lord who is Peace (Judg 6:23,24) "He leads me beside the still waters" (v 2) 4  Jehovah-Rapha The Lord who heals (Ex 15:26) "He restores my soul" (v 3); "You anoint my head with oil" (v 5) 5  Jehovah-Tsidkenu The Lord who is Righteousness (Jer 23:5,6) "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake" (v 3) 6  Jehovah-...

"Be diligent in these matters; practice these duties, devote yourself  to them so your progress may be evident to everyone" (1 Tim 4:15) While spiritual birth happens at an instant, growth is a process. Born as the Son of God, Jesus took about 30 years for His growth (Lk 3:23). He did not begin His public ministry until then. Luke records that Jesus "grew" in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and with men (2:52)—intellectual, physical, spiritual and social growth. The Boy Jesus knew so much even at the age of twelve. His wisdom surprised the religious leaders and people. But He did not rush into ministry eventhough He undoubtedly had a sense of urgency. He waited. He refused to be pressurised by the needs around. This preministerial preparation of Jesus is tacitly overlooked by us to our own disadvantage and disaster. In his first letter to Timothy, apostle Paul stresses that a leader should not be a recent convert (1 Tim 3:6). An immature per...

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and the things acceptable to Him;  then all these things shall be given you beside" (Mt 6:33) Youth as well as parents usually have a question: Can youngsters, who should totally devote themselves to studies, indulge in prayers and Bible Study and involve in evangelistic activities? Let me tell you briefly about my college days. When I was a student in the Pre-university Class in 1962 in St. John's College, Palayamkottai, the Lord Jesus redeemed me this same day. I did my Bachelor's degree in Engineering from 1963 to 1968 in the Alagappa Engineering College, Karaikudi, and my Master's in Technology, 1968-70, in the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai. I passed out with flying colours. It was such an opportunity to spend all the eight years of my life in College with Christ and for Him. I would get up at 4 or 5 in the morning and spend an hour in praise and prayer (Psa 143:8). The next half an hour was for Bible medi...

"If faith is not translated into action, by itself, it is dead" (Js 2:17) "Not any good deed but faith alone saves,"advocates Paul (Eph 2:8,9). But James declares, "Faith without deeds is dead" (Js 2:17). For a casual reader, these statements seem to contradict each other. But it is not so. Here is an example— "By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies with peace, was not killed with those who were disobedient" (Heb 11:31). Eventhough the Epistle of Hebrews was written 2000 years after Rahab's birth, she is still called a prostitute. Her life had been so dark. Nevertheless, she was saved by her faith. When two Israelite spies came to Jericho, she hid them under stalks of flax spread on the roof of her house and saved them from their enemies. Obeying the words of the spies, she tied a red rope on a window (Josh 2:21). Certainly her sin was red like crimson. But the slender scarlet string — her simple faith on the ...

"I continue to press forward towards the goal for the prize  of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14) The Biblical antidote for backsliding is that we must go on to perfection, leaving the elementary principles of Christ and not laying again the foundation (Heb 6:1,2). This passage (Heb6:1-6) calls Repentance, Faith, Baptisms, Gifts of the Spirit, Resurrection and Judgement as the "elementary principles" or the "foundation." In the Primary School we studied 1+1=2; 1x1=1; 1-1=0; and so on. This is the foundation. This is important. One cannot afford to forget this as he passes into the higher classes. At the same time, isn't it unprofitable to study only these fundamentals again and again? As much as the elementary or foundational principles are important, moving from them onto higher and deeper truths is necessary. We should "go on to perfection." Just because the foundation is important for a building, should the fou...

"The Lord raises the insignificant from the dust  and lifts the lowly from the rubbish" (1 Sam 2:8) The childhood of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was spent in poverty. One day a Bible was given to him. He started reading it under streetlights with passion. He trusted that God, who crowned David a shepherd boy as King, was able to uplift him also. God made him the President of the United States of America. David was despised by the members of his family. But God made him King over Israel. God said to him, "I took you from following the flock to be ruler over My people Israel... I made your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth" (2 Sam 7:8,9). A shepherd boy became a Supremo! Esther was beautiful but she was an orphan. Her uncle Mordecai adopted her. Fearing God, she obeyed Mordecai in all things. There was a hectic competition to replace Vashti the ousted Queen. But "the King loved Esther above all the women" (Es 2:17). An...

"Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, in divine grace  and in favour with men by leaps and bounds" (Lk 2:52) God Almighty is looking for boys and girls who can carry His blessings to this world. Will you come forward, dear? * Wanted youth who will obey their parents and be dutiful to them till death — like JESUS (Lk 2:51; Jn 19:25-27) * Wanted youth who will say no to sexual immorality and run away from the place and person of temptation — like JOSEPH (Gen 39:10-12)   * Wanted youth who will totally abstain from any form of evil — Like TIMOTHY (1 Tim 5:23)   * Wanted youth who will be wedded to the Bible — like JOSEPH and TIMOTHY (Psa 105:19; 2 Tim 3:15) *  Wanted youth who will work hard towards a balanced growth, physically, intellectually, spiritually and socially — like JESUS (Lk 2:52)   * Wanted youth who will cooperate sincerely with their godly parents to fulfil the plan and purposes of God — like ISAAC (Gen 22:6,9-14)   ...