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 ...

"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 ...