Thanksgiving

"You were a forgiving God,  but You punished them when they went wrong" (Psa 99:8) Conscience is a matchless gift from God. It is His lamp to search all the inner depths of our hearts (Prov20:27). It is sometimes called the "spirit of man" (1 Cor 2:11a). A sharp conscience is an inestimable asset for character building. The conscience must be trained to love what's right with perfect love and hate what's wrong with perfect hatred. It's easier to love good than to hate evil. If we choose the easier one and ignore the other, we will become popular with men but won't please God. If we love good and hate evil equally, we will earn the smile of God as well as the sneer of the devil (Heb 1:9). Only when we keep our conscience clear, we will not mix up black and white (Isa 5:20). Any Christian who is serious about changing his carnal nature into spiritual-mindedness ought to study the Sermon on the Mount diligently (Matthew 5-7). This is the Magna...

"What you have done to one of the least of these My brothers,  you have done it unto Me" (Mt 25:40) Why did he go to hell? The sin of the rich man of Luke 16 was one of omission. He did nothing to alleviate the pain of Lazarus who was full of sores. He failed to provide a simple food and shelter to the one lying at his gate. Why did the King drive out those on the left hand into everlasting fire? Their sins of omission brought on this everlasting punishment (Mt 25:41-46). I wonder why the Church speaks so little about this apostolic teaching to "remember the poor" (Gal 2:10), which decides our eternal destiny. I urge teachers in Schools and Colleges to help students imbibe the spirit of charity even before they enter the world. Today is Teachers Day! That rugged Preacher in the desert, who called for repentance, urged his hearers, "He who has two shirts, let him give one to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise" (Lk 3:10,11)....

"Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters,  but God who gives the harvest" (1 Cor 3:7) God in His sovereign grace and wisdom is using para-Church organisations, so called, all over the world to further His cause. But they are an eyesore to many a pastor and Church leader. The Scriptural validity of these organisations is repeatedly questioned. Dialogues between both sides have helped to improve mutual understanding, but tensions do exist. I believe that we have the seedbed for missionary societies in Acts 13. The Holy Spirit actually called Barnabas and Paul "out of" a local Church for a wider ministry. After their first missionary journey, they returned to the Church, which released them, to report the works of God (Acts 14:26,27). But thereafter we don't see Paul and his associates tied up to any one particular local Church. Their style of functioning became that of a missionary society. Para-church organisations are essentially trans...

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone"  (Mt 21:42) As a building engineer I have heard this statement made in various forms and occasions by masons. Looking for an ideally shaped stone they would keep rejecting one after the other. Finally they would settle for the best among the rejected ones! Jesus saw Himself as a rejected stone. Prophet Isaiah portrayed Him as "a Man of sorrows ... despised and rejected by men" (Isa 53:3). None of us who truly follow the crucified Saviour can escape the cross of rejection. No man is fully accepted until he is totally rejected. Joseph was rejected but finally crowned. David was despised but finally enthroned. Jesus was rejected and despised by relatives and religionists. The world still hates Him. He has forewarned us, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you" (Jn 15:18). Apostle John repeated this warning, "Do not marvel, my brothers, if the...

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord that He counted me faithful,  appointing me to His service" (1 Tim 1:12) Nothing in life can take the place of faithfulness and dependability. Brilliance, genius and competence are all subservient to the quality of faithfulness. God's basic desire is that we stay faithful wherever He has called us to whatever responsibility. Moses was faithful to God "as a servant;" Jesus was faithful to Him "as a Son" (Heb 3:5,6). The five-talented servant earned another five. The two-talented servant earned another two. Both of them were called "faithful" and rewarded equally, because each of them was 100% faithful with what they were entrusted with (Mt 25:19-23). Faithfulness at the beginning of a work or a course is not difficult. When the initial excitement and the early enthusiasm wane, it is not easy to maintain faithfulness unless we are patient and committed to consistency. God complained to Ephraim, "You...

"Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined?" (Heb 12:7) More than any other time the truth of the fatherhood of God is appreciated when we pass through periods of suffering. The Father God has one Son without sin but none without scars! In Hebrews 12, the Chapter on Chastisement, God is called the " Father  of spirits" (v9). That means, He knows everything about everyone. "He knows our frame and He remembers that we are dust. As a  father  pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. He will not always chide us" (Psa 103:14,13,9). As God takes us through trials and tribulation, let's stay submitted under Him with the confidence that he is the " Father  of mercies" (2 Cor 1:3). As children of the  Father  and joint-heirs with Christ His Son in the Father's house, if we share in Christ's suffering today we shall also share in His glory tomorrow (Rom 8:16-18). The Lord Jesus cheers us up today saying, ...

This is an awesome animation on the Lost sheep parable Devil lures us saying we are unnecessarily kept within limits, we have much more interesting things outside etc but its better to stay within the fence with God. Our God is faithful no matter how many times we go away from him and get into issues He brings us back and Celebrates the Home coming