Sunday, October 4, 2015

The Circle of Life, Strength, Joy and Love


UV 1548/10000 The Circle of Life, Strength, Joy and Love

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Revelation 22 v 13

Everything in this universe rotates or revolves around something else. But who or what is the pivot around which the whole universe and therefore our lives should revolve? This uni-verse helps us get a perspective or a grab on the big picture. We can visualize Alpha as the origin point around which a perfect circle is drawn. The circle itself is Omega. Jesus is the author of our life and He is the finisher. He is at the starting point with us and with us at the finishing point and thereafter. This circle represents the universe of our existence. Everything that happens in our lives are circles or sub sets within this universe. When we are dealing with faith as a religion, it is a separate circle from the rest of life that we ourselves draw. When faith in Jesus is the large circle enclosing all the areas and aspects of life, it is no longer religion but practical spirituality. The Word is the compass that enables us to draw the circles around all the areas of our lives whereby we can cut out what is not permissible or pleasing to the Lord and grow what is pleasing and permissible. Many of these circles overlap and intersect each other. For instance, how we think and speak affects our health. How we plan and execute affects the fulfillment of our dreams and goals. Invariably, there is a gap, shortcoming or hamartia in reality. Scripture says that “we fall short of the glory of God.” Faith enables us to avail the grace or strength of Jesus to fill the gaps in our efforts, the gaps in our performance, the gaps in our resources, the gaps in our relationships and emotions. Jesus fills these gaps so that we do not fall short of God’s amazing, awesome, abundant glory and grace. The consistent emotion or feeling the Lord wants us to experience despite our circumstances is joyfulness. The consistent belief He wants us to hold is that we are strong in Christ despite our weaknesses and frailties.


Jesus is the One who is and was and is to come. The earth might be 450 million years old but it is as good as yesterday for Jesus. He sees and controls as much into the future as into the past. He encompasses our past, present, future and eternity. Jesus said wisely, “ Each day brings its own troubles.” He is with us in the midst of the troubles and challenges we face right now and through the day. He gives us grace or strength to bear and leads us to victory moment by moment. We only need to willingly subject all the smaller circles within the larger circle of our lives to the Lord to His discipline, His guidance, His blessing. He surrounds us in all directions or in 360 degrees all through the year and all through our lives. The smaller circles represent our work, our family, our dreams, our needs, our burdens or challenges, our health, our finances, our expectations. All our fountains lie in His circle of protection and provision and guidance. All our sources of strength lie in Him.


Jesus draws and re-draws some of the circles in our lives within the larger circle of His love. We cannot hide any area from Him. He knows our past, present and future as well as our eternal potential. He trims the hedges around our lives as an expert gardener would. He draws the boundaries not to imprison us but to give us greater and greater freedom and blessing. He brings each area of our lives to fulfillment. Jesus wants the circle of life and love to coincide. He does not want these circles to be drawn in a vacuum or a perfect isolated atmosphere but in the real world of difficult people and circumstances. He does not insulate us from the real world but He builds our resilience from within.

Prateep V Philip

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