Saturday, February 29, 2020

Joseph, the Colourful One

UV 3481/10000 Joseph, the Colourful One
Now Israel(Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a (distinctive) multicoloured tunic.

Genesis 37 v 3

The name “Joseph” means to add. The Lord adds to the life of His faithful children many blessings of His kingdom. He gives us a multicoloured tunic, a spiritual one that would distinguish us. It is a multicoloured coat of gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. God first made man in His own image. That image was distorted by the advent of sin. But the advent of Son, the Son of God, the Servant Leader led to our being redeemed in the image of Christ. Like Joseph we are anointed or chosen to lead, to deliver people from death, from spiritual famine, to store up the grains of truth of His word in the barns of our hearts and minds, to distribute it to the needy that it will save them from spiritual starvation.

We are to use our multicoloured coat of gifts and fruit not to boast or gloat or to lord it over others but to serve as the Servant Leader both taught and demonstrated so often. To those who need counsel, we should give counsel, to those who need comfort, comfort, to those who need healing, healing, to those who need help, help. In everything we speak and do, we should measure if we are being the image of Christ, the Servant Leader, the One who lived, dies and lives to serve all without distinction.

We also have as our heritage of blessing to be a fruitful bough that overhangs the wall of a well. Our roots are always nourished with heavenly dew or moisture. Our sap is always rising in us. We are bearing much fruit for the glory of God and the needs of His people. In our garden, we have a bougainvilla creeper, overhanging a wall that is always full of flowers. I call it “Joseph,” the colourful and fruitful one. Our lives are to be colourful or attractive to others. We are to make the message of the Servant Leader, Jesus attractive to others.

Friday, February 28, 2020

Acting and Reacting on Impulse

UV 3480/10000 Acting and Reacting on Impulse
Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because Shechem had defiled and disgraced their sister Dinah.
Genesis 34 v 13

The serpent leader tempts people with sexual lust. Shechem, the son of Hamar, the chieftain of a walled city of Canaan succumbed to lust. He yielded to his impulse and raped Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. This led to a spiral of violence for the twelve brothers were deeply offended, angry and plotted against Hamor, Shechem and the people of their town. They visited terrible revenge upon the latter. They first agreed to give their sister in marriage but laid one condition that all the men do circumcision. After all the men underwent circumcision, they were attacked and killed by the sons of Jacob.

Jacob had to flee with his family from the land of Shechem, fearing the attack of the neighbouring people of the land. The Lord protected them with some supernatural intervention. The spiritual law of life that as one sows, so one reaps was operating. Shechem was killed along with his father and his people as a result of his succumbing to lust. The family of Jacob had to flee as they took the law into their own hands and acted treacherously. We need to exercise self control or allow the Holy Spirit to control and rule the different unruly members of our bodies. We need to honour our agreements and not act treacherously.

When people use force to get what they want and when they resort to bloodshed, there are terrible consequences for all. Scripture says that if we sow the wind, we will reap the whirlwind. We must be careful not to provoke the anger of people by acting unwisely, imprudently, impulsively. We must also learn to overlook offences and not try to wreak revenge on others. If we are in touch with the pulse of God and of people, we will not act and react on impulse.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Wrestling with God



UV 3479/10000 Wrestling with God
So Jacob was left alone, and a Man (came and) wrestled with him until daybreak.
Genesis 32 v 24

Jacob wrestled with God till daybreak and he did not let go till the latter declared a blessing over him. Likewise, we need to wrestle with God in prayer till daybreak and He declares a blessing over us. God honours such persistence and zeal. The Lord surrounds His children with a camp or battalion of His angels or Mahanaim. As long as we are in God’s camp we are safe and secure. Instead of being afraid or worried, we need to submit it to the Lord and He will give us the peace of the Servant Leader, Jesus. The Lord is bigger and stronger than our biggest challenges, problems and enemies. He will give us deliverance even as He delivered Jacob from the threat of a vengeful brother Esau. The serpent leader, in contrast will try to infiltrate our thoughts and distort our perceptions so that we take the wrong decisions under stress.

When we count our problems or worries, we become depressed and downcast. When we count our blessings and the deliverances of the Lord, we become joyful, thankful, grateful. Jacob was worried how his brother Esau would react to him. The Lord gave him many assurances and signs that all would go well with them. Jacob sent many gifts of heads of cattle and flock to his estranged brother Esau to appease him. But it was ultimately the grace of the Lord that Esau greeted him with love and forgiveness. When we win the favour of the Lord, He turns the animosity of our earthly enemies to favour, too.

Jacob renamed the place where he had an encounter with God as Peniel or the face of God for He had seen the face of God and survived. We, too in our lives have our Peniel moments when we see the very face of God. God showed up when Jacob was alone and depressed. He always shows up in our lives when we are worried, depressed, afraid and as we trust Him. He shows up to encourage us, to strengthen us, to deliver us. Instead of wrestling with our fears and worries, we need like Jacob to wrestle with the Lord as a child arm twists his father’s strong arm to get what he needs.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

The Favour of God

UV 3478/10000 The Favour of God
God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “ Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob, either good or bad.”

Genesis 31 v 24

Jacob’s personal relationship with God led to Jehovah protecting and prospering him even in the house of his deceitful father –in-law Laban. Laban changed his wages several times. When Jacob said that all the speckled of the flock of Laban would be his wages, the speckled multiplied. When he said that the streaked of the flock would be his, the streaked ones multiplied. Laban and his sons became envious and resentful of Jacob. Indeed, the presence of the Lord with us distinguishes us in terms of the blessings we receive when we believe.

When Jacob decided to leave Laban and return to the land of his father Isaac, the serpent leader tempted Rachel to take with her secretly some of the idols of her father. That led to Laban pursuing Jacob and his camp that was moving towards Canaan. Laban could have harmed Jacob but the Lord protected Jacob and warned him not to even speak a word to him in reproach. The two entered into the covenant of Mizpah or the watchtower that they would not attack each other in the future. The Lord is our Mizpah. The Servant Leader watches over our lives. He keeps us from harm.

The Psalmist David wrote that the Lord watches over us, day and night. He leads us, He guides us, He prospers us, He warns us, He protects and preserves us from harm. Even when Laban and even his daughter Rachel sought to serve other gods, Jacob remained faithful to the God of his father, Abraham. The Lord prospered Jacob in whatever he did. He transferred the wealth of Laban into his hands. It became visible and known to even Laban that the Lord’s favour was with Jacob. The Servant Leader Jesus makes available the favour of God to all mankind who repent and receive Him into their hearts and lives.

Monday, February 24, 2020

The Sins of the Fathers

UV 3477/10000 The Sins of the Fathers
So Jacob served Laban for seven years for the right to marry Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Genesis 29 v 20

Jacob the deceiver was deceived at his own game by Laban. Laban promised to give him Rachel in marriage after seven years of working for him. Instead, he sent his older daughter Leah to him. Then Jacob was promised Rachel if he worked another seven years for Laban. When we read their life stories in Genesis, we find that every patriarch was either deceived or lied to someone else. Jacob’s deception by Laban led to an unhealthy rivalry between the two sisters, Leah and Rachel. But the Lord used even the rivalry to found the nation of Israel from the twelve sons born to Leah and Rachel. The Lord also uses the twists and turns in our own life stories to serve His sovereign will and purpose.

Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. The Lord saw the injustice done to Leah and opened her womb to be fruitful while Rachel remained childless. The Servant Leader , Jesus, the Son of God is born in the line of descent from Judah, the fourth son of Leah. From the line of Judah was also born the shepherd turned king of Israel, David. David had a lifestyle of praise, the meaning of the name, Judah. He praised God all the time. The Servant Leader Jesus also teaches and enables us to have a lifestyle of praise. As we use our lives to lift up the name of Jesus and of our Father Jehovah, He lifts us up.

After Rachel wrestles with Leah and with God for a long while her womb too was opened for her to bear two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob. God also keeps His promise to the servant maid of Abraham and Ishmael becomes the forebear of twelve sons who are the founders of the Arab nations of the Middle East. Today, the descendants of Ishmael are far more numerous than those of Isaac and yet, it is out of the fewer of Israel that the Lord gave a solution to mankind’s quest for eternal life. The Servant Leader Jesus was born in Israel. Unlike His forebears, He had no cunning in Him, to stay safe or to get ahead in life. He remained spotless, unblemished, perfect despite all trials and temptations in order to rescue mankind from eternal death and the penalty of sin. He remains the greatest of all born to women as He alone lived and died to serve all mankind. The serpent leader tried to thwart the plan of God but he failed and fell to the earth as a wasted bolt of lightning. The Servant Leader Jesus was resurrected to rule over all mankind as Eternal King.

Sunday, February 23, 2020

The Stairway to Heaven


UV 3476/10000 The Stairway to Heaven
He dreamed that there was a ladder (stairway) placed on the earth, and the top of it reached (out of sight) toward heaven; and (he saw) the angels of God ascending and descending on it ( going to and from heaven).
Genesis 28 v 12

The compassion of God overlooked the flaws and cunning of Jacob and favoured him with a heavenly vision. In all our ups and downs, the Lord sends His angels to help us. Whether we are ascending the ladder of success or descending, His presence is with us. Jacob was fleeing from his incensed brother Esau who plotted to kill him after their father Jacob’s imminent death. The Lord chooses that moment to encourage him with a dream. The angels ascending are carrying our petitions, prayers, praise to the Lord even as the angels descending are carrying the answers, the blessings of the Lord. Jacob had left home. He was travelling through the wilderness. His doting mother was no longer with him. He was alone and through the dream, the Lord conveyed to him that he was not alone. Indeed, we are never alone as long as we hold onto our faith. The Lord God was above Jacob and around him. Likewise, the Lord is above our situations in life and He surrounds us in 360 degrees. The perspective the Lord has of Jacob, and indeed of our lives, is total, complete not partial or fractured. The Lord’s eye view is far better than a bird’s eye view.

Jacob had an uneasy conscience having duped his brother and his father. Yet, he could fall asleep even on the hard pillow of a stone, under the starry sky. The prophet Daniel also speaks of the vision of the Servant Leader, the Son of Man coming on the clouds. He has supreme authority for He manifested supreme love. Here is one instance, where absolute authority or power does not corrupt. Jesus Himself spoke to Nathaniel and prophesied that he would see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. The vision was a sign that Jacob like his grandfather Abraham was also anointed as a prophet.

Jacob in addition to the Messianic vision, also received the promises of the Lord that he would receive the land on which he was lying as his inheritance, that his descendants would be countless and that they would spread in all directions, that the families of the whole earth would be blessed through him, that he would be watched over and guarded by the Lord, that He would not leave him, that he would be brought back to this land. Jacob on waking up realized that the presence of the Lord was strong in that place and he re-named the place as Bethel or the House of God. He raised a stone pillar at that place as a monument to the vision. He also vowed to tithe whatever he earned or received as a sign of his gratitude and dependence on Jehovah. Like Jacob, we should cherish and honour the vision we receive from the Lord. The Servant Leader, Jesus lay down His life as a bridge between God and man, a stairway to heaven. As Jacob consecrated a stone, we should consecrate our hearts and minds as Bethel, the house or place where God resides. Our hearts and homes are the very gateway to heaven. It will give people an insight into what heaven is like, who God is like and what the Servant Leader has done for all humanity.


Saturday, February 22, 2020

Compete with Our Selves


UV 3475/10000 Compete with Our Own Selves
So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, “ The days of mourning for my father are very near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

Genesis 27 v 41

Jacob stole not only the first born’s rights from Esau but he also stole the blessing reserved for the first born. The first born’s rights represents material blessings while the first born’s rights represents spiritual and holistic blessings beyond the merely material. It was strange that Isaac had only one blessing to give and that was meant for the older son. Esau came under the shadow of a curse. He hated Jacob for it and desired to kill him. The serpent leader sows the seed of hatred in people through an act of treachery or cheating. To take what does not belong to us, leads to conflict, violence, war. Even if a person is more blessed than his peers, the latter became envious of his prosperity or well being and conspire against him even as Cain grew envious of Abel and slew him. Jesus, the Servant Leader in contrast, submitted himself to being killed in order to be poured out as a blessing to all mankind.

Jealousy is like a kind of madness and it causes people to resort even to violence. The serpent leader sows the seed of hatred among people and between families and groups of people leading eventually to rivalry between nations. Jesus, as the Fountain head of blessings has enough for all. When His love seizes our hearts and minds, there is no space for jealousy or envy in us. As Paul, “Love is not jealous nor conceited nor proud.” We are to be patient and kind with all people, especially our enemies, those who hate us without reason, those who oppose us, who plot to harm us, who speak ill of us.

Jacob was needlessly manipulative. If he had trusted God ( Jehovah) as his father and grandfather Abraham did, he would not have had to take matters into his own hands to try to wrest the rights and blessings of the first born. Wherever we are situated in life, we need to just trust the Lord. He will make straight our paths. We need not deviate or get obsessed with the thoughts of how to get ahead of others in life. Our competition is not with others, not even our brothers or sisters. We need to change to be better than we were before, to be more and more like the first born, the Servant Leader Jesus who is humble and gentle.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Do Not Scorn our Inheritance

UV 3474/10000 Do Not Scorn Our Inheritance
Jacob said, “ Swear (an oath) to me today (that you are selling it to me (this food)”; so he swore an (oath) to him, and sold him his birthright.
Genesis 25 v 33

The sibling rivalry between the twin sons of Isaac, Jacob and Esau started early, almost from the womb. Both were quite different in personality and taste- while Esau loved the outdoor and hunting, Jacob was the quiet, home staying type. One day when Esau returned empty handed from hunting and famished, he asked Jacob for the food he had prepared. Jacob used it as the bait to trap his elder brother and cause him to sell his birthright to him. The serpent leader had taught him great cunning. Esau was the foolish one driven by his appetite and bodily desires. He was willing to sell his birthright for a pot of red lentil soup and bread. The man who was born red with red hair all over him failed to see red when Jacob made the tempting offer. Esau, thereby, scorned his birthright.

The story is a warning to those who follow the Servant Leader, Jesus not to take lightly the promises of inheritance of the kingdom of God and to never trade eternal life in exchange for any earthly good. The serpent leader tried even tempting the Servant Leader, Jesus who was famished after fasting for forty days and nights on the mountain to turn stones into bread, to exchange His right as First Born of God with the glory of ruling over all kingdoms of Earth. Jesus staved off these attacks and temptations deftly using the Word of God. Being strong in our knowledge of the Word and being wise in applying or obeying it in all situations of life is key to our moral, spiritual and personal victory in this life.

Jacob followed up this early deception with deceiving his father Isaac on his death bed to steal the blessing imparted on the first born. He covered himself with goal hair so that the old father blinded by age would recognize him to be his older son Esau. That act of deception led to Jacob having to flee from his homeland and his brother’s anger. The serpent leader used his mother Rebekkah’s partiality to him to create divisions in the home. To this day what we speak and do has consequences for our lives. Reverence for God and love for Jesus will keep us from taking our blessings lightly or bartering it with the enemy for transitory pleasure, wealth, power or fame.

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Keeping the Terms of the Covenant

UV 3473/10000 Keeping The Terms of the Covenant
Further, God said to Abraham, “ As for you, ( your part of the agreement), you shall keep and faithfully obey ( the terms of ) My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Genesis 17 v 9

Though man broke faith with God and departed from Him, the Lord sought to bring him back into a close relationship with Him through the means of a covenant, an agreement, irrevocable, sacred, eternal. On our part, we need to commit to obey the terms of the agreement with God. It binds not only us but our children and their descendants. The old covenant with Abraham was later replaced with the new covenant through the Servant Leader, Jesus. The sacrifices of blemishless animals and birds were replaced with the once and for ever sacrifice of the blemishless Jesus. The circumcision of the males was replaced with the circumcision of the human heart- the commitment to walk faithfully, listen and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit in all things.

The serpent leader knows our frailties or infirmities. The serpent leader will doubtless make us swerve from our commitment to listen and obey the Spirit of God. Whenever we fail, we have the opportunity to go back to Jesus, repent and be absolved from whatever caused a violation of the terms of our agreement with God. But we should resolve in our hearts not to have a repeat of the same type of violation ever again. We need the grace of God and the wisdom of Jesus to keep the terms of the covenant faithfully and fully. The covenant relationship with God through the Servant Leader, Jesus is not brittle but resilient. It endures good and bad times. The essence of the relationship is not the rigour of law but the dynamism and power of love.

The Lord Himself teaches, equips and empowers us to keep the terms of the covenant since He knows our inner propensities and weaknesses. He perfects us over time even as He accepts us as perfect by grace and faith the moment we commit our hearts to Jesus. The Lord needs to see a sincerity, a dedication, a firm commitment in our hearts to keep the terms of the covenant with Him. Spending time in prayer and in feeding ourselves with the Word, spending time in fellowship with the Holy Spirit and with other believers are ways to strengthen our resolve, deepen our covenant relationship with the Lord.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

God as Leader

UV 3472/10000 God as Leader
He said, “ Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not denied His lovingkindness and His truth to my master. As for me, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brothers.
Genesis 24 v 27

Eliezer, Abraham’s faithful servant was led by the Lord. He prayed and sought guidance for his trip, his mission to find a bride for his master’s son Isaac. He sought a sign of confirmation from the Lord. He looked for a sign of love and kindness in the prospective bride for Isaac. If we have tasted of the love and kindness of the Father and of the Servant Leader, Jesus, we would show the same love and kindness even to a stranger as Rebekkah did to Eliezer. She gave him water to drink from her jar and offered to water his camels, too. In all our existential dilemmas, we should like Eliezer seek the love, kindness and truth of the Servant Leader. He is our Leader.

The Lord has a plan for each one of our lives if we only seek and submit to it. He has plans to prosper us and give us eternal hope as well as earthly hope in our existential pursuits. He will not deny us His love, kindness and truth. These then are the marks of a true leader. The serpent leader, in contrast, specializes in hatred, envy, pride, rudeness, violence, untruth and deceit. He instigates people to imbibe these traits. Most worldly leaders have these attributes in varying proportions.

The Servant Leader Jesus answers our prayers as He wants our needs to be met, our joy to be full. The Lord made Eliezer’s mission successful. He will surely make our lives successful as we follow Him faithfully and wisely. Eliezer did not waste time as soon as the brothers of Rebekkah accepted the proposal of marriage to Isaac. He requested them to allow him to leave as soon as possible back to the house of his master Abraham with Rebekkah. We, too should use time and opportunity wisely. A successful life of a servant of God is one of faith balanced with wisdom, common sense, prudence. Eliezer had thought out well how he would identify the woman who would marry Isaac. We need to pray over all matters in our lives but we should also be thoughtful.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Achieving Goals with God's Help

UV 3471/10000 Achieving Goals with the Help of God
And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness (faithfulness) to my master Abraham.

Genesis 24 v 12

Eliezer, the servant of Abraham had witnessed over the years that the God of his master Abraham was One who listened to prayers of his master and had greatly blessed him. God manifests His love and kindness to human beings by responding to our prayers. He does not seek to frustrate us but to bless and enlarge us. The serpent leader, in contrast, does not want us to succeed in our plans. He throws obstacles, distractions, hurdles in our way. The Servant Leader, Jesus wants us to succeed. He wants us to rejoice. At the wedding feast of Canna, He quickly grasped the gravity of the situation when it was reported to Him that the wine had run out. He found a miraculous solution for the problem.

All of us have personal goals, family goals, professional goals, social goals. The serpent leader frustrates our designs and obstructs our intentions but the Lord God prospers us in our work, our mission, our desire to achieve a specific goal or objective. Eliezer could have inherited the wealth of the household of Abraham if Isaac did not have an heir. But like a servant leader, he sought sincerely to fulfill the desire of his master, Abraham. He ventured far to Ur of Mesopotamia to seek a bride for Isaac. Eliezer asked for a sign of a kind heart and a generous spirit on the part of the woman he was seeking in a strange land for his master’s son, Isaac. The Lord led Rebekkah to the well at the time Eliezer and his caravan of camels stopped there.

The Servant Leader is not averse to our success in this lifetime. He manifests His favour and mercy in fulfilling our desires, in enabling us to accomplish our goals. Like Eliezer we must seek the Lord’s blessing and guidance before venturing on any project, mission or journey. The unseen hand of the Lord will guide us. The deep wisdom of the Lord will counsel us. The presence of the Lord will accompany us and strengthen us.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Our RAM




UV 3470/10000 Our RAM

So Abraham named that place, “The Lord WILL Provide. And it is said to this day, “ On the mountain of the Lord it will be seen and provided.”



Genesis 22 v 14



God had anointed Abraham as a prophet, one who sees and hears what God is going to do. Hence, the above uni-verse is a prophetic utterance of the Lord God providing the perfect sacrifice of the Servant Leader, the Lamb without blemish, Jesus for the absolute absolution of all mankind. The Servant Leader is the only One in all of history and indeed, all of religion who said in effect, “ I have done it for you. You don’t need to do anything to save yourselves for eternity.” The serpent leader stole eternity from mankind and keeps doing it in our individual lives but the One God provided restores it back to us.



God provided the perfect sacrifice on the mountain called Golgotha. Unlike the RAM God provided in place of Isaac, that was caught or trapped by its horns in a thicket and would have run away to avoid being sacrificed, the Servant Leader Jesus came willingly, giving up His place next to the Father in Heaven. He willingly ascended the mountain, carrying the heavy burden of the cross in order to bear the even heavier burden of our infirmities and sins. Having provided His only begotten Son, Jesus will God withhold anything else we could ever need. Our faith is our RAM or our Random Access Memory, the power behind and in our lives.



Instead of taking the absolute sacrifice of Jesus for granted, we should respond with continual sacrifice from our hearts of praise, thanksgiving and worship of the Lord. We need to appropriate the grace or tremendous strength and power of Jesus to live a testimonial, faithful life. Abraham proved that complete sensitivity to the voice and word of God and total obedience is the other side of the coin of faith. Together the word of God with the word of testimony of faithful people is the source of salvation, eternal life and blessings.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Never Anticipate God's Timing

UV 3469/10000 Never Anticipate God's Timing
Sarah said, “God has made me laugh; all who hear (about our good news) will laugh with me.”
Genesis 21 v 6

God is good and He desires to see us laughing and joyful. The Servant Leader, Jesus, the Son of God is likewise desirous of seeing His followers cheerful, glad and joyful. Unlike all other leaders who want their followers to make them happy, the Servant Leader turned leadership back on its feet by seeking the well being and happiness of His followers. The serpent leader, in contrast is sadistic and finds pleasure in the sorrow of people. The Lord answers our prayers so that our joy is full, not incomplete. He removed Abraham and Sarah’s sorrow of not having a son, an heir by blessing them with the promised son Isaac.

Sarah doubted the promise. The serpent leader induced her to offer her maid as a surrogate mother to Abraham. That action of anticipating the timing of the goodness and answer of God led to much distress in the household of Abraham. It led to bickering, to quarrels, to bitterness, to conflicts. Abraham began to look upon Ishmael his son as his heir. It made Sarah, the very one to start it all, jealous, insecure, unhappy. After the birth of the promised son, Isaac in due time or God’s time, it led to an unhealthy sibling rivalry. Sarah was upset that Ishmael mocked Isaac and that Ishmael would share the inheritance with Isaac. The serpent leader divides our hearts and minds and Abraham’s heart was torn between loyalty to his wife and affection for his son Ishmael.

The sibling rivalry, the rivalry between Sarah and Ishmael altered the course of the history of the Middle East and thereby, that of the world. The twelve chiefs and their descendants born to Ishmael set up camp opposite camp of the descendants of Isaac. Ishmael grew up bitter and insecure not having the assurance, comfort and security of the love of his father. Expelled from his first home, he grew up wild and unruly like most of the children who grow up in broken homes in the West or for that matter in any part of the world. Scripture records the history of the Middle East since then as “ The hand of Ishmael turned against his brothers and his brothers hands turned against him.”

Friday, February 14, 2020

Inescapable Solutions


UV 3468/10000 Inescapable Solutions
Then Abraham looked up and glanced around, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering ( ascending sacrifice) instead of his son.

Genesis 22 v 13

The ram caught in a thicket is the provision of God for sacrifice instead of the promised son Isaac. It is a foreshadow of the sacrifice of the Son of God, the Servant Leader Jesus. The price for the life of man, to live forever, is too high to be paid by any of us individually or collectively. Hence, the Servant Leader came into the world of His own free will, to fulfill the will of God, the Father. God gave of Himself to save us. Jesus gave Himself to save us. The promise of eternal life is underwritten or guaranteed by God as only He can. The only clause or condition is that we need to believe in the promise. The serpent leader in contrast, casts doubt on the promise of God.

Having served and saved us from eternal death, will He not save us from lesser challenges and problems in our lifetime on earth? Having paid the absolute price for our absolution, will He not help us find solutions to our personal issues and challenges? Abraham’s faith in the character of goodness and love of God was near absolute. He was ready to sacrifice his own son, his only son Isaac in obedience to God’s call. We, too, once we believe and accept the sacrifice of the Servant Leader, need to follow suit to prove our commitment, our devotion, our submission to His will.

The Lord is ready to give us His best if we would only let Him. We need to follow Him, trust Him, step by step, day by day, moment by moment, challenge by challenge, test by test. Like Abraham, we need to look behind us to see the hand of guidance, protection, provision of the Lord in our lives. We need to look around us to see what He has provided for our current challenge or situation. The ram for sacrifice was just right for the intended sacrifice. It had horns that it would be caught in the branches of the bush and could not escape or run away. The solutions God sends our way may not always come with horns but it will not be able to run away from us. His solutions are inescapable and adequate.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

The Consequences of Half Truths or Whole Lies

UV 3467/10000 The Consequences of Half Truths or Whole Lies
Abraham said (again ) of Sarah his wife,” She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah ( into his harem).
Genesis 20 v 2

Abraham though a man of incredible faith succumbed to his fear. He feared for his own life for he thought that powerful men in whose territory he took refuge would kill him in order to take his wife Sarah. He misunderstood Abimelech and his intentions. Abimelech wanted not to be tainted by the sin of taking another man's wife. Abraham was induced by the serpent leader to ask Sarah to lie that she was his sister. It was a half truth for she was actually his step sister, born to his father Terah but of another woman. Often in our lives too we resort to half truths, if not lies to escape the consequences that we fear. We need to have confidence that the Servant Leader Jesus will protect us in all circumstances. In many of our personal and professional relationships, we get used to uttering half truths and allow ourselves to be deceived by the serpent leader.

God acted beyond the faith of Abraham to deal with the situation created by the latter’s fear. He visited the chieftain Abimelech in a dream and warned him of imminent death if he took Sarah as his wife. He did not give Abimelech an opportunity to touch Sarah. He warned Abimelech that Abraham was a prophet and to do so would be visited with severe penalty. Abimelech was sensitive enough to know that taking another man’s wife was a sin. He relented and had Sarah removed from his harem and restored to Abraham. The Servant Leader is One who rescues people even as the serpent leader revels in damning people.
The consequences of not adhering to the truth is often more deadly than the consequences of adhering to it. Abraham had erred in this very same matter once before when he sojourned in Egypt. Even there the Lord had to intervene to prevent Pharaoh from taking Sarah as his wife. Faithfulness to one’s spouse is a moral the Lord Himself has taught us through these examples. Yet, the serpent leader is able to cause many to be deceived through the ages and bring upon themselves the consequences. The Lord had caused the women in Abimelech’s household to be barren till he obeyed the direction given to him in a dream to restore Sarah back to her husband Abraham.


Monday, February 10, 2020

The Downward Spiral


UV 3466/10000 The Downward Spiral
Now Lot went up from Zoar, and lived in the mountain together with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay (any longer) in Zoar; and he lived in a cave with his two daughters.

Genesis 19 v 30

Lot was saved from Sodom. He sought refuge in Zoar, a small town the angels spared from the destruction visited upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Though the Lord had redeemed him from the fire, the serpent leader inspired fear in him and caused him to move away from the town of Zoar to an isolated cave in the mountains. The serpent leader also sowed the seed of fear in the two daughters that they would not obtain husbands and would not have children as they lived away from civilization. This caused them to do the most uncivilized deeds in getting their father Lot drunk and in a state of intoxication, he lay with his daughters committing incest though unwittingly. The descendants of the sons born to them are the Moabites and Ammonites.

The serpent leader leads many astray by imprisoning them with the habit of drinking alcohol. They lose their sense of judgement, dignity and responsibility and do deeds that are unworthy. The Servant Leader, Jesus teaches us morals and precepts that preserve our lives and our dignity. He transforms our lives even as the serpent leader debases our lives. Jesus ennobles and enables people to seek the best version of themselves. The serpent leader, in contrast, entangles people in all kinds of wrong decisions driven by fear, anger, lust and the baser emotions and desires.

Lot made a series of decisions that proved to be unwise in the long run. He settled down in the prosperous town of Sodom and was forced to flee from it eventually. He was asked to go to the mountains but he chose to go to the small town of Zoar. His fear drove him from there to dwelling in a cave with his daughters. Their desperation for preserving the family line drove them to get him intoxicated to commit incest with them. Often, one wrong decision in our lives leads to another in a downward spiral into sin, misery, failure and hopelessness. The Servant Leader gives us hope even in hopeless situations. He imparts the wisdom to take the right decisions in accordance with the will and word of God. He gives us the grace or strength to follow through on our choices.

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Chosen for Redemption


UV 3465/10000 Chosen for Redemption
Then Abraham said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry (with me), and I will speak only this once; suppose ten (righteous people) are found there?” And He said, “ I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”
Genesis 18 v 32

The outcry of the sin of Sodom had reached the ears of the Lord. It meant the stench that sin produces makes it offensive to the Lord and He is provoked to act in anger. The serpent leader had caused almost the entire population of whole cities like Sodom and Gomorrah to sin mindlessly in terms of a total absence of sexual morality. Today, the world itself has lost its sense of right and wrong having departed from the absolute standards of the Word of God. In the post truth world, everything is relative. Men, women and children have started doing what is right in their eyes. But the Servant Leader is compassionate. Abraham intercedes for the few who are righteous in the cities marked for destruction. He appeals to the sense of justice of the Lord and repeatedly asks the Lord if He would destroy the city if even a minimal number of people were faithful and righteous. Two angels of the Lord visited Sodom and Gomorrah to verify whether there were at least ten righteous people and not finding them, they allow the Lord’s judgment to overtake the cities.

The Servant Leader Jesus wants all people who believe in Him to be saved, to be freed from destruction, to live forever. The serpent leader wants all to be destroyed like him. It lies with believers to pray fervently for the redemption of the world, the redemption of near and dear, the redemption of those who do not believe, the redemption even of personal enemies. As the stench of sin of this world reaches the Lord, we need to stand in the gap and pray for the redemption of all or as many as the Lord has chosen.

As a result of Abraham’s faith, His relative Lot and family were chosen for redemption from the total disaster visited upon Sodom and Gomorrah. As a result of our interceding faith, many will be saved. Our belief is not something superficial, it is what we hold as true in our hearts, it is what we think, feel, speak, do, experience, live. Our belief in the Servant Leader who died and rose again to serve all mankind influences our decisions, our goals, our emotions, our lifestyle, our relationships, our communication, out thoughts, our work, our families and the world at large. The reality of the acts of God to bring judgment on whole cities is once again proved by the NCorona virus outbreaks in China affecting people around the world.

Saturday, February 8, 2020

In Due Time


UV 3464/10000 In Due Time
Is anything too difficult or too wonderful for the Lord? At the appointed time, when the season (for her delivery) comes, I will return to you and Sarah will have a son.
Genesis 18 v 14

The Lord answers our need, our prayers in due time, at the hour appointed by Him and not the time set by us. He is sovereign in His decision and authority. Nature and indeed, the entire universe obeys His commands. It is only man who is given the choice to obey or disobey. If we follow the Servant Leader, we believe and obey. If we follow the serpent leader, we disbelieve His word and disobey. Jehovah did many impossible and wonderful things for Abraham, for the nation of Israel. Likewise, Jesus did many impossible and wonderful things for many different kinds of people. The Holy Spirit does many impossible and wonderful things for people. But it happens in His time at the appointed hour. We cannot rush the Lord or get things done according to our time table. Yet it will happen in due time.

In due time, the Servant Leader, Jesus was sent into the world as a Messiah to save all people. In due time, the Servant Leader began His public ministry. In due time, He was sacrificed on the cross and resurrected on the third day. Nothing happens too soon or too late. Abraham and Sara waited for twenty five years for the fulfilment of the promise of God that they would have a son. God is about eternity and does not restrict Himself to our timeline. We should instead join His Godline. Many of the prayer requests that we are hoping would be answered would be answered in due time. While we wait, we must be patient, expectant, ready to receive the answer in whatever form it comes.

In the appointed hour when we receive the answer in terms of something wonderful or in terms of a difficulty resolved, we should like the crippled man who was healed, walk, leap and praise the Lord. We must use the faculty that was restored to acknowledge the Lord. We must imitate the returning leper or be like the one out of ten people who are likely to be thankful and appreciative for what the Lord has done.

Friday, February 7, 2020

LOL


UV 3463/10000 LOL
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
Genesis 17 v 17

Those who live by faith and not only by reason and sight obtain children by promise, land by promise and a Saviour or Messiah by promise. The serpent leader makes things look bleak when the promise takes time to be fulfilled. He casts doubt in our minds that it is too difficult or impossible thing to fulfill even by the Almighty. Even Abraham, the father of faith and the father by faith, erred in disbelieving that it is possible for Jehovah to give him a son at the ripe old age of a hundred years with his wife at ninety. Many of the big milestones we are looking for in our lives, the serpent leader will make it look like illusions to our mind.

Though Abraham laughed out of disbelief when he heard the promise of a son, God with His sense of humour, asked him to name his son to be born of promise, Isaac or laughter. Indeed, when God has the last word in our lives, we can have the last laugh. The birth of a son and an heir to Abraham and Sarah became a cause of much laughter in their household. Likewise, when the Lord makes His tabernacle in our hearts, we will hear the voice of laughter in our lives, we will be the recipient of much good news, whether it is children by promise, land or possessions by promise and of course, the personal Saviour by promise. Good news is accompanied by laughter and the good news of our personal salvation is to be accompanied by much laughter. The serpent leader wants us to grieve, mourn, weep, moan, lament, be sad, worried and depressed but the Servant Leader Jesus wants us to rejoice again and again, to be cheerful, happy, glad. Laughter Is not just the best medicine but it is to be our daily diet.

When we laugh, the enemy, the serpent leader is sad, depressed, feels defeated. When we are joyful, we stay healthy, live long, we are creative and productive. We are grateful to the Lord for His many blessings and always thank and praise Him. Our faith keeps expanding and we leave no scope for bitter words or memories or thoughts to grip our hearts. The ultimate cause of the laughter in our lives is the Servant Leader. We can laugh at death, at curses, at the powers of darkness. With God in our lives and Jesus in our hearts, the impossible is inevitable, the difficult is easy to visualize or imagine. We can laugh in the midst of troubles and difficult circumstances, while we are waiting for the fulfilment of the promise of God, for the inevitable impossible to happen, the difficult to be resolved. We need not fall down on our faces and laugh like Abraham and Sarah but we can laugh out loud or LOL.

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Promises Outlast A Lifetime

UV 3462/10000 Promises Outlast A Lifetime

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said,
“ I am God Almighty; Walk (habitually) before Me ( with integrity, knowing that you are always in My presence), and be blameless and complete ( in obedience to Me).
Genesis 17 v 1

The Servant Leader walked in integrity before God, always communing with the Lord Almighty, always aware of the presence of the Lord. Likewise, Abram walked in integrity before God, knowing that He is always present with him. The serpent leader in contrast deceives people by telling them that they can do things secretly, without anyone knowing, that the Almighty would not see. The Servant Leader is blameless in His conduct while the serpent leader is the one who blames or accuses people. The latter causes people to stray away from a life of integrity and faith. Abram stayed faithful even when he was very old. Many leaders fall after many years of walking faithfully with the Lord.

The Servant Leader did not doubt or blame God even when He had to drink the cup of most severe suffering that He certainly did not deserve. Even to His last breath on the cross, He remained faithful and entrusted His soul into the hands of the Lord. We too should be committed to be blameless, to live a life of integrity before the Almighty to the very end. We cannot let our guard down after a few years of being faithful but remains alert and vigilant to the very end, wary of the ways of the serpent leader, clinging to the Servant Leader and trying to emulate His perfect character.

None of us are perfect but all of us can try to be perfect. As long as we are trying hard, we are deemed faithful. Abram, too had certain personal failures but his faith justified him and it was credited to him as perfection or righteousness. We have to commit ourselves only for a lifetime while the Lord commits for eternity. His faithfulness is from everlasting to everlasting. His promises last well beyond our lifetime even as the promises to Abram or Abraham are still being fulfilled. That is the reward of living a faithful, testimonial life in the footsteps of the Servant Leader, Jesus.


Tuesday, February 4, 2020

The Compassion of the Servant Leader

UV 3461/10000 The Compassion of the Servant Leader
Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are “God who sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here ( in the wilderness) remained alive after seeing Him ( who sees me with understanding and compassion.”

Genesis 16 v 13

God proves He is impartial, compassionate and kind by hearing the cry of Hagar’s heart and gave her solace in the form of a promise to multiply her descendants. The serpent leader had induced Sarai to persecute her maid Hagar while the Servant Leader looks on all with compassion and kindness. We can cast all our anxiety on Him, at His feet and He will give us deliverance. He will sustain us in our wilderness moments when all have abandoned us.

Jehovah heard Hagar’s sighs and sent a messenger to comfort her and encourage her with hope. When all had abandoned her in this world, hope had not left her. Hagar takes the word from the angel of comfort as evidence that the Lord had not only heard her but had seen her. He would not leave her desolate and destitute. He counsels her to return to Abram’s house- a practical word of advice for she was pregnant and could not roam in the wilderness. Hagar at the time the angel found her near a spring of water was trying to find her way to her native Egypt. The Servant Leader gives us sound and wise advice or counsel at the times of crisis in our lives. Hence, He is called Wonderful Counsellor.

The serpent leader often drives people to desperation, to even think of giving up and taking their lives. A large number of people in the world today end their lives by suicide owing to the spirit of suicide sent to them by the serpent leader. The Servant Leader, in contrast, sustains people who are persecuted, tormented, oppressed with hope, counsel and provision. People at large are unable to distinguish between the voice of the serpent leader and the Servant Leader and get deluded and deceived by the former. Today, the Word of God is our Beer-lahai-roi (where Jehovah encouraged Hagar), the “Well of the Living One who Sees Me.”

Monday, February 3, 2020

Man-made Solutions for God-Allowed Problems


UV 3460/10000 Man-made Solutions for God Allowed Problems

So Sarai said to Abram, “ See here, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. I am asking you to go in to (the bed of ) my maid ( so that she may bear you a child); perhaps I will obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to Sarai and did as she said.

Genesis 16 v 2

Sarai was frustrated with her apparent barrenness. She did believe the promise of God given under covenant that they would have a son. She could not wait for the fulfilment of the promise. She decided to do what many of us often do, try to find a man-made solution to God- allowed problems, or to try to help God solve the problem. On top of such folly in retrospect, Abram, the man of faith listened to her counsel and did as she said without thinking of the long term complications of such a decision.

The serpent leader had induced Sarai to feel bad about her barrenness and suggested the solution, the short cut that would make Abram unfaithful to his marital commitment. The Servant Leader never advices short cuts that are unethical. Knowing that nothing is impossible for God, He counsels patience, to pray and wait for the answer from the Lord. The remedy became worse than the problem for the servant Hagar became haughty in her attitude towards Sarai, her mistress. She started looking at her with contempt and even allowed the creeping ambition sent into her heart by the serpent leader that she could become the mistress of the house of Abram. The Servant Leader Jesus rightly diagnoses that out of the heart of man comes murder, fornication, rape and every type of crime and sin. He offers a remedy of faith in His word, His promises.

The Servant Leader Jesus is the solution to God-allowed problems. He is the Yes and Amen to all God’s promises. He is the One who seals it, clinches it, nails it for us. He makes negative situations positive. He releases the grace of God into our predicaments to either resolve it or to give us strength to bear it. Nothing is impossible for Him and He makes possible the impossible for those who trust Him and His word. We need to think that the One who gave up Heaven for us, who gave up on possessions for us, who gave up His family for us, who gave up His clothes, His body, His blood, will He not give us what we so desperately need? The serpent leader sows doubts and fears into our hearts to weaken our faith and mar our relationships with both God and man even as he sowed the seeds of antagonism between Sarai and her maid, Hagar.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

The Rewards of Faith

UV 3459/10000 The Rewards of Faith
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward (for obedience) shall be very great.
Genesis 15 v 1

God does not say, “ I will give you a shield and and a reward..” He says, “I am your shield, your reward..” Today, the Servant Leader is our shield and reward for obedience by faith. The ultimate obedience is believing God and His word, the ultimate disobedience is disbelieving God and His word. The serpent leader induces and rewards people for disbelieving God and His word while the Servant Leader rewards those who believe Him and His word. The Lord manifests Himself in what we need and expect. He celebrates our faith by doing so. Abram receives the reward for his faith and obedience by being recipient of the great promise that he would be the father of a son and through him become the father of countless descendants. Today, that promise has been fulfilled as many nations attribute their faith to Abraham and his obedience.
The Lord also gave Abram the promise that he would inherit the land of Canaan. He gave him the promise of long life. Abram also experienced a horror of great darkness in the form of a nightmare as he fell into a deep sleep during this encounter with Jehovah. The great darkness was a symbol of the 400 years of slavery, the descendants of Abraham experienced in Egypt till they were led to freedom and the promised land by Moses and Joshua. The Servant Leader keeps His trysts with us on our life’s journey while the serpent leader flatters to deceive us.

Abraham believed God and His word, His promises and his faith was counted as righteousness. More than the promises Abraham received, the important blessing we all receive through his encounter with God is that our faith is reckoned in God’s sight as righteousness. Like Abraham, our faith is greatly rewarded. He is our shield and our great reward as we yield to Him in wholehearted trust and obedience. The serpent leader tries to shake our faith and our relationship with God and the Servant Leader Jesus by sowing doubts, by tempting us, by afflicting us in a variety of ways. We fall short in our words and actions in many ways. Hence, a perfect sacrifice was needed. When Abram asks for proof of the promises of God, God asks him to sacrifice a three year old heifer, a three year old female goat, a three year old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon. These sacrifices are symbolic of the three year public ministry of the Servant Leader Jesus. Thought He is ruler and Crown Prince of heaven, Jesus came in the humble form of a servant and became further, a sacrifice for us at the end of the three years of public teaching and ministry. The Crown Prince was sacrificed for the crown of God's creation- humanity so that instead of one heir, God has as many heirs as humans would believe in Him.

Attitude towards Riches

UV 3458/100000 Attitude towards Riches
“That I would not take anything that is yours, from a thread to a sandal strap, so that you could not say, “ I, (the King of Sodom) have made Abram rich.”

Genesis 14 v 24

Abram refused to take any share of the spoils of war from his ally the King of Sodom. He did not want the credit or honour for making him rich to go to the latter. He relied by faith on Jehovah. Jehovah had made him rich without adding any sorrow. The one sorrow he had of his not having an heir was also not affecting him as he believed in the promise of God. Indeed, it is written in the book of Proverbs that “When God makes a man rich, He adds no sorrow to it.” Most people try to become rich by their own efforts and have many sorrows pierce their hearts. They become weary and sacrifice everything else at the altar of wealth.

It is written in scripture that it is God who gives us the ability to make wealth. It was Jehovah who as one of the signs of favour upon Abraham invested him with wealth. Hence, God is not per se against wealth but He is certainly against wealth becoming an idol or golder calf in our hearts. We are to be industrious, enterprising and make use of every good opportunity to increase or multiply our resources. But our first priority in life should be to know God and to worship Him in spirit and in truth. The serpent leader tries to distract people by engaging them in the relentless and often ruthless pursuit of riches. Hence, the saying that “behind every great fortune there is a crime.”

We need to have a sense of contentment with what the Lord has provided for us this far even while we work hard to increase our substance. We should also set apart a part to give to others, to worthy or needy causes, to give to the less privileged and poor. We are to be also good stewards of our resources and not spend it in a wasteful, boastful or extravagant manner. We need to always seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Our goal should be not to be so poor that we curse our lives or so rich that we have no place or need for God in our lives.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Blessedness of Divine Favour

UV 3457/10000 Blessedness of Divine Favour
Melchizedek king of Salem ( ancient Jerusalem) brought out bread and wine (for them); he was the priest of God Most High

Genesis 15 v18

Melchizedek was king of Salem but also priest of the Most High God. Salem means peace. One was an office of profit, the other the office of priest and prophet. He called Abram blessed, meaning joyful and favoured by God. He, too blessed Abram and as a token served bread and wine, a forerunner of the Communion to be instituted by the Servant Leader to commemorate and celebrate His own sacrificed body and shed blood. The serpent leader, in contrast curses people and tries to take what is theirs for himself. Jesus, the Servant Leader is like Melchizedek, King of Peace and Priest of Righteousness, Prophet of truth.

We, too as followers of the Servant Leader are to pour out our lives as a living sacrifice unto the Most High God. We are joyful as we are favoured by God. Abram was favoured by God as He obeyed the Lord in faith even before he saw the fulfilment of any promise. We endeavor to consistently walk in the favour of the Lord. We can please the Lord only with our faith. Like Melchizedek, we should be kings and priests before God. We should offer sacrifices that are pleasing to the Lord. When we do so, we enjoy both peace and joy. Peace and joy are the two spiritual essentials for humanity.The serpent leader tries to lure people away from obeying the Lord and thereby bring more and more under the shadow of misery.

The serpent leader lured Cain to disobey God, to be cursed and haunted for the rest of his life. Abel though he was killed enjoys peace and joy at the right hand of the Father in heaven. The Servant Leader came to show humanity the way back to God, how to align with the truth and how to live a faithful, God pleasing and obedient life.