UV 3497/10000 The Bag of Seed
He who goes back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed (for planting), will indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126 v 6
The bag of seed is a metaphor for the word of God, the promises of the Lord. These are like the seed that we carry in our times of fear, anxiety, crisis. When we carry His seed in our hearts and minds, it will grow to yield sheaves of wheat, a symbol of fruition of the promises of God in our lives. Hence, if we sow in tears, we will reap with joy the blessings of the Lord. We need to run the scripture verses that speak to our specific situations back and forth in our minds. This kind of persistent holding on in faith to the word of God is what is rewarded.
The psalmist writes that the Lord will restore us from our captivity to the enemy of our souls. He will restore us like the dry beds of rivers and streams when there is torrential rain in the upper reaches of the mountains. He will do great things for us. He will make our hearts glad again. We will have a testimony of the goodness of God for the nations. All this happens when the seed is planted in us and it grows and multiplies to produce fruit. There are two kinds of fruit- external fruit which are blessings that we can see on our outside and internal fruit of the spirit that the Holy Spirit can perceive and rejoice in. While we humans revel in the former, the Lord revels in the latter.
Liquid prayer or tears nourish the seed of the word in us. Why does sorrow and pain play such a large part in our lives? Since our hearts are hermetically sealed and do not have an external door or entrance, it has to be broken from inside, from deep within for God to enter and do His work with His word in us. Left to itself, our conditioning by the world makes our hearts hardened and inured. Our brokenness enables us to feel the pain of others- empathy, feel the pain of the Lord on the cross – ‘sempathy’ or spiritual empathy feeling the pain of the Lord – the physical pain of the torturous death on the cross mingled with the spiritual agony of separation from the Father, the spiritual burden of the load of all of man’s sins, curses and ailments.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Racing with Horses
UV 3496/10000 Racing with Horses
The Lord rebukes Jeremiah for his impatience, saying, “ If you have raced with men on foot and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace (where you feel secure), then how will you do (among the lions) in the flooded thicket beside the Jordan?
Jeremiah 12 v 5
We should not be impatient if we want to see God’s goodness, justice and love playing out its full course in our lives. He builds patience, faith and character in us by taking us through fire and water. The challenges we face are meant to build spiritual strength and stamina in us. We are not meant to race against fellow humans but against forces far more powerful than us. The word uses the metaphor of the horse, that people of faith are to race against horses that are on an average ten times more powerful or stronger than humans. We should not get weary or lose our morale while confronting the challenges the Lord allows in our lives. Only a test brings out the best in us.
We should not be terrified by the problems we encounter in our daily lives. We are meant to walk among the spiritual equivalent of lions and not be afraid of these roaring and deadly beasts. We need to stock up on our faith so that whatever we encounter we will not let fear take root in our hearts. We need to know that He can safely take us through the valley of the shadow of death for His shadow of protection and equipment is more powerful. David was a man after God’s heart as he had indomitable courage that was fueled by his personal faith in Almighty, Omnipotent, All knowing, Caring Jehovah. Hence, he alone rose to take on the challenge of the taunting Goliath. With pint-sized pure faith, he overcame a giant. The world can taunt us but we should not allow our mortal fears to haunt us. We can behead our challenges with its own power even as David beheaded Goliath with his own sword.
We are destined for victory. The Lord will bring us safely through fire and water. Our physical eyes might perceive the huge challenges we face but the eye of faith , the vision of a heart filled with faith in the Lord and His word perceives ultimate victory, ultimate peace, abundant life, eternal triumph that nothing and no one can wrest from us. We should not resent the challenges and problems that are our lot. For it is but a training to enable us to race with horses and win.
The Lord rebukes Jeremiah for his impatience, saying, “ If you have raced with men on foot and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace (where you feel secure), then how will you do (among the lions) in the flooded thicket beside the Jordan?
Jeremiah 12 v 5
We should not be impatient if we want to see God’s goodness, justice and love playing out its full course in our lives. He builds patience, faith and character in us by taking us through fire and water. The challenges we face are meant to build spiritual strength and stamina in us. We are not meant to race against fellow humans but against forces far more powerful than us. The word uses the metaphor of the horse, that people of faith are to race against horses that are on an average ten times more powerful or stronger than humans. We should not get weary or lose our morale while confronting the challenges the Lord allows in our lives. Only a test brings out the best in us.
We should not be terrified by the problems we encounter in our daily lives. We are meant to walk among the spiritual equivalent of lions and not be afraid of these roaring and deadly beasts. We need to stock up on our faith so that whatever we encounter we will not let fear take root in our hearts. We need to know that He can safely take us through the valley of the shadow of death for His shadow of protection and equipment is more powerful. David was a man after God’s heart as he had indomitable courage that was fueled by his personal faith in Almighty, Omnipotent, All knowing, Caring Jehovah. Hence, he alone rose to take on the challenge of the taunting Goliath. With pint-sized pure faith, he overcame a giant. The world can taunt us but we should not allow our mortal fears to haunt us. We can behead our challenges with its own power even as David beheaded Goliath with his own sword.
We are destined for victory. The Lord will bring us safely through fire and water. Our physical eyes might perceive the huge challenges we face but the eye of faith , the vision of a heart filled with faith in the Lord and His word perceives ultimate victory, ultimate peace, abundant life, eternal triumph that nothing and no one can wrest from us. We should not resent the challenges and problems that are our lot. For it is but a training to enable us to race with horses and win.
Being Still
UV 3495/10000 Being Still
Be still and know ( recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46 v 10
God is the Person from whom all of us derive our personalities. When we still ourselves and submit our lives to Him, we will realize that He is above all nations and He is the true ruler of the earth and indeed, of the universe. Whatever we think, speak or do ought to exalt Him. Our every thought, word and deed should be an act of acknowledgement and worship of Him. Then, we will understand the pattern of His will and actions in our lives.
The Servant Leader, Jesus revealed to us the deep knowledge and understanding He has of the Father. In contrast, the serpent leader tries to deceive man into believing lies about God. The latter casts doubts about the love and mercy of the Father. The Servant Leader gave all the glory of His deeds and words to the Father while the serpent leader tries to steal it. The serpent leader stimulates people to be restless and anxious while the Servant Leader invites us to be still, quiet, assured. He gives us a yoke or burden that is light and easy to bear.
When we focus on Jesus, the Servant Leader, we understand the plan of salvation that God has unfolded for all mankind. We will realize the extent of God’s agape love for us and the awe and gratitude which that understanding brings to us, will cause us to revel and rejoice in Him.
Be still and know ( recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46 v 10
God is the Person from whom all of us derive our personalities. When we still ourselves and submit our lives to Him, we will realize that He is above all nations and He is the true ruler of the earth and indeed, of the universe. Whatever we think, speak or do ought to exalt Him. Our every thought, word and deed should be an act of acknowledgement and worship of Him. Then, we will understand the pattern of His will and actions in our lives.
The Servant Leader, Jesus revealed to us the deep knowledge and understanding He has of the Father. In contrast, the serpent leader tries to deceive man into believing lies about God. The latter casts doubts about the love and mercy of the Father. The Servant Leader gave all the glory of His deeds and words to the Father while the serpent leader tries to steal it. The serpent leader stimulates people to be restless and anxious while the Servant Leader invites us to be still, quiet, assured. He gives us a yoke or burden that is light and easy to bear.
When we focus on Jesus, the Servant Leader, we understand the plan of salvation that God has unfolded for all mankind. We will realize the extent of God’s agape love for us and the awe and gratitude which that understanding brings to us, will cause us to revel and rejoice in Him.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
The Moral and Spiritual Dilemma
UV 3494/10000 The Moral and Spiritual Dilemma of Life
So now ( if that is the case, then), it is no longer I who do it (the disobedient ) thing which I despise, but the sin (nature) which lives in me.
Romans 7 v 17
Paul writes of the struggle in him between what he wants to do and what he actually does. The serpent leader is the one who causes us to do what we despise, what we do not want to do. We know what is the right thing to do but we end up doing the opposite. In contrast, Jesus, the Servant Leader is the one who redeems our nature, who gives us grace to obey God. The serpent leader takes the different members of our bodies as his slaves- our tongues, our minds, our limbs and so on. Jesus sets the different members of our bodies free. We are now called to be slaves of righteousness. All the members or faculties of our bodies should obey the head, the leader, Jesus.
The spiritual, obedient nature in us is from the Servant Leader while the carnal, disobedient nature is from the serpent leader. The fear of God is basically fearing disobedience to the Word of God. Our bodies and its different faculties are always pulling us in the opposite direction to our spiritual nature and calling. We need grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to break the chains of our carnal and sinful nature.
If we do not feed the sinful, carnal nature in us and instead, feed the spiritual nature, we become stronger and victorious in our walk with God. We will not feel ashamed when we are evaluated against the yardstick of the Word. The serpent leader will lose his influence over our lives.
So now ( if that is the case, then), it is no longer I who do it (the disobedient ) thing which I despise, but the sin (nature) which lives in me.
Romans 7 v 17
Paul writes of the struggle in him between what he wants to do and what he actually does. The serpent leader is the one who causes us to do what we despise, what we do not want to do. We know what is the right thing to do but we end up doing the opposite. In contrast, Jesus, the Servant Leader is the one who redeems our nature, who gives us grace to obey God. The serpent leader takes the different members of our bodies as his slaves- our tongues, our minds, our limbs and so on. Jesus sets the different members of our bodies free. We are now called to be slaves of righteousness. All the members or faculties of our bodies should obey the head, the leader, Jesus.
The spiritual, obedient nature in us is from the Servant Leader while the carnal, disobedient nature is from the serpent leader. The fear of God is basically fearing disobedience to the Word of God. Our bodies and its different faculties are always pulling us in the opposite direction to our spiritual nature and calling. We need grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to break the chains of our carnal and sinful nature.
If we do not feed the sinful, carnal nature in us and instead, feed the spiritual nature, we become stronger and victorious in our walk with God. We will not feel ashamed when we are evaluated against the yardstick of the Word. The serpent leader will lose his influence over our lives.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Authority Over the Serpent Leader
UV 3493/10000 Authority Over the Serpent Leader
Listen carefully: I have given you authority (that you now possess) to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and ( the ability to exercise authority) over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will ( in any way) harm you.
Luke 10 v 19
The seventy followers of Jesus who were sent out to minister into various cities and towns before He himself went there. He sent them in pairs with the authority to heal, to deliver from demons in His name. They came back and reported joyfully that the spirits obeyed them when they spoke in His name. The self same authority is vested in every believer of Jesus. We have authority given us by the Author of life and of salvation over all the power of the serpent leader.
The Servant Leader Jesus has given us authority over all powers of darkness or the powers of the serpent leader. Every time we kneel to pray or claim in faith a promise or obey a command of the Lord, we are crushing the head of the enemy. Every time we pray or rebuke or command the spirits, satan falls like lightning from heaven.
The book of Acts records the miracle when Paul is bitten by a serpent or snake. People expected him to swell and die with the poison but Paul just shook off the snake and nothing happened to him. Likewise, as long as we are living by faith, the serpent leader cannot harm us. We are granted that kind of spiritual immunity from every attack of the enemy. However, Jesus warns us not to be overjoyed at our power and authority over the powers of darkness but to be joyful that we are saved by His grace and mercy.
Listen carefully: I have given you authority (that you now possess) to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and ( the ability to exercise authority) over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will ( in any way) harm you.
Luke 10 v 19
The seventy followers of Jesus who were sent out to minister into various cities and towns before He himself went there. He sent them in pairs with the authority to heal, to deliver from demons in His name. They came back and reported joyfully that the spirits obeyed them when they spoke in His name. The self same authority is vested in every believer of Jesus. We have authority given us by the Author of life and of salvation over all the power of the serpent leader.
The Servant Leader Jesus has given us authority over all powers of darkness or the powers of the serpent leader. Every time we kneel to pray or claim in faith a promise or obey a command of the Lord, we are crushing the head of the enemy. Every time we pray or rebuke or command the spirits, satan falls like lightning from heaven.
The book of Acts records the miracle when Paul is bitten by a serpent or snake. People expected him to swell and die with the poison but Paul just shook off the snake and nothing happened to him. Likewise, as long as we are living by faith, the serpent leader cannot harm us. We are granted that kind of spiritual immunity from every attack of the enemy. However, Jesus warns us not to be overjoyed at our power and authority over the powers of darkness but to be joyful that we are saved by His grace and mercy.
The Power to Overcome
UV 3492/10000 The Power to Overcome
For every man threw down his staff and they turned into serpents; but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
Exodus 7 v 12
The serpent leader has power but the Servant Leader, Jesus has power that can overwhelm and overpower him. Pharaoh’s magicians and sorcerers were able to turn their staffs too like Aaron into a serpent but Aaron’s swallowed them up. Likewise, in life, the enemy brings up many obstacles and challenges in our lives but God’s grace and love will enable us to overcome these.
Currently, the pandemic of Covid-19 that has badly affected the entire globe and almost all nations can be overcome by faith in the Almighty. He can stay the deadly pestilence even as in the reign of King David, a deadly pestilence that took 70,000 lives was stayed by the hand of God in response to David’s prayer. We need to believe that God can and will do the impossible. He will order the healing of all nations, the reversal of the pandemic as suddenly as it started.
When humanity locks God out of their hearts, they are heading for lock down or logjam. We have quarantined God out of our education, our homes, our entertainment, our science and technology. When something of this magnitude or biblical dimensions happens, God is asking for the attention of the world. We can overcome the power of the serpent leader to cause death, fear and confusion only by relying on the Servant Leader.
For every man threw down his staff and they turned into serpents; but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
Exodus 7 v 12
The serpent leader has power but the Servant Leader, Jesus has power that can overwhelm and overpower him. Pharaoh’s magicians and sorcerers were able to turn their staffs too like Aaron into a serpent but Aaron’s swallowed them up. Likewise, in life, the enemy brings up many obstacles and challenges in our lives but God’s grace and love will enable us to overcome these.
Currently, the pandemic of Covid-19 that has badly affected the entire globe and almost all nations can be overcome by faith in the Almighty. He can stay the deadly pestilence even as in the reign of King David, a deadly pestilence that took 70,000 lives was stayed by the hand of God in response to David’s prayer. We need to believe that God can and will do the impossible. He will order the healing of all nations, the reversal of the pandemic as suddenly as it started.
When humanity locks God out of their hearts, they are heading for lock down or logjam. We have quarantined God out of our education, our homes, our entertainment, our science and technology. When something of this magnitude or biblical dimensions happens, God is asking for the attention of the world. We can overcome the power of the serpent leader to cause death, fear and confusion only by relying on the Servant Leader.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Absolute Security
UV 3491/10000 Absolute Security
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty ( whose power no enemy can withstand).
Psalm 91 v 1
The life, death and resurrection of the Servant Leader, Jesus is the triumph of absolute good over absolute evil. Hence, that fact provides for us absolute security. The presence of the Lord is like a man’s shadow that accompanies and follows him everywhere. We need to dwell or live in the “umbra” or center of His shadow. We need not strive but find our rest in Him. He gives us the peace that the world can neither give nor take away. As long as we focus on Him and hold our hearts steadfast, our faith in Him firm and unwavering, He gives us perfect peace.
During the current pandemic, there is an emphasis on washing our hands with sanitizer. Sanitizer can wash our hands clean but it is the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus that can cleanse our souls. The pandemic and the panic it has brought to human lives everywhere shows how vulnerable our systems, our economies, our science and technology is. The Lord is our refuge from evil, the evil of the world and the evil within us. Like chicken hide in its mother’s wings, we need to hide in the Lord. The wings of prayer and the Word will cover us and protects us in our many vulnerabilities. The pinions of His wings keep us even from perceiving the fears and threats.
As we take shelter in the Lord, He promises to send His angels to surround us, to keep us from stumbling on our own weaknesses and fears. He promises to save us, lift us, honour us, give us long life and after that eternal life in Him. He promises to be with us in our troubles. He rescues us from our troubles, trials and tests. He promises to protect, defend, guide and guard us in all our ways.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty ( whose power no enemy can withstand).
Psalm 91 v 1
The life, death and resurrection of the Servant Leader, Jesus is the triumph of absolute good over absolute evil. Hence, that fact provides for us absolute security. The presence of the Lord is like a man’s shadow that accompanies and follows him everywhere. We need to dwell or live in the “umbra” or center of His shadow. We need not strive but find our rest in Him. He gives us the peace that the world can neither give nor take away. As long as we focus on Him and hold our hearts steadfast, our faith in Him firm and unwavering, He gives us perfect peace.
During the current pandemic, there is an emphasis on washing our hands with sanitizer. Sanitizer can wash our hands clean but it is the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus that can cleanse our souls. The pandemic and the panic it has brought to human lives everywhere shows how vulnerable our systems, our economies, our science and technology is. The Lord is our refuge from evil, the evil of the world and the evil within us. Like chicken hide in its mother’s wings, we need to hide in the Lord. The wings of prayer and the Word will cover us and protects us in our many vulnerabilities. The pinions of His wings keep us even from perceiving the fears and threats.
As we take shelter in the Lord, He promises to send His angels to surround us, to keep us from stumbling on our own weaknesses and fears. He promises to save us, lift us, honour us, give us long life and after that eternal life in Him. He promises to be with us in our troubles. He rescues us from our troubles, trials and tests. He promises to protect, defend, guide and guard us in all our ways.
Friday, March 20, 2020
The Plan for Redemption
UV 3490/10000 The Plan for Redemption
When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live.
Exodus 1 v 16
The descendants of Jacob or Israel were multiplying. The Egyptians felt threatened that they would be outnumbered by the Jews. Pharaoh moved by the serpent leader plots to kill the male offspring of the Hebrews. He instructs the midwives to kill the male babies of the Hebrew people. But God moved the hearts of the midwives to compassion. They refused to do so out of profound reverence for God.
At the birth of both Moses, the servant leader of the old covenant and Jesus, the Servant Leader of the new covenant, the genocide of babies was ordered by the ruler of the day. But God, having a specific plan for their lives, protects them from being killed at birth. He has a specific plan for each one of us if we submit our lives to Him. We do not know the details but it will be revealed to us at the due time. When Pharaoh ordered that all male babies of the Hebrews be thrown into the Nile, God gave the mother of Moses a plan that would redeem him. He sent him floating in a basket of papyrus reeds. The baby was rescued by an Egyptian princess and the rest is history.
Whenever the serpent leader has a plot to trap or harm the people of God, the ones who repose faith in Him, the Lord provides an escape route or plan. He is the God who redeems, saves, rescues, helps. Jesus, the Servant Leader became the Redeemer, the One who enables each one of us to be rescued from eternal judgment and death.
When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live.
Exodus 1 v 16
The descendants of Jacob or Israel were multiplying. The Egyptians felt threatened that they would be outnumbered by the Jews. Pharaoh moved by the serpent leader plots to kill the male offspring of the Hebrews. He instructs the midwives to kill the male babies of the Hebrew people. But God moved the hearts of the midwives to compassion. They refused to do so out of profound reverence for God.
At the birth of both Moses, the servant leader of the old covenant and Jesus, the Servant Leader of the new covenant, the genocide of babies was ordered by the ruler of the day. But God, having a specific plan for their lives, protects them from being killed at birth. He has a specific plan for each one of us if we submit our lives to Him. We do not know the details but it will be revealed to us at the due time. When Pharaoh ordered that all male babies of the Hebrews be thrown into the Nile, God gave the mother of Moses a plan that would redeem him. He sent him floating in a basket of papyrus reeds. The baby was rescued by an Egyptian princess and the rest is history.
Whenever the serpent leader has a plot to trap or harm the people of God, the ones who repose faith in Him, the Lord provides an escape route or plan. He is the God who redeems, saves, rescues, helps. Jesus, the Servant Leader became the Redeemer, the One who enables each one of us to be rescued from eternal judgment and death.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Transforming Adversity
UV 3489/10000 Transforming Adversity
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present outcome, that many people would be kept alive ( as they are this day).
Genesis 50 v 20
The enemy, the serpent leader plots many evil things against humanity like the present Covid-19 pandemic but the Lord God who is Almighty overrules it and turns it into something good. Joseph’s brothers, out of sheer jealousy that he was the favourite of their father Jacob, plotted to kill him and then agreed on a lesser evil of selling him into slavery in Egypt. They did it out of undiluted evil motives but God brought good out of it by raising Joseph as the saviour, the prophet and deliverer of Egypt and the neighbouring lands in a time of extreme famine. God can turn the diabolic into the dynamic. Whether man-made or natural or accidental, the Lord is in command and control.
God sent the Servant Leader, Jesus as Saviour, Prophet and Deliverer of all mankind. He can deliver us from all evil, anything and everything the serpent leader throws at us in the form of affliction, conspiracies, violence, disasters, epidemics and so on. He is our shield from all types of weapons. Whatever challenge we face in life, the Servant Leader turns it into an opportunity to glorify the Lord.
Joseph held onto his faith in God even in bad situations. Likewise, Jesus held onto His faith in the Father even as He lay in agony on the cross. Whatever bad situation we are confronting, whatever agony we are enduring, we need to hold onto our faith in the Father, the Son and Servant Leader, Jesus and the Comforter, the Encourager, the Holy Spirit. The Covid virus has shaken all nations, families, individuals, mighty corporations, billionaires, despots and the like but it cannot shake our faith in the Servant Leader, Jesus. He will bring something good to great out of it in our very lives.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present outcome, that many people would be kept alive ( as they are this day).
Genesis 50 v 20
The enemy, the serpent leader plots many evil things against humanity like the present Covid-19 pandemic but the Lord God who is Almighty overrules it and turns it into something good. Joseph’s brothers, out of sheer jealousy that he was the favourite of their father Jacob, plotted to kill him and then agreed on a lesser evil of selling him into slavery in Egypt. They did it out of undiluted evil motives but God brought good out of it by raising Joseph as the saviour, the prophet and deliverer of Egypt and the neighbouring lands in a time of extreme famine. God can turn the diabolic into the dynamic. Whether man-made or natural or accidental, the Lord is in command and control.
God sent the Servant Leader, Jesus as Saviour, Prophet and Deliverer of all mankind. He can deliver us from all evil, anything and everything the serpent leader throws at us in the form of affliction, conspiracies, violence, disasters, epidemics and so on. He is our shield from all types of weapons. Whatever challenge we face in life, the Servant Leader turns it into an opportunity to glorify the Lord.
Joseph held onto his faith in God even in bad situations. Likewise, Jesus held onto His faith in the Father even as He lay in agony on the cross. Whatever bad situation we are confronting, whatever agony we are enduring, we need to hold onto our faith in the Father, the Son and Servant Leader, Jesus and the Comforter, the Encourager, the Holy Spirit. The Covid virus has shaken all nations, families, individuals, mighty corporations, billionaires, despots and the like but it cannot shake our faith in the Servant Leader, Jesus. He will bring something good to great out of it in our very lives.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Preeminence in Dignity and Power
UV 3488/10000 Preeminence in Dignity and Power
Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might, the beginning of my strength and vigour, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power (that should have been your birthright),
Genesis 49 v 3
Reuben had the right to preeminence among the sons of Jacob as he was the first born but he squandered his right, his inheritance. He became unstable and reckless, boiling over like water in sinful lust and slept with his father’s concubine. He defiled himself in doing so, lost his right to be preeminent in dignity. He had yielded to the serpent leader and not the Servant Leader.
Jesus, the first born of God is preeminent in dignity, preeminent in power. He represents the strength and vigour of our Father in heaven. Our spiritual inheritance is restored to us as brothers by grace and faith in the Servant Leader. Jesus is stable, wise, careful in submitting to the Father’s will. As believers, we are to be preeminent in strength, dignity and power. We enjoy the favour and blessings of the Father. We live by the grace of the Son and Servant Leader, the greatest being the One who serves all mankind.
The lesson we learn from the tragedy of Reuben is that we are to be both able and stable by the grace of Jesus. We should not allow ourselves to boil over with unruly passion. We yield our spirits and our hearts and minds to the Servant Leader and model ourselves on Him. We obey not our fallen spirits but the Holy Spirit who restores the strength and vigour of the first born to us, so that we are preeminent in dignity and power.
Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might, the beginning of my strength and vigour, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power (that should have been your birthright),
Genesis 49 v 3
Reuben had the right to preeminence among the sons of Jacob as he was the first born but he squandered his right, his inheritance. He became unstable and reckless, boiling over like water in sinful lust and slept with his father’s concubine. He defiled himself in doing so, lost his right to be preeminent in dignity. He had yielded to the serpent leader and not the Servant Leader.
Jesus, the first born of God is preeminent in dignity, preeminent in power. He represents the strength and vigour of our Father in heaven. Our spiritual inheritance is restored to us as brothers by grace and faith in the Servant Leader. Jesus is stable, wise, careful in submitting to the Father’s will. As believers, we are to be preeminent in strength, dignity and power. We enjoy the favour and blessings of the Father. We live by the grace of the Son and Servant Leader, the greatest being the One who serves all mankind.
The lesson we learn from the tragedy of Reuben is that we are to be both able and stable by the grace of Jesus. We should not allow ourselves to boil over with unruly passion. We yield our spirits and our hearts and minds to the Servant Leader and model ourselves on Him. We obey not our fallen spirits but the Holy Spirit who restores the strength and vigour of the first born to us, so that we are preeminent in dignity and power.
Monday, March 16, 2020
The Guilt and Fear Connection
UV 3487/10000 The Guilt and Fear Connection
The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and (expecting the worst) they said, “ It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time (we came) that we are being brought in, so that he may find a reason to accuse us and assail us, and take us as slaves, and seize our donkeys.
Genesis 43 v 18
Our guilt often is the source of our fears. The serpent leader uses the guilt of our past misdeeds to prey upon our minds. Joseph’s brothers were haunted by the guilt of having sold their brother into slavery. When the governor Joseph asked that they be brought to his house which should be deemed as a privilege, they thought the opposite that Joseph wanted to punish them for theft. Instead of being joyful, they were anxious and worried. The serpent leader had stolen their joy. The modus operandi of the serpent leader is to first tempt us to sin and then to visit us as often as possible with the attendant guilt and fear of our misdeeds.
The Servant Leader, Jesus in contrast, washes us clean of our guilt, however great it be. He restores the Holy Spirit to us, comforts us, gives us hope and encouragement. He fills and refills us with joy for He knows best that it is our fuel. It is said that government servants work at the pleasure of the President. We live, work, endure and enjoy at the pleasure of the President of our hearts as of the universe, Jesus the Christ, Jesus, the Servant Leader. The worldly live for their own pleasure and act according to their whims as did the brothers of Joseph. They consequently get plagued by guilt and consequent fears.
Joseph was a fore type of Jesus, the Servant Leader. He lived in the moment while not forsaking his intimate connection with the infinite, the absolute, the Almighty. He had nothing to feel guilty about, He believed in Jehovah, God and trusted in His promises delivered to him as dreams. He loved his brothers as they were his own flesh and blood. He wanted to honour them, bless them with his generosity and hence, had the cash paid for the grain secretly returned to them on their first visit. He did not gloat when his brothers bowed to him as he had once said in accordance with his dream. The dream that was the cause of much of his misery was also the cause for his rise. He did not despise his bad days in the pit, in the house of Potiphar, in the prison but saw these as steps or part of the process for the Lord to shape him, groom him, endow him with wisdom and power, enlarge and fulfil his destiny, His purpose.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
The Great Escape
UV 3486/10000 The Great Escape
God sent me (to Egypt) ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great escape.
Genesis 45 v 7
Joseph was noble, magnanimous, not vengeful or bitter about the things his brothers had done to him.. He forgave them from his heart. He saw in it the hand and plan of God for God took the evil they did to him and turned it into good for all of them. Joseph was elevated as a great minister and right hand to Pharaoh, the rest of the family was preserved in a time of famine in Canaan. In similar manner, the Servant Leader Jesus sees his evil persecution and crucifixion as part of God’s plan to save a remnant of mankind in all nations. Like Joseph, Jesus forgave the evil the brothers did to him of betrayal, of denial, of unfair trial, false accusations, flogging and being given capital punishment of being nailed and hanged on a cross until dead. The evil done to Jesus was far greater. Yet, Jesus said like Joseph while hanging on the cross in excruciating pain, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” The single greatest act of forgiveness in all of the universe, in all of history.
God has plans for us that we do not understand. Sometimes, we go through great evil before He turns it into good. One plan, however, He makes clear to all mankind willing to listen and believe. Whatever be the twists and turns in cruel fate in our lives, the Lord God, our Father in heaven, has provided a great escape for each one of us. Through that great escape provided through the sacrificed body of Jesus, He turns our curses into blessings, our evil into good, our famine into well being, our misfortunes into good fortune, our short lives and deaths into eternal life.
The serpent leader had planned to bruise Jesus on the cross. But the Lord turned it into salvation for all. The world is a place of continual spiritual famine. But Jesus, like Joseph, has stored up enough grains of truth to sustain us, to make us healthy, well and happy. Joseph sold all the stored grain to the famished people of Egypt and surrounding nations, while Jesus makes it available to us freely and abundantly. LikeJoseph, we need to read and interpret the patterns of God working out things in our lives for our eternal good and well being. The pain we suffer now may be for a greater good in later time. The lessons we learn should draw us closer to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the living legacy that Jesus left while departing from the earth.
God sent me (to Egypt) ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great escape.
Genesis 45 v 7
Joseph was noble, magnanimous, not vengeful or bitter about the things his brothers had done to him.. He forgave them from his heart. He saw in it the hand and plan of God for God took the evil they did to him and turned it into good for all of them. Joseph was elevated as a great minister and right hand to Pharaoh, the rest of the family was preserved in a time of famine in Canaan. In similar manner, the Servant Leader Jesus sees his evil persecution and crucifixion as part of God’s plan to save a remnant of mankind in all nations. Like Joseph, Jesus forgave the evil the brothers did to him of betrayal, of denial, of unfair trial, false accusations, flogging and being given capital punishment of being nailed and hanged on a cross until dead. The evil done to Jesus was far greater. Yet, Jesus said like Joseph while hanging on the cross in excruciating pain, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” The single greatest act of forgiveness in all of the universe, in all of history.
God has plans for us that we do not understand. Sometimes, we go through great evil before He turns it into good. One plan, however, He makes clear to all mankind willing to listen and believe. Whatever be the twists and turns in cruel fate in our lives, the Lord God, our Father in heaven, has provided a great escape for each one of us. Through that great escape provided through the sacrificed body of Jesus, He turns our curses into blessings, our evil into good, our famine into well being, our misfortunes into good fortune, our short lives and deaths into eternal life.
The serpent leader had planned to bruise Jesus on the cross. But the Lord turned it into salvation for all. The world is a place of continual spiritual famine. But Jesus, like Joseph, has stored up enough grains of truth to sustain us, to make us healthy, well and happy. Joseph sold all the stored grain to the famished people of Egypt and surrounding nations, while Jesus makes it available to us freely and abundantly. LikeJoseph, we need to read and interpret the patterns of God working out things in our lives for our eternal good and well being. The pain we suffer now may be for a greater good in later time. The lessons we learn should draw us closer to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the living legacy that Jesus left while departing from the earth.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
LIFE- A TWO EDGED CHOICE
UV 3485/10000 Life – A Two Edged Choice
And as her soul was departing, (for she died), she named him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow), but his father called him Benjamin ( son of the right hand).
Genesis 35 v 18
While Rachel saw the new born son as a cause of sorrow and sought to name him so, Jacob, the father called him the son of his right hand. Jesus, the Servant Leader was called as a Man of Sorrow but He became in time the Son at the right hand of the Almighty Father. Everything in scripture and in life is like a double edged sword. We can take the negative side and transform it into something positive, powerful and beautiful. Opposite words like enemies has seven letters even as friends. Negative has eight letters as does positive. Anger has five letters as also its opposite – happy. Cry has three letters as does joy. Hurt and heal, love and hate have four letters.
We need to call the positive into our lives. Our minds and tongues have the power of life and death. We should choose life over death, love over hate, joy over sorrow, helping people over hurting them. The serpent leader induces us to choose the negatives of life while the Servant Leader, Jesus encourages, teaches, demonstrates the need to choose the positive over the negative. The positive side of the sword of the word blesses, heals, edifies, delivers us while the negative side hurts, judges, condemns, punishes.
We should speak life and blessing into the lives of our near and dear as well as into the lives of our enemies, foes, rivals. The edge we choose should be the edge of the knowledge of God, the love of God, the grace of the Servant Leader, Jesus. The edge we should ignore and desist from using is that of bad or unwise choices, of folly and short lived satisfaction. The edge of wisdom, love and grace is the choice which is eternal and durable. It increases our longevity, our productivity, our contribution, our creativity and our legacy. Consistently choosing the better edge of life comes from faith that the Lord is at our right hand to help us, to enable us.
And as her soul was departing, (for she died), she named him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow), but his father called him Benjamin ( son of the right hand).
Genesis 35 v 18
While Rachel saw the new born son as a cause of sorrow and sought to name him so, Jacob, the father called him the son of his right hand. Jesus, the Servant Leader was called as a Man of Sorrow but He became in time the Son at the right hand of the Almighty Father. Everything in scripture and in life is like a double edged sword. We can take the negative side and transform it into something positive, powerful and beautiful. Opposite words like enemies has seven letters even as friends. Negative has eight letters as does positive. Anger has five letters as also its opposite – happy. Cry has three letters as does joy. Hurt and heal, love and hate have four letters.
We need to call the positive into our lives. Our minds and tongues have the power of life and death. We should choose life over death, love over hate, joy over sorrow, helping people over hurting them. The serpent leader induces us to choose the negatives of life while the Servant Leader, Jesus encourages, teaches, demonstrates the need to choose the positive over the negative. The positive side of the sword of the word blesses, heals, edifies, delivers us while the negative side hurts, judges, condemns, punishes.
We should speak life and blessing into the lives of our near and dear as well as into the lives of our enemies, foes, rivals. The edge we choose should be the edge of the knowledge of God, the love of God, the grace of the Servant Leader, Jesus. The edge we should ignore and desist from using is that of bad or unwise choices, of folly and short lived satisfaction. The edge of wisdom, love and grace is the choice which is eternal and durable. It increases our longevity, our productivity, our contribution, our creativity and our legacy. Consistently choosing the better edge of life comes from faith that the Lord is at our right hand to help us, to enable us.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Never Give Up on Godly Hope
UV 3484/10000 Never Give up on Godly Hope
He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God (and your husband)?
Genesis
Joseph, the son who was sold into slavery was destined for greatness. Despite everything the serpent leader tried, Joseph always emerged victorious in his trials and temptations as God was with him since the days of his childhood. Joseph is rightly regarded as a fore type of the Servant Leader, Jesus. He is righteous, desiring to do only what is ethical and good in the sight of God and man. He wins the favour of all his peers and bosses. Yet, he faces many trials and tribulations. He perseveres with integrity despite these trials with the hope of the Servant Leader, Jesus. He persists in refusing the advances of Potiphar’s wife and as a result, is framed by her for having attempted to molest her.
Through a series of dream communications, the Lord delivers and exalts Joseph to his destined position at the right hand of the ruler of all Egypt, Pharaoh Sesostris II, circa 1894-1878 BC. First, two officials of Pharaoh, imprisoned with Joseph, receive two distinct dreams which Joseph rightly interprets that Pharaoh would lift both their heads, the cupbearer would be restored while the baker would lose his head. Pharaoh himself then receives two dreams which Joseph on the recommendation of the restored cupbearer correctly interprets. Knowledge and intelligence is from the earth while wisdom is from God. Joseph had God-given wisdom and used it for problem solving. Pharaoh himself testified of Joseph that there was no man equal to him in whom was the divine spirit of God. Joseph, having much wisdom and foresight was elevated to the right hand of Pharaoh even as Jesus, the Servant Leader is now ruling from the right hand of Jehovah, God Almighty.
Like Joseph counselled Pharaoh, we must prepare in good times and times of abundance for times of challenge, scarcity, famine, hardship. Tough times will not last for those who trust God and the Servant Leader. Deliverance will surely come for us even as it came for Joseph in such a marvelous way. The Lord knows our hearts even as He knew the heart of Joseph and blessed him abundantly, exceeding his own imagination or expectation. The Lord adds to our lives through the channels prepared by our dedication, determination, devotion, discipline, diligence. Joseph was determined not to sin. He was devoted and sincere to God and his earthly masters. He disciplined his bodily lust and appetite. He was diligent in his duties even in prison. He never gave up on God and on hope.
He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God (and your husband)?
Genesis
Joseph, the son who was sold into slavery was destined for greatness. Despite everything the serpent leader tried, Joseph always emerged victorious in his trials and temptations as God was with him since the days of his childhood. Joseph is rightly regarded as a fore type of the Servant Leader, Jesus. He is righteous, desiring to do only what is ethical and good in the sight of God and man. He wins the favour of all his peers and bosses. Yet, he faces many trials and tribulations. He perseveres with integrity despite these trials with the hope of the Servant Leader, Jesus. He persists in refusing the advances of Potiphar’s wife and as a result, is framed by her for having attempted to molest her.
Through a series of dream communications, the Lord delivers and exalts Joseph to his destined position at the right hand of the ruler of all Egypt, Pharaoh Sesostris II, circa 1894-1878 BC. First, two officials of Pharaoh, imprisoned with Joseph, receive two distinct dreams which Joseph rightly interprets that Pharaoh would lift both their heads, the cupbearer would be restored while the baker would lose his head. Pharaoh himself then receives two dreams which Joseph on the recommendation of the restored cupbearer correctly interprets. Knowledge and intelligence is from the earth while wisdom is from God. Joseph had God-given wisdom and used it for problem solving. Pharaoh himself testified of Joseph that there was no man equal to him in whom was the divine spirit of God. Joseph, having much wisdom and foresight was elevated to the right hand of Pharaoh even as Jesus, the Servant Leader is now ruling from the right hand of Jehovah, God Almighty.
Like Joseph counselled Pharaoh, we must prepare in good times and times of abundance for times of challenge, scarcity, famine, hardship. Tough times will not last for those who trust God and the Servant Leader. Deliverance will surely come for us even as it came for Joseph in such a marvelous way. The Lord knows our hearts even as He knew the heart of Joseph and blessed him abundantly, exceeding his own imagination or expectation. The Lord adds to our lives through the channels prepared by our dedication, determination, devotion, discipline, diligence. Joseph was determined not to sin. He was devoted and sincere to God and his earthly masters. He disciplined his bodily lust and appetite. He was diligent in his duties even in prison. He never gave up on God and on hope.
Monday, March 2, 2020
The Anger of God
UV 3483/10000 The Anger of God
But Er, Judah’s first born, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him ( in judgement).
Genesis 38 v 7
Two sons of Judah were killed in judgement by the Lord for the evil they did in His sight. Tamar, the widow of Er, the firstborn son of Judah, disguised herself as a temple prostitute and slept with Judah in order to conceive a child. The serpent leader had succeeded in derailing the lives of many of the descendants of Jacob, the patriarch after whose name the nation of Israel is called. The marriage covenant and the just laws of God were violated by them. But the Lord did not remain a mute spectator and visited deadly judgement upon two of Judah’s sons.
Judah could not condemn his daughter-in-law Tamar as she had obtained from him certain credentials that proved that Judah was the person who had defiled her. Indeed, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom while the love of God is the fulfilment of wisdom. We need to fear or revere God and His laws or the Word and love the Servant Leader, Jesus. This will keep us from becoming evil and inviting the wrath of the Lord. We are greatly blessed and rewarded when we are filled with the love of Jesus.
Jesus Himself was born in the lineage of Judah, proving that the Lord is merciful. As the Word says, “His anger lasts for a moment but His mercy endures forever.” We should never say or do anything that will provoke the anger or judgement of God. Each of the patriarchs erred in some way, were deceived in some way by the serpent leader. We need to learn a lesson from their lives and do our best, appropriate the wisdom and grace of the Servant Leader to avoid these pitfalls in our lives.
But Er, Judah’s first born, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him ( in judgement).
Genesis 38 v 7
Two sons of Judah were killed in judgement by the Lord for the evil they did in His sight. Tamar, the widow of Er, the firstborn son of Judah, disguised herself as a temple prostitute and slept with Judah in order to conceive a child. The serpent leader had succeeded in derailing the lives of many of the descendants of Jacob, the patriarch after whose name the nation of Israel is called. The marriage covenant and the just laws of God were violated by them. But the Lord did not remain a mute spectator and visited deadly judgement upon two of Judah’s sons.
Judah could not condemn his daughter-in-law Tamar as she had obtained from him certain credentials that proved that Judah was the person who had defiled her. Indeed, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom while the love of God is the fulfilment of wisdom. We need to fear or revere God and His laws or the Word and love the Servant Leader, Jesus. This will keep us from becoming evil and inviting the wrath of the Lord. We are greatly blessed and rewarded when we are filled with the love of Jesus.
Jesus Himself was born in the lineage of Judah, proving that the Lord is merciful. As the Word says, “His anger lasts for a moment but His mercy endures forever.” We should never say or do anything that will provoke the anger or judgement of God. Each of the patriarchs erred in some way, were deceived in some way by the serpent leader. We need to learn a lesson from their lives and do our best, appropriate the wisdom and grace of the Servant Leader to avoid these pitfalls in our lives.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Envy Causes Our Rise
UV 3482/10000 Envy Causes our Rise
And when they saw him from a distance, even before he came close to them, they plotted to kill him.
Genesis 37 v 18
The serpent leader instills the spirit of envy in people. He made the brothers envious of Joseph. They envied him for he was most loved by their father who made no efforts to hide the fact. They hated him for speaking of dreams that showed him as a ruler over all of them. People often hate us for no apparent reason. They speak ill of us. They plot and conspire against us. Envy acts as a quick spreading poison in the minds of people. They become resentful of our presence and of our rise.
The brothers first planned to kill him but later on the counsel of Reuben they put him in a pit. Later when they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites passing by, they decided to sell him to the latter. The Lord turns the envy of people against us to cause our rise and success. The selling of Joseph as a slave led to the beginning of a chain of events that catapulted him eventually to be a ruler of Egypt, next in command to Pharaoh. What people plot against us, God turns to good. The dreams that Joseph had became a reality in Egypt.
The Lord prospered Joseph in whatever he did. I, too have had this experience. Like Joseph, I came to accept the Servant Leader, Jesus as my Saviour, model and ruler at the age of seventeen. He prospered me in virtually everything I did. Ideas like Friends of Police made many senior and powerful police officers envious. They combined forces to plot against me and my idea of FOP. They even had their recommendation that the Friends of Police movement should be done away with accepted by the state police chief and powers that be. Yet, the idea continues and no one has been able to stop it on the ground.
And when they saw him from a distance, even before he came close to them, they plotted to kill him.
Genesis 37 v 18
The serpent leader instills the spirit of envy in people. He made the brothers envious of Joseph. They envied him for he was most loved by their father who made no efforts to hide the fact. They hated him for speaking of dreams that showed him as a ruler over all of them. People often hate us for no apparent reason. They speak ill of us. They plot and conspire against us. Envy acts as a quick spreading poison in the minds of people. They become resentful of our presence and of our rise.
The brothers first planned to kill him but later on the counsel of Reuben they put him in a pit. Later when they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites passing by, they decided to sell him to the latter. The Lord turns the envy of people against us to cause our rise and success. The selling of Joseph as a slave led to the beginning of a chain of events that catapulted him eventually to be a ruler of Egypt, next in command to Pharaoh. What people plot against us, God turns to good. The dreams that Joseph had became a reality in Egypt.
The Lord prospered Joseph in whatever he did. I, too have had this experience. Like Joseph, I came to accept the Servant Leader, Jesus as my Saviour, model and ruler at the age of seventeen. He prospered me in virtually everything I did. Ideas like Friends of Police made many senior and powerful police officers envious. They combined forces to plot against me and my idea of FOP. They even had their recommendation that the Friends of Police movement should be done away with accepted by the state police chief and powers that be. Yet, the idea continues and no one has been able to stop it on the ground.
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