The Meaning and Character of True Service

UV 3588/10000. The Meaning and Character of True Service Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many ( paying the price to set them free from the penalty of sin). Matthew 20 v 27 Jesus, the Son of God condescending and descending to earth to be a human, a son of man was itself the greatest act of humility and obedience or submission to God’s will. Right from the time of His nativity or birth on earth, He made it known that His objective for being one among humans is to serve and not to be served. Though the whole universe belonged to Him, He chose a manger to be born in, a poor worker’s family to be brought up in. Right through His earthly ministry, He made it plain to His followers that He is the Lamb of God provided as payment in the Jewish tradition for all sins of all mankind. The word “ransom” used in the uni-verse indicates that the enemy had abducted the spirit of man so much so, the latter began obeying and submitting to the evil suggestions of satan. To be set free, the perfect sacrifice, the full and final payment could be no less than the Son of God, Jesus being sacrificed in place of all mankind. If that did not happen, each of us would have to pay individually with the death of our spirits and for all eternity. As Jesus did, we, too should emulate Him in different ways by humbling ourselves in His name. We should pay it forward for others who have not yet had the privilege of knowing Jesus and His plan of salvation of mankind. We should be willing to serve others freely without expectation of payment or reward. This is the path of greatness that the Greatest human, Jesus chalked out for us, His followers. Without pride, without ego, without selfish motivation of this world that does everything by asking, “What is in it for me?”, we should serve others. This is the way to express agape or selfless love of Christ to others. We are no longer to live as if we are captives of the enemy or be captivated by the attractions of this world. We have known the truth and the Truth (Jesus) has set us free. We are not to be ruled by satan and do his evil bidding but rule him and his agents or servants. We are to exercise power and authority over the spiritual world of darkness since we, ourselves belong to the light. We have to drive out darkness from our homes, offices, neighbourhood, cities, villages and the world at large. Hence, we have a responsibility to both serve and rule at one and the same time.

God's Workmanship

UV 3587/10000. God’s Workmanship For we are His workmanship ( His own master work, a work of art), created in Christ Jesus (reborn from above- spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used) for good works, which God prepared (for us) beforehand taking paths which He set), so that we would walk in them (living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us). Ephesians 2 v 10 A saved soul is a master design of the Lord. We are His handicraft and we are chiseled back to be the image of God. The first time, God created us in His image. This second time, He has redeemed us by the grace of Christ and transformed into His image in the course of our walk or life with Him. We are constantly being renewed in the image of Christ. This is an unceasing process. The Lord is working on us and in us with His awesome power and wisdom. He has a master plan for each of us as well as for all of us together as one body in Christ. We are like a master designer or painter’s work which once corrupted has not with a great deal of effort on the part of the designer or painter restored to its pristine glory. We cannot fail the Lord a second time. We are transformed to the extent we conform to the image of Christ and do not conform to the world. The Lord has redeemed us to do good works that bring glory to His name. He is preparing us to be citizens of heaven, the beneficiaries of eternal life. As citizens of the new Jerusalem, we are to conduct ourselves here on earth. We are to be in the world but not of the world. Our values and standards are those set by the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit is given to us as an Encourager to enable and empower us to live the spiritual life full of the fruit of love, joy and peace. We have obtained new life or eternal life or salvation by grace and we can also live this new life only by grace. The only thing needed on our part is our willing submission to the Lord and joyful obedience of His word. The word is dynamic, the work of God in our lives is dynamic while His purpose and will and standards are constant and unchanging. We should be available to the Lord for His use at anytime having availed of His grace both for redemption and for redeemed living. His indwelling presence will go with us and give us not only rest but also the best. On our part, we should resolve to do our utmost, our best to be good ambassadors, representatives, spokesmen of God on earth. When we speak the word of God, we exercise the authority or power of God. We can speak it into the various situations and challenges we face in life. Whatever we think, speak or do should be worthy of God and of Christ.

The Yeast of Faith

UV 3886/10000. The Yeast of Faith He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and worked into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Matthew 13 v 33 The leaven, that Jesus refers to in this uni-verse, is the yeast of faith which needs to mingle with all that believers think, speak and do. The yeast of faith needs to be consistently applied to all of our lives to make our burdens lighter and more bearable, to make our offering of praise and thanksgiving rise up to God. Indeed, the Son rises in the yeast of faith. Faith in Jesus, the Son, affects positively and deeply all aspects of our lives. Like yeast makes the rough bread soft and edible, it makes the difficult truths of God embedded in the word soft and edible. Just as the yeast contributes to our digestion of the bread, the Holy Spirit rises in us to enable us to digest the word of God. Jesus, on another occasion, warned people of the yeast of the Pharisees. Here, the reference to yeast was to the insincerity and hypocrisy of the priests and teachers of the day who made things more difficult for people to be close to God. They had the outer form of religion or faith without its inner power. Jesus warns us of the impurities of human traditions that have the power to make the word of God to be of no effect. The leaven of the kingdom of God gives us inner power to combat and overcome our own inner weaknesses and tendencies to disobey the will of God. Just as leaven affects the whole dough and causes it to rise while being baked, our faith in God through Christ increase our influence among people and thereby, more people get access to the kingdom of heaven. The yeast was spread by the woman in the entire dough so that no part of the bread was half baked, no part was not soft and delicious to eat. Similarly, our faith should not be half baked or inconsistent. The yeast is not visible but it is hidden in the dough. Likewise, our faith should be hidden and only its impact should be visible to the world. Faith is not showy, flamboyant, aggressive or obtrusive. It should not be imposed but gently communicated even as Jesus taught with all gentleness and love. Yeast keeps our digestive system healthy and in balance. Likewise, faith in Christ keeps us immune from the evil influences and agents of this world. Just as yeast is a living micro-organism, our faith in Christ is a living force that helps us live victoriously in this world and prepares us to be citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

Collateral Thinking

UV 3585/10000 Collateral Thinking Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things (center you mind on them, and implant them in your heart). Philippians 4 v 8 Paul exhorts believers in this uni-verse to meditate on the truth of God’s word. Our ‘collateral’ thinking can be on whatever we find that is worthy of our attention, retention and consumption. It should be right from the perspective of God’s word. It should be pure, holistic or wholesome. We can think of anything that is noble, peace -enhancing and worthy of admiration and appreciation. Our thought pattern should be characterized by such consistent thinking on these lines. Continual meditation amounts to continual worship and communion with God. It has a wholesome effect on our spirit, mind and body. Paul understood the importance of thinking for when he thought of persecuting the people of the new way or new faith in Christ, it made him act violently and unjustly against the truth. Hence, he began to give first priority to truth in his thought life as a follower of Christ. When we think about the word of God, we are thinking on the above lines. We are thinking the thoughts of God. We acquire the mind of Christ. Paul was not endorsing positive thinking but positive living. Our thoughts influence our entire lives and the lives of people in our circles of influence. It determines our choices, our habits, our actions and reactions. If we change the way we think, we change our lives. For the mind of Christ is all about love and compassion. The mind of Christ is non judgmental. The mind of Christ does not despair and is full of hope regardless of the circumstances and adversities one faces. The mind that feeds on scripture is never starved of hope. Our moods are not dependent on circumstances. We rejoice in good and bad circumstances. That is why scripture has this refrain, “ Rejoice in the Lord always and again, I say rejoice.” The first call to rejoice is in happy settings when everything is going as per plan and desire and the second “rejoice” is even when things are not to our liking, not perfectly comfortable or decidedly uncomfortable, we choose to find our strength in the joy or delight of the Lord. Thinking on the lines indicated by Paul fills our lives with joy and hope. It imparts strength, power to endure or resilience. It enables victorious living.

The Opening of Our Eyes

UV 3584/10000. The Opening of Our Eyes They answered Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Matthew 20 v 32 The two blind men sitting on the street side as Jesus passed through Jericho could recognize that Jesus is the One promised from the lineage of King David to be the Messiah. Their eyes were blind but not their souls and spirits. They saw Jesus as the One who could deliver them. From the time of Jesus, a large number of people were blinded spiritually. Their eyes were closed and they could not recognize Jesus to be their own personal Saviour or Messiah. All we need to pray is that their eyes be opened. When they cried out loudly to Jesus, they got His attention and He asked them what they wanted Him to do for them. Even today, as we cry out to Jesus in our various situations and predicaments, Jesus turns to us and asks us, “ What do you want Me to do for you?” The two blind beggars were ready with an answer and we, too need to be ready with a specific request. We, too need to ask the Lord to open our eyes in the areas we are blinded, areas where we are leading a vision-less, defeated life. While others chided the blind men for calling out loudly to Jesus, Jesus Himself was moved with compassion towards them. It is written that they regained their sight and followed Him. They did not follow the disciples or Mary, the mother of Jesus or any of His family members. They followed Him not blindly but with faith and with trust that He would not lead them into a ditch, a metaphor for the earthly grave. They trusted Jesus to lead them to eternity. They knew that even the vision they had gained newly would eventually fail them but the vision Jesus gives would never fail or fade. This is the experience of salvation. We need to experience the compassion of God in Christ, experience His grace and then, we should follow Him in the sense, obey Him. The blind beggars who were healed followed Jesus as they knew He is the Messiah and He alone could lead them into eternal life. They were not contented with just getting their eyesight restored but they wanted something greater and better from Jesus which He alone could give for He is the source of eternal life.

Holiness and Wholeness

UV3583/10000 Holiness and Wholeness If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off and throw it away from you (that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation); it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire. Matthew 18 v 8 Jesus in this uni-verse is asking us to adopt a ruthless approach to dealing with sin and temptation. If a particular habit of ours is a stumbling block to our spiritual growth and progress, we should not hesitate to end it, however costly our action to end it might be. If something that is part of our lives currently or even an intimate part of our being causes us to indulge in sin, we must not think twice to get rid of it. We must set such a high value of our aspiration for eternal life that we must regard nothing too costly or dear to us to be set apart for God. It might even mean doing away with anything that has been an integral part of our upbringing and lives so far. It might cause us great pain and even handicap almost like losing a limb or an eye. We must think no handicap is too great if God is holding our hand and helping, guiding us to live a life of complete freedom from sin and evil. Our desire or zeal for holiness should match, if not exceed, our desire or zeal for happiness. We are willing to pay any cost for the reward and blessings of eternal life in Christ. A life in Christ is a life of zero compromise. This kind of ability to be detached from even our own lives cannot come naturally and it takes grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who is given to us as a gift to help us lead holy lives, free from the taint of this world. He becomes, in effect, our limbs and eyes. He is the One who enables us to develop the sensitivity to sin, the sense of extreme revulsion to sinful lusts. He is the One who can transform our stumbling blocks into building blocks of growth. The uni-verse also throws light on true wholeness, it is not just being healthy, robust with all our faculties and limbs in place. When we become fused with God through Christ and His grace and the enablement of the Holy Spirit, we are then, truly whole. Our focus should not be mere physical health or wealth but holistic health and wealth of spirit, mind and body. Our hands, legs, eyes and other faculties are useful when these are fully yielded to the Lord. Holiness is preferred to wholeness. Salvation comes by grace but while we live the life of grace, we should allow the Holy Spirit to help us sanctify every organ and part of our lives. While salvation or accepting Christ as our ransom or payment for eternal life is the first step in a thousand mile journey, the remaining 999 steps of our walk with God into eternity involves sanctification. Even if we stumble, the Lord is gracious and will help us up but our determination to stay the course is important.

The Cornerstone Leader

UV 3582/10000 The Cornerstone Leader Have you not read this Scripture: “The stone which the builders regarded as unworthy and rejected, this (very stone) has become the chief cornerstone Mark 12 v 10 Builders in this uni-verse spoken by Jesus are the leaders, the decision makers in any organization. Of course, the verse refers to Jesus, Himself being rejected by the Pharisees and leaders of society and state of the time. They rejected the idea that He could be the Messiah, the One sent by God to rescue Israel. They regarded Jesus as unworthy of being the cornerstone of Jewish history and of the world. After all, they judged Him for being the son of a carpenter, and for growing up obscurely in the obscure part of Israel- Nazareth of Galilee. The One who was sent by God, the very Son of God was sought to be killed at birth by Herod, the powerful vassal of Caesar who ruled the province of Palestine. He was rejected by the scribes and teachers of the day as one possessed by the devil or mad. Jesus was accepted and honoured only by His followers or disciples and even they deserted Him at the time of His trial and crucifixion. The One who is worthy of all praise, honour, worship and adoration made Himself worthless in the eyes of all humans so that we who are truly unworthy are declared worthy of salvation. Today, when believers are rejected by society, state, their own kith and kin, we should take comfort in the fact that though the Lord Himself was rejected, He has become the cornerstone of faith, the cornerstone of the kingdom of God, the cornerstone of heaven, the cornerstone of history. Jesus follows up the above statement quoted from the Psalms by attributing all glory and praise to the Lord God. David, too who wrote that Psalm also had the similar experience of being rejected by his own brothers as a callow youth, by the soldiers, by King Saul. Yet, God did an amazing miracle to elevate him first as a victorious hero against the giant Goliath, then as a valiant soldier, general and great king, replacing his foe, King Saul. Today, the kingdom of satan on earth has been declared to be ended and Jesus has ushered in the kingdom of God among mankind. From being a condemned prisoner on death row, from being a bloodless cadaver on the cross, He has become Lord and Saviour to millions through the ages since. Likewise, in our lives, we may be rejected by men but the Lord has elected, chosen, anointed, blessed us to be cornerstone leaders. Let us praise and thank God, the Father and His Son, Jesus for such a marvelous and wonderful transformation of our lives that only God can do.

The Authority of the Author of Life

UV 3581/10000. The Authority of the Author of Life And began saying to Him, “ By what authority are You doing these things, who gave You this authority to do these things?” Mark 11 v 28 The episode of the chief priests and scribes questioning Jesus’s authority to preach, teach, cleanse the temple, forgive sins, heal diseases, multiply food and drink, bring the dead to life is reported in all four gospels. Jesus had in the preceding days cleansed the temple of money changers and traders, saying with righteous anger, “ My House shall be called a house of prayer and you have turned it into a den of thieves.” He had acted apparently with authority. They questioned Jesus’s authority to find a way to put Him to death for blasphemy. Jesus answered them with a counter question, “ By what authority did John the Baptist baptize people in the Jordan?” The priests and scribes debated among themselves and chose not to answer the question sensing they would fall in the trap that they themselves had set for Jesus. Jesus discerned the motive behind everything spoken to Him. Likewise, we should be discerning enough to get behind the thoughts or motives that undergird words of people. The events that preceded and followed confirmed that Jesus got His authority from the Father in heaven. The word “authority” comes from “author”. The Father along with the Son (the Word that is from the beginning) and the Holy Spirit had brought all things in creation into being. Only the Creator or Author has the power to bring about change in the destiny and character of the creation. Authority implies both responsibility and power. Jesus as the Author of creation and of human beings has both power and responsibility for the well being of all humans even as earthly authorities have both the power to rule over citizens and a responsibility to serve them, protect them, fend for them. Jesus proved through His many acts and words that He had authority over nature- He commanded the waves and winds and they obeyed Him to be still. He has authority over life. He commanded the dead to come alive. He has authority to forgive- He forgave the sinners. He has authority to heal- He healed people of all types of diseases. He has authority to rebuke, to chastise, to punish- He rebuked the Pharisees and teachers of the law who laid heavy burdens on the common people that they were not authorized to do. He has authority over death for He was Himself resurrected. He has authority to call people to serve God. He has authority to teach, to instruct, to lead, to deliver. We, ourselves who follow Jesus have no authority of our own other than what He has given us. We pray in His name, we exercise authority in His name. We command, rebuke, serve, bless, forgive, teach only in His name. Therefore, Paul wrote that we should fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the One who began and perfects our faith. We need to focus on Jesus, the locus or center of history, of the universe, of heaven. Only an author has the right to change the story or script he is writing. Likewise, only Jesus has the right to alter our destiny, our character to bring glory to God.

God of All Generations

UV 3580/10000. God of All Generations BUT concerning the raising of the dead, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, And the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Mark 12 v 26 Jesus while answering questions on resurrection made this statement. Moses who came four hundred years after Abraham, circa 2100 BC, hears God identifying Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In other words, they were not dead but living persons. From the human perspective, they were long dead and gone but God remembers them and refers to them as living persons. God remains the God of all generations. When we have a personal relationship with God, we are resurrected from death. Christ is the first to be resurrected while we by our faith in Him are resurrected. Though we die, yet shall we live. We now live with the hope of resurrection and eternal life. We have hope of meeting with those who died before us with the same hope in Christ. Jesus also refers to our nature as resurrected beings. We are not like flesh and blood humans but like the angels. We join our fathers or our forebears in death but also in resurrection. Jesus alone has the power of resurrection. Hence, He said, “ I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus went through both death and resurrection. Once resurrected, we would never die again. The resurrections that Jesus commanded while on Earth were temporary, in the sense, those who were awakened to life from death eventually died, for example the little girl and Lazarus. Hence, the resurrection after death is the glorious resurrection. Only a person who is absolutely righteous in the eyes of the Giver of Life, God has the right to live forever. We, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are absolutely righteous by virtue of our faith in the death of Jesus being a once and final payment for all of our sins and unrighteousness. Hence, the life we now live by faith is the life of Christ. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had distinct experiences of the grace of God or Jehovah in their individual lives. Likewise, God manifests Himself in our lives, too in unique and personal ways. God is the same, our faith is the same but our experience and testimony of His grace in our lives can be quite different. No two believers walk and testimony or witness can be exactly the same though there may be similarities.

Walking the Talk, Living the Faith

UV 3579/10000. Walking the Talk, Living the Faith So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (displaying admirable character, moral courage, and personal integrity), to (fully) please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing in the knowledge of God (with deeper faith, clearer insight and fervent love for His precepts); Colossians 1 v 10 Spiritual wisdom and understanding enables us to live a life that is worthy of our calling in terms of our conduct, character, principles and lifestyle choices. We are to aim to fully please the Lord in all things as a soldier would attempt to please his commander. We will do so when we grow in our personal knowledge of God, increase in our faith, have a deep understanding of the precepts taught in scripture. We are to be rooted in the word and the love of Christ, nurtured by the Holy Spirit. Every step we take, every word we speak should be in conformity with the image of Christ in us. When we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, the Word will live in us. People will begin to see Christ living in us. This will happen when we willfully and willingly put our own egos to death, set aside our own selfish agenda and live for Christ. The Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom and grace to make the right choices consistently. Even if we stumble or make mistakes, He will make us aware and take steps to correct ourselves in time. As we yield our wills to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will enable the fruit of the Spirit to manifest and grow in us. He will also enable us to bear external fruit of acts of goodness and love for others the Lord brings our way. We will exercise the gifts of the Spirit like healing, word of wisdom, knowledge and prophecy to encourage, exhort, build others in the kingdom of God. Our faith needs to be practical even as it is spiritual in order to be real and helping in meeting the needs, physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual of people God has placed in our lives.

The Cost of Discipleship

UV 3578/10000. The Cost of Discipleship Then Jesus said to His disciples, “ if anyone wishes to follow Me ( as my disciples), he must deny himself (set aside selfish interests), and take up his cross (expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come) and follow Me ( believing in Me, conforming to My example in living, and if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me). Matthew 16 v 24 Jesus in this uni-verse is describing the cost of discipleship or the cost of following Him. If we are to be His followers, we are to deny ourselves the option of disobeying or disbelieving God. Adam had the option of disobeying God. But, the second Adam, Jesus, the first born of a new creation, denied Himself the option of disbelieving and disobeying God. We are to deny ourselves the right of following our own wills, our own desires and subject ourselves willingly to the rule of God, the rule of the kingdom of God. We are, in other words, die to the world and its evil desires and live to satisfy the perfect will of God for our lives. The first step to be a disciple of Christ is a surrender of our wills. The second step is to conform to the image of Christ, to surrender our character to God. We should do everything we can to understand the word of Christ and obey it wholeheartedly. When we live by His word, His word lives in us. We surrender our work to the Lord. We no longer rely on our own efforts but we depend on the grace of Christ. We surrender our destiny to God. We become a living sacrifice unto Christ even as He became a sacrifice for us. The commitment of our lives to Christ is total. It is a commitment even unto death, that is, even if we have to pay with our lives for our faith in Him, we are prepared to do so. If our commitment is any less than that, we are unworthy to be His followers. We are to be totally surrendered, totally dedicated, totally devoted to Christ. As He told His disciples, we should be willing to drink the cup of suffering for His sake.

The Secret of Transformation

UV3577/10000. The Secret of Transformation Let the (spoken) word of Christ have its home within you ( dwelling in your heart and mind-permeating every aspect of your being) as you teach (spiritual things) and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3 v 16 The spoken word of Christ is what God has spoken into our lives. It is a specific promise or command or warning or guidance the Lord has given us personally. This scripture should be permanently reside in our hearts and minds and encourage our faith. It should penetrate every pore of our being, spirit, mind and body. It should saturate our thoughts and emotions. It should direct our feet and actions. It is not a mere motto but a spiritual motor that powers our lives. We will see the reality of God’s truths happening in our lives as we hold these promises or commands or wisdom dear to our hearts. Such specific portions of scripture will help us teach, train and disciple others whom the Lord brings within our circle of influence. It will equip us to warn, rebuke, correct if any are in error either in their beliefs or in their life choices. We should be wise teachers applying the truths of scripture first to our own lives. We should rely on the anointing of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our tasks and roles as leaders or teachers. At all times, we should be thankful for the Word and in an attitude of worship, sing praises and spiritual songs ( scripture turned into songs) to the Lord from our hearts. This will generate the fruit of the spirit of love, joy and peace in abundance in our lives. It will also cure our hearts of its inherent depravity and keep us on the path of eternal life. It will enable us to put to death the evil desires of our flesh and focus our minds on the eternal, the heavenly and not on what is worldly, temporal and temporary. We will put on the new spiritual self that is renewed in the image of Christ continually, a self characterized by compassion, humility, gentleness, patience and wisdom. We will also obtain the grace to endure any injustice or sadness or unpleasantness that we may come up against.

Getting A Grip on God's Grace

UV 3576/10000 Getting A Grip on God’s Grace It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man ( who places his faith in wealth or status) to enter the kingdom of God. Mark 10 v 25 Jesus deliberately uses a large animal like the camel to show the huge barrier to spiritual growth and faith caused by dependence on wealth or status. But why did He use the image of a camel and not some other animal? Like a camel relies on the reserve of water in its hump in its journey through the desert climes, people rely on their reserve resources and connections in their times of drought or difficulties. The hump also plays a dual role of giving the rider of the camel a grip on the slippery slope of its back. Most rich people think they have a better grip on themselves and their lives on account of their wealth or status. There is zero possibility of a camel getting through the eye of a needle and hence, there should be zero possibility of anyone with an attraction to or dependence on material or monetary resources. Yet, Jesus being the Door to the kingdom of God and of heaven, it is possible by His grace. The uni-verse is a call to a primary reliance or total dependence on grace and the love of God manifested in Christ, regardless of our wealth or status. When we juxtapose the uni-verse with the beatitudes of the sermon on the Mount, Jesus is emphasizing the significance of our heart attitudes. We need to imitate Jesus in His humility, kindness, devotion, purity, peace loving attitudes and actions. Thereby, we get rid of any ‘humps’ or barriers in our relationship with our Father in heaven. Regardless of what we own or do not own, we should have the attitude of a poor and broken sinner before God, with no trace of pride, superiority or self righteousness. We depend on the Lord and His mercy and grace all the way through our journey of life, whether it be a time of hardship or a time of ease and abundance. The pandemic has taught us the lessons and usefulness of social distancing. The uni-verse teaches us the lessons and usefulness of spiritual distancing from placing great store by wealth and avoiding the love of money that is described rightly as the root of all evil. The love of money competes with the love of God. Money becomes the hump and the substitute for faith in God. It becomes the barrier to love God with all our heart, all our minds, all our strength and all our emotions. Even should the Lord bless us with sufficient resources, we should be detached and not make it an idol of our hearts and lives. Instead of being gripped by love of wealth, we should realize that we are in the grip or loving embrace of the Lord in all of life’s situations.

Being Battle Ready

UV 3575/10000 Being Battle Ready Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4 v 7 Under the old covenant promises, man had to flee from temptation even as Joseph fled naked leaving his robe in the hands of the adulterous wife of the Egyptian official Potiphar. Under the new covenant promises ushered in by the sacrifice of Jesus and His leaving behind the Holy Spirit to strengthen, enable, empower us, the devil has to flee from us. We only need to appropriate more and more grace through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith in Christ and our gratitude for our salvation given freely to us. If we are self righteous or taking pride in our righteousness, the Lord may allow us to be tempted to heal our pride. Submission to God needs us to be always humble and yielded to Him. When He sees our humility He gives us grace to overcome the enemy of our souls. The enemy has been defanged or made powerless under the new covenant. He cannot sting us unless God allows him to. We can avoid the sting of shame and defeat if we lean heavily on the Lord and continually submit to the authority of the scriptures. We should not put ourselves on a starvation diet when it comes to the word of God but keep devouring it, applying it, like caterpillars and rabbits constantly devour its food. We should keep the clothes of salvation clean and pure, our bodies and minds undefiled by sinful desires. If we do not wear the belt of truth over our clothes, it would fall off and expose our nakedness to the world. The battle is the Lord’s. The only effort we need to take is to resist or take a stand to oppose the enemy. The Lord provides us the armour so that no part of our lives can be penetrated with the enemy’s weapons. We need to be filled with the assurance of the hope of eternal life, convinced that our lives are purpose-driven or Christ-driven. We should wield the sword of excellence of the Lord -the Word, the shield of defensive faith to extinguish every temptation and never to be discouraged by our trials and troubles. We should be ready to go places for the Lord and to be His messengers wherever He takes us. We are led by God even as Moses and the Israelites were led by God and at best, we are His second-in-command. As His second-in-command, we have authority and power to rebuke the enemy, to send his forces into disarray and claim victory for the Lord. All along we should remember that His banner over us is one of both victory and love.

Spiritual Wisdom and Excellence

UV 3574/10000 Spiritual Wisdom and Excellence Those who are (spiritually) wise will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness (will shine) like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12 v 4 Spiritual wisdom, according to this uni-verse is true excellence. Spiritual wisdom comes from revering God and loving His word enough to meditate on it constantly and applying it to all of life’s situations. Daniel reflected this kind of excellence. It manifested in his attitudes of indomitable faith. He was not intimidated even by the power of the king to execute people and refused to act against his convictions. He continued to worship God, Jehovah even when an edict was passed to worship only the statue of the king under whom he served. He practiced the word of God such that his enemies could not find any fault with him. He did not compromise in matters either of faith or of integrity. He excelled in whatever he did. The spirit of excellence that God poured upon him from the days of his youth made him shine like a star in biblical history. The Spirit of God gave him visions and the ability to interpret the king’s dreams- the secret of his influence in the court and the kingdom. Daniel’s was a life of discipline and courage. He spent time in prayer at set times thrice a day. He practiced fasting in order to discern the will of God for the times and for himself. He not only remained righteous in unrighteous Babylon but He influenced and led many others to righteousness. His testimony continues to inspire generation after generation. When others panicked at the unjust edict of the king, Daniel thought and spoke calmly to find an answer to the question of interpreting the king’s dream. To Daniel’s natural gift of ability, God added the supernatural gift of interpreting dreams. Daniel was also given the gift of spiritual visions concerning the end times. Yet, these gifts did not make Daniel proud. He remained grounded and humble before God. We who trust God are also called to have a commitment to excel in our public lives as well as our private space. We are not to swerve to the left or the right but walk at the center of God’s will. As we wait on Him with reverence and humility, He will pour on us the grace to excel. He will gives us the spirit of wisdom, discernment and excellence that He invested in Daniel. We are to keep ourselves pure and undefiled. The Lord will be with us in the storm, in the fire and in the flood. He will enable us to find the strength to face crisis with calmness and wisdom like Daniel. We will emerge from every crisis purer, stronger and bolder. Our testimony is our legacy to the generations to lead many to righteousness.

Being Perfect and Being Perfected

UV 3573/10000 Being Perfect and Being Perfected “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1 v 18 This uni-verse is beyond human reasoning. We can understand it only through the prism of God’s love expressed in Christ. Even though our sin is so blatant, so brazen, so unforgivable, the Lord blots out our transgressions and makes us spotless, sinless, perfect in His sight by grace. He has erased our past so that we can have a claim on eternity. This is transformation. Our destiny is transformed but our character is not. This is where our participation, faithfulness and working out our salvation in fear and trembling comes in. We need to constantly be aware of God’s vision of us being recast in His perfect image by grace. This awareness should make us work hard and do our best to match that image over time. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we even begin to understand the extent of God’s love, mercy and grace towards us. We need to perceive the Lord and His image not with blinkers or veils covering our eyes but with unveiled vision. The veils of human reasoning, tradition, fear of public opinion, desire to be popular and acceptable, of doubt, of prejudice, of pride, of deceit should all be identified and removed with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need to work on our lifestyle, attitudes, habits and ask the Holy Spirit to work on these to remove anything that hampers our growth, our witness, our faith, our fruit. The Holy Spirit can enlighten the eye of our understanding so that we begin to avoid the willful and even unconscious errors of our past. We are already blemishless in the eyes of God since we are covered by the promise of salvation by the blood of the Lamb of God. Yet, at the same time, in reality we are travelling towards being acceptable, holy, blameless and perfect. On account of the fact that God already sees us as being perfect, we can enter His presence, approach His throne with confidence and boldness to appropriate grace to being perfected. We have both already arrived at our divine destiny as well as we are being groomed, prepared for our divinely ordained destiny as the bride of Christ. We are perfected work of Christ as well as a work-in-progress at one and the same time. This is the mystery and the secret revealed of our faith.

Believers Are Receivers and Transmitters

UV 3572/10000 Believers are Receivers and Transmitters Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ Ephesians 1 v 3 God who is Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the source of every blessing. He is worthy of praise and worship. He is awesome. He has chosen us in Christ to be set apart, to be consecrated, to be purpose-driven, to be blameless. In Christ, we are co-heirs with Him to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. The uni-verse speaks not of earthly or material blessings but spiritual blessings. It also speaks of every spiritual blessing implying that every blessing enjoyed by any heavenly being can be enjoyed by us, here and now. We become worthy of every spiritual blessing not on our own merits but by grace. His blood runs in our spiritual veins and nourishes us. We overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb. We do not renounce our faith even when confronted with death. On account of Christ we are fused with God and used by Him. His channels of spiritual blessings flows like a fountain within us. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He who began a good thing in us, our faith will fulfill and complete us. The Lord is worthy of our praise but we need to ask ourselves- are we worthy to offer praise and worship to the Father and the Son? Yes, by grace we are declared worthy to praise Him. We become by His grace and mercy worthy receptacles of His spiritual blessings as well as worthy vessels to contain and offer His praise and worship. Believers of Jesus are therefore, receivers and transmitters of the spiritual blessings of God. We are not only to receive the blessings but pass it on or spread it to others. To name some spiritual blessings we receive in Christ- peace with God, boundless, agape and unconditional love, joy in our hearts. These spiritual blessings also enable us to continually offer praise and worship, thanksgiving and adoration to our Lord. Our hearts are the altar we raise up to the Lord. Our minds and mouths are consecrated vessels of the Lord. The Holy Spirit gives us the anointing to be always mindful of all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. He enables us to offer praise and thanksgiving that are acceptable to the Lord.

All Round Protection and Victory

UV 3571/10000 All Round Protection and Victory He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 2 Samuel 22 v 18 Many of our enemies are too powerful for us to confront directly. But the Lord rescues us from such. They often hate us without any reason and conspire against us. But the Lord shows that He delights in us on account of our commitment to lead an upright life. He rushes to our rescue even as He rescued David from the sword of Goliath, the spear of a demented and envious King Saul, from powerful neighbouring kingdoms, from foes within his own family and palace. On the day we face calamity, the Lord is closest to us and supports us even as everyone else abandons us. By God’s grace, we can run through a troop unharmed, we can scale a wall. He is a force multiplier and enables a hundred of us to put ten thousand to rout. He puts His weight on the side of the weak but upright, the oppressed and afflicted as He did with Israel led by Moses as they escaped from the wrath of Pharaoh. The Lord examines the cleanness of our hands and pitches Himself in support of the faithful. The Lord also protects us from the ill effects of a natural calamity like the world-wide covid pandemic. He protects us internally from our own temptations of the flesh and our weaknesses of spirit. He protects us from the machinations of the devil, whom Jesus called the strong one who has to be bound by Him. On our part, we should aim to walk close to the Lord, heeding His counsel at all times. We should arm ourselves with the Word and be clothed with praise and worship of the Lord in our innermost being. A covenant relationship requires both parties, God and us to keep our part. The covenant promises of protection, provision, promotion and preservation are the inheritance of the faithful children of God. Our prayers and pleas are the sling stones that hit the forehead of the powerful enemy or pierce his heart to convict him to join our side. No reverse in our lives is so great that the Lord cannot overturn. He restores us at the time and place of His choosing.

A Fortified Wall of Bronze

UV3570/10000. A Fortified Wall of Bronze Then I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you and deliver you, “ declares the Lord. Jeremiah 15 v 20 The Lord promises in this uni-verse to save us, to deliver us. He will not only be a wall of fire unto us and His glory will be revealed in our midst but He will make us fortified like a wall of bronze. He fills us with His strength, power and grace. He empowers us to take on forces much larger and more powerful. They might fight against us but they will not prevail. All this would happen when we endure reproach for Christ’s sake. We should also extract wisdom from our experiences so far. We should delight in the word of God and constantly meditate on it. We should not join the company of sinners and mockers and instead, sit alone and reflect, pray and trust the promise of the Lord. All this will happen as “I AM” is with us. He is the Great I Am- Jehovah Jireh, the One who provides for us in a time of drought, famine, flood, pandemic and disaster. He is Jehovah El Shaddai, the Almighty who manifests His power in our lives. He is Jehovah Rapha who heals and renews us. He is Jehovah Tsidkenu, the One who enables us on the path of righteousness. He is the One who made His Son Jesus the cause and source of our righteousness though none of us are righteous on our own merits. Like Hezekiah turned to the wall and prayed in his distress, even as he confronted imminent death, Jesus is the wall to whom we turn every day of our lives. He, then heals, strengthen and delivers us. Like the elements copper, tin, iron are combined to make the strong alloy bronze, the Lord strengthens us, weak and fallible as we naturally are, to be a supernatural fortress wall as we combine with His Spirit. Fortresses were built by kings to defend themselves against attacks by powerful enemies. Fortress walls are built of stones. The fact that the Lord builds with bronze shows that the level of attack and power of our enemy is massive. Only with His help can we overcome and be victorious. We need to avail of His grace constantly in order to prevail over our enemies.

The Bread of Victory

UV 3569/10000 The Bread of Victory When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream to his friend. And he said, “Listen carefully, I had a dream: there was a loaf of barley bread tumbling into the camp of the Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat. Judges 7 v 13 The loaf of barley bread that rolled into the camp of the Midianite army is a metaphor for the Word of God. Once God has spoken a thing, it will surely happen. Gideon was given a sign to confirm that he and Israel would be victorious in their attack on the Midianite camp. Likewise, we may be surrounded and overwhelmed by enemies and rivals but the Lord promises to send His word to guarantee our victory against all odds. The tents of the enemy will be flattened. Gideon overheard not only the dream but the interpretation by one of the Midianite sentries. When he heard the interpretation, Gideon bowed in worship. He became confident of victory over the Midianites. He was greatly strengthened for leadership. He was assured of victory. Jesus was crucified after a mock trial, a mob trial. The situation seemed like the end of the road for the ministry of His disciples. There was no possibility of a dead man even if He was a great leader like Jesus coming back from the dead. But the word and the vision was already rolling through history in the words of the prophets and the word of Jesus Himself. That word flattened the camp of the enemy, death and sin, once and for all. His resurrection gives us hope in hopeless situations. His resurrection and His word that He spoke in advance of His death on the cross, “ I am the Life and the Resurrection,” is the bread that will strengthen us internally and give us external victory. However strongly the enemy’s tent is tightened and tied to stakes in the ground, the Word of God to which we hold onto in faith can uproot it and turn it upside down. The Lord can turn the tables on defeat and the enemy. We only need to eat the Bread for Jesus said, “ I am the Bread of Life.” The Word of God is the whole bread out of which we consume specific slices or promises of the Lord that give us deliverance from the enemy in specific situations. Gideon’s enemies, the Midianites were encamped in great number in the valley. The Lord gave him a battle plan that was unique, unheard of and unlikely to succeed except He be in it. Gideon went with just 300 soldiers who lapped up the word of God, the water being the symbol of the word. Jesus is the word that is same as God. He also gives us the water of eternal life, the hope of eternal victory not just temporal or temporary victory. When God anoints a man even as hesitant, diffident, unprepared as Gideon, He gives the courage, the vision, the plan, the strategy and the victory.

Brand New Leadership

UV 3568/10000. Brand New Leadership The Lord said to Satan, “ The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Zechariah 3 v 2 A godly leader is a brand plucked from the fire of the Lord. He is purified by the word, by teaching, by the fire of experience and by the fire of the Holy Spirit from the dross and impurities of lust and pride of this world. He has the authority of the Lord upon him. Using this authority, he can rebuke satan. He can pray and restore Jerusalem from its ruined conditions, overrun by invasions. Jerusalem literally means, The Peace of the Jews. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Hence, when the Jews recognize that Jesus is the Prince of God, the Son of God, the promised Messiah whom they were instrumental in crucifying on the Roman instrument of execution, the cross, then the peace of the Jews, Jerusalem will be restored. Satan does not have the power or authority to accuse a person who has been purified by the fire of God. He is a brand plucked from the fire. He is a brand new creation. Hence, no accusation of the enemy of our souls can prosper against us, no tongue can stand against us. We have the authority and anointing of Christ to judge and rebuke satan and his agents. We have been by the grace of Christ been plucked from the fire of hell, from the fire of destruction, from the fire of God’s anger. Now, we rest under the shelter of the Lord. He is our strong defence. Since we are a brand plucked from the fire, we can face the world with courage and boldness, we can face adversity, endure and overcome it, we can face our earthly foes and spiritual enemies and emerge unscathed and victorious. Today, the word “brand” is touted as a symbol of quality, of excellence, of moving towards zero error. Hence, we as God’s brand, as His ambassadors should stand for quality, for truth, for excellence in all we think, say and do. We are a brand chosen by the Lord by His grace. We enjoy the brand new life in Christ and we are brand new leaders. The Jews as a race and as a nation are chosen but we who believe and trust in the name of Christ are chosen as individuals not for our personal qualities or achievements but the Lord has gone through the ordeal of fire for our sake and He has chosen us to bear His name, to suffer for His name, to bring glory to His name.

A Relayed Vision Not a Delayed One

UV 3567/10000 A Relayed Vision is Not A Delayed One For the vision is yet for the appointed (future ) time. It hurries toward the goal of fulfilment; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait (patiently) for it. Because it will certainly come; it will not delay. Habakkuk 2 v 3 The vision of whatever we are hoping for, working towards, may not be visible now but behind the scenes, the Lord is at work. If it is a God-given vision, no one can stop it. It cannot fail. It might appear to be delayed in its fulfilment but things are happening in the spiritual realms to speedily execute it in our real world, to realize and fulfil it. We need to learn to wait with expectation, faith, hope and patience for the vision to be fulfilled. We need to have a conviction whatever be the current obstacles and circumstances, since it is God-intended, planned, it will reach fruition. God is not early or late. He is just on time. It may not fit our earthly calendars and schedules but it will certainly happen. We do not see the full vision 2020 or the entire stairway we are climbing but we can see it step by step happening, being realized, fulfilled. As Jehovah Jireh, He provides for the vision to be fulfilled. As Jehovah Nisi, He ensures victory for the vision, regardless of the opposition of the ‘strong one” for Jesus is much stronger. As Jehovah El Shaddai, He shelters or provides a refuge for us as the vision is being fulfilled. As Trinity, he strengthens us in spirit, mind and body to participate and play our roles and responsibilities fully in the fulfilment of the vision. Jesus as the Wonderful Counsellor counsels us every step. Jesus as the Way becomes the very path of the vision to travel to fulfilment. Jesus as the Light puts a torchlight to take every step. Jesus as the Bread and the Water, nourishes us as we pursue the vision with diligence and determination. Moses as a young man was filled with anger or passion at the spectacle of a Hebrew slave being beaten by an Egyptian. He wanted to free one man but God wanted to use him to free and lead a whole nation of Israel to freedom and fulfilment of the vision of the Promised Land. The Lord God was preparing him decades ahead. The vision was not delayed though Pharaoh tried to sabotage it. The Lord did mighty miracles to shake and break the shackles of the Hebrew slaves. The vision was fulfilled and yet it continues to inspire individuals, groups and nations, yes humanity as a whole to this day.

Resident Glory

UV 3564/10000. Resident Glory The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the cypress, the juniper, and the cedar together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will honour and make the place of My feet glorious. Isaiah 60 v 13 The place where the feet of the Lord trod is glorious. So when we make our homes the place of His feet, we will experience serenity, power and grace of God. The glory of Lebanon was its huge trees that provided wood for the temple at Jerusalem as well as for palaces. Hence, this uni-verse is also a promise not just of victory of provision. The Lord blesses our store with abundance. The Lord will enable us to grow like the cedar and have the perfumed odour of its wood. We will provide shade and support to structures and institutions like the cypress and the juniper. We are the sanctuary of the Lord. Hence, He beautifies us, sanctifies us, perfects us. In such a sanctuary, regardless of the circumstances surrounding us, we should always be thankful, always worshipping and praising the Lord, always mindful of the Lord with every thought, breath, emotion and expression. He is the source of our resources. He is also the source of our excellence. He is the source of our vindication and honour. We should know that He walks beside us even on our most troubled days. We cannot see His feet but we can sense or feel His presence near us. The enemy sees it and takes to his feet. Since we are the living sanctuary of the Lord in two senses: one, we are living stones with which His temple is built; two, He is living in us and with us. We live and move and exist in Him. We experience His power, His love, His mercy constantly and continually. We are not only living temple and palace for Him, we are also kings and priests with Him in the sense, we rule with Him on His throne, we are seated with Him in the heavenly places. We are priests dedicated to continually worship, praise, thank and petition Him. As kings we wield authority and wage war on His behalf. As priests, we yield to His will and humble ourselves before Him. Hence, our chosen leadership model or pattern is a blend of authority with humility, compassion with gentleness, grace with wisdom. Our life chosen or preferred pattern or paradigm is a blend of happiness with holiness.

The Battle Shield

UV 3563/10000 The Battle Shield The Lord is my strength and my (impenetrable) shield; My heart trusts (with unwavering confidence) in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him. Psalm 28 v 7 Even on our most troubled days, we can find a good reason to praise and thank God. Such is His grace and faithfulness that once He wraps us with His love, He becomes our virtual impenetrable defence. All we need to do is to continue to affirm our trust in Him with our hearts and our mouths. When we confess our faith in promises like this uni-verse or any other rhema verse the Lord has specifically laid on our hearts, He takes over the situation and He helps us overcome, emerge stronger and victorious. When we are undergoing the difficulty or trial, it might not seem very pleasant but once we cross over to overcoming, to victory, a song of praise and thanksgiving will swell spontaneously from our hearts. We will be even able to thank God for the trial for through it we experienced His deliverance, His love and help. Our faith gets even more stronger than before. We grow closer to God and realize He is real and cares for our every feeling and need. Sometimes, through our doubts and negative confessions of fear and anxiety, we might create unwittingly holes in the shield of faith through which the invisible enemy can penetrate. Hence, we should ensure our faith is complete, in tact, sealed and polished giving no opportunity to the enemy to enter or create doubt or confusion in our minds. We may not understand what is happening but in due course, the Lord will reveal it to us with a change in the circumstances or an assurance that He is in control. He is our all encompassing battle shield. We don’t hold this shield for He holds us as the apple of His eye. He is our glory and the lifter of our heads as the Psalmist described in song. The key to using this shield is not holding but yielding to God and His will. Praise and thanksgiving should be a constant song or refrain of our hearts. It should precede, accompany and succeed our deliverance, our victory. We do not fight alone any battle but the Lord Himself fights on our behalf. He can defeat the enemy singly, with many or with few. It is not a zero sum game or battle but a hundred percent sum game in which whatever the result, the victory is certain, it is hundred percent. Even if we perish, we succeed for we live forever with Christ.

Staying Close to the Lord

UV 3562/10000 Staying Close to the Lord Come close to God (with a contrite heart) and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your unfaithful hearts, you double-minded (people). James 4 v 8 We need to stay closest with God in order to keep our fears and enemies at bay. When we cry out to Him with a sincere and repentant heart, He hears us from heaven and comes rushing to our side. But He remains remote and distant with the unrepentant and proud. Our hands need to be clean before the Lord. We sanitise it with the blood of the Lamb slain for us on the cross. Having been so sanctified, we should purify our hearts of pride, envy, greed, lust, wickedness of every kind. Having been purified over the course of our walk with God, we should be single-minded in our dedication and devotion to the Lord. The uni-verse emphasizes the cleanliness of spirit, mind and body. Only then can the Lord dwell in and with us. We have the peace of Jesus, the assurance that in every situation, He is in control of our lives. We can rest in Him and depend on Him. The Lord is closer to us than our own skin, once sin the separator is removed. Jesus removed sin both in its power and presence aspects from our lives. Now when the Father looks at us, we are spotless regardless of our past sin. We should accelerate our transformation as we have an unhindered, full vision of the character of Christ. We are no longer in terms of our moral obedience and allegiance subjects of the world but subject to the Word that is God, Jesus. Since God is with us, no one can succeed in their moves against us. Since He is in us, we are strong in Him and can overcome our inherent weakness of flesh and spirit. In the course of our spiritual journey, sometimes we move very close to the Lord (the Son ) and sometimes we move away like the elliptical path of the earth around the sun. This closeness or distance produces changes in us and around us. When we are close, we hear more accurately and follow His plan and purpose. When we move away, we tend to lose our focus, our connection with the Lord, the source of our power and grace. The safest place for us is the one closest to the Lord whether in good weather or in a storm. Some draw near to God only in a storm or crisis. Like all of us, the Lord also appreciates and rewards consistency of faith and trust. He rewards us according to the work of our hands and the sway of our hearts.