Tuesday, November 30, 2021

The Highest Court Rewards Persistence

UV 4277/10000 The Highest Court Rewards Persistence And will not ( our just ) God defend and avenge His elect ( His chosen ones) who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay ( in providing justice) on their behalf? Luke 18 v 7 Jesus uses the parable of an unjust, insensitive judge who in order to end the disturbance caused to him by a persistent widow resolves it in her favour, to drive home the need for faithful persistent prayer. We need to PUSH or pray until something happens. God is not an unjust judge but a compassionate Father, Master, Friend. If there is something unjust that we want justice or it could be an answer to a prayer, we should never ever give up but with thanksgiving, praise and confidence in the goodness and ability of God to resolve it, keep persisting in prayer. Jesus, knowing the Father, promises that He will not delay like the unjust, callous judge but rush to our help. Why is there a need for persistence? Like in our human courts, the adversary side would bring up objections to the Lord doing that which we ask or pray for. The adversary attends the court of God like a modern day public prosecutor would and raise many objections that need to be overcome by us by constant appeals to the mercy and compassion of the Lord. We should also check our own hearts and see if there is any unconfessed sin, any sinful habit or relationship we are currently involved in, any bitterness or unforgiveness to anyone else. We should confess and get rid of the burden of such sin, end any sinful action or habit, remove any doubt or fear that weakens our resolve to seek justice from the Lord. At the end of this narration, Jesus wonders whether in the last days when He returns as Judge and King, whether He would find such persistent faith on the earth. We should always recall that the earth is the footstool of our great Judge and King and not wait for His return but always be at the feet of Jesus, seeking His presence, His counsel, His grace, His wisdom, His mercy, His power. Through such persistent seeking of the King, we will beat the enemy, our adversary and His accusations, beat the obstacles to our faith, overcome our own fears, doubts, weaknesses. The Holy Spirit is our Pleader, Comforter, Interpreter, Counsellor, Remembrancer, Advocate, Amicus Curaie in the high court of the Lord. Scripture says that Jesus, Himself is our Advocate before the judgement throne of God and He, knowing our afflictions, our trials, our weaknesses and having been tried and tempted in every way any human would have been subjected to trials and temptations, assures us of ultimate, if not immediate victory. One other reason, God does not concede immediately our requests and petitions is to build Jesus-like patience and character in us.

Friday, November 26, 2021

Support for the Righteous In Times of Trouble

UV 4277/10000 Support for the Righteous in Times of Trouble Behold, God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will He strengthen or support evildoers. Job 8 v 20 God will not reject or refuse a person who is impeccable in his word to God, self and others. He promises to fill the mouth of such a one with joy. He will not let the words of such a person to fall on the ground in vain. If it falls, it will bear fruit, much fruit. If the person falls, the Lord will uphold him or her while He is not going to offer a hand of support to the evildoer on the day the latter falls. Of course, only Jesus in all of the human species though being God fully fulfilled the standard of integrity of God. Only He never fell short of His glory and therefore, was acceptable as the sacrifice for all, to justify all. As the prophet Isaiah recorded in advance, when Jesus was afflicted, people of the day thought that He was stricken for His own faults but Jesus was afflicted for the sake of all of humanity. When we, justified by faith in the “good root”, Jesus, stick to God like a leech, we will be strengthened greatly. His word will flow in our blood even as His blood sanctified us and made us be counted among the sinless. Without that connection with God, we are rootless, vain, helpless like the worm. Without Him, we will be like the papyrus or reeds that will dry up without standing water to support and sustain it. As we remain rooted in Christ and grow up in Him, He will cause us to flourish. He will fill our mouths with laughter and our lips with shouts of joy. In the case of Job, God fulfilled His word, His promise and though he was sorely tested, badly afflicted, the Lord restored him to be even more prosperous, peaceful and happy as before. The uni-verse and the examples of both Job and Jesus shows us that we are to “be patient in afflictions, joyful in hope.” Under the new covenant dispensation, unlike in the time of Job, we have the Holy Spirit ministering to us, comforting us, holding our hand to strengthen, encourage, guide, counsel us.

Monday, November 22, 2021

Rewards Not Punishment

UV 4276/10000 Rewards Not Punishment I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve. Jeremiah 17 v 10 The Lord God continually searches our hearts and minds not to punish us, to prove our guilt but to bless us, to reward us according to our thoughts, words, deeds, not just in heaven but here and now on earth. When God came to visit Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the first couple hid themselves in fear and guilt at their disobedience and sin. But to this day, mankind does not realize we cannot ever hide ourselves from the searching eye of the Lord. Today, He visits our hearts and minds to try to discover something good in us. He sees even the secret things which no man, even the nearest and dearest in our lives, do not know. The Lord is excited when He finds something good in us and feels that His acts of creation and redemption in Christ were indeed worthwhile. He knows our flaws and weaknesses but the uni-verse says that He is examining us to find what is positive, uplifting, good, praiseworthy even as a parent looks for good qualities in his or her child. When we fail to fulfill that expectation, the absence of rewards is itself our punishment. Jeremiah praises God by saying that He is mighty in works and great in counsel in the context of His seeing the ways of mankind. It implies that when He sees something good or great, He does mighty things to reward us and when He sees some shortcomings, He counsels us patiently. The Lord guarantees that the righteous will eat the fruit of their word and work. But, as scripture says that there is no man who is truly righteous, it implies that the Lord rewards the children who are deemed righteous by faith in Him and His Son, the Redeemer Jesus when He sees the latter are also doing their diligent best to produce the fruit of righteousness in their lives. The roots of righteousness lie in our hearts ( our emotions) and our minds ( our thoughts, goals, ideas, values, self talk, God talk..). This is the reason the Lord searches the hearts and examines our minds through the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He knows the motives behind our actions and the values that lie behind the motives and releases His grace and power to enable us to fulfill worthy goals and objectives we might have set for ourselves in alignment with His expressed word and will. He even partners with us in our work so that He helps us fill the inevitable gap between our goals and our achievement of those goals. Thereafter, after we achieve the goals, He enables us to enjoy the fruit of our labour.

Only Hope, No Hype

UV 4275/10000 Only Hope, No Hype Kings will be your attendants, and their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet; and you shall know ( with an understanding based on personal experience) that I am the Lord; For they shall not be put to shame who wait and hope expectantly for Me. Isaiah 49 v 23 This uni-verse is an almost unimaginable promise that the children of God, the servants of God will be served by the leaders, the nobles, the royal class who are so accustomed to only being served. It also says that the latter will be subservient to the servants of God. When this happens, we shall know that it is only the Lord at work. We, who serve Him are also priests and kings. As priests of the Most High, in the eyes of God, we enjoy a higher status and closeness than the kings of the earth. What we speak shall fall to the earth and bear fruit. It will bear the fruit of salvation in the hearts and lives of our hearers. For faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God spoken by and through us. We who hope in the Lord will never be disappointed. We will not be put to shame in front of the unbelievers, our opponents. The Lord will carry out that which He has promised us. We only need to wait with expectation and hope. We need to wait with thanksgiving and praise as we recall the miracles He has already wrought in the lives of people and in our lives, too. Our understanding of who God is, who the Great I Am is, who Jehovah is, who the Trinity is, who our Redeemer, Counsellor and Comforter is- the basis of our hope and our experience. Our knowledge of who God is, is based on His word. Kings cannot rule over their personal demons or weaknesses. But the Lord, the Holy Spirit will enable us to rule over the demons. Two can put a legion to flight. We can bind the strong one- satan and his agents such that they have no say in our lives. Kings cannot release the power of heaven on earth but, we can both bind and release the power of heaven on earth. What we declare in faith, decree in the authority Christ clothes us with as His co-heirs and partners on earth, the Lord will bring to pass in our lives. Every king succumbs to death while the King of Kings Jesus did not succumb to death. Death is almost all powerful and universal but Jesus proved Himself more powerful than death through His resurrection witnessed by scores and hundreds of contemporary witnesses.

Saturday, November 20, 2021

The Mindset of Jesus

UV 4274/10000 The Mindset of Jesus In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Philippians 2 v 5 The Buddha left his father’s palace while Jesus left heaven for earth. He humbled Himself to be like an ordinary human being, the humblest of human beings, the gentlest of human beings who would not break a reed of grass. Paul exhorts us to have the same mindset as Jesus who though God made Himself as nothing. Jesus has the mindset of obedience to the Father’s word and will. We, too need to have this mindset that in everything we speak, think or do, we should please the Father in heaven. What we set our minds on, determines our mindset. Jesus set His mind on winning the favour of the Father. He set His mind on the rewards the Father reserved for Him once He fulfilled the difficult mission He gave Him of sacrificing His life to save all mankind. He did not seek His own glory but only the glory of the Father. Hence, the Father set Him high above all people, all nations and above all the angels. The mindset described by Jesus in His sermon on the mount is actually a break down of His own mindset. Like Jesus, we should aim to be meek, aim to be peace makers, pure. We should hunger and thirst for righteousness as much or even more than we hunger and thirst for food and drink. We should not become weary or discouraged due to persecution or insults or false accusations as we are followers of the Lord. We should rejoice and be glad for great reward awaits us in heaven. People who regard their lives as a waste, we should bring hope of Christ in their lives and so make it tasteful and purposeful. We should be the light that draws people to God and His Son, Jesus. Like Jesus, we should constantly renew our minds with the Word which is the breath or inspiration of God. God does not want us to break world records but He definitely wants us to break the patterns of this world and cast ourselves in the mould and model of His Son, Jesus. Above all, Jesus manifested the wisdom and love of God. We, too need to be wise in our choices, way of life and reflect the agape love of God in our lives.

Friday, November 19, 2021

Young Stars

UV 4273/10000 Young Stars Let no one look down on ( you because of ) your youth, but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in ( moral) purity. I Timothy 4 v 12 Paul exhorts his young mentee to not be diffident on account of his youth. Instead, to be a leader of the early church, to be an example for all irrespective of their age in terms of his communication, his behaviour, his love for all people, his faith and his standards of integrity in private life. In short, Paul expected Timothy to be mature, responsible and disciplined beyond his years. He urged him to strive for perfection for Our Father in heaven and His Son as well as the Holy Spirit are perfect. The first area highlighted is speech for in the book of James it is written that the man who can control his tongue, he is to be regarded as perfect. He should not give offense to both God and man in the manner and in what he speaks. He is to avoid loose talk, gossip, slander, vulgarity, cursing, speaking in haste or in anger and regretting later. Next to the discipline of the tongue comes the discipline of the behaviour of the disciple. We should not show pride, self righteousness, arrogance, greed or lust in anything we do and instead be a model of humility and gentleness like the Lord Jesus taught us by example. The Christian leader should be imbued with love for all people- believers and non believers, looking at the latter with compassion, empathy and understanding. Paul majored on love and in his letter to the Corinthian believers wrote the most beautiful, elegant and comprehensive description of Christ-like love. It explains what we should be and what we should not exhibit in terms of bitterness, pride, resentment, unforgiveness. We are not to keep a record of wrongs but be grateful for the good that the Lord and people have done for us. We are not to be jealous, or conceited or egoistic and consider others better than us. It, however, does not mean that we develop an inferiority complex in comparison with others but to concede to others respect, honour and opportunities. Our faith should be constantly exercised like a muscle for physical exercise is of some value but exercising our faith muscles is of eternal value. In encountering the giant or Goliath challenges of life that the faithful often encounter more often than those who have no such faith, we are to be bold, fearless, strong in the Lord like the young David. But unlike the older David, then king, we are to guard our purity of character and not be deceived in a moment of weakness by the enemy. We cannot as believers and Christian lead a double or secret life. We are to be ever vigilant to detect and deflect the attempts of the roaring lion -satan who wants us to drag our testimonial lives down into the mud. Like Joseph, we must flee from both temptations of the flesh and vanities of the mind. Youngsters are called by the Lord to be young stars and not fallen comets, burnt out by not living up to the exacting standards of Christian leadership and the discipline of the Lord.

Thursday, November 18, 2021

God's Race by Grace

UV 4272/10000 God’s Race by Grace For if you are living according to the (impulses of the ) flesh, you are going to die. But if (you are living) by the (power of the Holy ) Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will (really) live forever. Romans 8 v 13 We who believe in Jesus are to live led by the Holy Spirit. We are not to live according to the impulses of the mind or the desires of the flesh but as directed by the Spirit of God. If we live impulsively, we reap eternal death but if we live led by the Spirit, we will put to death sin in our bodies and will live forever. We habitually try to obey God and His word in our lives. We are set free from the curse of hamartia or sinful shortcoming and live in the abundance of peace and joy and freedom from sin. We realize that the freedom to sin that we had formerly is not real freedom but bondage and death. When sin has no claim on us, death has no claim on us. We are to pursue righteous habits like prayer, meditation, study of the word, fellowship, regular worship and sharing our faith and hope in Christ with others. The more we study the word of God, the better we know Jesus and the more we know the Truth and the more we are set free from sin and death. Instead of the chains of sin, we have many gains of peace and grace. We begin to enjoy the fruit of righteousness, not the spoils of sin. We enter the inheritance we have as children of God and co-heirs with Christ. Our sense of identity will merge closer and closer with Jesus such that like Paul we can say that it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me and for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. In other words, we overcome the universally existing fear of death for death gets its power due to its finality, irrevocability, the sense of the unknown existing beyond death, the fear of judgement of God and its penalty. But Christ not only identified totally with the sin of man but took upon himself all its consequences including eternal death and judgement. We are no longer the human race but the g-race or God’s race, a new creation called to live in the newness of our faith, the richness of His grace.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Transformation, Not Information

UV 4271/10000 Transformation, Not Information To open their spiritual eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified ( set apart, made holy) by faith in Me. Acts 26 v 18 Paul describes accurately the benefits of the gospel- our spiritual eyes are opened. We turn from darkness to light with all the attendant benefits. We have moved from the sway or influence of satan, our common enemy to experiencing the agape love, power and grace of God. We receive forgiveness as well as our chains or bondage to sin are broken. We are sanctified by the power and help of the Holy Spirit and the word that washes us like water. All this due to only one cause- faith in Jesus. One reason yielding five eternal benefits – so the seed of faith is a high yielding variety. The question is -are we returning to the darkness off and on, due to our flesh nature’s pull, the attractions or seductions of this world? Or have we made a clean break from sin and its consequences by the grace of Christ outworking in our lives? Are we partly living in darkness and partly in light? We need to have checklist to test if we are living in accordance with the calling of our faith in Jesus: did we dabble in any darkness today? Which are the areas that satan continues to influence us? Which are the areas God’s control, leadership and influence needs to increase in our lives? Which are the chains of old, the dead habits that need to change in our lives? Are we grateful for the forgiveness we have received and are our actions and words in accordance with the fruit of repentance? Are we reflecting the fruit of sanctification, the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives? The gospel or faith in Jesus is not about information but about transformation. All the patterns of our lives, habits, speech, attitudes change under the influence of Jesus. We are no longer to conform to the patterns of this world but to the patterns of the kingdom of God, demonstrated in the lives of countless witnesses through the ages. We are complete in Christ. He provides what we lack in terms of inner strength and ends the hamartia or the gap of shortcoming and shortfall in our lives. He moves us from the experience of a desert to a garden, from a spiritual famine to spiritual abundance, from curse to be blessed and to be a blessing to many.

Monday, November 15, 2021

God in the Manger

UV 4270/10000 God in the Manger And she gave birth to her first-born, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2 v 7 In this uni-verse, we witness the amazing phenomenon of God in a Manger. The priests of the time had a dog in the manger attitude of not wanting to enter heaven or the kingdom of God and not allowing others, the lay people also to enter by putting all kinds of moral and spiritual burden on them. Jesus, in contrast, was born in a manger so that all people of however low status, the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich could have access to heaven, the kingdom of God. He was born by deliberate choice, not an accident, in a manger to emphasize the complete empathy and identification of God with all mankind. The King of Kings being born in the manger, surrounded by cattle and their young ones, is the paradox of human history. God in the Manger lowers the barriers for entry for all to the kingdom of God. There is absolutely no external requirement to conform to in order to enter the kingdom of God. The only requirement is to believe that the baby born in the manger is God Himself, that He came by design, on purpose to save all without exception. That there was no room for Him in the inn, the One who created the entire universe, who is Lord of the entire creation was yet another irony lost on humanity. It was a sign that though God had lowered all the barriers, much of humanity was going to miss the opportunity due to their hardened hearts, their obsession with the externals, their blindness and deafness to the move and word of God. The innkeeper, the man who was nearest to the opportunity, missed the single biggest event in history- being visited by God, albeit as a baby while the wise men from a distant land with only the star as a sign and as a guide, made it all the way to adore Him, to lay their gifts humbly at His feet. God in the Manger is also a sign that God appears in the most unlikely places, to the most unlikely people. The mute cattle had God for their company on the first night after His birth. Joseph and Mary thought out of the box to find a solution to the problem of not finding accommodation. Augustus Caesar’s unusual order to hold the first ever census in the empire incidentally had forced them out of their humble cottage back in Nazareth to undertake this journey to their native village Bethlehem for all heads were to be counted where they hailed from including God, Jesus. It was as if God was orchestrating things so that the young expecting couple do not remain comfortably in their home in Nazareth. They probably did not anticipate that the labour pains would strike while they were on this journey. But all things happened for good of mankind and the glory of God that God was born in a manger. Is there a lesson for us, humans who are restless about wherever we are placed in life. When God, the Father could allow His Son to be placed in a manger, is it not apt for us to rejoice wherever we are placed right now in life.

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Faith Turns Our Mountains Into Fountains

UV 4269/10000 Faith Turns Our Mountains into Fountains And He said to me, “ It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirst I will give ( water) from the fountain of the water of life without cost. UV Revelation 21 v 5 The Lord is the One who begins our journey of faith and He is the One who helps us finish it successfully. He is with us from the beginning to the very end and beyond. He knows the entire range of our aspirations, needs, weaknesses, strengths, problems, challenges, sorrows and joys. If we thirst for His counsel, His word of wisdom and of knowledge, His blessings, His presence, He will satisfy us with the water of eternal life as He promised the Samaritan woman at the well. The water that will never allow us to be enslaved by the enemy, chained by fears. The water that will fill us with power and strength to face up to all of life’s issues, big and small. He promises to pour His grace on us like a fountain pours forth streams of water. Likewise, we will enjoy multiple streams of blessings flowing from His throne. He will wipe our tears and erase our fears, of death, of failure, of scarcity, of loneliness, of being condemned forever. Jesus remains faithful to His word and His word is given to us free of cost. It is abundantly available to us for access at any time like water from a tap. We only need to access it and imbibe it at all times and especially when we need a specific answer to our prayers. He does this to ensure our happiness, our fulfilment, our satisfaction. But like water has the formula H2O, we need to Optimise between our happiness and His holiness. The things we pursue and do for our happiness should not be a slur on His name. We should always revere God, the Lord Jesus for His holiness even as we desire Him for His love, admire Him for His great strength and power. Our lives are all about balancing our happiness with His holiness. On an average we drink ten glasses of water every day. Water is needed to maintain the electrolyte balance in our bodies, for purifying or detoxing our bodies. Every time we drink a glass of water, let us remember that Jesus is the Alpha to the Omega of our lives, that He and His word helps us keep our balance in life in the midst of conflicting claims on our time, attention, energy, resources, abilities. It is His word like water that cleanses us of inner impurities like a shower or a bath in fresh water cleanses and refreshes us. It is He who detoxifies us from the impurities of our lives and of the world around us. It is His Spirit that keeps the joy, hope and enthusiasm of life bubbling up and down like a fountain. He is the One who turns our mountains or giant challenges and problems of life into fountains or testimonies before men for praise, encouragement, inspiration and thanksgiving to the Lord.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Seeking Implies Hundred Percent Commitment

UV 4268/10000 Seeking Implies Hundred Percent Commitment Seek the Lord ( search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life), all you humble of the land who have practiced His ordinances and have kept His commandments; Seek righteousness, seek humility ( regard them as vital). Perhaps you will be hidden ( and pardoned and rescued) in the day of the Lord’s anger. Zephaniah 2 v 3 To be forewarned is to be forearmed. In this uni-verse, the Lord wants us to seek Him or pursue and follow Him with all our heart, mind, strength and imagination. All other human pursuits and desires cannot save us from His judgement, His anger. Next to the person of God, we need to seek His word and to obey or practice the principles He teaches us daily from it. We need to check if every step we take, every word we speak, every thought we think is in conformity with His word. Seeking implies hundred percent commitment to that which we are seeking. Half measures and compromises simply would not do. The third thing we need to diligently seek is to be like God in His righteousness, to imitate or emulate His Son in His character of humility and gentleness. Even doing all this does not entitle us to salvation or eternal life. We have to yet rely on the mercy and grace of the Lord for not one of us can be perfect in all three aspects of our relationship with the Lord, of our obedience to His word, of being Christ-like. Hence, it is grace from beginning to end that saves us and not our own efforts. That said, our efforts should not lag behind in zeal or sincerity. Five D’s distinguish us from the rest of humanity: Devotion to God- our constant and diligent seeking of the Lord. Dedication to do His will, to consecrate our hearts and lives to Him. If we are zealous for God, He will not be jealous of us. For it is written that God is both jealous and possessive of both His glory and His children, His followers, the believers of Christ, His Son. Devotion to God and dedication to do His will in our lives should be followed in practical terms by personal determination never to give up, to keep pursuing with all our hearts and all our energy and resources and abilities, the goals we have set for ourselves in alignment with the word, will and calling of God. The fourth D -Discipline is needed to cut out distractions, to be focussed on our goals and priorities, to use our limited time on Earth well enough to earn the Master’s commendation. The fifth and final D is Diligence- to learn from all possible sources in this world including teachers, mentors, advisers but to primarily study the Word and learn from the Word and the Spirit of God the right or better ways to do things. When all five D’s are in place in our lives, our challenge would be to stay humble and dependent on the Lord and not to think of ourselves better than anyone else. The metaphor of clothes of salvation implies that our clothes can be soiled, torn or removed at any time. The attitude of the saved sinner, the humble servant of God, the penitent prodigal would keep us from the threat of spiritual pride and self righteousness.

More Valuable Than the Most Precious Treasure

UV 4267/10000 More Valuable than the Most Precious Treasure on Earth The kingdom of heaven is like a ( very precious ) treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field ( securing the treasure for himself). Matthew 13 v 44 We need to prioritise the kingdom of heaven over all other earthly pursuits, goals and desires. Nothing on earth can compare with the privilege of being part of the kingdom of God. No relationship is so vital as our relationship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit. While we are living, we might hide this truth in our hearts but when we die physically, we inherit the kingdom of heaven. But eternal life begins the moment we place our trust in Jesus. We need to treasure our faith in Jesus, His word and His purpose for our lives above all things we might value in this life. The second metaphor Jesus uses to teach us the value of heaven and eternal life in Him is the pearl seller who is in search of fine pearls and on chancing upon the largest pearl, the kingdom of heaven, he sells all he has in order to own this pearl. We need to be prepared to exchange all we are, have, own for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. When we seek His kingdom and His righteous purpose for our lives, He will, in fact, all things we need to our lives. Our character, purpose and behaviour are to be in alignment with the will of God. Then, our destiny is assured, our place in heaven is guaranteed by Christ. When a farmer digs in a particular area, he finds that whole field is full of precious diamonds and other treasures. He then sells his house and all his possessions to buy that piece of land. To the rest of the world, it might look like a foolish decision for he has sold what seems to be more valuable, his house and all his possessions to own only an acre of land. But only God and he know what a wise decision and investment he has actually made that would guarantee financial security not only for him but for his entire posterity. Likewise, the decision to commit our entire lives to the Lord might seem a foolish decision to the rest of the world who do not see the treasures or blessings we have access to in Christ. Like we hide what is most precious in our lives from the prying eye but reveal it to those we trust, cherish and love, the kingdom of heaven is to be hidden in our hearts and opened up for the viewing of others who might want to share in such a hope and inheritance.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

The Power of the Spoken Word

UV 4266/10000 The Power of The Spoken Word Then Moses raised his hand ( in anger ) and with his rod he struck the rock twice ( instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had commanded). And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank ( fresh water). Numbers 20 v 11 The power of speaking God’s word is far more than the power of action. We, humans, normally believe that an ounce of action is better than a pound of speech. But when it comes to God’s word, if we speak it in faith, it has more power than any human action. When we speak the word, it is the equal or better than any action. Moses, in his anger at the rebellion he was facing from the Israelites due to shortage of water, forgot to just speak to the rock and instead struck it twice with his rod. Due to this action, he lost the right or privilege of leading the Israelites into the promised land. Likewise, even today our faith in the Lord and His word has consequences and significance that we cannot fully comprehend. When we speak the word of God, we are honouring God, upholding Him as holy, His will as sovereign in our lives. The Lord is pleased with this and reckons it more worthy than any action we can do on His behalf in our lives. He will honour His word and vindicate us before the very people who challenge us. But we should not yield to our human emotions or doubts and be tempted to believe in the power of human action over the spoken word of God. Moses’ leadership and legacy was dented by this seemingly small act of defiance of the will and word of God. In our lives, when we are unwell, we need to speak the word that the Lord will heal us. When we face dangers or threats, that He will protect us. When we are short of resources or money, we need to speak faith into the situation of scarcity by saying, the Lord will provide. In my life, I found that whenever I trusted the Lord and spoke His word, He caused that which He promised to happen. When I spoke the word of His provision, He provided abundantly. When I spoke the word of His protection even in the run up to the world’s first human bomb assassination, He miraculously protected me. Even when I spoke the word that God can change the weather, He changed the weather system overlying the whole of the north western region of the country overnight. Instead hiding His word in our hearts, we need to release the power of God by speaking it and experience the power of the spoken word. This is the rationale behind the spoken word Godcasts I am doing these days to bless people everywhere.

Monday, November 8, 2021

The Rock that Makes Our Lives Rocking

UV 4265/10000 The Rock that Makes Our Lives Rocking And all ( of them) drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. I Corinthians 10 v 4 This uni-verse refers to the rock from which the Israelites obtained water to drink when Moses struck it in anger instead of speaking to it as Jehovah had directed him to. Our spiritual rock under the new covenant is Jesus, the Christ. Our life rocks as Jesus is our Rock foundation. He is the mobile Rock that follows us wherever we go and we can obtain our drink to quench our spiritual thirst at will. He is the unchanging rock despite all our changing circumstances. He is the Rock that refreshes, renews and revives us spiritually. He is the Rock that is stronger, much stronger than I, higher, much higher than I. He is the Rock that shelters us in the storm and in the sunshine of our lives. The word of God is like an overhanging crop of rock that gives us hope of eternal life. It keeps us from the harsh experiences of the desert that this life is without God, without Christ, without hope. Even when we feel hemmed in, we can touch the hem of His robe and be healed, cleansed, renewed in hope and strength. Belief in Jesus produces hope in us that we can be all that Jesus is- the Door in terms of new opportunity, new blessings, new experiences of God’s mercy and grace. The Light of the world in terms of illuminating the darkness, the hopelessness, the meaninglessness, the powerlessness of earthly life without God, without Jesus. The Water of Eternal life that can quench the thirst of people for love, for hope, for meaning, for purpose, for power. Inasmuch as we believe in Jesus, we become like Him the Bread that sustains people, nourishes, strengthens, meets needs of humans like us. We become the true vine by which other people in association with us will find their lives fruitful. We are the Good Shepherd who leads, guides, people away from death, dangers, evil towards eternity, freedom, safety, progress. We as long as we are connected with Jesus become the Way to understanding, teaching and applying truth in our lives. Finally, we are like Jesus the hope of resurrection from death, the inspiration to live the abundant life. While we are all this in Christ, a new creation, we should avoid like the ancient Israelites complaining about anything and instead, praise, thank and glorify the Lord in all things.

The Food for Soul that Endures

UV 4264/10000 The Food For Soul That Endures Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures ( and leads) to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you; for God the Father has authorized Him and put His seal on Him. John 6 v 27 Jesus chastised the people who came looking for Him out of gratitude that He had fed them when they were hungry. He asks them to cherish not the earthly food but to relish and treasure the eternal food, the spiritual bread that He gave them. The Father had authorized Him to feed them with the food of eternal life- the Word. This is the food of our souls that will never spoil or perish or allow us to perish. This is the food that will cause us to flourish both in this world and the world to come. Jesus has placed His seal of authority, power and approval on this food. It will work on our internal and our eternal. We will be satiated with earthly food but the more we have of eternal food, the more we experience of the eternal and spiritual dimension. We will feel satisfied and yet, we will long for more. We are not to work for food that gets corrupted easily but for such food that lasts forever. The word will work in us and transform our lives from within. The word of Jesus is what encourages us, strengthens us, inspires us, fills us with eternal hope and assurance. We are to lap it up like a dog laps milk, like Gideon’s 300 volunteer force lapped water from their palms. The word is the seal of authority and approval the Father affixes on our lives. We are stamped with the words, BRAND NEW, as we are washed in the blood of Jesus, clothed in the clothes of salvation. Our stomach juices work on physical food but the spiritual food works on us, on our inner being, on our character, on our goals and values. We cannot earn the bread of life with the sweat of our brow but we inherit it by the grace of Jesus and our faith in His name. As the food in us, the word of Jesus endures, we endure. The world and all in it will perish with all its power structures but the word in us will never perish and never allow us to perish. Jesus has sealed us with the seal of authority and approval even as He is sealed by God, the Father. Just as Jesus called Himself while on earth as the Son of Man as that was His assumed status on earth, we are to regard ourselves as Sons and Daughters of God as our primary status, our eternal destiny.