Uni-verse 290/10,000 For better through verse: How the Lord increases the depth of our experience and understanding
Eze 47:3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
The man that had the reed in his hand and a line of flax to measure is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Ezekiel wrote that “ he had the appearance of brass.” This is His glorious appearance. His gaze will penetrate into human souls. His words will come as fierce fire. Jesus measures the depth of our faith and He leads us from one level of understanding to another. He takes us through many experiences of His grace, mercy and peace in real-life situations. He draws us out of the waters of many afflictions. In each situation and affliction, He adds grace upon grace, and strength to strength. We are transformed degree by degree into His glory till we can see His radiant appearance, face to face.
He leads us into experiences that are initially only ankle-deep. Then, when He finds we are ready, He leads us into knee-deep levels. Then, into waist-deep water. The water is so deep that no man can cross on his own. The Lord has to part the waters and give us safe passage. A senior officer was describing how in the recent Cyclone Thane that killed more than 30 people, he was almost caught in the storm and he had to hide behind a huge tanker as it hit the area with all its fury. The safest, most peaceful place, he said, is the eye of the storm. Let us pray as many “ storms” of different kinds have been prophesied in this coming year that we will each be seized and kept safe by the “ eye of the Lord.”
The Lord takes us through water and fire experiences and trials. When we come out , we will shine forth as pure gold. The other day the Lord told me in a time of prayer, “ I have taken you through many processes. Now, I am done with you.” Whatever impurities still remain in us, His grace covers it up and gives no hint of any flaw. A life of faith is like a metallurgical process so that we become stainless as steel in His sight.
Prateep V Philip
Showing posts with label faithful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faithful. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Moving from Belief to Knowledge
Deu 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Even the strongest human ties, namely marriage is dissolved by death. But, God remains faithful to a thousand generations of any one who loves Him and obeys His Word. He continues to pour the blessings of Heaven, blessings of the womb and blessings of the deep upon those who are bonded to Him in a personal and intimate relationship with Him.
It is said that any one can count the seeds inside an apple but only God can count the apples inside a single seed. He sees the end from the beginning. He told Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars, as the sand and as the dust. Today, we too can claim an inheritance of faith along with the Jews as descendants of Abraham. The sacred agreement that Jehovah made with Abraham is what holds good for us even today. It is sealed now with the blood of the God-provided and God-begot Lamb. We are transformed from being mere people of fate into people of faith. Faith in Jesus is “Rahab’s scarlet thread” that redeemed us from being a people who did not know God to one that trusts and loves Him more than any one or any thing else.
A thousand generations is about 35,000 years. No one knows if the world as we know it will exist that long. But, it speaks of the constancy of God’s love and commitment to His chosen and His faithful. Not only our physical generations but the spiritual children would be greatly blessed. In all of our struggles, He is an ever present help. He literally keeps His Word to us. The one thing that is impossible for God is that He cannot lie. Nothing else is too hard or impossible for Him. He will fulfill this promise as He fulfills the rest of His Word in the course of history and the course of our lives. I remember how during the last Asian tsunami( Dec 26, 2004) a young believer who had gone out fishing near the Chennai coast. As the wave overturned his boat, he cried out, “ Lord, where’s your promise?” He survived to tell his story.
Prateep V Philip
Even the strongest human ties, namely marriage is dissolved by death. But, God remains faithful to a thousand generations of any one who loves Him and obeys His Word. He continues to pour the blessings of Heaven, blessings of the womb and blessings of the deep upon those who are bonded to Him in a personal and intimate relationship with Him.
It is said that any one can count the seeds inside an apple but only God can count the apples inside a single seed. He sees the end from the beginning. He told Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars, as the sand and as the dust. Today, we too can claim an inheritance of faith along with the Jews as descendants of Abraham. The sacred agreement that Jehovah made with Abraham is what holds good for us even today. It is sealed now with the blood of the God-provided and God-begot Lamb. We are transformed from being mere people of fate into people of faith. Faith in Jesus is “Rahab’s scarlet thread” that redeemed us from being a people who did not know God to one that trusts and loves Him more than any one or any thing else.
A thousand generations is about 35,000 years. No one knows if the world as we know it will exist that long. But, it speaks of the constancy of God’s love and commitment to His chosen and His faithful. Not only our physical generations but the spiritual children would be greatly blessed. In all of our struggles, He is an ever present help. He literally keeps His Word to us. The one thing that is impossible for God is that He cannot lie. Nothing else is too hard or impossible for Him. He will fulfill this promise as He fulfills the rest of His Word in the course of history and the course of our lives. I remember how during the last Asian tsunami( Dec 26, 2004) a young believer who had gone out fishing near the Chennai coast. As the wave overturned his boat, he cried out, “ Lord, where’s your promise?” He survived to tell his story.
Prateep V Philip
Monday, January 2, 2012
Shine like a candle in the contemporary darkness
Uni-verse 288/10,000 For better through verse Luke 8 v 16
Can you shine like a candle?
Luk 8:16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light
We are each a candle. The Word of God is the match that is used to light it. The Holy Spirit is the one who lights the flame. The difficult situations we face in life are the hard surfaces against which the match is struck to give the spark to light the match. Thank the Lord for the difficult times and challenges in our lives for without these,how will we have a testimony or a “true believe it or not story” to share? Our natural abilities and talents, careers, positions and professions are the candlestick on which the candle is set. We need to be ambitious for God so that the candlestick will project the light more and more. We need to excel in our professions so that the candlestick is stable and strong. We should not however be too taken in by the grandeur of the candlestick, however exalted our position or our achievements. At the end of the day, the candle is the purpose, not the candlestick. Our hearts should melt like wax in the presence of the Lord.
In a time of prayer, the Lord revealed that when we spend less time in prayer and worship, it is like keeping the candle under a bed. When we keep a candle under a bed, not only will the candle not burn brightly owing to deficiency in the oxygen available for it to burn but it could set the bed on fire. Not taking enough time to fellowship with God is akin to setting the course of our life on fire. The Word of God says that those who walk in their own light are tormented and torn. Those who do so are like the candle in the famous Princess Diana memorial song " A candle in the wind." They burn out against the fury of the wind, forces within and without, natural and supernatural, that are too powerful to contain or contend with.
When we keep the candle under a lid or a vessel, it will be extinguished in a short while. We cannot hide our faith or the truth. We cannot camouflage our convictions to compromise with the world. We cannot allow fear , doubt ,disbelief , disappointment or discouragement or sin to put out the flame within us. We need to burn appropriately, consistently and unwaveringly. We need to burn high enough for others to see, long enough to make an impact and brightly enough to dispel the surrounding darkness. When all these conditions are fulfilled, then those who enter the Kingdom of God will see the light. A candle always thinks, “ I can burn”. It is not worried about becoming reduced to a dab of carbon. Similarly, a believer must always think, “ I can shine for God. I can shine forth for His glory and praise with His light, His wisdom, His power and His grace.” Grace empowers and enables and absolute grace enables absolutely.
Prateep V Philip
Can you shine like a candle?
Luk 8:16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light
We are each a candle. The Word of God is the match that is used to light it. The Holy Spirit is the one who lights the flame. The difficult situations we face in life are the hard surfaces against which the match is struck to give the spark to light the match. Thank the Lord for the difficult times and challenges in our lives for without these,how will we have a testimony or a “true believe it or not story” to share? Our natural abilities and talents, careers, positions and professions are the candlestick on which the candle is set. We need to be ambitious for God so that the candlestick will project the light more and more. We need to excel in our professions so that the candlestick is stable and strong. We should not however be too taken in by the grandeur of the candlestick, however exalted our position or our achievements. At the end of the day, the candle is the purpose, not the candlestick. Our hearts should melt like wax in the presence of the Lord.
In a time of prayer, the Lord revealed that when we spend less time in prayer and worship, it is like keeping the candle under a bed. When we keep a candle under a bed, not only will the candle not burn brightly owing to deficiency in the oxygen available for it to burn but it could set the bed on fire. Not taking enough time to fellowship with God is akin to setting the course of our life on fire. The Word of God says that those who walk in their own light are tormented and torn. Those who do so are like the candle in the famous Princess Diana memorial song " A candle in the wind." They burn out against the fury of the wind, forces within and without, natural and supernatural, that are too powerful to contain or contend with.
When we keep the candle under a lid or a vessel, it will be extinguished in a short while. We cannot hide our faith or the truth. We cannot camouflage our convictions to compromise with the world. We cannot allow fear , doubt ,disbelief , disappointment or discouragement or sin to put out the flame within us. We need to burn appropriately, consistently and unwaveringly. We need to burn high enough for others to see, long enough to make an impact and brightly enough to dispel the surrounding darkness. When all these conditions are fulfilled, then those who enter the Kingdom of God will see the light. A candle always thinks, “ I can burn”. It is not worried about becoming reduced to a dab of carbon. Similarly, a believer must always think, “ I can shine for God. I can shine forth for His glory and praise with His light, His wisdom, His power and His grace.” Grace empowers and enables and absolute grace enables absolutely.
Prateep V Philip
Monday, December 19, 2011
UV 276- The primacy of belief
Uni-verse 276/10,000 For better through verse Luke 1 v 45
Luk 1:45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
This verse holds the key to faith and the victorious life. Yes, there are many things that we can do in this life that will bring us success, happiness, fame, wealth or conversely, sorrow, pain, failure and misery. But,there is nothing that we can do that can save us for eternity. If we merely believe the Word that the Lord spoke to us and speaks to us, we will be saved and we will be blessed. If we believe the Word of God we will keep it, meaning we will hear it, retain it and not allow it to leak out of our conscious thoughts, emotions, decisions and memories as a sieve lets water to flow through without retaining any of it.
In real life we focus on the performance so that we will be established. But, the Lord says, believe my Word and there shall be a performance of what the Lord has spoken into our lives as He spoke into Mary’s life. When we believe the Word of God, we believe God and His Word, Jesus. When we believe Jesus, we believe His words.
The word “ belief” has in it the clue for the old English word for the root “lief” means kingdom. When we believe, we live forever as we are ‘supernaturalized’ citizens of the Kingdom of Christ. Belief releases the power, the grace and the peace of God into our lives. The defining quality of the human being is not doing or performing or having or possessing, not feeling or emotions but it is belief. Indeed, believe in the Great I Am, the One who said, “ I Am who I Am” and His Son Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and you will be blessed. The doing, the feeling and the having will follow in its season or due course.
Prateep V Philip
Luk 1:45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
This verse holds the key to faith and the victorious life. Yes, there are many things that we can do in this life that will bring us success, happiness, fame, wealth or conversely, sorrow, pain, failure and misery. But,there is nothing that we can do that can save us for eternity. If we merely believe the Word that the Lord spoke to us and speaks to us, we will be saved and we will be blessed. If we believe the Word of God we will keep it, meaning we will hear it, retain it and not allow it to leak out of our conscious thoughts, emotions, decisions and memories as a sieve lets water to flow through without retaining any of it.
In real life we focus on the performance so that we will be established. But, the Lord says, believe my Word and there shall be a performance of what the Lord has spoken into our lives as He spoke into Mary’s life. When we believe the Word of God, we believe God and His Word, Jesus. When we believe Jesus, we believe His words.
The word “ belief” has in it the clue for the old English word for the root “lief” means kingdom. When we believe, we live forever as we are ‘supernaturalized’ citizens of the Kingdom of Christ. Belief releases the power, the grace and the peace of God into our lives. The defining quality of the human being is not doing or performing or having or possessing, not feeling or emotions but it is belief. Indeed, believe in the Great I Am, the One who said, “ I Am who I Am” and His Son Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and you will be blessed. The doing, the feeling and the having will follow in its season or due course.
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, December 17, 2011
UV 274-10,000 Rootless and fruitless
Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Jesus though He is the Lord of the entire universe chose to be born by the Father’s will as a little vulnerable baby as part of the family tree of Jesse, the father of King David. At the time, he was born circa 4 AD in that line, the family tree of Jesse had been reduced to be a mere near lifeless stump. There was no more any king in the line of descent –only Joseph, a carpenter by profession remained. But, onto this stump, Jesus was grafted in most uncongenial circumstances. But, over the next two millennia that tender twig became a tree of eternal life for all of humanity. The insignificant and the unimportant had become the source of significance and blessing for those who choose to believe.
Ironically, the Christmas tree though it is symbolic of joy and gaiety and festivities, is a rootless and hence, a fruitless tree. The implication is that if we are rooted in Christ, we become fruitful. Being rooted in Christ means that we must be rooted in the Word of God. We must also be rooted in continual prayer and worship. Then, we will bear a variety of internal fruits of character and external fruits of good deeds and accomplishments. When we are so rooted in Christ, we will experience all-round success and victory.
Jesse had bad genes lurking in his family background. His grandmother was Rahab, the prostitute. But, God turned bad genes around to make a non-Jew Rahab an ancestor of the God-child Jesus Himself. Faith in the God of the Jews enabled Rahab to prove the promise of “ rehab” or transformation by faith. The principle of fate or “ as you sow, so you reap” is transcended by faithful rooting or grafting onto God, His Word and His presence. We are empowered to bear a different kind of fruit for every month of the year and our “ leaves” or our words and thoughts will be used for the healing of nations.
Prateep V Philip
Jesus though He is the Lord of the entire universe chose to be born by the Father’s will as a little vulnerable baby as part of the family tree of Jesse, the father of King David. At the time, he was born circa 4 AD in that line, the family tree of Jesse had been reduced to be a mere near lifeless stump. There was no more any king in the line of descent –only Joseph, a carpenter by profession remained. But, onto this stump, Jesus was grafted in most uncongenial circumstances. But, over the next two millennia that tender twig became a tree of eternal life for all of humanity. The insignificant and the unimportant had become the source of significance and blessing for those who choose to believe.
Ironically, the Christmas tree though it is symbolic of joy and gaiety and festivities, is a rootless and hence, a fruitless tree. The implication is that if we are rooted in Christ, we become fruitful. Being rooted in Christ means that we must be rooted in the Word of God. We must also be rooted in continual prayer and worship. Then, we will bear a variety of internal fruits of character and external fruits of good deeds and accomplishments. When we are so rooted in Christ, we will experience all-round success and victory.
Jesse had bad genes lurking in his family background. His grandmother was Rahab, the prostitute. But, God turned bad genes around to make a non-Jew Rahab an ancestor of the God-child Jesus Himself. Faith in the God of the Jews enabled Rahab to prove the promise of “ rehab” or transformation by faith. The principle of fate or “ as you sow, so you reap” is transcended by faithful rooting or grafting onto God, His Word and His presence. We are empowered to bear a different kind of fruit for every month of the year and our “ leaves” or our words and thoughts will be used for the healing of nations.
Prateep V Philip
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Process of Fruiting
Uni-verse 270/10,000 For better through verse Luke 8 v 8
Luk 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear
In order to be able to bear good fruit in our lives, we need to first hear the gospel at first and then, the Word thereafter. Hearing it, we must receive it with faith that it is true. Having received it, we must understand it by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Having understood it, we must keep it or retain it in our hearts and minds. Having kept it, we must claim it and obey it. Then, we are enabled by God’s grace to bear fruit a hundred-fold by faith and patience.
Conditioning by the world’s thought systems and human traditions makes our hearts hardened over time. Traditions rob the Word of God of its inherent power. We loose our ability or sensitivity to hear, receive, believe, understand and apply. It is easier to doubt, question, reject and to be deceived. It requires a lot of ploughing to find a furrow to plant a seed. Hence, a person needs to hear the Word in a variety of ways and very often in order to break the hard ground.
The seed is powerful and effective. Even a fragment of a verse is sufficient to convict or redeem a person in the right frame of mind. I have met people who were convicted by a biblical phrase like “ a half-baked loaf” or “ kicking against the thorns.” Both sensitivity at the time of receiving the Word and diligence in the period of growing spiritually precede hundred-fold fruitfulness. We are called like Isaac to plant the seed in every realm- the physical, the financial, the emotional, the spiritual, the social, the professional and receive back a hundred-fold. The result is contingent upon our response. Genesis, the ‘book of beginnings’ reports that Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year a hundred-fold: and the Lord blessed him. It does not say that the Lord blessed him and therefore, he received a hundred-fold. But, he received a hundred-fold and the Lord blessed him. Likewise, may we be fruitful and be so blessed.
A blessing for fruitfulness:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbGtB5geSLI
Prateep V Philip
Luk 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear
In order to be able to bear good fruit in our lives, we need to first hear the gospel at first and then, the Word thereafter. Hearing it, we must receive it with faith that it is true. Having received it, we must understand it by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Having understood it, we must keep it or retain it in our hearts and minds. Having kept it, we must claim it and obey it. Then, we are enabled by God’s grace to bear fruit a hundred-fold by faith and patience.
Conditioning by the world’s thought systems and human traditions makes our hearts hardened over time. Traditions rob the Word of God of its inherent power. We loose our ability or sensitivity to hear, receive, believe, understand and apply. It is easier to doubt, question, reject and to be deceived. It requires a lot of ploughing to find a furrow to plant a seed. Hence, a person needs to hear the Word in a variety of ways and very often in order to break the hard ground.
The seed is powerful and effective. Even a fragment of a verse is sufficient to convict or redeem a person in the right frame of mind. I have met people who were convicted by a biblical phrase like “ a half-baked loaf” or “ kicking against the thorns.” Both sensitivity at the time of receiving the Word and diligence in the period of growing spiritually precede hundred-fold fruitfulness. We are called like Isaac to plant the seed in every realm- the physical, the financial, the emotional, the spiritual, the social, the professional and receive back a hundred-fold. The result is contingent upon our response. Genesis, the ‘book of beginnings’ reports that Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year a hundred-fold: and the Lord blessed him. It does not say that the Lord blessed him and therefore, he received a hundred-fold. But, he received a hundred-fold and the Lord blessed him. Likewise, may we be fruitful and be so blessed.
A blessing for fruitfulness:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbGtB5geSLI
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, December 3, 2011
UV 262-10,000
Uni-verse 262/10,000 For better through verse Numbers 23 v 19
Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
It is our nature to lie and be fallible. But God never lies and He does not need to repent. This is the God-man gap. If He has spoken something or promised healing or deliverance or blessing, He will make it come to pass. When we disbelieve or doubt God’s Word,we make Him out to be a liar. When we trust His Word, we honour Him for who He truly is: truthful and trustworthy.
There may be a vision about us that has not yet been fulfilled. We wonder why it tarries and even doubt if it is true. We must remember that God will bring it to pass in His own way at the appointed time.
Scripture reaffirms :“Faithful He is and He will do it.” There are two heart attitudes we need to show as we wait for Him to do it: We need to be patient and we need to be joyful and thankful in anticipation of what God is going to do.
Prateep V Philip
Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
It is our nature to lie and be fallible. But God never lies and He does not need to repent. This is the God-man gap. If He has spoken something or promised healing or deliverance or blessing, He will make it come to pass. When we disbelieve or doubt God’s Word,we make Him out to be a liar. When we trust His Word, we honour Him for who He truly is: truthful and trustworthy.
There may be a vision about us that has not yet been fulfilled. We wonder why it tarries and even doubt if it is true. We must remember that God will bring it to pass in His own way at the appointed time.
Scripture reaffirms :“Faithful He is and He will do it.” There are two heart attitudes we need to show as we wait for Him to do it: We need to be patient and we need to be joyful and thankful in anticipation of what God is going to do.
Prateep V Philip
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