Fourfold Blessings

UV 923-10,000 Fourfold Blessings Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: Genesis 49 v 25 God revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He met each one at their point of need. Abraham needed a male heir. Isaac needed a life partner. Jacob sought the blessings of the Lord. Even today, the same God meets each of us at our point of need and He helps us. We only need to acknowledge that He is the Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He knows the end from the beginning. We need to acknowledge Him at the beginning of our day and thank Him at the end. We need to seek His blessings like Jacob at the beginning of our lives and at the end. The Lord will undertake for what happens between the beginning and the end. The Lord is the first and the last. He decides that we would be first in certain things and we would be last in certain other things. He apportions His anointing and His grace according to His will and pleasure. Joseph was the lost son- the last for many years though he was the favourite son of Jacob for the first part of his life. Joseph took precedence in his father’s favour and gifts. Then when he was sold by his brothers into slavery, he seemed to be the last, the one who had lost his father’s and God’s blessings and favour. But the Lord raised Him up step by step over the years he was away from his father’s family. Similarly, there are periods of preparation in all our lives before He reveals His hand of blessing and favour. Jacob on his death bed administered a manifold or fourfold blessing to Joseph: the heavenly or spiritual blessings, the blessings of the earth, the blessings of marriage and love, the blessings of his children. Spiritual blessings were the source of Joseph’s elevation as the leading light of Egypt. It enabled him to hold on to his dreams and vision and to be able to interpret the dreams of others. The Lord will give us intuitive and spiritual gifts that cannot be inherited or learnt from another human. He will bless us as we hold on to our hope with riches or treasures of dark or secret places-blessings of the deep that lie under. Even as Joseph inherited the riches of Egypt having been made signatory on behalf of Pharaoh as the latter adorned his hand with his signet ring of authority, we can lay claim according to our need to the riches of Egypt-or the financial and material resources of the world. He will bless our spouses and make them a source of blessing- a fruitful vine. He will bless our children and their children to the twelfth generation. They will endure and be fruitful like the olive plants. Faith opens the gateway to manifold blessings. If we are faithful to God we are blessed or chosen for a life of abundance. Prateep V Philip

The Most Fundamental Communication

UV 923-10,000 The Most Fundamental Communication Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. Isaiah 49 v 1 The prophet is testifying to the people of the seven continents and all the islands, the people who are near and far that the Lord called him when he was in the womb. The one who had knit him in his mother’s womb knew his name even before his parents gave him a name or called him by that name. When we were hidden from our parents’ eyes, He saw us, knew us and communicated with us. He spoke into our inner ear even when our brain and other organs were being formed. The deepest communication is the communication we have with the Lord. He gave us company when we were all alone in the darkness of the womb. We need to keep the conversation going on. This is the reason that right through human history the belief in God exists in all human beings. Will He ever forsake us? Will He not give us company in the darkess of the tomb? Our personal relationship with our Maker begins right in the womb though we recognize it much later. Our talking with God is as natural as breathing. This uni-verse reveals that the most fundamental relationship, the closest and dearest is not the relationship with one’s parents but with the Lord our God, our Maker. The other animals and creatures can at best only call Him their creator. But we know Him as our Maker- He made us and formed us, every tiny part of us with His own hands and He breathed His life and spirit into us. Jesus said that “ if anyone wants to follow Him, he or she must hate his own parents.” He implied that in comparison with our love for God, our first and last parent, our love for our parents would seem almost like hatred. If we love anything or anyone more than God, it provokes His holy jealousy. If we represent our love as a spectrum, our love for our earthly parents and other members of our families would be a faint strip at the beginning of the spectrum and the rest of it would be occupied by our increasing passion for the Lord. There is a calling upon our lives right from the time we were formed in the womb. It is an expectation of the Lord about how we live our lives and what we will do with the life He has given us. Prateep V Philip

The Fountainhead of Wisdom

The Fountainhead of Wisdom For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2 v 6 The reason I do this exercise of writing a uni-verse every day, first thing in the morning is that I am convinced and convicted that each verse from God’s Word is a portion or slice of His eternal wisdom. The wisdom, knowledge and understanding of mankind contained in all our books and on the net is only finite and limited to the extent of our experiences, perceptions and intellect. But when we diligently study the Word of God, it amounts to receiving wisdom, knowledge and understanding at His mouth. Like a mother bird feeds its young who are too small, feeble and unable to fly to find its own food or even to feed itself, the Lord feeds us sweet morsel by morsel of His infinite wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The precepts of wholesome life, the very laws of our moral and spiritual universe are hidden in these verses. Just as scientists study diligently physical objects and phenomena to discover the physical laws of the universe, we need to study scripture to understand the spiritual laws of the universe. If we do not find, understand and observe these laws, we will suffer loss. The very word “understanding” implies that which stands under- like the foundation of a building or structure, they are the invisible foundational principles of life. Today, management experts throughout the world, having failed to find guidance and solutions using human wisdom, are looking into scripture to find answers and solutions to business and leadership issues. The Lord does not withhold wisdom but He delights to give it to him who seeks it diligently. Through God-given wisdom, we will be able to judge correctly, discern and take correct decisions in our lives. He enlightens our eyes so that we understand the hope of His calling upon our lives or the very purpose of our existence and the riches of His glorious inheritance along with the saints. We need to tune our receiver to His frequency all the time. The Holy Spirit will then help us interpret the scripture contextually and aptly to meet our present need. In order to extract wisdom from a verse, we need to first of all recall the words of the verse, then we should run the verse repeatedly in our minds several times like a cow that ruminates and chews its cud 18 times before it is assimilated. We should reflect on every word and its meaning, every phrase and every application of the verse. We need to read and understand the equivalent verses through the entire Bible and understand the meaning of these references too. This is the process I use every day to write the uni-verse. Later in the course of the day’s activities, we should try to remember the verses, its meaning and application. As we recall it, we should put it into practice in our daily lives. Just as a loaf of bread is not meant for exhibition but for consumption, the Word is meant to be used up and then renewed. Yesterday, I saw a man who did the incredible feat of remembering a hundred digit number not only forwards but also backwards within a couple of minutes of being given the number. He had trained his memory using the principles of association, imagination and exaggeration. But such human wisdom has its limitations and will perish with him. Human wisdom, knowledge and understanding has uses for the mind or body. But spiritual wisdom that is authored by the Lord is eternal, infinite and impacts spirit, minds and our bodies. It is peaceful, gentle, pure and holistic. Prateep V Philip

Waves of Mercy

UV 921/10,000 Waves of Mercy “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48 v 18 What do we continually pay attention to is what determines our focus. When we focus on studying and obeying the Word of God, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit will flow in and from our hearts like a river. Our righteousness will be like the waves of the sea for nothing can oppose or stop the waves of our thoughts, words and deeds. The Kingdom of God or the rule and reign of God will be established in our hearts and lives. We will not be in a fight or flight mode like the rest of the world but in the mode of flow and glow. Our inner peace will help to nourish hope and meaning in the lives of people who come in contact with us like a river nourishes trees on its banks. Peace is like the river Jordan that starts as a spring and then enlarges into a mighty river. Like a river contains many kinds of fish, our lives will be full of a variety of blessings. Just as a river empties itself into the mouth of a sea, our peace and blessings should lead us to a life of grace or righteousness by faith. Sea water is different from the fresh water of the river but it too sustains an even greater variety of forms of life. Our reliance on the grace of God blesses us even more than the inner peace and blessings of faith. Both the river and the sea are dotted with many rocks where we can take refuge. These are the promises of God that we should cling to in the course of our lives. When we go to the seashore, we find that there are different kinds of waves: gentle waves that run through our feet, waves that give us a push, waves that are huge and can lift us and even bigger waves of warning and wrath that can drown us. Similarly, God’s mercy and grace come upon us, wave after wave unceasingly. Our response would be streams of praise and thanksgiving flowing from our hearts continuously. To remind us when we first moved into a house in a new area with an unnamed street, we decided to call it the “ Waves of Mercy Avenue.” Prateep V Philip

Promise versus Compromise

UV 920/10,000 Compromise versus Promise For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. 2 Chronicles 16 v 9 The eyes of the Lord keep moving across the globe to find people whose hearts are perfect toward Him. A perfect heart is one which trusts and hopes in the Lord completely and does not rely on any human or earthly hope. An imperfect heart is one that trusts and hopes in the Lord inconsistently and partially. Asa King of Judah had initially obeyed the Lord wholeheartedly and he was given victory against his enemies. But later he entered into a treaty with Benhadad, the king of Syria against the king of Israel. He purchased peace with the king of Syria in the 36th year of his reign by sending him gold and silver treasures from the temple of the Lord and from his treasury. In doing so, the prophet Hanani told him that he had incurred the displeasure of the Lord and that henceforth he would have wars with Israel all his days to contend with as he had relied not upon the Lord but upon the arm of flesh and his own wisdom. By the 39th year of Asa’s reign, we learn that he suffered from a severe disease of his feet and in another two years he perished in his affliction. A compromise grows like a cancer. A compromise implies that we have disbelieved God and we have annulled His covenant promise to be strong on our behalf. Weakness or the tendency to compromise is part of human nature but the power or grace to overcome comes from God. Asa had compromised. When the prophet reprimanded him, he got sore with him and put him in prison. When he suffered a severe disease in his feet, he relied on his physicians and not on the Lord. He had hardened his once perfect heart against the Lord and His Word. He could have repented when his error was pointed out. He could have once more perfected his heart toward the Lord. If he had done so, the Lord would have revealed his favour or grace and strength on his behalf. Asa had done a double folly- first, in relying on an earthly alliance against the king of Israel and second, in not repenting or turning from his error once it was pointed out. Like Asa it is not the longevity of our success run that counts but how well we finish. Jesus wants us to be good finishers like Him. The Biblical pattern of history is replicated in every generation. David compromised badly in the matter of Uriah and his wife Bathsheba. He was a man after God’s own heart and though unlike Asa, he repented, the Lord promised that the sword and conflict would mark his whole life, that his foes and enemies would rise from his own family, that his wives would be taken captive, abused and humiliated. We act foolish when we disobey the commandment of God or the Word and when we disbelieve the promises of the Lord. His eyes are always seeing all that we are doing including our innermost thoughts and motives. He turns His face against us when we wantonly and repeatedly ignore His warning. He hears our prayers and gives us evidence of His favour in miraculous signs and wonders when we win His favour and walk all our days in uprightness and in alignment with His Word and will. Everything cannot be built in a day but everything can be lost in a single day or even a moment of indiscretion. That thought will produce the reverence for the Lord and His Word which will produce wisdom and keep us on track all the time. Prateep V Philip

The Breakthrough God

UV 919/10,000 The Breakthrough God Who sent His glorious arm of power to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for Himself everlasting renown. Isaiah 63 v 12 God’s power, authority and love are within arm’s reach of each one of us. If we like Moses stretch our own hands over whatever obstructs our paths, He will demonstrate His power, authority and love to “divide the waters” before us. When Moses held his rod in his right hand and then held it over the water of the Red Sea, the Lord sent a mighty East wind to cause the water to part and stand like a heap on both sides. Moses’s right hand or left hand had no more power or strength than any of us. When we are willing to lift our limbs for the Lord, He acts on our behalf and sets in motion miraculous forces and causes miraculous breakthroughs. The rod in our right hand is not literally a rod but it is the Word of God. When we declare the Word and command mighty forces to divide, they will divide and part to make way for us to go forward in our careers, professions, lives and ministry. I start every day with half an hour of prayer walk where I declare God’s Word over the waters that confront me. When I raise my hands and pray in the spirit, the Lord intertwines His fingers in mine and strengthens me with His glorious power from above. I call this “doing Hi-10” with the Lord. In a battle that the Israelites faced, they were winning as long as Moses’s arms were held up. When he was tired doing so, Aaron helped him by holding his brother’s arms up. Through this uni-verse, the Lord is saying that not only in the case of Moses and the Israelites but if His people anywhere hold up their hands in prayer, He will reveal His might, authority and love in such a way that it will redound to His everlasting renown. The glory of man is effervescent and fleeting. The brouhaha over Sachin’s contribution to India is at its peak now with people all round singing his praises. Sachin Tendulkar is called erroneously as the god of cricket. If he is the god of cricket would he retire? A few decades from now, the next generation would scarcely know who he is. In training workshops all over the state when our resource persons ask “ who does more useful work – the average police constable or Sachin Tendulkar?” Unanimously, people say, “ The police constable.” The answer to the next question is also obvious, “ Who is the real hero- Sachin or the constable?” Man’s glory passes away soon but the glory of God is forever. Soon after the Israelites left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea in this miraculous manner, their renown spread fear of them all round. Even the prostitute Rahab in the city of Jericho heard of what had happened and she decided to join the winning side- the Jews. The scarlet rope she tied around her window was a symbol of the royal lineage that would start in her once wretched body and womb for she would bear the forebear of the King of Kings, the Messiah. Prateep V Philip

Boldness and Grace

UV 918/10,000 Boldness and Grace Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4 v 16 The purpose of the old covenant of law was not salvation but to show people how far they have fallen short of God’s holiness and absolute standards of justice, love and righteousness. The purpose of the new covenant as personified in the life and ministry of Jesus is to fill the yawning gap between sinful man and the holy God, the gap between our standards and God’s. The word ‘gap’ represents good, acceptable and perfect. Each of us have been declared by our faith in Jesus as good, acceptable and perfect. We cannot “become” perfect but we are perfect in the eyes of God. This is the reason Jesus says, “ Be perfect because your Father in heaven is perfect.” He does not say, “ Become perfect”. Since we are justified by the mercy of God we can now enter boldly or with confidence into the very presence of God, before His throne of grace beyond the mercy seat. Last week there were photographs of a little boy who sat boldly on the high seat of the present Pope Francis, hugged his legs and moved around the rostrum while the latter was speaking. This illustrates the boldness of a child in the presence of his father. Similarly, we can approach the Lord God knowing that He will not rebuke us for doing so and knowing that He loves to help us as an Ebenezer in our times of need. We need not be hesitant, diffident or fearful in reaching out to God. Our need contains the seed of our growth. The times of our need are the periods of accelerated spiritual growth in our lives. These are the times when we walk closest to the Lord and cling to Him for dear life. He may not at times straight away meet or fulfill the need but He will give us grace to help or the inner strength to carry on with the cross we are bearing. He sustains us with hope so that we “ beat the challenge” and “ meet the need.” He uses these times to build our faith and to fill the gaps in our character. In our crises or times of need, the Lord tests us whether we rely on our own flesh and our own abilities, on other people in our circle or on the Lord to whom we have entrusted our whole lives and being. He checks how we behave before the time of need, at the time of need, during it and afterwards. If we truly believe that the Lord is God and our Father, if we truly believe that He is absolutely good and loving, if we truly believe that He can do all things, if we truly believe that He listens to our prayers and keeps His promises, our faith, hope and love will only grow stronger and not weaker with time. In the past couple of years, our family was facing a situation where the equivalent of a borrowed axe had fallen in the water but as we sought the Lord's help He helped us by doing the equivalent of making it float as in the case of Elijah. Prateep V Philip