Walking in the Light

UV 2063/10000 Walking in the Light
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
John 1 v 7

We walk in the light when we walk in truth. Every step we take in life, every decision, every interaction is guided and guarded by the truth of His Word. In contrast, the world, its philosophies and systems are the darkness. We are called to be in it but not be influenced by the world and its philosophies. Walking in the light implies that we know the direction we are heading for. It is the direction Jesus set for our lives. We are to walk in the righteousness of Christ. We have no righteousness of our own but we are clothed or anointed or covered with righteousness by faith in the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Sin represents darkness and we are set free from its power. The metaphor of walking is used as our relationship with the Lord is a step by step progression, a day to day experience of His grace, love and mercy. It is sequential- one step leads to the next. The terrain will change, the pace will change, the weather will change : yet, we are to keep moving in the direction He beckons us to. Our journey on earth is not lonely or loaded with unexplained misery or sorrow and care but like the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus, the Resurrected Jesus walks with us every step of the way and explains every step we need to take. He not only accompanies us, explains things to us but stays back to enjoy our fellowship, to break bread with us. But we should be able to recognize His voice and understand His meaning. Once we recognize Him, we will be filled with joy and gladness, a sense of awe and worship of the Lord.

Adam’s perfect fellowship with the Lord broke when he first chose to sin. His rebellion was not so much in doing the forbidden but in disbelieving the words of the Lord and choosing to believe the words of his mortal enemy. When we choose to believe Jesus and to receive Him, we are choosing again not to sin in order to be restored to the fullness of fellowship of the Lord. We are also restored to fellowship with each other as we no longer see the speck in our brother’s eye and ignore the beam in our own.

We no longer have to hide ourselves from the Lord but can approach Him boldly, without guilt or fear. He relates to us as a person with his best friend. We can share all of our lives with Him. He is no longer a spectator in our lives but He is deeply aware of all that happen in our lives. He knows our thoughts and feelings, our desires and limitations. He knows our potential and our strengths and weaknesses. He is deeply involved in all of our lives. Since we have no light of our own, no wisdom or knowledge that we can call our own, we should let His light, the light of His love and knowledge and wisdom to shine through every pore of our bodies, every aspect of our lives. His light penetrates the deepest part of our being. The light from the sun’ s rays is the difference between life and death for all species on the earth. So also the light of the Lord’s love is the difference between eternal death and eternal life. It is not a luxury but an absolute necessity. Just as sunlight is good for plants, animals and all humans, so too the light of the Lord is wholesome, health-producing and health-enhancing, invigorating and energising.

Prateep V Philip

The Rest

UV 2062/10000 The Rest
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4 v 3

We have peace with God through Jesus Christ. Hence, we enter the rest that is promised to those who believe. We need not do a single thing to be saved hereafter – no ceaseless striving to be found good enough to be saved by works. All the works to save us were planned and initiated from the foundation of the world culminating in Jesus uttering the declaration, “ It is finished.” We are freed from the burden or responsibility to strive for salvation. Our salvation is accomplished the moment we believe and receive Jesus’ death on the cross as the penalty for our sins. There is nothing we can do to add or detract from that salvation. We are saved by grace and not of ourselves or our self effort. We rest from the need to justify ourselves. We rest from the need to prove our worth. We rest from the need to vindicate ourselves or avenge ourselves against wrongs.

Having been saved by faith and appropriated the grace of the Lord, we are now to build on the rock foundation of faith a life, an edifice that is worthy of the Lord, during the rest of our days on earth. Our good deeds or works are now a response of gratitude to the Lord saving us by grace. While holding onto the peace with God or the rest, we are to strive to do our best and do our utmost to bring glory to the Lord, to communicate the same love of God to all. Just like our bodies need rest after a time of exercise or hard labour, so also our souls or minds need rest. From time to time we should take breaks to renew ourselves, to rejuvenate ourselves, to re-energise ourselves. For the believer, rest is not so much a ceasing of all activities but a soaking in the grace and mercy of the Lord. The times we spend with the Lord in prayer and in His word are the rest for our souls. These times become the fount of joy and strength in our lives.

We can constantly refresh ourselves or renew ourselves by delving in the spirit into a deeper intimacy with the Lord. We can refresh ourselves also by a daily intake of the manna- the Word. After every effort or struggle we have in life, we can find our rest in the Lord. The Lord also renews and refreshes us by means of the Holy Spirit. We find our rest in the presence of the Lord. For the faithful, death is itself a final rest though the grave is not the final resting place.

Prateep V Philip

The Seven Part Yoke

UV 2061/10000 The Seven Part Yoke
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls
Matthew 11 v 29

All those who do not trust in Jesus are heavily burdened, restless and weary. They are weighed down by their own pride that does not let them admit that they are overburdened and tired. Their pride is manifested in anger and aggression that produces conflicts at the individual level and wars at the level of nations. Jesus is the ultimate teacher of wisdom. He beckons every individual to get rid of the burden of sin and guilt, fear and shame that weighs him down. Instead, He asks us to model our lives on Him and His teachings. If we place our trust in Him, He lifts the weight of sin and its curses off our back. Our souls or our inner being will be greatly blessed with a wholesome peace that invades our spirit, minds and bodies. We will not be restless or weary. We will rise in every situation and circumstance on the wings of prayer and the word. We need never strive to be who we cannot be or to have what we cannot have.

Jesus modelled humility and gentleness. We will realize that we do not have to prove to anyone that we are superior to them. We will rise in life not due to aggression and ruthless competition but by imitating Jesus in humility and gentleness. Our behaviour or our communication need not be abrasive or hurtful to others. Even as we are meek, the Lord will lift us up and manifest His power on our behalf. The Lord found Moses to be the humblest person on the earth and therefore, chose Him to confront the proudest and most powerful person on the earth at the time- Pharaoh, the king of the old world’s superpower.

A plough has many parts: it has a heavy wooden log into which are fixed sharp blades that are meant to churn up the earth. The heavier the wooden block and the stronger and heavier the metal parts, the more effective the plough. Believers in Jesus are given a light plough to carry on their shoulders as the major part of the weight rests on Jesus. We have no need to be stressed out, frustrated or hopeless. We only need to humble ourselves and trust Him to operate His power and grace through us. We need to learn lifelong from Jesus how to speak, how to think, how to feel and how to act or react. Our identity is derived from Him- the I Am who I Am. As Jesus teaches us, “ I am who I am- the Good Shepherd,” we need to take His guidance, listen to His voice and follow Him. He protects us and hence, we need not worry about threats and fear of danger. As He teaches, “ I am who I am- the Bread of Life, we need to trust and believe that He will meet all our needs- physical or otherwise. As He teaches, “ I am who I am- the true vine”, we need to be grafted on Him to bear fruit- the nine dimensions of spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and humility. As He teaches us “ I am who I am- the light of the world,” we derive knowledge and wisdom from Him. As He teaches us, “ I am the Gate or Door”, we find every opportunity to improve and progress in Him. As He teaches us, “ I am who I am- the life and the Resurrection,” we believe we have eternal life here and now and beyond death. As He teaches, I am who I am- the Way, the Truth and the Life, He is the way to lead a truthful and blessed life. These seven identities are the seven parts of the yoke of Jesus. It is not a yoke that burdens us but one that lightens our load, one that eases our pain, one that meets our need, one that equips us, one that leads and guides us, one that lights up our lives.

Prateep V Philip

The Aroma

UV 2060/10000 The Aroma
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place

2 Corinthians 2 v 14

The Lord God enables us to triumph in Christ always. He does so that the aroma or sweet fragrance of His name, His Word and His Son spreads to the entire world. The name of Jesus is itself like a fragrant ointment, the Balm of Gilead that causes miracles of healing, deliverance and salvation. The power of the Lord is revealed when we invoke the name of Jesus. The knowledge of the Word of God is also the source of the aroma of Christ. We cannot hold it back but just as the perfume from a broken jar spreads its fragrance right through not only the room in which it broke but right through the whole house. Similarly, the aroma of Christ is experienced through our words, our actions and our presence by all who come in contact with us. Mother Teresa is a good example of a believer who spread the aroma or influence of Christ everywhere in practical ways.

To some the aroma of Christ is the smell of death while for others who believe it is the sweet fragrance of salvation. The metaphor of fragrance and aroma is used in this uni-verse as salvation is an experience. It is tasted and it tastes good. When we do not conform to the patterns of the world but conform to the Word and are transformed from within so that we are evidence of the one who is good, acceptable and perfect sacrifice of the Lord, then we are the aroma of Christ. It accompanies us wherever we go and in whatever we do and with whomever we relate.

Our praise and thanksgiving for the wonderful experiences, the miracles, the acts of grace and mercy of the Lord in our lives are the aroma that reaches the very nostrils of the Lord. When we do things with selfish motives or wrong or mixed motives and attitudes , it ends up as a sacrifice that is rejected. We are to be like the sacrifice of Abel- a sweet smelling sacrifice to the Lord. In order to be so, we need to be sincere, wholehearted and fully committed in our devotion to the Lord. Our testimonies and our testimonial lives as witnesses of Christ in this world are the aroma that is pleasing to the Lord. We should therefore avoid any thought, word, action, reaction, relationship or transaction that is not a sweet smelling one to the Lord. In order to do so, we need the spirit and gift of discernment and we should exercise it as often as it is required instead of jumping headlong into every muddle. When we manifest the nine fruit of the Spirit, the very DNA of Christ- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control, we spread the aroma of Christ. Even if one is missing, say for instance self control, we could end up spoiling our testimonies and setting off a foul smell instead. Our lives should be like the alabaster jar of Mary that was broken to anoint Jesus with every drop of perfume of nard that was in it. Everything we do, professional or personal that we attempt should glorify the Lord. Jesus upheld Mary’ s example and said that she had done a beautiful thing for Him. Likewise, our lives should be a series of beautiful things we do for the Lord.

Prateep V Philip

Knowing the End from the Beginning

UV 2059/10000 Knowing the End from the Beginnning
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Isaiah 46 v 10

The seed does not know if it will grow and become a tree. The tree does not know whether it will bear fruit and if it bears fruit whether it will be good fruit. God is the only one who knows the end from the beginning. He not only knows it abut declares what is yet to happen. What He declares is bound to happen and no one can prevent or pre-empt it. He will do whatever is His perfect will. He revealed through the prophets and the apostles and through His Son Jesus, the contours of history. A hundred years before Cyrus the Great became the Emperor of Persia, his name was made known and it was declared that the temple of Jerusalem would be re-built with his help. Even the manner I which he would invade and conquer Babylon through the river sluice gates was declared ahead of time.

Stephen Covey, the management guru wrote that we should see the end from the beginning before starting any project or work. But it is only a gift from the Lord that will enable us to see the end from the beginning. The Lord will give us insight and understanding to see the details of the conclusion of the hope that we have. For this to happen we need to submit each day and each day’s activities into the Lord’s hands. The Lord will then do His pleasure or what pleases Him in our lives. It is the presence of the Lord that gives us the prescience to know the future, to know how a matter will conclude, how work will progress and succeed.

Even Jesus knew His end from the beginning. He knew that His life did not end on the cross but that His glorious reign over all of creation would begin then. This is the reason He declared in one of the last seven utterances before committing His soul to the Father, “ It is finished.” In order to finish well in our lives, we need to daily benefit from the counsel of the Holy Spirit in all that we think, speak and do. Knowing that our ultimate destination is to be with the Lord forever enables us to focus on the kingdom and His righteousness. We will not be side tracked or distracted and sent off on a detour from our journey back to the Lord. The Lord will stand beside us and give us good counsel. He will induce His wisdom and insight in us. When we involve the Lord as the managing partner in our lives and in our work and projects, He gives us the benefit or advantage of His foreknowledge. He will counsel us to be patient when we hit a rough or lean patch in our lives, give us the strength to endure and to persist beyond the point of natural resistance until we finish our tasks, fulfil our purpose, accomplish our goals.

Prateep V Philip

The Good Fight

UV 2058/10000 The Good Fight
This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
I Timothy 1 v 18

Spiritual warfare is the only type of war that can be described as a good war. It is based on the precept that everything physical, emotional and social has a spiritual root and these are but reflections or shadows of the spiritual realm. It is not violent. It is bloodless and does not involve physical combat. It is nonetheless warfare and tough fighting as it involves the struggle of good versus evil, the godly against the unrighteous, the children of God against the enemy of their souls. Spiritual warfare is the responsibility of the royal priesthood, of kings and priests. It is meant for the extension of the kingdom of God. We fight it on our knees in prayer. We fight it on a daily basis. The Lord gives us authority as kings to claim and proclaim victory over the forces of darkness. He gives us the heart as priests of the Most High to plead or intercede for souls.

Faith involves engaging in spiritual warfare. It involves pulling down spiritual strongholds, fighting against the rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. The might and power of the Lord is revealed as we battle with these forces in the spirit. Over the garments of salvation, we need to wear the armour. The enemy would always focus on hitting us with fiery arrows of temptations, trials, troubles at vital points. For our protection, we need to hold the shield of faith firmly, wear the belt of truth implying that we are led by truth and not by falsehoods or illusions, carry the sword of execution of the Word of the Lord. We need to wear the protective gear for our faith in terms of a steadfast knowledge and hope of our salvation in Christ. Our feet should be protected by the shoes that make us a messenger for the Lord in this world. We should wear knee guards to safeguard our knees in endless hours of prayer.

Spiritual warfare involves being still in the presence of the Lord. He will fight the battle for us as the battle is in His realm. He decides the timing, the strategies and secures the victory as we stand in faith. On our part, we only need to prepare to endure hardship as a faithful soldier. We need to be disciplined and obedient, refusing to engage or meddle in civilian affairs or the affairs of this world. We need to constantly work to keep ourselves spiritually fit and alert to sense the moves of the enemy of our souls. Prophetic word and other spiritual gifts play a role in guiding, encouraging and exhorting us as we engage in the good fight.

Prateep V Philip

Purposeful Mindfulness

UV 2057/10000 Purposeful Mindfulness
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psalm 8 v 4

God is mindful of man. His mind is always filled with thoughts of love towards mankind though He knows how weak is our frame, how inconsistent our ways, that we were made from dust and would one day return to dust. The Son of God Jesus humbled Himself to visit us as the son of man. Though He is infinitely great and awesome, He made Himself to be as one of us. He who knew no sin or shortcoming or limitation made Himself limited by being confined to a human body, a human family and the privations and suffering of a sinful and fallen world. His mindfulness of us caused Him to visit us on earth. His mindfulness caused Him to embrace sin and its curses and redeem each of us from its power and penalty.

If the Lord is mindful of us and we are not, it will be unrequited love or love that is spurned. In response to such great love and care, we ought to be mindful of the Lord. Our minds should be saturated with His Word, with His thoughts, with remembrance of the things He spoke and did. Our minds and wills should be aligned with the mind of Christ. We should avail of the full benefits of Jesus visiting us from the Father’s kingdom. Mere mindfulness for mindfulness sake as is being taught by new age gurus is in vain. But when we are mindful of Christ, our minds are anointed. Our spiritual blindness will end. Our hearts and spirits will be revived and we will be able to live fully and wholly for His sake and by His power and grace.

When Jesus visited the house of Martha and Mary, the latter chose to be mindful of Jesus, to sit at His feet, to enjoy being in His presence, unmindful of all household responsibilities and earthly cares, to let His voice seep into her inner being, His words penetrate her spirit and heart, cleansing her from a sinful past, transforming her into a faithful disciple, the one to anoint His feet with precious oil of nard as a preparation for burial, the only one to be at the feet of the cross, the first to see the empty cave in which His body was buried, the first to behold the resurrected Jesus and hear His voice and words, the first to convey the good news of the resurrection of Jesus to the other disciples. When we are mindful of Jesus, we experience and witness many wonderful miracles, to receive many blessings and grace of the Lord.


Prateep V Philip