The Spirit of Resurrection

UV 450/10,000 Romans 8 v 11 The Spirit of Resurrection Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. The Spirit that lives in us is the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit. This Uni-verse reveals the secret that it was the Holy Spirit that resurrected Jesus from the dead. The self-same Spirit of Resurrection dwells in us who believe, to quicken or revive our dormant spiritual being. As He dwells in us, our bodies and minds become the tabernacle of God. We will lead righteous lives and avail the promise in the Psalms thereby that we will hear the voice of rejoicing in the tabernacle of the righteous. Isn’t it an awesome fact that the same Spirit of Resurrection that did the impossible of bringing the dead and crucified Jesus back to life is at work in our bodies though we are not yet physically dead? Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb. The ministry of the Holy Spirit to Jesus was over in the act of resurrection but His work in us is life-long. He will do the impossible in our lives too of putting to death what needs to be put to death and bringing alive dead hopes. The same Holy Spirit brought back to life the dead womb of the barren and aged Sarah. The Holy Spirit will resurrect our marriages, our families, our careers, our ministry, our health, our dreams as we partner with Him. There were several barriers that were laid to the hope of Jesus coming back to life as He promised. All His blood was drained out to the last drop. A massive stone was placed at the mouth of the tomb that could be moved only by several soldiers together. A strong guard of armed Roman soldiers was placed before the tomb. All the sin of mankind and its consequence of death, past and prospective was laid against the person and name of Jesus by attribution. Nobody believed or gave Jesus a chance to make a come-back. But, the Holy Spirit broke through all these physical, natural and supernatural barriers. The Holy Spirit will similarly break all the barriers, bondages and obstacles in our lives in order to fulfill God’s purpose and will. He will revive, renew, restore and resurrect. Prateep V Philip

The liberating Fear

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man The presence of God in us and with us magnetises us so that we attract what is good and repel what is evil just as a current of electricity magnetises an iron bar. The commandments of the Lord God, Creator of the Universe are the true law. The laws of man are but a mere shadow of it. The fear of God and the fact that we will one day be judged for every work of our life including every secret in our life, whether it be good or evil will guard us. The love of God and His commandments enshrined in His Word will goad us in the right direction. The fear of God is not a debilitating fear but an all pervasive liberating fear. It is the one fear that gives us freedom from all other fears. The love of God is the other side of the coin. True respect for a person is not reflected in fear on the outside and contempt or hatred from within but in love on the inside and obedience and reverence on the outside. Our personal relationship with God should manifest this kind of true respect. This uni-verse states unequivocally that this is the whole duty of man. There is no need for any other ritual or show of religiousity. It is of the essence of life. It is wholesome, life-sustaining and life-enhancing. The commandments of God gives us a framework within which we can act. It is like the frame of a beautiful painting. Without the frame, the painting however beautiful would not last too long and it cannot be mounted in a suitable way to reflect its beauty to people and the world at large. Prateep V Philip

Sure to Cure

UV 448/10,000 Jeremiah 33 v 6 Sure to cure Jer 33:6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth Joy, peace and truth are not an option but a necessity for a man to be healthy. The Lord promises to heal and cure not just our bodies but all areas of our lives and relationships that are sick or unhealthy. There is no panacea or cure-all but He is able to cure all things in His time. We need to perceive or behold this truth that God is the Lord of healing. He can command it to happen in an instant or cause it to happen over time in a progressive manner. Either way He is the One who cures and heals us of all our diseases and all that brings unease or lack of peace in our lives. It is through the revelation of truth that the Lord often brings healing and peace in our lives. The Lord speaks healing into our lives. His Word is sure to cure.The use of the word “will” and not “ may” or “ can” underlines the truth that it is a certainty and not a matter of doubt or speculation of ‘ Will He or won’t He?”. The healing is certain and the peace is abundant or overflowing. We cannot contain our peace but we will be compelled to share it with others. Prateep V Philip

The Messengers of God

UV 447/10,000 The messenger of the Lord Mal 2:7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts Today, those who are competent in information technology are called knowledge workers. But, the ultimate knowledge that affects us both immediately and for ever is the personal knowledge of the Lord of hosts. This knowledge imparts wisdom to us as we know what to do and when to do it. The Lord uses the lips of such as those who know Him personally to be His messengers. Every believer is a priest and a king in His kingdom. Every believer carries a message from the Lord to the church and the world at large. We cannot add anything to the message that the Lord gives. We are enjoined to preserve the message without distorting it. When we realize that we are messengers of the Lord, we will feel a great sense of responsibility. We carry the message of the Lord to the people and carry the burden of the people to the Lord. This was the role being performed by Moses. People should seek the truths concerning God, salvation, sin, suffering and eternal life from us. This uni-verse also places the responsibility of people to listen to the messengers sent by God. Our response should be one of respect and reverence for the message and accept it as the Word from the Lord. The messenger of God should not speak the Lord’s message in return for material or monetary gifts. We must not violate the covenant of Levi- not to exchange the truth for allurements of the world. We must not compromise or be partial. Prateep V Philip

Password to resources of Heaven and Earth

UV 446/10,000 Password to access the resources of Heaven and Earth Psalm 124 v 8 “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made Heaven and Earth” Satan is a fowler or a bird-hunter. He hunts down our soul as a hunter tries to snare a bird. Our soul escapes from his net when we cry out to the Lord, when we call His name. The Lord who made heaven and earth is on our side. Hence, we have joined the winning side. He gives us help in all the predicaments of life. Jesus is the password or key by which we can access the resources of heaven and earth. That is why He said, “ Ask in my name.” Our Father in heaven will grant that which we ask as Jesus is His beloved Son and has the full favour of Jehovah. There is no powerful foe whose evil designs He cannot defeat. There is no pressing need that He cannot meet. There is no ailment He cannot heal. As the Lord who made heaven, He gives us help from above. He sends His Holy Spirit to aid, prompt, guide and counsel us. He gives us spiritual gifts. He sends His angelic host to guard us. He gives us His Word as a daily manna to feed and strengthen us. He gives us assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. He is our present as well as everlasting help. But, He does not often give unsolicited help. We need to humble ourselves and look upwards and inwards for His help. Looking for help is an act of faith as it implies that we cannot do it on our own strength or with our own resources. Looking to Him for help implies that we believe that He can do it though the situation looks impossible. As the Lord who made the earth, He gives us help in this world: to succeed in our professions, for grace and protection of the family, for provision and for promotion. He enlarges our territory or the domain of our influence. He makes our enemies a footstool for our rise. Though He has set the entire universe and all in it in motion according to some natural laws, He alone can supercede these laws based on cause and effect. He alone knows the factors that limit us as His creatures, the gaps in our lives. He will help us overcome the limiting factors and fill the gaps in our lives. Prateep V Philip

Breathe in the Word, Breathe out Prayer-praise

UV 445/10,000 Breathe in the Word and breathe out prayers 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness Some versions of the Bible translate this uni-verse as “ all scripture is God-breathed.” Indeed, Scripture is the breath of God. It is the spiritual equivalent of pure and unadulterated oxygen. When we read, reflect on, remember, meditate, analyse, imbibe, apply and obey it, we are truly inspiring the life- giving breath of God that first brought man to life. It is a different matter that much of the world today needs to be put on ventilator support. The fact remains that there is no substitute for scripture as there is no substitute for oxygen. The word, “ all” implies that every part of the canonized scripture is inspired by God and is both useful and essential. Once we recognize that scripture is the breath of God, then we will also realize that we need to continually breathe in scripture. We can intake portions of scripture and breathe out prayers and praises continually. This process is co-terminous with our own physical breath. When we stop breathing, then we can stop imbibing scripture and breathing out prayers and praise. Scripture is useful for discerning the truth, to discover what is correct doctrine, for admonition, for training in righteousness. In life every thing that happens to us leads to unconscious conditioning. When we learn and apply scripture, it leads to conscious training. It corrects the distortions in our perceptions of the essential truths of life and the lop-sided priorities of our lives are set right. Since scripture is eternal and unchanging, it is dependable in all generations and all circumstances. Divine inspiration is not the power of a few power- filled lives but it is the right, privilege and daily necessity of every child of God. The purpose of Scripture is to know who God really is and to make us like Him, perfect. It will equip us for every type of good work. Scripture establishes different types of balance in us: the God-man balance, the family balance, the work-life balance, the balance between the past, present and the future. It gives us an insight into every deep thing: the mind of God, the mind of Christ, the mind of man. It also gives us a realistic picture of the faults and failings of saints of the past and encourages us that if they could make it with their failings, we too can make it. Scripture is a perfect blend of knowledge, wisdom and practical application. It has many functions and real life applications and that is why so many metaphors are used to describe scripture: it is law, food, milk, breath, sword and shield,fire and hammer, dwelling, lamp and light and treasure. It is the spiritual corollary of all our physical necessities of life. In other words, it is necessary for our spiritual birth, growth,health and healing, strength, productivity, effectiveness, guidance,security, power, success and victory. Prateep V Philip

Triumph of hope over Experience

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Ruth ' s steadfastness in remaining faithful to her husband and his people has been applauded and upheld as a model for all to follow. The hapless Naomi had little to offer her widowed daughter in law. Death of her husband had absolved her of any ties or any need to remain with Naomi. But Ruth swore by her allegiance to Naomi ' s God and her people. She refused to be persuaded by Naomi's logic to return to her own people unlike the other daughter in law Orpah. The results are significant. Orpah was never heard off after her leaving. Ruth continues to inspire the faithful in every generation. Ruth added meaning, purpose and companionship in Naomi's otherwise empty life. Naomi's God-given wisdom gave Ruth a sense of guidance and security. As a result Ruth won the favour of Boaz, her Kinsman-redeemer. She goes on to be a mother and a forebear of the Messiah Jesus, our Kinsman-Redeemer. The lesson to be drawn from the bitter- sweet true story of Ruth is that regardless of the situation, we should hold on to the remnants of our faith: hold on to Jesus, never give up, never say , "all is lost", stick to the basics of our faith. The Sovereign Lord who sees our faithfulness will vindicate us. He will turn our empty lives into fruitful ones, our bitterness ad sadness into sweetness and joy. Maintain a sweet attitude despite bitter experience, a victorious feeling despite many failures, a triumphant hope despite a traumatic and tragic past. It is the triumph of hope over experience, conviction over opinion and faith over circumstance. Prateep V Philip