The Perfecting of Love

1340/10,000 The Perfecting Of Love

But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

I John 2 v 5

When we keep or retain or store the Word in our hearts, the love of God is perfected in us. This is the mark of ownership and approval of God. We know that we belong to Him and He belongs to us. We will understand the length, breadth, height, depth of God ‘s love and make it manifest in practical ways in our lives. God’s love is perfect while our love for God as well as for other human beings is not perfect. Our motives are often selfish. The Word will correct the motive behind every thought and so perfect our love for God and others. It will help our love reflect the love of God. It will over time become like the love that St Paul describes in the first book of Corinthians: “ not jealous or conceited or proud, not holding a record of wrongs. Love is patient and kind and its faith, hope and patience never fail.”

We will see and understand the world through the templates of the Word. It will impart wisdom, judgement and discernment to us. It will replace our fears with faith and trust in the Lord and His ways. Perfect love has no fear in it. Imagine living a life with no fear. This is what is shalom or perfect peace. We obey the Word not out of fear of punishment or in pursuit of rewards but out of love for God. Scripture lives us a script for living and yet it gives us abundant freedom within this frame of reference. It throws light on a path to avoid as well as a path to follow. A command to obey is often accompanied by a promise to claim and a truth to proclaim.

Through the instrumentality of the Word, God consummates us or perfects and completes us. He fills the gaps and makes us whole. We will learn to walk in the ways of the Lord. Keeping the Word implies regularly reading, praying over scripture, meditating, believing, claiming, obeying and applying it in our practical lives. These disciplines will both bless us and make us a blessing. The Word is the medium of instruction and language of God and it enables us to communicate with Him, understand His priorities and make His priorities ours. The Word gives us a map that charts out the course of life as well as the path to eternal life. It shows us the channel on which we should pray and communicate with the Lord. The Word is also the medium through which He fills the cup of life with joy. Scriptures says that “there are pleasures forevermore at the right hand of God.” Many people shy away from scripture under the mistaken impression that it takes away their access to pleasure. It, in fact, reduces pain and enhances our delight, joy and pleasure of living.

Prateep V Philip

The Traditions That Rob

UV 1339/10,000 The Traditions that Rob
And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition
Matthew 15 v 6
The Pharisees tried to find fault with Jesus by saying that He and His disciples disobeyed the time-honoured traditions of the Jews. Jesus replied that they only obeyed the commandments of men and thereby disobeyed God. Jesus gave the instance of the tradition of “Corban” by which people could avoid helping their aged parents under the guise that the money was pledged to God as a gift. The rules, traditions and rituals rob a person of the redeeming power of the Word of God and causes it to be of no effect. Most traditions are vain, meaningless and costly shortcuts. Ultimately, the author of many of these ungodly traditions is the enemy of our souls-satan for He is the one who robs and destroys. The traditions grow on us like fungi and give us sops for our conscience that we are leading good and blessed lives. God does not want us to be ritual but spiritual. To be spiritual is a matter of the soul and spirit. It is deep and internal. It is real and causes deep seated change or transformation. It causes a person to enjoy the presence of the Lord and to be so blessed. When we are truly rooted in the Lord, we are always aware of His presence. The Lord is not inert and His presence will release His power in and through us. We will receive His anointing and grace. We will receive and exercise spiritual gifts like healing, discernment, deliverance, prophecy, word of knowledge and word of wisdom. Our communication will be godly. He will not let our words be in vain or to fall to the ground without effect or fruit.

Human traditions have the opposite effect on our lives. It limits our freedom and our ability to enjoy a personal relationship with God. We learn to make do with a poor substitute for spirituality and the blessings of the Lord. Instead of blessings, we will only enjoy the respect and status that human beings confer for conforming to customs. Most of the rules associated with established religion are man-made and have little to do with what pleases God. It made people feel good or look good on the outside like “white-washed sepulchres.” God does not want us to be self-pleasers or man-pleasers but God-pleasers. Such self-pleasing and man-pleasing people are like rootless trees that do not bear fruit. The ones who teach and fight to uphold these traditions are like the blind leaders of the blind. They do not know who God really is and they are not able to distinguish between truth and untruth. They lack a vision. Their passion consequently is directed at meaningless and useless priorities of their lives.
God measures us by looking at our hearts. He sees what we give priority to or set greatest store by in our lives. He sees where our heart is and where our treasure is for He knows that where our treasure is, there our hearts will be. He checks the loyalties of our heart and if we worship Him and Him alone in spirit, truth and the beauty of holiness. He is not concerned with external standards by which human beings judge but He is concerned with what is stored in our hearts. He is not concerned with the food that goes into our bodies but the words that come out of our mouths that are a reflection and outpouring of our hearts. He is concerned whether His Word has taken root in our hearts, whether the Holy Spirit dwells therein and causes the commands and promises of God to grow, mature and bear fruit of the spirit or God-like character in our lives. We need to ask ourselves what are the traditions that we are conditioned to honour from our childhood that does not please God and have it removed by the roots and cast out of our lives.

Prateep V Philip

Stars Forever

UV 1338/10,000 Stars Forever
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever
Daniel 12 v 3

There is a divine calling for every human being to be wise. To be wise is far more important than being knowledgeable. The personal knowledge of God is what gives us the edge over normal leaders and managers. We know Him as Friend, Master, King, Saviour, Lord, Lover, Fortress,Shepherd, Shield and Song. He is the bright morning star- the Sun of Righteousness. When we point others to Him both verbally and non verbally, we ourselves shine brightly like stars. We become the direction finders of humanity. The stars are enormous sources of almost infinite light. Mere intellectual power or physical charisma or our natural strength and talents can never make any mere mortal like a star. But our life in union with God through Christ will distinguish us as stars.
In ancient times, people found their way around by observing the position of the stars. Similarly, by the beacon of light from a lighthouse, ships would avoid shipwreck on rocky shores. Similarly, our life’s chief purpose is to be a lighthouse unto others, to be a star to point people the way to heaven. Jesus said, “ I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus is the way to God and to heaven, the truth of eternity and the source of living fully and abundantly. When we become signboards pointing to Jesus, we are the signposts on the way, the truth-liver and the ones who will live forever. We will shine brighter and brighter in the darkness of the contemporary world. When we intercede and plead for the salvation of people, we are pointing them to God. Even a star will die or fall as a comet but a believer is a star forever.

Gandhiji said, “ My life is my message.” But none of us can say that our message is greater than the message of love that we received in Jesus. Instead, our messages about Jesus is our life. Our goal is to turn as many as possible to righteousness. Our power comes from leading faithful and testimonial lives. Our words and actions should align with and corroborate our beliefs in order for us to shine like stars. God is the creator of the infinite number of stars in the universe. When He dwells in us and with us, each of us is actually more powerful than any star or galaxy of stars. When we believe God and trust Him, there is no limitation in time and space that can constrain us. When we teach and share the Word of God, we are stars radiating the light of God in this dark world. Daniel was a slave in Babylon. Yet God raised him up to hold a worldly position as a chief civil servant for the Emperor and he found favour with successive emperors. He had considerable knowledge by the standards of the age. He had the spirit of excellence in him. His foremost quality was he gave first place in his life to God. He had no immediate family and in all probability was made an eunuch in order to serve the king as was the practice in that time. But spiritually as a man of God and as a prophet who received rare visions and messages from the Lord, he outshone all the emperors and prominent people of the age. Spiritually, he is marked out as a star forever, a person esteemed by God.

Prateep V Philip

The Folly of the Number Game

UV 1337/10,000 The Folly of the Number Game
And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it
I Chronicles 21 v 2

David was tempted by satan to take a census of his fighting force and the people of Israel. He wanted to take stock to bolster his pride and confidence. Taking a census is considered a normal thing for governments since Roman times but David taking a head count signified that he was revelling in the strength of numbers instead of finding his strength in the joy of the Lord or in what pleases God. Today, it is a national as well as global and individual obsession with numbers that afflicts human beings. But God is not interested in mere numbers. Our confidence too should not be in the extent of money we possess or the resources we have or the number of people we lead or influence.

David’s seemingly simple act of taking a head count displeased God so much that He sent Gad his prophet to ask David to choose from a set of three afflictions: three years of famine, three months of military defeat at the hands of his foes or the sword of the angel of the Lord. David chose wisely to fall into the hand of the Lord for he knew that God is far more merciful than men or nature. God sent a plague upon Israel that took the lives of seventy thousand men. David and his elders pleaded with the Lord for mercy and the Lord relented and restrained the angel of death.

The moral of this event in David’s and Israel’s history is that we should be dependent only on the Lord for success, blessing, prosperity, health and well being. It is not a question of being “also dependent” on God. When we depend on any other thing like earthly riches or the strength of the people we know and lead, our own abilities and talents, it displeases the Lord and could be the cause of much affliction. Our devotion to God should be whole-hearted, undivided and focussed. When David’s error was pointed out to him, he repented and made amends. In the course of our life and leadership, we too might be prone to such temptations and errors of judgement. We should be sensitive enough to quickly restore the equilibrium of our faith and our relationship with God when it is pointed out to us by the Holy Spirit or by the people who advise us. David failed to heed the warning of Joab. We are to be dependent on godly counsel, dependent on grace not might, dependent on the Word and not numbers, dependent on the promises of God not the assurances of men, dependent on the blessings of God not on material or human resources. We are to rejoice in the presence of God and not in power or prestige of men. Our decisions and actions will clearly show the focus of our dependence, the source of our confidence, the reason for our delight.

Prateep V Philip

Spiritual Wisdom versus Worldly Wisdom

UV 1336/10,000 Spiritual Wisdom versus Worldly Wisdom
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
James 3 v 17

This uni-verse distinguishes between two types of wisdom: one that is earthly or worldly, devilish and sensual and the other that is from above, godly, spiritual and eternal. The authors of both types of wisdom are different: Lucifer and Jesus. The source as well as the manifestations are distinct. We cannot mix one with the other as it would be like mixing oil and water. The first type of wisdom is short-lived and accursed. It limits one’s growth and development. Its fruit are strife, violence, envy, pride, vengeance, resentment, hatred, sorrow, rudeness, lust, covetousness and lack of self control. Such wisdom has an outer veneer of goodness but underneath lies all kinds of evil ambition and untruth.

The wisdom that is from above is peaceful, gentle, easily persuaded, full of mercy, love, joy, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, contentment, graciousness and self control. It is not partial or insincere or hypocritical. It is pure. It is not ill mannered. It is not short sighted. We should never adulterate spiritual wisdom with worldly wisdom. Worldly wisdom is based on deception or false assumptions and beliefs while spiritual wisdom is based on the revelation of the truth.

The first type of wisdom enables people to get ahead in this world. The second type of wisdom enables us to live a life full of grace and peace. The first type of wisdom is selfish and enables people to please and indulge themselves. The second type of wisdom enables us to please God and to deny our own lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life. Spiritual wisdom bears fruit in word and deed. Worldly wisdom bears fruit only in words. Spiritual wisdom makes us look unto God for all things while worldly wisdom makes people look down on others. Spiritual wisdom will grow roots downwards and bear fruit upwards for the glory of God.

Prateep V Philip

The Refining Process

UV 1336/10,000 The Refining Process

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God
Zechariah 13 v 9
In nature as in our bodies, it is only a part of the food that we eat that is absorbed by the body- a major part or two thirds is rejected and excreted. There is a process of refinement and purification involved in life. The application of this principle is that everything that we desire or think or speak is not necessarily good. It should be sent through certain processes of separation of good from bad, of distillation for the end product to be absolutely useful and good. None of us is perfect but all of us are exhorted by Jesus to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. It implies that we should not be content with what is good. It should get better and keep getting better till it reaches the point of best. Improvement, constant improvement is the order of the day in the Kingdom of God. Excellence is the process and perfection is the destination.

God uses fire and water to refine us. The “hot” times are the times He tests us through fiery experiences. He uses water to cool and wash us – these are the “cool” times. An alternation of “hot” and “cool” is used to shape and fashion us, to purge and refine us. The pure and refreshing water that He uses to “cool” us is the Word of God. It gives us the confidence and the courage, the persistence and the inner strength to keep moving through the “fire”. When we go through the fiery experiences, the dross or impurities, the doubts and fears melt and are separated from our faith and character.

If we are three parts- body, mind and spirit, it is the third part- the spirit that gets greatly strengthened when our faith and our personal relationship with our Maker and Redeemer, our God and our Lord is purified. Our spiritual eyes are opened. We live no longer by sight but by faith. We realize that it is only God who saves us and preserves us through the fire and the water. First we call on Him and He hears our call. Our faith in Him grows when we realize that the Lord has heard our prayers. When we affirm that “He is our God”, He in turn affirms that “ we are His people.” The mutual recognition of each other is the basis of a personal relationship. When we do this voluntarily, we reduce the workload for God and reduce the pain we need to go when we compel Him to subject us to various fiery learning, pruning, refining, distilling exposures in life.

Collectively, we constitute the remnant in the crucible of God- the pure and precious remnant. We need to willingly acquiesce and joyfully participate in the process of refinement and purification. We should stop resenting it and struggling with God as the word “ Israel” implies. We should also send our speech, our thoughts and our desires through a filteration process. The litmus test is whether it is pleasing to God. If it is pleasing to God then it is wholesome and healthy for us. God Himself is described as a consuming fire. The Holy Spirit is a gentle flame. We need to ask the Lord to remove the dross or what is unnecessary from our desires, thoughts and words. The God-man gap is what is known as "sin" or "hamartia". The process of refinement reduces and closes the gap.

Prateep V Philip

Our God Concept

UV 1335/10,000 Our God Concept

And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
Isaiah 37 v 14
Hezekiah the king of Israel was facing the overwhelming odds of a military confrontation with the formidable army of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. The latter sent a messenger who asked him not to be deceived into believing that the God of Israel could save them from being routed and captured. The letter spoke about the numerous kingdoms that the Assyrian army had already overrun. Hezekiah responded by going to the temple of the Lord and spreading out the letter of Sennacherib before the Lord. Hezekiah first affirmed his faith in God and praised His glorious name. He then sought the help of the Lord remembering how the Lord had helped Israel in the past against mighty enemies and given them great deliverance. The Lord responded by assuring him that their enemies would go back the way they had come.

The same night that the Assyrian army encamped around Jerusalem in readiness to capture it, the Lord sent an angel of death and slew 1,85,000 troops. Sennacherib returned back to Nineveh and there he was assassinated by two of his own sons. In this day and time, each of us face overwhelming odds at times. Instead of being overcome with fear, grief and panic, we should spread our sheet before the Lord and seek the help of His mighty angels. He is Ebenezer God and is always willing to come to the help of the faithful who depend not on their own prowess or ability but on the strength of their God. Our faith is dependent on our "God concept" or our understanding of who God is and the extent of His love, mercy and grace towards us. Hezekiah based on his study and knowledge of the history of Israel from the times of Moses had an excellent "God concept".


Whatever be the challenge or difficulty we are facing, we should believe and affirm that God is greater, infinitely greater than the totality of our problems. Going to the house of the Lord in the New covenant context is to search deep within us, in the tabernacle of our own souls where God dwells for His ever present help. “ Spreading our sheet before the Lord” implies laying claim to the promises of God contained in His word, lying spread-eagled in His presence, surrendering and casting our burdens at His feet. The name "Sennacherib" implies "sin replaced my brothers". It ironically meant that every earthly king relies on sinful or cursed power. The mightiest power on earth is limited and circumscribed by the sovereign authority of God. The name “Hezekiah” in contrast means “ God is my strength”. Each of us is called to be a king Hezekiah in our own domains. Just as God helped Hezekiah safeguard his capital Jerusalem, He will help us guard our capital, or our home, our hearts, our health, our possessions, our faith, our well being from every attack of the sinful enemy. The Lord allows the Sennacheribs of the world to rise against us so that we will have a wonderful testimony or evidence of the faithfulness and reality of God's present, practical and sufficient help in our lives. The most important leadership concept is the God concept. If we have got this concept right, every thing else will fall in place.


Prateep V Philip