UV3390/10000 Restraint and Motivation
Where there is no vision ( no revelation of God and His word), the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law (of God).
Proverbs 29 v 18
The revelation of God and His word are what restrains us from evil and our natural desires. It keeps us on the path of pursuing a principled or righteous life. The source of our blessing and happiness lies in our heeding and obedience of His word. Without the wisdom of the word filling us, we would succumb to lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life. The Word is like the reins with which a rider controls a horse. It keeps us from living wildly pandering to our whims and desires that are sinful and self destructive.
The Word teaches us to be determined, upright, hard working, considerate to others, unselfish, gentle in our communication. It influences at a deeper level our thought life from which proceeds all actions and behaviour. It gives us precepts or principles to guide all our decisions and actions. Apart from studying and apply the word diligently, we should also seek a vision or revelation from the Lord about His will and purpose for our lives. The person –specific revelation along with the word that is common to all believers will help us regulate our emotions and stay motivated and happy or fulfilled individuals.
We should seek and ask for a vision of the risen Jesus even as the murderous blood thirsty and ruthless Saul became transformed into St Paul, the apostle. Jesus defined Himself as the way. He is the way to blessing, happiness and wisdom. He is the way to eternal life, nay He is eternal life. John described Jesus as the Word for when we receive Him as the engrafted word into our hearts, we begin to understand and keep the law of God. He helps us discipline the natural man and experience the supernatural. Even as we are restrained from evil, we are motivated and impelled to be good and do good.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Saturday, November 2, 2019
In, Yet Not of the World
UV 3389/10000 In, Yet, Not Of the World
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17 v 16
We are called to be in the world and yet, not of this world. We are not to be “hyper -spiritual” or always other-worldly even as we are not to be worldly. If we are hyper -spiritual, we would be too salty for comfort. Salt should be used in appropriate proportions to the food we take or else it would cause hyper tension as well as makes the food repulsive. It implies that we are to be practical, sensitive, empathetic and wise to be of any use in this world to God or man. We need to live with our feet firmly planted in this world but our heads and hearts linked to heaven. As ambassadors of Christ, we are foreigners or strangers living in this world. We have passports to heaven but got visas to live in this world. We stay aloof from the malpractices or evils of this world even as we observe or honour customs and traditions that do not contradict or compromise our faith.
Scripture fore-warns us with certitude that the world will hate us even as it hated Jesus for our beliefs, values and principles. It does not mean, however that we dilute or compromise on our values in order to make ourselves more acceptable to others. We are vessels sanctified by His word and set apart to be used of Him in this world. Even as salt is used in small proportions, light is abundant and cannot be limited or measured. It implies that in terms of communication, we should be like salt in measured and deliberately chosen words while in terms of character and the values we espouse and practice, we should be like the light that dispels darkness decisively and effectively. There are some areas where we need to be discreet, discerning and subtle while in certain other areas and circles we can be open, expansive and overt in our faith and its expression.
Unlike the rest of the world, it is not circumstances or happenings that give us happiness but we derive our joy , enduring and everlasting from the peace, hope and assurance we have in Jesus. Our sense of purpose and our priorities distinguish us from the rest of humanity. We have similar needs and challenges like others of this world but we depend on the Lord to help us meet these needs and challenges and not on ourselves or others. Our source of strength and power ultimately are not of this world though we do use and develop the strengths, abilities and talents the Lord has invested in us from birth.
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17 v 16
We are called to be in the world and yet, not of this world. We are not to be “hyper -spiritual” or always other-worldly even as we are not to be worldly. If we are hyper -spiritual, we would be too salty for comfort. Salt should be used in appropriate proportions to the food we take or else it would cause hyper tension as well as makes the food repulsive. It implies that we are to be practical, sensitive, empathetic and wise to be of any use in this world to God or man. We need to live with our feet firmly planted in this world but our heads and hearts linked to heaven. As ambassadors of Christ, we are foreigners or strangers living in this world. We have passports to heaven but got visas to live in this world. We stay aloof from the malpractices or evils of this world even as we observe or honour customs and traditions that do not contradict or compromise our faith.
Scripture fore-warns us with certitude that the world will hate us even as it hated Jesus for our beliefs, values and principles. It does not mean, however that we dilute or compromise on our values in order to make ourselves more acceptable to others. We are vessels sanctified by His word and set apart to be used of Him in this world. Even as salt is used in small proportions, light is abundant and cannot be limited or measured. It implies that in terms of communication, we should be like salt in measured and deliberately chosen words while in terms of character and the values we espouse and practice, we should be like the light that dispels darkness decisively and effectively. There are some areas where we need to be discreet, discerning and subtle while in certain other areas and circles we can be open, expansive and overt in our faith and its expression.
Unlike the rest of the world, it is not circumstances or happenings that give us happiness but we derive our joy , enduring and everlasting from the peace, hope and assurance we have in Jesus. Our sense of purpose and our priorities distinguish us from the rest of humanity. We have similar needs and challenges like others of this world but we depend on the Lord to help us meet these needs and challenges and not on ourselves or others. Our source of strength and power ultimately are not of this world though we do use and develop the strengths, abilities and talents the Lord has invested in us from birth.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Stillness and Sure Deliverance
UV 3388/10000 Stillness and Sure Deliverance
The Lord will fight for you while you (only need to) keep silent and remain calm.
Exodus 14 v 14
The hapless Israeli slaves just freed from captivity under Moses were facing a new and looming threat with Pharaoh’s cavalry in hot pursuit to take them captive again. At this point, the Lord gives them this awesome promise and assurance that He would fight for them and they only need to be “still.” Even in the face of impossible odds, we need to only trust the Lord completely and practice stillness or calmness. We do not need to panic when we are under attack or face imminent threats. We just need to silently whisper a prayer and keep moving on with our lives. The Lord promises us sure deliverance from the threat, danger or risk we are confronting.
While we remain calm and confident in the face of the threat, the Lord does not remain still. He sends His angels to ensure our deliverance as He sent the angel to produce a thick cloud that hid the Israelites while they had light on their side as they advanced towards the Red Sea. He then bid the angel to cause the parting of the Red Sea so that the Israelites could march through as if they were on dry land. Indeed, the unseen hand and immense power of the Lord is seen in the change in circumstances.
When we face persecution, resistance or hostility, we should remain calm and unperturbed for we know that the Lord is near and deliverance cannot be far behind. The deliverance might come from supernatural intervention as above or from an apparently natural change in circumstances to our favour. Hence, the Psalmist wrote, “ Be still and know that I am God. “ When we remain still or apparently inert but spiritually vigilant, we see the greatness or glory of God even as the ancient Israelites under Moses witnessed it and praised the Lord. Such deliverance strengthens our faith and draws us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord. It is proof or evidence that God not only exists but that He rewards our faith and cares for us deeply.
The Lord will fight for you while you (only need to) keep silent and remain calm.
Exodus 14 v 14
The hapless Israeli slaves just freed from captivity under Moses were facing a new and looming threat with Pharaoh’s cavalry in hot pursuit to take them captive again. At this point, the Lord gives them this awesome promise and assurance that He would fight for them and they only need to be “still.” Even in the face of impossible odds, we need to only trust the Lord completely and practice stillness or calmness. We do not need to panic when we are under attack or face imminent threats. We just need to silently whisper a prayer and keep moving on with our lives. The Lord promises us sure deliverance from the threat, danger or risk we are confronting.
While we remain calm and confident in the face of the threat, the Lord does not remain still. He sends His angels to ensure our deliverance as He sent the angel to produce a thick cloud that hid the Israelites while they had light on their side as they advanced towards the Red Sea. He then bid the angel to cause the parting of the Red Sea so that the Israelites could march through as if they were on dry land. Indeed, the unseen hand and immense power of the Lord is seen in the change in circumstances.
When we face persecution, resistance or hostility, we should remain calm and unperturbed for we know that the Lord is near and deliverance cannot be far behind. The deliverance might come from supernatural intervention as above or from an apparently natural change in circumstances to our favour. Hence, the Psalmist wrote, “ Be still and know that I am God. “ When we remain still or apparently inert but spiritually vigilant, we see the greatness or glory of God even as the ancient Israelites under Moses witnessed it and praised the Lord. Such deliverance strengthens our faith and draws us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord. It is proof or evidence that God not only exists but that He rewards our faith and cares for us deeply.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The Shalom of Jesus
UV 3387/10000 The Shalom of Jesus
The Lord will make you the head (leader) and not the tail ( follower); and you will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen and pay attention to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today, to observe them carefully.
Deuteronomy 28 v 13
Very often in today’s world, we find that believers are not in the lead positions and are often sidelined because of the uncompromising principles and biblical values they stand for. So how does this uni-verse that promises that the faithful follower of Jesus will be the leader, who is always at the top and not at the bottom of the totem pole or hierarchy, play out in reality. The word “top” has a hidden meaning in it- “tabernacle of peace.” Since the Lord is “tabernacled” or resident in us, He is our ultimate as well as immediate leader. Regardless of the position we hold in this world, He will give us perfect peace which eludes the worldly. We are no longer the blind led by the partially blind but the visionaries of God led by the all knowing and all seeing Lord.
Being led by the Lord Himself, we have peace wherever we are or wherever we go and in whatever we do. Peace with God will enable us to be at peace with ourselves and others. This is the peace, Jesus said, that the world cannot give or take away. Our sense of purpose, power and direction is hinged on our paying careful attention to the word of the Lord. Peace or the Shalom of Jesus is a composite of all the blessings and promises of scripture. It is not the mere absence of conflict, stress or strife. It is the ultimate good. It is heaven’s currency that we amass here on earth. We can give it away or pass it on like a baton to others through our communications and our prayers.
Under the Old Covenant, people had to adhere or obey a whole host of commandments and rules which have been simplified, subsumed and reduced under the new covenant to just two commandments – love God totally and love others like we love ourselves. These two commandments should be our daily diet, our meditation day and night and we should do our best to adhere, practice, obey it wholeheartedly. The Word then promises that we will be the head, always at the TOP, never sidelined or sidetracked.
The Lord will make you the head (leader) and not the tail ( follower); and you will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen and pay attention to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today, to observe them carefully.
Deuteronomy 28 v 13
Very often in today’s world, we find that believers are not in the lead positions and are often sidelined because of the uncompromising principles and biblical values they stand for. So how does this uni-verse that promises that the faithful follower of Jesus will be the leader, who is always at the top and not at the bottom of the totem pole or hierarchy, play out in reality. The word “top” has a hidden meaning in it- “tabernacle of peace.” Since the Lord is “tabernacled” or resident in us, He is our ultimate as well as immediate leader. Regardless of the position we hold in this world, He will give us perfect peace which eludes the worldly. We are no longer the blind led by the partially blind but the visionaries of God led by the all knowing and all seeing Lord.
Being led by the Lord Himself, we have peace wherever we are or wherever we go and in whatever we do. Peace with God will enable us to be at peace with ourselves and others. This is the peace, Jesus said, that the world cannot give or take away. Our sense of purpose, power and direction is hinged on our paying careful attention to the word of the Lord. Peace or the Shalom of Jesus is a composite of all the blessings and promises of scripture. It is not the mere absence of conflict, stress or strife. It is the ultimate good. It is heaven’s currency that we amass here on earth. We can give it away or pass it on like a baton to others through our communications and our prayers.
Under the Old Covenant, people had to adhere or obey a whole host of commandments and rules which have been simplified, subsumed and reduced under the new covenant to just two commandments – love God totally and love others like we love ourselves. These two commandments should be our daily diet, our meditation day and night and we should do our best to adhere, practice, obey it wholeheartedly. The Word then promises that we will be the head, always at the TOP, never sidelined or sidetracked.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Showers and Powers of Blessings
UV 3386/10000 Showers and Powers of Blessings
I will make them and the places around My hill ( Jerusalem, Zion) a blessing. And I will make showers come down in their season; there will be (abundant) showers of blessing (divine favour).
Ezekiel 34 v 26
Often, we go out with an umbrella into the shower of blessings the Lord sends upon us. The Lord has promised in this uni-verse that He will make His flock of the faithful a blessing and that He would send abundant showers of blessing upon them. He will send us the spring or early rain as well as the latter rain or the blessings of our later days. We should drink upon His blessings to our fill. We should get soaked in His grace or favour. As we do, He will raise us up as His hill, the symbol or signboard pointing the way to the kingdom of heaven. When we live on the earth as If it is the kingdom of God, we are prepared and ready to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
Just as the rain penetrates the soil and reaches the depths to constitute underground rivers, pools and streams of ground water, the blessings of the Lord should penetrate our souls and cause it to be fertile soil for His seed to grow. We need a growth mind set and not set minds. With a growth mind set, we are ever willing to learn from the Teacher, the Holy Spirit. If He points out something negative, we should be willing to give it up for it is not the real “you” or “me”. These are weeds sown by the enemy in our fallen nature which unnoticed and unattended will overgrow the good seed of the Lord. Hence, we should not hold onto these, defend it or feed it but take divine or human feedback and just give it up.
We should not only count our blessings but also make our blessings count. Just as we harvest rain water to tide over periods of low or no rainfall, we should collect and conserve the blessings of the Lord as something precious and not allow it to drain off. When we recount the many mercies and grace that we have been recipients of, we would be filled with joy, praise and thanksgiving. Scripture says that this is what the kingdom of God is. It will nourish any dry root in us and cause us to grow splendidly, beautifully and bear much spiritual fruit for the glory of the Lord.
I will make them and the places around My hill ( Jerusalem, Zion) a blessing. And I will make showers come down in their season; there will be (abundant) showers of blessing (divine favour).
Ezekiel 34 v 26
Often, we go out with an umbrella into the shower of blessings the Lord sends upon us. The Lord has promised in this uni-verse that He will make His flock of the faithful a blessing and that He would send abundant showers of blessing upon them. He will send us the spring or early rain as well as the latter rain or the blessings of our later days. We should drink upon His blessings to our fill. We should get soaked in His grace or favour. As we do, He will raise us up as His hill, the symbol or signboard pointing the way to the kingdom of heaven. When we live on the earth as If it is the kingdom of God, we are prepared and ready to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
Just as the rain penetrates the soil and reaches the depths to constitute underground rivers, pools and streams of ground water, the blessings of the Lord should penetrate our souls and cause it to be fertile soil for His seed to grow. We need a growth mind set and not set minds. With a growth mind set, we are ever willing to learn from the Teacher, the Holy Spirit. If He points out something negative, we should be willing to give it up for it is not the real “you” or “me”. These are weeds sown by the enemy in our fallen nature which unnoticed and unattended will overgrow the good seed of the Lord. Hence, we should not hold onto these, defend it or feed it but take divine or human feedback and just give it up.
We should not only count our blessings but also make our blessings count. Just as we harvest rain water to tide over periods of low or no rainfall, we should collect and conserve the blessings of the Lord as something precious and not allow it to drain off. When we recount the many mercies and grace that we have been recipients of, we would be filled with joy, praise and thanksgiving. Scripture says that this is what the kingdom of God is. It will nourish any dry root in us and cause us to grow splendidly, beautifully and bear much spiritual fruit for the glory of the Lord.
Monday, October 28, 2019
The Heart - the Inmost Being
UV 3385/10000 The Heart – The Inmost Being
Trust (confidently) in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him, God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62 v 8
If we look at the word heart, it is the only word that can be formed from “earth”. The implication is that the only thing the Lord is deeply interested in on earth or in our lives is our heart. If we surrender our heart or the core or center of our being to Him, all the other spokes of life will connect from start to finish to Him. Our heart is where our true feelings and desires lie. It is our inmost being as distinguished from our superficial selves which others see on the outside. Prayer is a heart to heart conversation with God. The Lord sees if we trust Him with all of our heart at all times, not just when things are hunky dory or good but when things are sliding down. The way the Lord has fashioned our hearts, we have the Hobson’s choice of either trust Him or rust. Our confidence is not the arm of flesh or the weapon it wields. We trust Him for our protection, provision, promotion.
The heart is the repository of faith, hope and love. It is also the spring of the fruit of the spirit- of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and humility. Our hearts should not be hardened but always soft as liquid before the Lord. We should humble ourselves to acknowledge that we depend on Him and Him alone. He is our rock of refuge. We derive strength, comfort, guidance and wisdom from Him. We pour out our love, adoration, thanksgiving always from our hearts to the Lord. He will never neglect us or ignore our prayers. Scripture says that He always inclines His ear to hear our prayers and even the whisper of our hearts. The more we yield our heart to Him, the more He increases our yield.
The human heart is the sanctum sanctorum or the innermost part of our bodies, the living temple of God. Hence, our hearts should be undivided in its allegiance to the Lord and should be constantly sanctified by the Holy Spirit to be a suitable tabernacle or residence for the Lord. The Lord is the only One who reads and knows what lies in our hearts every moment of our lives. We need to pour out our hearts in prayer and reverence to ask the Lord to cleanse us of any hidden or wanton sin in our lives, to rid us of any anxious thought that is affecting our peace of mind.
Trust (confidently) in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him, God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62 v 8
If we look at the word heart, it is the only word that can be formed from “earth”. The implication is that the only thing the Lord is deeply interested in on earth or in our lives is our heart. If we surrender our heart or the core or center of our being to Him, all the other spokes of life will connect from start to finish to Him. Our heart is where our true feelings and desires lie. It is our inmost being as distinguished from our superficial selves which others see on the outside. Prayer is a heart to heart conversation with God. The Lord sees if we trust Him with all of our heart at all times, not just when things are hunky dory or good but when things are sliding down. The way the Lord has fashioned our hearts, we have the Hobson’s choice of either trust Him or rust. Our confidence is not the arm of flesh or the weapon it wields. We trust Him for our protection, provision, promotion.
The heart is the repository of faith, hope and love. It is also the spring of the fruit of the spirit- of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and humility. Our hearts should not be hardened but always soft as liquid before the Lord. We should humble ourselves to acknowledge that we depend on Him and Him alone. He is our rock of refuge. We derive strength, comfort, guidance and wisdom from Him. We pour out our love, adoration, thanksgiving always from our hearts to the Lord. He will never neglect us or ignore our prayers. Scripture says that He always inclines His ear to hear our prayers and even the whisper of our hearts. The more we yield our heart to Him, the more He increases our yield.
The human heart is the sanctum sanctorum or the innermost part of our bodies, the living temple of God. Hence, our hearts should be undivided in its allegiance to the Lord and should be constantly sanctified by the Holy Spirit to be a suitable tabernacle or residence for the Lord. The Lord is the only One who reads and knows what lies in our hearts every moment of our lives. We need to pour out our hearts in prayer and reverence to ask the Lord to cleanse us of any hidden or wanton sin in our lives, to rid us of any anxious thought that is affecting our peace of mind.
Set Free
UV 3384/10000 Set Free
And you will know the truth (regarding salvation), and the truth will set you free
John 8 v 32
If we continue to heed and obey the word, we will know that Jesus is the truth, that He is the One who sets us free from the penalty of sin. We are set free from our guilt, set free from our shortcoming. We are fulfilled in Him.
Jesus has set us free from the yoke of judgment. The lighter yoke He gives us is the yoke or responsibility to be righteous. He has set us free from our personal demons. We are no longer slaves to sin and death. We are now servants of God, children of God. The children of God are taught by the Holy Spirit and great is their peace. True freedom and peace is experienced by those who follow Jesus. We are more than conquerors as conquerors are afraid of death and defeat while we are set free from all such fears. We are more than conquerors for conquerors need to fight battles while the Lord has fought the battle for us and declared us righteous , worthy of eternal life or salvation. He has declared us victorious.
Jesus has set us free from lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and pride of life. He has set mankind who were once captives to these temptations completely free. He has set us free from our insecurities and anxieties about the future and about eternity. He has set us free from our own inhibitions and compulsions. We should not like the ancient Israelites seek to return to our captivity. We should relish, cherish and enjoy the new freedom we have in Christ.
And you will know the truth (regarding salvation), and the truth will set you free
John 8 v 32
If we continue to heed and obey the word, we will know that Jesus is the truth, that He is the One who sets us free from the penalty of sin. We are set free from our guilt, set free from our shortcoming. We are fulfilled in Him.
Jesus has set us free from the yoke of judgment. The lighter yoke He gives us is the yoke or responsibility to be righteous. He has set us free from our personal demons. We are no longer slaves to sin and death. We are now servants of God, children of God. The children of God are taught by the Holy Spirit and great is their peace. True freedom and peace is experienced by those who follow Jesus. We are more than conquerors as conquerors are afraid of death and defeat while we are set free from all such fears. We are more than conquerors for conquerors need to fight battles while the Lord has fought the battle for us and declared us righteous , worthy of eternal life or salvation. He has declared us victorious.
Jesus has set us free from lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and pride of life. He has set mankind who were once captives to these temptations completely free. He has set us free from our insecurities and anxieties about the future and about eternity. He has set us free from our own inhibitions and compulsions. We should not like the ancient Israelites seek to return to our captivity. We should relish, cherish and enjoy the new freedom we have in Christ.
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