Scapegoat or Savior? Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

Did Israel believe in the Messiah? Of course they did. Just like you and me.

Whether they believed Jesua was the Messiah is another story. They had imagined the Messiah as a great military leader who would give them freedom from the oppressive Romans. After all, that's what they thought was promised. And that's what they believed. And that is how they treated Jesus till they realized that such was not the case. Then they turned on Him, crying for His blood. 

Like the Israelites of then, each of us have a picture of Jesus in our minds, and treat Him accordingly. some picture a shepherd, some a king, some a preacher. How many of us picture Him as a scape goat ? (A scape goat is a person who bears the blame and/ or punishment for something they have not done).

Today the question to myself is: Do I treat Jesus as a scapegoat or as a savior?

If we think of him as our scapegoat, we have not truly accepted our fault or sins, which in turn means there is no repentance because we never accepted it in the first place. This is true whether it is Jesus or any other person or thing.

On the other hand, if we treat Jesus as our savior, we believe he not only took our sins on His head but more than that He gave us a forgiven and ressurected life, a new life, wherein after our repentance and His forgiveness, we become a new people He will be proud to call His own.

The key word here is repentance and forgiveness, both of which are based on the acceptance of our sins, not passed on to someone else's head. No scapegoat.

Tomorrow starts the countdown to Easter. In this season can we stop seeing and treating Jesus as our scapegoat but pledge to become a new people, after Gods own heart, ressurected to a new life. Through Jesus Christ, who was the sacrificial lamb for OUR very own sins.

Fight that F.U.D. - Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

FUD stands for Fear, uncertainty and doubt. It is a very powerful tool, sometimes used by sales people to conjure a problem and position their product as the solution. All three, are are mainly from a perceived situation or a perceived threat. It's a natural emotion. You can read more about FUDs here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty,_and_doubt

Fuds are also a powerful tool used by Satan as well, because humans are very  susceptible to fear. These are so much more serious than sales fuds. They can in fact destroy us, if we are not strong.

 

As Christians , We face FUDs in our daily life, and when we do, we need to run into the word of God (note the word "into" not "to") and find our strength.

Paul's second letter to Timothy explains why we need not be susceptible to FUDs.

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind".

The Bible is full of verses that give us to power to fight and overcome FUD. And not only fight it but convert it into Faith , Certainty and Determination. Faith in God the father to be with us, Certainty that He will support us in whatever we face and Determination to overcome, any adverse circumstance, with the help of Jesus and God the Father.

Let me draw on Gods promises, nay, a commandment, made through Joshua and Paul to give you that strength and certainty if you need it today, as I most certainly do.

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Romans 8:28

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose".

Do we "Love to Hate"? - Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

Hate.
Has hate overcome us? Do we really love our neighbors as we profess?
Have you ever heard the cliché, “no bond is stronger than two people who hate the same person?” It turns out there is actually some truth to that statement. You can actually read more about it here https://www.scienceofpeople.com/hate/.

But today, this is not about hate but why we profess love, but love to hate.

As Christians we are commanded to love our neighbor (which includes everyone in this globally connected world) as we love ourselves which essentially means we do not do things to someone , anyone (even on social media) we would not do to ourselves.
And yet we do.

Do we really know what love is? There are 15 attributes to love. Unless we can't tick all 15 towards everyone (including social media) we cannot claim to be loving. AND IF WE CANT CLAIM THAT, WE DONT LOVE. AND IF WE DONT LOVE, WE HATE.

Peter Druker said "if you can't measure it, you can't improve it". As an exercise, let's evaluate ourselves against these 15 attributes and see for ourselves. These attributes are based on 1 Corinthians, 13 Verses 4-8. 

Love is patient,(1) love is kind (2). It does not envy (3), it does not boast (4), it is not proud (5) 5 It does not dishonor others (6), it is not self-seeking (7) it is not easily angered (8), it keeps no record of wrongs (9).6 Love does not delight in evil (10) but rejoices with the truth (11) It always protects (12), always trusts (13), always hopes (14), always perseveres (15).


How did it go?  Can we improve? Of course we can. After all Christ did it and If we have Him in our life, emulating Him is our goal. 

Are you ready to face your Goliath

Are You Ready to Face Your Goliath?

Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:34–49

There are moments in life when a challenge stands before us so large, so loud, and so intimidating that it feels like a Goliath. It taunts us. It exposes our fears. It reminds us of our limitations. And yet, Scripture invites us to look at this familiar story not as a children’s tale of courage, but as a blueprint for how ordinary people overcome extraordinary battles.

David was not a king when he faced Goliath.

He was not a warrior.

He was not trained, armed, or experienced in battle.

He was simply a shepherd boy — but a shepherd boy who knew his God.

And that made all the difference.

1. Bravery: The Courage That Comes From Knowing Who Walks With You

David didn’t brag about his strength. He simply stated the truth: he had faced lions and bears before, and God had delivered him every single time. His bravery wasn’t reckless; it was rooted in history — his history with God.

Most of us would run from a hungry lion. David ran toward it.

Not because he was fearless, but because he was faithful.

Your Goliath may not be a giant with armor. It may be a diagnosis, a financial burden, a broken relationship, a habit you can’t shake, or a fear you’ve carried for years. Bravery doesn’t mean you feel strong. It means you step forward because you know God is with you.

2. Humility: Giving God the Credit Before the Victory Comes

David didn’t say, “I killed the lion and the bear.”

He said, “The Lord who rescued me… will rescue me again.”

Humility is not thinking less of yourself — it is thinking rightly about yourself.

David knew he was capable, but he also knew he was not the source of his capability.

Humility positions us to receive strength that is not our own.

3. Faith: Trust Built on Yesterday’s Deliverance

David’s faith wasn’t blind. It was built on evidence.

God had shown up before.

God had protected him before.

God had empowered him before.

So David believed — not because the situation was small, but because his God was big.

Your faith grows the same way: by remembering the lions and bears God has already defeated in your life.

4. Complete Dependence: Choosing God Over Human Armor

Saul tried to equip David with armor, sword, and helmet.

David tried them on — and immediately took them off.

Why?

Because they didn’t fit.

Because they weren’t his.

Because they weren’t what God had used in his life before.

David chose dependence over equipment.

He chose God over strategy.

He chose trust over technique.

Sometimes the hardest part of facing your Goliath is removing the armor others put on you — expectations, advice, pressure, comparison — and standing before God with nothing but faith.

So… Are You Ready to Face Your Goliath?

Your Goliath is not the problem.

Your dependence on God is the real battle.

Victory doesn’t begin when the giant falls.

Victory begins when you decide to trust God completely.

Like David, you don’t need to be the strongest, the smartest, or the most prepared.

You just need to be the most surrendered.

The battle is not yours. It never was.

The battle belongs to the Lord.