What did you Gift this Christmas?

We have all heard this story of the widow's mite. Have you thought about where you fit into the story? I would guess, somewhere in the middle. 

I understand poverty; the feeling that you don't know how you will pay the bills or buy food for your children. I am keenly aware of wondering how I will put oil in my tank so that we would have heat and spent many nights where the temperature was below fifty in the house. At that time, my donation to the Lord was time and talent. I gave time to my church and taught classes to children and adults. When we don't have money, it doesn't mean that we don't have anything to offer to God. We can offer time and talent to a church, or to the community. As long as we are giving whatever we can offer in service to the people, we are offering our gifts to God. 

For the rich, money is an easy way out. It is easier for them to throw money into a cause than to donate their time. Money is also important. In small churches, I have seen people take care of everything from baking cookies for a gathering after church to taking care of the grounds, shoveling snow or planting flowers. 

In many of the larger churches, the people don't seem to have time to share their talents, so they pay into the collection. Another thing I have noticed, is that the rich pay what they want and not necessarily enough to keep their church open and then they get upset because it's closed or that the minister is only part-time and isn't available when they want him or her. 

The important thing for us is to decide what we have to offer God and then to do it. The choice is ours.

Francis Taylor

The Unsung Hero of Christmas

"We haven't thought about Joseph's role in salvation yet. Joseph must have been very confused when he found out that Mary was pregnant, but because he loved her, he didn't want her to be disgraced and possible stoned to death. He believed the angel, married Mary, and became the foster father of Jesus. 

No one knew that he wasn't actually Jesus' father...... What makes a child a son or daughter? I believe that it is love.

Joseph loved Jesus and raised him to be a faithful Jewish boy, brought him to the synagogue so that he would know the Scriptures and taught him the skills of being a carpenter. He gives us an example of what it means to be a parent regardless of the circumstances". (Ms Francis Taylor)

We don't really think about it but what if Joseph had not accepted the angels statement? After all he did have free will. How many of us would have done that? I can't think of anyone. 

He loved Jesus, protected Him, trained him in skills and acted as any father would. What would he have felt, knowing he was a human father to God Himself? Did he expect some material privileges? Or did they go through the grind every family goes through? I am sure he and they did. 

What an awesome role Joseph played! Yet we do not give him much thought. Let's take a moment to think about him and learn how to be a father. 

Joseph, the unsung hero of Christmas. 

The Power of Peace: Pastor Rajiv's Christmas Message

 

The Christmas Spirit

 

For many people, advent can also be a time of sadness as they may lost a lived one this year or in the years preceding. Christmas time can be full of sadness as well as it brings back memories of who we lost.

It is also a time when we can turn those sad memories into pleasant ones. We can rediscover joy in small moments and family traditions in holiday celebrations—perhaps use your grandmother’s favorite pie plate or your mother’s treasured sugar cookie recipe. Let those memories bring us joy and gratitude for the time spent together.

But above all, we can find great joy by being the hope that pierces through someone else’s darkness. Maybe some elders joy of visiting; maybe filling in a void being felt by someone; maybe simply sharing Christmas food stuff with someone who does not have; gifting a child something he or she wanted but could not get for some reason or the other. it above all, sharing your time and love with someone, in the family and outside.

It's simply a matter of sharing love, joy, peace and hope.

The Christmas Spirit

For many people, advent can also be a time of sadness as they may lost a lived one this year or in the years preceding. Christmas time can be full of sadness as well as it brings back memories of who we lost.

It is also a time when we can turn those sad memories into pleasant ones. We can rediscover joy in small moments and family traditions in holiday celebrations—perhaps use your grandmother’s favorite pie plate or your mother’s treasured sugar cookie recipe. Let those memories bring us joy and gratitude for the time spent together.

But above all, we can find great joy by being the hope that pierces through someone else’s darkness. Maybe some elders joy of visiting; maybe filling in a void being felt by someone; maybe simply sharing Christmas food stuff with someone who does not have; gifting a child something he or she wanted but could not get for some reason or the other. it above all, sharing your time and love with someone, in the family and outside.

It's simply a matter of sharing love, joy, peace and hope.

Who throws away a dollar?

They say time is money. If we would throw away money, why would we throw away time? 

Many people say (specially the older ones) we are living on borrowed time. Well, consciously or unconsciously they speak the truth.

Time belongs to God, not us. God created time. We have a choice - use time as our own luxury or use time as a lent resource, each day being a gift. No matter your age.

So how does one use time? A Biblical guideline could be as below :

1. Use time with Biblical wisdom. Ephesians 5:15-16 says – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.”

2. Truly Recognize the brevity of life and seek God’s guidance in managing our time wisely. We say "truly" because for humans, especially younger ones, death is a distant dream. Psalm 90:12 says – “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

3. Surrender our plans and endeavors to God, acknowledging His sovereignty over our time

Proverbs 16:3 says – “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

4. Value each moment - treat it as an investment. Use those moments to build relationship with God and relationships with people. Count and use your blessings with wisdom, not frivolously, for blessings are from God. Let's not wait for the "opportune time" or our own convenience to do something. James 4:14 says – “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring...."

5. Finally, acknowledge who created and owns time.

Psalm 31:15 – “My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!”

This verse affirms our trust in God’s control over our time and circumstances, acknowledging Him as the ultimate authority and seeking His deliverance and guidance.

These are but a few tips, easy to read but difficult to act on. Let us do meditate on these and be conscious of time going by.

ReplyForward

Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message: God Does Hear; God Does Answer!

 

The Farmer's Prayer: A story by Crystal Ross

 

A while back I read a story of a visiting pastor who attended a men's breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area of the country.

The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.

"Lord, I hate buttermilk", the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going. The farmer loudly proclaimed, "Lord, I hate lard." Now the pastor was growing concerned. Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, "And Lord, you know I don't much care for raw white flour". The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn't the only one to feel uncomfortable.

Then the farmer added, "But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So, Lord, when things come up that we don't like, when life gets hard, when we don't understand what you're saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits Amen."

Within that prayer there is great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated situations like we are experiencing in the world today.

Stay strong, my friends, because our LORD is mixing several things that we don't really care for, but something even better is going to come when HE is done with it. AMEN

Crystal Ross 

The Challenge

Yesterday we were challenged to change one thing in our life, to be in line with the 10 commandments, and present that sacrifice as a gift to the baby Jesus this Christmas.

At first glance at the 10 it seems we have adhered to all and there is nothing much to change anyway.

But a deeper look does throw up some interesting deviations. Lets look under the hood. 

Take for instance the 2nd commandment. Surely, we do not make nor worship idols. Now when we think of an idol, we envision a man-made figure of wood or stone, or something in nature that we worship. And of course, we do not do that.

Merriam Webster defines an idol as - an object of extreme devotion or a representation or symbol of an object of worship. The Oxford dictionary defines it as an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship; the Bible dictionary calls it an image or anything used as an object of worship in place of the true God.

In short, anything that takes precedence over God can be an idol. For example, say there is a game scheduled on a Sunday, where some top stars are going to play. Many people may forgo church, attend the game and generally have a great day. Do you think we have idolized the game? If we have, we may have actually broken two commandments - the 2nd and the 4th. Check it out. 

Anything that dilutes and defocuses our relationship with God is actually an idol. It could be our children, parents, our wife or husband; it could be a game, a habit, an addiction and something as simple as food. In today's world, I think the most common deviation maybe idolizing ourselves, our job, which though a blessing, can become an idol. And the most common one is Christmas itself. we have idolized it as an event!

When we look at the 2nd commandment with that perspective, see how guilty we possibly are?

GUILTY!

7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.”

Matthew 15 Ver 7-9

If we were on trial on our behavior and response to the almighty, GUILTY would surely be the verdict. So, what do we do about this? Here is a great suggestion from Ms. Francis Taylor:

"What example do we give others? If we are known as Christians, do our actions proclaim it? We can't take for granted that we are living as Jesus wants us to live if we don't pay attention. Just as in Lent, we are called to a greater sense of reflection, Advent reminds us that this life is not our final home. It can be overwhelming to try to see all of the areas that might need to be improved, so I'm suggesting that we take just one of the Ten Commandments that we might have some trouble with and see what changes we need to make to become more faithful to God. Perhaps we have trouble with the truth. Maybe we gossip, wanting to be the first to pass on juicy pieces of information. It might be that we need to clean up our speech and stop swearing and cursing. It can be anything that we find interferes with our relationship with God. If it interferes with our relationships with other people, it interferes with our relationship with God".

So, are you up to the challenge? Can you pick just one of the 10 and consciously make the effort to improve this Advent so we can give our gift of obedience to the Baby Jesus this Christmas.

The Truth about Ruth

                                   

Ruth 1:16 “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

Reading the story of Ruth has always been an inspiration. Naomi is devastated, Ruth's decision to tie herself into the hopeless situation of Naomi and her life changing decision to jump from the frying pan into the fire is incomprehensible by today's standard. She faced complete devastation yet became an inspiration for us when we face hard and terrible tragedy or circumstances.

Joy Burgess puts it so well when she says -

"When life brings devastation, it’s not easy to hope. It’s hard to have faith. But when things are the most difficult, that’s when we need faith and hope the most. In the moments where life feels like it’s crushing you, start with a little faith. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And looking at the book of Ruth, we can see that even when we can’t see beyond our pain to his plan, we can have hope that our story isn’t over – better days are coming.

It was a sacrifice for Ruth to refuse to return to her family. Her commitment to journey on with Naomi was a beautiful, selfless act, and a stunning example of the love of Christ – the same Christ who would be of her bloodline years later.

No matter your past, you still have a purpose. Your past is not your final destination when you make a choice in faith, when we put our trust in God. While our confidence may be wavering, God’s promises are not."

                                                      Joy Burgess in 7 Powerful Lessons we can Learn from Ruth.

Unlike today's influencers Ruth was not setting a trend. Ruth had no idea that millions of people would read her story and it would motivate many men and women across the world.

Broken Spirit

Jonah 2: 7
When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple".

"The loss of a loved one causes deep sorrow; we feel anguish at the thought of separation from the ones we love".

This grief, no matter of how long ago, never really goes but get heightened on special occasions and most of all at Christmas. Memories can cause a lot of pain.

"Grief piles so high upon our hearts; we feel suffocated and broken. Then we remember our God and His unconditional love; we feel His presence and recall His promise of eternal life. Although it's difficult to be separated today, we know we will be reunited. God never breaks His promises, and our faith brings us hope for a new day".

Ms. Francis Taylor

Today we have shared this video which was shared by a reader of this blog. We further share it for all those broken-hearted people who may take some comfort.

Outside Looking inside.

I'm on the outside looking inside,

                                         What do I see?

                                         Much confusion, disillusion,

                                         Deep inside me.

There is a very powerful devotional called God Calling, https://www.twolisteners.org/, and we recommend you may get it as well. Its supposed to be Jesus speaking to 2 ladies, seemingly getting overwhelmed with life, as many of us are maybe. We suggest you may get it as well. Today's posting is quoted from this book - Devotional of November 28.

"To work from large interests, and a desire for great activities and world movements, to the inner circle life with me, is really the wrong way. That is why, so often, through all these activities and interests, a soul finds me, I have to begin our friendship by cutting away ties that bind it to the outer and wider circle. When it has gained strength and learned its lesson in the inner circle, it can then widen its life, working this time from within out, taking then, to each contact, to each friendship, the inner circle influence.

And this is to be your way of life.

This is the way of the spirit. Man so often misunderstands this".

We have quoted this as it makes a lot of sense. We are influenced by the world around us, trying to guide our hearts in line with Gods word. Whereas maybe it should be the other way round. Letting Gods word into our soul which will guide us as we navigate the external world. 

This, of course is open to opinion and we would love our readers to think about this and share your thought with us as well.

Unseen Anguish !

Genesis 42 : 21 ESV
Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

This is a very popular story about Joseph and his brothers. So popular and familiar that, in fact, that we sometimes overlook the small nuances which is the case in this verse.

Nowhere in Joseph's story is it written about what he went through. What he felt. But in this verse, it talks about the anguish he felt as he was left in that pit to die. He was distressed and anguished to his very soul. Such a strong emotion that his soul itself was distressed.

Or so he thought. If only he knew Gods plan, he would have happily gone into the pit on his own, singing merrily.

Isn't it much like a lot of situations we face in life? We don't know the outcome, so we are distressed and anguished. In that anguished moment we envision the worst outcomes, like probably Joseph did. Or we may have been the cause of such anguish, like Joseph's brothers, and walked away without a thought. Or there maybe someone who is anguished by life itself and we walk away, without a second thought.

Today, let us pause to think of all the times we may have been in either situation, and, take corrective action. If we have been anguished, remember the time and remember the outcome, forgive the person and thank God who brought us through. Forgiveness is sweet.

And if we have been the perpetrators, ask for forgiveness from the Almighty and take steps of repentance. In case we are neither, and someone we know is in distress, let us not ignore them.

When we are in distress and anguished, let's focus on the one who helps us fly above the storm like the eagle, using the force of the storm itself.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

It is not Thanksgiving!

                              

No, it's not the last Thursday of November. That is a tradition reserved for Americans. 

Since its the season we call it out today, though it could be any day in the year to stop to think of His greatness - from the universal to the personal, and all that we have been blessed with. Think life; think Covid; think tsunami; yet we are blessed to be here. 

Thanksgiving is a tradition. Let's make it a habit!

Creation, by itself, fills one with awe when you stop to think how it could have been made. Imagine this: the earth hangs in the air, with no support, rotates so that each part of it gets the sun and the moon by turns. We praise Him for this creation that we enjoy day on day, night by night, every second.

Think about ourselves. Truly He knew us much before we were born. He brought us into a family or friends who brought us to Him. We thank God for their presence in our lives. Think about the moments of great danger we did not even know yet protected. 

He gave us handpicked life partners for continuity when our parents ceased to live. He gave us the fellowship of believers, past and present, who helped us in our journey. When we didn't connect to the right partner, He gave us access to a fellowship. When we did not appreciate them or use them, He gave us a reason to; every morning - when we woke up, we gained consciousness. He gave us each day- to live and bless. 

He used family and friends, dead and alive, to take care of us when we needed it most. He circled us with a hedge of His protection throughout our lives. He took us away from danger even when we may not even be aware.

While we may be going through tough times, we keep going in His grace and strength. We are still protected by His hedge. After all we live in this world and will face challenges of this world. But we live in hope, because all these people brought us to Him who gave us this hope. 

Let us praise Him and thank Him for His love and all these people who shared His love with us.

Crowd Sourced Missionaries

The world is full of people in need of something. Even the richest have needs, as do the poorest. Everyone has some need or the other.

As we are called upon to support one another, how do we fill in the needs of all the people around us? Financial, emotional, education, jobs, medical, loneliness, and the list goes on. No one single person can help fulfill all this.

Or can they?

We know of a lady who tries to do just that and has developed a very unique operating model. When she comes to know of someone in need, she first listens, ascertains it is genuine to the best of her ability, and then circulates that need to her circle of friends and acquaintances. People come together, contribute what they can, and she then channelizes it to the person who needed it. She does not amass on a large scale and then distribute. She addresses each need separately - be it a wedding of a poor person, or medical needs or education, clothes, food and so on. 

In short, she has created an informal support group where people come together to help address some need, of someone. They are crowd sourced missionaries, with one mission: helping people.

These missionaries do not realize it, but this is their mission. Individually, they do not profess great Biblical knowledge, nor are philanthropists, nor have any extra money. Together they are a strong force for good, driven by simply concern for others. 

The point here is that we can all do it, if we train ourselves to be empathetic and sensitive, to other's needs. 

Potentially, we are all angels, though some of us may not know it yet! So, lets pick up our socks and find out someone's need. Let us not wait for someone to ask. 

Prophecies: Part II - Continuing Pastor Rajiv's Message

 

My Horrorscope

 

Or horoscope?

Such is man's desire to know his or her future that we resort to the stars, who tell us when and what will happen. Especially when we are facing tough times, we are extremely keen to know when it will end. We pray about it, we remember Gods promises and when it does not happen, we are tempted to resort to the stars.

Many also read their horoscopes for fun, entertainment or just to pass time at an airport. Or so they think: If there is some strong prediction, one does not forget it and, consciously or subconsciously, starts linking events to it. Whether we like it or not, want it or not, it does have an effect on us. 

At such times we need to remind ourselves two things - Gods ways are not our ways, and our time is not His time. We need to wait on Him, for His ways.

As regards our horoscopes, in Isaiah 47, we see that God condemned those who did use astrology in this way. Verse 12 first condemns the magicians, and then verses 13-14 goes say the following: “Where are all your astrologers, those stargazers who make predictions each month? Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds".

I not only take that as a warning but a threat as well. It definitely conveys God's displeasure. Now, if the creator of our future is displeased, what happens to our future? 

Why is Prophesy Important: Pastor Rajiv's Weekly Message

 

This is Part I of the complete message where Pastor Rajiv gives the history and reasons behind the prophesying. 

Instant Gratification

We live in a world where time is in short supply. People need instant delivery to their wants and desires. Fast food, instant shopping, instant messaging, instant food, everything needs to be off the shelf and quick. Slow cookers are special and even hone cooked food is a luxury! 

LIFE is short on time and short on patience.

The fourth fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 is translated as “longsuffering,” or in modern vernacular, “patience.” This concept has become completely foreign to our modern culture. But is it part of our Christian ethos? We are not saying we should not use "instant services". What we are saying is that we should not let it become our character. Why? For an answer we will draw from a spiritual website named Life, Hope and Truth where a writer named Tom shares his thoughts. He says -

"Patience is a part of God’s nature and character, and something He wants us to be developing as well....

David wrote about the need to “wait on the LORD” numerous times in the Psalms.

It seems he saw that need in himself, because God doesn’t always work as quickly as he (or we) would like! It often requires patience to wait until we see what He is going to do!

Are you and I patient enough? Probably not—so how can we learn to grow in patience? Here are a few thoughts:

1. Seek to have more empathy.

When we become impatient with people, it can be helpful to try to put ourselves in their shoes. The ability to think outside of ourselves and our immediate needs or wants—to consider what the people around us are facing—is important.

It helps us understand them a little better, and perhaps give them the benefit of the doubt. It helps us be a bit more patient with them.

2. Consider God’s level of patience with us.

This is kind of scary to consider, but how patient has God been with you and me?

How many times have we failed to grow, learn and overcome as we should have?

How many times have we come to Him asking for repentance and forgiveness—and He has willingly, lovingly and patiently granted our requests?

3. Look for the lessons in trials.

Remembering that God is always in charge, and there is always something to learn from our trials makes them easier to deal with. And it helps us grow in patience".

Joyce Meyer, a Christian author and speaker writes -

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait—it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.”

The Stanford marshmallow experiment was a study on delayed gratification in 1972 led by psychologist Walter Mischel, a professor at Stanford University In this study, a child was offered a choice between one small but immediate reward, or two small rewards if they waited for a period of time. During this time, the researcher left the child in a room with a single marshmallow for about 15 minutes and then returned. If they did not eat the marshmallow, the reward was either another marshmallow or pretzel stick, depending on the child's preference. In follow-up studies, the researchers found that children who were able to wait longer for the preferred rewards tended to have better life outcomes. 

The Losses of Prayer

A woman was once asked: What do you "gain" from praying to God regularly?

She replied:

Usually ′′ I don't earn anything ", but rather ′′ I lose things ". And she quoted everything she lost praying to God regularly:

"I lost my pride.

I lost my arrogance.

I lost greed.

I lost my urge.

I lost ′′ my ′′ anger.

I lost the lust.

I lost the pleasure of lying.

I lost the taste of sin.

I lost impatience, despair, and

discouragement".


Sometimes we pray, not to gain something, but to lose things that don't allow us to grow spiritually.

Giving is part of Thanksgiving! Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message

With Thanksgiving around the corner next month, Pastor Rajiv talks about the importance of giving in a Christian's life. 

 As Thanksgiving approaches, we may consider submitting a part of our blessing to God, which, in todays world which is tantamount to sharing His Blessings with others as well. Pastor Rajiv talks about the importance and more, of sharing God's Blessings with others who may need what we will share. 

Lets us thank the Almighty for deliverance from a pandemic which hit the world after a century; for our deliverance from it and other evils which may have befallen. From hunger, as even today 345 Million People Are in Hunger Crisis while the haves waste food (40% of the food produced in America is never eaten and. if just half of the food waste worldwide were recovered, we could end World Hunger). 

In this context and background, Pastor Rajiv's message is ever so important. 

My Closet

It is a done strategy in the software app industry that when you want to personalize a service, you usually add the word "my" before the name. For example - MySpace, mywhiteboard etc etc. Psychologically adding "my" creates a personal relationship. It also shows ownership.

Drawing a parallel to our relationship with our creator, many of us need to personalize that - time set aside, cut off from the pressures of the outside world, when we can talk to Him in silence, relate to Him, be still in our hearts and hear Him. It is very important that we build this personal relationship. This is where my prayer closet comes in. I go into it , shut out the world and focus on only Him. Matthew 6:6 talks about this with an outcome attached -

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly".

Jesus reminds us that the Father touches us personally, when we become personal.

It is not a mental closet: the noise and pressures of the world have to be stopped - so it may be best to retire to a quiet place. Relationships are personal so building one is personal as well. While corporate prayer is great and needed, personal prayer and relationship building is equally important. The closet allows us to personalize and customize our conversations with God.

We also need to stop mechanical prayer. For example, when one says grace before a meal do we recall all those hungry? As many 10% of the world population go to bed hungry every night. That's 888 million people! When we are not one of those - it's only because of Godly provision and blessing. We often see people of other faiths praying before a meal as well. Hunger can happen not only because of financial constraints. Scarcity of food is another reason - can happen due to war, famine, supply chains and so many reasons. As of March 2023, 350 M people were facing famine! If we are not one of those, it's a blessing! Think of them and try to share.

When we wake up in the morning - do we say thanks to the almighty? Do we even know how many people in the world never wake up?

These are simple examples. As you can see, we are blessed each moment of each day. So, a personal thanks to our creator would be in order.

Today is Thanksgiving!

No, it's not the last Thursday of November. That is reserved for Americans. Since its the season we call it out today, though it could be any day in the year to stop to think of His greatness - from the universal to the personal.

Yet, it is a day of Thanksgiving. 

Creation, by itself, fills one with awe when you stop to think how it could have been made. Imagine this: the earth hangs in the air, with no support, rotates so that each part of it gets the sun and the moon by turns. We praise Him for this creation that we enjoy day on day, night by night, every second.

Think about ourselves. Truly He knew us much before we were born. He brought us into a family or friends who brought us to Him. We thank God for their presence in our lives. For those who are second generation Christians, remember Sunday school and the teachers? We have included a short chorus at the end of this post to jog your memory! We are thankful for them.

Meanwhile, lets count our blessing- on by one...

He gave us handpicked life partners for continuity when our parents ceased to live. He gave us the fellowship of believers, past and present, who helped us in our journey. When we didn't connect to the right partner, He gave us access to a fellowship. When we did not appreciate them or use them, He gave us a reason to; every morning - when we woke up, we gained consciousness. He gave us each day- to live and bless. 

He used family and friends, dead and alive, to take care of us when we needed it most. He circled us with a hedge of His protection throughout our lives. He took us away from danger even when we may not even be aware.

While we may be going through tough times, we keep going in His grace and strength. We are still protected by His hedge. After all we live in this world and will face challenges of this world. But we live in hope, because all these people brought us to Him who gave us this hope. 

Let us praise Him and thank Him for His love and all these people who shared His love with us.

Doubt is not an enemy!

Very many folks consider it a weakness to doubt spiritually.

If you don't doubt, you don't believe, for no one can doubt what they don't believe!

Even spiritually, from the human logic perspective, it is by doubting and resolving, that faith is reaffirmed. A quick belief, a blind faith, is also quick to fade away over time or a rocky road.

Consider, then, doubts as the growing pains of the faith.

So, it's ok to doubt, but it's not ok to leave it at that. Unresolved doubt will surely lead to apathy and apathy is the enemy of faith which will direct you to failure when it matters most.

John the Baptist doubted too. But he did something about it. He asked questions! No one stops us either.

How does one resolve doubt? By seeking answers diligently. First from His Word and then from His appointed shepherds. Research, read and double check. Don't just depend on Google. Read. The most researched book is the #Bible. There is no dearth of information. But, come to a conclusion. Don't just ask an opinion. Form your own. Ask God. As Yancy Arringtom says - "ask big questions of a very big God".

A lot of folks, when in doubt, simply look back on their own life and remember what God has done for them. They recall His work. Others look for inspiration. Yet others look for examples. Whatever your preferred way, one thing is certain: if you want to find, you need to seek. The key word here is "want".

Francis Bacon said -If we begin with certainties, we shall end in doubts; but if we begin with doubts, and are patient in them, we shall end in certainties. True That!

What Is Your Comfort Boat? :

 

***Based on a KJV Devotional

"And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Matthew 14:29-31 KJV

When God calls us to go deeper in our relationship with Him, it takes deep trust and stepping out in faith in order for us to accomplish what He is calling us to do.
Consider the Apostle Peter, who was the only one who boldly got out of the boat and took the risk and leap of faith in order to come closer to Jesus. Like most of us, Peter got so distracted by the surroundings that he almost drowned; but Jesus came to the rescue.
Things like bridling the tongue, practicing speaking only words that bring life, and so on may seem an impossible quest, for we are weak and easily tempted. But Jesus only wants us to step out of the boat of our comfort and put our trust in Him as we step out in obedience. If He didn’t let Peter, who doubted Him, drown, He wouldn’t leave you all by yourself on this journey. The more you obey His Word and apply His commandments, the more you grow closer to Him.
What is your comfort boat right now? Step out in faith, and don't be afraid. He is with you in all seasons of your life, in good times and bad times. You can do all things through Christ Who gives you strength!
Many of us may be going through some tough times, maybe in health, or finances or relationships. There may be challenges we are scared to face or try and overcome. Yet, God expects us to face them and overcome them, with His strength and Grace. He wants us to step out onto that sea of challenge and he will be there to save.
Prayer point: Lord Jesus, You know the comfort boat I am in. Thank You for giving me the courage to step out and walk closer toward You, even though there are uncertainties of circumstances. I put my faith and trust in You, for You are always there to rescue me as I step out in obedience toward Your call in Jesus’ name! Amen.

Prayer is Useless!

 

Hemant Mehta, author of "The Young Atheist's Survival Guide, wrote in New York Times, "prayer is useless (without action...It lulls believers into a false sense of accomplishment".)

All of us at some time in our life have faced situations when, in spite of intense prayer, the answer does not seem to be forthcoming. When that happens fear, uncertainty and doubt creep in. We may feel that it is futile to pray as God does not seem to be listening. It may be a prayer for a job, or the life of a loved one, or sickness or financial disaster. It could be so many things life throws at us. Or it could be something we crave for- like a new home or a car or a life partner.

When we feel it is all futile, we need to remember that delay in answer is not dismissal. 

Furthermore, what is the purpose of prayer? Dr. Michelle Bengtson says this - " Our prayers are not just an avenue of petition. While God does encourage us to ask Him to meet our needs, it’s only part of the purpose of prayer. Prayer is also a vehicle of expression of praising God for who He is and thanksgiving for all He has done and all He is going to do. Prayer is the avenue He has created for us to repair our relationship with Him, by confessing and repenting of the times we have gone our own way". Answered (or unanswered payers, are an outcome of this relationship. 

However, before we ask, we really need to examine three things.

1. Godly motive

Will prayer right a wrong deliberately committed and spare us the consequences? Is our prayer to cater to a lifestyle or a need? Is our prayer what Jesus would pray for? What really is our motive? Is it mechanical prayer or is it heartfelt?

2. In line with Gods plan

None of us, no matter how strong a believer and follower, can change Gods sovereign will. We have free will to choose or reject God. But once we choose to accept, we also have to accept Gods will for us. We have free will to choose to act in any manner here on earth. But once we choose to follow Jesus, our actions are determined and guided by His life and Gods will for us, which, in faith we believe to be the best for us. 

3. Is it in line with His Timeline? 

Who really knows Time? God created Time and He knows how to manage it best. He knows when we need something or when we need to wait for something better. 

Consider a story of a factory worker whose job it was to lift and place lumber on to trucks for being exported. He had a very good relationship with the owner, so he asked for a crane and the owner of the mill agreed with one condition: The worker had to go to the crane factory 500 miles away, for 5 days, and learn how to operate it like a pro! 

The worker thought he was crazy: After all, he could have learned how to operate the crane after it was delivered! It was so frustrating! 

We would love to know what our readers think? Was the mill owner right in putting that condition? Why do you think he did? How would that one condition benefit the worker? 

How do we accept the Gift?

Read James 2:17-26

17 "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead....."

A gift needs to be accepted. I can buy the best gift I can think of and afford for someone, but if he/she/they do not accept it, it is a wasted effort. Non acceptance can be through silent rejection, recycling or any other way of getting rid of it. We all do it sometimes.

God's gift to us is Jesus. How do we show acceptance of that Gift? In the quoted verse James makes that pretty clear- that the way we show acceptance and appreciation of God's gift is through our actions.

As Rev. Francis Taylor says - "Our works will never earn us salvation, but it will let God know that we have accepted the gift".

Is God's gift reflecting in our day-to-day life? Do we show prejudice? Do we show integrity in even small things, at work or at home? An example of integrity, very common at work, is simply doing what one has promised to do. Not making a commitment and then making excuses.

Unless there are behavioral changes in our personal and professional lives, in line with the "Jesus's way", we really are not reflecting acceptance and gratitude of God's gift to us, are we? And if we don't, how then can we expect to be invited to the great banquet? 

The difference between rapture and rupture is U.

The Building

Have you ever wondered why is a structure called a building when it is already been built? 

The simple truth is nothing is ever completely built, whether it's a building, or a company or a human being. Everything is work in progress.

This also reminds about Nehemiah in the Bible, the governor of Persian Judah, and his efforts in rebuilding the temple and one often wonders Why is it in the Bible in the first place? 

Is it for historical reasons or is God trying to tell us something today?

This rebuilding of the temple, in the face of great odds, represented the people's renewal of faith, and the reforming of their conduct. 

Like the Israelites of old, we too backslide and tend to forget our God. We tend to let life overcome our duty. Nehemiah was not an ordinary man, he was an important man and occupied a high position. Yet he made it a point to make the time and effort for this great endeavor.

Today, we are the temple of the Lord 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and as stated in the opening paragraph, we need to keep building it to keep it in good condition, physically and spiritually.

We also need to rebuild physically, taking care of health and physical needs of our bodies, not abusing them with use of harmful habits but being conscious to maintain healthy lifestyles.

Like Nehemiah, no matter how important or busy we are, we need to keep rebuilding and repairing the temple of God within us. Repair our relationship with Him, repair our trust and faith and rebuild our faith growing it constantly.

Growth never ends. Learning never ends. Nothing is ever complete, because it is always growing, always learning. 

The day it is complete is when it's life is over.

Vagaries of war

*** Image from Mashable

We take War too lightly. We even teach our children war and other violent games on video games, XBoxes and other devices, including phones. Gaming is big industry and war gaming as big and as popular. We have call high level meeting rooms as War Rooms. 

Yet, when it happens in real life, we are shocked. Why? 

On the 8th of October #Israel was attacked once again, after 50 years, to the day, by a terrorist uprising in Gaza. A huge public outcry followed, with one of our readers sharing the Israel PMs speech (available at the link below). 

What does this war mean to us? Will it end in a peace treaty with lots of fake handshaking by world politicians and we soon forget the thousands of innocent people who have and will have, lost their lives, families destroyed, and homes lost, as we, the people of this world are prone to do? Some countries have sworn to destroy Israel. Can they?

Zechariah 12:3–4 God says, “I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves” (NLT)

Meanwhile rape, murder and torture continue by terrorists and armies as they are want to do to prove their superfluous superiority. A news video of a father tearfully saying he was glad his daughter was killed and did not suffer the atrocities some other women and children had to go through. That says it all.

We believe Bible prophecies are coming true before our very eyes. Scattering and gathering of #Israel has been foretold and has happened. What next? Will there be a bloody end to this or a peaceful end? While we can pray for a peaceful end, and for the peace for the murdered souls and their families, what will prevail is God's word and His promises. No country and no person.

So, what do we do as followers of Christ and #Christians?

Firstly, The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We want to pray that they arrive at some kind of peace. We want to pray that this horrific #terrorism stops, and that they’re able to get their hostages back. That Gods hand of protection remains over Israel and her people.

Secondly, As Christ's followers we should do what He said to do:

Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV). 

That’s what we need to be doing, looking for the soon return of Jesus Christ.