This Week With Jesus

  Isiaah 30: 20-21 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. The Christian life is not a trouble-free life. We serve a Head we cannot see, and we listen to a voice we cannot literally hear. Often we feel as if we're being asked to follow a plan we do not understand.  On top of it all, Jesus told us to expect trouble! Unlike most religions which believe God will remove trouble, we are given strength to withstand and survive the trouble, sort of trained in survival skills for trouble!  God gives us the wisdom and hope to see past difficulty and confusion so that we do not fall into despair. God doesn’t often remove our trouble, but He alway s gives us what we need when trouble comes. He is always present in us through the Holy Spirit, givin

"Judas Iscariot is proof that you can sit in a dynamic church with an amazing pastor & still become a friend of the devil" (Rev Fredy Paul) Surprised?  Judas did not spend a day with Christ, he spent 3 years . And yet. The reason is that we humans have an affinity to the devil and his dance of death. By nature, we are materialistic and selfish, only interested to cater to our material life in this material world. Demi Lovato , a famous singer says in her song Dancing with the Devil - "I was dancing with the devil Out of control Almost made it to heaven It was closer than you know Playing with the enemy Gambling with my soul When you're dancing with the devil It's so hard to say no" I am sure a great many of us identify with that. A dance with the devil is extremely thrilling in the short term and extremely dangerous in the long term.  An anonymous writer, a member of the Alcoholics Anonymous once said - "there is a devil in that bottle. When I open

 

                             The Shema (pronounced Shma) prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. It was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites and is still recited by Jewish people today. We first find this prayer in the book of Deuteronomy. The prayer goes as under, and the Jewish people will cover their eyes with their right hand while softly reciting it. While this is part of an ancient Jewish tradition, it is as applicable today as it was then, specially keeping in mind the different "Gods" we are tempted to make and follow - money, real estate, food, science and anything which takes our attention and focus away from God and His ways.  We talk about the Shema today, because it concerns the basics of our faith. The basics on which everything else is built. Like the ancient Jewish people, we too need to be reminded of this, morning, noon and night, because it is so easy for us to forget who we are supposed to be.  Did Jesus recite the Shema? yes, in all probab

**Image is used for non commercial purpose Hebrews 12:6-7 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?   Taking and accepting correction is part of learning. In management it is a key necessary trait that employers look for. The reason is that correction is the key to development and growth and ensures success.  More so in Gods kingdom. Many times, what may seem to us to be an evil attack, or "bad luck" may actually be God chastising us . Chastisement is part of Gods discipline. It is correction and without correction our work and our lives can go very wrong indeed.  Correction can sometimes be very harsh, so harsh it can be mind shattering and back breaking. Like the 40 years of Israelis in the desert. Accepting correction and acting upon it defines us as having a positive attitude. That attitude further defines our success at w