Reckless Faith

Psalm 125 ver 1

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." – Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Man by nature is associated with careful consideration, prudent planning, and a sensible approach. Recklessness is irresponsible. But when it comes to trusting God, we'll, a reckless faith is what God wants! Complete and total dependence on Him alone. That does not mean a person needing medicines should not take them.

But what about "reckless faith"? It sounds almost irresponsible, doesn't it? Yet, when we look at the lives of many biblical heroes, we see a striking pattern of audacious, seemingly reckless trust in God.

Consider Abraham, who left everything familiar to go to a land he'd never seen, simply because God told him to. Or Moses, confronting the most powerful ruler of his time with nothing but a staff and God's promise. Think of David, a young shepherd boy, facing a giant with just a sling and five smooth stones. These weren't calculated risks; they were acts of radical, reckless faith.

Reckless faith isn't about being foolish or ignoring wisdom. It's about being so utterly convinced of God's character and His promises that we are willing to step out into the unknown, even when it defies all logical explanation. It's trusting that His whispered word is louder than the world's loudest doubts. It's choosing to believe in His provision even when our cupboards are bare, in His healing when the doctors have given up, and in His way when all other paths seem blocked.

Perhaps there's an area in your life today where God is inviting you to practice a little "reckless faith." Is He calling you to forgive someone when it feels impossible? To pursue a dream that seems too big? To give generously when your resources feel scarce?

It takes courage to embrace reckless faith, because it often means letting go of our need for control and certainty. It means being willing to look foolish in the eyes of the world, for the sake of God's glory. But the reward? A front-row seat to witness God's incredible power at work, and a deepening of our intimacy with the One who calls us to step out of the boat and walk on water.

Don't be afraid to be a little "reckless" in your faith today. God isn't looking for perfect plans; He's looking for trusting hearts.

Daily Bread & Eternal Trust

We are so like the Israelites. Just when we get what we want, we decide that we want more. The Israelites have been saved from slavery and then God brought them through the sea, and now they're complaining again. God again provided what they need, but they do have to follow some rules. They were only to gather what they needed for the day and on the sixth day they collected enough for the Sabbath. What they gathered was measured so that each had what they needed and no one had more. They were instructed not to save some for the next day and, of course, there were those who didn't follow instructions and what they saved became foul. On the sixth day, they could prepare enough for the next day so that the Sabbath could be a holy day dedicated to Yahweh.

Let's think deeply about this: can we call it greed? Some may call it wisdom, saving up for a rainy day. What we call it, it reflects doubt on Gods ability to provide. It also reflects more trust in ourselves over God and in fact the continuous tension between human self-sufficiency and divine dependence.

In Psalm 91 ver 4 we read about God's truth. Those words have become jargon now - we recite them without understanding what they mean and therefore not practising them

Psalm 91:4 states: "He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler."

The phrase "His truth" in this verse refers to God's faithfulness and reliability. It's not just about propositional truths or facts, but about the consistent and unwavering nature of God's character and His promises.

Here's a breakdown of what "God's truth" signifies in this context:

- God's Faithfulness (Ammittô): Many translations, like the NIV, NLT, and ESV, render "truth" as "faithfulness" or "faithful promises." The Hebrew word for "truth" here, 'ămittô, can indeed encompass the idea of dependability and constancy. It means that God is true to His word, true to His nature, and true to His covenant with His people. He can be trusted completely.

- God's Word and Promises: His truth is embodied in His declarations, His commands, and the promises He has made to those who trust in Him. These promises are not empty words but are firm and reliable.

- A Protective Force: The verse uses the imagery of a "shield and buckler." A shield (a large defensive weapon) and a buckler (a smaller, round shield) were used for protection in battle. In this metaphor, God's faithfulness acts as a strong, impenetrable defense against all dangers, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. It's His consistent character that provides security.

In essence, "God's truth" in Psalm 91:4 means that because God is utterly faithful and true to His promises, He will consistently provide protection and refuge for those who trust in Him. Just as a bird shelters its young under its wings, God's unwavering faithfulness is our ultimate defense and source of security.

In God's equation, greed and total dependence on our own abilities, riches or provisions, does not fit, and our life choices and actions need to bear out that truth.

The Tzitzit

In Numbers 15:39, the word "fringe" (Hebrew: tzitzit) refers to tassels that the Israelites were commanded by God to wear on the corners of their garments.

The primary meaning and purpose of these fringes are clearly stated in the verse itself:

"It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot."

Just like the Israelites, we too can become easily distracted by the things around us. We can get caught up in our own wants and desires, leading us down a path away from Gods will for our lives. That’s is why t is important for us to have reminders of gods commandments so that we can stay on track with His plan for us.

We can find these reminders in different ways such as reading our Bible daily, praying or even wearing jewelry with across or other religious symbols. Whatever works the best for us. The important thing is that we have an tangible reminder of Gods word, truth and call.

But like all morning alarms, the reminder is not important. What is important is the action that follows that reminder. Gods will or our own selfish desires. Simple thing like when its time to pray or read the bible, we get overcome by something (we feel is) more important. Remembering to read His word, pray or do our devotions is not important: It is critical. If we don’t we will never understand His will and if we don’t understand that we will go on following our own selfish desires and chasing our pipe dreams.

Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message

 

The Loving Lizard

                          

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:13

In a small village in Japan, there was an old house that had been abandoned for many years. One day, a man decided to renovate the house. As he started to remove the wooden wall panels, he noticed something unusual. A small lizard was nailed to the wall by one of its feet.

The man felt sad for the lizard, which must have been trapped there for a long time. However, as he examined the lizard more closely, he noticed something even more surprising. Another lizard was bringing food to the trapped lizard, ensuring that it didn't starve.

Despite the hardship of being nailed to the wall, the trapped lizard had been sustained by the unwavering care of its companion. The free lizard had dedicated itself to feeding the trapped one, showing an incredible level of devotion and compassion.

This story serves as a beautiful reminder of the power of love and the lengths to which creatures, great and small, will go to support and care for one another. It illustrates the deep bonds that can exist between animals and the remarkable ways they can demonstrate kindness and loyalty.

The question is this: That story was about lizards. Would we as human beings do the same or be lesser than a humble house lizard? 

When called upon, would we care for another even when it is not convenient or maybe needs a sacrifice? Would we, like Jesus, give up our lives for someone? 

Of course we would not. Or would we? Only we can answer that question for ourselves. 

What Would Jesus Do?

In our last post we talked about Jesus being the way and why we need to follow Him, if we want salvation. Following Jesus means commitment to living a life that mirrors his teachings, values, and example, prioritizing his will above all else, and striving for spiritual growth through faith, love, and service. In short it means "living Jesus" every day. Addressing challenges He faced - His way. Relating to people - His way.

How we can do that is to ask ourselves in every situation - what would Jesus do? And then do what He would do. If we don't know- go to the Word. Ask.

Rev Francis Taylor says this -

"Everyone faces temptation every day. It may be something as unimportant as having an extra piece of candy, or skipping exercise, but it could be as serious as giving in to road rage, drinking too much, cheating, gambling, taking drugs, or – (insert your favorite vice here)! Jesus was tempted to let us know that this is something we all must overcome. When you face a temptation, how do you respond? Jesus looked to scripture for the answer."

So, there you have it. Jesus lived by the "Book." Time we did do and do what He did.

The Way : Beyond the Cross

Did you know that the Early followers of Christ were called followers of "the way"? The term "Christianity" came much later.

Let us pause and think why were they called that? What was "the way"? The answer will open the door to another basic question: why should anyone follow Christ?

Because Christ offered true followers a pathway to salvation. Jesus was and is the way to our salvation.

Thus, our ultimate goal to follow a resurrected Jesus is because He is the way to salvation. 

How may you ask? Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him - essentially symbolizing the end of our earthly self and a new beginning. When a person carried a cross in Jesus’ day, no one thought of it as a persistent annoyance or symbolic burden. It was literal! "To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by crucifixion. To carry a cross was to face the most painful and humiliating means of death human beings could develop. Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day the cross represented a torturous death. The Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion (see John 19:17). Bearing a cross meant one was about to die, and that one would face ridicule and disgrace along the way".

Therefore, Jesus’ command to “take up your cross and follow Me” is a call to self-abasement and self-sacrifice, no matter how hard or painful it may be. One must be willing to die to self in an absolute surrender to God, crucify our "self" and resurrect finding hope, strength, and transformation through our challenges.

This Lenten season, can we reflect on what we need to do to follow His way, or "the Way"? 

One suggestion is to adopt the principle of "what would Jesus do" or WWJD. In our next post we will cover that principle.

The Bath Tub

If you were told to empty a bathtub and the choice was to use a bucket, a glass or a spoon, which would you use? 

The answer of course is none of the above. The smart way would be to simply pull the plug, because using any of those above-mentioned alternatives would never completely empty the tub. There would be a remnant of water remaining. 

Similarly in our spiritual life, if you don't pull the plug there will always be remnants of our previous sins which will remain. 

The problem is when called upon to pull the plug, our strength fails us. We are unable to empty that tub completely because of our attachments to our earthly desires and possessions. But Jesus can! 

He sacrificed himself to pull the plug and drain out sin from the world, including for you and me. 

Today, as we fill our own tubs, let us be careful that we fill it with what Jesus wants, not what we desire from this world. 

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Two Ways to Play the Game: Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message

 

Play to Win or Play Not to Lose! 

The 7 Christians

As we read Revelations, trying to understand, one thing stands out: the significance of the 7 churches to our lives today, with 7 different types of Christians in the world. Let's take a look:

The Loveless Christian:

First, we have Ephesus, a prominent city with a church mentored by Paul and pastored by Timothy. They are doings things right and yet do have their faults, primary among them is that their devotion to Christ had declined.

What can we learn from this church? Like the Ephesian church, we can easily fall prey to a cold, mechanical observance of religion. Like the Ephesians, many tend to focus solely on doctrinal purity and hard work, to the exclusion of true love for Christ. As this letter shows, no amount of zeal for the truth or moral rectitude can replace a heart full of love for Jesus.

Persecuted Christians: 

Then we have Smyrna. Persecuted Christians. Jesus encourages them to remain faithful, for more persecution is to come. Like the people at Smryna, many today face persecutions of different kinds. They may face satanic persecution like Job or Maybe at work, or in society or in some nations. However, They are blessed because they remain faithful to Jesus.

The Compromising Christian: 

At Pergamos the church is question on its "purity". While they were commended on the fact that believers lived in a difficult place, surrounded by pagan influences, yet they held fast to Christ’s name and did not deny Him during difficult times. Yet they were compromising with "those in the church who contradicted the ethical implications of the very gospel they followed" (Jeremiah Study Bible). Do we, as a church or as individuals, also compromise in such matters?

The Corrupt Christian

The Church at Thytira were an active, flourishing, busy, growing church yet Their problem was that they were tolerating sin. They had a false teacher who was corrupting some of them yet The church leadership failed to rebuke or remove this false teacher from their midst. This situation is seen as a symbol of the danger of allowing worldly influences to creep into the church, our families or ourselves, and compromise Christian values.

Do we do the same with people or the world around us?

The Hypocritical Christian: 

Church at Sardis. The Sardinian Believers had effectively built a winning brand for themselves in their community. By all appearances, the church in Sardis was a vibrant, effective powerhouse. But inside they were lifeless. Spiritually dead. When a church attempts to operate from any other power source than Christ, that church can officially be identified as dead. The problem with a deceased church is that it rarely recognizes the condition. A dead church will often continue to function in its own power, programs, and pomp and attribute the momentum to Christ—celebrating every temporal victory as if it had eternal merit.

This applies to us as well - when we are separated from God, we rarely recognize it and continue as before. Therefore We do not regenerate our relationship with Him because we don't know it's broken in the first place.

The faithful Christian: 

Philadelphia

Unlike other churches mentioned in Revelation, Jesus did not criticize or condemn the church at Philadelphia. Why? because they remained faithful to Jesus despite facing persecution and having little strength, holding fast to His word and not denying His name, even when under pressure; essentially, they demonstrated unwavering loyalty in difficult circumstances.

This is what we all should strive for.

The Lukewarm Christian

Finally the Chruch at Laodicia. A church who thought they needed nothing more. The Christians of this city had permitted wealth to dull them spiritually; they became prideful and independent. In fact, they behaved as though they did not need God. The land provided for them; they had enough water. They imagined they were safe because they believed Jesus was the Risen Lord, even though they did not act as though Christ’s life, death, and resurrection had impacted their hearts. They allowed God to exist but did not let Him live in them.

They lived as though they had one foot in the world and one foot in heaven, but they were foolish if they thought He would permit such wavering.

Does that sound familiar?

Those seven churches tell us what not to do and what to do, to be spiritually alive. Each individual can find their likeness within these seven churches. Finding yourself if the first step to bettering yourself and these 7 churches help us to know our own spiritual condition.

Let us wake up before it is too late, and ask God to open our eyes to see our own spiritual condition—repent of complacency, compromise, materialism and stubborn independence; respond to the leadership of Jesus Christ and do not lose your reward!