This Week With Jesus

 

Read Mark 10:21  Many a Sunday morning we stand up and sing the song - "All to Jesus I surrender". But do we truly mean that? Do we truly surrender all?  In the quoted passage we have a near perfect young man, who did everything God expected but could not surrender. Today let us think, have we truly surrendered? - what does surrender look like? First and foremost, surrender needs us to let go of the control we want over our lives . Realize that that fantastic job, that promotion or a great business are not because of our abilities but because of Gods blessings. Therefore, they are not our priority even though they may give us economic power. It involves recognizing that one is not self-sufficient, and that divine grace is essential. And divine grace comes from divine wisdom. It means letting go of the desire to dictate the course of one's life and trusting that God's plan is superior. It involves a profound act of yielding one's will and control to divine authori...

Today we share a short diary of a Covid survivor – a senior lady in Delhi, India, who calls her experience “a nightmare turned miracle”. We share with you the Covid Diary of Ms. S. Massey, a retired School Principal, mother and grandmother. She credits ONLY God’s grace and mercy that she is able to share her story today – in her own words: “9th May, 2021: 10 PM : Tested positive for Covid, asymptomatic. Being 70 years of age and an asthma patient, I was advised hospitalization. In spite of non availability of beds and oxygen, it was with God’s grace I was able to get an admission to a well known hospital. Tests showed about a 20% infection and treatment was started. 10th May, 2021 : Slight improvement, but still asymptomatic. 11th May, 2021 : Stable and ready to be discharged and to quarantine at home! Discharge procedure starts. My happiness knew no bounds and all friends, family, church people who had been praying for me heaved a sigh of relief and thanked God. But, during the day...

  It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it. -  Vance Havner Let me remind you that this is God's universe, and He is doing things His way. You may think you have a better way, but you don't have a universe to rule. -  J. Vernon McGee "When we share Christ, the Truth behind our transformation, we are offering people an opportunity to be transformed." ~ David Jeremiah "When the Lord's white sheep become dirty gray, all black sheep feel more comfortable." ~ Vance Havner "If you see a Bible that is falling apart, it probably belongs to someone who isn't!" ~ Vance Havner "God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way." ~ Aiden Wilson Tozer "The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now." ~ Rick Warren "God is not just s...

  Salvation is not a singular event, so we shouldn't treat it as such. It is an ongoing process that began at the cross and continues throughout our earthly lives, involving faith, repentance, and transformation. Lent plays an important role along the way. Phil Ashey, pastor of South Riding Church in Virginia, observed, "Our culture is so focused on an event rather than a process. Even as evangelicals, I think we've been trapped by the idea that salvation is a one-time event, like a sale that we've got to close. But often, it's a process in which people ask questions again and again and approach God repeatedly to consider faith. I see Lent as a door—an entryway—for people to connect or reconnect with Jesus." Engaging in this process means approaching God, understanding His will and power, and reflecting on our faith in Him. Lent offers a unique opportunity to dedicate time toward this reflection. Over these 40 days, we examine our lives, confront our baggage a...

Moses' first speech in Deuteronomy is a profound historical review that serves to remind the Israelites and us, of their/our past, instruct them in the present, and prepare them for the future. The speech is found in Deuteronomy 1:1–4:43 and is a foundational text for understanding the covenant relationship between God and Israel and, today, between God and us. Through this speech, Moses calls the Israelis to remember God's faithfulness, learn from their history, and commit to a life of obedience and trust in the Lord as they stand on the brink of the Promised Land. This speech is as relevant today as it was then; we too have travelled the Christian's road and many of us stand ready to be prepared for the future. Our memories of "good" are short but we seldom forget the "bad" - and which necessitates a hard look at the past so that we do not forget God's infinite blessings and so that we can be strong and confident of the future. "As Moses is gi...

                                                                   Since we are talking about Covid days this week, and you think Covid turned our lives upside down, well, think of this scenario: A strange person appears before you, someone whom you have never seen before, stands before you in your room, and starts talking to you about your future - pretty freaky!! isn’t it? Today I want us to wind back 2025 years and look at the life of a 16 year old Jewish teenager in Israel. This teenager had her life turned completely upside down by the visit of a stranger, in circumstances similar to what we mentioned. We are first introduced to her by name in Matthew’s gospel but we are told of her by Isaiah in his prophecy ‘ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and s...

The COVID times were extraordinary. Today it is five years, or half a decade, that it was declared a Pandemic.  As of April 2024, the virus had infected over 704 million people worldwide, and the  number of deaths  had reached almost 7.5 million. During the peak, o ne saw relatives, friends & neighbors drop like flies. Tragedy was all around us.  My family and I had been stuck in two different countries, 6000 miles apart, away from our home and each other. Yet were brought together, under His shadow against mighty odds and impossibilities. While thousands, nay millions, fell at the sides, we were kept safe in a safe country, in the safe home of a Pastor and his family. COVID was all around us, yet did not come near us. Our daughter in India too remained safe as we tried to come back and she tried to get back to us.  Over those three years, as our savings disappeared, business dwindled and stopped, we never went hungry or in want. Everything was provided fo...

The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer.    R. A. Torrey Too many Christians live their Christian lives inside their heads; it never gets out through hands and feet and lips. - Vance Havner God gives us people to love and things to use, not things to love and people to use. - Max Lucado There is no sweeter manner of living in the world than continuous communion with God - Brother Lawrence Real true faith is man's weakness leaning on God's strength. - Dwight L. Moody The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.' - Billy Graham Creative words generate energy; negative words drain out energy. - Robert H. Schuller It is not the bee's touching of the flower that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time upon the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates mo...

 

                           "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...

Inspiring Christian quotes serve as beacons of hope, faith, and encouragement in our daily lives. They remind us of God's unwavering love, the strength found in Christ, and the beauty of living with purpose and compassion. These quotes, often drawn from Scripture or the wisdom of Christian thinkers, provide guidance during challenges and celebrate the joy of faith. Whether uplifting the spirit or deepening one's connection with God, they resonate with timeless truths that inspire believers to walk in love, grace, and perseverance. “Satan is so much more in earnest than we are—he buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost.” (Amy Carmichael) “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” (John Wesley) “If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.” “Every temptation, direc...

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 te...

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...

  The Bible features many amazing women who played significant roles in various narratives. On this International Women’s Day , we would like to highlight one such woman – Rahab, a Canaanite woman who helped Israelite spies and later became part of the lineage of Jesus. Rahab is a significant figure in the Bible, known for her bravery, faith, and role in the Israelite conquest of Jericho. Her story is primarily found in the Book of Joshua, chapter 2, a powerful example of faith, courage, and redemption. Her actions had a lasting impact on the Israelite history and the lineage of Jesus Christ To understand the importance of her role, we must first understand why Jericho was so important to the Israelites? In the biblical account, Jericho holds significant importance as the first city the Israelites encountered after crossing the Jordan River into Canaan around 1,400 BCE. The story highlights the miraculous destruction of the formidable Wall of Jericho, which fell after the I...

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.  Reply Forward Add reaction