When Moses Spoke....

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 giving the Israelites his final teaching and advice before they enter the Promised land he is reminding them of all the blessings the Lord has bestowed on them from the time he rescued them from Egypt". 

As we move forward in life, do we not need these reminders as well?

A central theme of the speech is the call to obedience and the reminder of God's laws. Moses underscores that adherence to God's commandments is crucial for the Israelites to thrive in the land they are about to inherit. He warns them against idolizing earthly things and urges them to remain faithful, emphasizing that their relationship with God is the foundation of their identity and success as a nation.

What of us today? Do we truly consider God as the foundation of our success? Do we consider Gods Word & commands as "Guidelines for suggested living" or really treat them as "commandments" which are sacrosanct?

Ms. Francis Taylor says - "I have mentioned before that many of us consider the commandments "suggestions" or commandments for only the time in which they were given. But think of the discord caused by dishonesty, greed and abuse of authority. Moses' advice to the Israelites is just as true today as it was millennia ago. Following God's law is just as important now as it was then".

As we proceed through Lent, let us read again Moses' address to the people in Deuteronomy and be reminded of who we are and whose we are!

Feasting During Adversity

Psalm 23 is quite strange. After all, after having walked through the "valley of the shadow of death" God prepares a feast for David in the presence of his enemies! Can we/ you ever feast or banquet during adverse times?

The KJV devotional has this to say -

"David faced so many challenges but remained confident in the power and provision of God. He knew how God could prepare a feast; not just in a secure place but even in the presence of enemies. This illustration shows us the richness of God’s care for His people and the confidence we can have in Him. We see here that God prepares the table and does not bother to remove the presence of enemies (or adversity). This means that there are times when God allows hardships to linger, but He still provides care, sustenance, provision, and strength while we are going through these adversities.

We cannot always expect God to get rid of all of our obstacles for us, but we can be confident that even when surrounded by threats or hardships, God invites us to sit and dine at His table, enjoy His blessings, and trust that He can protect us (and help us to overcome). As our provider, He ensures that we are nourished and well cared for even when we face opposition or threats."

David leaves his story for us as a proof that God provides for our needs, even in extremely challenging circumstances. He blesses us with abundance and joy as well as protection for the adversity that may surround us, at all times. 

Rise and Shine by Janice Riley is available here. 

Sunday Quotes

How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts! - Benjamin Franklin
This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people. - C.S. Lewis
I believe there are too many practitioners in the church who are not believers.- C.S. Lewis
Every man should keep a fair-sized cemetery in which to bury the faults of his friends.- Henry Ward Beecher
Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.- Charles Spurgeon
Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.- Charles Spurgeon
Experience tells us that each man most keenly and unerringly detects in others the vice with which he is most familiar himself.- Frederick W. Robertson
Steal the hog, and give the feet for alms.- George Herbert
The Pharisees broke Moses' tables into pieces, and, gathering up the fragments, took to themselves what part of duty they pleased, and left the rest alone.- Jeremy Taylor
More than once Jesus deliberately addressed certain issues that quickly diminished the number of onlookers. It was commitment that thinned the ranks. - Chuck Swindoll
Those who please all men at all times ought deservedly to look on themselves with suspicion. - Johann Albrecht Bengel

No devil is so dangerous as the religious devil.- Joseph Hall
Next to hypocrisy in religion, there is nothing worse than hypocrisy in friendship.- Joseph Hall
Testimonies are wonderful. But, so often our lives don’t fit our testimonies.- Leonard Ravenhill

In Case You Missed it....

 

The Tipping Point : Fire in the belly of every believer

The Wind and the Sail : Partnering with God

Pascal's Wager

Pascal's wager is a philosophical argument advanced by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), seventeenth-century French mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian. This argument posits that individuals essentially engage in a life-defining gamble regarding the belief in the existence of God.

So, true to form, we humans have evolved a devilishly clever logic to follow God, based on the premise that we have everything to win and nothing to lose.

If that is the motivation, I am afraid that's a no go because belief and love of God is based on faith and faith is based on experience.

Faith follows no logic. God follows no logic either, because our logic is based on the natural order of things in this world which were anyway created by God. Therefore, God created His won logic. For us, the parting of the red sea followed no logic. The healing of the lepers followed no logic. The resurrection followed no logic. If you are peaceful, that is illogical because how can you find peace in this disturbed world? Yet God gives us His peace.

So, if my belief in God is based on a principle of covering all bases, I am afraid that is no basis of belief in God.

Unless I have seen the see the value of life with God where is the basis of my belief? To know Him I need to experience Him, or as the Bible says -"Taste Him". 

The Bible comments thus: 

James 2:19

"You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder...."

1 Peter 2:3

"if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord...."

Hebrews 6:4-5

"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come..."

Source:https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Experience,-Of-God

Stale Food and Soiled Currency

                                           

"Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts". Malachi 1 

When we have esteemed visitors over for a visit, we try and offer the best we can. Best crockery and cutlery, the best of foods, the best seat in the house and the best comforts.

When God knocks, in the form of a hungry person, what do we offer? Stale food? When asked by beggars -do we give soiled or unusable currency and keep the crisp notes for ourselves?

It's not what we give. It's how we give. Let's not put terms and conditions to our giving. Recognize the need and give honorably, thereby honoring God for there is God in each human. 

Give more or give less, but give with honor, not in boasting but in humility.

Gates and Fences

Growing up there was no television and going to the movies was a treat. The daily entertainment came from reading books. Two such book are ones I will never forget - All things bright and beautiful and All creatures Great and Small by James Heriot, a vet surgeon in rural England. 

His books are about his daily experiences as a vet and  Gods creation, farm animals, birds and other creatures in our daily life, as well as the challenges they face as do their owners and farmers. One common picture which will keep popping up is that of fences on farms, pens and enclosures where the animals are kept safe. A gate left open accidentally can result in tragedy for the animal, so the farmer makes sure all gates are shut. In case it is not and animals stray, they are sitting targets for wolves, speeding cars and other dangers, so the farmer immediately goes after the strays and tries to bring them back to safety.

This is much like our own shepherd who may leave 100 of us while we are in the safety of Gods hedge of protection, or fence, and goes after one lost person to bring them back to safety.
That the hedge, or wall or tent, of protection is a reality is clearly mentioned in Job where Satan states to God Job 1:10 “Have you not put a hedge (of protection) around him and his household and everything he has? "
This protection from God happens in 3 spheres - from outside elements, from ourselves and from our tendency to rebel and disobey.
Speaking from personal experience, This protection is so powerful it can move mountains of trouble. It is invoked not only when we ask, but is active 24x7. It protects even when we are not aware we need protection.
Today, if this is not a part of your daily prayer, we suggest you make it a daily ask. Just as we ask to be delivered from evil - which includes sickness, dangers, ill intentions as well as our own desires, allowing us to live less fearfully and more meaningfully.
Books by James Herriot in case you are interested.
All Things Bright and Beautiful:
The Classic Memoirs of a Yorkshire Country Vet https://amzn.in/d/0bBfgB5U
All Creatures Great and Small: The classic memoirs of a Yorkshire country vet https://amzn.in/d/01zGaC6l

Does God have a sense of humor?

Good question, but the answer depends very much on the definition of humor. Perhaps the best indication that God does have a sense of humor is that He created man in His image (Genesis 1:27), and certainly people are able to perceive and express humor. 

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a “sense of humor” as “...The ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is comical or funny.” According to this definition, then, God must show an ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is comical. The difficulty is that people perceive what is comical differently, and what sinful man perceives as funny would not amuse a holy and perfect God. Much of what the world calls humor is not funny but is crass and crude. Our humor is expressed at the expense of others (tearing down rather than building up), again something contrary to God’s Word.
To understands Gods sense of humor let us look at His word - the Bible and its historical narratives.
Here we find a humorous side in many, many situations. Imagine Jonah being brought back when he was running away. Or remember Balam and Balak? While Balak is surely drawn as a caricature of a monarch, their ridiculous stance is increasingly absurd with each stupidly unresponsive reaction.
Going further, what about the satire of Jotham in his story about the trees? Though in that day, as in every subsequent age, there was no room for a satirist in the kingdom of an incompetent ruler.
What about Elijah's ridicule of "the priests of Baal who wailed and slashed themselves in the hope that Baal would send fire from Heaven. "Shout louder!...Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling; or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened!" (1 Kings 18:27). Infact, an Indian person can surely understand the sarcasm in the answer "I am who I am" which is actually a retort when translated into Hindi.
In the NT think about when Rhoda finds Peter at her door, she gets so excited she forgets to open the door!
Hyers says "Jesus freely used humor, irony and satire" and offers the examples of "the blind leading the blind; straining out a gnat, then swallowing a camel; meticulously cleaning the outside of a cup while leaving the inside filthy; maintaining whitewashed tombs that are outwardly beautiful but inwardly full of dead men's bones; loudly honoring past prophets while plotting to kill present ones who preach the same message."  These are examples of what Whedbee describes as "Jesus as the cynic sage."
The Bible has inspired a multitude of art and fiction in many genres, including humor and comedy. William Shakespeare's comedy The Merchant of Venice includes elements from the Book of Daniel. Biblical references can be seen in films with Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. Modern examples include Monty Python's Life of Brian, and sketches by Rowan Atkinson.
But what I find most funny is the thought of weak and silly man trying to match wits with an almighty and all-knowing God; it is comical, and I can just picture God smiling indulgently as He watches our feeble attempts.

Skydiving to Meet God

Skydiving is a popular sport. Skydivers do it to experience the thrill of a free fall for various reasons like stress busting, adventure, resilience to adversity and to value our lives.
But there is one common factor which encourages people to go in for it: the parachute.
The parachute ensures your safety, opening up at just the right time.
Coming to the main point, skydiving to meet God? Is that even a thing?
Do you remember the first time you turned to God? I mean really turn to Him and let Him into your life? Beyond traditional worship and mouthing of prayers? One believer who captures the moment in words writes -
"Honestly speaking, the first time I did experience God was when I was in deep, deep trouble. There seemed to be no hope from any quarter. That's when prayer came out from the deepest recesses of the heart and mind. That's when I really and truly experienced the power of God; not through a solution (which did come in due course) but through a sense of peace and deep relief. After that there was no going back. I then knew beyond doubt that He is a friend I can count on. He is my safety net now and forever".
The question is: most of us have had this experience, why then do we fear adversity? And if we have not, then i think one has missed an experience of a lifetime. That does not mean we have to look forward to it, but that we do not run away from it and seek solace in worldly things.
Does not every adversity mean an opportunity to experience God? To experience Him in our human struggle? To watch Him at work firsthand. To experience the supernatural!
It was just such an experience that made Carl Boberg, a member of the Swedish Parliament in 1886 exclaim 'How Great Thou Art' and compose a poem, now a world-famous Hymn, because he experienced Gods glory through His creation. The famous singer, #GloriaEstefan, had a personal experience when she had a life and career threatening accident and a brush with the divine that she’ll never forget. Later she said. “I would visually see the prayers entering my body and going to my spine. I would imagine nerves reconnecting and doing all these things....". She channeled her encounter in her next album, "Into the Light". Its single, “Coming Out of the Dark,” recounted her experience.
Sometimes God allows adversity to strike us to get our undivided attention. Adversity provides us an opportunity to get to know and experience our creator firsthand. Let us not fear it because God is right there, listening and ready to deliver us. That's some real comfort right there!
God is the parachute when we freefall from the skies, opening up at just the right time.

True Power!

The celebrated Scottish preacher, James Stewart, made a statement explaining ....: "It is always upon human weakness and humiliation, not human strength and confidence, that God chooses to build His Kingdom; and that He can use us not merely in spite of our ordinariness and helplessness and disqualifying infirmities, but precisely because of them."

This fact actually transforms our mental attitude toward our circumstances.

Our cribbing and self-pity over issues we face, weaknesses we have and lack of resources, all fade away once we acknowledge all and yet commit to being ready to serve. We maybe financially broken, physically challenged or mentally destroyed, yet we are of use in His kingdom. How we will be used is left to Him.

Let's take a look at some of our Biblical greats who served God. As a leader, Moses need to be a great speaker yet he couldn't speak straight. Jacob was deceptive. Abraham, too old to father a child, begot a nation. Did you know Elijah was suicidal? The great Gideon started as a coward and ended as a conqueror. Samson was a womanizer. Rahab was a prostitute. David was an adulterer and murderer. Job was bankrupt. Noah was a drunk. In fact, he is the first drunkard mentioned in the Bible. Yet God used them all magnificently! 

True Power therefore, does NOT lie in our human achievements, competencies or knowledge but in the shadow of the most high. 

Throughout scripture we see God using imperfect people for the sake of his perfect mission. The weakest become the strongest.   

Pastor Chuck Swindoll comments thus - "Once you are convinced of your own weakness and no longer trying to hide it, you embrace the power of Christ".

Thus, in our weakness we become powerful, all powerful through the power of Christ.

Where are we today? Weak and broken? Jobless? We still have opportunity and time to donate to God. Living in a country where religion is banned? Here is opportunity to share hope. Let us not use our weakness as an excuse. 

Let us use it as our power, received from God to serve God and humanity.

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Setting Boundaries

                                                

*Image taken from Wikipedia

Adapted from the KJV devotional.

"But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"; Matthew 5:44 KJV

Easier said than done! What does it take to forgive someone and love them despite of what they have done to us?

"When Jesus says to love your enemies, does that mean allowing them to continually abuse you, maltreat you, or claim access to your life? Jesus Christ specifically gave us healthy tips on how to show God’s agape love to our enemies: to speak blessing upon them when they curse us, to pray for them that use us and persecute us, and to do a good thing for them when they are in need, even if they hate us.

We can powerfully show God’s love with healthy boundaries toward our enemies. Loving them doesn’t mean allowing them to step all over us or abuse us. (But it also means we do not retaliate)."

Sometimes saying “no” and setting boundaries is a struggle because we feel guilty of being unloving towards others. But boundaries often equal agape love and we must find the courage to set such boundaries. Agape also sets up a boundary to their negativity to us and opens a channel of our love to them. Thats the only way one can overlook hurt or insults thrown at us and continue to love.

"But, when your enemy is in need, don’t hesitate to offer help. When your enemy is troubled, offer a prayer and sympathize with their pain. And continue to speak good things about them even if they curse you and say all kinds of negative things. By doing this, it shows that you are truly God’s child! Let God’s agape love saturate you today!"

"Prayer point: Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me how to love. Thank You for Your words that have so much wisdom in application. As I grow to walk in God’s agape love, especially for my enemies, may my life bring You glory and honor. In Jesus’ name. Amen".

An Accidental Human

Today we will share a short story, based on our post of yesterday, where we talked about how we, as individual humans, can carry the love from God that we have received, the sacrifice of Christ and the daily guidance of the Holy Spirit, and can make sure we get up each morning, filled with the vigor of knowing our duties for the day, as outlined by God. 

This story was shared by a person, whose age I cannot determine, and whose nationality can be that of anyone and whose name does not matter. This story was written during Covid days, reflecting the pain, failures and setbacks of those times, of all those youth, students and young workers who got stranded without jobs, food or shelter. This story is also an ode to all those Human Angels who chipped in and made sure we all got through. 

So, without further delay, here is the story, and we hope it encourages each one of our readers to be running for God when that sun comes up every day. Click anywhere in this para and read. 

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 

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. 

All Things Bright and Beautiful : Pastor Rajiv's Daily Devotional

Genesis 2:15

"And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it".
The original mandate to humans was to look after and maintain this beautiful world God gave us. A utopian world which would be bereft of climate change, carbon emissions, pandemics, human tragedies. I could go on and on.
We have failed miserably. Our failure necessitated the coming of Jesus Christ as well. Necessitated His death.
We can't go back in time and correct what we failed in, but we sure can correct ourselves in the present time, on a personal basis, as a personal responsibility, given to us by none other than God and His son.
For starters, we can reduce our personal carbon footprint. You can calculate your personal footprint here and see how to reduce it and help the environment and our world that God gave us.
Second, we should see helping our fellow brothers and sisters as helping God because they are His children. God has commissioned us to be blessings to all His children – both the lost and the found. When we choose to withhold our help, we are turning our backs on God. Make sure that your heart is set on helping those in need at all times. It is always rewarding.
We have been chosen to be disciples and this means that we are the face and hands and feet of Jesus on earth. Jesus depends on us to bring the Good News to others, and most of the time that is by giving example of how Jesus acted during his time on earth.
It is not for us to judge and with hold. It is for us to do what we have been commissioned to do, which is to take care of our world and the people in it.


** From the Poem All Things Bright and Beautiful" by Cecil Frances Alexander. You can read this beautiful poem, now a hymn, HERE.