Living Our Legacy

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

​Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

"I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become."

​These words are a powerful reminder that our past does not define our future. Life throws curveballs—illness, injury, and misfortune—that can make us stray from the path we know we should be on. Our memories of the straight and narrow can become blurred, and the voices we listen to may lead us in directions we never intended to go. In these moments, we can begin to forget who we are in Christ.

​But God never forgets us. Even when our own memories fail or our sense of self is stolen by hardship, God's love remains. We may feel lost and disconnected, but we are always seen and known by our Creator. We may feel He has let us down, but He is still with us, working for our good. 

​Often, our own desire for control and our limited imagination hold us back. We get so focused on being the "driver" of our own lives that we forget it's God who is meant to lead the way. We can only see the road directly in front of us, but God sees the entire journey. He knows every twist, turn, and beautiful vista along the way. His plan for us is bigger and more beautiful than anything we could ever imagine on our own.

​So, let's stop allowing life's hardships to beat us down and make us into someone we are not. Let's not let the challenges of this world strip us of our identity as children of God.

​Today, let's choose to be who we were meant to be—Christians, followers of Jesus, living out the legacy of faith we have been given. Let us surrender our lives to God's guidance and care, trusting that He will lead us down roads we've never seen before. It is only when we release our grip on the steering wheel that we can truly begin to live the life we were created for.

​What part of your journey are you ready to surrender to God's guidance today?

Angels of the Morning

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

    in the morning I lay my requests before you

    and wait expectantly.

Psalm 5:3 

There is something magical about early mornings. The sun is still deciding whether it really wants to come out and we have a soft awakening to a new day., no matter how hard we expect it to be. However the previous day went, we will have a lot to look forward to in the new day. 

In these early, dawn hours, it's a blessing to be able to connect with the one who created the morning and the day, the evening and the nights. created us and all that surrounds us. Our worries can be laid on Him and our joys can be shared with thanksgiving. No matter how hopeless we think a situation maybe, a new day will always bring hope - because the one above all, still rules. We only have to be silent, in mind and body. 

As the sun slowly peeps over the horizon, a sense of unworthiness overtakes. How can we ever live up to the one who created all this? His perfection, His love and His power? 

And the biggest wonder of it all? In a world of 8 billion people, 200 million square miles of land, 3 trillion trees, 7.7 million animal species and much much more, He still has the time and the inclination to listen to me in these still hours. To care for me. To protect me. To provide for me. And for each one of His creations! 

Of course, In such a vast world, things can and will go wrong - sometimes engineered by us and sometimes by spiritual forces working against creation. Like they did Job, they can attack us and try to destroy our lives through hardship and heartbreak - but we have one who reigns above all and He listens. He saves. He does not want us to suffer but live a beautiful life, so He is our last resort. 

As the darkness lightens, we talk to Him, share everything thank Him for another day, for the past day, put our problems at His feet and ask Him to be with us through the day, ask His spirit for discernment, for wisdom for guidance, for we are foolish people, led astray by the world and its ways of thinking and acting. Ask Him for help to solve our problems, for healing, for help, for means to help others who need. We ask Him to make us instruments of His purpose, of His work and of His will. Each of us have a role to play in His world. 

Thoughts then roll over to people who brought us to Him. Parents, Pastors, friends, situations; and we thank Him for sending them into our lives. 

We mess up. That is a given. But we also know that every sunrise is God's way of saying, 'I haven't given up on you yet". This simple fact of a new day breaking is a profound testament to God's persistent hope and unwavering belief in our potential. It's His daily promise that He's still with us.

And so, begins a new day.

 

Worry & Concern: Pastor Rajiv

Read: MATTHEW 6:25-34;1 PETER 5:5-11

While worry and anxiousness are somewhat negative emotions, concern is a legitimate one. Because if we did not have concerns, we would be apathetic individuals with no ability to focus on real problems.

While concern and worry are related, and worry uses concern to enter our lives, the truth of the matter is that concern provides spiritual energy to respond to problems with Godly solutions. No so worry. And that is why, today, we need to make that distinction.

Now without any exceptions all of us humans worry even those who say they do not worry about anything also worry about something or the other at some point in time. And the truth is that these days there is a lot to worry about.

We worry about the rising cost of living in this volatile economic environment we worry about our jobs. We worry about our kids irrespective of how grown up they may be we worry about their well-being. And the list goes on.

So, since worry is such an integral part of our lives the question is how do we deal with it?

First let's be clear that WORRY is a disabling faith. How? it makes the present poorer by borrowing from the future’s imagined troubles. (We talked about the meaning of FEAR in an earlier post – False Evidence Appearing Real). Then where is the question of trusting God? If we trust God implicitly, he will give us the grace and the means to face each day’s troubles as they come.

Our two bible passages today give us a very clear perspective on dealing with worry. Our first passage today is Jesus’ words on worry from his sermon on the mount. In these 10 verses Jesus is talking about true trust. Jesus is saying that if we trust God implicitly, we need not worry about necessary food, drink or clothing.

Worry and anxiousness have always been a perennial problem of humanity. And the root cause is – our arrogance and pride! We think we know all the answers and we are competent to provide all the solutions. Wrong. We know nothing. And that is why we sit and worry. 

Peter says – in VERSES 5 TO 7 - 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Humility, mutual submission and concern for the interest of others are the essence of Cristian love.

So, summing up, if we don’t trust the very person who can address our needs and solve all problems, simply because we are too proud to admit weakness and failure, the only thing left to do is to sit in a comer and worry.

When in Trouble - Stand still!

"Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord". — Exodus 14:13

When the believer finds themselves hemmed in by immense trials—unable to move forward or retreat, pressed on every side—what are they to do? In that moment of crisis, God’s command rings clear: "Stand still."

It is in this pause, not in panic, that wisdom dwells. Despair whispers, “Give up—there’s no way out.” But the Lord calls for strength wrapped in joy, even in the darkest hour, and for faith rooted in His unwavering love.

Cowardice urges retreat: “Return to your former ways; this path is too hard.” But if you are truly a child of God, this is not an option. His sovereign word compels you forward—from strength to strength—unstoppable even by death or the forces of hell.

Standing still is not surrender, but preparation. It is the gathering of strength for the next leap. Precipitancy demands action: “Do anything—just don’t wait!” Yet rushing often blinds us to the true work God is already orchestrating.

Presumption cries, “Walk into the storm and expect a miracle!” But Faith listens to none of these voices. Faith hears one command: “Stand still.” And like a mountain unmoved, it obeys.

To stand still is not to idle, but to hold oneself upright, alert, and ready—for the next divine instruction. It is a posture of patience, confidence, and expectation. And soon enough, the voice will come, as unmistakable as it did to Moses: "Go forward."