Time and Opportunity: Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

God is good and great. He created the heavens and the earth and everything therein. He also created time to govern the earth. When Adam was created, God gave him the chance to practice his supremacy over the all earth and name the plans and animals. Yet, he blew it! 

Like God did with Adam, He does with all. He gives each of us time and opportunity. How we use them is up to us, because we have freedom of choice. The difference between the poor and the rich, the great and the not so great or small is simply this: The use of the time and opportunity available to them. 

Therefore, we must be  conscious of the time God has given to us  and alert to opportunities that He may present. And then, we must choose wisely on how to use them to become wiser and profitable, rather than corrupt that time and opportunity by using them for something contrary to God's laws or His will. 

For with the  time afforded to us and every opportunity presented to us, there is a corresponding responsibility as well. Choose responsibly. And live well.  

What's in a name? : Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

Acts Chapter 5 Verses 1-11

Yesterday we talked about what we are willing to offer God. We also talked about what God may accept.

As a sequel, today lets look at what God expects from us through two extreme characters in the Bible. Abraham and Ananias.

As we all may well know, "Abraham" means "the father of many". From a barren man to becoming the father of Israel was the blessing God gave Abram.

But do we know the meaning of Ananias? The name Ananias is a boy's name meaning "God has given". Ananias is a New Testament name of three different figures. The two good ones were a high priest and a disciple of Paul. The not so good Ananias was the husband of Sapphira who conspired to deceive the apostles and was struck dead.

What did he (the third Ananias) do to deserve to die?

Simply, he was trying to cheat God! Cheat Him of what He had given! Even his name means "God had given" and yet, he tried to go back on what he had promised. Both he and his wife.

What is the lesson to be learnt here? Don't we do it all the time, maybe not in terms of money, but in terms of other promises we may have made to God or in God's name, or other stuff which we know God wants us to do but we don't do it.

So what does God expect from us? Simply to follow the commandments He has given and to do what we have promised Him, or in His name. Abraham held back nothing including the life of his son. Ananias did not keep his promise. So who are we like? Abraham or Ananias? 

What can you offer? Our Daily Reflection

4 Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord

We all want to offer God something - be it a tithe or some gifts for the church etc. But God has a condition - that our offering comes from a contrite heart, which essentially means that we are aware of, and stop sinning. Thinking about our actions and making choices that God approves of. The right sacrifices or offerings that God accepts are thanksgiving, praise, kindness, charity, tithes, and our bodies, ridding them of bad habits or practices we may have fallen into.  

What did Abraham think when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac? We will never know in this world. But God does not want sacrifice in the flesh, but sacrifice in the heart. Abraham was prevented from sacrificing Isaac and was given a ram instead, and for his willingness was promised great blessings. 

The big question is this: What are we willing to offer God? And the bigger question is- What  is God willing to accept? 

Not I but Christ: Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

 Mark 5:  14-16 - 

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven

A verb is a doing word. Not static but active, just as our religion is.  Being active in Baptism is not only about going around preaching to the world but first about change in ourselves and then about showing the world.

Christianity is a way of life, not a religion of do's and don'ts only. When we choose to practice it, our psyche and our behavior, change. It effects the choices we make, the people we meet and the language we speak. It effects how we work, our profession, our relationships with people, and with the world.. In short it brings about change within us. This change is then visible to the world which acts as an example for others. But how do we do it? 

As practicing Christians, We need to ask ourselves, is there a change in me? Create a measure. It may be a good idea to honestly list out things which are in us and not in the Word of God. Am I fond of gossip? Have I stopped. Am I gluttonous? Has my gluttony reduced. Am I prone to abusing, cursing or swearing? Has my language changed. Do I condone immorality? Have my views changed. Has my empathy factor increased?

These are just examples. Each one of us have our unique set of traits that are un Christ like. These changes are not done overnight. Time needs to be set aside daily to imbibe Gods word. Please not I use the word imbibe which means to absorb, not just read. This is a change in itself. For example, take the 7th commandment. Thou shall not commit adultery. I may not be in the literally sense but I maybe doing exactly that in the figurative sense by adulterating Gods word or letting other things get priority over God.

These are some of the changes we must bring about, before, like Paul, we can say not I but Christ lives in me.

Your Will, Not mine : Pastor Rajiv's Mid week message

 "Not mine, but your will be done"

All we have is time: A first hand account of God's work

I, you and we belong to a world where more is less. We want more of everything, from food to clothes to cars, to education and other luxuries. When we get what we wanted, we dream and want the next level. We want it for ourselves as well as for our children, which is natural. And our children want the same for their children. And the story goes on till it can no longer,  because we die. And we spend the last few years of our lives deciding who to give what, of what is left of what we have collected.

So we spend 20 years dreaming, 40 years acquiring and then the last phase where we are giving or rather planning to give.

Covid broke that vicious circle for me. 

I and my family were stuck in a foreign country for more than 2 years. We had planned travel for 1 month but spent  2 years and more. Everything we had was in our home which was locked up and deserted. We had to learn to manage on less. Less money day by day, less clothing, less fashion, less friends, less access to things we took for granted in our country like education, etc etc. Everything was less except food since our hosts, my brother and his family saw to all our provisions.

And we survived. Professionally, I gave the option to our small team to go out and find a job. Most did. One stayed. And i am most indebted. 

Personally it was a challenge as well.... I have a closet of numerous coats, an overcoat and numerous woolen pants. And here I was stuck in winter with none. I prided my self on clothes and dressing. That pride went down the drain. But we survived.

We survived without a car, without travel, without shopping, without our luxuries which we thought were necessities. We who never boarded a bus, travelled in busses and trains and walked. And we loved it!

Through these two years all we had was time. 

To think, to review our lives and figure out how to make it better. And we did. Not in terms of money. not in terms of riches. Only in terms of experiencing God's love. and His hand on us. 

Yes, God's hand was on our family. Our elder daughter who got left behind earlier was able to travel abroad and join us against all odds. An answer to our prayers, because we were having our own plans of getting out and being with her in her place of posting. 

Our hibernation in fact protected us. I know that with my business travel in India, I would have been sure to get Covid. Not only this, numerous encounters with Gods hand at work showed us He was with us always.

Since we had time we started deepening our devotions. Started understanding more, reading more following more. And the more we imbibed from His word, the more satisfied were, the more happy we were. Our desire for the material turned into a desire for His knowledge and truth. And all of this, was prompted by Rev Rajiv Shipstone. 

In the meanwhile, The pandemic changed my life with one single change - I lost the desire for more things and gained the desire for more of His word.

Today I am back in my natural habitat. But the first thing I did on my return was to empty out my closets, give away shoes, clothes, artefacts and miscellaneous stuff which I had held onto for years and years. That stuff filled a full room.

With desires being gone, that empty space got filled with Gods word, and a strange thirst to know more.

And hence today I quote 

"Two things I request of You

(Deprive me not before I die):

8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;

Give me neither poverty nor riches—

Feed me with the food allotted to me;

9 Lest I be full and deny You,

And say, “Who is the Lord?”

Or lest I be poor and steal,

And profane the name of my God" 

The key line is "Give me neither poverty nor riches.... "Feed me with the food allotted to me" which translates to a prayer we all know, "give us this day our daily bread". 

Our Father in Heaven... Holy be Your name,

May your Kingdom come,  May your will be done,

In my life. 

Give me today my daily bread, and Forgive me for all those times I doubted you. Forgive me when I spoke against you, when I grumbled on my situation. When I thought you were missing in action. Help me to let go of all doubts and issues I have with my brethren. Protect me from the evil which surrounds me, of ill health, of ill thoughts and son on. 

for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. 

Light the Lamp everyday: Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

"For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life"

Quite a lot of the various verses and teachings in the Bible are interlinked across the old and New Testaments. For example the quoted verse is also linked to Psalm 119:105, Luke 11:36, Revelations 18:23

In the East, lamps and candles were used not only to lighten the dark houses but also to lighten the paths in the crooked narrow streets during the night. Even today men and women carry lamps or candles while walking during the night or probably torches if they can afford them.

So why so many references to a lamp?

First, God's commandments are likened to a lamp because life is full of difficulties and stumbling blocks. One has to have the light of God to be sure of his or her steps.

Second is the more direct correlation - JESUS IS THE LAMP AND GOD IS THE LIGHT.

If we want to see our way in this crooked world, we need to equip ourselves with a lamp everyday - through the word of God. Read, understand and remember it throughout the day so that we can see the way. Till the time comes when -

There will be no more night, and they will not need any light from lamps or the sun because the Lord God will shine on them. They will rule forever and ever. (Revelations 22:5 )

Till then, keep drinking from the word of God, every day.

Quid est veritas: what is truth? Pastor Rajiv's Daily Devotional

Proverbs 30:5 KJV

"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him".

Pontius Pilate: To Jesus

And what is 'truth'? Is truth unchanging law? We both have truths. Are mine the same as yours? 

What is truth? Pilate’s answer to hos own question could be a question asked in despair. How do we know right and wrong, good and evil, what is the right thing to do in any situation? How can anyone believe in a universal truth that transcends this world of suffering and despair?

Whatever his motive, he didn't get an answer because the truth was right there, standing in front of him.

Today we , like Pilate, do not recognize the truth. The truth was standing in front of Pilate, to be judged to die or live. Yet he was asking?

I will quote Bob Kaylor when he says "For Pilate, anything that got him advanced in status in the eyes of the emperor was truth. Truth is whatever you decide it is, whatever is most pragmatic, kind of like throwing darts at the wall and drawing targets around them. Actually, Pilate would have been right at home in the 21st century, where truth is always relative."

Yes we are mostly in what I call the Pilate Syndrome: We practice relative truths, making it convenient. We justify our deeds, our wars, our destruction of nature, of human relationships and most of all our destruction of our relation with our God - our creator. 

We have the truth in our Bibles yet we ask - What is truth? Instead we should put our trust in God, in Jesus and His word and see the truth work in our lives. 

So next time you ask yourself or get asked - What is truth? The answer is simple: It is God and God's word. Here’s the distillation of the truth, according to Jesus in John 3: 17-19:

"17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. "

Do you Dare to Give? Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

Proverbs 11: 24-25
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered..

26 - He that witholdeth corn the people shall curse him; but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. 

The eastern text reads a little differently - he who holds back grain in the day of distress shall fall into the hands of his enemies but a blessing shall be on the head of the man who sells it.

It is very difficult to part with something very dear or something that promises profit. So when called upon to do so, do we readily agree or do we grudge and grumble?

God won't ask us for what we don't have, but sometimes He will ask  for something we really want to keep. Why? To see if there is anything we value more than Him or His word. Remember Abraham?

God could be asking for us to give up a bad habit, or help someone in need with our resources or time. Or maybe the Church needs something to be done. It could be anything.

Abraham did not hesitate to decide to give up His son. Imagine his pain, his dilemma. What would he answer Sarah?

Yet he obeyed, or rather demonstrated his decision. No wonder he was called the friend of God.

Today, if God is asking you to do something , will you dare to do it? It's not about giving to receive but about demonstrating that nothing and no one is more important or valuable than God!

The Wisdom of Applied Knowledge: Pastor Rajiv's Daily Reflections

Proverbs 2:5
"Then thou shall understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God"

As we continue our study of the Book of  Proverbs, we have already established that fear is referring to reverence and love and respect, not fear as we know it in the world today. It's not the fear of a dictator but reverence for God who has given us free will.

The verses preceding verse 5 are the 5 conditions and steps to attaining understanding and reverence of God.

"My son,(A) if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding(B)—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight(C)
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,(D)
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God".

So five things -
1. Accept Gods word, through hearing or reading or listening, and above all having a teachable spirit.

2. Retain it / remember it.

3. Apply your heart to search for it. condition is: “Incline thine ear unto wisdom” (Pr 2:2). Hear submissively, by taking correction meekly. Learning and wisdom require you to admit you are wrong. Humble yourself; get down; soberly identify the faults in your life. Apply correction to yourself, not to others.

4. Apply your heart to understanding - don't sleep in class !

5. : “If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding” (Pr 2:3). Wisdom is applied knowledge and is the gift of God, and He will give it liberally to those who ask. But few truly cry out for wisdom. We need to ask and pray for it in complete intensity, as we would seek gold or silver, or as in our case, a job maybe. 

With these conditions given in verses 1- 4 , one can become completely reverential to God, work hard to get knowledge and the wisdom to apply that knowledge in our life.

The blessed Lord Jesus Christ, even as a child, applied himself in these very same steps (Luke 2:42-51). And by these He grew in wisdom and favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).