A Second Chance : Inspired by Corrie tenBoom

* Corrie ten Boom Showing the places where she hid the Jews during the holocaust

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom

The future is always unknown. Who can say "tomorrow I will achieve this or do abc"? Will he or she be alive tomorrow? Who can say "I won't lose my job"? Who can say anything of the future?

Every day we wake up, is a second chance from God. We therefore do what we have to today, trusting in God for tomorrow. Each day we wake up is a second chance to live the way He taught us to live, with His help.

Corrie Ten Boom learnt this through circumstances we cannot even imagine today.

Arrested by the Nazis along with the rest of her family for hiding Jews in their Haarlem home during the Holocaust, she was imprisoned and eventually sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp along with her beloved sister, Betsie, who died there just days before Corrie's own release on December 31, 1944. Inspired by Betsie's example of selfless love and forgiveness amid extreme cruelty and persecution, Corrie established a post-war home for other camp survivors trying to recover from the horrors they had escaped. She went on to travel widely as a missionary, preaching God's forgiveness and the need for reconciliation. Corrie's devout moral principles were tested when, by chance, she came face to face with one of her former tormentors in 1947. In her words-

"It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. ...

And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!

Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. ...

"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard in there." No, he did not remember me.

"But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?"

"And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?"

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

For I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." ...

And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling."

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"

For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then".

The above description of that experience is excerpted from her 1971 autobiography, The Hiding Place, written with the help of John and Elizabeth Sherrill. Every time I read it or parts of it, I can picture it and get goose pimples. 

Corrie Ten Boom did not wait for a second chance to forgive, going through a pain beyond imagination.  She knew she had to do it here and now. We cannot afford to dither, or put conditions when we are called upon to forgive. We must take that first chance to live the way Jesus wanted us to. 

i hope our readers will be motivated to read this book and get inspired, as it did so many of us. I read this book at the age of 12 and have never more been aware of this verse -

Help me to forgive those who trespass against us. 

Those interested, can read the book here 

Why Worry? Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message

 

“When worry is present, trust cannot crowd its way in.”

Billy Graham

The Wall

Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,” declares the Lord, “and I will be its glory within.” - Zechariah 2:4-5 (NIV)

A human mind is conditioned to build security for ourselves and our families. Security of a home, of parents, of brothers and sisters, of medical insurance, life insurance, money in the bank, assets, jobs, businesses ... and the list goes on and on. And by the way, God is also there as a backup, is how we think. No person in his right mind would not try and create security for his life and his family through the world's mechanisms.. We consider that our primary security. That's the human way.

But what is Gods way? He does not say these things are bad. What He does say is that our primary security is God Himself. Not what we create but what He does. We are invited to make Gods provision of His security our primary source of protection, our Armour (as David did).  And this means letting go of world conditioned thoughts and attitudes. And practices.(as David Did)

As scary as letting go may be, the world has experienced this during Covid. 

As for us, no amount of insurance, no amount of money and no amount of human security could protect us. It was an invasive, intrusive epidemic which left disaster in its wake. People were ruined, some left parentless, some childless, some lost jobs, some businesses. It was a real life demonstration of Gods will and protection.

We traded in the security of human walls to accept in faith that God will be a wall of fire around us. We traded in the measurements of worldly accomplishments to give God space to be our glory within.

Some survived, some didn't, and some lost everything. Gods' protection and grace covered all.

My family should know - we lost friends and close relatives, lost health insurance, lost business and revenue, away from our home for two years, we separated during the first phase from one child, money soon ran from plenty to zero, and what not. But God's grace carried us through with plenty of food in a Pastors home where we sheltered for 2.5 years (my elder brother and his family, till date haven't heard of anyone doing that for anyone brother or not!). 

We never fell seriously sick (we didn't have insurance remember?) , our one family member left was soon reunited (through a miraculous seat on an repatriation plane), somehow money appeared when needed, Gods solace came when we lost a close relative and in a short break between lockdowns we were able to go and meet their children and be with them. 

That break from the business of life helped a lot of us to learn and grow. Today, we can either look back in horror, or look back in awe. As a family we choose the latter. And during these hard times we remember and state-

As for us and our family, we shall follow and serve the Lord. He is good.

God bless everyone.

Are We Programmed for Defeat?

 

Was there a time in your life when you feared something- a man, a woman or a situation. I know I have. But who else did in the Bible?

JACOB!

"But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.” (Genesis 42:38)

Jacobs filial love, stopped him from trusting God. Just like you and me.

Here are Pastor Chuck Swindolls thoughts.....

"When Jacob learned what had happened, the old gentleman shriveled in fear. Rather than saying, "Thank God, He is at work. Men, He loves us and watches over us. In His care we are all safe," he responded negatively and horizontally.

His sons had not only returned with the food they needed, but also with all of their money. They had been given grain from Egypt free of charge. All the prime minister had asked was that they prove they were not spies by returning with their youngest brother and claiming Simeon who had been left as a hostage. Yet Jacob saw none of this as God's provision. He froze in fear and focused on a worst-case scenario.

As soon as he heard they had left their brother in Egypt, he jumped to the conclusion that Simeon was dead. "Joseph is dead. Simeon is dead. Everything is against me," he moaned. He began to sound paranoid and self-pitying. "All these things are against me!"

Last time I checked, Jacob was supposed to be the patriarch of the clan, the spiritual leader. Yet, with a quick glance behind the scenes, as we sneak a peek through the back door of the tent, we see Jacob as he really is.

It's one thing for us to sit with book in hand and read the story, knowing what the outcome will be, and say with a shrug, "I'll tell you this, I sure wouldn't have done that. I would have trusted God if I had been in that situation." But would you really? Well, then why didn't you trust Him last week? What was it that kept you from seeing God's hand in that matter you couldn't handle last month? Call to mind your most recent major test. Did you rest calmly in Him? Or did you push the panic button out of fear?

Negative thinking. A horizontal viewpoint. A closed mind to something that is unexpected and new. That's why we tend to panic. Because, humanly speaking, you and I have been programmed toward defeat. We have formed habits of response that leave God out of the picture. We don't actually announce it in those words, we just model it and rationalize around it by calling it something else. And aren't we relieved God didn't put our biography into print?"

(Taken from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com)

Has such a situation not happened in your life? I know it has happened in mine. Today my children, two daughters led by the elderly one,, are on the way to lead us to new horizons.

Free Speech

The essence of free speech (I think) is not in delivering a judgement but in inducing thought. We have been given guidelines for our actions yet we have the freedom to follow them or not. We have a choice.

Free speech is available to us as soon as we have learnt to talk. We can use it to abuse or build or break. We can use it to gossip, to judge to pull down or we can use it to create goodwill. We can also use it to vent anger.

Negative speech leads nowhere accept to bad feelings, as well as distance us from God, but positive speech can induce positive behaviors and thoughts in us and people around us.

Free speech is a gift from God, hence should not the primary goal be to glorify Him? Author Gales has written that on average a person speaks 860,341,500 words in his entire life. For some perspective, 860.3 million words are equivalent to 14 times the entire text of the complete 20-volume Oxford English!

If we measure how many words of this average, we have used to glorify God, and how many we have used to gossip or criticize various people in our lives, the answer will probably send us reeling with shock.

Our average life span is 2-3 billion seconds of which we spend about 1 third on speech. Of that less than 30 percent is spent on positive speech. Do the math and see how much time we spend to praise God versus the time we spend on negative speech.

The fact is too many of us, even well-intentioned believers, tend to ‘compartmentalize’ our waking hours into a few familiar categories: work, rest, play, family time, and worship. To do so is a mistake. Worship and praise should be woven into the fabric of everything we do; it should never be relegated to a weekly three- hour visit to church on Sunday morning.

A lot many, including me, forgo fellowship or church prayer times or bible studies all on account of “work” or simply being inconvenient. We miss these opportunities for positive thought, positive speech and positive behaviours. We need to realize, religion is not a convenience! It is solid hard work to be able to maximize our time with God, become so familiar that not hear Jesus say – I do not know you. We were warned about it when He said –

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The Mutiny: The Professionals Bible

It is in the heart of man to rebel against authority. It started with Adam and Eve, continued during Moses's time continues today in offices, commercial organizations and even religious organizations including the Church.

The story of the rebellion of Korah is recorded in Numbers 16. The rebellion of Korah demonstrates the grim consequences of trying to challenge authority thereby challenging God and of those whom He has chosen to be leaders of His people.

Korah was the oldest son of Izhar, who was the son of Kothath of the tribe of Levi. Korah, then, was of the same tribe as Moses and Aaron. He led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of exalting themselves above the congregation of the Lord (Numbers 16:1-3). Korah was not alone in his charge. He gathered 250 other men to challenge Moses’ authority as well: “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” (Numbers 16:3).

Obviously, Korah thought that he could do a better job leading the people than Moses was doing. But by leading this revolt against God’s divinely appointed leaders, Korah was actually revolting against God (Numbers 16:11).

In fact, this sin that they accused Moses of was, in reality, their own. Sadly, many are guilty of such self-deception and projection, even today. It is vital to realize that people often unknowingly judge others for the very sins that they themselves are committing. 

By the very act of rebellious talks, gossip, grumbling, or acts or thoughts, against authority we position ourselves in judgement over a leader, pastor, manager, parents... little realizing that that authority was God given. 

If the authority is misused or completely fails, it is Gods to take away and bestow it on a deserving person, just as He did with Saul and David. If we genuinely feel we are qualified for that role, pray and ask God. If we are in His sight, He will have already given it.

But what are we to do if we honestly and truly feel we have been wronged by someone in authority? We must have the courage to Pray about it, then go to him or her and talk about it calmly, with reason. Leave the rest to God. 

But on no account should we become cribbers and potential mutineers who complain, plot and plan in the dark. It is as good or bad as a mutiny!

Numbers 16:11 It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?”

The Sacrament: Pastor Rajiv's Message

 

The Hotline: The Professionals Bible

Suppose you had a problem which was so, so, huge only the President or Prime Minster or king or the head of your country could resolve it. So you approach his office and send a mail and weeks later you get a reply that you have been granted an audience and he will meet you for 15 mins six months later. 

Now you wait eagerly for that date, preparing your application, file, arguments and case details. You hope you will get a favorable decision. This is a real-world scenario!

Now think about the heavenly world. I face a problem today, and right now I get to escalate it to the Heavenly king through a personal hotline and even if His answer may take time, He provides interim relief. How great is that!

And He does it day by day, minute by minute, looking after the lives of 8 billion people! 24X7!

I may not meet God in wind, earthquake or fire, but for sure He is with me today and everyday in the simple ordinary events of life. And when I call on Him I know He will always be there to pick up the hotline or open the door, because I need not wait for an appointment to speak to Him; I simply start talking and communicating. 

Remember Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Like Paul our belief stands firm in this verse from 2 Thessalonians 3:3 -

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

You Cannot Manage Time

 

While Time Management is a very popular concept, we believe that we can't really manage "time". Time manages us and we can at best manage our response to time. Our responses further generate reactions which then become a "result". But one needs wisdom to respond to time, a wisdom available in Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 New King James Version (NKJV) where it says - 

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

What is clear is that the process of change is continuous and we cannot stop it. So it is best to have a wise response based on the truth that the various circumstances we go through in life are not by incident but orchestrated or allowed by God with great purpose and intentionality to serve His purpose for us. 

Wisdom is to find the opportunity to serve His purpose, in every circumstance, positive or negative. 

Shameless Audacity: The Professionals Bible

*Image: Addicted to success

One key element of success in all aspects of life is persistence and or perseverance.

Perseverance separates the winners from the losers. Those who persevere understand that luck is something you dent depend on. 

Success in life depends on your willingness to never give up, even when the reward is delayed. Persistence is a force multiplier.

Let's look at what the Word Says about persistence in Luke 11 Ver 5-10

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Mostly everyone is familiar with the quoted verses where Jesus talks about asking and receiving. But we might be missing a very critical element of success - persistence. 

Persistence in efforts. Persistence in prayer. even when the answer is delayed. The gospel states that nothing can be impossible if someone is persistent enough to achieve it. The message is as simple as keep trying, persisting, and praying until you get the desirable result you ask for. We should keep on praying to God, because He never gets tired of hearing our thanksgiving and requests.

But persistence and perseverance is only possible when one has faith in two things-

A. That my desire is for achieving something is for my good and does not contradict any biblical instruction.

2. That God will consider my request in line with His will.

Such should be our faith in ourselves and God that we actually ask and pray with shameless audacity!