Pastor Rajiv's Mid - Week Message

 

The Eagle & The Butterfly

Adversity is part n package of life. Everyone goes through it, in some measure. It is our response to adversity which determines how well we overcome it and get through it. We can learn a lot from nature on various things on how to handle adversity.

Take the eagle for instance. When a storm comes it flies above the storm. It have the strength and can sustain heights. On the other hand, there is the butterfly. It knows it cannot fly above or in the storm, so it quietly rests and waits for the storm to be over. It takes both kinds to make this world, and both know how to survive.

Which brings us to humans. To us. Our God caters to both personalities - those who fly above the storm and those who shelter during it. Isaiah 40:31 is a passage we have read and heard many times. Songs have been written about this verse. Isaiah said, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

That was for the Eagles.

For the butterflies Exodus 33:14 says -

14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Psalms 91:1 says He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Eagles need to preserve their strength and butterflies need to preserve their beauty. For everyone though, whether eagles or butterflies, the common factor is God. Whoever you are, God will help you sustain yourself through whatever adversity you may face, in whatever way best suits you. Just as the eagle uses the power of the winds in a storm to rise above it, so can we with the power of God. Just as the butterfly rests, we too can rest in Gods security. And at the end of it - you are rewarded with a bright sunshine day and a rainbow, that is when the eagle will get back to hunting and the Butterflys will fly once again, filling our lives with their beauty.

So, get excited about the storms in your life. Challenges bring opportunities. We could see the opportunities, wrapped in our challenges if we weren’t so busy, complaining and trying to avoid them.

My Last Day

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10, NIV

We really don't know the future, no matter what we read or believe. The fact is: we don't know about tomorrow, and as the song goes, in reality we just live from day to day.

How does one accept this reality? Suppose we knew that today would be our last day here on earth, what would one do? How would we spend it?

Surely, we would make each second count, mend broken relationships, seek forgiveness for things we know we have done wrong talk to people we may have ignored, smile at a stranger and many things we wanted to do but put on the backburner. Take time to appreciate the people in our life and let them know how much they mean to us. We won't obsess about trivial inconveniences, as we are wont to do today, or ruminate about small affronts to our ego. We wouldn't brag, as there is nothing to brag about- what we had is about to become someone else's; we wouldn't gossip. We would focus on what matters. We would desperately believe that there will be something after death and pray to the Almighty.

Or we may agonize, dread and so want to be spared.

Believe me, each moment will be more precious than gold would be if it was the last day.

The point is since we do not know about tomorrow, should we not live as if each day is our last? Praise and thank the Almighty for one more day and proceed to live as if there would be no other, live in the joy of the moment, not creating a bucket list but cleaning the slate to be ready to meet the maker.

Trouble

 

Isiaah 30: 20-21
21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
The Christian life is not a trouble-free life. We serve a Head we cannot see, and we listen to a voice we cannot literally hear. Often we feel as if we're being asked to follow a plan we do not understand. 
On top of it all, Jesus told us to expect trouble! Unlike most religions which believe God will remove trouble, we are given strength to withstand and survive the trouble, sort of trained in survival skills for trouble! 
God gives us the wisdom and hope to see past difficulty and confusion so that we do not fall into despair. God doesn’t often remove our trouble, but He always gives us what we need when trouble comes.
He is always present in us through the Holy Spirit, giving us access to His wisdom and instruction 24X7. 
All we need to do is call on Him. 

A Dance with the Devil

"Judas Iscariot is proof that you can sit in a dynamic church with an amazing pastor & still become a friend of the devil" (Rev Fredy Paul)

Surprised? 

Judas did not spend a day with Christ, he spent 3 years. And yet.

The reason is that we humans have an affinity to the devil and his dance of death. By nature, we are materialistic and selfish, only interested to cater to our material life in this material world. Demi Lovato, a famous singer says in her song Dancing with the Devil -

"I was dancing with the devil

Out of control

Almost made it to heaven

It was closer than you know

Playing with the enemy

Gambling with my soul

When you're dancing with the devil It's so hard to say no"

I am sure a great many of us identify with that. A dance with the devil is extremely thrilling in the short term and extremely dangerous in the long term. 

An anonymous writer, a member of the Alcoholics Anonymous once said - "there is a devil in that bottle. When I open it, he shows me wonders I have not seen, possibilities I had not known & strengths I did not possess, and I have to, then, do whatever he says; I have no control over him. The only way I can control him is never to open that bottle and the only way I can do that is with AA".

Well, that's the kind of outcome we can expect when we dance with the devil, unless we have help of someone who is beyond the temptation and who lives in us and is available on call. Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We have to live in this world, but, as Jesus said, we are not to be of this world.

The only way is to WALK DAILY WITH CHRIST, and how many of us really do that?

Walking with Jesus is a conscious effort to exercise our faith and our belief to build spiritual muscle. It is a daily adventure - so let's start TODAY! 

Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Mesage

 

The Shema Prayer

                            

The Shema (pronounced Shma) prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. It was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites and is still recited by Jewish people today. We first find this prayer in the book of Deuteronomy. The prayer goes as under, and the Jewish people will cover their eyes with their right hand while softly reciting it. While this is part of an ancient Jewish tradition, it is as applicable today as it was then, specially keeping in mind the different "Gods" we are tempted to make and follow - money, real estate, food, science and anything which takes our attention and focus away from God and His ways. 

We talk about the Shema today, because it concerns the basics of our faith. The basics on which everything else is built. Like the ancient Jewish people, we too need to be reminded of this, morning, noon and night, because it is so easy for us to forget who we are supposed to be. 

Did Jesus recite the Shema? yes, in all probability. Let us not forget Yeshua was Jewish. The Shema is quoted not just in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament by Jesus himself in two of the Gospels (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:28-30), when Jesus gave two of the greatest commandments. 

Given the Polytheistic culture of those times, and as it is now as well, the Shema focuses on Yahweh. Moses believes that loyalty, obedience, and love for their one true God is the only way to life and that one of the greatest threats to Israel’s future, as ours, was dividing their allegiance between many man-made gods. So, the Shema was prayed daily to remind the people that Yahweh alone was their God, not money or material stuff or any man made God. So, while we believe and understand that there are many Gods in this world, we promise to follow that one God - Yahweh. And, we also promise to remember this, and teach our children and children's children as well.

The Shema Prayer

"Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our G‑d, the Lord is One. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.

And it will be, if you will diligently obey My commandments which I enjoin upon you this day, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, I will give rain for your land at the proper time, the early rain and the late rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil. And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be sated. Take care lest your heart be lured away, and you turn astray and worship alien gods and bow down to them. For then the L-rd's wrath will flare up against you, and He will close the heavens so that there will be no rain and the earth will not yield its produce, and you will swiftly perish from the good land which the L-rd gives you. Therefore, place these words of Mine upon your heart and upon your soul, and bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, to speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates - so that your days and the days of your children may be prolonged on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them for as long as the heavens are above the earth."

The first verse of the Shema is considered the most essential declaration of the Jewish faith — the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. The passage that follows details the particular ways in which that faith should be lived: Love God with all of your being, teach it to your children, recite it when you wake and lie down, bind it as a symbol on your body.

The second section specifies what will happen if God’s commands are heeded — and if they are not. To ensure that these commandments are remembered, the final section concerns the biblical commandment of tzitzit, the ritual fringes that serve as a reminder of God’s presence and which are worn by many Orthodox men at all times.

***This post is based on the writings of Mr. Bit Mackie, Dr. David Rudolph & the Old Testament Light - A commentary Based on the Aramaic by George Lamsa. 

Chastisement

**Image is used for non commercial purpose

Hebrews 12:6-7 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 

Taking and accepting correction is part of learning. In management it is a key necessary trait that employers look for. The reason is that correction is the key to development and growth and ensures success. 

More so in Gods kingdom. Many times, what may seem to us to be an evil attack, or "bad luck" may actually be God chastising us. Chastisement is part of Gods discipline. It is correction and without correction our work and our lives can go very wrong indeed. 

Correction can sometimes be very harsh, so harsh it can be mind shattering and back breaking. Like the 40 years of Israelis in the desert. Accepting correction and acting upon it defines us as having a positive attitude. That attitude further defines our success at work as well as our relationship with God. 

A bad attitude, on the other hand, makes it hard for us to accept correction and indicates pride. If we are not able to take correction in a positive way from our parents, friends and colleagues, chances are we will not be able to take it from God either.

Therefore, to learn from God, wisdom demands we are open to His corrective measures and action, in complete humility and minus any ego. 

Your Day

A Study from the KJV Devotional 

For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37 (KJV)

As the year started, some of God’s children have achieved their goals and objectives whilst others are yet to achieve their long awaiting dreams. It is not too late to still trust the Holy Spirit for the fulfillment of your goals/dreams. It takes just a day/moment for God to bring to pass that which He has destined for you. 

Our dear father Abraham was very wealthy, but his very challenge was getting an heir to fulfill his dream and God’s promise. Finally, his one day came when his wife conceived and brought forth Isaac, the heir of the promise. Moses faced challenges in Egypt when he decided to choose God’s people over the Egyptians. He went into exile but his one day came to pass when he was appointed by God to lead His people out of Egypt into the promise land. The one day of David, Solomon, Sampson, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, Peter, etc came to pass as well. Therefore, keep pressing on with your faith and good works; your one is about to happen for nothing is impossible with God.

Dead Situations (Shared by a Reader)

Bringing to Life Your Dead Situation

"They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4Looking up, they *saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.”_  Mark 16:3-4

It may look like I’m still living in the Passion Week though it has passed us already. I couldn’t help but share as a devotional what came to me when reading the passage above.

It’s early Sunday morning and the first streaks of light from the rising sun are beginning to be seen. Three women who dearly loved the man who has died make their way to His tomb. It’s their custom to anoint the body of the dead person with aromatic balm and spices. Their hearts are still heavy that the one they so dearly loved is now gone from them at such a young age. Comparable to the weight of the sorrow on their hearts is also the, “And they had been asking one another, “Who can roll away the heavy stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Yet as they approached the problem, they saw it had already been moved, the stone was no longer at the mouth of the cave but had been rolled aside. The sight was shocking and dismaying, who could have done this. Yet they sum up their courage and step in to an even more shocking sight – a young man in white robes sitting there and no Jesus. The young man, an angel, gives them the good news; the one who was dead is no longer dead but alive.

That morning as I read this passage, the Lord spoke to me, how many dead situations in my life do I come to, wondering who would help move the impossible weight that holds it in place? I so often approach the problem with my eyes of faith closed, for I’m looking for human help in the situation that I am in. But looking to human help only increases the sense of hopelessness for there is really no one who can fix the situation. This passage came to me as a startling reminded that my risen Savior is one who can move every impossible dead weight for, He has conquered death itself, the most impossible of all dead weights. Coming to the Savior this morning, trusting that He's got my most impossible situation figured out, and while I am still figuring out a solution, He's already moved it.

So I asked for my eyes to be opened, the eyes of faith that sees far beyond what I can fathom, faith that can move mountains, faith that conquers my intellect and my own strengths, faith that will look only to its real author and finisher – Jesus Christ my Lord. He alone can bring to life my dead situation for He is the LIFE, He alone can move the weights impossible for me to move.

And there are days I have seen

Filled with heartache and loss

That have buried my heart beneath the weight

But every time His praise breaks out

Dead things rise up from the ground

I won't leave my song inside that empty grave

'Cause there is resurrection power

When we sing the name of Jesus

Resurrection power when we raise a mighty sound

So come on let the praise get loud

Make that empty grave resound

'Cause there is resurrection power in His name

Arun Thomas