The Opportunity in Affliction

Following the terrorist attacks of September 1, 2001, Billy Graham spoke to the people of USA. He said:

“I’ve been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept by faith that God is sovereign, and that He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering”.

This following verse probably answers that question which baffles most of us. Why me? A question asked through the ages from Job till now. Why me? Why this?

Isaiah 48:10 (KJV) "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction".

What is quite clear is that no man, good or bad, rich or poor, man or woman, will not go through the tribulations and afflictions of the world. Remember Covid? Remember the fear? Remember who all we lost? Anyone and everyone were at risk. 

We all have to go through that furnace. The difference is we can go it alone or have Gods healing strength and provision with us. And the more we walk with God, the closer we get as a friend. And the more we acquire His wisdom to wait on Him.

Let us not then expect Him to remove the affliction we face but help us get through it with His strength. Adversity and afflictions then can be turned into an opportunity - to build a deeper, wider relationship with God and truly become His friend as was Moses. 

A Peculiar People -II : Pastor Rajiv's Message

BIBLE PASSAGE – 1 PETER 2:9

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light".

As we saw yesterday, the key phrases are –

A. A chosen people

B. A Holy Nation

C. Gods special possession.

All gearing us towards our purpose which we are called for.

All these four descriptive phrases are similar to the titles used for Israel in Exodus 19:5 & 6 5 “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

These verses talk about a moment of sacred bonding for the people of Israel, Peter uses the same words as being inclusive of the Church, of you and me. Both these verses talk about our responsibility as “priests” – that of our servant hood and a bridge builder between God and man. Charged with such a huge responsibility, how could Israel do this? How can we do this? By “being a Holy nation” in Israel’s case and being “Holy” in our case. And why? So that we let our light, which is a reflection of the light of Jesus Christ, so shine before this dark world that the world will see that light, and recognise where it came from through our praises, and see the way. We have been set apart. And being that, we definitely are a peculiar people, but, only if we recognize our responsibility and purpose, according to scripture and act on it.

Are we actively pursuing that responsibility and purpose is a question we all need to ask ourselves.

Note By the Editor:

On a concluding note, we would just like to quote Olin Williams on this Bible passage –

“The modern church is slowly beginning to lose this. Instead of maintaining God’s holiness and values, the church is becoming to be another social place. Believers are losing their distinctiveness as God’s chosen and not continue in His marvelous light but are regressing into the darkness of the world”.

A Peculiar People: Pastor Rajiv’s Message for the Week

Based on 1 Peter, Chapter2, Verse 9

What if someone came up to you and told you, “You are a peculiar person”, how would you react? surprise? anger? irritation? stunned silence? Well different people would react differently with different emotions.

The truth is that if someone did say that to you it would be taken as a negative comment a derogatory statement and maybe you would not want to associate with that person in the future.

This week we will focus on the fact that we, as followers of Christ ARE a “peculiar people”, as stated in the first half of 1 peter 2:9 in the KJV which says 

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;”

So why does the Bible, again and again, set God’s followers apart to the extent of calling them peculiar? Because we have been charged to exhibit properties which are strange and peculiar to the commonly accepted traits of man.

In 1 Peter 2:9, He says “ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

This shows a very special relationship with God our creator as we were chosen by Him, to proclaim Him through our acts and behaviour. This relationship is a sacred bonding.

This kind of a relationship and bonding is not a new thing Peter wrote about. Back in the days of Exodus, it was written:

EXODUS 19: 5 & 6 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Therefore when God chooses us and we choose to follow Him, we become His treasure, different from all others, becoming a bridge between God and man and keeping ourselves Holy so that we can become His showcase on Earth.

A.W. Tozer sums this up wonderfully when he writes 

“A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible and knows that which passeth knowledge.”

Now that we have established our peculiarity, tomorrow on wards we shall delve into each part of the how to the who.

Are we wasting God given Resources?

Hard Fact: One-third or 33 percent of the food in the world is wasted.

When food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce this food - including water, land, energy, labor and capital - go to waste. In addition, the disposal of food loss and waste in landfills, leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.

What a tragedy that while 10% of world goes hungry, the world wastes 33% of food. This essentially means that 90% of the world has 123% of what they need, to be nourished. This to my mind is one of the most inhuman and most unchristian like behavior, fueled by greed and covetousness. and contradicting the 10th commandment.

Everyone knows the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Yet I will urge you to read it again. Matthew Verse 20 says -

"They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over".

What was left over was not wasted.

What we learn is that God provides bountifully, and we cannot and should not waste what He has provided. 

Gods' blessings and provisions should be honored and shared.

The Touch: Our Daily Reflection

What is divine strength? we believe it is a God given power to overcome personal and professional challenges.

Gen 49:24 says "But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)"

Every character, from Adam to the apostles received divine strength. As did then, even now, challenges are a part of everyday life we all face, no matter who we are.
How do we get divine strength to overcome our challenges. Reading the quoted passage closely, you will see that award of divine strength is a very personal act. It is Gods power passing to man through a personal touch. 

Being that it is such a personal touch, it follows that we need a personal relationship, one that is strong and open enough to enable us to "ask". Ask and it shall be given is a familiar passage, but to be able to ask one needs to know Him personally, and to do that we need to overcome pride and relinquish our will to His. We need to get to know Him better through His word and we need to get rid of anything that hinders that relationship.

This Ash Wednesday we get another chance to do exactly that, kicking off the 40 days of lent when we can examine our lives and get rid of any hindrances in our relationship with our God.

The Long Forgotten Concept of "Respect"

There are so many points of conflict in the world today. Between people, nations, continents, races, gender, age and so on. You name it and it is there. 

Is it conflict what God created us for? 

We have to learn that people of other faiths, color, gender etc., are not only created by, but also sustained by, God the Creator. The Biblical understanding of God as creator should lead to understand that all people, their cultures and spiritualities are within the sphere of God's love.

Respect for people includes respecting who they are and acting out that respect. It is part of the commandment to love your neighbor.

Why Is Respect so Important in the Christian Community?

In the Bible we learn that it is firstly God who respects man: 

"Since you are precious and honored (respected) in my sight, and because I love you" (Isiaah 43:4) 

If man thus opens to God, he always receives his reverence, because respect is the permanent state of God.

In return, Reverence for God. Honor for others is what we learn from Him and are taught to practice. Respect for all life as created by and belonging to God. These are not only marks of a believer, but they set a goal for Christians to demonstrate faith and love of God. 

Paul says in Romans 12:10 - "Outdo yourselves in honoring (respecting) one another".

Respecting others demonstrates the value God places on life. Respecting others demonstrates the character of God in His humility, sacrificial love, and redemptive plan. Respecting others creates a community that is marked by harmony, service, and care for even the most vulnerable.

At the end of the day, we respect others out of our reverence for our God and this contributes powerfully to the testimony and legacy we create. 

Who will Cry When I Die? : The importance of Sacrificial Giving

I cannot forget a Book by Robin Sharma called "Who will cry when you die". The title inspired me to think, and often I ask myself the same question: who will cry when I die? Maybe not literally, but who will genuinely grieve? 

Apart from my family and a couple of friends, I really can't count any. We are so involved with self and careers and God knows what else, we forget to carve out a legacy which we can leave behind. And why should we ? 

Because "Life" is not a career; life is not about just us. There is nothing wrong about doing things for us but that is not the ends. Life is the means to the end. Life is living in harmony with the world around us. Taking care of the world and people around us. Using our talents wisely for the benefit of others. 

Everything we have comes from above. Do we even stop to give thanks? here is how Hen Smith defined it nearly 50 years ago and presented by Rosemary Seimens in a musical format https://youtu.be/qCm8isaSoiI

But seriously. Do we share our blessings, our talents as Rosemary has done? I know of at least 5 individuals, and a couple of great musicians and song writers, who perform the Lord's songs on demand. But never on their own. 

Hebrews 13:16 says-

16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Note the word "sacrifices" and "sharing". 

Pastor Rajiv has already talked about sacrificial giving or sharing in the last two posts and clearly defined what it means to give and more so, what is sacrificial giving. 

Careers and material things will end one day as will life itself. What will last will be the legacy we leave. Can we start creating it? 

Think about it. Who will cry when you die.