Giving is part of Thanksgiving! Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message

With Thanksgiving around the corner next month, Pastor Rajiv talks about the importance of giving in a Christian's life. 

 As Thanksgiving approaches, we may consider submitting a part of our blessing to God, which, in todays world which is tantamount to sharing His Blessings with others as well. Pastor Rajiv talks about the importance and more, of sharing God's Blessings with others who may need what we will share. 

Lets us thank the Almighty for deliverance from a pandemic which hit the world after a century; for our deliverance from it and other evils which may have befallen. From hunger, as even today 345 Million People Are in Hunger Crisis while the haves waste food (40% of the food produced in America is never eaten and. if just half of the food waste worldwide were recovered, we could end World Hunger). 

In this context and background, Pastor Rajiv's message is ever so important. 

My Closet

It is a done strategy in the software app industry that when you want to personalize a service, you usually add the word "my" before the name. For example - MySpace, mywhiteboard etc etc. Psychologically adding "my" creates a personal relationship. It also shows ownership.

Drawing a parallel to our relationship with our creator, many of us need to personalize that - time set aside, cut off from the pressures of the outside world, when we can talk to Him in silence, relate to Him, be still in our hearts and hear Him. It is very important that we build this personal relationship. This is where my prayer closet comes in. I go into it , shut out the world and focus on only Him. Matthew 6:6 talks about this with an outcome attached -

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly".

Jesus reminds us that the Father touches us personally, when we become personal.

It is not a mental closet: the noise and pressures of the world have to be stopped - so it may be best to retire to a quiet place. Relationships are personal so building one is personal as well. While corporate prayer is great and needed, personal prayer and relationship building is equally important. The closet allows us to personalize and customize our conversations with God.

We also need to stop mechanical prayer. For example, when one says grace before a meal do we recall all those hungry? As many 10% of the world population go to bed hungry every night. That's 888 million people! When we are not one of those - it's only because of Godly provision and blessing. We often see people of other faiths praying before a meal as well. Hunger can happen not only because of financial constraints. Scarcity of food is another reason - can happen due to war, famine, supply chains and so many reasons. As of March 2023, 350 M people were facing famine! If we are not one of those, it's a blessing! Think of them and try to share.

When we wake up in the morning - do we say thanks to the almighty? Do we even know how many people in the world never wake up?

These are simple examples. As you can see, we are blessed each moment of each day. So, a personal thanks to our creator would be in order.

Today is Thanksgiving!

No, it's not the last Thursday of November. That is reserved for Americans. Since its the season we call it out today, though it could be any day in the year to stop to think of His greatness - from the universal to the personal.

Yet, it is a day of Thanksgiving. 

Creation, by itself, fills one with awe when you stop to think how it could have been made. Imagine this: the earth hangs in the air, with no support, rotates so that each part of it gets the sun and the moon by turns. We praise Him for this creation that we enjoy day on day, night by night, every second.

Think about ourselves. Truly He knew us much before we were born. He brought us into a family or friends who brought us to Him. We thank God for their presence in our lives. For those who are second generation Christians, remember Sunday school and the teachers? We have included a short chorus at the end of this post to jog your memory! We are thankful for them.

Meanwhile, lets count our blessing- on by one...

He gave us handpicked life partners for continuity when our parents ceased to live. He gave us the fellowship of believers, past and present, who helped us in our journey. When we didn't connect to the right partner, He gave us access to a fellowship. When we did not appreciate them or use them, He gave us a reason to; every morning - when we woke up, we gained consciousness. He gave us each day- to live and bless. 

He used family and friends, dead and alive, to take care of us when we needed it most. He circled us with a hedge of His protection throughout our lives. He took us away from danger even when we may not even be aware.

While we may be going through tough times, we keep going in His grace and strength. We are still protected by His hedge. After all we live in this world and will face challenges of this world. But we live in hope, because all these people brought us to Him who gave us this hope. 

Let us praise Him and thank Him for His love and all these people who shared His love with us.

Doubt is not an enemy!

Very many folks consider it a weakness to doubt spiritually.

If you don't doubt, you don't believe, for no one can doubt what they don't believe!

Even spiritually, from the human logic perspective, it is by doubting and resolving, that faith is reaffirmed. A quick belief, a blind faith, is also quick to fade away over time or a rocky road.

Consider, then, doubts as the growing pains of the faith.

So, it's ok to doubt, but it's not ok to leave it at that. Unresolved doubt will surely lead to apathy and apathy is the enemy of faith which will direct you to failure when it matters most.

John the Baptist doubted too. But he did something about it. He asked questions! No one stops us either.

How does one resolve doubt? By seeking answers diligently. First from His Word and then from His appointed shepherds. Research, read and double check. Don't just depend on Google. Read. The most researched book is the #Bible. There is no dearth of information. But, come to a conclusion. Don't just ask an opinion. Form your own. Ask God. As Yancy Arringtom says - "ask big questions of a very big God".

A lot of folks, when in doubt, simply look back on their own life and remember what God has done for them. They recall His work. Others look for inspiration. Yet others look for examples. Whatever your preferred way, one thing is certain: if you want to find, you need to seek. The key word here is "want".

Francis Bacon said -If we begin with certainties, we shall end in doubts; but if we begin with doubts, and are patient in them, we shall end in certainties. True That!

What Is Your Comfort Boat? :

 

***Based on a KJV Devotional

"And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Matthew 14:29-31 KJV

When God calls us to go deeper in our relationship with Him, it takes deep trust and stepping out in faith in order for us to accomplish what He is calling us to do.
Consider the Apostle Peter, who was the only one who boldly got out of the boat and took the risk and leap of faith in order to come closer to Jesus. Like most of us, Peter got so distracted by the surroundings that he almost drowned; but Jesus came to the rescue.
Things like bridling the tongue, practicing speaking only words that bring life, and so on may seem an impossible quest, for we are weak and easily tempted. But Jesus only wants us to step out of the boat of our comfort and put our trust in Him as we step out in obedience. If He didn’t let Peter, who doubted Him, drown, He wouldn’t leave you all by yourself on this journey. The more you obey His Word and apply His commandments, the more you grow closer to Him.
What is your comfort boat right now? Step out in faith, and don't be afraid. He is with you in all seasons of your life, in good times and bad times. You can do all things through Christ Who gives you strength!
Many of us may be going through some tough times, maybe in health, or finances or relationships. There may be challenges we are scared to face or try and overcome. Yet, God expects us to face them and overcome them, with His strength and Grace. He wants us to step out onto that sea of challenge and he will be there to save.
Prayer point: Lord Jesus, You know the comfort boat I am in. Thank You for giving me the courage to step out and walk closer toward You, even though there are uncertainties of circumstances. I put my faith and trust in You, for You are always there to rescue me as I step out in obedience toward Your call in Jesus’ name! Amen.

Prayer is Useless!

 

Hemant Mehta, author of "The Young Atheist's Survival Guide, wrote in New York Times, "prayer is useless (without action...It lulls believers into a false sense of accomplishment".)

All of us at some time in our life have faced situations when, in spite of intense prayer, the answer does not seem to be forthcoming. When that happens fear, uncertainty and doubt creep in. We may feel that it is futile to pray as God does not seem to be listening. It may be a prayer for a job, or the life of a loved one, or sickness or financial disaster. It could be so many things life throws at us. Or it could be something we crave for- like a new home or a car or a life partner.

When we feel it is all futile, we need to remember that delay in answer is not dismissal. 

Furthermore, what is the purpose of prayer? Dr. Michelle Bengtson says this - " Our prayers are not just an avenue of petition. While God does encourage us to ask Him to meet our needs, it’s only part of the purpose of prayer. Prayer is also a vehicle of expression of praising God for who He is and thanksgiving for all He has done and all He is going to do. Prayer is the avenue He has created for us to repair our relationship with Him, by confessing and repenting of the times we have gone our own way". Answered (or unanswered payers, are an outcome of this relationship. 

However, before we ask, we really need to examine three things.

1. Godly motive

Will prayer right a wrong deliberately committed and spare us the consequences? Is our prayer to cater to a lifestyle or a need? Is our prayer what Jesus would pray for? What really is our motive? Is it mechanical prayer or is it heartfelt?

2. In line with Gods plan

None of us, no matter how strong a believer and follower, can change Gods sovereign will. We have free will to choose or reject God. But once we choose to accept, we also have to accept Gods will for us. We have free will to choose to act in any manner here on earth. But once we choose to follow Jesus, our actions are determined and guided by His life and Gods will for us, which, in faith we believe to be the best for us. 

3. Is it in line with His Timeline? 

Who really knows Time? God created Time and He knows how to manage it best. He knows when we need something or when we need to wait for something better. 

Consider a story of a factory worker whose job it was to lift and place lumber on to trucks for being exported. He had a very good relationship with the owner, so he asked for a crane and the owner of the mill agreed with one condition: The worker had to go to the crane factory 500 miles away, for 5 days, and learn how to operate it like a pro! 

The worker thought he was crazy: After all, he could have learned how to operate the crane after it was delivered! It was so frustrating! 

We would love to know what our readers think? Was the mill owner right in putting that condition? Why do you think he did? How would that one condition benefit the worker? 

How do we accept the Gift?

Read James 2:17-26

17 "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead....."

A gift needs to be accepted. I can buy the best gift I can think of and afford for someone, but if he/she/they do not accept it, it is a wasted effort. Non acceptance can be through silent rejection, recycling or any other way of getting rid of it. We all do it sometimes.

God's gift to us is Jesus. How do we show acceptance of that Gift? In the quoted verse James makes that pretty clear- that the way we show acceptance and appreciation of God's gift is through our actions.

As Rev. Francis Taylor says - "Our works will never earn us salvation, but it will let God know that we have accepted the gift".

Is God's gift reflecting in our day-to-day life? Do we show prejudice? Do we show integrity in even small things, at work or at home? An example of integrity, very common at work, is simply doing what one has promised to do. Not making a commitment and then making excuses.

Unless there are behavioral changes in our personal and professional lives, in line with the "Jesus's way", we really are not reflecting acceptance and gratitude of God's gift to us, are we? And if we don't, how then can we expect to be invited to the great banquet? 

The difference between rapture and rupture is U.