Ephesians 5 15- 17 -  So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. (5:15–17 MSG) Watch your step! This statement is so familiar isn't it? . Parents say that to children, people use that as a warning to others and so on. This is a life warning. But read further, it is also guideline for every Christian. As we travel a path carefully chosen according to His will, word and purpose, God presents us with so many opportunities. Opportunities to flourish and prosper, and also opportunities to say NO . Opportunities to lead an exemplary life. Opportunities to use our gifts for others. We cannot pass our time mindlessly, but realize every second we live is an investment we make into life, a life after our physical death.   Just to be clear, our first death, or our physical death, is the separation of  our body from our spirit. The second...

If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. — Exodus 20:25 (Note : Todays reflection is adapted from the KJV Devotional, with some thoughts of our own).  In an earlier  post, we had talked about "helping God" . In our reflection today, we see how much a serious offence it can be ! Consider the quoted verse. Short. But with so much meaning and learning.  God’s altar was to be built of unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or labor  might be seen upon it. What that tells us is this: Let not man add to God's Glory with his/her own understanding (tools) and human interpretation (wisdom).  Our KJV study says - "  Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the gospel carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the truth of God at all"  Essentially what it mean...

Since Biblical times, there has been discussion and great interest by scholars on the question : What is the greatest commandment. Pastor Rajiv's talks about this in his message today. 

  Todays Reflection: Forgiving evil.  Genesis 37: 26-28 Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed. 28So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt . Forgiveness is not blind. It's does not happen at the spur of the moment. It's a process. I take example and inspiration from Joseph. Why and how did he forgive his brothers? His brothers had sinned against Joseph and God. But God had a different plan. He wanted to use Joseph for ensuring continuity of his family. Joseph forgave his brothers, after their true repentance. The Agape Bible study explains this so well and the following points are taken from here  https://www.agapebiblestudy.com/Genes...

"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...

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 ...

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 ...