Humbled New Year

 

Wishing everyone a blessed New Year

One more year got past and the last 2 years, will be remembered by this generation in a negative way. Corona virus did much destruction to the world in these years. It affected people, economy and all paths of life. Entire world is trying to stop the virus, but not able to do so.

At this point of time it is necessary to remember the Creator of this world. The Almighty, who created the heavens and earth from nothing, is still there in His majesty. In Psalm 8, the Psalmist details about Him further – “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, what is man that you should be mindful of him? The son of man that you should seek him out?”

God created man to be His friend. But man came down under the trick of evil. Satan made man to sin and because of this sin, his relationship with God was affected. When a person does something against us, it will be difficult for us to forget and forgive. But The Lord, who is Holy, gave man an opportunity to come out of his sins.

For everything to work perfectly there need a law or a set of instructions. If you are an IT programmer, there is a pattern for coding which should be kept to write a clean code. Same way a soccer player should play according to the rules to have a great match. If you are a citizen of a country, you should live and abide the constitution of that country. If you are not obeying the law, you are be punished.

Same way when man sin, God’s punishment for man was death. Since God loved man, He told man to give sacrifice of blood offering to temporarily clean the sin. At the same time He gave a hope for mankind that one day a sacrifice will be offered to permanently redeem man from sin.

For that reason God came to the world as a human and lived a holy life. Jesus went through all the temptations and trials everyone is facing, but he kept himself holy in the sight of God’s law. Finally He was put to death and thus became a once-for-all perfect sacrifice for sin. His blood cleanses all the sins of the world.

The Almighty God came to this evil world, lived a humble life and died for the sins which He did not do (Hebrews 10). Even his birth was so humble that he was born in a manger in Bethlehem. He studied the word, fasted according to the law and mingled with others. He was friend to sinners. He showed himself to the sinners so that they can see his life and change, a pure example of personal evangelism.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, His disciples were anointed with the Spirit of God to take His word to the world. They preached about Jesus and as today, they were persecuted. They never fought back. They humbled themselves ran away and went to other places and still preached about Jesus. Now the world knows Jesus, but it doesn’t know who this Jesus is?

While the world runs after many gods for salvation and peace, it doesn’t know the true God came to this world in search of man to give him salvation and peace. While the world fights among them to keep their gods safe, it doesn’t know the true God came to the world as Jesus Christ and died for mankind to save man from sin. While the world does lots of physical activities to please their god, it don’t know only way to please God is to accept the salvation Jesus gave. While the world persecutes the followers of Jesus, it doesn’t know the followers of Christ are preaching for the world to get saved.

Our sacrifice Jesus Christ humbled Himself to die for our sins (Philippians 2: 6-8), so that we can have our relationship with Almighty God in holiness. As a believer of Jesus God expects us to live in love and walk humbly with God (Micah 6: 8). God wants our mind to be like that of Jesus (Philippians 2: 5).

To be humbled, you need to become a child of God. To be into God’s family, your sins need to be washed away. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash your sins away. For that you need to repent your sins before God and accept the salvation Christ gives you (1 John 1: 9). There is nowhere you need to go for doing this. Just be wherever you are, and do it with your mind and heart. You are saved.

Once you are in Jesus, it is your duty to be like Jesus. You have repented your sins, so flee from sins now onwards. You are here to love and have peace. Be humble as Jesus.

Will you face problems after you are into God’s family? Of course yes. Sometimes it will be doubled. But the way you react to the problems will be different from how you used to. You will have to face persecution also. Just remember this; never ever lose faith and hope. Everything that will be happening to your life will be according to God’s plan (Proverbs 19: 21).

What good can come from trouble? First Christians were preaching Jesus in Jerusalem. There they were persecuted. Stephen became the first martyr for Christ. After that a great persecution occurred there. Believers of Jesus got scattered around. Because they got scattered around the world, Jesus was preached wherever they went. So when ever persecution happens to church, it sets on the course to take
gospel to every man and woman in the world. Good came from trouble (Acts 6, 7).

In this New Year we might have to face lots of challenges. Corona virus is not eliminated and world economy is down. But the greatest gift a person can have this year will be salvation. “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” – Psalm 32: 1.  You can use this year to be a blessed year in your life by accepting Jesus and living with God. In your struggles, you will see peace in your heart and you will know God is beside you and He is taking you to something blessed.

May you have a humble heart that of Jesus and let the Spirit of God guides you to be strong this year as you read and meditate His word. Have a Blessed Year.

New Year Blessings

 

Solving Problems

 

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world” – John 16: 33

In this world we face lots of problems; some are a result of our own mistakes, while others are from other sources. In the Old Testament, we see a lady called Hannah in sorrow. She was not having a child and she had to go through embarrassment and shame. But she got an answer to her problem when she submitted it in the hands of God. Same way, when problems come against us we need to take it to the Lord.

At the same time, we need to analyse how this problem came. Problems come to us through different sources.

Result of a Sin

In the book of Genesis we see problems because of the sin of Adam and Eve. God gave them the power to choose to obey and serve Him. Satan influenced them and they sinned against God. This was the beginning of pain, suffering, hardships, disasters and hard work. Curse came upon the earth as a result of sin – Genesis 3

We are given the power to choose to obey God or not to obey Him. When we sin, it is a matter of personal choice and we are personally responsible for our sin (Romans 6: 23).

The way we respond to problems can sometimes create additional problems. A bad attitude or complaining spirit responses to our circumstances. David did adultery and then to cover up that he did murder.

Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem. You have to come to Him and receive forgiveness through confession and belief. You also need to maintain your relationship to Him as your Lord and Saviour through obedience.

Confession is willing to admit that we are sinners, being sorry for our sins and agreeing that we will stop sinning. It is also an acknowledgement that we want Christ to be the Lord and Master of our lives. While confession, you need to believe that Christ became the covering for our sin (1 Corinthians 15: 17, 21-22). We must show our love to Him by living a life of obedience to Him and His word.

Sometimes we may fall into problems because of our own bad choices

Since we do not have perfect wisdom, we are bound to make mistakes from time to time. Careless or unwise choices can result in problems. We do learn from our mistakes to pay more attentions, to exercise greater care in the choices we make. This is part of our maturing process. 

Another way to solve problem is to keep Bible as your guide and look solutions for the problem. Solutions contrary to scripture must be rejected. As Bible is God’s operation manual for us, we should obey and listen to the work. A wonderful way to check is through Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-7) and the Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5-7)

You need to check all the commandments, study and meditate upon it to get answers to the problems.

As an example, Mr X’s friend stole a test and gave a copy to Mr X so he would know the answers before he took the test in his class. Now, the result of this action will be the sin will be discovered and everyone will know what they have done, they might even get expelled from the school. When you see the commandments, they have not obeyed the 8^th one – You shall not steal.

Second example is Mr C has been attracted to a married woman he works with, and has been unfaithful to his wife. The problem here is guilt feelings, unhappiness of his wife, unsatisfied family life etc. When you check the commandments, he did not obey 7^th and 10^th one – You shall not commit adultery, and You shall not convent your neighbour’s house, wife, man servant, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

God gave commandments to us because He knew that obeying them would help us to avoid many problems and have happy, fulfilled lives. 

Problems may come as a result of outside influences. These problems we don’t have any control. They are natural disasters. Root cause of these is also because of the result of the sin of Adam and Eve

Another way to problem is the action of other people. There are small and large problems which come our way as a result of decisions or actions of others which are entirely outside of our control.

Sometimes we make choices which we know are good, even though we know they cause problems. In Daniel 3, we see 3 young men who refused to bow down and worship the golden image. In Acts 14: 19 we see Apostle Paul preaching even though he knew it will bring persecution

Dealing with these problems, the only way is Prayer and the guidance of Holy Spirit. Establish a habit of communication often with God. He will either show you the solution so that you understand what you must do, or He will work in circumstances so that the problem is solved in other ways.

Always count on the Holy Spirit to direct your daily path (John 16: 13). He will direct you according to biblical principles. Answered prayers and obedience go hand in hand.

Another way to solve problems is usage of common sense and reason. For most of the ordinary situations of life, common sense and our ability to reason are important problem solving tools. Examples are: studying carefully for exams, resting after working hard, asking forgiveness when we have offended someone, staying away from people who have a bad influence on us, etc.

Always keep your conscience sensitive by paying attention to inner warning voice. Thoughts are the root of spoken words and outward acts. Your thoughts are in your direct control. You can refuse to dwell on thoughts that will lead to trouble (Mathew 5: 21-30) 

Finally we have to understand that Problems can purify us and prove our faith in God. Try to face the trials with joy. It will develop perseverance, which leads to spiritual maturity. (James 1: 2-4, 12-27)

Always keep in mind that God will not allow us to be tested beyond our power to remain firm (1 Corinthians 10: 13). He will give us strength to endure and will provide a way to escape. So if we approach the problems with the right attitude, God will use them for our good, to develop in us the characteristics of Christ.

The presence of evil in the world is the root of our problems. So we can turn our problems into victories by allowing God to work good for us through them, perfecting us into the image of Christ and making us more useful servants of God.

Never Lose Hope

 

It is a challenge to live a Christ cantered life in this world. People around you will throw stones at you for not leading worldly life. Worldly lives mean the one who knows Christ and live according to his carnal satisfaction. They will insult you and try to put you down in all ways. In Mathew 5: 11, Jesus teaches “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Christ is encouraging you not to be depressed because of the evil people do against you. In verse 12 he says, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. Yes, your reward will be great in heaven.

The people who are against the saints or the ones who live Christ centred life, are the ones who have never experienced Christ in life. They may know Jesus, but have never given their heart to Christ. So when you walk in Christ, others might not like your ways, but be confident that you are a child of God. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him” 1 John 3: 1

Worldly people look at you to find out a loss or failure in your life. They will embarrass you and insult you taking the name of Jesus. But be confident and have hope and faith. In the book of Revelation, John saw people wearing white robe and were holding palm branches in their hands and were crying out loud – “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb”. They were the one who had to go through all the tribulations in the earth. Revelation 7: 9-17. Just imagine yourself among them. Build faith accordingly and stand firm in the midst of loss and failures, when the evil point fingers at you. Never leave the faith and hope in Christ Jesus

In the life of David we see when he had to face the toughest time, he wrote in Psalm 34, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice”

Let the Spirit of God encourage you, motivate you and provide you the faith and hope to have the same heart as that of king David and see yourself being with the Angels and Elders praising God in eternity.

Temple of The Lord

         

When you say temple of God, we might think about an architectural building. But see what our Lord is saying through his word – “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Our God is considering us different from the rest of the world. If you are a child of the most Holy one, you are his temple and he lives in you. Of course, to be his child you need to confess your sins and ask him for the forgiveness from your sin and ask him to wash you by the blood of Christ Jesus who died for sinners.

This is the difference that God wants us to have from rest of the world. But most of the people who claim themselves as Christians are almost equal to those who are not. Now, how you become equal with them is that you are not keeping your body the temple of the Holy Spirit. See, you might think, ok I believe in Christ and I go to church regularly and take part in all the spiritual activities. But then analyze yourself, whether your body is a temple of God?

Analyzing yourself means, not only the outer body, but the inner soul. No one knows the inner soul except God. You can cheat the world, but not God. He is very particular about his word as you see – “you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). God know what you think, your desires, your dreams and all you have in you secret mind. Now you can be a holy person before others. But just analyze how big sin you are doing. Scripture will show you that.

God has told our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Just see what he is telling about the Holy Spirit. “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever says a word against the son of man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mathew 12:31). Any sin can be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Spirit. There’s no doubt that Jesus said it as it is mentioned in Mathew, Mark and Luke. You can be a godly person outside, but your sin may not be forgiven in this age or in the age to come. So Beware.

As it refers to as a temple, when we look at a Church, everyone wants to have their church very perfect. That means inward and outward. Yes our God also means the same. When he means honor your body, it means your outside and inside. Inside soul can be seen by God and it reflects to the world. Outside appearance of temple can be seen by humans. I am telling about your physical appearance. God has given us a body to be his temple, not only to maintain our heart pure, but also to keep and maintain your physical body fit for his service. To a church which is about to fall, people will find it difficult to go. Same way you need to keep yourself fit for your journey towards eternity.

How to build your body a temple of Holy Spirit? You need to have a close walk with God. We see people you walked with God. (Genesis 5:24 – Enoch, Genesis 6:9 – Noah). Have a passion to read and study his word and have a one on one communication with him. Never boast about your worldly pleasures as God has sent us to preach his word and his cross, not our riches. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to world” (Galatians 6:14).

Be close with God through fasting and praying to keep your body clean from trials and temptations. “Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning” (Joel 2:12). Keep yourself clean from the demonic world. Do regular exercises to keep your physical body fit. God has given us a physical body and it is our duty to keep it and maintain it. Exercise regularly. Never spoil your body. Spoil it in the hands of Lord. But as you are in this world keep it fit to be a warrior of the one who is above all. May God bless you.

Sinner Saved

Sinner saved by Grace, is a quote which we can find everywhere in the Bible, from the first man to the present generation.

The world is filled with hypocrite people who do not accept the ones who try to come out of their mistakes. But when you open the word of God and read it, we find people whom God gave a second chance and saved them.

One such person is a lady called Mary Magdalene. We see her as a sinful woman in the book of Luke 7 and 8. She found out Jesus and her life changed. She was possessed with demons, but Christ healed and saved her and took her and others along with his disciples. Even after Christ resurrected from the death, He appeared to her and she went and told the good news to His disciples (John 20)

In the Gospel of John 8, we see a woman caught in Adultery being brought in front of Jesus. Instead of judging her, Jesus told her – Go and sin no more. That changed her life. She went and told everybody about the grace of Jesus. She can be called as the first ambassador of Christ.

David, one of the celebrity King of Israel did adultery and to hide it, he got involved in killing the lady’s husband (2 Samuel 12). But once he was revealed about the sin, he confessed it before God and asked for forgiveness. God not only forgave him but He called David as the man after God’s own heart (Acts 13: 22).

Saul, the first king of Israel was a perfect man (1 Samuel 9). He did a small mistake, but did not repent or confessed about it. The God who knew his heart threw him out of the throne and rejected him (1 Samuel 15).

God is our creator and He knows our heart. He knows about our thoughts and intention. He knows our repentance and our proudness. He knows our ego and humbleness.

The bible tells about sin as “whoever conceals their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy” – Proverbs 28: 13.

In the same way Jesus says in Luke 15, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God.

Jesus Christ came to the world as a sacrifice to sins of the world, so as to give salvation and make the men righteous with God. But the one who comes to Christ should repent of their sins. Acts 28: 19, says, Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

There are people who are struggling to live because of the guiltiness of their sins. Jesus Christ came and took all the punishment for your sins. You should understand that your sins are forgiven. Only thing you need to do is to confess it before God and ask Him to forgive. Once God forgives your sin, He forgets it also.

Once you repent, you will be free from sin and when you understand saviour Jesus and accept him, your life will be controlled by the Spirit of God. You will see peace in your heart and from nothing you will be guided to take decisions that will be a blessing to you and you will become a powerful blessing to others.

May The Lord touch you and save you to be blessed and be a blessing in Jesus name

The Change

The God who created the Heavens and Earth is a God of compassion. He is slow to anger and rich in love and he will be near to whomever who call on him in truth (Psalm 145).

In the Old Testament we see the life of Jacob, who cheated his brother, got the blessings escaped for his life. While on the run, he met God in a dream that changed him. Once you meet God, your life starts changing. While returning to his brother, he was very afraid. In Genesis 32 we find that Jacob was in deep trouble and he wrestles with God and God changed him to Israel. This shows the love of God towards mankind. When a person follows Him, God is compassionate towards the follower. The children of Jacob / Israel are called as the chosen children of God.

When Jesus Christ was on the world, in Mathew 14, he heard tragic news about the death of John the Baptist. He felt very sad and went to a solitary place. But the multitudes also followed him. Even in that sad moment in His life, He fell compassion upon the people and healed them. He also did miracle and fed 5000 men, women and children with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.

When you follow God and listens to him, He will make an everlasting covenant with you (Isaiah 55).

When your feet do not stumble while following Him, He will answer you when you call upon him and hear your prayer and supplications (Psalms 17)

The greatest blessings a man can have in this word are to get his sins forgiven (Psalms 32). “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin in the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit”

To be forgiven from sin, you just need to repent your sins before God. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9).

When you go through tough times in life, always remember, there is a God who can change your situation. You just need to repent your sins, accept the grace Jesus gave you by sacrificing himself on the cross for your sins, and claim that salvation. Call upon the Lord, receive his word and overcome the world in Jesus name