Thursday, June 3, 2021

What to do when we don’t know what to do... (Lockdown days)

1. Thank God that you are alive and able to breathe the air. Ask God why he has spared you?

2. Don’t be gripped by fear and anxiety as many leave this world. God is in complete control and our lives are in His hands.

3.Don’t be greedy to hoard more things. Spare for others and lend a helping hand to someone who is in need.

4. Skip a meal in a day (if you can) and feed the hungry and the needy ones (Isa 58).

5. Learn to be quiet in the presence of God and be silent before God.

6. Spend ample time in reading God’s word and meditate during these stormy times and record your notes as God speaks.

7. Keep yourselves industrious at home, cultivate a new habit, and share those fun experience with others.

8. Learn and master a new skill during this difficult time, that which can help you in the days to come.

9. Make a call to a friend who is in need of help, someone who is lonely and depressed that you can be a source of encouragement.

10. Set aside your mobile phone /gadgets for some time and spend quality time with your loved ones.

11. Create a blog and personally journal your thoughts about God, people whom you love, things that you cherish most.

12. Be wise and take all precautions in protecting yourselves (wear a mask, sanitize) and your family.  

13. As you wash your hands repeatedly, be reminded that the blood of Jesus alone can remove the dirt of your hearts (1 Jn 1:9).

14. Please do not forward immediately any fake news that you receive without verifying it. Let’s stop the lies.

15. Stay away from negative people and be positive in your thinking.

16. Learn to smile at others, it is contagious. You will not lose anything.  

17. Trust God, and do not fret (Psl 37).

18. Serve God in whatever ways he open doors for you (Rev 3:8).

19. Be always thankful!

20. Keep the faith and keep going through all your storms.

Monday, April 26, 2021

FOUR END-TIME ETHICS


1 Peter 4:7-11

Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and disciplined for prayerAbove all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. (HCSB)

Background:

Date – (62-64 AD) – Nero’s time

AD 70 - Destruction of Jerusalem temple.

Also, it was a time of severe persecution.

“…‘the end of all things’ here is the entire end of the Jewish economy in the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the holy people… It is quite plain that in our Lord's prediction the expressions ‘the end,’ and probably ‘the end of the world,’ are used in reference to the entire dissolution of the Jewish economy” (Expository Discourses on 1 Peter, vol. Ii. Pp.292-294).

These are vital signs of a healthy Christian life.

1st Ethic - Be watchful for Prayer  v.7

·       Many of us could possibly become weary of praying. Especially times like this. Easily we become prey to the devil and stop praying.  

·       Luke 18:1 – Lord Jesus said to his disciples – don’t give up praying.

·       As we are living in last days – make prayer a non-negotiable discipline in your life.

·       If we fail to pray now we will fail to pray even later.

·       It is time for all of us to be watchful and pray. 

     2nd Ethic - Love one another intensely v.8

·       Today we know relationships are falling apart. Losing its value & meaning.

·       1 peter 1:22b - By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart

·       Not only the love of many has become cold today, but it has frozen. Only God needs to break our hardened hearts and show us what love is – He demonstrated it for all of us on the calvary. Pure and sacrificial love.

·       Have you received or understood this unconditional love on the cross?

·       Ro 5:5 - Apostle Paul says – "God has poured out His love into our hearts through His spirit".

·       Spirit of God can help us in loving even tough and difficult people.

3rd Ethic  - Be Hospitable v.9

·       We are not living in isolated islands. We are living in close communities.

·       Now this pandemic has even made this more miserable. keeping our doors closed for others.  

·       Romans 12:9-13 - Apostle Paul also speaks this in the context of spiritual gifts.

     Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in   zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

·       How as families and individuals we can show this hospitality in times like this?

4th Ethic - Use your spiritual Gifts to Glorify God. Vv 10,11

·       Here in this passage, we see serving gift and speaking gift. Every believer in Christ will have at least one spiritual Gift. (1 cor 12, Ro 12, Eph 4, 1 Pet4)

·       If you ask me why there is no growth in our spiritual life? I would say it is because we haven’t discovered our giftedness yet.

·    Do you know what spiritual gift/ gifts you have? Discover it and use it. 

Conclusion

All these ethics will make sense only if you are born again.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead".   1 Pet 1:3

Believe in the Gospel and be saved. Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. He was buried and raised on the third day. He will come back as he promised to judge the world and take us home.

Let God bless our hearts and give grace to all of us to practice these end-time ethics and bring glory to his name.

Note: This message was shared virtually on 22.4.2021 on the Memorial Thanksgiving service for late Mrs.Glory Jacob (My grandmother).

Amen!


Friday, February 19, 2021

Three Portraits of a Troubled Heart - Psalm 13

Intro

When life hits with many sorrowful events how do we react?

What we do during these difficult moments of life?

We ask questions to God?

     David’s circumstance is not clearly described for us clearly in this psalm – in one sense it is good for us. We can apply this psalm to any of our life situations.

      Are you going through any painful situation currently in your life? If then Read the following lines and allow God to speak to your situation and find healing and comfort from this psalm. 


Psalm 13

A Psalm of David. (ESV) 

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

    How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I take counsel in my soul

    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

 

 The stanzas seem to decrease in their magnitude or turmoil. At first, David cries out in anguish. Then he offers a gentler petition. Finally, he rests in the joy of knowing that God will answer him.

The psalm falls into three stanzas of two verses each: 1. The condition (13:1‑2); 2. The cry (13:3‑4); 3. The celebration (13:5‑6).


 1. Condition of our Hearts vv 1-2

 

·       We feel forgotten v.1a

God seems to be far away and we feel forgotten

What experience in your life makes you feel that you’re forgotten by God?

Feeling of estrangement due to sin?

 

·       We feel forsaken v.1b

God allows difficult situations to form our character. Sometimes feeling lonely is good, at least we get back to God from our despair

We often feel isolated from the human relationship and also from God himself.

Sorrowful v 2b

Subdued by enemies – 2c

Usually, our response could be: To waste our time not doing anything useful or we could work too much (workaholic) to hide our emotions.

 

Illus: A Scottish pastor was sharing in one of his sermons, that he will not do the following things when he is sad:

·       Not making any major decisions.

·       Not to write any letters.

·       Not to judge my spiritual life.

·       Not to judge others spiritual life.    


 2. Cry of our Hearts vv 3-4

It’s not a matter of why we cry? but to whom do we direct our cry?  v.3

Do we comfort direct our cries to God? He alone is concerned to listen to our cries and answer us in any situation.

 

Illus - My friend from Bangalore – who lost his mother and sister during this lockdown time. Lost his mother-in-law too in a month’s time and the whole family was grieving the loss of their loved ones.  It is really hard and painful to go through such grief in life.  

 

·       Our Heart before God v 3a

How genuine and real are we before God?

Do we pretend everything is fine in our lives?

Someone said: "The Heart of the matter is the matter of the heart".

 

·        Our Discouragements/ Disappointments/ Darkness v 3b,4

It can be any circumstance in our life. Bring to God and cry unto him.

we have plenty of examples in the bible who have gone through pain and sorrow in their hearts.

1.Elijah – 1 king 19 – depressed – we know the context who was Elijah in 1 kings 18.

2.Hannah – 1 sam 1

v.  3 Light up my eyes.

Hannah – her countenance changed.

Illus – famous Christian hymn - lines

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.


3. Celebration of our Hearts vv 5-6

How can we celebrate when we are sorrowful?

How is it possible to rejoice in God when everything around us looks bleak and hopeless?

I believe only a believer in Christ can rejoice in all circumstances. (Phil 4)  

It needs lots of grace from God. 

Illus – I know a student in the college where I teach who is a good singer. She plays guitar and sings. Recently one student who was attending an online class – passed away a couple of weeks back. His death was sudden – and an early one.  This person was from the same village and  Knew him very well. And her heart was deeply saddened and she refused to sing that morning.

David’s situation did not change but his perspective changed. This is what God expects from us too.

3 reasons for celebration

·       Trusting in God’s Steadfast love v. 5a

·       Rejoicing in His salvation v 5

·       Singing, because of his goodness v 6

 

Conclusion

How about the condition of our hearts as we read this psalm?

Are we really able to sing to the Lord joyfully? Or do we pretend before others?

Bible gives us hope - Only in New heaven and in new earth – storms will be finally stilled – no more cry – no more pain.

Jesus said in john 16:33

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”.

Illus: Recently in 2020 I was attending AIPC (All India Pastors conference) I came across a book named the valley of vision – edited by Arthur Bennet. prayers of the puritans. Few lines that comforted me are as follows:

“that the valley is the place of vision. Lord,

in the daytime, stars can be seen from deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death,

thy joy in my sorrow,

thy grace in my sin,

thy riches in my poverty

thy glory in my valley”.

 

Application  

1. Cry unto God – Be real & honest in your emotions before God.

2.Learn to rejoice and Sing in all circumstances. 


God bless!







 


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