God is always there...

It is placement season and I know that all of us are filled with anxiety. Our hearts are pumping hard and though we may not admit, we are a bit scared of what's going to come. I am writing this down to share with you the assurance that God has given to all who believe in Him.
This is a story but it's very relevant to our context.

Once there lived a prophet. God asked him one day to go to a far off place and carry God's message to the people there. The place where the prophet was supposed to go was very far and on the way there was a vast desert. The prophet knew that it would take weeks, perhaps months, to get there. At the same time, he was not very sure that there would be no dangers on the way. He was not excited and unwilling to go. God realized this and asked him,"Son, what is it that bothers you?"
The prophet replied hesitantly,"Father, the journey is scary and long. I would go only on one condition that you walk with me."
God agreed to it.
As they started the journey, the prophet was assured that God was with him when he saw two pairs of footprints on the sands. He knew that one belonged to him and the other to God. Though he could not see God, he felt God's presence and kept conversing with Him.
After they had crossed some distance, there arose a sand storm. The prophet panicked. He looked at the sands and could see only one pair of footprints. He grew anxious and scared but he kept moving. When the storm calmed down, he again saw two pairs of footprints.
He was angry and said,"Father, how can I trust you any more. When everything was fine, you were by my side but when the storm arose, you left me alone."
God said,"How can you say that I left you alone?"
The prophet replied angrily,"I can't see you but I kept looking for your footprints. During the storm, there was only one pair, where was yours."
God looked at him lovingly and said,"Son, the footprint you saw was mine. I was carrying you during the storm."
Do not be afraid, God is always there. Some of us may not believe in God but remember that even if you don't see him or his footprints, he is always ready to carry you through when there is a storm.
Let the storm in our hearts and minds calm down so that we can converse with God and feel his presence.
God bless you all...

Matthew 4:1-11: Overcoming Temptations

Temptations are the biggest hurdles that come in our way of righteous and godly living. In these verses, we find that Jesus was also tempted by Satan and He emerged victorious. You may argue that He is God but remember that He took the form of man and had all the weakness of a man as well. He also felt hungry and felt the pain. We find Jesus in different moods as well in the New Testament. He is happy, sad, angry, agonised...

Jesus could never have been able to free us from the bondage of sin if He were not a man. We see Satan tempting Jesus shortly after Jesus finished his fast and was hungry. But Jesus overcame all the temptations by believing and living according to the Scriptures. As human beings, we are not strong enough to overcome all the temptations that come to us in different forms but the Holy Spirit which God gives us when we give the control of our lives to him is always there to help us in overcoming the temptations that lure us into sin.

God has given us the wisdom to discern good from evil and at the same time he has also given us the power to say NO to the evil. When we stop listening to our conscience and to the voice of God that tries to correct us whenever we go wrong, we lose the control of our own lives and the power to say No. thus, we get tempted and make mistakes that we could have avoided. Remember, the Scripture says that we are tempted by our own evil desires (James 1:14) and we can never be over-tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13). At the same time, 1 Corinthians 10:13 also says that God will provide a way out.

In spite of all this, we still fail because we do not turn to the One who can help us in overcoming temptations. It is time to reflect upon our lives and see how we have lived our days. Is it worthy of the holy life that God has called us for? And it’s time to let God work miracles in our lives and through our lives by letting him take control.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we know that we are weak but You are the most mighty One. You are the creator and redeemer of our lives and know all that we are going through. You alone are capable of strengthening us by your strength. We offer our lives to you. Take our lives and help us in living a holy and righteous life that can be a pleasing sacrifice to you. In the most precious name of Jesus we pray, AMEN.

Matthew 3: The Baptism of Repentance

In this chapter, we read about John, the Baptist, and the baptism of repentance. Now Jesus had come into the world and according to the prophesies and the plan of God, He was to suffer death to bring salvation to all mankind. Through The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God has made it easy for man to be saved from the fire of hell. Earlier, there was the law that people had to follow and for going against the law, they had to offer sacrifices. The law demanded a very strict life bordering on servile fear. But our God is a loving God and He wants us to fear Him as His own children and not as slaves. God knows that the law was burdensome for man and thus He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to offer himself as a permanent sacrifice. After Jesus’ sacrifice, there is no more sacrifice required forever and ever. He has paid the penalty for all our sins. But we are still governed by the power of sin and we are still in the presence of sin. We can be freed from the power of sin only when we admit that we are sinners and Christ died for us and ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses and the power of sin.

Therefore, people needed to repent to be saved. Thus, John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to work in our lives. The Baptism through water is just a sign. Actual baptism is the baptism of the heart when we actually do what we profess. When we confess our sins and try hard not to sin again. When we let God take complete control of our lives so that the forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice can be granted to us and we can be holy just as our Heavenly Father is holy.

And John clearly states here that the choice to accept or reject the salvation granted to us through Christ is solely ours. No man will be saved just because he is the descendant of Abraham and similarly no man will be saved just because his parents baptised him when he was born. There is only one way – Jesus Christ. So, it is still time, when the Kingdom of Heaven is near, to accept our sins and to repent for them, to accept Jesus as our Lord, God and Personal Saviour and give the control of our lives to Him.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, today as we stand before You, we thank you for loving us so much that you gave your only son Jesus Christ as an atonement for our sins. We believe that He died for us paying the penalty of our sins and by rising up again He has defeated sin and freed us from the power of sin. We are weak but we believe in your strength and we know that by your grace we can be holy like you. We admit our sins (you can tell your sins to God personally with a repentant heart) and we are really sorry for all the wrongs that we have ever done. Wash us and purify us and fill us with your Holy Spirit that we can walk in the path of righteousness. We trust in You. In the Precious and Mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray, AMEN.

The secret to HAPPINESS #1

When I started this blog, I said that we’ll try to unravel the secret to Happiness. Though Happiness seems to be a conditional emotion, the Bible shows us that true happiness, as mentioned in the introductory article of the blog that we can master our own happiness. The question is: How is it possible?

I would say, it is not possible as a human; as a human born in sin. According to Paul’s letter to the Galations: “...the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...”

Therefore, joy or happiness is an outcome of the work of Holy Spirit in our lives. The purpose of discussing the New Testament with references from the Old Testament is to help understand that we can be saved and cleansed of our sins only by believing in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross; by believing that Jesus is the Christ, Saviour, Lord and God of our lives. And mind you, believing is believing through actions. When we give the control of lives in the hands of Jesus Christ, He gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us. Do you feel that you are a unique being? Do you think that death is not an end but a bridge to eternal life? If yes, you are correct. God did not create mankind to die but to live forever. It was sin that brought in death and God wants to save us from the penalty, the power and the presence of sin. He has done his part and now all that we need to do is believe and have faith and let God guide us through His Holy Spirit.

I say this because I have experienced the joy of salvation and I know that He is working on me  to make me just like Himself and I have seen the power of true joy and happiness work in the lives of people. Here is a true testimony of God’s happiness:

My first cousin, who was some 7 years younger to me, passes away when she was 10 year old in 2004 due to medical negligence in the hospital. I was in my 11^th grade then. We were very close to each other and her death was a shattering blow. It was the first time I saw the dead body of a loved one. I sat beside her throughout the night looking at her pale face and hoping that she would sit up and say “I wanted you to come home, so I did this” and then hug me close to her. But I was scared that if she did not sit up I would feel worse. Early in the morning, the next day, I saw what happiness and faith meant. I found my Uncle and Aunty sitting on either side of my cousin (she was their only daughter) and having their morning prayers just the way they had done while she was alive and the song they sang translates as “I will praise you Lord for all that you have done”.

There were tears but there were no complaints, no anger, no thought of revenge. There was praise in their lips and faith in their heart that God took away what was rightfully His to a better place in heaven. And praise God, about 2 years later, a child was born to them, who is exactly like the cousin I lost. The only difference is that she appears to have had a foretaste of heaven.

To read a poem that I wrote in memory of my cousin, visit www.amyimapoet.blogspot.com

The poem is: In Memory

(Write to me for any clarifications, questions, further explanations and prayer requests...)

Matthew 2: Prophesies fulfilled. The Birth of JESUS

In the 2^nd chapter of Matthew the Kingly nature of Jesus is established. We can also safely say that it is an insight into the Godly nature of Jesus. Jesus is no ordinary human. He is a God-man. It was extremely essential for Jesus to become man to defeat and destroy sin just as sin entered the world through man. It was love that compelled God to have mercy on mankind. Jesus became man to bear all the pains and burdens that an ordinary man suffers and much more. We will look into sin and how and why Jesus was the only one who could destroy it a bit later.

The most important points to note here in the 2^nd chapter is the star, the magi and their gifts, the massacre of kids and the guidance of angels.

According to the scriptures and even astronomy, stars hold a very important position. The emergence of a new star denoted a significant event like the birth of an important person like the king as kings were presumed to be chosen by God Himself. The magi knew it was the birth of a king because the appearance of the star matched that of the incident mentioned in a prophesy in the book of Micah. This is how Jesus’ kingship is seen. Herod thought that this meant the birth of a new king who may capture his throne. He did not realize and understand the scripture and thus rose against Jesus.

The magi were learned men. They tracked the star and kept the Scriptures in their mind. These were the people who were enlightened by God and the Holy Spirit to know about the birth of Christ after Mary, Joseph and their family members. And these men were one of the first people along with the shepherds to honour Jesus and see Him, a privilege that is so rare. They kept seeking God and perhaps that’s why they were blessed with the opportunity.

The gifts also symbolize the kingly and Godly nature of Jesus. The gifts that the magi brought were not ordinary. Gold, incense and myrrh are royal as well as holy used in the ark. Thus, Jesus was presented with gifts befitting a king and God.

Jesus’ immense love for children is because of the massacre that took place. It’s not that he didn’t love them earlier. His love for mankind is everlasting and unparallel. His love only increased multi-fold. Multitudes of kids were killed because Herod didn’t know who could take his throne. Thus, to save Jesus and fulfil the prophesy and ultimately defeat sin and Satan, little children became instrumental. It was a sacrifice that was not ordinary. Just as many were killed for Jesus, Jesus ultimately died for the whole world.

And through all this, we again see the Godly hand. The appearance of angels and the way they guided Mary and Joseph through everything so that Jesus’ life could be protected, all show the hand of God.

It’s time for us to examine ourselves. Are we the magi, the shepherds, the little children, the angels or Herod? God has called us to be enlightened. He has called us to walk in the light and guide others when we see them stumbling. He has called us to make small sacrifices so that greater good can happen. It is very rare that He asks men to die for the sake of bringing others into light but the question is: If He calls us, are we ready to follow? He may not call us to die but He may call us to make small sacrifices and at times bigger ones. Are we ready to be used by God? Or are we like Herod, short-sighted, ruthless, proud and power hungry? It is time that we give our lives to God so that He can turn us into stars, angels, magi and little children.

Let us pray:

Almighty father, thank you so much for giving Jesus to us. Thank you for sending Jesus to this earth so that we can all be cleansed and purified by his sacrifice and find salvation by believing in Him. We want to be of use, Lord. Take our lives and make us like the stars and angels that guide; like the magi that are enlightened and like little children who are so selfless, loving, innocent, righteous and full of virtues you like. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Mary: Humility, Faith and Obedience

Finally, we will look at the life of the fifth woman in the genealogy of Christ, Mary.

Mary was engaged to Joseph to get married. It was before they got married that the Angel Gabriel came to her with the message that God has chosen her to be the mother of Christ, i.e. to bear Christ in her womb. What would this have meant to Mary? Imagine, she was not yet married but engaged; her fiancée and all other people expected her to be a virgin. Angel’s message meant that she was to get pregnant and not from Joseph after marriage but by the Holy Spirit when she said yes to God. People would have taken her for prostitution and stoned her to death. Still, Mary says ‘Yes’.

The only reason that theologians attribute to Mary’s saying ‘Yes’ is that she was a God-fearing woman who knew the scriptures and was waiting for the Messiah to come. Once she knew that this was God’s plan she cast all her fears and burdens upon the God and walked according to His will. She would have realised that it would be extremely difficult for her fiancée and the people to believe her yet she had faith upon God that He would help her under all circumstances. After receiving the message from Gabriel, she did not get puffed up that she was chosen from amongst thousands and thousands of other women but she is humble and is happy at the news that her cousin Elizabeth, who was barren, was pregnant. She goes to Elizabeth’s house to take care of her. This strengthens her faith in God and she realizes that nothing is impossible for God. And she is obedient as well. She follows all that she had been told. She did not have intercourse with Joseph till Jesus was born and she named the child, Jesus as she was told.

Through all this, she is not alone. God helps her. Elizabeth is told of Mary’s conception that Mary’s family members would believe her; an angel tells Joseph about Mary’s conception through the Holy Spirit so that he marries Mary; God provides a shelter to Mary and Joseph in the Cattle-shed during the census in Bethlehem...

Mary’s life is worth emulating. The faith, humility and obedience she displays as she tells “I am the Lord’s servant” is noteworthy and rare. Her God-fearing life and dedication to the Word of God is an inspiration to all of us to lead a life worthy of the calling that God has given us.

With this, we come to the end of the first chapter of Matthew that shows the importance of the 5 women in the Christian history today and at the same time inspires us and calls us to lead righteous lives filled with faith, humility, love, obedience, perseverance...

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we believe in the amazing ways in which you worked in the lives of these women and used them for the purpose of giving salvation to all those who believe in your son Jesus Christ. We know that you have plans for us and we pray to you to reveal the plans you have for us and through us and help us to be of use to you and the whole world. We want to emulate the lives of these women in our lives as well that we may be able to lead righteous lives, pleasing to you. In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray, AMEN.

Bathsheba: Lifted and fallen

The life of Bathsheba is the story of you and me, in our sinfulness. Well, not because of the way she came into David’s life and what else happened to her, but because she found favour and then lost it.

Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah and this is how she is mentioned in Christ’s genealogy. The reason perhaps is that God wanted Uriah to be remembered more than Bathsheba. Uriah was a Hittite and was in the army. One night, while Uriah was involved in a war with the Ammonites and was away from Bathsheba; David saw her as she was taking a bath and desperately wanted to sleep with her. Being a King, David could fulfil any whims and fancies he had and thus, he called for her and slept with her. Now when Bathsheba got pregnant and informed David about it, he did not want to own up or accept the child. Therefore, he calls for Uriah and asks him to go home to his wife on two occasions. But, Uriah appears to be a true patriot, warrior and just man and does not go home saying that he cannot enjoy at home when the ark, Israel and Judah, Joab and his fellow warriors are camping in the fields. Thus, David sends a message to Joab, the in-charge of the Army, to put Uriah in the position where the battle is fiercest. When Uriah dies, David takes Bathsheba as his wife. But Prophet Nathan comes and rebukes David for his wicked behaviour that had upset God and finally David repents and loses his son through Bathsheba, as God punishes him by taking his son.

Later, Solomon, the wisest king, is born to David through Bathsheba and David promises to her that her son would get the throne after him. Towards, the end of Bathsheba’s story we find that she makes a grave mistake.

When David grew very old and nothing could keep him warm, a Shunammite virgin, Abishag, was chosen to lie with him. Now, before David made Solomon the King, Adonijah, the son of David and Haggith, declared himself king. Later when, David becomes the King, Adonijah comes to Bathsheba and requests her to ask a favour from Solomon to give Abishag as wife to him. Bathsheba, in her extreme vanity and foolishness, asks Solomon for the favour and then we hear no more of her.

Bathsheba appears to be a woman who could never fathom God’s plan or God’s greatness. God favoured her more than the other wives of David by making her son the King after David though Solomon was not the eldest. However, she appears to be vain. She feels that it was her beauty that drew David towards her (which was true) and it was David’s love for her that he couldn’t break his promise to her or grant her wish to make Solomon the King (which may not be true). Further, she thinks that no one could replace her because she was so important. In her vanity, she did not realise that Abishag was also David’s wife. She felt as if she was the only wife of David and not one of the wives of David. It was Solomon who was important because form Solomon’s line Jesus was supposed to come. Getting Adonijah married to Abishag meant making him become Abishag’s husband and David’s replacement. Effectively, it meant making Adonijah the King. This is how she loses favour.

In our lives as well, many a times we find favour in God’s eyes. Just try to ponder and you will realise that whatever has happened to us is a favour. If we were born in a good family. It is not because we deserved it but because God has a plan through it. If we went to good schools and have nice friends, it is again the same. There may be millions of incidents like these. We fall because instead of realizing that we are just instruments in God’s hand and letting God work through us, we start feeling that we are the centre of everything. Instead of being humble, we become vain and lose the game. Let’s take time to look back. Not because looking back is good but because it will help us realize and find out our shortcomings and follies so that we can become better people.

Let us pray:

Loving Jesus, we are sorry for being so self-centred and vain in our lives that we have overlooked the important things in life we should have noticed. We believe that you are our Creator and nothing is hidden from you. We believe that you control everything and you have better and bigger plans for us that we have for us. But in every step of our life, we need your guidance and light. We want to be mighty instruments in your hands so that we can achieve the plans you have for us and the plans you want to accomplish through us. In your mighty name we pray, AMEN.