Reflections

FAMILY :  PLACE  OF  FAITH  FORMATION  Ephesians 3:14 – 21
v14, 15 - For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.  Family,  which is the basic unit of  our society,  is an institution established by the will of God.  It plays a major role in the faith formation.  The future of mankind depends on family. It is the co-operators in the love of God; a covenant relationship rooted in love.  Family is called to live together with other families as a community.   The world today is being carried away by materialism, consumerism, immorality and such contemporary trends.  We as Christians need to inculcate faith values in our children and in our families.  Changing role of our schools in the secular society places new demands on Christian education and faith formation and we need to bring our children to Jesus who can provide answers to many questions and challenges that we face in our contemporary world. Proverb  22:6 says “Tra…

FAMILY: PLACE OF FAITH FORMATIONTITUS  2:1-8
v7 “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness”In this passage, Paul is addressing Titus, and giving him instruction on teaching the church in Crete. In doing so, Paul is also addressing the church at large; he is speaking to each one of us.
Paul tells us what should be taught to different groups of believers, in terms of Godly behavior and attitude. These different groups include: older men, younger men, older women and younger women. Each one of us can identify with one of these age groups.
But how can we do this? Verse 7 tells us “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness”. How EXACTLY can we teach those in age groups different from our own? The answer is simple: by our example...by doing what is good.
Culturally, we are told that it is the older generation who teaches the younger generation. The assumption is that the older…

 FAMILY A PLACE OF FAITH FORMATION: Anchoring our Faith in GodJOSHUA  24:14-22The hallmark of a biblical living is “faith”. Hebrews chapter 11 is often called the "Hall of Faith" or the "Faith Hall of Fame." In this noted chapter, the writer of the book of Hebrews introduces an impressive list of heroic figures from the Old Testament, whose stories stand out to encourage and challenge the faith. Joshua too was one such leader though not mentioned in this chapter. He was a tower of faith in Israel’s pilgrimage.

Faith comes from hearing, hearing the word of God, trusting in the word of God and believing in the word of God. When Joshua was a hundred and ten years old, he called the Israelites to Shechem to hear his farewell speech. In chapter 24, we see Joshua telling the people of Israel to look at their past and see how God delivered them. Remembering past grace gives us the motivation to trust God with the future grace. Displaying spiritual leadership, he challenge…

Family – place for faith formationLUKE 19:1-10How do you know if there is true transformation in your life? Continual repentance. This means a change of mind that produces a change of way. It is more than regret or remorse (feeling sorry mentally or emotionally), but true repentance leads to a change in behavior. It is a 180-degree turn. It is wanting to obey the maximum and not get by the minimum.
In Luke 19:2 we meet Zacchaeus, whose name means “Righteous One,” though there is nothing righteous about him at this point. We are told that he is a “chief tax collector.” This was an easy formula for corruption. You had foundational taxes, income taxes and customs taxes (kind of like a toll for passing through the city). So tax collectors became filthy rich and were hated. He was born a Jew, but the Jews kicked him out of their community.
Jesus is saying, “He is part of the community of faith far more than you, Israel, are.” Jesus brings him into the community! Jesus brings outcasts into co…

Youth – a doorway to a fruitful life  Ecclesiastes 12:1-8
 V1 Remember your creator in the days of your youth. Youth is a season of great energy, openness and hope. It is also a time of great peril, temptation and traps. How we live our youth affects the rest of our lives. How well we apply ourselves in our studies, how diligent we are, and how we develop our mind and work ethic will have a lasting impact on our lives. We live in a time when the amount of distractions and temptations around us have increased significantly. In the midst of all this, this passage reminds us that we need to pay attention to our spiritual life.

Look at the lives of great men and women and often we find that they had sought God early in life. How we pay attention to and develop our spiritual life has a lasting impact on our life. The great energy of our youth if given to pursue God and His kingdom and His righteousness results in great fruitfulness and joy in the years ahead. Yet we have to seek Him with all…

Praising God in times of troublePsalms 111
The importance of praise
 The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the whole world into an especially difficult and testing time. Fear, division and unrest seem to be growing daily and people are unsure of what the future will bring. At times like these, God reminds us in Psalm 111, of the importance of praise as an effective tool, which will help us to not just cope, but have victory over our circumstances.
How exactly does praising God help?
Praise opens access to God. While it is the blood of Jesus that grants us forgiveness from sin (Hebrews 10:19), praising God allows a clear passage to His presence. Therefore, “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).
Praise removes despair. Praising God changes our focus from ourselves and our circumstances to God, His promises and His faithfulness. This shift in focus provides us with “the oil of gladness instead of mourning” (Isaiah 61:3).
Praise is an effective weapon against …