Reflections

  Ready to Give in the midst of Recession and Inflation 2 Corinthians 9:6-12   "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Jesus humbled Himself and came to earth. He did this for us so we could receive the amazing gift of salvation. What an amazing gift Jesus has given for us. It is because of this gift that we give what we can. D.L Moody has said, “What makes the Dead Sea dead? Because it is all the time receiving, never giving out anything. Why is it that many Christians are cold? Because they are all the time receiving, never giving out anything.” Paul insists that no man was ever the loser because he was generous. Paul doesn’t just want our behavior to change; he wants our hearts to change. In order to achieve that kind of generosity, we have to

  St. Peter’s & St. Paul’s Day Matt: 20:25-28   Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” From the time that we start school, we quickly learn the perks of being first in a line, being first on a team/game, or being first for lunch. However, as we grow up, life teaches us that being first isn’t always that great. It is similar to the lesson that Jesus is trying to teach his disciples. Jesus is saying this shortly after James and John’s mother asked Jesus to allow her sons to be at Jesus’ right and left in His kingdom. Now, as a semi competitive woman, I can understand this mother’s request and why she would want her sons to have s

  Sharing for the Gospel Deuteronomy 14:22-29   Deuteronomy is the final book of the first set in the Jewish torah, and our Holy Bible. This first set of five books in the Bible are known as the Pentateuch and is generally attributed to Moses as the writer of THE LORD God’s communication. Deuteronomy, as well as the rest of the Pentateuch, is a carefully woven variety of styles: from historical accounts of Israelis hearing and following THE LORD’S direction toward the land of promise, to specific rules and regulations HE established to ensure equity and balance for all members within the Israeli community. God’s plan, perfect of course, was for HIS people to worship HIM anytime, anywhere, without limits, reservation, or excuse. THE LORD God demanded and guided Israelis to care for their family, as well as to ensure that everyone, regardless of who they are, receives sufficient means to live, and provision to worship THE LORD consistently and conscientiously. Deuteronomy 14 presents muc

  The Book of Remembrance Malachi 3: 6 - 18   “A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.” In the National Mall in Washington D.C., there is a monument called the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This monument attracts more than five million people each year. The most prominent feature of the memorial is a massive wall that lists the names of the more than 58,000 servicemen and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. The idea of this “remembrance” wall is to honor and never forget the sacrifices of the men and women who fought for and died for our country. This record of remembrance is not unique to Washington D.C. The book of Malachi speaks about a record of remembrance – “The Scroll of Remembrance.” And the book of Revelation talks about a record of remembrance in heaven in the presence of God – “The Book of Life.” During Malachi’s time, life was hard in Israel and disappointments were many. The people were disc

  Providing Our Share for the Gospel 1 Timothy  6:17-21   They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share As a high school senior, I attended The Urbana Student Missions Conference hosted by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and was part of almost 20,000 attendees eager to learn about mission work. I remember a preacher sharing with us that the greatest struggle at the time was not a lack of missionaries, but a lack of funds to support missionaries. He said we had more than enough missionaries, but not enough resources to send them out in the world. He went on to declare a need for believers who would be willing to invest in the extension of the Kingdom. We were encouraged to take advantage of educational opportunities as a path toward securing professions with financial security which in turn can be used to bless those in need. When we think of rich people or wealth in the bible, the first story we think of is the Rich Young Ruler who asks Jesus what he nee

  Discipleship – Call for Mission Psalm 119:33-40   “Establish Your word to your servant who is devoted to fearing You.”   What is the difference between a disciple and a devotee? A disciple follows the Master and His lifestyle whereas a devotee listens to the master all through the day. In other words, the Master’s character as well as His call for mission will, in due course, manifest in the life of a disciple. A devotee is interested in doing all the peripherals to please the Master. The Psalmist, through verses 33-40, is pleading with the Lord to make him a true disciple. He intuitively knows that it is a goal humanly impossible to achieve. Therefore, he hopes to accomplish it with the help and grace of the Lord.  The Psalmist uses different terms to describe the Word of God. He calls it by the terms ‘Statutes, Commandments, Law, Word, Testimonies, Judgements and Precepts.’ He is beseeching the Lord to hold him in full control: his mind, his heart, his walk, and his eyes are all su

  Beyond My World Mark  13: 13- 19   Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. In the words of Emil Brunner, "The Church exists for mission as a fire exists for burning. Where there is no mission, there is no church." This powerful statement reminds us of the inherent purpose and calling of the Church - to ignite and spread the fire of God's love to the ends of the earth.  As followers of Christ, we are part of a great mission that stretches across time and space. As Abraham Mar Thoma envisioned, "Every Marthomite is a missionary" to this missionary spirit, handed down through generations. It is a heritage that drives us to embrace our role as bearers of the Gospel, not confined by geographical boundaries or limited by cultural differences.  Reflecting on the mission of the Twelve as d

  Why did Jesus come? 1 Timothy  1: 12-17   It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all Basic gospel message in the whole Bible directly gives one answer to the question mentioned in the title “Why did Jesus come? “ is given in this verse. We may conveniently reach our inference depending on our personal needs and circumstances even commercialize His advent to this world. Though the Bible vividly teaches us His arrival for a special purpose, we preach and teach its essence by diluting to fit into our needs.  There are many unanswered questions to life’s vexing questions. We are distressed by our inability to solve even current advancement in many areas. The Bible tells us we can wait on the unanswered questions by focusing on one and only core issue of His arrival mission. Jesus existed before the Cosmos was created by God, though Jesus came to this world in human form He never gave up

  Discipleship — Call for Mission Acts 9:1-15   But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.” Firstly, a quick background, we read in Acts 7, the brutal death of Christ ‘s follower Stephen who was martyred by being stoned to death for his faith. This completely shook followers of Christ who were called ‘Followers of the Way ‘ ( later Christians) community who were few in numbers and were under tremendous threat that the persecution would continue and many of the followers feared their lives were under threat. We fast forward to Acts of the Apostles Chapter 9: 1-5, and we see devout Jew by the name of Saul from Tarsus who was spearheading a persecution campaign to annihilate the ‘followers of the way’ who had professed their faith in Jesus Christ. Saul had sought the permission of the Sanhedrin (Religious Council) in Jerusalem to embark on a trip to Damascus in Syria to persecute Chri

  Discipleship — Call for Mission Jeremiah 1:1-11   The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." In the life of a believer, the celebration of faith goes beyond passive acknowledgment; it involves active participation in the sacraments of the church and a continuous practice of God's Word and commandments. As we abide in God and remain connected to the true vine, Jesus Christ, we find strength and purpose in our discipleship journey. Colossians 3:17 reminds us to do everything, whether in word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. By proclaiming our faith and belonging to the faith community, we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. We eagerly anticipate His return to gather His faithful ones. In Jesus Christ, there is no condemnation for thos

  Discipleship — Call for Mission Isaiah  8:11-18   “The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread.”   Our text for today’s meditation is written by prophet Isaiah, son of Amos. The kingdom of Judah was threatened and insulted by their enemies. They schemed against them. Isaiah’s purpose and mission for that time was to motivate the discouraged king and the subjects of Judah. He told them not to be afraid for God is powerful and will save them. They were to stand firm in their faith and see the redemption of the Lord. He can do the impossible. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We must approach God with reverence, for who He is. When we recollect and thank Him for how He has rescued us in the past, it will give us the strength and courage to face today’s storm, looking up to Him for help. God is our Refuge, our Ark, our Tower, and our Stronghold. We just must run to Him in faith. Call on the name of t

  Discipleship — Call for Mission Titus 2: 1-15   “in all things, offering yourself as a model of good works and in your teaching offering integrity, gravity”   In his writing to Titus, Paul laid the framework through which Christian leaders are to be molded: sound teaching. The value of a good leader cannot be undermined. Thus, the emphasis on good teaching must lay at the heart of our mission as followers of Christ. In Chapter 2, Paul places a strong emphasis on a believer’s pattern of conduct. Why is  this the case? In our daily lives, we ought to be fully conscious of the fact that what we say and do either glorify our Lord or discredit Him. We are familiar with the adage “practice what you preach”. However, we also must be just as careful with what we preach. In other words, what is the content of our teaching? If we preach in accordance with sound doctrine, then others around us will be edified. As a result, they will grow in the boldness of their witness to Christ. Likewise, thi

  Worship - The Celebration of Faith Psalm 148   Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created,   Celebration of faith includes active participation in church sacraments and continuous practice of God’s words and commandments and abiding with God all the time. A believer cannot stand on his own unless attached to the true vine Jesus Christ. Colossians 3 :17 says: and whatever you do whether in word or deed do it all in the name of Lord Jesus giving thanks to God, the father through Him. When we claim we belong to the faith community or proclaim our faith we are indeed confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead and He is coming back again to gather his faithful ones. There is no condemnation for those who trust in Jesus. What is the evidence of faith and how can we exhibit it?. Jesus says to His disciples in Mathew  17:20 : if you have faith as a grain of a mustard seed you can say to the mountain

  Accepted Prayers   Luke 18: 1-14   I. St. Luke 18:1-8 : A persistent prayer based on God’s character.  St. Luke mentions a number of widows in the ministry of Jesus. In addition to being vulnerable, widows appear prophetic, active and faithful. The widow in this story is persistent enough to get the justice she demands from the unjust judge. We are assured that God wants what is best for us and we may surely assume that God wants to give all that we are told to ask for in the Lord’s Prayer. God takes the place of the unjust judge granting justice to those who cry day and night.  II. St. Luke 18:9-14 : A humble repentant prayer for God’s mercy. Vs. 9-14 show penitent, God-focused prayer. The tax-collector did not even feel worthy to approach God. The Pharisee did not pray for anything whereas the tax-collector had an accurate view of God and of himself. In these two parables, we have learnt two kinds of prayer that God accepts. Both prayers are God-centered. May the Lord give us humbl