Reflections

  Worthy Life 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 V24…Run in such a way that you may win it.   Christian leaders are called to be an example not only in their public preaching, but also in their personal lives. A striking feature of Paul’s ministry was his transparency and honesty in the preaching of the gospel and the conduct of his personal affairs. Paul often invited people to look into his own life example (Acts  20:18 , 33-34). He also exhorted the elders of the church to ensure that their own personal life became a reflection of the sincerity of their Christian faith. Further, he instructed the elders of the church to watch over the flock entrusted to them by Christ, so that the lives of the believers lived up to the holiness that Christ had called them to.   In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses many daily life issues that existed among the believers in Corinth which were unbecoming for Christians. After instructing them on rules they have to follow to ensure peace, ...

  Worthy Life 1 Corinthians  3:16-19 v16-17“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred and you together are that temple”   These days we see many church buildings are being shut down and many are being converted into pubs, and other forms of buildings. The church buildings which were once used to call upon the name of the living God end up being misused. It is responsibility of all of us to maintain the life of the church where our God and his Spirit dwells. In today’s passage, Paul addresses the damage done to the church by the disunity among its people. Because of this disunity, people focus on their own egos instead of focusing on Christ- the head of the Church. that would affect the vitality and witness of the church in the future. So, Paul confronts the people by telling them that divisions in the name of leaders are futile. H...

Worthy Life –Temperance Sunday Gen 9:18-27   V21 “When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk”.   This week we are meditating on living a worthy life. God created us in His image and wants us to live according to His will. At the same time, God gave us free will to choose between right and wrong. Only if we are led by the Holy Spirit can we make every decision according to God’s will.    Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. In the Bible it says, “Noah was  a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time,”  and he is described as one who “ walked faithfully with God”  (Gen.6:9)   In today’s portion we read about a time where Noah fell short of God’s standard through getting drunk. When drinking, people lose sight of the Spirit and act wayward from God’s will. Noah’s drunkenness caused him to act in a way that is contrary to God’s standards for a worthy life. This clearly shows how Noah was vulnerable t...

  WORTHY LIFE- TEMPERANCE   Galatians 5:16-24 v16 “Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" .   Jesus came to the earth with a definite mission. God has a mission and purpose for our life too. We are wired by God to lead a life that makes a difference in the world. God has provided us talents, abilities and also freedom to choose the right and wrong. Ultimately God wants our life to be worthy of His creation. Just as Jesus glorified God by fulfilling His mission in the world, we are told to emulate His example. Our actions and beliefs determine our convictions, our convictions determine our conduct and our conduct determine our character. What is our gold standard that we elect to live in this world? Are we going by world’s standard or we, the redeemed by the blood shed on the calvary take Jesus’s standard to follow and lead our life? Let us have the commonsense to select the right and wrong and go by God’s rules to make a successful l...

  "Worthy Life"-Temperance Sunday Romans  6: 12-23 V23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are living in a world, where “worthy life " has become a relative term based on what one feels is good and right. But for a child of God "worthy life "means to live a life that pleases our Creator God. So also "temperance "in the modern day is defined as "moderation "but for a child of God it is complete abstinence from anything that displeases our Creator God. Satan begins the temptation by a simple enticement which seems harmless at first but soon we find ourselves sliding down the slippery slope of sin. In Galatians 5: 24 we read that those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh, the sinful nature, with its passions and desires. They will walk by the Spirit and will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Again in 1 Corinthians 3: 16 we read that we are God's temple and that...

  Worthy Life:Temperance Proverbs 23:19-35 V21 – “…for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty.”   A merican country music singer and song writer Brad Paisley has written a song called "Alcohol" that describes some foolish things that alcohol makes people do. Listen to some of the lyrics: I can make anybody pretty I can make you believe any lie I can make you pick a fight - with somebody twice your size I been known to cause a few break ups I been known to cause a few births I can make you new friends - or get you fired from work   In other words, alcohol can make you a fool. The number of precious lives that addictive substances have destroyed are too many to count. We see that being drunk is expressly forbidden in Scripture as it relinquishes control of our faculties to alcohol rather than to the Holy Spirit (Eph.  5:18 ). This week we try to understand the need for Temperance in our daily life. Temperance means voluntary self-restraint. A life which is g...

  Worthy life: Temperance Sunday Luke 15:11-24 V21 – “Father I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Every year, the second Sunday in January is observed as Temperance Sunday. It is observed to conscientize ourselves to the harmful effects of addictive substances. Now there is greater awareness that along with drugs, tobacco and alcohol, gadgets can also be addictive. America is now also struggling against the opioid crisis. All these substances make humans dependent on them and reduce the quality of our life. It can ultimately result in the destruction of human life, unless some measures are taken against it. Awareness, prevention and rehabilitation are the means employed to seek relief from the problem of addiction to harmful substances.   Today’s passage is a part of Jesus’s three famous parables in Luke 15. All of these parables show the joy of finding the lost. Metaphorically, these parables depict the joy of God whe...