Reflections

  Youths: Inheriters of Faith Daniel 6:1-10 V. 3:   “Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” There are many things that will occur in life that will test our faith. As various situations arise in our life our belief and trust in God will be challenged. Faith is not a “blind leap” but having conviction of truth. Hebrews 11:1 helps define “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In this passage we witness examples of solid faith exhibited in the life of Daniel.    In the passage, Darius has authority over the province of Babylon and under him he appointed 120 satraps over various regions to deal with different affairs of the provinces. Over them Darius appointed three commissioners to oversee them and one of them was Daniel. Daniel distinguishes himself as a capable leader. Darius took notice of Daniel’s abili...

  Youths: Inheriters of Faith Ezekiel 12:1-8 V. 2:  "Son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people In this passage, Ezekiel writes about his prophecy from God. Ezekiel was a man who grew up in Jerusalem and began to train to become a priest.  In the verse mentioned above, The Lord tells Ezekiel that judgment is coming upon The Kingdom of Judah.   The Lord told Ezekiel in Jerusalem to warn all that the Judgment Day is coming very soon. He then tells Ezekiel to “go” into exile with everyone watching by packing his belongings and digging through the wall in front of all to see. He is symbolically showing what will happen to them and their King at that time if they do not obey the Lord’s instruction. You may ask, how old was Ezekiel when this happened?   Ezekiel was around the age of 25 when he was told the Word by God.    Even at the you...

  Christian Approach to Differently Abled   Youths: Inheriters of Faith 1 Timothy  4:12-16 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers  in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”  -1 Timothy 4:12 Young adulthood in the United States is a critical point of personal and religious transition,  during which individuals make choices with long-term consequences for relationships,  education, marriage, and childbearing. The youth in our nation are facing tremendous challenges.   Christian youth are among those who are facing the greatest challenges in our country.   Personalizing and living out their faith, living in an anti-Christian culture. Sexual temptations,  self-image & identity issues, divorce, family issues, lack of time, negative media influence,  materialism, capitalism, intersectionality, discrimination, and racism are some of the many. The  values are c...

  Christian Approach to Differently Abled   Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath Luke  13:10-17 V. 16: " Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” In this passage, we see a poor woman who has been bent double for 18 years. This woman was severely crippled and unable to participate in normal society. For eighteen years she had survived as an outcast yet practiced her faith by coming to religious worship in the synagogue. Jesus calls the woman over. All she does is move to Him. No words are exchanged yet she is cured. The leader of the synagogue is proactive, laying down the law about healings on the Sabbath. He addresses the congregation ignoring Jesus. But the Lord addresses the religious leaders who are so attached to rules that they cannot rejoice in a poor woman being healed. Jesus wants us to have life in its fullness and sets out to free us from eve...

  Christian Approach to Differently Abled   Mark 3:1-6 It is the sabbath and Jesus is again in the synagogue, presumably at Capernaum. This account needs to be read in the light of the healing of the man paralytic. These two occasions demonstrate the authority of Jesus over sin and sickness. When Jesus entered the synagogue, he noticed a man with a withered hand there. The Pharisees watched Jesus closely, aware that Jesus has already been healed on the Sabbath. They are motivated to accuse Jesus. Mark, very cleverly notices an irony here, the authorities deny Jesus to do good on the sabbath while they conspire to do evil on the Sabbath. For Jesus, Sabbath is not a resting day but a day for celebration, celebrating the wholeness of creation. So, healing on the sabbath is not a violation of the law but participation in the creative act of God. Jesus orders the man to stand up in front of everybody. Jesus made the man stand at the center of the synagogue and asked them “which is ...

  Christian Approach to Differently Abled Lame Beggar Healed  Acts 3:1-10 V. 6-7: "Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong."‭ In this passage, as Peter and John were entering the gate of the Temple in Jerusalem, they encountered a lame man begging for money. This man was unable to walk since birth and because he had never walked all his life, he gained no skills to earn an income. The lame man became dependent on others who carried him daily to the holy Temple of Jerusalem where he hoped to receive alms from affluent Christian and Jewish patrons. His only mission was to make it to the Temple and hope to collect enough for the day. The beggar expected a few coins but he never imagined that he will receive a miracle.   The Apostles of Jesus Christ and Peter and John, filled with the...

  Christian Approach to Differently Abled  Exodus 4: 1-17 Verse 11. Who had made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? In life, we are all given opportunities to stand up for God. Whether we do it or not is fully up to us. Moses is in a similar situation in this passage. God calls him to lead a nation. Knowing that the job is very big and the responsibility equally challenging, Moses, relying on his human weakness, tries his level best to deny the opportunity.  He presents himself as a poor leader first and then not eloquent in speech. God obviously becomes angry with Moses and reminds him of who is the creator of mankind.  In the Old Testament, a disability is considered to be a curse from God. To prove that God is above all disability He asks Moses to put his hand in his bosom which turns leperous first and when God asks him to put it again and remove it from his bosom, it heals. Disability is not a curse in...