Reception, Continuation & Exaltation...!

Let’s read Colossians 2: 6, 7

“So then, just as you RECEIVED Christ Jesus as Lord, CONTINUE to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with THANKFULNESS”.

Imagine getting an offer letter confirming your admission in a college or university for a 3 year course. You may either accept it or decline it. Let’s say you wanted to go ahead with the admission process. Once you have decided to accept the offer of admission, what do you do? You do the necessary paper-work, sign and pay the fees. What do you do after that? Do you just stay home and relax? Expecting to be called for the graduation ceremony after 3 years are complete? Or do you go to another college or university in which you do not have any admission? NO..!! After RECEIVING the offer you CONTINUE to study the same course you applied for at the same institution.

Similarly, the moment of Christ’s RECEPTION in your life is not the end of it all. You need to CONTINUE to live your life, rooted and built up in HIM. Some Christians just accept the “offer of admission” into the Kingdom of God by receiving Christ, but never continue their journey with Christ. They think their acceptance of Christ is enough to graduate (receive the crown of life). “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

Have you RECEIVED Jesus Christ as your Lord? If you have, then are you CONTINUALLY living in Him? Is He your foundation? Is your life being built in Him? If you answer is YES, then these two things should be true in your life as well –Being strengthened in FAITH & Overflowing with THANKFULNESS. If your FAITH is being weakened or if you are overflowing with complaints, then be sure of the fact that you are not living your life IN HIM…!

Receive Him – Live Him – Thank Him..!!

Who wants to be a Co-Heir?

Let’s read Romans 8:14-17

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory”.

Can you imagine how it would feel like if Mr.Ambani, the richest man in all of India was to adopt you as his son or daughter? And can you imagine having all the comforts and luxuries of this world guaranteed as a result of your adoption by Mr.Ambani. Now try to multiply that feeling by a zillion (countless) times. IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE, isn’t it?? Well, such is the magnitude of this mystery revealed unto us through the Apostle Paul.

Religion is “MAN IN SERACH OF GOD”. Spirituality is “GOD IN SEARCH OF MAN”.

If “Christianity” is just a religion to you, then you will always see God as a colossal being who treats man as a mere slave and as one who expects man to work his way towards Him through rituals/customs and good deeds.

“Christianity” is not merely a religion, not merely a milestone to cross but a journey on the only “WAY” paved by the Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ. This “WAY” resulted from God’s desire to bring us back to His Glory as His children.

What a Blessed assurance we have IN CHRIST..!

He is our “Spiritual elder brother”. We have this unimaginable privilege of addressing God as our “Abba, Father” only and only because of our undeserved yet true adoption to His sonship. We share not just the “GLORY” with Christ; we also share in His “SUFFERING”. Hence, do not pester God to remove suffering from your life, on the contrary “REJOICE” in your suffering (Romans 5:3-5)..!!

Those who are “Spirit led” are “Heaven fed”..!!

Sight-less Belief..!

Let’s read John 20:29

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

How do we believe that Sachin is a master batsman? Because we have seen his picture-perfect stroke play. How do we believe that Amitabh is a splendid actor? Because we have seen his skillful performances. The world’s belief system is based on the sensory feedback of the 5 senses (individual or combined). However, Spiritual belief system (Faith) is not based on the sensory feedback of the senses.

The WORLD says “See it to believe it”. The WORD says “Believe it before you see it”. What a contrast..! We are to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). But this taste is not dependent on any of the 5 senses. This taste is experienced through the Spiritual palate called FAITH.

It is one thing to “know about” a taste and another to “actually know” the taste. None of us have seen God, but we have a promise from Him through His Son Jesus Christ – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). This is not a “maybe-statement”, this is a promise. If your heart is pure, you “WILL” see God.

If you fill your heart with the filth of the world through your senses, then there will be no place for purity. Be careful of what you eat, listen to, touch, smell and see. Did you know that through your senses you can either displease God or Glorify Him?? “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, DO IT ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

May you be the one who spreads the AROMA of God (2 Corinthians 2:14) and not emit filthy stink. Silly and meaningless movies/songs etc do not emit AROMA, they emit foul odour.  Rid yourself off the filth of the world and fill yourself with the purity of God’s Word..!! (Proverbs 30:5).

Those who SEEK Him now blind-folded, “WILL” surely SEE Him as promised..!!!

Submit, Resist and Relax..!!

Let’s read James 4: 7

“SUBMIT yourselves, then, to God. RESIST the devil, and he will flee from you”.

To “SUBMIT” is to accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person. A new-born baby’s helpless dependence on his mother is a classic example for “Submission”.

To “RESIST” is to struggle or fight back when attacked. A hulky boxer’s defence & punch-back is a classic example for “Resistance”.

God wants you to trust Him and surrender your ALL. Apart from creating us, He bought us back with a priceless sacrificial offering of His only Son Jesus Christ. 

Imagine your own (bought with a price) mobile phone being independent, able to make decisions on its own. How would you react if your phone was to send a hoax text without your notice to all your family members saying “Disappointed with you all, ending my life now”..! Won’t you be shocked, frustrated and upset?? And get rid of that phone right away?? 

Well, God does not react like we do. His ways are not our ways (read Isaiah 55:8). Even though we Sin against Him and do not submit ourselves to Him fully, He doesn’t get rid of us “right away” (read 2 Peter 3:9). He waits for all the prodigal sons and daughters to return home on their own. But, if you remain stiff-necked after many rebukes, you will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy (Proverbs 29:1). Do not take God’s patience for granted..!!

A need for “Resisting the Devil” will only arise if you “Submit yourself to God”. Because, when you are not under God’s authority, you actually “assist” the Devil and not “resist” him. “Submitting yourself to God” is an ongoing process, and so is “resisting the Devil”. You need to constantly RESIST the Devil to constantly keep him away.

SUBMIT your Will....RESIST the Devil......REST in God..!

PRAY right...!!

Let’s read Matthew 6: 5, 6

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”.

A simple synonym for the word “hypocrite” is “actor”. The man who acts like “super-man” isn’t a “super-man” in reality. He only acts. Similarly, “hypocrites” are those who talk/act like someone they are not. They only “behave” in a certain way for others to appraise and approve them. An actor gets paid and recognised only because he/she “acted” and not because they “lived” the character out. 

For example, imagine yourself acting in a movie as a great philanthropist who dedicates his whole life for the welfare and protection of the poor. You may even receive an Oscar for your excellent “acting”. But do you expect to receive a Nobel peace prize for all the great things you did in the movie?? Absolutely NOT.

Prayer is one of the many “behaviours” of a Christian. It is very important to have the right “behaviour” or “conduct”, especially in PRAYER. 

If you speak to your earthly father only in front of others and never in private, then there’s something wrong with your relationship with him. The same applies to your heavenly Father. Do you only pray in public? Do you not talk to Him (pray) in private? Then you are nothing but a “Hypocritical Christian – one who just acts as a Christian but is not really one”..!

Pray to be heard and not to prove a point..!!

Being Two-Dimensionally FAVOURABLE...!!

Let’s read Luke 2:52

“And Jesus grew in WISDOM and STATURE, and in favour with GOD and MAN”.

“Wisdom” means - the quality of having knowledge with good judgement or reasoning.

“Stature” means - the reputation gained by ability or achievement.

Luke chapter 2:41 – 52 accounts the narrative of “The Boy Jesus at the temple”. Jesus was only 12 years old at that time. After doing everything (customs/rituals) required by the Law of the Lord, Jesus’ parents headed back home being unaware of the fact that Jesus had actually stayed behind in Jerusalem. After travelling for a day, the parents realised that their boy Jesus “was missing”. 

But after 3 days of anxious search, they finally found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions (vs46). In the very next verse something remarkable is mentioned – “Everyone who heard him was AMAZED AT HIS UNDERSTANDING AND HIS ANSWERS...!”. So it is obvious that after listening to them first, he then asked some questions. After they tried to answer him out of their knowledge and wisdom, they probably asked his opinion on those same questions. And Jesus answered with “WISDOM”. How often do you see a twelve year old asking spiritual question these days? It was a rarity during Jesus’ time and it still is a rarity now..! 

Jesus was obedient to His parents. He was a very good listener and a humble student. He was accepted and favoured by all His family/ friends & elders. 

Jesus not only grew in WISDOM (discernment), he also grew in STATURE (respect). Wisdom is a gift and Stature is a virtue, and both come from God.

Ask God and seek for His WISDOM through faith and you will certainly grow in His favour. Obey his statutes and He will surely build your STATURE up..!!

A LOVER more loving than a MOTHER…!!!

Let’s read Isaiah 49:15 (Living Bible)

“Never! Can a mother forget her little child and not have love for her own son? Yet even if that should be, I will not forget you.”

Did your mother ever forget you? Did you ever face questions like “Who are you?” or “Do I know you?” from your mother..?! I know what your answer is…..a loud “NEVER”.

Some women suffering from memory loss due to various medical reasons (ex: Alzheimer’s disease) may unknowingly “forget” their children. But the Word of God says that even if your mother KNOWINGLY forgets you, God never does..!!

The Apostle Paul found it really hard to communicate the magnitude of God’s love in mere words, he said – “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD”. Amen…!

You cannot run away far enough to escape from this LOVE. You cannot fly high enough to go “out-of-reach” from this LOVE. You cannot fall deep enough to be undeservingly low to receive this LOVE. But the only thing that hinders you from experiencing this Amazing & Everlasting LOVE is your “WILL”.

You can choose to ignore this LOVE. Your CHOICE is the only thing that keeps you away from God’s LOVE. Even your CHOICE is not able to separate you from God’s LOVE; it just keeps you away from experiencing Him. It’s like the Sun – going under a shelter on a hot sunny day does not separate you from the sun, it just keeps you away from experiencing it for a while..!

Never forget that GOD NEVER FORGETS YOU…!!

Essential Navigation System – all day long..!!

Let’s read Psalm 25: 4, 5

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long".

What comes to your mind when you are to go to a new destination in a car by yourself, on a never journeyed path?? GPS or MAPS..! You need some reliable navigation system to SHOW YOU THE WAY and GUIDE YOU THROUGHOUT. And till you reach the destination, your Navigation System is your only hope.

In fact, you will need 3 main things – Roads (PATH), Reliable NAVIGATION SYSTEM and FUEL.

Similarly you need the above 3 to make your Spiritual journey a reality. You need a WAY, similar to the roads. You need TRUTH, similar to the navigation system. You need LIFE, similar to the fuel.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE (read John 14:6). He is ALL that you need to make your Spiritual journey a possibility, and to reach the ultimate destination (read Romans 8:29). He is your only HOPE.

When your body gets tired, you rest. Resting is part of the survival process. But even when you are sleeping, your organs do not stop functioning. Your heart never stops as long as you are alive. Similarly, your Soul never stops functioning. And when your Soul becomes weary, true rest is also found only in God (read Psalm 62: 5).

Hence, the Psalmist said “my hope is in you ALL DAY long”.

No matter what, you need Him EVERY HOUR, EVERY MINUTE and EVERY SECOND of your LIFE…!!!