HONEST & TRUTHFUL witness..!

Let’s read Acts 1:8, Proverbs 14:5&25 in tandem

“....you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

“An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies”

“A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful”

We receive POWER when we partner with the Holy Spirit God to fulfil our Heavenly Father’s will in and through our lives. This “POWER” is given not just to become a charismatic, crowd pulling, miracle-causing Christian stalwart. This “POWER” is given to become a witness of Jesus Christ. 

Notice what Jesus said to His chosen ones in the above scripture portion – “..you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” He commanded them to be a “local witness” first, then a “territorial witness” and then finally He spoke of being an “international witness”. That is the order we need to follow even today. We need to be a witness to our “family & friends” first in priority, everyone else are to follow next. What is the use of being known as a renowned “international preacher”, if one’s own family/friends cannot see Christ in him/her?

Just being a “witness” is not enough. A “witness” needs to be a genuine one. An honest witness is he whose way is the TRUTH. This very TRUTH sets people free/saves their lives (John 8:32b)

May you and I always receive power from the Holy Spirit God so we can be His witnesses. May we always testify as follows:

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3)

New ZEAL & New FERVOUR & New JOY everyday..!

Let’s read Proverbs 6:6-8, Romans 12:11 & Philippians 4:4 in tandem

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest”

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord”

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice”

Did you ever stoop down enough to have a closer look at an ant? If you did then you would have noticed the zeal and fervour with which they work. It is hard to find an ant which is sleeping or resting. Researchers have found out that ants “rest” for not more than 15 minutes in a day (24 hour period). No wonder why God wants us to understand His ways through a zealous and fervent ant. 

When you understand His ways and lean on His wisdom, you won’t need a commander, overseer or ruler to push you or supervise you at all times. In fact, God Himself commands, oversees and rules your life through the Holy Spirit in you.

Are you ZEALOUS & FERVENT at all times? Is your JOY a 24/7 phenomenon? 

If your answer is “NO”, then you probably have not fully understood His ways yet. You probably have minimal/no fellowship with the Holy Spirit God. You probably are not “IN THE LORD” always. The Apostle Paul said “Rejoice IN THE LORD ALWAYS..” because he knew for sure that true & unceasing JOY is a blessing bestowed only upon those who remain IN Christ at all times.  

Christ says – “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”(2 Corinthians 12:9a)

Can you say – “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”(2 Corinthians 12:10)

WHEAT or WEED?

Let’s read Matthew 13:24-30 & Psalm 1:3-6 in tandem

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’“An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”

“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction”

First of all, let us look at the parable of the probable climax for the “wheat” and  the “weed” of the spiritual realm. Spiritually speaking, after being truly born again, you are humbled down to a seed of wheat. You are sown in the field (the world) as a “good seed”. That is how you become part of the righteous family of God. But that is not the end of it all. In fact it is just the beginning...!

God’s righteous family is not secluded from the world’s unrighteous family. “As it is we do not belong to the world” (John 15:19), but we are placed in this corrupt/sinful world with a purpose (which is to glorify our heavenly father by being His witnesses). Hence do not be surprised or frustrated if you notice any weeds (unrighteous people) around you. It is not our job to pluck the weeds out (judge and accuse the “bad” people around us). God waits till its harvest (judgement) time before He burns them, and that should boost our patience with them. 

The important thing is to make sure that you are growing as “wheat” and not as “weed”. Just the ability to differentiate between “weed” and “wheat” does not automatically make you “wheat”. What an ironical climax it would be if you spend all your life accusing the “weeds” around you without realising that you yourself were a “weed” and not “wheat”...!

Don’t be quick to judge/accuse/exterminate someone who you think is unrighteous; wait till its harvest!

CHILD was born – SON was given..!!

Let’s read Isaiah 9:6

“For unto us a CHILD is born, Unto us a SON is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”

Was JESUS born on Christmas day? YES. Was CHRIST born on Christmas day? NO. If you are startled by my answer to the second question, read the above scripture portion again – “Unto us JESUS is born, Unto us CHRIST is given..!”

Christ (the Son of God) was given to us in the form of JESUS (the Son of Man). That is the reason why “Christ Jesus” is referred to as “100% God and 100% Man”. 

The Apostle John described this phenomenon of “the ever-existent Christ” more vividly. John 1:1 – “In the beginning was CHRIST (the Word), and CHRIST (the Word) was with God, and Christ (the Word) was God. He (CHRIST) was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him (CHRIST), and without Him (CHRIST) nothing was made that was made. In Him (CHRIST) was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light (CHRIST) shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (HIM)”

Christmas is not merely a birthday of one of the many “man-made-gods”. It is the manifestation of ETERNAL LIFE (read 1 John 1:1-4) by the ever-existent, all powerful, one-and-only CHRIST through JESUS...!!

The EVERLASTING FATHER became a child; The MIGHTY GOD became a sacrificial lamb; The PRINCE OF PEACE bore the most painful death on the cross. And He did all of this to SAVE you and me from the perils of SIN and to gift us with ETERNAL LIFE...!!

CHRISTMAS is the only festival which is not about the festivities ATALL. CHRISTMAS is not about all the celebration but all about the celebrity (CHRIST) of the celebration...!

Celebrate the SON of God (CHRIST) who was given to us; Follow the SON of Man (JESUS) who was slain for us..!!

God’s weighs & our weighs..!

Let’s read Proverbs 16:2 & 1 Samuel 16:7b in tandem 

“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord”

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”

God’s measuring/weighing scale is completely different to that of man. 

Man weighs the output more than the motive. God weighs the motive more than the output. 

The world can only recognise people’s achievements and never the intentions. From class grades at school to the highest civilian awards of a nation to the most famous international awards – all of them are based on what seems to be an OUTWARD ACHIEVEMENT. Did anyone ever get awarded for their unpractised good intentions? NO. People always get recognised only for their outward WORKS.

But God’s award & reward system works in exactly the opposite way. While people look at what you have or have not achieved, He looks at your heart. If you get carried away by the world’s award & reward system, you may never understand God’s ways in your life. 

Read Daniel chapter 1 – “..Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way”(vs8). Daniel’s view was not worldly. He did not get carried away by the outer appearance and appeal of the royal food and wine. His motive was to glorify God by not defiling himself with the ways of the world. God looked at Daniel’s heart and honoured his motive. “..At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food...”(vs15)

Does it mean that “motives” alone make us obedient children of God? Absolutely NOT. “...faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17) Notice that Daniel put his motive to action by taking the ten day test of not eating the royal food and succeeded in doing so by God’s empowerment...!

Study the WORD to understand God’s heart; Understand God’s heart to have motives which are in accordance with God’s..!