Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes

John 4: 35-37

Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.

Jesus gives a very interesting command here “Open your eyes”. Does that mean that the eyes of the disciples were closed? The disciples were people who went with the crowd. They thought there are still four months for harvest based on the common world knowledge. But Jesus tells them “No, it’s now!”

God has called us to see things differently than what the common world sees. Are our eyes opened to the need? If not, the sooner we open the better will it be!

I was recently listening to an audio sermon by Keith Green. Keith Green quoted a text from Oswald J. Smith’s book ‘The Revival We Need’. Let me summarize the message I heard:

In the year 1933 there were 7000 churches in Canada. In a survey conducted, it was revealed that NOT EVEN ONE church had won a SINGLE soul for Christ during the entire year. Think about this… A full year has 52 weeks and if we assume just one sermon on one Sunday that would amount to around 35000 sermons! Think about the numerous efforts, time and offerings involved, yet none of them was beneficial in the sight of God. Clearly there is a problem here

• Either the problem is with the 7000 preachers or their sermons or both
• Or the problem is with God.

Remember that Peter gave a short and a simple sermon on the day of Pentecost and the Church was increased by 3000 on a single day.

It is hurting that the Church which is supposed to represent Christ to the world is today invisibly asleep. As Leonard Ravenhill rightly says, “In this grim hour when the world is sleeping in the dark, the church is sleeping in the light”

Is it not time to weep and wail and confess that with all our multi-million efforts we have failed to reproduce the revival of the early church? Is it not time to acknowledge that we’ve spent too much of our time and prayer on our personal needs, job, family and cared nothing for the world or things that Christ is concerned about?

It’s important that we don’t play with souls. If God has revealed himself to us it’s for a purpose. Come what may we need to fulfill the purpose of God’s calling.

God’s will for us is not to live a happy and carefree life but as Paul says in 1 Timothy 2: 1-3

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

It is God’s will that “ALL MEN MUST BE SAVED” and if we are not winning souls in our walk, we are clearly falling short of God’s will.

Let’s check this: how much of our praying time is spent with burden for souls? How much of our prayer life is about carrying God’s burden? If not at least half I sense there’s a serious question about our faith and salvation.

Salvation as I understand is not a one-way call. It has a promise and a command to be obeyed.

Let’s take a look at Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

It has a command “Take my yoke upon you”. Are we carrying the yoke?

Jesus said “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49).

What is our share in the Christ’s desire?

Today the world is fast skyrocketing to hell. But the Church seems to be least concerned. We are too self-satisfied. We feel content with all our soul-passionless efforts.

While the world is bleeding with pain, we as a Church who have access to the living God simply don’t care. Today the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is claiming souls by thousands. Have you ever heard of a prayer being offered for those dying in Iraq/Afghanistan? I have heard of none. We try to cover up our sterile situation with words as “God’s working mightily”, etc but in fact the living God is “wounded in the house of his friends” (Zechariah 13:6) .

Many times when we hear these kinds of thoughts we feel an emotional pain and are challenged to take some decision. But there’s a difference with God. In the Bible God is not a man that he has to change his decision. If God hurts, he really hurts; if he weeps he really weeps. God’s pain is not emotional but real. It is imperative that we understand the heart of God. Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). Have we taken time to listen to God’s heartbeat?

What do we lack today? Do we lack finances? Or do we lack people? Or do we lack time? I believe the greatest thing we lack today is vision and passion. We lack the hungriness for true soul-shaking revival.It’s true that we cannot do anything without God’s help but if we don’t have passion or vision there is nothing that God can do anything through us too.

Today the world is drifting away from God’s sight, and the reason is not with television or communism or whatever. The reason is with us - the Church! Let’s pray that true revival will first shake us (me, you and every individual), then the Church and then the nation!

Oh Lord, there's just so much to be done.
Oh Lord, so many souls to be won,
Oh Lord, this world is falling apart,
Dying for love from a broken heart.

Here am I, send me, though there's
really not that much I can do.
What I have seems so small,
but I want to give it all to you.

Oh Lord, you said the harvest was great,
But Lord, looks like the workers are late.
It's getting hard to understand,
How they ignore your great command.

Here am I, send me, though you said
the ones who labor are few,
Still my heart hears the call,
and I wanna give it all to you.

Oh, to reach the ones nobody does,
Give up my pride and even work in the mud,
I wanna be like those who spilled their blood,
And gave it like water to you.

- Keith Green

Works of God in the book of Esther

Tremendous works of God were written in the book of Esther. Out of so many works of God, few are listed below.

1. God's grace is always upon His people

The future of God's people is not decided by their current situation but it's decided only by the grace of our Lord. The grace of God is always upon His people, wherever they are and whatever they do.

Esther was a slave in the kingdom of King Xerxes. Her parents were dead. She might have never thought that she will become the queen of the nation where she was a slave. Only by the grace of God Esther became the queen of that nation.

Those who obey God's commandments are His people. They will receive His grace.

2. God knows whom to keep where

It is not by the might of the people or by their talents that they deserve their position/status/authority in society. It is God who decides to give the position/status/authority to His people. The only quality He expects is reliability.

Esther was not the only woman among the Israelites who were slaves under the King Xerxes. But God's chose only Esther to be the queen among all the Israelites. The qualification that God found in Esther was her reliability. Esther was not carried away by her status as a queen in the kingdom of Xerxes. Whether she was a slave or she was a queen, Esther worshipped only the true God and always remembered her people who were slaves.

So, whatever position or status we possess, the quality of being reliable to God should be within us always.

3. God makes His people find favour with men

God makes His people to find favour with men, whenever and wherever they need it.

Favour with men was provided to Esther whenever she needed.

When Esther was in the King's palace, she won the favour of all men there. ".....Esther won the favour of everyone who saw her". - Esther 2:15

When Esther went into the presence of King Xerxes to speak in favour of her people, God commanded the favour of the King to Esther. She was able to convey all her requests and wishes to him, to protect her people from destruction. "...He (King Xerxes) was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand". - Esther 5:2

Esther was obedient to Mordecai, her uncle. Also, she didn't just rush into the king's presence, but fasted, prayed, and only then went into the king's presence.

God's favour is given to all people who obey Him and elders, and to all those who persist in Prayer.

4. God honours His people

God honours His people and gives recognition to His people who do good in all circumstances.

When two men planned to assassinate the King, Mordecai informed the plot to Esther who in turn reported it to the King (Esther 2:21-23). Mordecai was made a slave by King Xerxes in his kingdom. So he could have stayed quietly without disclosing the assassination plot to anyone. Yet he did what was commanded to him in the scriptures through his elders. This goodness of Mordecai was forgotten by the King at that time. But God didn't forget it. God didn't give sleep to the King Xerxes until he recognized Mordecai's good work. Also he was honoured by the hands of his enemy Haman, who planned to hang him in the gallows.

When we do good in all circumstances, we'll be honoured by our Lord.

5. God protects His people

God will surely protect His people who humble themselves and pray before him.

Before any trouble comes to His people, God will choose an Esther and a Mordecai to protect His people. So, when His people humble themselves and fast and pray to Him, He'll surely protect them from all foes and troubles. God always gives more than what we deserve and what we expect. The people of Israel were not only protected by the Lord, even their enemies were given into their hands.

When we humble ourselves and pray to Him, we'll be protected by our Lord.

Conclusion

God is unchanging. He is not a man to change His heart and His character. This God of Esther, Mordecai and Israelites is the same God who is living today. Lets be His people and get all His blessings. Amen.

Powerfully Effective Prayer

The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
- James 5:16 (Webster's Bible Translation)

Note the words "powerfully effective". Webster's translation (and the Tamil Bible) has put this very clearly. There is something different about the insistent prayer of a righteous person. It is a powerful prayer. It is highly effective. How do we do this?

1. What is prayer?

Prayer is a conversation with God. It is more than just talking to Him, or asking from Him. It also involves listening to Him. Prayer is a channel through which we receive His will for us and His blessings.

2. Why pray?

First, we need to pray to renew our spirit. In order to live our spiritual life and to overcome the flesh, prayer is vital.

Secondly, we are called to be co-workers with Christ.

"Without God we cannot; without us He will not" - Author unknown

One of the interesting things about the way God works is that, He has restricted himself to work through His people. He has chosen to work through our eyes, our lips, our hands and our legs! By our unwillingness we can stop God's work. By not asking of Him, many blessings can get blocked. By our prayerlessness, many could stand to miss their salvation. Let us not be slack concerning prayer!

3. Effective, fervent, righteous

How to pray effectively? Start with obedience. Are we living according to His will? Prayer from a sinful heart is detestable to God (Read Psalms 66:16-20, Proverbs 28:9). Confess your sins. Get forgiven.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Cor. 5:21

Put on the righteousness that is ours through Jesus Christ. God hears the prayer of a righteous man. Once you're made righteous through Christ, move on ...

Pray with faith, from a sincere heart. Give your best time for prayer. Not when you're tired at the end of the day. Whichever period of time you'll be fresh, spend a little of that freshness praying to God. Be focussed while praying, don't be distracted by what you need to do later, or what you did previously, or any other thing ...

Let's not restrict prayer to just a particular period of the day. Pray while reading the Word. Rather than reading a whole chapter or a whole portion, and then praying, pray as you read. Pray while you brush your teeth. Pray while you commute to work.

Integrate prayer into day-to-day activities.

The things that we pray for will surely be granted to us if ... read John 15:7,8. The second part of that portion has the key, which is easy to miss. If we ask for anything that will bring glory to our Father, it will surely be done. It is that simple! Let's be unselfish when we ask. Examine the intentions of our heart for all the things we ask. Are we asking for our own pleasure, or are we asking so that God's name is glorified? Even our personal needs like buying a bike, a car, a house, a piece of land, a jewellery item, clothes, ... will those bring glory to God?

And finally, for effective praying, pray expecting that God listens and that He answers.

4. Need righteousness, not perfection!

In the verses following James 5:16, we read about a prayer warrior: Elijah. He single-handedly opposed the prophets of Baal and beheaded hundreds of them. The next moment he was running away from the wicked queen. He went from a bold proclamation of God's greatness to a cowardly request to God to take his life immediately! Elijah was by no means perfect. But when he prayed earnestly God answered Him powerfully.

Likewise, let's not wait for the day when we'll become perfect, but go boldly before God, putting on Christ's righteousness. Our prayers would then be powerfully effective! What if ALL our prayers become POWERFULLY EFFECTIVE?

Bible Study: Daniel chapter 1

Daniel 1:1-5
Unusual opportunity

We are what we are because of the grace of God and not by our might / knowledge / talents.

Daniel was given an unusual opportunity. Out of all Jewish slaves, Daniel and his friends were honoured. The honour is because of the grace of God.

Daniel 1:6-8
Stand by Daniel

Wherever we are, we should stand for God and not be intimidated by men and their authority.

The Babylonians tried to change the identity and principles of the Israelites. Yet Daniel and his friends stood for their identities and principles.

1. Stand for identity: Daniel and his friends were renamed and called after Babylonian Gods. Even though their names were changed, yet their identities were not lost.

2. Stand for principles: Daniel and his friends were offered meat and wine from the table of the Babylonian King. This honour was given only for selected men. But even though they were slaves, bound by the King's laws, they never chose to go with their physical senses of 'taste'/'sight'.

They stood for God and did not sacrifice their principles, inspite of the King's decrees.

Daniel 1:9-14
Daniel was not put to shame

If we stand for God, we'll be placed in awkward position by men. But God'll surely honour us.

It is natural that non-Vegetarian foods have more calories than vegetarian foods. But in the case of Daniel and his friends, even when they ate pulses and vegetables, they looked healthier and stronger than the people who ate meat and wine. God is not controlled or limited by natural laws. If we stand for God, God will honour us irrespective of natural laws.

Daniel 1:15-20
God honoured Daniel and his friends

Though Daniel and his friends were slaves in Babylon, yet they were 10 times wiser and more brilliant than the Babylonians.

So, let us all please God wherever we are and whenever possible. God will surely give His grace to build our place on a solid rock and not on sinking sand.

"YOUR WALK TALKS LOUDER THAN YOUR TALK TALKS"

Blessing or curse: can we choose?

Sometime back, we heard about the surety of God's word: if He says something, it will surely come to pass, whether it is a blessing or a curse. But when does God pronounce a blessing or a curse? Can we choose to be blessed or cursed? Or, is it beyond our control?

Let's go step-by-step and understand this very important question.

1. What is a covenant?
A covenant is an agreement between two people, sealed with a sacrifice. In the Middle East, in ancient times, a covenant had a deep meaning. An animal sacrifice was made. The sacrifice was cut into two pieces. Both parties entering into the covenant walk through that sacrifice. It signified that:

• Both are dead to each other, in the context of the covenant.
• Both will live for each other, from that point onwards. That is, both will seek each other's good.
  
• Each person will have ownership over all the things possessed by the other person.

We see God entering into such a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15:9-18.

Later on, God entered into a covenant with Israel, through Moses. The covenant was sealed with the blood from an animal sacrifice (Exodus 24:8). This is the old covenant, which was not a perfect covenant. The perfect covenant was made when Jesus shed His blood on the Cross. He became the pure and perfect sacrifice for our sins. This covenant was between God and all mankind. This is the new covenant.

2. Blessing or curse
Joshua 23:14-16: "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. But just as every good promise of the LORD your God has come true, so the LORD will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the LORD's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."

As we see in the above passage, if the people of Israel kept the covenant of the Lord, they were entitled to God's blessings. Instead, if they broke His covenant, there were sure to be cursed. The above covenant is the old covenant. Now we are in the times of the new covenant. Does the same rule above hold good even now?

Matthew 25:31-46: talks about the last days, when Jesus will don the role of a Judge. He will separate the good people from the bad people. In verse 34, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father ..." , and in verse 41, "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed ...". Going through the whole passage, we find that by their actions or inactions people were judged. If they did a good thing like helping a hungry person, or a person in prison, they were storing up for themselves eternal blessings. On the other hand, those who did not do a good thing (inaction) were storing up for themselves eternal curses. Eternal blessing or curse depends on the choices we make every day. Doing an evil thing, or not doing a good thing - both potentially stop a blessing and bring a curse!

So, yes! We do have a choice about whether we get blessed or cursed. And, yes again! It is within our control now, to choose to be blessed, and not cursed.

3. The basis for our actions: love
Not every kind of situation we face in life is covered in the above passage. When faced with a situation that is not directly addressed in the Bible, how do we make the right choice, so that we get blessed and not cursed? Matthew 22:35-40. Love is the key. Jesus puts it clearly: love for God, and love for our neighbours. When all our actions are based on love, we'll know for sure which is the right choice to make.

4. The enabler: Holy spirit
It is easy to see the truth above, but very difficult to imbibe this truth and apply it in ALL the situations we face in our day to day life. "Lord! I can love anyone, but that person!" "Lord! I can forgive anyone but her!" "Lord! I love you, but don't ask me to do that!" Infact, it is impossible to keep the above without the help of ... that's right: the Holy Spirit!

Personally, I tried to live the message, after preparing it. But it was tough! I thought it would be so easy to review my day, every night, see where all I've acted in a wrong way, and correct myself the next day. It didn't work out that way! I couldn't consistently sit down and do that review every night. And on the days when I did review my day, I found way too many areas where I had failed. It was so discouraging! It was then that I found the missing link. Without the Holy Spirit, we can never consistently choose blessing over curse.

If we have a living relationship with the Holy Spirit, and give Him room in our life, we will be one among the sheep in the day of judgement! Eternal blessings will be ours!

When we humble ourselves and seek Him ...

II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

From the above verse, we understand:

1. God declares that we are His people by the words "my people". We are His people called by His Name.
2. His people should "seek His Face". In psi 27:8, Kings David says, 'My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek..'.
3. His people should "Humble" themselves before Him before seeking His face.
4. His people should "turn from their wicked ways". Only then, their prayers for themselves and their nation will be heard and answered.

1. Blessings for being humble

King Solomon
King Solomon humbled himself before the Lord and built the temple of God with the best materials available in his kingdom. Solomon prayed to God for wisdom to govern the people of God, rather than for riches or fame. God heard His prayer and blessed him. He even gave him what he had not asked for!

"I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings." -- I Kings 3 :12,13

King David
Even though David was the King of Israel, he humbled himself before God and danced in front of the ark of the covenant, when it was brought back to Israel after so many years. When his wife was angry with him for dancing before all people, David said:

"It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." -- II Sam uel 6:21,22

God blessed David: "David's fame spread throughout every land, and the LORD made all the nations fear him." - I Chronicles 14:17

Ruth
When she humbled herself and stayed with her aunt, God blessed her to become the wife of Boaz, a rich man in Israel that time. Because of her humbleness, she was part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. We see her blessing in:

"May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." -- Ruth 2:12

Esther
Even Esther was blessed in the same way. She was living with her uncle and was without parents. Since she humbled herself and heard all the advice of her uncle Mordecai, she was chosen as the queen. God used her to protect the tribe of Judah. She left all her greatness and comforts and humbled herself by fasting for three days, which can be seen in:

"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.". -- Esther 4:16

For her humbleness, God gave her the place of Queen Vashti and protected His people through her.

Daniel
When Daniel humbled himself and prayed , God revealed His prophesies to him.

King Hezekiah
When he humbled himself and prayed to God He added 15 more years in his life.


2. Curses for not being humble

King Hezekiah
King Hezekiah instead of giving glory to God, and speaking of His glory, he made a great show of his wealth to the Babylonians. So, the Kingdom of Israel was given over into the hands of his enemies.

King Solomon
King Solomon in the later part of his life, disobeyed God, married foreign women, and went seeking after other gods. He broke the covenant that God made with His chose people. So His kingdom started crumbling.


We have seen that when we humble ourself before God, He lifts us up. When we humble ourselves before Him, take time out to pray to Him, and seek Him earnestly (not just seek His blessings), He will surely hear our prayers. He will bless our personal life and family. He will also bless our nation through us.

Praise And Worship

When and How to Praise God?

We should praise God and Worship Him in all aspects of our life. We should praise Him in the good times, and in the not so good times. We should praise and thank our Lord God the Heavenly King, for everything, by singing hymns and worshipping Him daily.

Ephesians 5:19,20 (NIV): Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why we Praise God?

Jesus was sent to earth to die for our sins, so that we may be forgiven of all our sins. He suffered a lot of pain in order to make us righteous before God the Father. He rose again on the third day so that we rejoice in His resurrection, and we too will one day be resurrected and live for all eternity with our Father in Heaven.

Never think that there are things impossible with Him. All things are possible with Him. He can solve all our problems very easily. According to John chapter 14, verses 13,14,15 anything we ask the Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus, we will receive. We should praise Him because He is always in control of our lives, and we can do all things through Him.

Bible portion for Praise: Psalms 34 & 66.

Surety Of God's Word

"If God says something, it will surely come to pass"

If God says something, whether it is a 'blessing' or it is a 'curse', if it is from the Lord, it will surely come to pass. Two situations in the Bible prove this:

1. Blessing from the Lord:

II Kings 6:24-29

Samaria, where Israelites lived, was surrounded by the King of Aram. So, food materials and other resources didn't come in or go out of Samaria. A great famine prevailed in Samaria. The famine was so intense that "Men were eating men". So, the King of Israel approached Elisha for getting God's word. God's word came to Elisha:

"Elisha said, Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria." - II Kings 7:1

The word of God came to pass.

"Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the LORD had said." - I Kings 7:16

2. Curse from the Lord:

I Kings 22

Ahab, the King of Israel, planned to fight against Ramoth, the enemies of Israel. So, before going to battle, he wanted to know the word of God. So, he called all the prophets of Israel and asked whether he should go to war against Ramoth. God spoke clearly through Micaiah, the prophet of Israel. The words were:

".......The LORD has decreed disaster for you." - I Kings 22:23

Hearing this from the prophet, to protect himself from the attack, Ahab entered the battle in disguise. (I Kings 22: 30). But nothing can prevent the fulfilling of God's words:

"But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor"- I Kings 22:34
"So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there" - I Kings 22:37

From the above two instances, we understand how God's words were fulfilled just the way he spoke it : "Blessings" to those who deserve and "Curse" to those who deserve.

Call for us:

Now, God has declared "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." - Revelation 22:12.

As He has declared
- He is going to come soon.
- Our rewards are with Him. If we deserve His "Blessing" we'll go with Him to Heaven, if we deserve "Curse" we'll go to hell.

So, be prepared to get the reward of God because "If God says something, it will surely come to pass"

Christian Life

Bible Portion : Romans: 12: 9-21

Christian life is all about showing Christ's love to others. In what ways can we show His love practically?

First, we need to have brotherly love towards one another (verse 10). We need to bear each other's burdens, and be concerned about others' wellbeing. If a brother/sister is unwell, or having problems, we need to encourage them and pray for them, until things become normal again.

Second, rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn (verse 15). Mourning with those who're mourning is comparatively easy, than rejoicing with those who are rejoicing! For example, when a neighbour buys a new thing (like a television, a bike, a car, ...), do we rejoice with them, or envy them because we don't have what they bought? When someone in the workplace gets a promotion, do we rejoice with them, or feel bad about not getting a promotion ourselves? As followers of Christ, we should not be envious, but rejoice with others in their times of happiness.

Obedience to God

Throughout the scriptures Bible displays one of God's particular character. God can never stand disobedience. There are several examples both in Old and New testaments.

Cost of disobedience

Moses :
A man who was filled with anger when he saw God's people being afflicted in Egypt. The one who did great things for God before Pharaoh bringing a mighty nation to its knees and nothingness. One who suffered greatly because of the disobedience of Israelites (he once asked God "am I the father of these people?"). But when he disobeyed striking the rock instead of speaking to it, God made his mistake cost a great happiness of entering the promised land. God had to take away his life on the way.

Achan :
God commanded Joshua, 'No Israelite should take anything from the debris of Jericho, all should be burnt'. Achan took some gold ornaments. Though he openly admitted his mistake, he was destroyed along with his whole family. We read this in Joshua chapter 7. Because of the sin of Achan, the Israelites were defeated by the men of Ai and were chased out of their city. Disobedience of one man caused a defeat of whole nation.

Saul :
What a call! Being the first king of a God blessed nation cannot be taken that simply. The one who went searching for a donkey town to town was anointed 'king'. Many wars he won, for God's nation. Still when he disobeyed sacrificing the cattle he took from the land which was an abomination for the Lord, it costed just everything in his life. The Bible says the Lord commanded an evil-spirit to enter him. You know the rest of the story. Could anyone have imagined the kind of the death he went through?

Reward for Obedience

As soon as the word 'obedience' is spelt, the first name that flashes in my mind is Abraham. Not an easy obedience. God promised him a child at 75. Sarah being 65 was laughing. 25 years after the promise, they got the promised child. Came the test for his faith and obedience. God commanded the child to be sacrificed. Abraham did not delay. God himself had to stop him from sacrificing his only son. You know the remaining story. After this whenever God introduced himself, he called himself 'I am the God of Abraham'. Even today Abraham's being called 'father of faith'.

From all this we can conclude, God will not let his word to be taken in vain. He really counts how we obey his word. We clearly see the cost of disobedience and the rewards for obedience. May God talk to us. Praise the Lord! Amen.

What Is It You Want?

In the Bible we come across at least three instances where people were asked:

What is it that you want?

If God is asking the same question in our life what would our answer be?

Let us look at the three specific answers that were given - the three answers which were acceptable to God and which the Bible says were pleasing to God.

We shall divide them into three phases of our prayer life.

PHASE #1

Matthew 20:29-34

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

"Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

The blind men came to Jesus expecting a miracle. Note that they were away from God’s family and were strangers. Jesus had compassion on them and healed them completely. Then they followed Jesus.

PHASE #2

1 King 3:5-14

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life."

God told Solomon “Ask for whatever you want me to give you”. Solomon asked for wisdom and the Bible says “The Lord was pleased”. Solomon understood the magnitude of his task being the ruler of people too numerous to count. He was not the eldest of the sons yet God made him King. He did not ask for wealth, fame or victory but asked for wisdom to govern the people. And God gave him all! Often we try to highlight our personal requests to God as though our entire life depended on it. Solomon learnt to ask the right thing.

PHASE #3

Nehemiah 2:4-5

The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."

Nehemiah worked in the King's palace. He served wine to the King. Though he was a captive, he served in King’s palace. But his profession had no bearing on his vision. His vision was not narrow and limited to his profession but he learnt to look outward. He heard a report that Jerusalem was in shambles; its walls had been destroyed. People living there lived in constant fear. He did one thing:

I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

He prayed not for himself, nor for his family, nor for his profession. He prayed for the nation! He was downcast and his face was sad – to the extent that the King noticed it. He said “Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire”

Today we live in a similar situation as that of Nehemiah. The walls have been broken. The Nations’ spiritual state is in shambles. We were captives - oh but now we are in King’s palace, saved and sanctified, serving God - for what? Do we have enough reason to smile? Or like Nehemiah do we need to weep and fast?

The blind man’s vision was limited to himself. And what did he achieve? He followed Christ and that’s all. Solomon’s vision was limited to his profession. And what did he achieve? He built a temple and died. Nehemiah’s vision was broad and outward. He brought a dead nation back to life!

The problem with most of us is that we feel content to stay in PHASE #1 and do not look beyond. We must learn to prioritize things in our prayer life. Our prayer should not be loaded with personal requests or worldly things. While the dear Lord will bless us and give us everything we ask for, He wants us to move forward. We should not become an embarrassment to God. God’s plans for us are great! If there is someone who can limit the power of God in our lives, it is we ourselves.

Leonard Ravenhill is well known for this quote: “If you only want to be saved, sanctified and satisfied, God’s battle has no need of you”.

LOVE

I corinthians 13 chapter describes love.

- Love calls us to God's ministry
- Love changes others

I. LOVE CALLS US TO GOD'S MINISTRY:

- God's love made Mother Theresa to leave her comforts and come to India for doing the ministry for God.

- God's love made her continue God's ministry inpite of shames and tribulations.

1. Short story:

Once Mother Theresa went to a baker and asked him bread for the children and people in her home. The baker got angry and spat on her. She wiped it off and told the baker that she will accept the spit for her and again asked the baker to give something for her children and people in her home. This statement of hers convicted the heart of the baker. So he gave a lot of bread to the home on that day.

- God's love made Mother Theresa do the ministry. She faithfully did the ministry. So, God protected her ministry.

2. Short Story:

Feeling jealous about the ministry of Mother Theresa, few people complained to a governement official about closing the home run by Mother Theresa. To check what was really going on in the home, the officer went in disguise and observed what was going on in the home. The scene of Mother Theresa's ministry broke the govt. official's heart. She was cleaning the wounds of lepers, and feeding them. The next morning the officer told the jealous people that if they could do what Mother Theresa was doing in the home, he'll close the home. So, God protected Mother Theresa's ministry.

- Love of Mother Theresa was honoured:

To honour the love of Mother Theresa, TamilNadu CM, Mr. MGR opened a university in her name.

II. LOVE CHANGES PEOPLE:

1. Short story:

A man fell in love with a girl. The girl was so cruel that she told the guy to prove his love towards her by bringing the heart of his mother. The guy killed his mother and took his mother's heart to the girl. On the way he slipped and fell down. His mother's heart fell down too. It spoke to him from the ground, saying: "Be careful my son, are you hurt?" Moved by his mother's love, he understood what is true love.

Inference : True love is not selfish, but selfless, just like Jesus' love for us.

2. Story from Fr. Berchmans:

In a college, there was a very pious girl. A guy loved her very much. On the farewell day, the guy proposed his love to that girl. But the girl said that she gave her heart to another person (Jesus) and handed over a Bible, asked him to read it, and left him. Considering her gift as a great asset, the guy read the Bible fully and understood that no love is equal to the love of God. From that day he gave his life to God and started doing the ministry of God.

Inference : Love of God changed that guy to do the ministry of God.

3. Story from Mohan C. Lazarus:

In a town, there was a newly married couple. The husband was very pious and God fearing. He never watched movies whereas his wife liked to watch movies. One day the wife wanted to go for a new movie. She told her husband about her wish. In order to protect the peace in the family, the husband took the wife to the theatre, made her sit in the theatre and told her that he'll come and pick her up after the cinema gets over. He went back home and prayed. The wife initially started to watch the movie. But she could not concentrate on the movie. Thoughts of her husband and what he did without any anger or argument, kept running through her mind. She was not able to watch the movie even for 15 min. She got up and ran back home, and from then on gave up watching movies.

Inference : The love of a husband changed the heart of his wife. True love is patient.

Love is a powerful weapon that changes people. So, love one another in Christ.

Calling of God

Only, if we have a clear CALL from the Lord,

1. a real Ministry will begin to fulfill God's plans ,
2. the Ministry will be blessed by the presence of God,
3. the Ministry will sustain inspite of trails and tribulations by the guidance of God.
   

Moses and Paul did a powerful ministry with a clear Call from the Lord.

Moses:

• Calling : God appeared in the burning bush and called Moses to do His ministry.
• Blessing : God didn't inform Moses that, Moses will divide red sea, bring God's people from Egypt with mighty miracles etc. Since, God called Moses to do His ministry, God blessed the ministry of Moses. Thats why the ministry of Moses was powerful.
• Guidance : Moses had difficult time with the Israelites. They dishonoured God frequently and murmurred against God. Several times Moses was discouraged and criticized by the Israelites. Inspite of all these, God guided Moses and sustained the ministry of Moses.
  

Paul:

• Calling : A light from heaven shone upon Saul and the voice of God clearly spoke with him. He became Paul and then the Holy Spirit seperated Paul to do His ministry.
• Blessing : God didn't inform Paul that, when Paul's dresses were put on sick they will be healed or Paul will rise a dead person back to life etc. Since, God called Paul to do His ministry, God was with Paul and blessed his ministry.
• Guidance : Paul was the only apostle who was bruished a lot and was kept in prison several times. Though he went through a lot of pains, yet he considered all his pains to be smaller when compared to the pains of Jesus Christ during crucifixion. God guided Paul in his troubles and sustained his ministry.

So, if we step into God's ministry, we should have following checklist.

• We should be clear about the calling of our Lord to do His ministry.
  
• Only if we are truly called, the ministry will be blessed and
  
• Only if we are truly called, the ministry will sustain inspite of loses and sufferings.

What is Sin?

According to Matthew 5:28, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. i.e., Just a wrong thought towards anyone in your heart is considered as Sin.

Sin is the only thing in this earth that separates us from God.

Matthew 5:8 tells Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they shall see God. Example - Jesus is sinless through out his life. So he's able to see the father God. Sin is so powerful that at one point of time Jesus himself felt that he is separate from God. (Matthew 27:46)

In this world there is no one sinless(except JESUS). In order not to become prey of sin, we should follow two things in our life.

1. We should guard ourselves by Praying(Matthew 26:41).
2. We should obey everything what Jesus had commanded us(Matthew 28:20).

When we follow these two, God is always with us (Matthew 28:20 - Promise of his Presence).

Work Etiquette - Part I

Genesis 39:2-6 , 20-23

The following points are revealed out of these passage,
1. God was with Joseph.
2. Joseph was given all the works and responsibility in Potiphar's house and in the jail. (Must have been given all the works and his masters sat down relaxly)
3. Joseph didnt say back even a single word that he was dumped with work.
4. Joseph obeyed his early masters and worked for God.
5. God blessed the households of Egyptian because of Joseph.
6. Joseph prospered.

Abstract of the above passage and points.... U have to remember thumb rule.... Have your fingers like that....

Thumb Finger: God is with me
Have a faith and bold declaration that God is with me.

Pointing Finger: I am working for GOD
Always take/say that the task, work or anything that we do is for God and not for our PM, SPM or whoever above us.

Middle Finger: I will be prospered at my work place
This is the tallest of all fingers, so as that i will be lifted high by God - easy to remember this point.

If we work for God, our reward will surely come from him. We might not got the recognition at our work place or might not got the proper salary hike or might not be encouraged by ur fellow colleages, don't feel bad.

Remember we are working for God and expect reward from HIM. He is more than able to lift us high at our workplace.

The following points are reserved for furthur discussions,
1. Joseph wouldn't have done all the work by himself. He must have delegated to his fellow workers and manage them - People Management. How to handle people at our work place.
2. Joseph would have told 'NO' or asked his master to rearrage the priorities of his work to accomplish all the works - Saying NO. How to say 'NO' when we are dumped with lot of work.

Waiting on God's Promises

How can we know God's plans in our lives? Are we waiting for the promises ? Do we forget His mercies , seeing the current situations? Here are two things to know!

Your current situation is not all. Things will change.

Yea. Its easy to say that. So hard to accept this when we are going through tough situations. We see someone in our shoes in the scriptures. Naomi!

Having lost, her husband and her only two sons, what hope could have been left to remain in her heart? We can read all about this in Ruth chapter 1. But God had a greater blessing for her through her daughter-in-law Ruth, in whose lineage came king David and thus Jesus Christ. Surely the mention of her name in Bible, takes its place.

Who knows? The trouble which you are going through at present may take you to any height. May be not immediately, but surely you will look back to see.

Waiting for a promised blessing is not easy. But still not impossible

You know the hype God gave Joseph. What an young age! What a dream!! In flesh I say the envy of their brothers is not an injustice. God promised him in his dream that everyone else will bow down before him, this little fellow. Was his dream fulfilled immediately? This dreamer was looking for a crown. Came only furies, pit, slavery, prejudice and prison. Burst of balloons?? Not really. Yea, the path was hard. If you read closely, in all these tribulations, the Bible says 'God was with Joseph'. You can read the word of God saying this repeatedly!

You know what after prison. He became the no. 2 in Egypt. He was responsible to feed the entire bereaved nation and the neighbours during the great famine.

Yea, promises will come true. It will take its time. But surely the word of God will not fall to ground without accomplishing its purpose.

Cost of Salvation and Discipleship

1.The cost of salvation/redemption

A Preacher was walking along a country road. He met a young lad coming in the opposite direction, carrying a cage. There were three small birds inside - wet, shivering, and frightened. The lad had just caught them. Preacher asked him, "what are you going to do with them?" He said, "I'm going to have fun, I'll poke them, torture them, to my heart's content". Preacher: "how long will you do that? Won't you get tired?" The lad laughed and said, "I have a cat who loves birds, they'll become my cat's dinner".

Preacher said, "How much do you want for them?". Lad: "why do you want these ugly birds? They can't sing, they're not beautiful ..." Preacher: "just name the price!" Lad: "I can get other, better birds for you". Preacher: "no! I don't want any other birds, I want only these ones". The lad asked for a high price, the Preacher paid up, and the lad ran away.

The Preacher release the birds. He took the empty cage to his Church and narrated a conversation between Jesus and Satan. Satan had just returned from earth and was gloating: "I've trapped all these foolish people. I've made them marry and divorce, to hurt each other with words, to murder and steal, to rebel, disobey, and make themselves miserable and other miserable." Jesus asked, "won't you get tired of doing this?" Satan: "when I get tired I'll put them in hell, and let them burn forever and ever". Jesus said: "how much do you want for them?" Satan: "you don't want these foolish people?" Jesus: "I do want them". Satan: "they'll deny You, will not accept You as Son of God, will spit on Your face, drive nails into Your hands, ..." Jesus: "name the price". Satan: "ok. I need all your tears and all your blood". Jesus: "it's done". And He humbled Himself even to the point of death for us.

Jesus paid such a high price for our salvation. We can never pay Him back. The least we can do is try to follow Him, be His disciple ...

2.The cost of discipleship

If we plan to do something important or big, don't we sit down and plan things out? Getting ready for marriage. Buying a house/land. Buying a bike/car. Looking for a job. Similarly, we need to sit down and analyze ourself, if we want to become His disciple.

This is what Jesus expects of us, if we want to become His disciple:

1. Give Him the first priority every day.
There should no one, or no other thing which takes precedence over Him. We need to make sure that we give Him the first priority every day, not just today. We need to seek hard, and find ways to be with Him, get to know Him better, get into a strong relationship with Him ... a relationship that is stronger than any other relationships we have.

2. Find out His plans and purposes for our life and fulfill them.
This is our cross. It is not as heavy as Jesus'. He suffered alone. But because He overcame, we can be sure of our victory, and He is always beside us. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. We can easily carry our cross, when we give Him the first priority every day.

3. Emulate Him, do as He did.
In everything we do, we need to check it we're doing as Jesus would do. What would Jesus do? That's a good question to ask, whenever we need to do something important, or make some important decision. Empty ourselves more of our "self", and fill ourselves more of Jesus.

You want to follow Him at a distance? Or, you want to be close to Him? If you want to be close, you know what it costs ...

VR4Christ - Get involved!

Get involved in this group and do more for our Lord Jesus Christ! For any queries contact someone you know in the group, or mail to the group owner: vr4christ-owner@yahoogroups.com.

Before we move on ...

0. Checklist

• Have you read the VR4Christ - Starter's kit? If not, do so NOW!
• Have you made it a point to pray every day asking God how He may use you that day? If not, make it a point to do so now! Whatever you give into God's hands He'll use and multiply, just like what He did with the 2 loaves and 5 fish that a little boy gave to Him!
• Have you joined any prayer fellowship in your area? If not, start one in your area and invite others!
• Have you added yourself to the group's address book? If not add yourself now! The "Address book" is in the database section of the group. You'll have to login to your Yahoo profile to access this page. Particularly, enter the field "mail checking frequency". If you check your mails frequently, then it will be easy to communicate any new plans to you. If you don't check your mails frequently, get to know someone who checks frequently, so that you can get updates from that person.
• Go through previous mails to get an idea of what is going on in the group.
• Have you joined the VR4Christ Flickr group for sharing the photos taken during group outings? If not, join now!
  

1. How to get involved?

1.1 Visits: We visit orphanages/poor children's homes, old people homes, etc. and share God's love through songs, skits, message, and gifts. You can come for such visits and contribute your talents.

1.2 Prayer: We gather together regularly in small groups to pray for the work we do through this group, and for our personal spiritual growth. You MUST join one such group and pray!

1.3 Fellowship: We all gather together once a month, to have fellowship and prayer. Please do be there to have fellowship with the group!

1.4 Testimonies: Everybody can share their testimony to our group. It need not be a great miracle that God did in our life, it could be something minor (actually these are also great miracles which we normally don't realize!).

For example, yesterday, on the way to church, I dropped in to a tea stall and had tea. After I started from there I forgot to take off my bike's side stand. I think most of you know that sometimes it could be very dangerous. Normally I ride my bike little faster, when I took a left turn, that road was also really bad, the stand banged against the ground and somehow I managed to balance. Its really God's grace that I escaped. Thank and praise God!

1.5 Prayer Request: We can place our prayer requests. We can note down those points and can include in our daily prayers and also in the group fellowship. Guys, its always good to pray for others. Lets start practicing bearing one another's burden and cry for others and I believe that will make us draw closer to God.

1.6 Bible Study or Preaching: If anyone is interested and have time, they can conduct a Bible study. Also we can share what message we heard in our Church last Sunday or on TV or anywhere else. By doing like this, we can recollect what we heard, we can start practicing it in our life and we can develop our preaching ability by telling this to others (group).

1.7 Discuss some spiritual topics: Feel free to start a thread on your topic of interest. I believe most of you guys start off with "Marriage" :). We can take any names or stories from the Bible and have discussions on this. Or else, any practical points that would help us realize our ignorance and iniquities in our day-to-day life.

Share your thoughts, or share a message: It is always good to share what we feel when we come across some sermon, verse or anything, so that it would be encouraging to others. Recently I saw one quote: "rich is the person who has praying friends". I was so excited and shared with some of my close friends that we are billionaires! These kinds of small, small happiness we can share with others also. They will surely refresh us in the midst of our busy, tensed, stressful work.

1.8 Greetings: We can share birthday and anniversary greetings. Somebody can pray for the one who is celebrating on that day.

1.9 Forwards: We can share. But only good ones and spiritual ones.

1.10 Fun: Have fun serving the Lord! Apostle Paul says, "rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice."

2. More ideas ...

What if you have a new idea, or suggestion that you want to share with the group? Just mail to the group: vr4christ@yahoogroups.com.

If you are deliberating on whether to discuss with the whole group or not, then here is what you can do:

1. First pray about it, and then discuss it within a small group of people you know and with whom you are comfortable with.
2. When the idea has grown enough to be discussed at the group level, then involve everyone. When to decide that it has grown enough is a judgment call you have to make, no hard-and-fast rule for that!

VR4Christ - Starter's Kit

0. Introduction

If you are new to the VR4Christ group, then this introduction is just for you! If you believe in the mission that we have set forth in this document, then welcome to the group! Let's put our hearts and hands together and do great things for the Lord!

1. Who we are

After our visit to two orphanages on the 18th of December 2005, God placed a burden in our hearts to reach out more regularly for such work. So we formed the VR4Christ group and resolved to do more for Him. We come from different backgrounds, work in different companies/places, have various talents, and united with one purpose: to glorify His holy name through our lives.

2. Our mission

To glorify His holy name, by investing our time, our talents, and our money:

• to help the poor and the orphaned children,
• to help the needy and the destitute old people,
• to show His love in whichever way possible,
• and most of all to share the good news that through our Lord Jesus, we can escape eternal death, and have eternal life!

And in the process, we will grow spiritually ourselves.

3. Our motto

Radioactive: We're for Christ! We radiate Christ's love!

4. What we do

• We visit orphanages/poor children's homes, old people homes, etc. and share God's love through songs, skits, message, and gifts.
• We gather together regularly in small groups to pray for the work we do through this group, and for our personal spiritual growth.
• We all gather together once a month, to have fellowship and prayer.

Look at the "get involved" post for more such activities and ideas on how you can get involved.

5. Why we do this

5.1. Glorify His name

For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. [I Corinthians 6:20]

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. [Psalms 86:12]

When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself and will glorify him at once.” [John 13:31, 32]

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Romans 15:5, 6]

5.2. Bear the burdens of others

Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. [Galatians 6:2]

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. [Hebrews 13:16]

5.3 Give

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. [Luke 6:38]

By this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' [Acts 20:35]

5.4. Testify to His goodness in our lives

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well”. [Luke 17:11-19]

I believe every one of us would like to be that Samaritan. Be thankful and be not ashamed about testifying to this world, of His goodness in our lives!

6. What we expect to get at the end of the day

The fruits of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [Galatians 5: 22, 23]

7. Conclusion

Is it possible to achieve all the above? Yes! If we pray with one accord and press on!

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for us
He will be our guide
Hold us closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

- Don Moen

To paraphrase what Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13, 14: "[We] do not consider [ourself] yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing [we] do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [we] press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Next steps ...

If you're interested to join us:

• Subscribe to the VR4Christ Yahoo group by sending a mail with a short introduction about yourself (your name, what you do, your occupation, how you heard about us, etc.) to: vr4christ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
• Add yourself to the "Address book" in the database section of the group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vr4christ/database. You'll have to login to your Yahoo profile to access this page. Particularly, enter the field "mail checking frequency". If you check your mails frequently, then it will be easy to communicate any new plans to you. If you don't check your mails frequently, get to know someone who checks frequently, so that you can get updates from that person.
• Get challenged by the goals that are set forth in this document. Believe us, there is a lot of work that we can do together!
• Grow in your spiritual life, so that you can be of greater spiritual value when we minister to others.

For any clarifications, or to put forth your ideas, please mail to: vr4christ-owner@yahoogroups.com, or drop a comment here.

Let's radiate Christ's love!