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Devotionals
| Devotionals: Thought of the Day | <<FIRST <PREVshowing 11-15 of 15 NEXT> LAST>> |
| Unity in Christ |
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| The church of Jesus Christ draws members from different tribes, cultures, professions, and Christian traditions. However, the unity is obviously visible in our desire to love and trust our Lord Jesus and obey His Word. Such unity is biblical and pleasing to the Almighty God. Indeed, the power of ethnic identity, cultural affinity, and the language familiarity is powerful and real, yet the need of building a genuine Christian community loyal to Jesus and His teachings alone is also greatly felt. In every Church, Christians have the opportunities to prove the power of the Word of God, that breaks all barriers and obstacles uniting the Greeks and Hebrews as one belonging to one tribe—the tribe of Jesus our Lord. We can overcome the powers of segregation that fragments the family of God. Let us pray that we may manifest the visible sign of the Kingdom of God in the midst of us, so that the world may see and give glory to Him. | |||
| Worship and the Love within |
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| Our God is omnipresent. A true worshipper can worship Him indivudally in all places and at all times. If it is so then, Jesus surely inteneded the Church to become more than a place of worship, different from other religious institution. The Church is called to worship God as a redeemed community—called out from the world, called to God, called also to each other—to manifest the love of God overflowing within and through. Christian’s love for God is more than an ideological concept. It is rather practically felt and witnessed within the community and by those are watching us. Our love for our fellow Christians within the Church must be compatiable to our love for self (Mt 22:39). Jesus said that through our love for each other the world will know that we are His disciples (Jn 13:34-35). Therefore, the precursor of evengelism and mission is actually the love within. | ||
| His Yoke is Easy and Light |
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| Jesus claims that his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Mt 11:30), but it is possible that in reality we may find Jesus’ yoke become very heavy and his burden unbearable. This may be so for various reasons. Firstly, since Jesus’ yoke is not very impressive in its look, we might put some additional material on it to make it look gorgeous or replace it with the one that is exuberant and dignified. Secondly, we may expect Jesus’ yoke to fly and his burden to tickle us to laugh in our daily walk with Jesus. Thirdly, we might carry the yoke and the burden all by ourselves in a different direction, few steps behind or ahead of Jesus. It is possible, therefore, even after a long day of labor and toil, we may be discontent, bitter, and frustrated. We may chew the food without relishing it. We may roll on the bed anxiously without enjoying the sleep. In search of the future, we may miss the present and run out of time to cherish the glorious past. This is why the writer of Hebrews invites us to enter the rest (Heb 4:11) in God today. Let us Work as though all needs to be done, let us rest as though nothing is left undone. Let us ring the bell and blow the siren timely. Say it outloud, “Its time to go home!” May God help us to rest in Jesus and enjoy every moment and every breath of our life on a daily basis | ||
| God’s Love to India |
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| “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19) India is a land of gods and goddesses. She has given five major religions to the world. There are hundreds of voluminous ancient scripture. There are many saints, hermits, and religious teachers. These religious pious know how to control their body, mind, and emotion by transcendental meditation and yoga. In general, most Indians are familiar with the temple worship, sacrifice, and charity. The question therefore arises, “What makes Christianity unique for the land of India?” The answer to the question is the “love of God.” All human beings need love more than the articulation of words and apologetics. They need to experience the width, the length, the depth and the height of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ through Christians, but how would they receive if Christians themselves have failed to grasp these dimensions of the love of God? The subtle shift of emphasis in our Christendom has undermined the practice and experience of love that Jesus emphasized in the two Great Commandments. The “love-feast” has replaced the ceremony of “Eucharist.” The practice of love is the means to an agenda that are aimed towards an institutional achievement. The Church is more passionate about the programs rather than the person who need to experience the love of God. We can hear Paul speaking to us, “If I speak in tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, I gain nothing.” (1 Cor 13:1-3) I must confess that I have found myself often loving only those who are lovable and those who will love me in return. There are times I have loved my sermons more than my listeners are. I have loved evangelism more than those who I have led to Christ. I have loved my Church and my ministry more than I have loved the people whom I was ministering. I did not realize that my pre-occupation in God’s work had distanced me from the life situations of those for whom God has called me. I stand guilty for failing to love people the way Jesus loved sinners, prostitutes, lepers, and the underprivileged of the society. Indeed, I desperately need to be rooted and established in His love and take hold of the wide, long, high and deep love of Jesus Christ in order that I may have the fullness of God’s love flowing through me for others. How about you? Surely, God led Paul to make this prayer in Eph 3:16-19 for all of us. May the Lord God empower us with the fullness of His Love. Amen. | ||
| A Key to World Evangelism |
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| “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21) A great majority of the world is yet to believe that Jesus is sent from God to save them. But how will they believe this? Jesus’ prayer suggests that the world will believe this when the future believers would become one with each other and with Jesus and God. For Jesus, “Oneness” of believers is a powerful persuasive witness in evangelism. It is not an end in itself, but it will result ultimately world evangelism. What did Jesus mean by the “oneness” of believers? Surely, it is not the uniformity of external appearance or the unanimity of agreement among them, but the oneness of heart, attitude, motive, and purpose in which God alone is glorified. Jesus explains the “oneness” by illustrating his relationship with God, “just as you are in me and I am in you.” Jesus was one with God in spirit and truth. He manifested the attributes of God. He was submissive to the will of God for himself and for the world. He lived a life absolutely surrendered to God, without selfishness, pride, and arrogance. Such a relationship with God through Jesus results “oneness.” Individual believers are called to be intentional in practicing selflessness, submission to god’s will and purpose, humility, a sincere concerns for others, and godliness on daily basis. God has already answered the prayer of Jesus in the fellowship of saints where we see such “oneness,” while in other places He wants the believers to work out their salvation in such a way that they may see the fruits of Jesus’ prayer in their lifetime. Oh Lord! help us to be like Jesus. Amen | ||
| Devotionals: Thought of the Day | <<FIRST <PREVshowing 11-15 of 15 NEXT> LAST>> |