My mother had a fall on Dec 28th and broke her left thigh bone. She will have a surgery tomorrow Dec 31st. Need prayers desperately
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday Blessings -A Mini Christmas Story
Inspired by my friend John Cowart who made a video called Christmas in a Tin Box , I made this video which could be called Christmas in a Cardboard Box with the help of a creche sent to me by my Texan friend Holly.
Jesus was born among the poor, the hungry, the disadvantaged and the unloved. He came to an ordinary family among ordinary people. He came as a Saviour- on a rescue mission to redeem and to liberate.
Prayer
God,which makes us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thy only Son Jesus Christ; grant that as we gratefully receive for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold Him when He shall come to be our judge, who liveth and reigneth forever.
( Collect from the 1549 Prayer Book)
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Christmas Tree Gift Service
In India we have a yuletide tradition in many churches called the Christmas Tree Gift Service or the White Gift Service.
Its an evening of Christmas carols and a homily by the Pastor followed by the distribution of simple little gifts to the children and adults.
There can be a gift exchange also. In the white gift service presents are wrapped in white paper and laid around the Christmas tree and you can come up and pick a little package .In large and rich congregations more expensive gifts are given for which money is collected beforehand.
One church I know did not have a gift service for themselves. Instead of that they used the contributions to prepare a nice meal for the inmates of an old people 's home. The elderly folk shared the joy of Christ 's coming with this group. What a neat idea.
Last Saturday the Believer 's Church held their Christmas Tree in our church. There were about 150 people or more. Only the little children got gifts. This church is not rich. Here are some photos I took.
Singing carols
Sunday school children
Lost in worship - O come let us adore him.
The Pastor 's wife (seated) distributing gifts to the children. They got a lollipop and a pencil each.
The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others ' loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.
- W C Jones
Its an evening of Christmas carols and a homily by the Pastor followed by the distribution of simple little gifts to the children and adults.
There can be a gift exchange also. In the white gift service presents are wrapped in white paper and laid around the Christmas tree and you can come up and pick a little package .In large and rich congregations more expensive gifts are given for which money is collected beforehand.
One church I know did not have a gift service for themselves. Instead of that they used the contributions to prepare a nice meal for the inmates of an old people 's home. The elderly folk shared the joy of Christ 's coming with this group. What a neat idea.
Last Saturday the Believer 's Church held their Christmas Tree in our church. There were about 150 people or more. Only the little children got gifts. This church is not rich. Here are some photos I took.
The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others ' loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.
- W C Jones
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The 12 Dogs of Christmas
Enjoy his cute video. Its in book form too.
12 Dogs Of Christmas
On the ______ day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
A Poodle in a doghouse
2 St. Bernards
3 Cocker Spaniels
4 Basset Hounds
5 Golden Retrievers
6 Boxers Boxing
7 Huskies Howling
8 Sheepdogs snoring
9 Chihuahuas chomping
10 Dalmatians dancing
11 Labs a singing
12 A CAT!
Our Princess Gaga aka Sheeba has her birthday on Dec 25th. The pet shop couldn 't specify a date so we chose Christmas Day. She was a gift from my sister Anjali and BIL Prem 10 years ago. She will be 70 years according to dog years.
Happy Birthday Princess Gaga
12 Dogs Of Christmas
On the ______ day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
A Poodle in a doghouse
2 St. Bernards
3 Cocker Spaniels
4 Basset Hounds
5 Golden Retrievers
6 Boxers Boxing
7 Huskies Howling
8 Sheepdogs snoring
9 Chihuahuas chomping
10 Dalmatians dancing
11 Labs a singing
12 A CAT!
Happy Birthday Princess Gaga
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday Blessings -Christmas for the poor
Oscar Romero who fought for the rights of the poor in South America and who was killed in the midst of his prophetic ministry recognised that we don 't only need to stand with the poor...but to recognise our own poverty of spirit.
No on can celebrate Christmas without being spiritually poor.
The self sufficient , the proud, those who, because they have everything look down on others.
Those who have even no need of God - for them there will be no Christmas.
Only the poor, the hungry, those who need someone to come on their behalf will have that someone.
That someone is God, Emmanuel, God with us.
Without poverty of spirit there can be no abundance of God.
Lord forgive me that I am so self sufficient
so easily satisfied
so full of self
Create in me an empathy with the poor that I may be truly understand
Create in me a poverty of spirit which reaches out to you for more...
(Rob Frost)
Friday, December 16, 2011
I Hate Christmas
Oh no its not me but Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street who is saying this.
Its funny , but poor Oscar is partly right.If I was celebrating Christ' s birth in a treadmill meaningless way I would hate it too.
Christmas kept as a frenzied holiday can be pretty stressful. Just a rigmarole of tradition and activity. A lonely time for singles,the bereaved and those separated from their family for various reasons.
Childhood is the best time to enjoy Christmas. You are not responsible for anything - just enjoy the fun which older people have arranged for you.
I remember our family activity around Christmas time.The baking of traditional Christmas fruit cakes. My grandma with with the help of maids and aunts prepared special goodies and I was always eager to sample them hot off the stove. The tantalising aroma of sweet and savoury eatables made them hard to resist. I teased my grandma by playfully pinching handfuls of delights from loaded brass platters. She was ready for my naughtiness and pretended to scold me.
The provender and cakes were stored in large trunks waiting for guests to arrive. Family and friends would visit us ( and still do ) during Christmas week and after and were served Christmas specialities with tea and cake. Sometimes people call before they visit otherwise one can drop in anytime.
On December 25th we attended morning church , and had lunch at home . There were lots of visitors to share food with. After that we set off to visit relatives and friends returning late in the evening.
Gift exchange was not prevalent among adults in those days ( as it is now) but children got toys and money. I always wished for books. We gave away food packages , money and clothes to the less fortunate and our helpers, and still do each year.
Sending cards and telegram greetings was in vogue, but in these modern times it has been replaced by emails, telephone calls and text messages.
We got our Christmas clothes ready. It was not necessary to buy new clothes each year.
Decorating the house was fun with everybody giving instructions to each other. I, being the family clown teased and tackled my sisters who chided me with indignation.
When our old artificial Christmas tree shed all its leaves , Sonia used a tall potted fern to string up the ornaments. And I enjoyed poking fun of her "Desert Christmas tree". Poor Sonia still remembers that levity.
There were lots of Christmas music and pageants to attend and participate in. (Tomorrow we are having a Christmas program in our church organised by the Believer 's Church.) And weddings too. People like to get married in the cool season as the weather is pleasant. Oh yes there were picnics, outings and fairs too.
Just take out Christ from Christmas and what do you have left just a holiday- something for the body but nothing for the heart.
I want to have a vision of the glorified Christ this Christmas.
St Teresa of Avila was born in 1515.She was a great Christian mystic and many people today are blessed and encouraged by her writings. Once she tried to describe her vision of the glorified Christ.
"It is not a radiance which dazzles, but a soft whiteness and an infused radiance which, without wearing the eyes causes them the greatest delight nor are they wearied of the brightness which they see in seeing this Divine beauty...It is a light which never gives place to light, and being always light is disturbed by nothing."
I wish you the brightness of a vision of the glorified Christ this Christmas.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Joy To The World
You will want to watch this video again and again and show to your children
Peace is joy resting
Joy is peace dancing
- F F Bruce
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Hungry For Money
Where is that crackling rustling sound coming from we wondered.
There was something going on under the sofa (couch). Our Sheeba was occupied mysteriously.
The next morning while cleaning the floor we found a half eaten 10 rupee note under the sofa.
No prizes for guessing the guilty party
You know what her favourite pop song is?
Money Money Money
Must be funny
In a rich man 's world.
by Abba.
When she was a puppy she chewed up Aunt Sybil 's 50 rupee note in collaboration with her mate Jimmy. Aunt Sybil was so good humoured she gently rebuked them with a smile.
Old habits die hard Sheeba.
Another of her favourite pass time is to chew beads or sequins off clothes. She has done it with a scarf of mine which had a beaded border.
A few weeks ago I left some washed clothes on the sofa which included a shirt with beads on it. I don 't have to tell you what I found the next morning.
Well, every dog has its bead or day.
_______________
Yesterday and today were good. Accomplished some important jobs.
I haven 't put up any Christmas decorations because of the additional dusting it would involve. In India people decorate close to Dec 25th.
May we all decorate our homes with love and righteousness as the day of our Lord 's birth approaches.
There was something going on under the sofa (couch). Our Sheeba was occupied mysteriously.
The next morning while cleaning the floor we found a half eaten 10 rupee note under the sofa.
No prizes for guessing the guilty party
Money Money Money
Must be funny
In a rich man 's world.
by Abba.
When she was a puppy she chewed up Aunt Sybil 's 50 rupee note in collaboration with her mate Jimmy. Aunt Sybil was so good humoured she gently rebuked them with a smile.
Old habits die hard Sheeba.
Another of her favourite pass time is to chew beads or sequins off clothes. She has done it with a scarf of mine which had a beaded border.
A few weeks ago I left some washed clothes on the sofa which included a shirt with beads on it. I don 't have to tell you what I found the next morning.
Well, every dog has its bead or day.
_______________
Yesterday and today were good. Accomplished some important jobs.
I haven 't put up any Christmas decorations because of the additional dusting it would involve. In India people decorate close to Dec 25th.
May we all decorate our homes with love and righteousness as the day of our Lord 's birth approaches.
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Defeat of Darkness
On Dec 10th we witnessed a lunar eclipse in our part of the earth. It was a beautiful sight to behold.The moon gradually disappearing behind a cloak of darkness and then emarging bright and luminous once more. It all took more than an hour . Scientists , researchers , students and interested people gazed at it with specialised equipment and the naked eye. The news channels did their best to show it to us at its various stages.
Below are my attempts at taking some mug shots or potshots at the moon.
(Lunar eclipse Dec 10, 2011)
It was a rare sight . The moon being enveloped by darkness and then slipping out from the shadow in all its silver luminence.
Christmas is the season to celebrate the defeat of darkness.
This is a prophecy made about the birth of Christ by the Prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before his birth.
Isaiah 9 (BIBLE -OLD TESTAMENT)
2 The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 You shall multiply the nation,
You shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
Joni Eareckson Tada says,
"God permits all sorts of awful things to happen... things he doesn't approve of.
God allows others to do what he would never do. At the same time, he hates evil.
Please don't think that God sits back and nods appreciatively at the peddling of
drugs to ninth graders. He's not the one who fired the ovens of Auschwitz and other
Nazi death camps. He does not smile when doctors slip up leaving children with crippling
defects, or high school linebackers crush the neck of the opposing team's quarterback.
He hates these things
God is truly grieved over evil. He is grieved at how we've ruined the world and
abused each other. This grief is partly why he gave the Ten Commandments: don't
murder, he says -
I hate unjust killing.
Don't commit adultery -
I despise seeing
families ripped apart.
Don't steal - society will crumble if you do.
God cannot
tolerate wrong...
This is why he sent Jesus to be born into our dark world. From the day of his birth,
the forces of darkness began plotting against the Babe in the manger. Why?
Because
the adversary and his wicked hoards knew that this was the Child who would ultimately
crush Satan and bring an end to wickedness in this world. God is so grieved over
evil, that he sent his only Son to die in order that righteousness and peace, truth
and love would prevail... in order that we might escape the clutches of hell and
be welcomed into heaven. God permits what he hates to accomplish that which he
loves.
Celebrate the defeat of darkness by singing this verse today from the Christmas
carol, "Joy to the World": No more let sin or sorrow reign, nor thorns infest the
ground; He comes to make His blessings known far as the curse is found!
God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember Christ our Saviorwe were gone astray,
O tidings of comfort and joy!"
===============
This is Mary' s soliloquy addressed to her new born son. Max Lucado has written it beautifully
Tiny Mouth, Tiny Feet
God. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with our disgrace. Sleep well.
Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect you.
Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:
to touch a leper’s open wound,
to wipe a widow’s weary tear
to claw the ground of Gethsemane.
Your hands, so tiny, so tender, so white—clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross.
Sleep deeply, tiny eyes. Sleep while you can. For soon the blurriness will clear and you will see the mess we have made of your world.
O eyes that will see hell’s darkest pit and witness her ugly prince … sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.
Lay still, tiny mouth. Lay still mouth from which eternity will speak.
Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead,
that will define grace,
that will silence our foolishness.
Rosebud lips—upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you—lay still.
And tiny feet cupped in the palm of my hand, rest. For many difficult steps lie ahead for you.
Rest, tiny feet. Rest today so that tomorrow you might walk with power. Rest. For millions will follow in your steps.
And little heart … holy heart … pumping the blood of life through the universe: How many times will we break you?
You’ll be torn by the thorns of our accusations.
You’ll be ravaged by the cancer of our sin.
You’ll be crushed under the weight of your own sorrow.
And you’ll be pierced by the spear of our rejection.
Yet in that piercing, in that ultimate ripping of muscle and membrane, in that final rush of blood and water, you will find rest. Your hands will be freed, your eyes will see justice, your lips will smile, and your feet will carry you home.
And there you’ll rest again—this time in the embrace of your Father.
Below are my attempts at taking some mug shots or potshots at the moon.
It was a rare sight . The moon being enveloped by darkness and then slipping out from the shadow in all its silver luminence.
Christmas is the season to celebrate the defeat of darkness.
This is a prophecy made about the birth of Christ by the Prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before his birth.
Isaiah 9 (BIBLE -OLD TESTAMENT)
2 The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 You shall multiply the nation,
You shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
Joni Eareckson Tada says,
"God permits all sorts of awful things to happen... things he doesn't approve of.
God allows others to do what he would never do. At the same time, he hates evil.
Please don't think that God sits back and nods appreciatively at the peddling of
drugs to ninth graders. He's not the one who fired the ovens of Auschwitz and other
Nazi death camps. He does not smile when doctors slip up leaving children with crippling
defects, or high school linebackers crush the neck of the opposing team's quarterback.
He hates these things
God is truly grieved over evil. He is grieved at how we've ruined the world and
abused each other. This grief is partly why he gave the Ten Commandments: don't
murder, he says -
I hate unjust killing.
Don't commit adultery -
I despise seeing
families ripped apart.
Don't steal - society will crumble if you do.
God cannot
tolerate wrong...
This is why he sent Jesus to be born into our dark world. From the day of his birth,
the forces of darkness began plotting against the Babe in the manger. Why?
Because
the adversary and his wicked hoards knew that this was the Child who would ultimately
crush Satan and bring an end to wickedness in this world. God is so grieved over
evil, that he sent his only Son to die in order that righteousness and peace, truth
and love would prevail... in order that we might escape the clutches of hell and
be welcomed into heaven. God permits what he hates to accomplish that which he
loves.
Celebrate the defeat of darkness by singing this verse today from the Christmas
carol, "Joy to the World": No more let sin or sorrow reign, nor thorns infest the
ground; He comes to make His blessings known far as the curse is found!
God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember Christ our Saviorwe were gone astray,
O tidings of comfort and joy!"
===============
This is Mary' s soliloquy addressed to her new born son. Max Lucado has written it beautifully
Tiny Mouth, Tiny Feet
God. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with our disgrace. Sleep well.
Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect you.
Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:
to touch a leper’s open wound,
to wipe a widow’s weary tear
to claw the ground of Gethsemane.
Your hands, so tiny, so tender, so white—clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross.
Sleep deeply, tiny eyes. Sleep while you can. For soon the blurriness will clear and you will see the mess we have made of your world.
O eyes that will see hell’s darkest pit and witness her ugly prince … sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.
Lay still, tiny mouth. Lay still mouth from which eternity will speak.
Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead,
that will define grace,
that will silence our foolishness.
Rosebud lips—upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you—lay still.
And tiny feet cupped in the palm of my hand, rest. For many difficult steps lie ahead for you.
Rest, tiny feet. Rest today so that tomorrow you might walk with power. Rest. For millions will follow in your steps.
And little heart … holy heart … pumping the blood of life through the universe: How many times will we break you?
You’ll be torn by the thorns of our accusations.
You’ll be ravaged by the cancer of our sin.
You’ll be crushed under the weight of your own sorrow.
And you’ll be pierced by the spear of our rejection.
Yet in that piercing, in that ultimate ripping of muscle and membrane, in that final rush of blood and water, you will find rest. Your hands will be freed, your eyes will see justice, your lips will smile, and your feet will carry you home.
And there you’ll rest again—this time in the embrace of your Father.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Sunday Blessings - The Lonely Christian
Lately I 've been going through some trials and this quote sent by a friend blessed me. When Jesus stepped onto the earth as Emmanuel, God with us, He also choose loneliness.
The Loneliness of the Christian
“The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.
“The man who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.
“It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else.”
AW Tozer
My blog friend John Cowart is an author of repute he inspired me to start blogging . He made a great Christmas video called CHRISTMAS IN A TIN BOX
Please visit his blog and watch him tell the Christmas story in his own way.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Bond With The Best
Bond with the best was the theme for the EU Christmas Outreach held on Dec 6th. And that motto was fulfilled most certainly. More than 100 people comprising of university students and families with Young children came to hear the Christmas message.
The university chapel is very far from my house but God provided transport (motorbike rides) so I could participate and enjoy fellowshipping with friends I "meet" on Facebook.
Worship leaders
Brother David gave the message from John 5:24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passed out of death into life. (words of Jesus)
He gave his own testimony , how God saved him from a life of crime and empty living. And what it means to be saved.
There was special music and a video presentation.
The students were cooking a meal of vegetable rice, a curry of potatoes and fresh green peas and yogurt salad (raita). Believers contributed money for that and a professor donated cake for dessert.
There was some delay on that front so the seniors presented special songs and kept everyone lively and happy.
who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there
is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues
practice deceit. There is no fear of God before their eyes.'... no one will be declared
righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious
of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known...
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
--Romans 3:9-12, 17-18, 20-22
Someone once asked an evangelist "Is it hard to get people saved?" He thought for
a moment then replied, "No, but it sure is hard to get them lost!" He's right. It's
hard to get people to see how utterly lost they are. Yet before the Good News can
sound good, a person must hear the bad news -- that "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
No one is righteous before God -- not even the person who tries to consistently
do the right thing. It's impossible to always live the right way, to always keep
the law. The purpose of the law is to show a person how far he misses the mark.
But bad news never sounded so good... for then, we see the need for a Savior
Christmas is upon us and our hearts are happy as we celebrate the arrival of Jesus,
God's Good News! But let's not forget the bad news - that a heart without Christ
is full of deceit. Oh, how we need Jesus; and to live rightly is to live dail
in his grace. It really is all about him!
Father, it's hard to understand how lost I really am without Jesus Christ. Help
me to live completely and totally on the grace of Jesus today!
(Joni Eareckson Tada)
The university chapel is very far from my house but God provided transport (motorbike rides) so I could participate and enjoy fellowshipping with friends I "meet" on Facebook.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passed out of death into life. (words of Jesus)
He gave his own testimony , how God saved him from a life of crime and empty living. And what it means to be saved.
There was special music and a video presentation.
There was some delay on that front so the seniors presented special songs and kept everyone lively and happy.
The ride back on the
motorcycle was chilly
but my heart was warm seeing
God at work
among young people.
Let me end with what I read
in my morning devotions.
==============
What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! ...As it is written:
'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no onewho seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there
is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues
practice deceit. There is no fear of God before their eyes.'... no one will be declared
righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious
of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known...
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
--Romans 3:9-12, 17-18, 20-22
Someone once asked an evangelist "Is it hard to get people saved?" He thought for
a moment then replied, "No, but it sure is hard to get them lost!" He's right. It's
hard to get people to see how utterly lost they are. Yet before the Good News can
sound good, a person must hear the bad news -- that "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
No one is righteous before God -- not even the person who tries to consistently
do the right thing. It's impossible to always live the right way, to always keep
the law. The purpose of the law is to show a person how far he misses the mark.
But bad news never sounded so good... for then, we see the need for a Savior
Christmas is upon us and our hearts are happy as we celebrate the arrival of Jesus,
God's Good News! But let's not forget the bad news - that a heart without Christ
is full of deceit. Oh, how we need Jesus; and to live rightly is to live dail
in his grace. It really is all about him!
Father, it's hard to understand how lost I really am without Jesus Christ. Help
me to live completely and totally on the grace of Jesus today!
(Joni Eareckson Tada)
Monday, December 5, 2011
A Tender Plant
The Bible describes Jesus as a tender plant growing on hard , rocky , unproductive ground. Garden keepers know how difficult it is to work on a unfertile land . Unfriendly weather also affects plant growth. Hardly anything grows well during our hot, dry, blistering Indian summers. Only vegetation adapted to heat remains green and productive. The opposite is true for cold, snow bound places.
Jesus, God' s tender plant was meant to live in this harsh and hostile world.
"He came to his own and his own received him not" Gospel of John 1;11
Let me share with you some scenes from our winter garden and a page from from my devotions.
A Tender Plant
by Henry and Richard Blackaby ( Experiencing God Day by Day
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. Isaiah 53:2
The coming of Jesus was like a tender plant in the midst of a parched ground. Parched ground offers little hope for survival; it is dry and too hardened to allow most plants to penetrate its crust. Yet Jesus was prophesied as a tender plant that would break through the hostile soil and overcome the dry and lifeless environment in order to bring life.
When Jesus was born, His people were hardened to God’s Word. There is no written record of God’s having spoken to His people for four hundred years. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had studied and memorized the Scriptures, but the words were lifeless to them. So hostile had they become to the truth that when God’s Son came to them, they killed Him. Nevertheless, despite the enmity of the people, Jesus brought life to all who believed in Him.
Jesus is capable of bringing life to any person, society, or culture no matter how hardened or hostile they have become to the gospel. Even the most calloused sinner will discover that Jesus knows how to penetrate the heart and bring life where there was only bitterness. The work of Jesus in a person’s life may seem fragile at first, but like the mustard seed, it will eventually grow into something strong.
As you pray for someone you care about, don’t be discouraged if this person has not responded to Jesus. Just as a tender plant finds a way to grow in a hard and unreceptive environment, so the love of Jesus has the ability to emerge in a life that seems completely unresponsive.
Tomorrow evening (Dec 6) we are having a Christmas Outreach programme for University students. It will be held at a College Chapel. More than 100 students are expected. I will be going too.
Please pray for a mighty work of God among the youth from all over India.
Jesus, God' s tender plant was meant to live in this harsh and hostile world.
"He came to his own and his own received him not" Gospel of John 1;11
Let me share with you some scenes from our winter garden and a page from from my devotions.
by Henry and Richard Blackaby ( Experiencing God Day by Day
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. Isaiah 53:2
The coming of Jesus was like a tender plant in the midst of a parched ground. Parched ground offers little hope for survival; it is dry and too hardened to allow most plants to penetrate its crust. Yet Jesus was prophesied as a tender plant that would break through the hostile soil and overcome the dry and lifeless environment in order to bring life.
When Jesus was born, His people were hardened to God’s Word. There is no written record of God’s having spoken to His people for four hundred years. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had studied and memorized the Scriptures, but the words were lifeless to them. So hostile had they become to the truth that when God’s Son came to them, they killed Him. Nevertheless, despite the enmity of the people, Jesus brought life to all who believed in Him.
Jesus is capable of bringing life to any person, society, or culture no matter how hardened or hostile they have become to the gospel. Even the most calloused sinner will discover that Jesus knows how to penetrate the heart and bring life where there was only bitterness. The work of Jesus in a person’s life may seem fragile at first, but like the mustard seed, it will eventually grow into something strong.
As you pray for someone you care about, don’t be discouraged if this person has not responded to Jesus. Just as a tender plant finds a way to grow in a hard and unreceptive environment, so the love of Jesus has the ability to emerge in a life that seems completely unresponsive.
Tomorrow evening (Dec 6) we are having a Christmas Outreach programme for University students. It will be held at a College Chapel. More than 100 students are expected. I will be going too.
Please pray for a mighty work of God among the youth from all over India.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Sunday Blessings - Jesus You Have Come to Save Us
May the words and music of this holy song lift our hearts close to heaven in worship and praise thanking God for sending Jesus to save us from the incurable disease of sin.
Jesus said,"I have come that they may have life,and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10;10
(BIBLE)
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