The Heavenly Princess Diaries - 20th Mar 2007

Some time back I happened to see this movie by name - The Princess Diaries. Its a story about a young girl, who lives a very carefree life. She does everything the way she wants to. She talks like she wants to. She walks like she wants to. She behaves, carries herself, dresses, eats...... does everything the way she feels like doing them.
And that is till the day she finds out that she is actually the princess of a kingdom. She is surprised when she realises how special she actually is and her life will never be the same again. As a princess she has to learn to conduct herself in a certain way. She has to change the way she speaks, the way she talks, the way she walks, the way she sits, eats, dresses, her hobbies, her pets.......... She works hard to start looking and behaving like a princess. Its a slow and yet a wonderful change that comes over her as she gradually becomes the princess she really is and she was born to be.

As I was watching that movie, I realised how true this is in the life of every child of God. We are no ordinary people. We are heirs of a kingdom. We are not just the children of a King. We are the children of the King of Kings.

We lived life the way we wanted to till the day we were born again and born into his kingdom. From that very day we become heirs of our Father's Kingdom.

We are prince and princess of the Kingdom of God and some day we are going to be reigning with Him as kings and queens. We have to conduct ourselves in a worthy and responsible way.

There may be things we love too much and things we are too comfortable with, to give up. But we have a huge responsibility here. Like the story above, this princess girl, is forced to sacrifice certain things. She does not like doing things a certain way but she has to because she knows she has the responsibility of a country on her and its either what she wants or her responsibility as a queen. Her grandmother coaches, encourages, mentors, guides her towards the path of being a worthy princess and someday a worthy queen.

We have a responsibility too, towards our Father who is the King of Kings. He takes up the role of our mentor here. There is a certain way he wants us to be as His royal counter part. We need to listen to what he says and walk in the path He shows and has called us to walk in. It may not be something we like but if we listen to Him and obey, we would emerge as a worthy prince/princess and one day a worthy king/ queen.

We have to conduct ourselves in the way God wants us to. We are special people. Any wrong we do would bring shame and insult to His name because we bear His name. Any good we do brings glory and honour to His name. We have God to guide us, coach us, encourage us, mentor us in our path towards being a worthy royal heir. We just need to listen to Him and follow whatever He says. It would require a lot of practise and effort on our part but as we constantly strive, we would someday be perfected the way God wants us to be as His royal heir. We need to keep striving to be perfected without giving up.


Philippians 1:27 - Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Romans 8:16,17 - The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

A Peek into David's Prayer - 15th Mar 2007

I have always been fascinated by the beautiful relationship that David shared with God. Every Psalm shows the intimacy of this relationship. There must be a reason why God calls this man - A man after my own heart. A friend once advised to meditate on a psalm every night before going to sleep and I should say this practise has blessed me immensely in my walk with God. This has also helped me find out more about this relationship they shared and apply them as much as possible in my life.

Last night I read from Psalm 54. This is a small Psalm with just about 8 verses. I was very sleepy last night and I could not wait to just finish writing a few notes on the Psalm and go to sleep. It was a hurried read - more of a ritual following than a read to find out what God had to teach me through this Psalm. God does have his own sense of humor. What he taught me through this Psalm, drove all sleep away and I could not wait to share this with everyone. This Psalm is a beautiful prayer and also a beautiful example of how we ought to pray during times of trouble. I was so excited by what I had read that my sleep had gone and I had to share this.

I have to go through this verse by verse to show you how David prayed when he was in trouble and how we need to apply this form of prayer in our lives too.

Step 1:
Verses 1, 2 - Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.

David calls out to God. First point in any situation is to call out to God. Call out to God alone. Don't be calling out to others and looking upto others. Look upto God alone. Call out to God in anything. God hears and He is in control over everything and so He is the only one who could really help. There is a verse in the Bible which says that those who don't call on God are evildoers (Psalm 53:4). Can you believe that?? It is so important to God that His children call on Him and call out to Him.

Step 2:
Verse 3 - Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life— men without regard for God. Selah

David presents his problem to God. Let me fill you on the background. Here Saul, the King of Israel is after David's life. He has sent his army in search of David to find him. David cries out this prayer from his hiding. Okay now back to where we were. Tell God what the problem is. Its so tempting to share things with our friends but this may lead us to start slandering. Its always best to tell God alone what the problem is. We could ask our friends to stand with us in prayer but just think of it, is it any good describing all our woes to them. Just tell them to God and let it be.

Step 3:
Verse 4 - Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

David trust God completely. Look at the words David uses - SURELY. He is very sure that God will help Him. He trusts God completely. We need to trust God completely. Don't let a shadow of doubt come in. When devil tries to sow his seed of doubt, resist him firmly and say like David - Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Step 4:
Verse 5 - Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.

David tells God what he wants. He not only tells God what the problem is. He also tells God what he wants. Its always the best when God's will is done but its also good in letting God know what we want. He definitely knows even before we ask but its more of a father- child relationship when we talk to our father and tell him what we want as well.

Step 5:
Verse 6 - I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, O LORD, for it is good.

After David tells God what the problem is and tells God what he wants, he starts praising God. That is, he has committed the problem in God's hands and knows God will take care and so starts praising God. Its like I am waiting for something to happen and I tell God that I want this to happen and even before it happens, I start praising God. Praising Him shows that I am trusting Him. After handing things over to God, mopping and crying and worrying is like taking the problem back from his hands to our hands and we don't want to do that. So just forget about your problem and start praising God.

Step 6:
Verse 7 - For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

David does positive confession here. He believes and not just praises but he also positively confesses that he has been delivered and he has been triumphant. I have read this in books written by Paul Yongi Cho and Joyce Meyer and also heard sermons from Prophet. Bernard Ankoma regarding the same. We need to positively confess. If I am sick, I pray and ask for healing and even if I don't feel I'm healed. I believe in my heart and I start confessing that I am healed. It must have looked stupid when David running for his life says - I am triumphant and am delivered from all my troubles and foes. But yet, that is what he did. This is what made him stand out from the crowd and this is what made him a man after God's heart.

To summarise.......
1. Call out to God.
2. Tell God what your problem is.
3. Trust God and tell Him you trust Him.
4. Tell God what you want. You have told Him your problem but also tell Him what you want.
5. Now that everything has been committed to God and He has taken over. Start praising.
6. Start positively confessing that victory (healing, deliverance, blessing......) is yours. Amen!!

Acts 13:22 - After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

My Church, Your Church - 13th Mar 2007

Some time back I had been to my friends’ church and noticed a few doctrines they follow which I didn’t feel was right. I felt how wrong they were and how good and right my church was. That was till the pastor stood up to give the message. He spoke with such passion and conviction, that I knew here was a man whose passion was God. Somehow the doctrines didn’t seem to matter anymore.

I was reading an article by Zac Poonen some time back titled “The true gospel and the false”. I’ve copied a part of his article here:

Our Lord did not come primarily to give people a doctrine, or a church-pattern or to make them speak in tongues or even to give them an experience!
He came to "save us from sin". He came to lay the axe to the root of the tree. And the root of sin is : Being centered in ourselves, seeking our own and doing our own will. If we do not permit the Lord to axe and uproot this "root" from our lives, we will be Christians only superficially. Satan may however deceive us into imagining that we belong to a higher class than other Christians, because of our doctrine or our experience or our church-pattern!
Satan doesn't care even if we have the right doctrine, experience and church-pattern, so long as we continue to "live for ourselves" (This, by the way, is just another phrase for "living in sin"!!). Christendom today is filled with Christians who seek their own and live for themselves, who are yet convinced that God views them as superior to other Christians, merely because of doctrinal differences or church-pattern or "experiences". This shows what a great work Satan has succeeded in doing in Christendom.

The article was an eye opener.

Whenever I felt my church was better than other churches, I had allowed satan to do his work in me.
Whenever I felt my doctrine was better than others, I had allowed satan to do his work in me.
Whenever I felt I was superior (or better) to (or than) others who belonged to a different church or followed a different doctrine, I had allowed satan to do his work in me.

What actually matters is loving God with all our heart and our soul and loving our neighbours as ourselves. God doesn’t look at the doctrines or the churches. All that matters to God is our hearts. As long as our hearts are right before God and bent on pleasing him and walking with him everyday and drawing closer and closer to him, God would be pleased and happy.

Well, this is not about putting up with wrong doctrines but about not letting them come in the way of our relationship with God. Its almost like choosing whose work we want on our lives – God’s or satan’s.


1 Corinthians 1:10 - I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1 Corinthians 12:25 - so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other

Jesus Loves Fish :) - 12th March 2007

I can imagine the look on your face reading that title - Jesus Loves Fish???? Whatever could I mean???

There is a friend of mine with whom I share the thoughts before I pen them down as an article and this person also proof reads the articles I write and his reaction when he read the title was - Oh!! Pleasssssse!! Change the title........ Well, I guess I won the argument........

Okay, Here's the story behind the title. This is to justify the title and it does indeed make a lot of sense. Fine, here goes......

Usually weekdays go in a rush and I hardly have proper home cooked food. I eat anything I can grab or sometimes order from one of the nearby restaurants. But very rarely do I cook during weekdays. So to make up for it, I make sure I have really good home made food during the weekends. Weekends are a time of cooking some of my favourite dishes for me and my friends. And its Big Time Home Cooking!! :)

My Dad knows this and so every weekend he calls to find out what's cooking :). Yesterday when he had called I had just finished cooking chicken and I told him that and he was like - Mom made fish today. The place where they stay its hard to get good fish and they hardly have fish there. Dad and I were just playfully arguing trying to prove that each of us had the better. Dad then said - 'Everyday with Fish. Everyday with Jesus' which ofcourse didn't make any sense to me.

Dad went on to say how much Jesus liked fish. He said that Jesus liked fish very much and wanted to eat fish everyday and that was why he chose more than 3 fishermen as disciples so that they would have good fish to eat everyday (Ofcourse he was just trying to win the argument). To prove his point he said that Jesus mostly taught near sea side for the same reason again (Again he was kidding, just trying to push his point across). He went onto say that even when after Jesus' resurrection when the disciples went back to fishing and Jesus was waiting for them at the bank of that river, He didn't simply wait, He started cooking fish.

Point Taken and Dad won the argument hands down.

Later that day I sat thinking about this - Jesus Loves Fish. Probably Dad was right and Jesus, as a man, really loved to eat fish. But there is another context to this too.

When Jesus first called His disciples, He told them - " I will make you fishers of men if you follow me."

One of the basic signs of being a follower of God is 'being a fisher of men'. This was the calling to some of the very first followers of Jesus. Here fish stands for those who don't know the love of Jesus and need to know Him and accept Him as their personal saviour.

Jesus loves them so much. He aches for them. When He sees them in trouble and pain and in tears, looking for someone, He wishes they knew Him. We are His ambassadors to carry this great love to His dear fishes.

Yesterday I was speaking to a friend of mine whose son is kind of sick and might need an operation. She was very upset and said - Why my son??? Why can't it be me?? That is the love of a mother wishing she could suffer it for her son. It is this same love that led Jesus to the cross. He went saying - Why them?? Let it be me. I remember reading or hearing this somewhere - It was not the nails that held Jesus to the cross, it was LOVE that held Him there.

Its great that we know and enjoy His love but lets take a look at the other side of the story. It was a gruesome death He died but yet there are people who don't even know that this death was as much for them as for you and me. It is our responsibility to take this love and message to the fishes He loves. Lets be fishers of men.

Imagine you love someone a real lot, something like crazy, and you've done a lot for this person, to the extent of even nearly dying for this person and you long to be able to talk and help this person but this person does not even know who you are and is giving all the attention and love to someone or something that deserves nothing and cares not a bit for this person. Wouldn't that shatter you? Wouldn't you wish this person knew you and didn't have to waste their life, love and devotion on something that meant death for the person?
This is how God feels whenever He sees every lost fish of His and longs, really longs for them to be saved and to know His truth and His all compassing, unconditional, great love. While you and I are sitting here wondering what people would think about us if we spoke about Jesus, fearing embarrassment, wondering if anyone would even want to listen......... your friend is so much in need of the love of God, so much in need of the peace of God, so much in need of the joy of God, the list of needs that can be met by our God alone goes on.

On one side are our friends with a God shaped vacuum in their hearts. On the other side is God, watching and longing for His child to know His love. We are in between. I could choose to unite the two and make my Father happy or I could just ignore and walk my own way, taking care of just building my life. The choice is completely completely mine. Well, its definitely our choice to either fish for the much loved fishes for our God or just ignore. But getting our God what He loves the most is a way of showing Him we love Him. The only reason one could ignore that would be lack of love.

I remember when I was a kid whenever our vacations got over, two of our family friends had a farewell dinner kind of for my sister and me before we went back to our boarding school. This was a common ritual every year. Every year they would find out what my sister and I liked and they made sure that that was on the menu for the dinner. That was a way of showing their love for us.

Like my Dad said - 'Everyday with Jesus is Everyday with Fish'. Funny though that sounds, isn't it true. We need to be among the fishes everyday to show them God's love and get them for God.

Well now that we know what Jesus loves........ Why don't we start getting 'em.



John 3:16 - For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. (AMP)

Arm of Flesh Always Fails - 6th March 2007

About two months back I had applied for my passport and wanted it in about two weeks time, before I left to my home for Christmas. We were trying to get it expedited but always something or the other came up and things were getting a lot delayed. It was very disappointing and frustrating to see things delay so much. Almost everyone we looked upto were finally just not able to do anything though some of them really wanted to help. Each time we went to someone for help, something or the other came up and they weren't able to help. It was frustrating to see things proceed at a snail's pace.


During this time we had been to our Pastor and we shared about this with him and asked him to pray for us. He shared with us a beautiful incident that had happened with another child of God. He said that there was a man who wanted to build a house and was waiting for the plan to be approved so that he could build the house. He had done everything he could to get things done but nothing seemed to be happening and things were getting delayed. He had come and shared about this to our Pastor. Pastor was reminded about someone who could help this man get the approval to build the house. So immediately Pastor called up this person and told him about this man who needed the approval and asked if he could help. The person agreed to get the approval but at that time he was not in India and so he said once he got back he would meet this man and get the plan approved and he said he would be back in 2 weeks. The man needed the plan approved as soon as possible as he had taken a house loan and had to show proof of the house being built by a certain date and he was running out of time. After about 2 weeks Pastor found that the person who had agreed to help, would not be coming back in 2 weeks as due to some reason he had to stay back and it would be atleast another 2 months before he got back. Though the person wanted to help, situations changed because of which he could not. Pastor then thought, instead of looking to the arm of flesh, why don't we seek God who is in control of everything and who is on the throne. So he advised this man and his wife to fast for a day and pray about this issue and ask God to speak to them. They did accordingly and God spoke to them through a verse. They prayed claiming the promise God had given them.
After that the man went again to the person in charge of approving the plan. God was at work this time. Though the man had asked for approval for a single storey house, they approved for a 2 storey house, and this in no time. God rules. He is over all and in control over all. What this man had been trying to get done for months, God did in no time. All he had to do was seek God and pray to Him showing that he completely was relying on just God.

When Pastor shared this with us, I was greatly encouraged. I realised how foolish it was of me to try and get things done on my own or to look upto others for help when I had such a great God who is in control over everything, just waiting and wanting to help if I asked Him to and trusted Him to. We prayed and trusted God and He did work things out in real miraculous ways. Let me share one of the incidents here - We had to go to the police station for verification as we were going to apply for tatkaal to expedite the process. Another friend of ours had also applied for his passport through tatkaal and he told us that the police would definitely expect us to give some money and if we didn't they would just make us sit and wait. He had to wait for a whole day sitting there in the police station. We prayed and decided to trust God and went to the police station. The verification was done in about 30 minute and the only reason why it was delayed by 30 minutes was because they had to wait for the police inspector to come in as he had to sign the document and once he came in we were done in about 5 minutes and we didn't give anyone anything. Infact they actually offered us tea :).

There maybe times in your life when you are waiting for something to be done. You may feel tempted to use a shortcut or to rely on someone. Its not wrong asking someone to help but we should not completely rely on them. It should not get us angry or upset when the person cannot help. Our only trust, hope, reliance should be on God. And you can be 100% sure He will never never never let you down. He would definitely get the work done for you and in case He doesn't it would only mean He is going to get something better for you.

This morning I was a little worried about something. Know what? Worrying is the antonym of Trusting God. You just CANNOT both trust God and worry at the same time. If you say you trust God about something and yet are worried, you are lying. This morning I was worried about something and my mind was kinda running around trying to list all the options I had. I was just looking into my handbag and I found this slip of paper where I had scribbled the incident about the man who needed his house plan approved. God is in control over every every single thing that happens to us. He puts us in certain situation to show His power, His glory and His love in our lives. We lose out on experiencing His power, His glory, His love in our life if we don't trust Him and look to the arm of flesh. The issue about which I was worrying is not yet sorted but yes, I believe in the kingdom of God it has been solved because I'm trusting God alone and am glad He is in control.

The best way a person can help you is by praying for you. Even if they do offer to help in other ways, don't completely look upto them. As humans, everyone is subject to the situations around. And sometimes when God sees we are not running to Him, He would close every other door and so even those who want to help cannot help. When we trust God, He would send the right person to help. In my passport problem God helped one of my friends help me with everything. I had tried looking upto others and I found all doors closed and then I began looking upto God alone. I had prayed and knew God would work. Though this person had to leave onsite in just about 3 days but yet he was there to get the issue completely sorted and done before he left. That is God's doing.

My daily Bible reading portion is through Judges right now and its amazing to see how God miraculously rescues His people each time. We are so fortunate and blessed to be His people. But whenever they looked upto others (bigger kings, powerful armies, other gods) they always faced defeat and shame.

Whenever we need help, the best thing we can do is first of all - get down on your knees. If you don't feel like praying on your own, get someone to pray along with you or for you. Spend time praying and pour out your heart to God. Read God's word. God will definitely speak with you. Whenever you are reminded of the problem and are tempted to worry, remind yourself about the verse God spoke to you through and keep repeating it again and again in your mind and keep praying. Do this whenever your mind starts thinking about the problem. If you don't do this you would start worrying and all trust would disappear and you would stop God's miracle for you, from happening.

Step 1 - Pray, Pray and Pray. Pour out your heart to God. ( Fasting and Praying would be better)
Step 2 - Read God's word and hear what He has to say to you
Step 3 - Claim God's promise to you whenever tempted to worry. Claim His promise and keep praying and don't you ever ever worry.

Believe you me, this is foolproof and definitely works. 100%.

2 Chronicles 32:8 - With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles......... (NIV)

Psalm 20: 7,8 - Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

2 Kings 18:5 - Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.

Psalm 146:3 - Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.

Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;


GOD IS IN CONTROL ( by TWILA PARIS)


This is no time for fear
This is a time for faith and determination
Don't lose the vision here
Carried away by emotion
Hold on to all that you hide in your heart
There is one thing that has always been true
It holds the world together
God is in control
We believe that His children will not be forsaken
God is in control
We will choose to remember and never be shaken
There is no power above or beside Him, we know
God is in control, oh God is in control
History marches on
There is a bottom line drawn across the ages
Culture can make its plan
Oh, but the line never changes
No matter how the deception may fly
There is one thing that has always been true
It will be true forever
He has never let you down
Why start to worry now?
He is still the Lord of all we see
And He is still the loving Father
Watching over you and mewatching over you...
watching over me..
watching over every things..
watching over you..watching over me..
every little sparrow..every little things...

God's Cheerleaders - 1st Mar 2007

As the world seems to be advancing towards technology at a rapid pace, humanity seems to be loosing out. When I was at school, though there were about another 500 people around I knew almost everyone's name and not just their names but I also knew where they were from and what their parents were doing et el. Today at the office where I work, I hardly know about 10 people among whom just about 3-4 are friends. I thought probably it was just me who had become reserved and quiet. But then speaking to some of my close friends I realised this has kind of become a trend now.

I remember one of the teachings we were taught during one of the carecells from the life of Jesus. Jesus was a 'People Man'. That is, almost all the time He was surrounded by a crowd and was among people. Yes, He did have a select group of friends for Himself but He also mingled well with the crowd. He had the reputation of being followed by a crowd wherever He went. He didn't have a reputation of being aloof or being reserved or having an attitude.

I learnt from that study on the life of Jesus, that it was Christ-like to be able to mingle well with people. To be among people and to be able to spend time with and for others. There was another valuable lesson that we were taught and that was about doing good and bringing a smile on the face of others.

Sometimes we are so caught up in our own world, in our own lives that we are aware of just our own problems, our own happiness, our own needs, and everything related with 'I'. Yesterday one of my friends wanted me to come online on messenger so that she could speak to me about something. And so I logged on and when I saw her online I began sharing with her about something good that had happened with me. I just went on and on forgetting it was she who had asked me to come online to share something, and she was patiently listening and then all of a sudden said - 'listen to me'. It was that 'listen to me' that made me realise that I had gone on and on without listening to what she had to say.

This world is full of people with beautiful smile on their faces and behind their smile is a cry in their hearts saying 'listen to me'. We as Christians are called to go among the crowd. We can't afford to stand aloof and watch and pray. We have to go among the crowd. Be a People Person like Jesus. Make friends with everyone God brings our way. And listen to them. Encourage, Appreciate, Counsel. Bring a smile on their face. Be a cheerleader - Be God's Cheerleader.

The aunty at the carecell was sharing how she would try to bring a smile on her colleague's faces. When she saw someone sad, she said she tried telling them something funny so that they would laugh. How many of us even know our colleague's names?

The world has enough sadness and badness of its own. We don't need to add to it by doing any sad or bad. As Christians we are called to make a difference. As people who know and love Jesus we are called to turn the world upside down -to turn the bad to good. Jesus said when someone does bad, we should not seek revenge but forgive, forget and it does not get over with that. Jesus also said to go back to the same person and do good to that person. That does sound very unfair doesn't it. I tell my mom sometimes - Jesus always takes the side of those who do wrong to me. Unfair though it may seem, this is what God wants his children to do. And if we love him, this is what we would do.

While travelling, make friends with the person near you. At office, its your colleagues. At home, its your family, your neighbours (even the nosy and irritating ones - they are the ones who need your love more). Everywhere you go, there is no shortage of people in need of love, in need of a smile on their face, in need of someone to listen to. Let's be God's cheerleaders cheering up people we meet. People love it when complimented (not flattered), appreciated and encouraged. Lets do that.

As God's cheerleaders we are called to make friends with everyone, mingle with everyone, bring a smile on every face, wipe their tears, encourage everyone, listen to them (hardest part)....... in short - showing love and cheering them up. Lets fill our part of the world with as much laughter as we can. We are where we are because God has put us here. Every second, the place that we are in at that time is because God has put us there with a definite purpose. Lets resolve to fill our part of the world with as much laughter as we can. This calls for sacrifice and lots of love. But this would win souls for God.

Let's be cheerleaders wherever we are - God's cheerleaders........


Ecclesiastes 3:12 - I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

Job 16:5 - But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Romans 1:12 - that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Romans 12: 9 - 21 - [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of God's people [sharing in the necessities of the saints]; pursue the practice of hospitality. Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others' joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others' grief]. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God's] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good.

Give and You Shall Receive - 31st Jan 2007

The missionary organisation in which my Dad works, gets together every year for 3 days (27th to 29th of Dec) for a time of fasting and praising and thanking God. Its a time when everyone comes together to thank God for His blessings in the past year and seek His blessings for the coming year.

This year too, they had this fasting prayer and I had the privilege of attending the last day of this fasting prayer meeting. The first session was taken by the director of the organisation (who also happens to be my Uncle) and he spoke about giving. We were all a group of missionaries whose small salary was just enough to take care of ourselves and our children and our needs. It was hard to make ends meet with what we got and here our leader stood before us asking us to give from what we had. The message was an eye opener to me. He told the only way to prosperity was to give. He wanted the people in his organisation to be blessed and he said the only way we would be prosperous would be when we started to give, regardless of whether we had much or little.

He said that we didn't have to have much, to give. But we needed to give, to receive much.

Uncle shared an illustration from his life. He said that the village that he came from was, kind of a dry and a poor village. Those days missionaries from abroad had come to their village to share about Jesus to the people who lived there. One of the important lessons that the missionaries taught to the first Christians in that village was to give. The Christians were poor themselves and had hardly anything for themselves but the missionaries taught them that the only way to prosperity was to give. And so the Christians began to give. They were mostly poor farmers but they began by giving away bags of rice, coconuts, eggs, chicken, goats........ They had little but gave from the little they had. They just gave and gave and God began to open his doors of blessings in their lives. As they gave, God began to prosper them. Now that place is no more a village and the once poor farmers are now very rich and prosperous and they still give. The lesson that the missionaries taught them brought fruit in their lives.

This reminds me of the poor widow who gave the two coins. She was poor and all she had was the two coins. But she gave all that she had. She gave those two copper coins. There were other rich people around who were putting very costly gifts into the temple treasury but Jesus said that the widow who gave the two copper coins, gave the most. In God's eyes it wasn't how much the person gave that mattered, what mattered was the heart of giving.

In one of her books, Joyce Meyer writes about the importance of giving. She says that if you are waiting till you have enough for yourself to start giving, you will never have enough for yourself. You could just wait and wait and you would never have enough, no matter how much you have, unless you began to give. She writes to start giving from the little you have. When you start giving from the little you have, God begins to bless and prosper you and as you give and give, no matter how little you have, you'll find it to be enough and much much more left over. And you would open God's door of prosperity in your lives.

Now the thing is that the devil knows this truth as well as we do. And the last thing he wants is the prosperity of God's children. So Everytime you plan to give, he would fill your mind with questions like - Is there enough left for myself? What if there is a sudden emergency? Do I really have to give this away? What if God didn't actually bless me? What if God decided to bless me a little late?

Don't listen to them. Jesus wants us prosperous and that's why when he was on earth he said - if you have two tunics, give one to the one who does not have. In other words, all you need are two sets of clothes to start giving.

My mother's Dad (ie my grandfather) was one of the richest man in the village where they lived. And this meant my mother got to have a lot of silk sarees. And yeah being a girl, she did treasure her silk sarees a lot. After she was married to Dad, one of the first lessons he taught her when he first took her to the mission field was to give. It hurt her to give her precious sarees away but yet she did learn to give. Even today she does not keep more than what she would need. She keeps giving away and she keeps receiving in abundance. The same can be said about my Dad. I'm proud I have giving parents because of whom I have received much.

Give to God:
Malachi 3:10 - Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (NIV)

Give to the Poor:
Proverbs 19: 17 - He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. (NIV)

Give to God's people:
Matthew 10:42 - And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward. (AMP)

Give to everyone:
Matthew 5:42 - Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

And here's God's promise of prosperity to the givers:
Luke 6:38 - 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."

Jesus, Thank You - 29th Jan 2007

Many years back there was this group of friends who had a very sad problem. They were lepers. Now being a leper during those days meant they were treated as outcasts. They had to live outside the city where no one ever went. They had to stay away from their family. No matter how much they loved their Dad or Mom or husband or wife or kids, they were forced to leave them all and live away from them. It was not just about living away from them but they could never meet them or hug them or talk to them. They were not just physical outcasts but mental outcasts as well. These 10 people who lived their whole day talking about the sweet memories at home, the good social status they once held, how life had now become hopeless, just sat and talked and poured their hearts to each other and eventually these people who came from different homes, different backgrounds and different places had become friends - united in their grief.

In their hopeless world, comes hope, one beautiful day, in the form of a man named Jesus. They manage to sneak into the city and meet Jesus and ask to be healed. Jesus, full of compassion and love, heals these 10 men and sets them free. Free - to live with love, dignity and honour.

As these men go rejoicing, excited at the fact that their skin and their body has now been made new. Rejoicing that they can dream again, they can plan for their future again, they can live again and yes, the hopeless world they lived in has been destroyed and Hope is finally born. They go dancing and singing, mind still too full to take it all, happiness too hard to contain. In the midst of it all, one man suddenly stops...... and turns. He remembers........

He remembers the man who set him free. He remembers the man who gave him life. He remembers the Man who is Hope personified. He turns and goes to Jesus. He walks up to the man who healed him and says - Jesus, Thank You.

Jesus looks up very pleased that this man remembered to come back and say - Thank You. And then Jesus asks this man - "Were not the other nine healed as well?? Why didn't they come to say - Thank You? " (For the Story)

Jesus expected a Thank You. He is God, of course but it means so much to Him when we can look up from our work and tell Him - Jesus, Thank You.

A few days back, there was something worrying me and as I was travelling from my office back home, I began to ponder over the issue and get more and more worried. And guess the devil started giving me more and more points to worry over and I was becoming an easy prey and was just sitting there getting more and more worried and that was followed by self pity, anger, finding someone to blame..... This went on till God decided this was going too far. And he reminded me of all that I had been blessed with and if I could focus on what I have blessed with and thank Him, rather than focus on problems and get worried. I realised the devil was having his way and I began focussing on all the blessings that I have and began thanking God for them - great parents, wonderful siblings, good job..... and so on. I kept thanking him all the way to home and believe me, when I reached home I was feeling so happy and was feeling great.

God spoke to me through a verse in His word which says - He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him [a] the salvation of God.

This is a verse I have read so many times but I never realised its full meaning till some time back. When I keep thanking God and offer thank offerings to God, I honour Him and I prepare the way for God to show his salvation (deliverance in my life). I need to learn to be thankful at all times. As we thank Him we open the way for God to work in our lives. As we thank Him we open the way for God to solve our problems. As we thank Him we make the way for God to turn every curse into blessing. As we thank Him we make the way for God's deliverance, God's peace, God's joy, God's blessings, God's prosperity, God's salvation - in our lives.

Jesus had to die such a painful, shameful and sinful death on the cross for your freedom and mine. When was the last time you thanked Him for dying in your place? Even if we used our every breath to thank Him we could never thank Him enough.

God loves it when His children acknowledge His goodness and Thank Him. It means a lot to Jesus when His children are grateful. When we keep thanking Him we make Jesus happy. And as we keep thanking Him, we also prepare the way for God's salvation in our lives.

It would be so selfish to receive the benefits and just walk away. God's children have His nature. And that would mean being grateful and saying Thank You. By saying Thank You I show that I'm a child of God. It means so much To Him when we look up to Him and say - Thank You, Jesus.




Psalm 50:23 - He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him [a] the salvation of God." (NIV)

Reading The Bible - 23rd Jan 2007

Sometime back I had resolved to try and complete reading the whole of the Bible in 90 days. This was apart from what I read in my morning and night devotion time. Now that would require reading over 12 chapters a day. And I was doing most of the reading from my office computer over the internet. Whenever I had sometime between work I would try to finish a chapter. This really helped me to a great extent as it kept my mind in God.

Though I read through the chapters in a hurry, God spoke to me through so many verses. There were so many beautiful truths that I learnt and it was wonderful learning them. I tried applying them to my life but was finding it hard. I was reading over 12 chapters a day and learning at least about 10 things that I wanted to apply and I wasn't successful in doing that. Though this practise started with a lot of zeal, I eventually started getting discouraged. I started to think what the use was in reading so much of the Bible if I was not able to apply them to my life and I was worried that I was being just a reader but not a doer.

This discouragement started setting in and the enthusiasm began to fade away and I really felt if it was actually worth it - reading so much of the Bible. God, of course, knew what was going on in my head and in my heart and He caused one of my friends to send me this beautiful forward which really encouraged me and put me back on track to reading more and more of God's word.

COAL BASKET BIBLE
The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?" The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was "impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got very far. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!" "So you think it is useless?" The old man said. "Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out. That is the work of God in our lives. To change us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the image of His son."
Take time to read a portion of God's word each day, and remind a friend by sharing what you read. For God so loved the world that He sent His Son to shed His precious blood for me to wash me clean, and because I believe in Him He has promised me I will live eternally. John 11:25-26 & John 15:16. Think how much He loves us!!!

Reading this forward made me realise that it didn't matter if I didn't remember all that I had learnt and if I was not able to apply all that I had learnt but what was important was reading more and more of God's word. The more I read of His word, the cleaner I would be. I'm not saying not to try to be a doer but what I'm trying to say is - Don't get discouraged if you don't succeed in being a doer. Keep trying and Keep reading. Don't stop both.
Strive to read more and more of God's word. You'll begin to experience the beauty of a wonderful relationship with Jesus. Hearing his voice and drawing comfort, strength, encouragement, admonishes from a loving Father. Never get discouraged about not being able to remember and do everything in God's word. Just continue to read more and more from the Bible. Just begin to read and meditate on His word and you will wonder after you've begun how you ever managed without feeding on God's word.

Psalm 1:2,3 - But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. (AMP)
Psalm 1:2,3 - But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (NIV)

Persistent about Puggy - 18th Jan 2007

We are a large family of 7 members. Dad, Mom and 5 kids. All the 5 of us are working and studying in various places and Christmas is the time when all of us get together. The once in a year celebration becomes grand just seeing one another and being together. Each year we are together for about 10 days. And every year Dad takes us to a place called Varanasi (Benaras), which is the nearest city to the place where we live.

This year as well we had been to Varanasi and we went out shopping for some time. In one of the shops I found a big soft toy of a pug. This was something I had been looking for for quite sometime and I hadn't found it anywhere. I asked for the price and found it to be 625 bucks. I knew my Dad would say that it was a perfect waste of money to spend so much on something which was so completely useless. But I really wanted this pug.

The first thing my sister told me when she saw me carrying the pug towards the counter was - ' Don't even think about it. Dad is just not going to get that for you.' I told her very confidently that I would get it. When Dad saw that I liked the pug so much, he immediately said that he would get it for me. Oh! I was so glad and was just jumping around in the shop till my brother came and said something. He said - ' Now don't get so excited. Dad hasn't seen the price of that pug as yet. Once he sees it, he's just going to put it back to where it was.'

Just as my brother had said, once Dad saw the price of the pug, he put the poor puggy back in its shelf. I knew once Dad had decided something, its very hard to make him change his mind and about something like this, there was absolutely no chance. My brothers seeing me upset tried comforting telling me that they would try convincing Dad into buying me that pug. And both failed.

So that was left to me now. I know it sounds crazy but I really liked this pug and I wanted it and I wanted Dad to buy it for me. I knew he would if I was going to be persistent and because he loves me. And persistent I was..... to the extent that everyone were now getting irritated and were upset that I was creating an unnecessary fuss over something so unnecessary ( to them puggy was and is such a waste).

Well, I just kept persisting. We left the shop and went to buy some saris for my sister and mom. My brothers were glad we left the shop, hoping that would put an end to this puggy drama. But Oh No! they were wrong. I still wanted the pug. All the way through the shopping, to the restaurant I still wanted the pug.

Finally our small outing and the day was over and we were getting ready to head back home. By then, I had almost lost all hope. My brothers and sister were beginning to enjoy themselves as now they had another point to pull me about. We travelled for about 15 minutes and then Dad asked the driver to stop and went somewhere and guess what? When he got back, he had the pug with him. He had actually phoned the shop and asked them to get the pug to a convenient location so that we could pick it up on the way home :)

Persistance does bring results. Jesus, when He was on earth taught us to be persistent in our prayers. He asked us to keep asking. His word says - Ask and keep on asking.

Sometimes we have great faith about something and we pray about it for a couple of days and then we forget about it. But God wants us to be persistent till our prayers are answered. If we really have faith that God would do something for us, we would not stop asking Him till we got it. It was faith in my dad that kept me going till I got the pug. When Persistence and Faith go hand in hand, nothing can stop a miracle.

There maybe something you are asking God for and you haven't seen anything happening, don't lose faith. Keep Asking. It could be prayer for an unsaved friend, prayer for a financial breakthrough, prayer for a job promotion, prayer for someone sick, prayer for deliverance. Be Persistent. It may take 100 blows to crack a stone but every single blow matters. Every prayer we make does achieve its purpose. Don't stop praying. It could be that you stopped at the 99th blow.

Just as Jesus said - Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given unto you.

Luke 18: 1-8
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

For the Least of these Brothers - 17th Jan 2007

I've always known my Mom to be a very generous person. She just gives and gives and keeps giving. But I didn't know the extent of her generosity till this Christmas vacation when I was at home.

During Christmas its very very cold in Bihar. During the mornings there is this biting cold wind that blows which makes things even worse. During one such cold morning a poor old lady was going around selling vegetables. When she came to her house, I was the one who opened the door. I politely told her we didn't need any vegetables and was just going to send her away when Mom heard the old lady's voice and asked her to come in. I was wondering why Mom was asking this old lady in. I thought probably she needed some vegetables and didn't want to go out because of the cold and so was asking the old lady in.

Mom called the lady in and pulled in her huge basket of vegetables in as well and then closed the door. She asked her to sit and was asking her why she was out in such cold. It was almost like she was talking to someone very close to her and reprimanding them for being out in the cold. She asked her to sit while she made a hot cup of tea for her. My brother and I were at home. And we just sat there looking at each other and wondering what was going on. We had been in hostels all our lives and though we knew Mom to be very generous, this was something new we were witnessing.

Mom got the lady a hot cup of tea and then got her a big piece of cake to eat and then sat talking with her for awhile and then went back to the kitchen to continue her cooking. My brother and I sat there along with the lady, and then the lady began talking with us. She said that she had never met anyone like Mom. She said that everytime she came by Mom would give her something according to her need. Mom had once given her a woollen sweater and would everytime ask her in and give her something to eat or drink.

I remember that feeling of immense pride and love as I sat there hearing and watching that old lady talk about my Mom. There was love and pride in her voice as well. She wasn't talking about some lady who gave her food. She was talking about someone who loved and cared for her. That day was the day I learnt the biggest lesson on giving. I'm sure my brother felt the same. We sat talking about Mom after the old lady left and I know he decided, just as I had decided, that we were going to be as generous as Mom.

I've always found beggars very irritating, when they follow me on the road and keep coming by. There are times I purposely don't give to them telling myself that I didn't want to encourage people begging. There are times I've advised Mom as well, giving her the same lecture about encouraging beggars. Mom always says - You never lose my giving.

As a result of my Mom's giving, there are many poor people who come home expecting something. She never gets irritated or angry with them. She says - They come here because they know here is a family who gives and what better way for a Christian family to be projected.

I remember when I was a kid we were standing in a queue to buy some medicines and there was an old man infront of us who didn't have enough money to buy the medicine. Mom didn't think twice. She just walked up and gave what was needed. We would never meet the old man again. He would never forget the lady behind him in the queue.

I've heard many preachers preach about giving and read and heard many sermons on giving but the biggest lessons I have learnt about giving are from watching Mom.

I'm sure this is what Jesus meant when he said - Whatever you do unto one of these you do it unto me.




Matthew 25 : 34 - 40 - "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Soft Hardening of Heart - 16th Jan 2006

Last Christmas when I had gone home, my sister, who works as the principal of a school, invited me to her school one day. I was on vacation and had nothing to do and so agreed to come to her school the next day. When I had gone there, the students were writing their half yearly exams. My sister took me to each class, introducing me to the staffs there and just briefing me about the school and about what was happening there.

The students were writing their exams and there were some cases were students had been caught cheating during the exams. This was something that really upset my sister and she was just trying hard to make sure that there was absolutely no cheating during the exams. On the day I had been to School, two boys had been caught cheating again. My sister decided that it was time a strict action had to be taken and she told the boys to ask their parents to come and meet her the next day, and if the parents did not come, the boys would be given no marks (zero) in that particular subject in which they had cheated. This was pretty hard on the boys and one of them began crying.

Now about my Sister, she is a very gentle and a very soft person. She gets moved easily when someone cries and its very very rare that she punishes any students. Its rare to even see her yell at anyone. I was surprised when I saw her being so strict with those boys this time. The boys came crying to the office and apologising for what had happened and promising that they would never repeat this again. But my sister was firm in what she said and said the decision was final and there was going to be no change. After the boys had left I asked her, why she was so strict. She said that this had been going on for sometime and these boys had been caught cheating during the exams earlier as well. And each time she would decide on a punishment the boys would come and apologise and promise to be good in the future and she would relent. And she said that this had resulted in the problem getting worse. And then she said something amazing.

She said that it hurt her to see the boys cry and look so upset. She knew the boys were very afraid to tell this at home to their parents and get them to meet the Principal the next day. She said that she really wanted to take the punishment back and let the boys free. But she also knew that if she did that, this practise of cheating would never stop. She said that if a strict action was taken once, the kids would hear about what had happened and that would help in stopping this practise and help mould the kids into better people. She had to harden her heart and see the kids hurt for sometime, for the good of the kids.

As I sat in her office, I was thinking about our Father in heaven. He looks down on us with love. Many a times we let Him down and fail Him. There are times he has to harden His heart and let me face the consequences just so that it would mould me into a better person. It hurts Him to see us go through the after effects of our sins, but he lets us go knowing that it is for my good. But through it all, inspite of the sins we have committed, He stays near us and helps us, comforting and encouraging and walking with us, till we are finally out victorious.

Sometime back I asked my brother to share with me the thought he had learnt during his morning devotion time. ( I was checking to see if he had actually read the Bible that morning ;) ) And he shared a beautiful thought. He said that he had read the portion where the Israelites keep sinning against God and God is finally very upset with them and decides to punish them but through the punishment God was with them and constantly encouraging them through his promises. My brother said - Though God Himself punished them, through all the difficulties God had an eye on His people and He was with them.

Our God is such a loving God. Probably there are times we go wrong and upset Him but he would never desert us. He will never forsake his children. If he has let us go through the consequences, He has done so with love, knowing it would make us better children of His. He would never let us go through anything which would harm us. Even when we sin and are bad, our God is always good.


Lamentations 3:22 - Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.