Uni-verse 233/10,000 For better through verse Psalm 115 v 12
“ The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron.”
Israel is the uniquely spiritual nation that the Lord has formed from out of all the nations in the world. We belong to the house of Israel by faith in the promises of God to the Israelites ( the Old Covenant) and through the Israelite –Jesus of Nazareth. We must steadfastly, consistently and persistently lay claim to the promises of God even as the ancient Israelites under Moses and Joshua laid claim to the promised land. To be blessed does not mean that we will not suffer privation or problems. The other day, the Lord reminded us that soon after Joshua led Israel miraculously across the Jordan river, they faced a wall in Jericho. In triumph, we glorify God. In failure and strife, we depend on God for a miracle. He promises to give us a breakthrough in our troubles even as the walls of Jericho fell.
He remembers us because we belong to Him. As members of the house of Israel, He blesses us with the blessings of salvation or Shalom that means wholeness, healing, prosperity, peace and joy. He is our help and shield in every situation in our earthly sojourn. He is our help in seasons of victory and our shield in seasons of trouble. He reveals Himself as Ebenezer. When others see us in both seasons, they will acknowledge that we are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
We also belong to the house of Aaron, when we minister to others as priests of the Most High God. He blesses us with priestly blessings-we are in constant communion and fellowship with the Lord. There is no more separation between God and us. He reveals Himself as Immanuel. Together, these constitute the double portion of blessing- the inheritance as ones who have been saved by God and the inheritance as ones who are serving God.
Prateep V Philip
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
The WoW power of Vow
Uni-verse 231/10,000 For better through verse Judges 16 v 13
Jdg 16:13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
As Samson was physically strong, the Lord desires that His children be spiritually strong. The secret of Samson' s strength lay in the seven braids or locks of hair that had never been cut with a razor. Similarly, our secret source of strength and immense power from God lies in seven "locks": Fear of God and love of God are the first two locks that grow side by side. As we grow in our personal knowledge and intimacy with God, both our fear of God and His holiness and our love of God with all our strength of spirit, mind and body need to grow slowly but surely like our hair grows from day to day. The fear of God makes us hate evil even as the love of God makes us love all that is good, noble, praiseworthy and perfect.
The third lock of hair is our prayer life. Just as nostrils breathe air constantly, our soul and spirit needs to pray ceaselessly in order to sustain itself. The fourth lock of hair is the Word of God. We meditate and absorb strength from claiming God's promises and by diligently studying and obeying His eternal commands. We need to claim God's strength in this manner and stay free from blame. The fifth lock of hair is praise and worship- we need to be regular in our praise and worship. Worship is like a warship that has been launched with all its guns firing. It is also the flagship of our faith life.
The sixth lock of hair is the joy of the Lord. We need to delight in what the Lord delights. The joy of the Lord is our strength. It implies that we submit all our plans and decisions to the Lord. We give priority to what He desires in our lives. The seventh lock of hair is our witness. We need to witness with our lifestyle, our deeds and our words. At the same time, we need to be wary of the Delilahs of the world who wish to betray us, weaken us or have us handed over to the enemy. These seven locks must never be cut but grow day and night, right through our lives. They will enable us to defeat all the force and power of the enemy of our souls. What else can we do with all this immense strength that the Lord has invested in us? We need to be like Samson a judge of the nations, a leader who influences people for God, a ruler or one who executes God's judgements on earth. We need to exhibit in our lives the "wow" power of vow or the power of commitment that kept a razor from the seven braids of hair from birth till his ultimate downfall by deception. We must not be attracted to the seductions of this world.
Prateep V Philip
Jdg 16:13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
As Samson was physically strong, the Lord desires that His children be spiritually strong. The secret of Samson' s strength lay in the seven braids or locks of hair that had never been cut with a razor. Similarly, our secret source of strength and immense power from God lies in seven "locks": Fear of God and love of God are the first two locks that grow side by side. As we grow in our personal knowledge and intimacy with God, both our fear of God and His holiness and our love of God with all our strength of spirit, mind and body need to grow slowly but surely like our hair grows from day to day. The fear of God makes us hate evil even as the love of God makes us love all that is good, noble, praiseworthy and perfect.
The third lock of hair is our prayer life. Just as nostrils breathe air constantly, our soul and spirit needs to pray ceaselessly in order to sustain itself. The fourth lock of hair is the Word of God. We meditate and absorb strength from claiming God's promises and by diligently studying and obeying His eternal commands. We need to claim God's strength in this manner and stay free from blame. The fifth lock of hair is praise and worship- we need to be regular in our praise and worship. Worship is like a warship that has been launched with all its guns firing. It is also the flagship of our faith life.
The sixth lock of hair is the joy of the Lord. We need to delight in what the Lord delights. The joy of the Lord is our strength. It implies that we submit all our plans and decisions to the Lord. We give priority to what He desires in our lives. The seventh lock of hair is our witness. We need to witness with our lifestyle, our deeds and our words. At the same time, we need to be wary of the Delilahs of the world who wish to betray us, weaken us or have us handed over to the enemy. These seven locks must never be cut but grow day and night, right through our lives. They will enable us to defeat all the force and power of the enemy of our souls. What else can we do with all this immense strength that the Lord has invested in us? We need to be like Samson a judge of the nations, a leader who influences people for God, a ruler or one who executes God's judgements on earth. We need to exhibit in our lives the "wow" power of vow or the power of commitment that kept a razor from the seven braids of hair from birth till his ultimate downfall by deception. We must not be attracted to the seductions of this world.
Prateep V Philip
Thursday, October 27, 2011
God's size is not a barrier to intimacy
Uni-verse 230/10,000 For better through verse Isaiah 66 v 2
Isa 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
The earth itself contains many worlds in it in terms of the myriad people, cultures and geography that comprise it. Yet, the earth is so small a part of the vast universe. God is so big -He is bigger than the whole universe. The Bible says that He can hold all the waters in all the oceans and rivers and other water bodies in the hollow of His hand. He can lift up, weigh or lay all the mighty mountain ranges with His other hand. He is also older than billions of years. Even His "foolishness" , if it exists, is far greater than the collective wisdom of all of mankind. He determines or predestines the places and times we live in though He gives us complete freedom of choice within those boundaries.
Yet the amazing thing is that such a great God, the Great I Am condeigns to consider with favour a lone person, an individual who humbles himself and obeys His revealed Word. The other day the Holy Spirit revealed that concerning a certain member of my extended family that though he has not displayed fear of God, He the Sovereign Lord is " obeying the tears of his mother. " More than twenty years have passed since his mother had passed away but the Lord still obeys her tears and keeps His covenant promise to save him in his last days. He humbles Himself to obey the tears of a mere mortal.
Isn't it wonderful that such an awesome Person as God humbles Himself to look at each one of us with favour? When He is so mindful of us, we should be humble and contrite always and in all our ways before Him. We should always be mindful of Him, always conscious of His presence, always remembering His goodness, always reviewing His Word to us. We should take every thought, emotion, decision "captive to Christ", meaning we submit it as an offering to Him.
Prateep V Philip
Isa 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
The earth itself contains many worlds in it in terms of the myriad people, cultures and geography that comprise it. Yet, the earth is so small a part of the vast universe. God is so big -He is bigger than the whole universe. The Bible says that He can hold all the waters in all the oceans and rivers and other water bodies in the hollow of His hand. He can lift up, weigh or lay all the mighty mountain ranges with His other hand. He is also older than billions of years. Even His "foolishness" , if it exists, is far greater than the collective wisdom of all of mankind. He determines or predestines the places and times we live in though He gives us complete freedom of choice within those boundaries.
Yet the amazing thing is that such a great God, the Great I Am condeigns to consider with favour a lone person, an individual who humbles himself and obeys His revealed Word. The other day the Holy Spirit revealed that concerning a certain member of my extended family that though he has not displayed fear of God, He the Sovereign Lord is " obeying the tears of his mother. " More than twenty years have passed since his mother had passed away but the Lord still obeys her tears and keeps His covenant promise to save him in his last days. He humbles Himself to obey the tears of a mere mortal.
Isn't it wonderful that such an awesome Person as God humbles Himself to look at each one of us with favour? When He is so mindful of us, we should be humble and contrite always and in all our ways before Him. We should always be mindful of Him, always conscious of His presence, always remembering His goodness, always reviewing His Word to us. We should take every thought, emotion, decision "captive to Christ", meaning we submit it as an offering to Him.
Prateep V Philip
Javelin throwing
Uni-verse 229/10,000 For better through verse Numbers 25 v 7
Num 25:7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
Last evening in a time of prayer, the Lord flashed His light on this verse. He said that we must take the javelin and throw it. The javelin is a metaphor for the Word of God. He said, " Apply the Word of God in every situation. " Applying the Word of God means to write down a specific('rhema") verse that applies in a particular situation or speaks to our spirits and pray for its operation or fulfillment in our lives. Like Phenahas, we belong to the house of Aaron. We are as Levites. As priests of the Most High God, when we pray specifically with a specific verse, His judgement is executed on earth and in our lives. When we spread our sheet before God, He blesses our spreadsheet.
Saul used a javelin under the influence of an evil spirit to try to impale the young David. But, the Lord protected Him. The enemy may try throwing a barrage of javelins at us in different times of our lives. But, the Lord is our Rock of Escape as He was for David. The javelin in our hand is both a weapon of offence and defence. It is the " sword of His excellency" that Abraham spoke of.
Eleazar, the father of Phinehas had such a grip on his sword that it seemed to be fused into his hand. Similarly, the Word of God needs to be fused into our hand and all aspects of our lives. In normal times, it is the Shepherd's rod and staff to comfort, counsel, support and guide us. In war-like situations, it becomes a javelin in our hands that will pierce through our target.
Prateep V Philip
Num 25:7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
Last evening in a time of prayer, the Lord flashed His light on this verse. He said that we must take the javelin and throw it. The javelin is a metaphor for the Word of God. He said, " Apply the Word of God in every situation. " Applying the Word of God means to write down a specific('rhema") verse that applies in a particular situation or speaks to our spirits and pray for its operation or fulfillment in our lives. Like Phenahas, we belong to the house of Aaron. We are as Levites. As priests of the Most High God, when we pray specifically with a specific verse, His judgement is executed on earth and in our lives. When we spread our sheet before God, He blesses our spreadsheet.
Saul used a javelin under the influence of an evil spirit to try to impale the young David. But, the Lord protected Him. The enemy may try throwing a barrage of javelins at us in different times of our lives. But, the Lord is our Rock of Escape as He was for David. The javelin in our hand is both a weapon of offence and defence. It is the " sword of His excellency" that Abraham spoke of.
Eleazar, the father of Phinehas had such a grip on his sword that it seemed to be fused into his hand. Similarly, the Word of God needs to be fused into our hand and all aspects of our lives. In normal times, it is the Shepherd's rod and staff to comfort, counsel, support and guide us. In war-like situations, it becomes a javelin in our hands that will pierce through our target.
Prateep V Philip
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Uni-verse 228/10,000 For better through verse
Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
One of the foremost attributes of a citizen of the Kingdom of God is a love for righteousness and a hatred for evil. Once we understand the absolute holiness and power of God, we will develop a deep respect or reverence for Him. That respect is reflected in our love for His goodness and an abhorrence of evil. We cleave to what is good and let go of what is evil, resist its allurements and at times even flee from it. Since we live in a grossly imperfect world, it is a kind of a tight rope walk but it is certainly better to walk a rope than to have it hanging around our neck. But, the Lord gives us the grace, the wisdom and the power to complete our walk successfully. In case we fall, He holds the safety net of forgiveness under us and puts us back on our feet.
Our God has anointed us as priests and kings before Him. In Old Testament times only the priests and kings were anointed as a sign of divine appointment, favour and empowerment. When we are redeemed by confessing our faith in Christ, we are anointed or sanctified by the Holy Spirit. This anointing makes us holy and blameless before God. This is the oil of purification of sinners. Then, we are anointed as priests. This is the oil of sanctification. We can offer worship on behalf of the whole of humanity. We intercede for those who are not saved. We are also anointed as kings to execute righteousness on earth, to exercise power and authority over the spiritual realms as suzerains of God on earth. What we bind on earth is bound in heaven, what we release or free on earth is released in heaven. This is the oil of empowerment.
But, this uni-verse speaks of the anointing with the oil of gladness. This comes with a harvest of righteousness. The word "oil" brings up the image of "oozing". We need to be oozing with gladness and joy in all that we say and do: Glad that we are saved, that we will not perish in the second death; joyful that we are victorious in Christ. The Lord has removed our sackcloth of mourning that comes from a life of sin and a guilty conscience and replaced it with the spirit of gladness and joy. As a result, we are far more glad and joyful than our contemporaries, colleagues and fellow beings who are still mixed up in the ruling passions and obsessions of the world. We may not keep up with the Joneses but we are happier by far than them.
Prateep V Philip
Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
One of the foremost attributes of a citizen of the Kingdom of God is a love for righteousness and a hatred for evil. Once we understand the absolute holiness and power of God, we will develop a deep respect or reverence for Him. That respect is reflected in our love for His goodness and an abhorrence of evil. We cleave to what is good and let go of what is evil, resist its allurements and at times even flee from it. Since we live in a grossly imperfect world, it is a kind of a tight rope walk but it is certainly better to walk a rope than to have it hanging around our neck. But, the Lord gives us the grace, the wisdom and the power to complete our walk successfully. In case we fall, He holds the safety net of forgiveness under us and puts us back on our feet.
Our God has anointed us as priests and kings before Him. In Old Testament times only the priests and kings were anointed as a sign of divine appointment, favour and empowerment. When we are redeemed by confessing our faith in Christ, we are anointed or sanctified by the Holy Spirit. This anointing makes us holy and blameless before God. This is the oil of purification of sinners. Then, we are anointed as priests. This is the oil of sanctification. We can offer worship on behalf of the whole of humanity. We intercede for those who are not saved. We are also anointed as kings to execute righteousness on earth, to exercise power and authority over the spiritual realms as suzerains of God on earth. What we bind on earth is bound in heaven, what we release or free on earth is released in heaven. This is the oil of empowerment.
But, this uni-verse speaks of the anointing with the oil of gladness. This comes with a harvest of righteousness. The word "oil" brings up the image of "oozing". We need to be oozing with gladness and joy in all that we say and do: Glad that we are saved, that we will not perish in the second death; joyful that we are victorious in Christ. The Lord has removed our sackcloth of mourning that comes from a life of sin and a guilty conscience and replaced it with the spirit of gladness and joy. As a result, we are far more glad and joyful than our contemporaries, colleagues and fellow beings who are still mixed up in the ruling passions and obsessions of the world. We may not keep up with the Joneses but we are happier by far than them.
Prateep V Philip
Monday, October 24, 2011
Why bad news sells and good news saves
Uni-verse 227/10,000 For better through verse Nahum 1 v 15
Nah 1:15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
We are used to reading headlines in newspapers howling bad news. I asked a senior correspondent in a leading newspaper," Why is it that journalists focus mostly on bad news, on things that have a negative spin?" He replied that he did not know why but he only knew that bad news sells. Bad news makes the people who read it feel better that the catastrophe has overtaken someone else and not them. They feel better and happier by comparison.
Recently, the Lord said, " You are my newspaper!" Yes, believers in the gospel are the publishers of good news, the publishers of peace. When the wicked who do not want to repent hear it, they are put off but when those who are seeking for peace and hope hear it they embrace it. As publishers of peace and good news, every thing that we say and do will bring meaning, strength and encouragement to others. We proclaim in the headlines," Behold our God, He reigns on high! Jesus has saved you from eternal death. " The gospel is not just good news but great news. What we hear in our lives after receiving the gospel into our hearts is the good news part. What we publish will bring glory to God and peace and goodwill among men.
Even out of the mountains of our lives or the big problem areas, we will begin to hear good news. We need to celebrate every significant victory that the Lord gives us with praise, worship and a fellowship meal. We need to fulfill the commitments we have made as we waited for some good news. The Lord gives us the promise that the wicked will no more have either power or influence in our lives to harm us or to hinder us. Good news deals with matters of faith. Very often, the good news is first declared and then the events follow as it was declared. Time goes forward in order to go back to present. In bad news or news per se, the future, past and present are all tense as it operates on the principle of fate. Bad news does not change anything. Good news changes lives. The good news shields us from the bad news. The people who subscribe to the good news are people of faith. The people who subscribe to the bad news are people of fate. We do not just read the good news or the Word but we eat it, relish every word and absorb it like a delicious morsel in a feast. We are not under pressure to increase the circulation or sell the news for it is given freely and will spread from one life impacted by Christ to another.
Prateep V Philip
Nah 1:15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
We are used to reading headlines in newspapers howling bad news. I asked a senior correspondent in a leading newspaper," Why is it that journalists focus mostly on bad news, on things that have a negative spin?" He replied that he did not know why but he only knew that bad news sells. Bad news makes the people who read it feel better that the catastrophe has overtaken someone else and not them. They feel better and happier by comparison.
Recently, the Lord said, " You are my newspaper!" Yes, believers in the gospel are the publishers of good news, the publishers of peace. When the wicked who do not want to repent hear it, they are put off but when those who are seeking for peace and hope hear it they embrace it. As publishers of peace and good news, every thing that we say and do will bring meaning, strength and encouragement to others. We proclaim in the headlines," Behold our God, He reigns on high! Jesus has saved you from eternal death. " The gospel is not just good news but great news. What we hear in our lives after receiving the gospel into our hearts is the good news part. What we publish will bring glory to God and peace and goodwill among men.
Even out of the mountains of our lives or the big problem areas, we will begin to hear good news. We need to celebrate every significant victory that the Lord gives us with praise, worship and a fellowship meal. We need to fulfill the commitments we have made as we waited for some good news. The Lord gives us the promise that the wicked will no more have either power or influence in our lives to harm us or to hinder us. Good news deals with matters of faith. Very often, the good news is first declared and then the events follow as it was declared. Time goes forward in order to go back to present. In bad news or news per se, the future, past and present are all tense as it operates on the principle of fate. Bad news does not change anything. Good news changes lives. The good news shields us from the bad news. The people who subscribe to the good news are people of faith. The people who subscribe to the bad news are people of fate. We do not just read the good news or the Word but we eat it, relish every word and absorb it like a delicious morsel in a feast. We are not under pressure to increase the circulation or sell the news for it is given freely and will spread from one life impacted by Christ to another.
Prateep V Philip
The visible-invisible interface
Uni-verse 226/10,000 For better through verse John 20 v 29
Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
The world operates on the principle," First see and then believe" or Seeing is believing. This is the conditioning that human experience and education subjects every individual to. People who doubt the Word of God continue like the apostle Thomas to insist on seeing first before believing, leaving themselves spiritually impowerished and handicapped. All the mysteries of life and death, the truths about God and the things of God hinge on the interface between the visible and the invisible. The Kingdom of God operates on the principle of " Believing is seeing" or one must first believe and then one will see. Belief is the inner eye through which we can percieve and experience the love of God.
Belief is the deepest level of one's psyche or soul. Belief affects our thoughts, emotions, speech, decisions, efforts and results. When we believe in Christ, our thoughts, emotions, speech, decisions, efforts and results will be blessed. We connect with God through prayer, meditation and the Word at the deepest, most personal or intimate level and He becomes real, more real than the things we can perceive or see. The results are there for everyone to see- what was formerly invisible will become visible in our lives. Many educated and so called intellectual people pride themselves on their commitment to rationalism and empiricism. What they need to realize is a truth that an evangelist once told me," The real world is the spiritual world. What we see around are only the props. If things are to happen in the physical world, it needs to first happen in the spiritual world and then it gets reflected here." In short, if we want to change things in our lives, our families, our cities, our societies, our nations or the world, we need to first change from disbelief to belief. Our conception of God makes way to our experience of God and His attributes.
It pleases God when we trust Him implicity and explicitly without expecting any external evidence or sign or proof. It is the ultimate test of faithfulness when we remain faithful to Him even though He is not visible, even though we cannot touch Him or feel Him. But, we do experience His touch in different ways and different areas and times of our lives.Once we believe, He shows us signs that His presence is near, that His Word is true and He is true to every word in it. We are freed from the curse of thinking that only what we experience through our senses is true and so are blessed. Our minds, emotions and our imagination freed from the necessity of being merely moored to the ground begins to soar upwards.
Prateep V Philip
Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
The world operates on the principle," First see and then believe" or Seeing is believing. This is the conditioning that human experience and education subjects every individual to. People who doubt the Word of God continue like the apostle Thomas to insist on seeing first before believing, leaving themselves spiritually impowerished and handicapped. All the mysteries of life and death, the truths about God and the things of God hinge on the interface between the visible and the invisible. The Kingdom of God operates on the principle of " Believing is seeing" or one must first believe and then one will see. Belief is the inner eye through which we can percieve and experience the love of God.
Belief is the deepest level of one's psyche or soul. Belief affects our thoughts, emotions, speech, decisions, efforts and results. When we believe in Christ, our thoughts, emotions, speech, decisions, efforts and results will be blessed. We connect with God through prayer, meditation and the Word at the deepest, most personal or intimate level and He becomes real, more real than the things we can perceive or see. The results are there for everyone to see- what was formerly invisible will become visible in our lives. Many educated and so called intellectual people pride themselves on their commitment to rationalism and empiricism. What they need to realize is a truth that an evangelist once told me," The real world is the spiritual world. What we see around are only the props. If things are to happen in the physical world, it needs to first happen in the spiritual world and then it gets reflected here." In short, if we want to change things in our lives, our families, our cities, our societies, our nations or the world, we need to first change from disbelief to belief. Our conception of God makes way to our experience of God and His attributes.
It pleases God when we trust Him implicity and explicitly without expecting any external evidence or sign or proof. It is the ultimate test of faithfulness when we remain faithful to Him even though He is not visible, even though we cannot touch Him or feel Him. But, we do experience His touch in different ways and different areas and times of our lives.Once we believe, He shows us signs that His presence is near, that His Word is true and He is true to every word in it. We are freed from the curse of thinking that only what we experience through our senses is true and so are blessed. Our minds, emotions and our imagination freed from the necessity of being merely moored to the ground begins to soar upwards.
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Revisiting the lesson of history
Job 11:17 And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
The world saw repeated images on television and newspapers last week of the terrible end to the life of the Libyan dictator Gadaffi. Though for a long time, his age and life seemed to be glorious and triumphant, when the day of darkness fell, the end was terrible. He was found hiding in a drain pipe. While he lived, he showed no mercy to his opponents but he cried out for mercy in his last breath. But, when we trust God, even when darkness falls, it will be bright as the morning.
Scripture says that the path the righteous travel becomes brighter as they go. Our life is like a multi-stringed instrument. One by one the strings will break. Finally, we will be left with just one string- faith and trust in the Living God and His Word. Like a famous violinist who continued to play with just one string as the other strings gave way, we need to keep playing on that one string. As days and weeks, and months and years roll by, we will be even closer to the Lord and the light of His presence will make our lives even more clear, bright or radiant. Yes, we too have uncertainties in our lives but we can combat a legion of uncertainties with the one certainty that Christ died in our place, to save us a miserable end and give us constantly hope of new beginnings.
My history professor back in college used to say," Better a moment of crowded glory than an age without a name." He could not have been more wrong. Our entire age would have the name of Jesus Christ writ large across it. Every moment we spend we seek not our own glory in vain like Gadaffi or some other self-seeking leader but we seek and delight in the glory of the Lord. Most people's egos die when they are forced to give up their positions or their claims but we let our egos die by saying," Ye go" and " You ( Lord) come and rule in our lives."
Prateep V Philip
The world saw repeated images on television and newspapers last week of the terrible end to the life of the Libyan dictator Gadaffi. Though for a long time, his age and life seemed to be glorious and triumphant, when the day of darkness fell, the end was terrible. He was found hiding in a drain pipe. While he lived, he showed no mercy to his opponents but he cried out for mercy in his last breath. But, when we trust God, even when darkness falls, it will be bright as the morning.
Scripture says that the path the righteous travel becomes brighter as they go. Our life is like a multi-stringed instrument. One by one the strings will break. Finally, we will be left with just one string- faith and trust in the Living God and His Word. Like a famous violinist who continued to play with just one string as the other strings gave way, we need to keep playing on that one string. As days and weeks, and months and years roll by, we will be even closer to the Lord and the light of His presence will make our lives even more clear, bright or radiant. Yes, we too have uncertainties in our lives but we can combat a legion of uncertainties with the one certainty that Christ died in our place, to save us a miserable end and give us constantly hope of new beginnings.
My history professor back in college used to say," Better a moment of crowded glory than an age without a name." He could not have been more wrong. Our entire age would have the name of Jesus Christ writ large across it. Every moment we spend we seek not our own glory in vain like Gadaffi or some other self-seeking leader but we seek and delight in the glory of the Lord. Most people's egos die when they are forced to give up their positions or their claims but we let our egos die by saying," Ye go" and " You ( Lord) come and rule in our lives."
Prateep V Philip
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
On being framed
Uni-verse 223/10,000 For better through verse Hebrews 11 v 3
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Faith is the ability to see the things that cannot be seen with such clarity that the things that can be seen either pale into insignificance or take on its full meaning in its light. All is in vain unless faith imparts a meaning to it. The world is a beautiful and complex painting framed by the Word of God. A painting is surrounded on all sides by the frame. The frame protects, preserves and enhances the value of the painting. Similarly, everything that exists is surrounded by the Word of God. We need to live and move and exist within the framework of the Word. The frame is as beautiful and valuable in this case as the painting. Our lives of faith prove the Word, the Word prunes our lives.
Our days should be framed by the Word of God in the sense that we must live our days according to the Word of God. All our relationships must be framed by the Word of God. Our work must be framed by the Word. Our lives must be surrounded by the Word. We must be cocooned in the Word. The Word enables us to see or to perceive and understand the invisible world.
Life is all about the interface or interplay between the visible and the invisible. The visible declares the glory of the invisible. The invisible enables the visible to realize its purpose and potential. The Word of God is the bridge between the visible world in which we live and the invisible world of God. Every day we take a step on this bridge towards the invisible world. We need to pray, " Lord, frame this day with your gracious Word." The Word will give us the wherewithal, the guidance and the support to take the step of faith this day. The Devil operating through the world's systems,philosophies, ideologies and practices wants to frame us. Don't get framed but be framed by the Word of God.
Prateep V Philip
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Faith is the ability to see the things that cannot be seen with such clarity that the things that can be seen either pale into insignificance or take on its full meaning in its light. All is in vain unless faith imparts a meaning to it. The world is a beautiful and complex painting framed by the Word of God. A painting is surrounded on all sides by the frame. The frame protects, preserves and enhances the value of the painting. Similarly, everything that exists is surrounded by the Word of God. We need to live and move and exist within the framework of the Word. The frame is as beautiful and valuable in this case as the painting. Our lives of faith prove the Word, the Word prunes our lives.
Our days should be framed by the Word of God in the sense that we must live our days according to the Word of God. All our relationships must be framed by the Word of God. Our work must be framed by the Word. Our lives must be surrounded by the Word. We must be cocooned in the Word. The Word enables us to see or to perceive and understand the invisible world.
Life is all about the interface or interplay between the visible and the invisible. The visible declares the glory of the invisible. The invisible enables the visible to realize its purpose and potential. The Word of God is the bridge between the visible world in which we live and the invisible world of God. Every day we take a step on this bridge towards the invisible world. We need to pray, " Lord, frame this day with your gracious Word." The Word will give us the wherewithal, the guidance and the support to take the step of faith this day. The Devil operating through the world's systems,philosophies, ideologies and practices wants to frame us. Don't get framed but be framed by the Word of God.
Prateep V Philip
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
UV 220 the universe within
Uni-verse 222/10,000 For better through verse Psalm 103 v 1
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Our inner self or our soul is a reflection of the diversity of the universe itself. "All that is within me" includes our goals, dreams, desires, hopes, abilities, fears, weaknesses, thoughts, emotions, decisions, plans, motives, words, actions, beliefs, habits, attitudes and memories. We need to acknowledge, bless and praise God who invested such a diversity in us in and with all these aspects of our lives. What goes up as praise and thanksgiving returns as blessing.
We, generally, take the working of our internal organs for granted. We wait till any of these suffer a breakdown before we remember the Creator. We need to praise God for the "big five" and the amazing way these work round the clock and keep us healthy and alive: the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys and liver. In fact, my meditation on how wonderfully the heart works all the time untiringly and unceasingly, led me to think of the concept of thinking God's thoughts all the time imitating the working of the heart. I said to myself," How do I create a system of thinking that will keep my mind working consistently on a fixed pattern or rhythm like the heart?" This thought gave birth to the idea of equilibrium thinking.
The Psalmist says, " Praise God with understanding." We need to understand how finely configured the universe is and how " fearfully and wonderfully" we have been made. The description " fearfully and wonderfully made" means that we are an assembly of several fragile and intricate balances. When we constantly praise God for all that is within us in the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual dimensions, these balances and the balances in our relationships and work get blessed or strengthened to fulfill the purpose that God has ordained for us.
Prateep V Philip
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Our inner self or our soul is a reflection of the diversity of the universe itself. "All that is within me" includes our goals, dreams, desires, hopes, abilities, fears, weaknesses, thoughts, emotions, decisions, plans, motives, words, actions, beliefs, habits, attitudes and memories. We need to acknowledge, bless and praise God who invested such a diversity in us in and with all these aspects of our lives. What goes up as praise and thanksgiving returns as blessing.
We, generally, take the working of our internal organs for granted. We wait till any of these suffer a breakdown before we remember the Creator. We need to praise God for the "big five" and the amazing way these work round the clock and keep us healthy and alive: the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys and liver. In fact, my meditation on how wonderfully the heart works all the time untiringly and unceasingly, led me to think of the concept of thinking God's thoughts all the time imitating the working of the heart. I said to myself," How do I create a system of thinking that will keep my mind working consistently on a fixed pattern or rhythm like the heart?" This thought gave birth to the idea of equilibrium thinking.
The Psalmist says, " Praise God with understanding." We need to understand how finely configured the universe is and how " fearfully and wonderfully" we have been made. The description " fearfully and wonderfully made" means that we are an assembly of several fragile and intricate balances. When we constantly praise God for all that is within us in the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual dimensions, these balances and the balances in our relationships and work get blessed or strengthened to fulfill the purpose that God has ordained for us.
Prateep V Philip
Sunday, October 16, 2011
UV 221/10,000
Uni-verse 221/10,000 For better through verse Isaiah 61 v 9
Isa 61:9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
Jesus is the way of truth and life and we are each a signboard pointing to people around that this is the way to take. A signboard has a narrow pointed front portion- this denotes the suffering in our lives that the Lord allows and uses to shape us up. The major part of a signboard is flat on which the name of the way is written. This portion denotes the abundance of blessings in our lives. Every believer's testimony or life story has two portions - suffering and then, how out of the suffering the Lord delivered and blessed.
Abraham believed Jehovah and his belief was taken as obedience and he was greatly blessed. His suffering was the fact that he had no offspring. When a son was born to him and Sarah, he became known among the Gentiles as a man whom the Lord had blessed abundantly. His son Isaac was similarly blessed. Isaac's son Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord and did not let go till he had been blessed. Jacob' s son Joseph was greatly blessed and everyone acknowledged him as ruler in ancient Egypt. Similarly, we too will be seen as greatly blessed by our colleagues, peers and contemporaries. Our children and their children will be similarly blessed. For the Lord delights in the prosperity of His servants and is faithful to His promise.
It is only God who can see and know of things that will happen beyond not just one generation but in all of posterity. This uni-verse contains the amazing promise that not only are we blessed like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph but our posterity or future generations will be blessed and all will see how much they have been blessed and acknowledge that the Lord had blessed them.
Prateep V Philip
Isa 61:9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
Jesus is the way of truth and life and we are each a signboard pointing to people around that this is the way to take. A signboard has a narrow pointed front portion- this denotes the suffering in our lives that the Lord allows and uses to shape us up. The major part of a signboard is flat on which the name of the way is written. This portion denotes the abundance of blessings in our lives. Every believer's testimony or life story has two portions - suffering and then, how out of the suffering the Lord delivered and blessed.
Abraham believed Jehovah and his belief was taken as obedience and he was greatly blessed. His suffering was the fact that he had no offspring. When a son was born to him and Sarah, he became known among the Gentiles as a man whom the Lord had blessed abundantly. His son Isaac was similarly blessed. Isaac's son Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord and did not let go till he had been blessed. Jacob' s son Joseph was greatly blessed and everyone acknowledged him as ruler in ancient Egypt. Similarly, we too will be seen as greatly blessed by our colleagues, peers and contemporaries. Our children and their children will be similarly blessed. For the Lord delights in the prosperity of His servants and is faithful to His promise.
It is only God who can see and know of things that will happen beyond not just one generation but in all of posterity. This uni-verse contains the amazing promise that not only are we blessed like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph but our posterity or future generations will be blessed and all will see how much they have been blessed and acknowledge that the Lord had blessed them.
Prateep V Philip
Friday, October 14, 2011
UV 219/10,000 From an eternal perspective
Uni-verse 219/10,000 For better through verse Philippians 3 v 8
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ
All knowledge and all things perish and is as dung at the end of the age but the knowledge of the love of God and the experience of the grace of Christ lasts forever. When a wise man finds the pearl of great value, he sells all he owns in order to exchange it for that pearl. What is the touchstone on which he decides the value of his find? The touchstone of its value is how beautiful is the pearl and how enduring will it be. The gospel likewise enables us to prioritise the things of eternal value and cease or lower out attachment to the things of temporal and temporary value. Christ turns our life into a winning experience.
After the recent demise of Steve Jobs, his contributions to innovations in technology were hailed as "having changed the world." Doubtless, he had made contributions in this regard but technology is a mere tool and should not be treated as the be all and end all of life. Jesus is the be all and end all of life. Everything begins and ends in Him. He is the focal point of history. He is the overcomer of death. In identifying ourselves in the entirety of our existence with Him, we too become overcomers and winners in life as in death.
The knowledge of Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour of our lives makes us excellent in the eyes of God. We are filled with the fullness of God. The experience of " Hamartia" ( sin and its symptoms of falling short of the mark or shortcomings in our nature, our achievements, our behaviour) is replaced by " Hyperbole"( overshooting the mark) -an exceeding of all expectations in our character, our professions, our outcomes, our witness and our ministry.
Prateep V Philip
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ
All knowledge and all things perish and is as dung at the end of the age but the knowledge of the love of God and the experience of the grace of Christ lasts forever. When a wise man finds the pearl of great value, he sells all he owns in order to exchange it for that pearl. What is the touchstone on which he decides the value of his find? The touchstone of its value is how beautiful is the pearl and how enduring will it be. The gospel likewise enables us to prioritise the things of eternal value and cease or lower out attachment to the things of temporal and temporary value. Christ turns our life into a winning experience.
After the recent demise of Steve Jobs, his contributions to innovations in technology were hailed as "having changed the world." Doubtless, he had made contributions in this regard but technology is a mere tool and should not be treated as the be all and end all of life. Jesus is the be all and end all of life. Everything begins and ends in Him. He is the focal point of history. He is the overcomer of death. In identifying ourselves in the entirety of our existence with Him, we too become overcomers and winners in life as in death.
The knowledge of Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour of our lives makes us excellent in the eyes of God. We are filled with the fullness of God. The experience of " Hamartia" ( sin and its symptoms of falling short of the mark or shortcomings in our nature, our achievements, our behaviour) is replaced by " Hyperbole"( overshooting the mark) -an exceeding of all expectations in our character, our professions, our outcomes, our witness and our ministry.
Prateep V Philip
Friday, October 7, 2011
The Heart of the Master
Uni-verse 214/10,000 For better through verse Jeremiah 31 v 33
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
When we know and love God, we must hide his Word in our hearts as a lover would hide and cherish the letters of his beloved. What is the meaning of the word, “ heart” –it is comprised of hear + t . We need to hear God’s Word and apply it to our thoughts, our temperament, our tongues, our talents, our time and our targets. The end result would be the heart or core or “couer”, the essence of our being out of which we live. It will affect our inward parts and keep us in intimacy with God.
When God’s law is written on our hearts, it is being transferred nine inches – from our heads to our hearts. When we apply it to all areas of our lives-thoughts, emotions, speech, abilities, schedule and our goals- the transference has happened. The Word is fulfilled: “ I … will be their God and they shall be my people.” The Wipro tagline, “ Applying thought” is replaced by “ Applying God’s thought” in our lives. For when we think on the lines of the Word, we are thinking the thoughts of God. When we emote on the lines of the Word, we are feeling the emotions of God. When we speak on the lines of the Word, we are speaking the words of God. When we use our talents or abilities on the lines of the Word- we are multiplying them. When we take time to learn, understand and apply God’s Word, all our times will be in His hands. We are blessed and gain power, wisdom, grace, joy, security, peace and blessedness. We are also giving ourselves a Master check up every day.
When we apply God’s Word to our targets or life goals( yearly, monthly, weekly or daily) that we set for ourselves in different areas of our life, profession and ministry, He becomes our silent but active partner in realizing these targets and bringing it to fruition for His greater glory and in His time. No target becomes unattainable, no goal impossible for nothing is too difficult for Him. A life that is circumscribed by the Word of God is a heart that is circumcised unto God.
Prateep V Philip
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
When we know and love God, we must hide his Word in our hearts as a lover would hide and cherish the letters of his beloved. What is the meaning of the word, “ heart” –it is comprised of hear + t . We need to hear God’s Word and apply it to our thoughts, our temperament, our tongues, our talents, our time and our targets. The end result would be the heart or core or “couer”, the essence of our being out of which we live. It will affect our inward parts and keep us in intimacy with God.
When God’s law is written on our hearts, it is being transferred nine inches – from our heads to our hearts. When we apply it to all areas of our lives-thoughts, emotions, speech, abilities, schedule and our goals- the transference has happened. The Word is fulfilled: “ I … will be their God and they shall be my people.” The Wipro tagline, “ Applying thought” is replaced by “ Applying God’s thought” in our lives. For when we think on the lines of the Word, we are thinking the thoughts of God. When we emote on the lines of the Word, we are feeling the emotions of God. When we speak on the lines of the Word, we are speaking the words of God. When we use our talents or abilities on the lines of the Word- we are multiplying them. When we take time to learn, understand and apply God’s Word, all our times will be in His hands. We are blessed and gain power, wisdom, grace, joy, security, peace and blessedness. We are also giving ourselves a Master check up every day.
When we apply God’s Word to our targets or life goals( yearly, monthly, weekly or daily) that we set for ourselves in different areas of our life, profession and ministry, He becomes our silent but active partner in realizing these targets and bringing it to fruition for His greater glory and in His time. No target becomes unattainable, no goal impossible for nothing is too difficult for Him. A life that is circumscribed by the Word of God is a heart that is circumcised unto God.
Prateep V Philip
UV 213/10,000 God's Maths
Uni-verse 213/10,000 For better through verse Hebrews 6 v 14
Heb 6:14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee
The blessing of the Lord is sure and certain. God's maths is multiplication and addition. The Devil's maths is division and substraction. The Lord wants to add unto His Kingdom of light. He delights in blessing us. He multiplies us in number and prospers us in what we do. Prosperity for the Lord is not merely financial- it is holistic, affecting our health, our family, our children, our past, present and future, our ministry, our legacy and contribution.
Satan also by demonic gifting can make a person prosperous in financial terms. But, he will extract a huge price for it by adding many sorrows. It was sad to read how Steve Jobs who did a good job building the Apple brand with many innovative products, earned billions died of pancreatic cancer in the middle of his days. Another doctor who has won the Nobel Prize for medicine for discovering treatment for pancreatic cancer died of the same disease three days before he was awarded the prize. I was interviewing a well known English writer some time back. By writing crime fiction, he had amassed a sizeable fortune but he had many sorrows in his life. When God makes a person prosperous, He adds no sorrows to it. The plagues that God sent upon Egypt could be numbered and counted but His blessings, known and unknown, visible and invisible are not numbered or counted for these come as a flood. The Blood of Jesus releases a flood of blessings in our lives.
Though He prospers us, our mind, our focus or our priority should not be not on what is given to us but on the Giver of life, eternal life, peace and abundant joy. We must not be number-driven but Word-driven. Instead of locking up all the blessings for ourselves, we must allow it to flow into the lives of others. He wants us to be a river and not a reservoir. As Nehemiah said, " The hand of the Lord is upon me for good." It is upon us for good( to do good to us) for good( for ever). Recently, in a time of prayer, the Lord said, " I have blessed you in large measure and small measure." As the Psalmist says, " the lines of our inheritance have fallen in pleasant places." So praise and exalt the Lord in our lives.
Prateep V Philip
Heb 6:14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee
The blessing of the Lord is sure and certain. God's maths is multiplication and addition. The Devil's maths is division and substraction. The Lord wants to add unto His Kingdom of light. He delights in blessing us. He multiplies us in number and prospers us in what we do. Prosperity for the Lord is not merely financial- it is holistic, affecting our health, our family, our children, our past, present and future, our ministry, our legacy and contribution.
Satan also by demonic gifting can make a person prosperous in financial terms. But, he will extract a huge price for it by adding many sorrows. It was sad to read how Steve Jobs who did a good job building the Apple brand with many innovative products, earned billions died of pancreatic cancer in the middle of his days. Another doctor who has won the Nobel Prize for medicine for discovering treatment for pancreatic cancer died of the same disease three days before he was awarded the prize. I was interviewing a well known English writer some time back. By writing crime fiction, he had amassed a sizeable fortune but he had many sorrows in his life. When God makes a person prosperous, He adds no sorrows to it. The plagues that God sent upon Egypt could be numbered and counted but His blessings, known and unknown, visible and invisible are not numbered or counted for these come as a flood. The Blood of Jesus releases a flood of blessings in our lives.
Though He prospers us, our mind, our focus or our priority should not be not on what is given to us but on the Giver of life, eternal life, peace and abundant joy. We must not be number-driven but Word-driven. Instead of locking up all the blessings for ourselves, we must allow it to flow into the lives of others. He wants us to be a river and not a reservoir. As Nehemiah said, " The hand of the Lord is upon me for good." It is upon us for good( to do good to us) for good( for ever). Recently, in a time of prayer, the Lord said, " I have blessed you in large measure and small measure." As the Psalmist says, " the lines of our inheritance have fallen in pleasant places." So praise and exalt the Lord in our lives.
Prateep V Philip
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Feedback on UV
Just a small note to thank you for all your articles that are really encouraging and triggering our thought process especially when we are travelling in places like China and South Asia . May God bless you with more insight to impart in the university of deserts..
Prince and Vineetha
Prince and Vineetha
feedback recd on UV- 213/10,000
Dear Bro Prateep,
Thank you for being a blessing to so many through your consistent efforts, I personally admire your diligence in putting these devotionals together.
This particular thought touched me today . ' God's maths is multiplication and addition. The Devil's maths is division and subtraction.'
May our dear Lord richly bless you and your loved ones.
Shekhar Shukla
Kolkata
Thank you for being a blessing to so many through your consistent efforts, I personally admire your diligence in putting these devotionals together.
This particular thought touched me today . ' God's maths is multiplication and addition. The Devil's maths is division and subtraction.'
May our dear Lord richly bless you and your loved ones.
Shekhar Shukla
Kolkata
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
comments on ydays uni-verse
Thank you for sharing this incident Prateep that had the signs of a tragedy but praise and thanks be to the Lord who turned it around for His glory and is using it and your words to encourage each of us to become essentially the ladder in Jacob's dream that connects heaven and earth! May the Lord continue to download His inconceivable depth of wisdom and knowledge to you.... Blessings,
Nalla.
Hi Prateep
PTL
This is so like our Abba
I have also experienced this so many times
Shanthini kapoor
GOD is Great . I had an accident recently wherein a heavy pipe with a pointed edge,
fell straight on my toe from a height, it was very painful, had to go to the doctor, took
treatment, the bleeding didn't subside for more than a week, but Praise the LORD,
though my nail cracked, there was no fracture which was seriously a miracle. It was
such a relief as I drop and pick my children, and Praise the LORD, though difficult
I could still be there for my kids.
Justin
amazing testimony- Pratap
Nalla.
Hi Prateep
PTL
This is so like our Abba
I have also experienced this so many times
Shanthini kapoor
GOD is Great . I had an accident recently wherein a heavy pipe with a pointed edge,
fell straight on my toe from a height, it was very painful, had to go to the doctor, took
treatment, the bleeding didn't subside for more than a week, but Praise the LORD,
though my nail cracked, there was no fracture which was seriously a miracle. It was
such a relief as I drop and pick my children, and Praise the LORD, though difficult
I could still be there for my kids.
Justin
amazing testimony- Pratap
Times of waiting
Uni-verse 212/10,000 For better through verse Hebrews 6 v 15
Heb 6:15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise
God has a vision for every one of His children. He has a vision for the whole Church, the body of all believers. God's vision is embodied in His promises to us. The promises are not fulfilled overnight. But, we need to go through a process of patient endurance before we obtain the promise. Abraham was fully persuaded that God was able to fulfill His promise to him that he would have a son and through him he would be the father of many descendants and many nations. But he had to patiently endure the assault of internal doubt and anxiety and external insult and injury that he had no offspring. The rest is history.
Every one of God's promises is fulfilled but we need to hold it in our hearts, minds and spirits for a long time. It is a test of our faith and our character. It is a test of our personal knowledge of God. We need to have the assurance that He will answer our prayers based on His promises. He has set times for the fulfillment of His Word. God does not work to a human clock or calendar.
While we wait on God, we must not say, " there is nothing more we can do. Now it is upto God to act." While we wait for the fulfilment of God's promises, we must act with a sense of endurance, discipline and diligence. Waiting is a painful process for human beings for whom time is a rationed resource and whose natural expectation and conditioning is to expect immediate gratification of desires. We can endure the pain if we thank God joyfully and gratefully for the amazing ways in which He has fulfilled His promises to our spiritual forefathers, our familial forefathers and to ourselves in the past. We can draw on their examples to discipline ourselves to do all that lies on our part to fulfill the vision. It is during the periods of waiting that God shapes us, grooms and trains us for righteousness. Praise God for times of waiting.
Prateep V Philip
Heb 6:15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise
God has a vision for every one of His children. He has a vision for the whole Church, the body of all believers. God's vision is embodied in His promises to us. The promises are not fulfilled overnight. But, we need to go through a process of patient endurance before we obtain the promise. Abraham was fully persuaded that God was able to fulfill His promise to him that he would have a son and through him he would be the father of many descendants and many nations. But he had to patiently endure the assault of internal doubt and anxiety and external insult and injury that he had no offspring. The rest is history.
Every one of God's promises is fulfilled but we need to hold it in our hearts, minds and spirits for a long time. It is a test of our faith and our character. It is a test of our personal knowledge of God. We need to have the assurance that He will answer our prayers based on His promises. He has set times for the fulfillment of His Word. God does not work to a human clock or calendar.
While we wait on God, we must not say, " there is nothing more we can do. Now it is upto God to act." While we wait for the fulfilment of God's promises, we must act with a sense of endurance, discipline and diligence. Waiting is a painful process for human beings for whom time is a rationed resource and whose natural expectation and conditioning is to expect immediate gratification of desires. We can endure the pain if we thank God joyfully and gratefully for the amazing ways in which He has fulfilled His promises to our spiritual forefathers, our familial forefathers and to ourselves in the past. We can draw on their examples to discipline ourselves to do all that lies on our part to fulfill the vision. It is during the periods of waiting that God shapes us, grooms and trains us for righteousness. Praise God for times of waiting.
Prateep V Philip
Getting out of the cistern of life
Uni-verse 212/10,000 For better through verse Romans 3 v 23
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
God has created man to share His glory or His greatness. But, sin or man's desire to break free from God or remain away or separate from God has caused all mankind to fall short of this mark or this goal of our creation. On the earth, we occupy a position just below the angels but when we are redeemed in Christ by the blood of atonement, we are elevated to a position above the angels. God sends His angels and other people to minister to us. Sin is man's number one enemy. In order to overcome the number two enemy, death, disease, failure and so on- the number one enemy -sin- must first be overcome.
Yesterday, one of my aunties fell by accident into a 8 foot deep cistern when the lid cracked as she stepped into it. If she had continued to walk in sin as in the past, she could have either been injured or killed in the fall. But, by God's grace, the water had been pumped out the previous evening leaving only six inches in it that cushioned her fall. But there was no way she could have climbed out of the cistern on her own. When she called out for help there was no one to come to her assistance and pull her out. But, she cried out to God, " Lord, there is nothing you cannot do. Please send someone my way to pull me out." Just then her son-in-law and daughter who were on their morning jog decided to step in and say ' hello' to her. As they came near the front door of the house, they heard her cry of distress, got a ladder and helped her out. This is what is meant by the glory of God. The grace of God operates in our lives for the glory of God. God had turned the childrens' mind towards the parent.
Much of mankind have fallen into a cistern of darkness. There is no way they can climb out of their cisterns on their own. Their fall might have been cushioned but they need a ladder to climb out. That ladder which rests on the right wall is Jesus. The childrens' hearts should turn towards the parents and the parents' hearts should turn towards the children that many more will be declared " chosen" and redeemed by the grace of God. Recently, in a time of prayer, the Lord encouraged me by saying, " You are a ladder for me." People want to be leaders but all God is looking for is a ladder to help people out of the cistern they have fallen into. What is the point in climbing the ladder of success inside a dark and suffocating cistern? People need to climb out and experience the light, the freedom, the hope, righteousness, the security and the glory of God.
Prateep V Philip
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
God has created man to share His glory or His greatness. But, sin or man's desire to break free from God or remain away or separate from God has caused all mankind to fall short of this mark or this goal of our creation. On the earth, we occupy a position just below the angels but when we are redeemed in Christ by the blood of atonement, we are elevated to a position above the angels. God sends His angels and other people to minister to us. Sin is man's number one enemy. In order to overcome the number two enemy, death, disease, failure and so on- the number one enemy -sin- must first be overcome.
Yesterday, one of my aunties fell by accident into a 8 foot deep cistern when the lid cracked as she stepped into it. If she had continued to walk in sin as in the past, she could have either been injured or killed in the fall. But, by God's grace, the water had been pumped out the previous evening leaving only six inches in it that cushioned her fall. But there was no way she could have climbed out of the cistern on her own. When she called out for help there was no one to come to her assistance and pull her out. But, she cried out to God, " Lord, there is nothing you cannot do. Please send someone my way to pull me out." Just then her son-in-law and daughter who were on their morning jog decided to step in and say ' hello' to her. As they came near the front door of the house, they heard her cry of distress, got a ladder and helped her out. This is what is meant by the glory of God. The grace of God operates in our lives for the glory of God. God had turned the childrens' mind towards the parent.
Much of mankind have fallen into a cistern of darkness. There is no way they can climb out of their cisterns on their own. Their fall might have been cushioned but they need a ladder to climb out. That ladder which rests on the right wall is Jesus. The childrens' hearts should turn towards the parents and the parents' hearts should turn towards the children that many more will be declared " chosen" and redeemed by the grace of God. Recently, in a time of prayer, the Lord encouraged me by saying, " You are a ladder for me." People want to be leaders but all God is looking for is a ladder to help people out of the cistern they have fallen into. What is the point in climbing the ladder of success inside a dark and suffocating cistern? People need to climb out and experience the light, the freedom, the hope, righteousness, the security and the glory of God.
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The source of greatness
Uni-verse 206/10,000 For Better through verse 2 Chronicles 1 v 1
2Ch 1:1 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.
The Lord desires to strengthen us in our area of influence, our domain of experience and expertise. His Presence is with us and that alone is sufficient to magnify or enhance our vision, efforts and impact.
God’s Presence in us, with us and for us is sufficient to make us exceedingly great for He is the Great I Am. Our greatness in Him will exceed all expectations, our own and that of others. We need to expect great things from God, attempt great things for Him and accept greatness as a gift from Him. A life of faith is a call to greatness.
Greatness is an attitude and ability to overcome the limitations of one’s being, the constraints imposed by the totality of our circumstances. An athlete who leverages on his natural physical strength to accomplish what is ordinarily considered difficult is a competent athlete but not a great one. But, the one who exerts himself to overcome a setback, a challenge in order to accomplish what was deemed to be beyond his reach is a great athlete. Greatness is a grace gifted to us by our great God for He knows our human frailties and constraints but desires us to be like Him.
Prateep V Philip
2Ch 1:1 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.
The Lord desires to strengthen us in our area of influence, our domain of experience and expertise. His Presence is with us and that alone is sufficient to magnify or enhance our vision, efforts and impact.
God’s Presence in us, with us and for us is sufficient to make us exceedingly great for He is the Great I Am. Our greatness in Him will exceed all expectations, our own and that of others. We need to expect great things from God, attempt great things for Him and accept greatness as a gift from Him. A life of faith is a call to greatness.
Greatness is an attitude and ability to overcome the limitations of one’s being, the constraints imposed by the totality of our circumstances. An athlete who leverages on his natural physical strength to accomplish what is ordinarily considered difficult is a competent athlete but not a great one. But, the one who exerts himself to overcome a setback, a challenge in order to accomplish what was deemed to be beyond his reach is a great athlete. Greatness is a grace gifted to us by our great God for He knows our human frailties and constraints but desires us to be like Him.
Prateep V Philip
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