Uni-verse 242/10,000 For better through verse
Jdg 7:16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
In a time of prayer a little while ago, the Lord said, “ You are like a burning torch inside an earthen pitcher.” Indeed, every believer is a burning torch inside an earthen pitcher.
Our bodies are the earthen pitcher. The spirit burns inside us. It burns more brightly when we walk closely with the Lord, feeding on His Word and breathing praise and prayer. Without that fire burning inside us,we are just an empty pitcher that makes a lot of noise. The pot will be broken but the fire will burn on.
The Lord has placed a trumpet in every man’s hand. This is the ability to proclaim His goodness and His greatness manifested in our lives. With just these three tools,we are able to set to flight and rout mighty armies like Gideon’s three hundred men did. We are each expected to be a fire-brand for God. The only test we have passed is the zeal to drink our portion of the Word, our rhema verse(s) that God has spoken to us, from the cup of our hands. The odds against Gideon’s success was 0.0026 per cent. But, the Lord turned it into 100 per cent sure-fire success. We will overcome great odds against us even as the odds against Gideon’s three hundred men were impossible except God be with Him.
Prateep V Philip
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Friday, November 11, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
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
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Doing the Impossible
Uni-verse 156/10,000 Philippians 4 v 13
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Yesterday, I read on some passerby's shirt the words," Every time I find the key to success, someone changes the lock." It is so frustrating that when we want to do something, we just cannot do it. But, this uni-verse is an assurance that a believer can do all things through Christ. The word, Christ meaning " The Anointed One". He will give us the anointing to do what He has called us to do. It is no longer " I" or " we" alone who are attempting to do anything we want to do. We want to do the expressed will of God. We do it in the power and grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ. His grace is sufficient for us in any situation. He enables, empowers and equips us primarily by strengthening us in the inner man. We begin any enterprise with the end in sight since our confidence is in Christ who is mighty. He who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, He who parted the Jordan, He who released ten plagues on Egypt to secure the release of His people, He who healed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, brought back the dead to life, multiplied the five loaves and two fish , is with us. He will act in, for and on our behalf.
Our position is no longer, " I" but " I -in -Him". All boundaries, moulds, assumptions and stereotypes are broken or changed. We move from the economy of scarcity and reality to the economy of abundance and faith-enabled imagination. It is the " im" in impossible that makes the impossible possible. Imagine the difficult goal that you have set before your self is possible in Christ. Pray for the realization of the goal. Work diligently for the realization of the goal. As a plus-Two student I set myself the impossible goal of standing in the top ten ranks in the state as well as securing the coveted National Talent Search scholarship, both in the same year. I imagined it is possible for a student who had never stood first even in a class of fifty students. I prayed hard and worked harder. The Lord strengthened me by speaking through various rhema verses. I lapped them up like a hungry dog laps up milk. When the results came, I had not just got one of the top ten ranks but had secured the First Rank in the state. I believed the NTS scholarship would follow suit and praise be to God, it did follow in a few months. In the past thirty two years since I made a commitment to Christ, I have been able to attempt and do many other amazing things on the strength of the promise of God.
Jesus, the good Shepherd creates the opportunities and circumstances for us to feed on the green pasture as well as to lie by the still waters of His refreshing presence. When He enables us to accomplish our goals and so be blessed, He makes us a signboard to point others to the Way of Truth and Life. You have a difficult family problem to confront. Jesus is the Way. You have a tough financial challenge, Jesus is the Way. You have a serious health problem - Jesus is the Way. You do not have any problem and you are quite bored with existence- Jesus is the Way. He does not drop answers from the sky but He strengthens us in spirit and mind and body. He will give us the spiritual succour, the mental ability, the emotional stability, the will power and motivation as well as the physical endurance and stamina to run the course. What is more, He will release strength in the areas of our known weakness so that we and others will know that it is of His doing and not ours. He will remind us through the gentle promptings and prodding of the Holy Spirit
Prateep V Philip
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Yesterday, I read on some passerby's shirt the words," Every time I find the key to success, someone changes the lock." It is so frustrating that when we want to do something, we just cannot do it. But, this uni-verse is an assurance that a believer can do all things through Christ. The word, Christ meaning " The Anointed One". He will give us the anointing to do what He has called us to do. It is no longer " I" or " we" alone who are attempting to do anything we want to do. We want to do the expressed will of God. We do it in the power and grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ. His grace is sufficient for us in any situation. He enables, empowers and equips us primarily by strengthening us in the inner man. We begin any enterprise with the end in sight since our confidence is in Christ who is mighty. He who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, He who parted the Jordan, He who released ten plagues on Egypt to secure the release of His people, He who healed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, brought back the dead to life, multiplied the five loaves and two fish , is with us. He will act in, for and on our behalf.
Our position is no longer, " I" but " I -in -Him". All boundaries, moulds, assumptions and stereotypes are broken or changed. We move from the economy of scarcity and reality to the economy of abundance and faith-enabled imagination. It is the " im" in impossible that makes the impossible possible. Imagine the difficult goal that you have set before your self is possible in Christ. Pray for the realization of the goal. Work diligently for the realization of the goal. As a plus-Two student I set myself the impossible goal of standing in the top ten ranks in the state as well as securing the coveted National Talent Search scholarship, both in the same year. I imagined it is possible for a student who had never stood first even in a class of fifty students. I prayed hard and worked harder. The Lord strengthened me by speaking through various rhema verses. I lapped them up like a hungry dog laps up milk. When the results came, I had not just got one of the top ten ranks but had secured the First Rank in the state. I believed the NTS scholarship would follow suit and praise be to God, it did follow in a few months. In the past thirty two years since I made a commitment to Christ, I have been able to attempt and do many other amazing things on the strength of the promise of God.
Jesus, the good Shepherd creates the opportunities and circumstances for us to feed on the green pasture as well as to lie by the still waters of His refreshing presence. When He enables us to accomplish our goals and so be blessed, He makes us a signboard to point others to the Way of Truth and Life. You have a difficult family problem to confront. Jesus is the Way. You have a tough financial challenge, Jesus is the Way. You have a serious health problem - Jesus is the Way. You do not have any problem and you are quite bored with existence- Jesus is the Way. He does not drop answers from the sky but He strengthens us in spirit and mind and body. He will give us the spiritual succour, the mental ability, the emotional stability, the will power and motivation as well as the physical endurance and stamina to run the course. What is more, He will release strength in the areas of our known weakness so that we and others will know that it is of His doing and not ours. He will remind us through the gentle promptings and prodding of the Holy Spirit
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Faith that alters fate
Uni-verse 153/10,000 Joshua 1 v 7
Jos 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
In one brief verse, this scripture reveals the very secret of true success and fulfillment. Why does success and happiness elude the vast majority of humanity throughout history though it is the universal goal? Perhaps, we are looking in the wrong places. The history of mankind is the story of man climbing the wrong tree. If we wish to prosper in spirit, mind and body, then we must diligently study and obey the Word of God. We must not be deceived by the philosophies, beliefs and ideologies of the world, whether of the right or the left but exhibit an unswerving devotion to believing and obeying God's Word embodied in the Bible. This is not easy for God does not make things easy for us in our lives. He makes it possible.
Faith is not about being weak and ineffective. It is about being strong and very courageous. We need a little strength or all that we can muster in our spirit, mind and body and a lot of courage. For courage never denies hope and faith for the basis of courage is hope and hope cannot be carried to fulfillment except through hope. When we repose our trust in His Word, God will alter our lot according to His promise. It is impossible for man to obey " all the law" , for instance, who among us has never lied. But, God will supply the grace to fill the gaps in our faith, strength and obedience. Faith is like a blank cheque drawn on God's treasury which we can use once we have brought in our own equity and shown due diligence.
The promise is that God will prosper us regardless of whereever we go or what we do. The Word of God will cast light on what we must do and what we must avoid. It will impart to our spirits the spirit of true faith and worship. Our minds, it will transform into the mind of Christ. It will give power to our words so that none of it falls to the ground unfulfilled. It will give us flint-like determination to carry out our intentions and decisions. It will uplift our emotions. Our life will become truly purpose-driven and principle-centred. The results will be there for all to see: a life of quality accompanied by the quality of life.
Prateep V Philip
Jos 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
In one brief verse, this scripture reveals the very secret of true success and fulfillment. Why does success and happiness elude the vast majority of humanity throughout history though it is the universal goal? Perhaps, we are looking in the wrong places. The history of mankind is the story of man climbing the wrong tree. If we wish to prosper in spirit, mind and body, then we must diligently study and obey the Word of God. We must not be deceived by the philosophies, beliefs and ideologies of the world, whether of the right or the left but exhibit an unswerving devotion to believing and obeying God's Word embodied in the Bible. This is not easy for God does not make things easy for us in our lives. He makes it possible.
Faith is not about being weak and ineffective. It is about being strong and very courageous. We need a little strength or all that we can muster in our spirit, mind and body and a lot of courage. For courage never denies hope and faith for the basis of courage is hope and hope cannot be carried to fulfillment except through hope. When we repose our trust in His Word, God will alter our lot according to His promise. It is impossible for man to obey " all the law" , for instance, who among us has never lied. But, God will supply the grace to fill the gaps in our faith, strength and obedience. Faith is like a blank cheque drawn on God's treasury which we can use once we have brought in our own equity and shown due diligence.
The promise is that God will prosper us regardless of whereever we go or what we do. The Word of God will cast light on what we must do and what we must avoid. It will impart to our spirits the spirit of true faith and worship. Our minds, it will transform into the mind of Christ. It will give power to our words so that none of it falls to the ground unfulfilled. It will give us flint-like determination to carry out our intentions and decisions. It will uplift our emotions. Our life will become truly purpose-driven and principle-centred. The results will be there for all to see: a life of quality accompanied by the quality of life.
Prateep V Philip
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Only one condition for Friendship with God
Uni-verse 141/10,000 For Better through verse James 2 v 23
Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Believing in God is equated with righteousness. It is not actions or our good deeds that can save any man but faith in God redeems a man. If our actions can save us, then we would only believe in our own goodness. Abraham trusted God as a man would trust his friend. Hence, he was called the Friend of God. Moses spoke with God face to face as a man speaks with His friend. Similarly, God calls us into an intimate and personal relationship with Him through faith. On 31st July, 1979, a friend asked me," Do you want to have a personal relationship with God?" That began my own friendship or relationship with God.
Jesus came into the world not to start a new religion but His life, death and resurrection enables people from all nations who believe to become Friends of God. He did the greatest thing a man can do for his friend by laying down His life. Jesus said, " If you obey my commandments, you are my friends." His commandments that more than fulfill all the requirements of the Ten Commandments are to love God as our best friend, to love our neighbour, our friends as well as strangers and enemies and to share the great news of salvation to all who come within our circle of influence and even beyond to the ends of the earth. Since we are His friends, He has shared all the secrets of the Kingdom of God with us. Between the best of friends there is complete mutual disclosure of thoughts, feelings, desires and anxieties.
Our friendship with God through His son Jesus who is one of our kind and therefore can truly be our friend is the source of our security, the secret of our growth, success and fulfillment. The other day on the occasion of the second rising day of the National Security Guard unit in Chennai, I was happy to see the unit commander, a believer and a Friend of God use a slide in the course of his powerpoint presentation: "The greatest thing a man can do for his friend is to lay down his life for him." Truly,when you are a Friend of God, you and your family will be blessed as Abraham was blessed. When you are a Friend of God, you will communicate with God as Moses communed. When you are a Friend of God, you willl lay down your life as a living sacrifice as Jesus did.
Prateep V Philip
Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Believing in God is equated with righteousness. It is not actions or our good deeds that can save any man but faith in God redeems a man. If our actions can save us, then we would only believe in our own goodness. Abraham trusted God as a man would trust his friend. Hence, he was called the Friend of God. Moses spoke with God face to face as a man speaks with His friend. Similarly, God calls us into an intimate and personal relationship with Him through faith. On 31st July, 1979, a friend asked me," Do you want to have a personal relationship with God?" That began my own friendship or relationship with God.
Jesus came into the world not to start a new religion but His life, death and resurrection enables people from all nations who believe to become Friends of God. He did the greatest thing a man can do for his friend by laying down His life. Jesus said, " If you obey my commandments, you are my friends." His commandments that more than fulfill all the requirements of the Ten Commandments are to love God as our best friend, to love our neighbour, our friends as well as strangers and enemies and to share the great news of salvation to all who come within our circle of influence and even beyond to the ends of the earth. Since we are His friends, He has shared all the secrets of the Kingdom of God with us. Between the best of friends there is complete mutual disclosure of thoughts, feelings, desires and anxieties.
Our friendship with God through His son Jesus who is one of our kind and therefore can truly be our friend is the source of our security, the secret of our growth, success and fulfillment. The other day on the occasion of the second rising day of the National Security Guard unit in Chennai, I was happy to see the unit commander, a believer and a Friend of God use a slide in the course of his powerpoint presentation: "The greatest thing a man can do for his friend is to lay down his life for him." Truly,when you are a Friend of God, you and your family will be blessed as Abraham was blessed. When you are a Friend of God, you will communicate with God as Moses communed. When you are a Friend of God, you willl lay down your life as a living sacrifice as Jesus did.
Prateep V Philip
Thursday, June 30, 2011
U 136 The Purpose of Suffering
Uni-verse 136/10,000 For better through verse I Peter 1 v 7
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
What is gold to man is faith to God. Gold is precious, rare and can be pure or impure depending on the process it is put through. Life itself is a process that God uses to purify our faith. Believers in Christ likewise through the ages reckon their faith more valuable than gold. This is the precious jewel for which a merchant sold all his fortunes to acquire it. So much so, in the early years of the church, they gave their lives for their faith as many were tortured, crucified, burnt, put to the sword or thrown to wild beasts. Faith is tested by suffering even as gold is tested in fire. Only the degree of suffering may vary from believer to believer. Some women who were studying this verse went to the goldsmith and asked him," Till what point do you keep the gold in the fire?" The goldsmith replied," Till I see my image in the gold." God has made man in his image. We lost that image through sin. We regain the image of God through faith in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God who Himself embraced suffering and death on the cross. Suffering removes the dross or impurities in our faith and polishes or purifies the image of God in us. God does know that the best lessons of life are learnt in the school of hard knocks. He tests us in the furnace of afflictions.
It is not great fun when we undergo suffering. It is extreme pain. I know as I went through part of the bone-breaking pain that Jesus underwent as I suffered excruciating pain from multiple pellet injuries in various bones and parts of the body from the world's first "human bomb" that assassinated former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi. But, our faith is victorious when we can look back and say as I do today, " I thank the Lord for the suffering I underwent." St Paul wrote to the Romans in similar vein that tribulation brings patience, patience brings experience and experience brings hope. Suffering will make us more patient, more experienced in terms of the grace of God and therefore, more hopeful and faithful. In the midst of our sufferings, when we wait with patience and expectation that the Lord will deliver us according to His promise, it will result in the experience of deliverance that will further increase our hope in the future. It will make us complete in faith, whole in our character and perfect in Christ. Faith gives birth to grace and joy much like the pangs of childbearing give way to joyful smiles and happiness when a baby is born. As the Psalmist says," Tears by night but joy and laughter in the morning."
Our suffering will produce praise, honour and glory as an offering and an outpouring from our soul to the Lord Jesus. Our suffering will enable us to encourage others who suffer similarly. Our suffering will strengthen and purify our inner being. Our suffering will give us a testimony for as it is said, Jesus transforms trials into triumphs, our tests into testimony, our mess into a message, our scars into stars, victims into victors. The American flag has stars and stripes. Our flag has scars and the stripes of Christ.
Prateep V Philip
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
What is gold to man is faith to God. Gold is precious, rare and can be pure or impure depending on the process it is put through. Life itself is a process that God uses to purify our faith. Believers in Christ likewise through the ages reckon their faith more valuable than gold. This is the precious jewel for which a merchant sold all his fortunes to acquire it. So much so, in the early years of the church, they gave their lives for their faith as many were tortured, crucified, burnt, put to the sword or thrown to wild beasts. Faith is tested by suffering even as gold is tested in fire. Only the degree of suffering may vary from believer to believer. Some women who were studying this verse went to the goldsmith and asked him," Till what point do you keep the gold in the fire?" The goldsmith replied," Till I see my image in the gold." God has made man in his image. We lost that image through sin. We regain the image of God through faith in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God who Himself embraced suffering and death on the cross. Suffering removes the dross or impurities in our faith and polishes or purifies the image of God in us. God does know that the best lessons of life are learnt in the school of hard knocks. He tests us in the furnace of afflictions.
It is not great fun when we undergo suffering. It is extreme pain. I know as I went through part of the bone-breaking pain that Jesus underwent as I suffered excruciating pain from multiple pellet injuries in various bones and parts of the body from the world's first "human bomb" that assassinated former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi. But, our faith is victorious when we can look back and say as I do today, " I thank the Lord for the suffering I underwent." St Paul wrote to the Romans in similar vein that tribulation brings patience, patience brings experience and experience brings hope. Suffering will make us more patient, more experienced in terms of the grace of God and therefore, more hopeful and faithful. In the midst of our sufferings, when we wait with patience and expectation that the Lord will deliver us according to His promise, it will result in the experience of deliverance that will further increase our hope in the future. It will make us complete in faith, whole in our character and perfect in Christ. Faith gives birth to grace and joy much like the pangs of childbearing give way to joyful smiles and happiness when a baby is born. As the Psalmist says," Tears by night but joy and laughter in the morning."
Our suffering will produce praise, honour and glory as an offering and an outpouring from our soul to the Lord Jesus. Our suffering will enable us to encourage others who suffer similarly. Our suffering will strengthen and purify our inner being. Our suffering will give us a testimony for as it is said, Jesus transforms trials into triumphs, our tests into testimony, our mess into a message, our scars into stars, victims into victors. The American flag has stars and stripes. Our flag has scars and the stripes of Christ.
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Uni-verse 124 A Meditation on Joshua 1 v 8
Uni-verse 124/10,000 For better through verse Joshua 1 v 8
Jos 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Meditation is medicine. When we meditate constantly on the Word of God 24x7x365 , it heals our mouth, it heals our mind, it instills courage and strength in our hearts. Like a compass or a Global Positioning System, the Word of God will give us a sense of our bearings of where we are and where we should go. It heals the deep hurts of our hearts. It takes the poison out of our tongues. Our tongue will cease to be a fiery evil, the spark that can set a forest on fire and foments trouble in our lives. Instead, it will become a rudder that will direct our communication in wholesome ways. Our thoughts will be transformed so that the negative ones are negated and made positive and the positive ones even more reinforced. It teaches us to think on the right lines. The man who bases his life on the Word of God follows a 5-4-3 pattern of living meaning Think, Plan and Act. The result(6) will be prosperity, fulfillment and good success. The world' s patterns will give us an empty, vain or futile success but living in accordance with the Word of God will produce a lasting and fulfilling result.
The Word of God teaches us not to conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds-intellect, emotions and will- by continually meditating on what the Bible says on how we need to live and act. When we meditate on the Word of God, we are focussing on the priorities of God. He in turn, will be involved in our thoughts and goals and give us enabling grace to do whatever we think and plan in accordance with his Word. The Word of God has a tremendous transforming effect on our thought, temperament, tongue, talent and time. The result is a life that is pleasing to God.
The Law given through Moses required a complete adherence to ALL that is written therein. This is considered a virtually impossible and unattainable standard. But, the love and grace of Christ Jesus today enables us as He fills up the gaps. Hence, in addition to meditating on the Word, we must meditate on the Person, character and message of Jesus. This is the reason that both in the gospel of John as well as in Revelation, Jesus is called the Word of God. He is the Word of God incarnate and therefore, we too must become the Word of God incarnate. We become so when we meditate on the Word of God and the Son of God all the time, both day and night. Isn't it a mind-boggling thought to think that we are the Word of God in flesh and blood today?
Prateep V Philip
Jos 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Meditation is medicine. When we meditate constantly on the Word of God 24x7x365 , it heals our mouth, it heals our mind, it instills courage and strength in our hearts. Like a compass or a Global Positioning System, the Word of God will give us a sense of our bearings of where we are and where we should go. It heals the deep hurts of our hearts. It takes the poison out of our tongues. Our tongue will cease to be a fiery evil, the spark that can set a forest on fire and foments trouble in our lives. Instead, it will become a rudder that will direct our communication in wholesome ways. Our thoughts will be transformed so that the negative ones are negated and made positive and the positive ones even more reinforced. It teaches us to think on the right lines. The man who bases his life on the Word of God follows a 5-4-3 pattern of living meaning Think, Plan and Act. The result(6) will be prosperity, fulfillment and good success. The world' s patterns will give us an empty, vain or futile success but living in accordance with the Word of God will produce a lasting and fulfilling result.
The Word of God teaches us not to conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds-intellect, emotions and will- by continually meditating on what the Bible says on how we need to live and act. When we meditate on the Word of God, we are focussing on the priorities of God. He in turn, will be involved in our thoughts and goals and give us enabling grace to do whatever we think and plan in accordance with his Word. The Word of God has a tremendous transforming effect on our thought, temperament, tongue, talent and time. The result is a life that is pleasing to God.
The Law given through Moses required a complete adherence to ALL that is written therein. This is considered a virtually impossible and unattainable standard. But, the love and grace of Christ Jesus today enables us as He fills up the gaps. Hence, in addition to meditating on the Word, we must meditate on the Person, character and message of Jesus. This is the reason that both in the gospel of John as well as in Revelation, Jesus is called the Word of God. He is the Word of God incarnate and therefore, we too must become the Word of God incarnate. We become so when we meditate on the Word of God and the Son of God all the time, both day and night. Isn't it a mind-boggling thought to think that we are the Word of God in flesh and blood today?
Prateep V Philip
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