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
Showing posts with label glory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glory. Show all posts
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
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
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Do not glory in riches, wisdom or power
Uni-verse 199/10,000 For better through verse
Jer 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
Though a person becomes wise or powerful or rich, he must not set much store by these things for they cannot redeem his soul. If a person increases in any of these aspects, he should not set his heart upon it. Our soul is much more precious than all these things. These are also very uncertain. But, we can find our source of strength in the Lord and place our complete trust in Him and His power of salvation from all that threatens us, be it death, disease, our earthly foes and persecutors or the enemy of our souls. The word " glory" means to rejoice with a sense of jubilation and self-affirmation. Man is created for the glory of God but instead we glory in the things created instead of the Creator.
Man through the ages is in quest of conquest for the sake of glory. But our glory lies in knowing and understanding God on a personal basis, in knowing that He exercises lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. In knowing this, our lives get shifted from the plane of "Hamartia" or sin and its shortcoming to " hyperbole"- an abundance of peace, joy and righteousness. We must set our heart on the increase of these very real but intangible aspects of our life.
For the faithful, the increase of wisdom, power and wealth is in itself not considered wrong and is in fact a blessing from the Lord. But, such increase is incidental and secondary. Our eyes or our focus must be set on the face of God not on His hands. Is He smiling when He regards us or is He unhappy with our heart-attitudes? Does He delight in us and do we delight in Him? Our focus is not on what we can obtain from His hands. He will send these things our way in due course as we stay faithful to the course, in due time and according to our need for He denies no good thing to them that love Him.
Prateep V Philip
Jer 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
Though a person becomes wise or powerful or rich, he must not set much store by these things for they cannot redeem his soul. If a person increases in any of these aspects, he should not set his heart upon it. Our soul is much more precious than all these things. These are also very uncertain. But, we can find our source of strength in the Lord and place our complete trust in Him and His power of salvation from all that threatens us, be it death, disease, our earthly foes and persecutors or the enemy of our souls. The word " glory" means to rejoice with a sense of jubilation and self-affirmation. Man is created for the glory of God but instead we glory in the things created instead of the Creator.
Man through the ages is in quest of conquest for the sake of glory. But our glory lies in knowing and understanding God on a personal basis, in knowing that He exercises lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. In knowing this, our lives get shifted from the plane of "Hamartia" or sin and its shortcoming to " hyperbole"- an abundance of peace, joy and righteousness. We must set our heart on the increase of these very real but intangible aspects of our life.
For the faithful, the increase of wisdom, power and wealth is in itself not considered wrong and is in fact a blessing from the Lord. But, such increase is incidental and secondary. Our eyes or our focus must be set on the face of God not on His hands. Is He smiling when He regards us or is He unhappy with our heart-attitudes? Does He delight in us and do we delight in Him? Our focus is not on what we can obtain from His hands. He will send these things our way in due course as we stay faithful to the course, in due time and according to our need for He denies no good thing to them that love Him.
Prateep V Philip
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