Thursday, July 16, 2009

Look to the Lord our God, Until He shal be gracious to us.

I kings 20:28, “Thus says Yahweh, because the Syrians have said, Yahweh is a God of the hills, but He is not a God of the valleysill I deliver all this great multitude into your hand and you shall know that I am Yahweh".

In other words, Our God is a God of the hills and God of the valleys too. Or our god is not only a God of the hills but for the valleys too. What is the meaning of this Syrians comment here? What is the peculiar thing in the hills? According to me, Hills are the best place, where you could see Gods promise in action. Hills are the places where you would have long sight; I mean you could see from far distance too. For example, Abraham and Lot went to one of the hills and by standing on the hills, Lot had seen wonderful well watered plains for his possession. And God took Moses to the hills to show the wonderful Promised Land to him. Elisha lived on the hills and dwelled in God’s presence.

Servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their God is a God of the hills, therefore they were stronger than we but let us fight against them in the plains and surely we shall be stronger than they". Is this assumption right? Are they not judging our mighty God’s power? Our God is a God for all seasons. Our God is God for all problems, big or small, our God is a living God whose mighty hands are stretched out towards us in all the places, hills or valleys, top or bottom, ups or downs, beginning or ending etc. He is an awesome God, and He is in our midst.

Ok, why did Syrians think, our God will not be powerful in the valleys? Valleys are the leveled place and your sight is limited compared to hills. Syrians put their trust and dependence on their valleys. Syrians were under estimating God’s mighty power or in other words, Syrians were limiting God’s action. Now,lets analyze our spiritual life. How many times, we failed to see Gods mighty power in our life?. How many times we tried to zoom our strength and tried to weaken Gods power in our daily life? How many times, we jumped to misjudge or miscalculate Gods risen power in our spiritual life?

For past few weeks, I was seeking Gods presence and answer for my problem, but I could not hear His voice not even a small indication from my bible readings, sermons and other fellowships. Is my God busy and not interested to talk to me? Is my God powerful in the early stages of my Christian life? Is my God sufficient only for the hilly situation and not for the plain valleys? Scripture assures that, our God is a God for the hills and for the valleys too.

II Kings 4:27, we see Shunamite woman came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet, though Gehazi, Elisha’s servant trying to move her away, she was determined to hold God’s servant feet. When Elisha was replacing his servant to relieve her problem, she was more determined to hold Elisha’s feet. Verse 30 says, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you". This pictures the scene of Jacob at Jabbok river, pleading God’s angel to bless him. When we see, our God is a God for both hills and valleys, it is our responsibility to hold his feet for a deliverance. Till he blesses, till he gives answer to us, till He showers His blessings, let us continually look unto Him.

Psalmist says in 123 Psalm, “Behold as the eyes of servants look to the hands of master, as the eyes of a maid to the hands of mistress, so our EYES LOOK TO THE LORD OUR GOD, UNTIL HE SHALL BE GRACIOUS TO US.


May risen Lord Jesus help us to look to our Lord at all seasons both hills and valleys and help us to look to Him till he blesses us?.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Do you want to get well? Lord Jesus asked this question to an invalid man or in other words useless for 30 years at the pool, near the sheep gate which was rebuilt by Nehemiah at Jerusalem. Before going into detail, let stop at the pool and get some imagination about this event. This is a place where a number of disabled people gathered, where, one was there for 30 years. Even though the crowd was large, Lord Jesus could able to locate or find one invalid person in that crowd. How is it possible and why? One of my friends said, the world is humongous and our God is busy with so many important things, so why do you bother Him for everything, just bring big issues and big problem to God. Scripture says that God is mindful on even invalid or useless person in a large crowd. Have you ever thought, I am so little for God being mindful on me? The most important person in the universe remembers His children. Where ever you are, what ever you are in need of, our savior is mindful on you and me.

Verse 6 says, Jesus saw this invalid man lying there for a long time and asked him, “Do you want to get well? It is obvious to know that person wanted to get well. Then why did Jesus ask him like this? I personally feel that, this is a wonderful compassion questionnaire time in that person life. That was also interesting moment for that man to draw the crowd attention to him. Though he was invalid for 30 years, the moment when Jesus came near to him and asked such a caring question made him valid person in his entire life. The moment of Jesus love and care is not far away, it is so near to us. Let’s focus on Jesus for this wonderful one to one questionnaire moment in our life..

“Do you want to get well?” This is a very simple question, expecting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, but to my surprise, we see different answer. “Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in some one else goes down ahead of one” what does this reply to us? The invalid took the pleasure to explain his situation to Jesus. What a mind blowing truth, some one else goes down ahead of him. This pictures that, when invalid goes with his little strength, there was some one with more strength, this world is mixture of both, have you ever felt, you are of little hope, you are of little strength, you are in midst of no help,you are in midst of lacking? Scriptures says, “Yahweh your God is in the midst of you, a great and awesome God”

Our Savior said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk”. The meeting started with a question and ended with commanding answer. There are 3 commands in Lords answer.
Get up: Enough of your failures get up from your invalid situation.

Pick up your mat: Gather your strength, gather your hope and finally gather your faith in Christian life.
Walk: Do it in action. Walk in His light

Where did the invalid get power to do this? The invalid simply obeyed to Lord Jesus. Verse 13 says, “The man who was healed had no idea who it was”. Without even knowing who Jesus was, the invalid man obeyed to Lords command. The invalid might have felt the power and authority in Lord’s command. He might have sensed Gods mighty power when he started his conversation with Lord in the beginning. How is our time with our Lord? Do you take time to talk to Lord Jesus and explain your situation? Are you in hurry to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ with your God? This invalid, unnamed man took time and efforts to spend time with our Lord Jesus, which in turn helped him to sense Gods power and authority and healing in his life.

May God of all wonders help us to get well physically and spiritually and let our Savior find time and place in our life? Amen.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Once saved always saved

Dear Friends,

Since one of my friends raised thought provoking question about his friends(believer) sudden death(suicide) and eternity, with His mighty guidance and constant inspiration, I am writing this small article to connect christian salvation to eternity. I trust in Christ that my finite knowledge on my Savior will help every reader to find the truth in it.

Salvation in Christ is not temporary, it is Eternal. Now the question is what if saved person commit sin? What if they commit lot of sins? Is it possible to be saved and then lose the salvation? The answer is NO, NEVER. JOHN 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE".

Salvation is not a one day act, it is life long act in every believer’s life, and we need holiness, reverence and obedience to retain the joy of salvation. Once we become a child of God, getting adoption to call Him as Abba father, SALVATION will not be taken away from us. So once saved is always saved. No human’s goodness, human works, human morality or religious activity can gain acceptance with God or get anyone into heaven. Eph 2:8, “For by grace, you are saved through faith and this is not of yourselves, it is the GIFT OF GOD.” When I get saved, I am no longer a sinner, I am child of God, my old nature has been erased and I am new in Christ. What if I sin again, will I lose my salvation? How much sin is too much? Is there any small sin OR big sin? There is NO SCRIPTURAL YARDSTICK given to tell us how many or what kind of sins are enough to void our salvation. I personally feel that, after I trust Christ as Savior, God will never again deal with me as a sinner, all His dealings from that point on will be as a with a son/daughter.

David was circumcised at his young age and got saved, he was a man of His own heart, and Lord heard David words before it came from his mouth. Did David lose his salvation when he committed adultery, murder etc?. No. David lost the joy of salvation. When prophet Nathan said that David sinned against God, David didn’t use his power to hide or20support his unrighteous act instead he yielded for God’s correction and submission. David repented for his sins and reviewed his joy of salvation back in his life. So CONFESSED SIN is always forgiven in midst of His abundant grace.

By saying, once saved always saved, is there a license for a Christian to sin continually and willfully? NO, NOT AT ALL. The Holy Spirit will convict every believer in His won way. Ok, what if a person didn’t have time to repent for his sins???

Scripture says, He (God) chastened every son whom he received, if the believer sins after he is saved, God will chastise him, but the chastisement is not payment for sin, because Christ has already paid for our sins on the cross.

Some may argue with Judas, how about Judas? Did he lose salvation, if once saved always saved, did he get eternity. Judas was never saved in t he first place to lose his salvation. He was an unbeliever from the beginning of his apostleship to its end. (John 6:64, 68-70). He was a devil (John 6:70), devils never get saved. Judas perished never gained eternal life. (John 17:12) and he was called a son of perdition. Judas went to his own place not heaven (Acts 1:28) and finally Judas did not repent to God but felt sorry to himself and chose death instead.

May God of heavens bless everyone not to lose the joy of salvation in our life?
Love and Prayers
DP. Vathani