Tag: #kingdompurpose

1 Thessalonians 4:7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 

When my younger son was two months old, we took him out to the mall for the first time on a Black Friday. That night, he had a very high fever and we rushed him to the emergency. The doctors wanted to rule out the possibility of any infection and so wanted to do a spinal fluid tap. They suggested that I wait with my older son outside as it would be hard to watch the procedure. As I stood in the hallway with my older son, I cried out to God. As I stood there crying out, a thought kept coming again and again. That was about me listening to movie songs during that time. As my younger son would cry every time I kept him in the car seat to drive to my older son’s school, I started to listen to movie songs to help me focus on driving and not be distracted by his crying. I realized that listening to secular movie songs is a downward spiral. It makes us more and more addicted to listening to it and it corrupts our minds and thoughts. As I felt like it was God convicting me of this new habit, I cried out to God to forgive me and not punish my son for my mistake and that I will not listen to movie songs any longer. By God’s amazing grace, my son did not have any infection. When the results of the spine fluid came, it was ruled out as fever due to being in a crowded place.

By God’s grace, I kept my promise for close to a decade by not listening to movie songs. Down the line, my promise from the emergency room turned lukewarm and I would listen to these songs occasionally at work while juggling multitasking. I soon noticed a pattern whenever I started to listen to these songs, I would land on a problem from which only God could save me and I started to understand that maybe that was God’s way of reminding me of my promise. Soon after this decision, by God’s grace, I became part of the worship team in our Indian church. From then on, I had set my mind that I will neither listen to nor sing secular movie songs with the same mouth with which I would sing worship songs. James 3:11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? By the strength God gave me, I never wavered from that decision. Though I wasn’t striving to do holy living during those days, this decision had been a starting point. Eventually, God honored that stand and turned around my life and gave me the desire to live in a way that pleases Him, to strive to live a holy life, and not to ignorantly please my fleshly desires. 

1 Thessalonians 4:3 God’s will is for you to be holy.

Though many would justify secular songs by saying that it is “just music”, it is not “just music” As we know that Satan was an angel in heaven who was the highest worship leader and fell to his doom due to pride, he knows how to use music to corrupt human minds. I have felt the addiction that secular music brings to our minds. Though while listening, it would feel so entertaining, it does no good to our soul. It simply gives a temporary pleasure while getting us all tangled in this downward spiral. On the other hand, Christian hymns and pure worship songs that praise and glorify God brings so much peace and joy that is unexplainable regardless of what heavy burdens we go through. Devil is so cunning that he infiltrates even the worship songs these days. We ought to be careful about being carried away simply by the tunes and the words of worship music also and carefully analyze if it truly brings worship to God or it exalts oneself. 

1 Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 19. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? 

As believers in Christ, we are called to strive to live a life that reflects the holiness of Jesus. Even though we cannot attain holiness in our own strength and ability, Jesus should be at least able to see that we are striving hard to live holy and thus He would help us to live holy. 

Galatians 5:16 Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.

We are naturally drawn to the music of the world. But we are having to discipline ourselves to listen and sing only His worship for the same reason as above. Our Christian walk is like a glass of pure milk. Every worldly thing that we allow into us is like a drop of poison added to the milk. If the poison itself is white in color, the milk would still look white, but would we drink it?

Jesus was able to boldly say that the devil had nothing in Him because He did not allow anything of the world to be found in Him. In the same way, may we not give any room for anything that belongs to the devil. There is no middle ground. It belongs either to God or the devil. In everything that we do, may we carefully check if it belongs to God or the devil? Like Daniel, may we set it in our hearts that we will do only what honors God! AMEN!

After taking a break from doing any gardening or outdoor activities for the past two years, I felt very eager to get back to it. That included keeping fish in a barrel with a lily plant. Though I was going to be out of town for more than 20 days, I still went ahead and bought the lily plant and 3 goldfish. The goldfish is cheap to buy, just around 30 cents each and so their life seemed so worthless as if it didn’t matter even if they died. I fed them every day till I left on my trips.

I had no hope that they would survive till I got back home as I was going to be away for almost a month. When I came back, I continued to feed for a couple of days but I did not see any signs of these fish in the water. They never came to the top of the barrel. The water was murky and with algae and so it was impossible to see them. So I believed that they all had died and hence stopped feeding them. Though I had no reason to believe that they were alive, I kept saying a small prayer that they would come to the top so I could see them. And one day, they did come to the top as if a miracle. I saw just two of them. I felt very happy that they were alive. Now I thought the third one must have surely died. I now kept praying that one day all three would come up together. And that happened too. One rainy morning as I looked through the window, all three of the fishes were on the top. I felt incredibly happy that my small insignificant prayers were answered. From then on, I started to take better care of them.

I noticed a few things in this. The first time we tried goldfish in clean water, they all died. But even in this dirty algae-filled water, they survived fine, and still, they didn’t lose their beautiful orange color. Even when their lives seemed worthless, God still kept them alive, just as He feeds the birds of the sky.

Luke 12:6 Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

On the third day, Queen Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace. When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter. 

        And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you— up to half the kingdom!” Queen Esther invites king and Haman for a banquet which she had prepared for Haman. At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, “ What is your petition? It shall be given to you— up to half the kingdom!” Queen Esther invited them again for a banquet the next day. And on the second day, at the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, “ What is your petition? It shall be given to you— up to half the kingdom!” 

       Then Queen Esther answered and said, “if I have found favor in your sight, O King, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given at my petition, and my people at my request. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated”. 

So king asked,”Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?” And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!”

The king ordered for Haman to be hanged on the same gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai, Queen Esther’s uncle. 

I love the story of Esther. In a story where God is not mentioned, He was still present in the picture. At times, when we fret wondering where God is, this story is a reminder for us that God is always a very present help for His children. Even when wicked people forget that God sees, God reminds them with a mighty and outstretched arm that He sees and He knows how to rescue His children. I imagine Esther to be a woman clothed in grace and favor. I am amazed by her wisdom and patience to wait for the right moment to place her petition. Just like Moses, even when the kingdom was offered to her, she did not put herself first and choose her own selfish protection and provision, instead she kept the priority of the protection of God’s children. 

      I often picture myself as standing in front of God Almighty With my petitions. May the good Lord always show us mercy by stretching out the scepter to us. May we not request for perishing blessings of this world but instead put His will and glory first. 

I feel extremely saddened by the news of the passing away of a crochet Youtuber. Around 5 years back, when I was without job for couple months, I signed up for a crochet class in Joann craft store. It was a three hours session. I wanted to quit in 30 minutes as I could not keep up with the learning. By the time I got home after three hours session, I was clueless on what I learnt. I decided to check the YouTube to see if I can learn following any easy tutorials. That is when I came across this beautiful and passionate Youtuber. I loved how she did the tutorial. I followed that video and made a cap. I loved to watch so many of her videos and quickly learned to make so many patterns of caps and scarves.

I remember her announcing about diagnosis of a rare kind of cancer. Even saw her videos of getting treatment and such. I felt extremely shocked when yesterday her husband posted in Facebook that she went to be with the Lord. Over the time, I had watched several crochet Youtubers, but about her, I knew that she was a believer of Jesus. So I felt much saddened by this news. Her husband also had posted a picture from her last days. Instantly reminded me of my mother who went to be with the Lord in February of 2021. My mother also was diagnosed with cancer and in a few months, she also had lost so much weight and by the time I got to see her, she was very thin and fragile.

Though I do not know this lady more than through her videos, I did know that she was a believer. I just felt so deeply saddened to hear the news of her passing away. She finished her race in Christ. She is free from all the pain and sufferings of this sickness.

Be it a loved one or be it even someone whom we don’t know personally, death is a very real happening. This life is short and this world is not our home and eternity is extremely long. Most people don’t like to think about death or talk about it, yet it is a very real thing. We see the reality of it more than ever during this pandemic. Truth, whether we like to believe or not, is that we all are running towards a finish line, aren’t we? For some, the finish line is decades away. For some, the finish line pops up right in front as least expected. For some, the finish line is so unpredictable. For some, the finish line is just a matter of any time. One thing common is that we are all running towards a finish line after which is eternity in heaven or hell. There is no middle ground. The life that we live in this world determines if we would spend eternity in heaven or in hell.

As it is, I am not worried about dying. I have surrendered my life to Christ. Though far from perfect, I do strive to live a life that pleases Jesus for He redeemed me from the pits of sin, depression, failures, shame and many other such. He showed me abundant of grace when all I deserved is punishment. Yes, He did discipline me, but I saw His love and gentleness in that disciplining, while He could have zapped me with lightning. I am ready to spend eternity with Jesus if He would take me today. I saw the glorious smile on my mom’s face after she left. I saw the grace He showed her by being so faithful to her. But yet, whenever I hear such stories of people leaving too soon, it affects me much. Though I am not afraid of entering into eternity today, what worries me is awaiting the unknown. Everyone has trials awaiting. For everyone it is a different kind. The mystery of what is going to be our lot is what worries me. But, as always, God is faithful because He has promised that His grace is sufficient. He has promised that He is the author and finisher of my faith. No one of this world are capable of keeping promises. There is one and only promise keeper and that is Jesus.

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

My faith is in Jesus to finish this race in Him. I cannot do this on my own. Jesus is faithful as He doesn’t ask me to somehow make it on my own. He runs right beside me, picks me up when I fall down, cheers me and sees me through till I finish this race. I do not know what kind of trial I will face and when my finish line would show up, but I trust in Him as I run this race.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

John 2:8 And Jesus said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast”.

The first ever miracle Jesus did was at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus and His disciples were invited for the wedding. Blessed wedding to have Jesus at the wedding. Yet there was a lack at the wedding. They ran out of wine for the guests. In the Jewish tradition, that was a huge disgrace for the hosts. As Mary, Jesus’ mother reported this to Him, He asked her, “What does your concern have to do with Me?”. Yet He does what His character is – Jehovah Jirah, the provider.

There were six water pots of stone kept outside, as per the purification manner of the Jews, to wash their feet before they enter inside. So obviously, the water pots did not have any other greater purpose. Perhaps the pots were not frequently cleansed. Perhaps the inside of the pots had sediments of dirt because the purpose of it is not for drinking, but for merely washing people’s feet. Perhaps the pots had not been moved around since they were placed there and had only one purpose to serve the dirty feet of people. Perhaps the water was just some ordinary water, which could not be used for drinking purpose. In an ideal day, the Jews who had so many cleanliness traditions would not have consumed this water even by mistake.

Jesus is the Master of using those who are despised and valueless in people’s eyes. He asks the servants to fill these pots with water. And they filled it to the brim. No one had experienced the miracles of Jesus yet, but they obeyed Him. Jesus did not say any prayer or speak any miracle over the water. He just said, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast”. The master of the feast exclaimed that the bridegroom had saved the best wine for later. Amazing change in purpose from dirty water to the best wine because of the intervention of Jesus. The taste of the wine was so good that no one inquired about its origin. We might be very ordinary people with very ordinary purpose. But when we yield to Jesus, our destiny is transformed and surpasses our origin.

Psalm 34:8 Oh, Taste and see that the LORD is good. The wine had to be taken and served to the master of the feast before he could taste. Unless God in His mercy gives us opportunities to taste His goodness, we only hear of His goodness from His Word and from others. Those who did not come for the wedding never got to taste such amazing wine. They only got to hear it from others. May we seek God earnestly to give us opportunities to taste and proclaim that He truly is good. AMEN!