A Desire to Kill.

Samantha wanted a teddy. There was this small brown one that she had been eyeing for days! She asked her parents but they didn’t give her a response. A few more days went by before she placed this request again. This time also, her parents were busy. In her restless waiting and her relentless desire, she decided that she was done. It was time to take matter into her own hands! She went to the store and enquired about the price. “$15”, the shopkeeper said. Hopeful, she went back home to open her piggy bank. “1…2…3.. That’s a total of $1 and 24 cents!”, she declared. Determined, she started helping out around the house and even opened a lemonade stand to help her get the money. The only thought that was running through her mind was, ‘I want that brown teddy’.

A few days went by and she still didn’t have the money for the toy. Over a week, she managed to make two extra bucks and a few cents. She even gave up on ice cream to save some quarters. She had collected $5 and 12 cents. Hopeful, she went into the store to buy her teddy. The shopkeeper who had seen this girl before, politely told her that she could not afford the bear she came in for, however, there were other toys she could get for $5. Upset, she went back home. The little thing cried herself to sleep.

Soon she woke up to a gentle, yet familiar nudge. As she opened her eyes, she saw the teddy she had been longing for. ‘Surely this must be a dream’, she thought. But she saw then, her parents handing her a big, brown tear with beady eyes, a shiny nose and a big, red bow! Suddenly, her efforts didn’t seem futile and her joy knew no bounds. Seeing her constant and persistent efforts, her parents bought her the best teddy bear that the store had to offer! Although it was expensive, they knew that their daughter deserved every bit of it.

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We all have a wonderful, provident Heavenly Father who know our every need before we ask Him. He knows the perfect gift, the perfect time, the perfect place and the perfect situation to present it to us. Very often, we get caught up in our desires for what we believe is the best, that we fail to wait on the Father. The Father, who knows best, waits for us to kill our desires to be able to prepare ourselves better for His present. He never gives us anything unless we are ready to accept His will first. But first, we need to be be dead to our desires and patiently wait on Him.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us..

-Ephesians 3:20

The God-Dependence!

God is faithful in the little things; provident in the big. But how often do we fall back to rely on this abundant providence? 

Sean and Lynette have been together for as long as anyone can remember. They met as kids when the lived in the same neighbourhood, went to school together. Even the long distance at college couldn’t separate them! Soon enough they got engaged but that is when things slowly started to change. They got jobs in different cities. God knows how much they needed it, so they decided to put off their wedding for a year. It began with missing calls, then missing their weekend dates and even their Skype dates. But they were committed to their relationship. Their dates always began with a prayer and they continued to pray for each other even when their relationship was on the rocks. They were faithful in the little things. Soon enough Lynette got a transfer and moved to the same city as Sean and they got married.

Today, as they look back at all their trials, they can only see God’s faithfulness through the years.

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Ashley was a bright little girl. Always first in her class, regular to church and even spent her time helping out the lesser fortunate. Every time she had a problem, she looked to God. Sometimes her patience would get the better of her but that didn’t mean she gave up on God. After she graduated from college, she was without a job for a year. During that time, her grandmother passed away and her father fell seriously ill. She could barely support herself when she was expected to support her younger siblings. The God she trusted suddenly went missing, but she never gave up on her prayers. Even when the situation got bad, she trusted and followed God. Even when her heart was not in it, she prayed. Even when the pain and struggle got worse, she prayed.

In due time, God acted and her troubles vanished as quickly as they appeared. Her life was a vineyard of blessings and everyday she witnessed a new miracle. Her faithfulness was the blueprint of God’s providence in her life!

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“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:19

I love the confidence with which St. Paul states that verse. It is true that God is a multi billion-billion-gazillionaire! He can give us anything and everything we ask for, if it falls in line with His plan for us. God’s providence is directly proportional to the amount of dependence you have on Him. If you rely on the Maker for just the big things, you miss the opportunity to practice your faith in the little things. Like the little drops of water make the mighty ocean, you dependence on the little things is going to increase your faith in the mighty ones. So before you decide to walk on water, learn to jump in the boat with Him so He was lead you in the way He has prepared. The destination is waiting for you, the choice of the journey is yours to make. Be dependent, choose God.

God’s Plan: More than just a Drake Song!

“For I Know the plans I have for you”,declares the Lord. 

Jeremiah 29:11

There was once a water bearer who carried two large pots, each of which hung on either end of a pole he carried across his neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it, and so, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot always arrived only half full.

This went on every day for two years, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house after each trip.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

Hold Your Ground!

Matthew 5:10 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Christians for long have been subject to persecutions. This dates back to the time of Jesus Himself where Jews dismissed His teachings and lifestyle. From hate crimes to matrydom, over the many years we have seen it all. But don’t you reckon that these persecutions have reduced now? It definitely isn’t as intense as it used to be (in most parts of the world). But oh how naive we are!

Persecutions still exist today, but not in the same form that they used to. When was the last time you went to church without your cellphone? How long can you actually go without needing the internet? How often have you ditched hangouts with friends to hangout in prayer?

Yes, persecutions still exist but they have disguised themselves well. Agreed that we can live our religion freely and practice and speak what we want, but isn’t most of our thoughts, our words and actions governed by something or someone we spend our time with? When a rotten apple is left in the company of good apples, the good ones will start to rot too. It is as simple as watching a video and sharing it with others. It doesn’t take long to go viral. Rottenness is like this. Similarly, birds of a feather flock together. Look back and reflect on how true this is. Recheck the company you surround yourself with. Is there anyone holding you back? Is there anyone whose negativity is clouding your day? Take a break from your phone, walk without it. Turn off the music and listen in to the voice of God. Get off the internet and read a book! If there are a million distractions around you, there are also a million ways to overcome it.

If there is anything you could change to make yourself a better Christian, what would it be? Just remember, persecutions will come; they will adapt, take newer forms and strike you harder than before, but you got to ask yourself – do you have enough faith to endure the beating, or will you fall down flat at the first shot?

Firm Faith!

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Not so long ago, when I was on my way back home I heard this commotion that caught my attention. There was a passenger on the bus that travelling to a place she had never been to before. She had an idea about the name, but no clue about her destination. As she sat on her seat, the driver of the bus probed her about her destination. She confidently said, “Narayanapura!“ The driver was puzzled, because that stop passed a while ago. Did he forget to tell her? Did she forget to get off? What happened and why is she still on the bus?? By now he realised that this is her first time on this unfamiliar route so he informed her that her stop had gone by. She didn’t move. He told her again, this time he was angry. But she didn’t budge. By now he had stopped the bus, “What are you doing still sitting there? I told you your stop passed and you’re still here! How are you going to reach your destination now?” Sheepishly she smiled and turned around and pointed at a man. She said, “My brother knows the place. He is still on the bus so I know my destination has not arrived yet.”

Her statement released a lot of stress for the driver. He asked her brother what the name of the destination is. He said, “Nagawara”. The driver rived the engine. The destination was still a long way off.

When I look back at this incident, I’m amazed by the firm yet child-like faith that this young lady possessed. She did not know the route, or the destination or even the name. Yet, she sat there holding onto the comforting idea that her brother was in control and, that her brother had a plan. How privileged are we that we don’t just have a brother, but a father and friend accompanying us in the journey to a place prepared exclusively for you and me! A place that is filled with angels. A place so divine that every single fault, every single flaw and every single struggle is just overshadowed by the wonder and greatness of its beauty. Often we may get confused with our destination and believe that we have arrived, but the truth is –  the journey is long and the road is narrow. So unless you have a firm faith in your triune companions, the destination will still feel like its miles away.