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.

Held!

Matthew 5:4 – Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‘It was the night of Pentecost when the change came over…’

I had heard the stories of old, where the disciples were transformed from their former timid beings, to their latter bold selves. It is a story that every christian knows; regular or outstanding. I always identified myself as an ‘Outstanding Catholic’, the inside was a little too much for my liking. I was regular in my attendance, but poor in my participation. You could say I enjoyed being in the world more. It was more pleasant, more real than anything I experienced. I was a rebel, a bully. I took on life easily and made it hard on others. My spirit was dead, and I ran away from retreats and youth meetings. God alone knows how I was revived.

They say that, God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. I can vouch for this a million times. A few months before the feast of the Pentecost that I was invited to attend a christian life seminar, hosted by ‘Couples for Christ-India’. I had no plans of attending this, but God had other. It was then that I first started noticing some difference in me. All that was just preparing me for what was to come. He not only called me, but also transformed my life.

It was the night of the Pentecost. During the night vigil prayers, I felt this sudden great power come over me. For the first time in my life, I began to speak in tongues! Just when my senses began to grasp this wonder, I felt a firm, assuring hand rest on my shoulder-a hand that I known. At that moment I understood that all my fears, all my failures, all my wrongs were just thrown by the wayside and I was accepted and loved for who I was. I’m a guy who doesn’t cry, but at that moment when I realised this marvel, when I came to know my Maker, I couldn’t help myself. I broke down and wept. I opened up every single area of my life to God and allowed Him to move. It was then, on the night of Pentecost, that change came over me…

Its been four years since and my life has been nothing short of a living testimony! I am blessed in every way and I strive everyday to be a better christian than I was yesterday. I work in ways to make Christ known to those who are still in doubt.

My name is Avinash Christy, and this is my testimony.

Hungry, Yet Filled.

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”

She is known as the saint of the streets, but there were moments in her life that moved her to change. The story is told of the time St. Teresa of Calcutta was interviewed by a journalist about her experience working with the homeless. She narrated, “I once gave a poor, hungry Hindu lady a bag of rice and what I noticed next completely stunned me. She divided the bag of rice into two and gave on half of it to her Muslim neighbor. When I asked her why she did that, she said, ‘She too has not eaten in days, and her family is bigger than mine. We’ll manage with this. I know that she is also in need.’” I was moved by the simple fact that despite of being in need, she sought to help another. How much more should we, as privileged ones then, help those around us that are in need.

We are all poor in some sense. Some may be poor in spirit, some in their wealth. Some in their kindness and some in their strength. If we share the little that we have, we can profoundly change the world that we know!

Prayer: Lord, help me to recognize my poverty and find my wealth in sharing the little that I have, so that like you, I too may be a blessing to some I meet today. Amen.

Yet There was Peace..

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

-Proverbs 30:5

A bad day was acceptable, a bad week was understandable, a bad month was bearable, but a bad life? She dared not think of it.

She woke up to the monstrous sound of her alarm at 5 am, trying to recall what day it was. ‘If only weekends were exciting’, she had not experienced a work-free weekend in months. Work was so demanding that she longed for a break. She longed for a breath of fresh air. She turned to watch her roommate fast asleep. It had been weeks since they had spoken. Work, was hard on her too.

‘Sunday!’, she suddenly remembered. Excited, she got out of bed and ran into the shower. Sundays were special because she travelled a distance to go to church. She went there every Sunday, not because of an obligation but because there was something extraordinary she experienced in church, something indescribable. Although mass was celebrated in a foreign language it felt as if she understood every word. And in her silence, she felt peace. Extraordinary peace.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

–Philippians 4:7

Yes, the word of God is true. There is peace in the house of God and it is a place of refuge for those who choose to take shelter in it. Despite her stressful conditions, she found peace in a situation that seemed unlikely. She took the time to seek refuge, and in turn God blessed her with the strength, courage and grace she needed to get through the hectic work-life condition. It is when you give, that you receive.