God cannot be taken for granted, forever!

God's nature is always to bless and therefore, we can see that even among the unsaved, God does not want to draw them back to Him through trouble or distress. God could have used many means of torment to bring people back to Him but His main weapon is love and blessing. The reason why people still suffer are two fold. One is due to inherent evil in man because of which they betray and exploit each other and end up in all sorts of trouble. The other is when God judges people due to the ripeness of their sin and reveals His righteous nature to them which He cannot hide for long. The righteous nature of God demands that God punish people for their sin and when He judges, it is a sign of something worse to come. He is however delaying His final judgment and in the meantime, man is enjoying the fruit of God's inherent goodness, not knowing that the goodness of God should lead to repentance. It almost seems like man is taking advantage of God's goodness but sadly, it will all come to an end. God cannot be taken for granted, forever. 

God hates war!

The Old Testament is full of war and violence and it is important to know that God is not promoting or propagating death and destruction as a normal way of life. There are many saints who are almost apologetic about God's actions in the Old Testament and we somehow feel that we should cover up this righteous judgments of God. Now, the wrath of God is something that we do not want to think about and yet, we understand that our God's ultimate glory is when peace pervades the universe. What we should conclude is that God hates violence and destruction and longs for the wolf to dwell with the lamb and the lion eating straw!...Isa 11:6-9. One striking example of the heart of God is regarding David building the temple. After all his victories and God helping him in his battles, David took it for granted that war and peace go together. But God's directive shocked both David and Nathan. 'David shall not build me a house because he is a man of war and has shed blood'. What an amazing glimpse into the heart of God. May His peace rule our hearts. 

Spread it thick and nice!

I have noticed that there are quite a few saints who are very committed to the Lord Jesus but do not think that they have much to gain from being very involved in the life of the local church. The preaching is usually on topics that they already know about and the worship times are good, but they are not able to enter more fully into it because they have places to go and things to do. They will show some enthusiasm only when asked to do something important. It is not that they do not love the brethren. It is just that they are involved with more than just the activities of one local church. 

What they do not comprehend, sadly so, is the example of Jesus who gave His all to the twelve. In a deeper way. In trying to serve the many, we can lose out on deepening our relationship with the few. I believe that ultimately what the world should see is not how much we do but how much we love each other. No matter what our ministry is, it is only in the context of the local church that relationships can be built and love can be expressed in depth. It is our tragedy of our times that we think we carry love but do not have a place to deposit that love, except maybe within the context of our own family. Surely our love should extend beyond the four walls of our home, but it cannot be spread too thin at the same time. Let's spread it thick and nice.

If only!!

I have come to a place in my spiritual journey where I am cautious about everything that I think I have. I am examining even the love that I have. Is it really something God given? How much of it springs out from my own self and what good will it do if it arises mainly from myself? O God Almighty, may I contain more of you. Only if I have something of you is it really worth anything. All of my love is worth nothing because it has its limits. That's all that it is. It is a vapor which is here today and gone tomorrow. It cannot last. It seems to be of benefit but it cannot bless beyond a point. O Jesus, how I long to spread more of your love. Sweet Jesus, I desire that more than anything else. It can make everything so different. It can change everything. It can add colors to the rainbow called life. It can spread joy and happiness even when there are imperfections all around. Come Lord Jesus and fill our lives with Your blessed presence. May we revel in what you can give to us in Your grace. All glory to You alone.