Here was another person who died before being transformed by the power of Jesus. It was a deeply saddening news for me. I had given much time, effort, and energy to connect with this person in hopes that he would give his heart to Jesus and be transformed by God’s power.
I had similar thoughts and experiences as I related with another person who also died never connecting with Jesus. I wrote about him earlier in a blog called: When Life Ends Before Mercy Ends.
Both of these men turned to alcohol as their solace. But I don’t think alcohol was the real problem. The real problem was that they couldn’t turn their brokenness over to God. There was something in their hearts that prevented them and held them back.
They both felt their situation in life was worse than anyone else. They clearly felt that no one could understand them. Although they were told about Jesus, they just could not give their lives to Him. Their hearts would not open up.
This man was in business and he experienced some success at various times. But he had trouble keeping his commitments. He often got into debts that he could not return. As a result, he left lots of broken relationships.
I’m not sure what I could have done differently in order to bring such people to Jesus. I know that ultimately they need to make a decision on their own. But once they do, I am confident in Jesus that He will change them inside and out.
So now I pray for all who have not accepted the invitation of Jesus. He invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him. He will give them “rest” for their souls.
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Category: Inspiration
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I grew up hearing — and continue to hear people complaining about young people. The common lament is that this next generation is going the wrong direction. They simply live as they please. They have no respect for others, especially for elders. The complaint list seems endless.
Paul tells Titus to urge young people to be self-controlled (Titus 2:6). We don’t see much complaint about the younger generation. He just gives them direction. He focuses them to a lofty goal: A self-controlled life.
Among adults, I observe two common responses to the younger generation. One is the response I mentioned earlier, with constant complaining about the negatives of young people. The other response is to simply accept things as they are. These people say that young people will always be as they are — irresponsible, self-centered, pleasure-seeking, etc. They feel there is no sense trying to correct them, as “they won’t change anyway.”
I like Paul’s approach: “urge them to be self-controlled.” There is no scolding, complaining, rebuking, cursing, or any of the common negative responses. He simply gives a firm “push” urging them in the proper direction.
I wonder what the results would be if we focus on training young people to be self-controlled. Once they learn self-control, they will be headed in the right direction.
They need to hear the voices of adults who believe in them. They need to hear from people who are convinced that young people can and will move in the right direction.
Will you be that voice? The voice that respects them enough to urge them towards a self-controlled life.
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Annual celebrations can be dull, boring, and redundant. So each year, we find ways to make the celebration better, more colorful, lively, and hopefully even more meaningful.
The awesome reality of Easter is that Jesus continues His special work for us after he resurrected from death. As the perfect High Priest, Jesus continues to represent us to the Father. The uniqueness of His work for us is described in Hebrews 7:15-28.
The High Priests before Jesus would pass on their role to another before they died, but Jesus continues to live forever. His work as our mediator never gets passed on to another. He always continues as our representative before the Father.
So, from generation to generation, Jesus continues to be our mediator. He was there for those who lived before us. He was their mediator, sustainer, and savior. We have heard their stories — how Jesus was faithful to them in their greatest struggles. Now He does the same for us.
Easter is a time for us to celebrate this reality and pass on that confidence to our children. Jesus was faithful to our ancestors. He continues to be faithful to us. And now, we call our children forward and pass on this wonderful reality to them. Jesus will be their mediator, savior, sustainer and guide.
So this Easter will be better as we get to pass on our faith in Jesus to yet another generation!
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When you fall in love, you are willing to give up everything for the sake of the one you love. Nothing is of greater value to you. Paul fell in love with Jesus while travelling to Damascus. His life was never the same. Later, he gave up everything for his Master.
Paul had a friend named Demas who also served the Master. They ministered together for some time. But later, Demas fell in love with the world. It was with deep sadness that Paul wrote about it in a letter to Timothy.
Paul was nearing the end of his life. He was reflecting on the life he lived in service to the one he loved. “As for me, the hour has come for me to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life. I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the prize of victory awarded for a righteous life, the prize which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day — and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear” (2 Tim 4:6-8 GNB).
Paul was in love. Jesus had reached out to Paul at the point of his deepest hatred toward Jesus, and His followers. Paul’s life was completely transformed. Just in moments, he went from hatred to true love.
The depth of his love was proven with a life completely devoted to Jesus. Nothing mattered more to him than pleasing Jesus. He suffered much and risked everything for the one he loved. Jesus meant everything to Paul.
If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, this is your opportunity. Invite Him into your life, and He will completely transform your life and give you a new life. You’ll have meaning, and a new direction for your life. Now, if you have been following Jesus for some time now, maybe it’s time to fall in love all over again.
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I was looking through some photos from our recent trip to a couple of beautiful hill stations here in Kerala. Looking for photos to post online, we look for the best photos that show a great image of us. We want the right setting, lighting, background, clothes and of course, the best smile. We want to show the world: “Look at me, I’m having fun and looking happy.”
The apostle Paul wanted to present a different image of himself to the world. He said, “But you have followed my teaching, my conduct, my purpose in life; you have observed my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, my persecutions, and my sufferings. You know all that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the terrible persecutions I endured! But the Lord rescued me from them all.”
Paul’s character, faith, and purpose remained constant in the midst of difficulties. These important aspects of his life remained constant because of his trust in God. The circumstances in his life were terrible, but he trusted God to sustain him.
So, what about those neat pictures from our vacation? They are fine, but they don’t define me. Those vacations are nice, but they don’t sustain me in times of difficulties.
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Don’t you hate it when you have to deal with those people with attitude problems? I sure do. With some, it’s difficult to be in the same room with them.
But what is an attitude problem? I can easily recognize the attitude defects in others, and they see clearly through me and notice the many “cracks” in my attitude too.
So in effect, whoever has an attitude different from me has an attitude problem. Everyone has defects that are like “cracks” that everyone else can see.
We have all experienced pain in our past. Under the surface, these are methods we use to try to protect ourselves from further pain. We use words that push people away. Through our emotions and attitudes, we say that we are no less than anyone else.
We long to be accepted for who we are. It’s not that we don’t want to be changed — we want to be changed by God. But we want to be accepted as we are. Once we are accepted in our current state, we feel that the acceptance is genuine and unconditional. Then, gradually, God can change us.
Everything else appears as rejection. The pain of rejection is too intense for anyone to bear. So we put up these defense mechanisms that are intended to protect our hearts from further pain and agony.
So what about those people with attitude problems? And those people with words that are too sharp to get close to? Just forgive, and continue to forgive. Believe that these are people for whom Jesus died. He has a plan for them, and is working on them. They are in a process of transformation into the image of Christ, God’s Son.
And I the same.
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“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God (2 Tim 1:8 NKJV).
Shame is defined as a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. When we connect this word and the Gospel, it is an interesting mix. According to the definition, wrong or foolish behavior usually leads to shame.
But how do we see sharing the gospel as wrong or foolish behavior? Although there is nothing inherently wrong or foolish with sharing the gospel, we may experience shame.
This shame may come from fear of ridicule and humiliation by others. So Paul is instructing Timothy to deal with his fear that leads to shame, which may have kept him from boldly sharing the gospel.
After dealing with shame, Timothy is asked to share in the sufferings for the gospel. Sharing implies solidarity and oneness. Paul seems to be taking the idea of shame and directly linking it with the reality of sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
Paul experienced beatings, ridicule, and various other abuses because of the gospel he preached. He related all these as sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
But here in 2 Timothy, experiencing shame is described as sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
Next time you feel ashamed of telling others about your faith in Jesus, think of yourself as a co-sufferer with Jesus. What a glorious way to share and to suffer.
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Religion does make a person very rich, if he is satisfied with what he has. (1 Tim 6:6 GNB)
We can talk eloquently about contentment, but at the end of the day, we want more. I like the expression in the Good News Bible: “Well, religion does make a person very rich, if he is satisfied with what he has” (1 Tim 6:6 GNB).
Handling the lack of contentment is one of the greatest challenges of life. Paul gives three pointers for learning contentment: a reasoning, basic requirements, and a warning.
The reasoning for contentment is that “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we carry nothing out” (1 Tim 6:7 NKJV). At the end of our lives, when our net worth is calculated, money will not be a criteria.
The basic requirements for us in this life is to have food and clothing. When we learn to be content with those basic requirements, we can say that one is truly wealthy.
Paul also gives a clear warning to those who desire to be rich. Such a desire simply lures a person into numerous traps that ensnare and ultimately destroy the person.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” Contentment will completely change you. You will never be the same. It will be great gain, you will be wealthy.
Who are the truly rich people? The godly ones who are satisfied with what they have. So religion is a great way to become wealthy – for those who are satisfied with what they have.
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It is not easy to measure integrity. But I believe Paul’s words to Timothy give us a clue to measure our own integrity. “Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching . . . “ (2 Tim 4:16 NLT).
Maybe we can use it like a thermostat for ourselves. These two aspects can be viewed as two parts of the same entity.
First, we need integrity in our actions. How we live must match our words. Of course, this assumes that we speak according to our values.
If we live according to our words, and our words are in line with our values, then our life will be in line with our values.
Second, we need integrity in our words. Many thoughts may come to our mind. We will hear a variety of ideas from different people we value. But what is consistent with our values? What is in line with the scriptures?
Popular opinion may not be in line with your values. The “gatekeepers” may have thoughts that are different from your values. Stay with what you value regardless of the cost. Acceptance and popularity are illusions fabricated to satisfy the needs of our insecurity.
We need a life of integrity backed up with words consistent with our values.
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What if things don’t get better? What if the pain, sickness, and brokenness you face is permanent? Hope is good, but what if the hope you have just doesn’t pan out?
It is good to encourage people to hold on in the midst of their struggles. Continue to be faithful in what you do in spite of the difficult circumstances you are in. Our hope is that one day, things will turn around for the good.
For some people, the only healing they’ll receive for their bodies is at the time of resurrection. Resurrected bodies will be free of sickness and pain.
Whatever struggles you face, there is a longing to be free from that pain. There is always that thought that maybe one day, the agony will go away. So we continue to pray for healing, and ultimately desire wholeness in every area of our lives.
Yet throughout the Bible, there are people who went through life never having received what they longed for. Abraham never reached his “destination” during his life. Moses missed the promised land. Although Job got back more than what he lost, his children were no more.
What if our pain is permanent? What if your loss is never to be recovered? I remember the words of Job: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”
Maybe it’s the end of your hope. Some things may never change. Maybe it’s the end of your life as you had wished it to be, with all its success and grandeur.
Jesus asked the Father to take away the “cup” of torture and agonizing death, but he submitted himself to the Father’s will. Although the pain was too much to bear, he loved his Father more than his desire to be free. And of course, He loved us too much to give up.
I am learning a new lesson. It’s an old one, and I’ve known it all along, but it is finally getting into my heart. This life is temporary. This is just “practice” for eternity with God. The fullness and true reality will come then. Today is the day to learn to be in relationship with God and to trust Jesus.
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