The third saying on the Cross

                                                     Third saying on the cross

John19 : 26, 27 - When Jesus saw His mother there , and the desciple whom he loved standing near by, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son" and to the disciple , "Here is your mother."

    Jesus is all about Love . Everything he said and did in his life was purely out of love and for love.Because , 'God is Love' says the Bible.Even when in excruciating pain , Jesus wanted to make sure his mother was taken care of , in his physical absence. 


    This tells us , that because he was the son of man, he understood a human heart. He understood a mother's heart and her needs and he did not want her to be alone. He perfectly understood that after he'd be gone , she would need someone there.  Jesus was the son of God and he could maybe send angels from heaven to take care of his mother on earth , but he chose to fulfill her need this way . What does this tell us ? I think it means that God perfectly knows and understands how we feel. He knows what we need when we're here on this earth. And He does not just expect us to live a solitary life , without people we love , and without family. He knows it's not good for us to be alone , and hence , He has provided us with beautiful families, friends and church fellowship.


    It's really painful to hear when people blame Him for so many orphans and widows. It's not His wish for people to suffer and live in pain. The Bible says, He will provide if we ask. And it will be given if we believe, by the measure of our faith. Let us then have faith , even as little as a mustard seed , and see what miracles happen. When in need , let us ask of Him , who will surely provide more than we deserve.

The second saying on the Cross

                                                   Second saying on the Cross

Luke 23:43 - Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise"

    This is the context .Jesus was crucified along with two thieves.One of them insulted Jesus and mocked at him, and questioned his authority. The other thief , on the other hand ,  feared God . He knew he was guilty and also knew that Jesus wasn't guilty. So he rebuked the other thief ,  he repented , and asked  Jesus to only 'remember ' him . 


    Whereas Jesus, immediately answered saying that , he would be in paradise. 
This is a classic example of  'how much' God gives us ,  when we ask for little because we know we don't deserve so much. The thief only asked to be remembered , but Jesus promised him paradise ! 


    There's one more thing we can learn about God's nature through this paragraph. Jesus instantly forgave the criminal. He did not even take a moment before He promised paradise to the criminal. This is exactly how He forgives people even today . He does not require a big formal apology letter , or a bucket full of tears of repentance. All He needs is a broken heart and a contrite spirit that finds rest only in Him.He only requires a heart that has faith in Him as little as a mustard seed.


    The one thing that can be implemented and practiced by us is , when we 're in pain  , do good to others. We will be healed as we try to heal them. And also , we must be quick to not only forgive , but also to do good to others . Our reward in heaven waits !

The first saying on the cross.

                                                   First saying on the cross

Luke 23:34 -Jesus said ,"Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"

    This was the first saying on the cross of calvary , after Jesus was crucified, for absolutely no crime He committed.This saying has a profound meaning.


    The first thing Jesus did after being crucified was, fulfill the purpose that God had sent Him for, and that is , forgiveness of the sins of the whole humanity through His own blood . He asked God to forgive those people , who had nearly bruised Him to death, all those people who mocked Him, all those people who refused to believe that He is the son of God, all those people who nailed Him on that cross. That is one dimension of it.Because , in reality, it's not  just those people who crucified Him.. and all the bystanders who mocked at Him the other day . It's all of us .. all of us humans who hurt Him.. all of us who disobey.. all of us  who still  do not believe He is the son of God.


    The word 'them' ,stands for  every single human who ever was , is, and is to come .
And  the rest of the statement is in present-continuous tense.. and not in past tense. So, it implies to us today as well. The sin we commit today , has already been asked forgiveness for on the cross.


    When in even the slightest of pain , we grumble and we're cranky cause it hurts. We  only wanna be pampered an taken care of.  And forget about forgiving the one who hurt us , we don't wanna see their faces ever again.  We make sure they realize how much pain they've caused.. and after the pain is long gone , we want to  flaunt those scars around , reminding them that they hurt us once. Sometimes , we even wanna give it back to them , by doing something even worse . Well, the only justification for all that we do would be 'we are human' but sadly , that 's no justification at all . Jesus was very much  a human when he was nailed on that cross. He was very much in excruciating pain. He was exhausted. He had every right to keep defending himself because He hadn't done anything wrong. But he chose to ask forgiveness for us instead. He forgave us first , and then asked his heavenly Father to forgive us too.


    And so , the pain and agony of Jesus doesn't end here. As we sin now , we nail Him back to that cross once again. And once again He reminds us that He said, "Father forgive them , for they do not know what they are doing"

God's will.

    I always struggled to understand this one thing  when i was a young Christian.. when we say 'Lord let your will be done' ,how do we know that it will be ? Because we  do not know what His will for us is..and plus we have this  free will, almost on a run all the time!  Then how do we know that whatever happens after that moment is according to His will and not ours? What if we use our free will and say that  it's God's will? If we do not know what God's will is , then how is it gonna be executed?
    I kept asking this queston to many leaders.. and I would get many vague answers .One of them was, that we shouldn't bother to know what His will is, we only need to carry it out..! The other was,  when we surrender, then only His will takes place no mater what we do.. and so on. There was never a satisfactory answer.I never understood how..until a few days ago, when God himself showed me the answer as I was reading my Bible.

Romans 8:26 : In the same way,the Spirit helps us in our weakness,We do not know what we ought to pray for,but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.27:And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

    Most of the time, we're not in a good position to make a decision , because our will differs from God's will.We're weak. And that's when the Spirit intercedes. With our free will, when we say ,' Lord let your will be done', this is what happens. The Holy Spirit takes charge and prays with groans that words cannot express. And because the Holy Spirit is the part of the Trinity, it knows what  God's will is and hence, what to pray for.The Holy Spirit prays on our behalf and God the father listens and executes His will in our life.
    All we need to do is to submit our free will by asking for God's will to be done.Such a beautiful arrangement God has made!..it doesn't cease to amaze me! And in every weakness of ours , when we do not know what to pray for, this little miracle happens . So, I can now rightly say, 'when I am weak , then I am strong!'

I live by Your Grace

                                                         I live by Your Grace

I surrender all to You
Because I know You care
You lighten all my burdens Lord
And all that is there


I give my everything
Into Your mighty hands
Because I know you love me 
Lord, I know you're there


You know all my thoughts Lord
You know all my fears
And all my anxieties through
All of these years


You have seen everything
You've stored up all my tears
You know my heart Lord
And so you brought me here


I don't deserve it Lord
Nothing I deserve
After all the love you gave me
I'm not even worthy to serve


So I humble myself
And sing of your praise
Of your glory and honor
I live by your grace 
I live by your grace

Hello . Meet Grace !

                                                 UNDERSTANDING  GRACE !  
   Here's something God did in my life , that made me understand Him better . And hopefully will make you understand Him a little more too .

   I'm a student . An average one I'd say.And I heard all the time how God blesses our memory and gives us good grades and how smart and intelligent we're supposed to be . I was told that we need to glorify His name in everything we do. I was no where near that. So  i prayed to God saying that I was tired of being a mediocre student. I'm sure God heard me . And He granted my prayer even before I prayed. Because every prayer is an opportunity from God Himself , for us to ask for something He wants us to have.
    Here's how beautifully he answered my prayer . He made me study hard , more than I usually did . He made me stay up late in the  night and study , for which He gave  the strength. He taught me how to do my lessons. He taught me everything. And then , He gave me a 2nd rank in the university final exams. Amazing !
    This is what I learnt. He made me work hard  for what's in store for me .. so that I deserve , not only by worldly standards , but also by Godly standards. And then , by His grace ,He gave me an appropriate result. Which wasn't so much so that i would be proud or take Him for granted .. and it wasn't less .. so I wouldn't doubt Him and  know He's working. And I realize that this wasn't the end of it . God is still working in me .. and He's still making me work ! It's a process!
    His  GRACE makes us WORTHY for what's in store for us . Because , under no other circumstances , would we deserve any of those mighty and wonderful things He wants to bless us with .
                                       It's pure untainted amazing GRACE !

Give : do it different !

GIVE : DO IT DIFFERENT !

ME :
It's funny how we almost always twist and turn the words that He speaks , for our own convenience.Here's an example ...
          'Give , and it shall be given to you ..' says God. 
          He means to say " You initiate giving..and you will be given immensely"
          This is what we interpret 'God will give me . Only then I can give away a little bit'

WHAT MY LEADERS SAY:
 They say , we need to initiate the giving.Give to the poor and needy , because you serve God when you do that. Jesus Himself said that if we even give a glass full of water to a needy , we serve Him .
Besides, we never 'give' the tithe . We 'return ' it. Because it is God's own portion.Not that God needs us to give Him from what he gives us .. but it's about His authority over our lives.
Now, offering is whatever we give , besides returning the tithe.
Being children of  The Almighty , He surely never wants us to lack anything. He doesn't want His children to be poor, and struggling for money , food ,etc.He wants to bless us immensely. But at the same time ,He doesn't want us to be satisfied with all the riches of the world. Because a rich man , who is proud , and who cares only about his riches , can never enter the Kingdom of God.
The key , is in the balance . Let this be our prayer .."God , do not give me so much , that I forget you . Do not give me so less , that I doubt you. Give me what is enough according to you"

WHAT JESUS DID: 
Jesus gave away freely , all that He freely received from His Father .
He gave away His life. He gave away all that He had , for the sake of His Father's will , to save us .
The greatest sacrifice . 

DO'S:  
Initiate the giving.
Give to the poor and needy
Give freely as you have freely received


DON'TS:
Keep it all for yourself
Rob God of what is His (tithe)


INGREDIENTS:
A heart to 'give' 
A soul to 'receive' 

IMAGINE:
You work hard day in and day out . You keep toiling for years . You keep collecting everything you earn after working so hard . There's only a slight problem.. the bag you're collecting in , has a hole. The hole keeps widening as your bad swells up with whatever you collect. And one fine day , inevitably , it tears apart    . All of your toil is suddenly meaningless. And that's when you realize what God meant to say when he said this ..
" GIVE , AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO YOU.A GOOD MEASURE, PRESSED DOWN ,SHAKEN TOGETHER AND RUNNING OVER, WILL BE POURED INTO YOUR LAP. FOR WITH THE MEASURE YOU USE , IT WILL BE MEASURED TO YOU." - LUKE 6:38
 P.s. Give . Do it different.

A dead miracle:shortsightedness personified.

A SUICIDE NOTE
     "I'm sorry.You are at the cemetry as I write this.You're a brave person Jon..I could never see our baby being burried in the lifeless ground.Our child! Our only child! Who was right here in my arms yesterday..and now he's gone..? I still hope this is a nightmare..but I know it's not.I don't wanna wake up tomorrow to find an empty cradle ..And wake up every morning and realise this is how my life's gonna be! 
     After those 6 anxious years of trying to conceive ..and all those medical treatments.. and the hopelessness ...i'm so tired Jon..all i wanted was a baby !I wanted my baby to have all the love I never got. is that too much to ask for? There is no way I can ever have faith in God again.There is no way i can live to see another day...
      I have a confession to make.I lied..when i said my parents moved outta country ..and my brother an I don't talk anymore.I don't have a family..I'm an orphan ,Jon.I lived in foster care for years.And the only reason I never told you the truth is because I finally found a person who I could have a normal life with..So I decided to put it all behind me and have a new start with you...But God hates me you know...or i wouldn't have been in this state.Ever!
     I wanna apologise to you for everything..i love you too you know..but I guess I messed it all up coz I was so exhausted trying so hard for the baby..I'm truly sorry.I'm a failure.that's what I am.A failure..and i have no right to exist. 
    So, i'm going with our baby.I'll tell him how much i love him and i'll stay with him forever.
     I'm sorry Jon..."

 A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
      A 35 year old female , by the name of Jane Doe , commited suicide yesterday evening, after the tragic death of her 5 month old son.It is believed that the loss of her child lead her to take such a desperate measure.
     Although the unfortunate part is what her autopsy report revealed today morning.She was found pregnent with an 8 week old foetus.Mr X, a renowned gynaecologist says " it's almost a miracle that she conceived for the second time though she had been suffering from secondary infertility.She was lactating and that is a natural contraceptive.It's almost a miracle I'd say.Just wish she'd have known." 


     God knew her though she didn't know Him.He understood her and she didn't.He already blessed her with another child because He knew what she needed.And He cared for her and loved her.If only she'd have known..she would know The Father's heart.
     It's so unfortunate , but so true , how much we misunderstand Him.We underestimate His power and authority, and His heart to bless us immeasurably. 
Typical human behaviour : impulsive.
 Typical love of God: infinite.

Don't worry: do it different !

DON'T WORRY : DO IT DIFFERENT

ME
A day without a worry , is no day at all. Plainly doesn't exist.Every minute has it's own fair share of worries about the next one . And i know two crazy people who worry a lot like me .. myself and I ! My range of worries start from 'what will i have for dinner ' to..say 'how   will i look when I'm 60 !' or ..'will i get good grades this semester' and 'will I ever get to see Ireland '!  How creative ! Well, i'm glad to declare that this is  absolutely wrong . 

WHAT MY LEADERS SAY
They say 'trust God. completely.for everything.' they don't just say this..they live like this. everyday of their lives is like a demonstration of 'how much, for every little thing , we need to trust God' they say God is faithful..and he's the only one who remains the same yesterday ,today and for all the tomorrows.They trust God for food, place to live in , the church, the family, the kids, the job ..and for all the myriad of things that we would worry about.

WHAT JESUS SAID
Jesus said to His disciples , the bible records in the gospel of Luke chapter 12 : " therefore i tell you ,do not worry about your life , what you will eat , or about your body,what you will wear.Life is more than food, and body more than clothes. consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn;yet God feeds them.And how much more valuable you are than the birds! Who of you, by worrying can add a single hour to his life...But seek His Kingdom,and all these things will be given to you as well." Wow ! isn't this an eye-wide-opener? If we cannot do littlest of things by ourselves or by worrying about them , then why on earth should we worry ? And , if the creator Himself , is so humbly asking us not to worry, well, then i guess i'm gonna stop. 


INGREDIENTS
Faith : as little as a mustard seed 
Trust : like a child

DO'S                                                                            DON'TS
Believe                                                                          Worry.
Have faith                                                                      Be of little faith
Hope
Trust God completely
Mean it
Do it.

IMAGINE
You're falling off the cliff. You're about to fall and you're kicking in the air..as hard as you can .. and trying to hold the wind..as tightly as you can. And you , O brave one, try really hard for as long as you can . And when you think you're done trying , you say God help me now. I can't do it anymore.And oh ! you wake up from this stupid dream. Well, this unfortunately is a reality for many of us. we seek God at the end , whereas He's waiting with all you need , right from the very beginning.Call onto God; let it be your first resort instead of your last one.
P.s. Don't worry :do it different!

Music and Lyrics

Music and Lyrics
     'God makes you like ,what He wants for you'..a friend said to me.And it's so true. Music's in my blood i say..It's been one thing I've loved since maybe time existed for me ! The biggest thing ever happened to me..ie, knowing my Creator ,began with music!  I'm a worship leader now ..that's one of the best things happened to me .So, God did make me love music and gave me a passion ..before he gave me the voice. So He could make sure I'd realize where it comes from and what it's purpose is.And it's the same for everyone who has this talent.
     They say music is influential.And it is.A simple song can give you tears of joy or sorrow..it works like a charm I'd say.Remember those days when you just can't get a tune outta your head ! The lyrics, as a matter of fact , linger around in your subconscious for quite some time..and that does influence the mind and the thoughts.They say we need to be very careful about the kinda music we listen to ..and of course you'll have heard about some rock bands being banned from some places because their songs provoke suicidal thoughts..I used to not believe and think that was funny..so i did a lot of digging and I think it's not something I should play around with.
      So, basically music is 'from heaven' The bible says music is meant to worship God in His Holiness..it's meant to praise God.Isn't it amazing? It's something angels do ! And we have been given the freedom to do it..to create it..and to share it. Wow! And look what we did with the free will..We started making music for ourselves..about ourselves..about things ..and people..and just random names..and we call it 'inspired'! The true purpose and the sanctity of music is lost.
     The Bible denotes in psalm 150 '...praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet.praise Him with the harp and lyre..praise him with the strings and flute..Praise Him with the clashing cymbals..let everything  that has breath praise the lord.' Thank God for He introduced Himself to me first and then gave me the gift of music..or else I'd be making music about empty spaces or walls, if not dogs or cats!

Perfection

                                                         Perfection
     I was sick and tired of making mistakes .. and feeling guilty ..and thinking i'm such a disappointing child of God.I desperately wanted to be 'a perfect believer'..until a wise friend said to me "there's no such thing as a perfect believer .there's only a perfect savior." so true ! believe me I tried so hard..to become this 'perfect' child .. a perfect human..and looking back i feel stupid !I mean, if I was perfect, why on the face of the earth would I need God ? 
      We're imperfect by default.And the imperfection is meant to be nullified and corrected by the most perfect being..God himself. That's His perfect plan And what we do is not let Him play His part . So we stay stuck wherever we are in our imperfection . We start blaming Him for everything.And we lose our only chance to be who we're meant to be..'perfect in Christ Jesus'
       It's a vicious cycle that begins with the realization of our imperfection..then the self-loathing and guilt finds it's way in..and then the blame-game..which pushes us away from He who can help us out..and we get pushed further away.And we stay there forever because we never knew that the Guy we were running away  from and putting the blame on ,is the Guy who can help us out! complicated..but true.
       The best thing about being created 'imperfect' is that God , who knows every little imperfection of your's ,is gonna make it perfect! beautiful .So , be happy that you're imperfect . But do not forget the vitally inseparable fact..you're imperfect because God alone can and wants to make you perfect
."..for when I am weak, then I am strong.."

My father waits...

                                                                   My father waits...
       A father,all powerful and mighty,great and wise,very lovingly creates a place called the earth.Upon which He very wisely creates everything that will be favorable for His ultimate creation..the most important one.The man and the woman.His best creation ever! He loves the man so much so that He creates man in His own perfect image.After having created them, He says.'.live'. And as a father he is very content with what He has created and is also eagerly waiting to see how they live after all.He's waiting still..with expectant eyes and arms open wide ,calling out on His best creation ever.He awaits still ,to see the love with which He loved man,to be reciprocated.
      And He waits some more to see somebody ..anybody ,turn back from their sinful ways and repent..because He waits with immeasurable forgiveness in His heart..the Father's heart .Then a few turn back..many don't.Then He makes a decision ,a very tough one, to send His only begotten Son Jesus Christ on the earth as a human so He can understand  what a human heart feels..how a human heart loves..how a human heart is.And He wants to show humans the way,the truth and the life.And He has a plan..to save all mankind from themselves..and their ignorance and their pride..to save them from losing their soul eternally.He says He will sacrifice for the sake of humans..He will let His son die taking away all the sins of the world and then..His creation will turn back to Him. But some do ..and many don't.
       And He still waits .. for that one person ..one special creation ..who will turn back to Him and say 'Father, here i am..i understand your heart..i owe you my life..so i am all your's now' And the Heavens rejoice when this happens.Yes, the heavens have rejoiced for me..and it's the most beautiful feeling in the world.But my heart breaks to see that My father still waits..for all those who are lost..to turn back someday.
Keeps on waiting..He's that patient..that kind..my Father.Our father.

Shortsighted man

Shortsighted  man.
We have been created this way..Shortsighted. All we see is but a horizon which does not really exist. What we see is the end of our very sight..our vision..our wisdom.all of it is so unreliable..and unworthy and so not true.But we choose to live according to it anyway.We choose to make our own horizons . our own paths..and we live..we think we're happy . And for some time we are. Then things begin to fall apart and we start doubting everything..and stop taking the responsibility of having set our own horizon. and we blame..whom do we blame? the Creator.This does sound silly and sad after having typed out. but it's everyone's story..sadly.all this because of shortsightedness of man. 
But, really, why are we shortsighted? if you're one of those people who think that god is but a playful child having fun up there then you're about to be disappointed to know that  He's not. He's the wisest..the smartest..Mr.know it all.and believe me when i say he's BLESSED us with this shortsightedness because he knows that man cannot handle the free will ..let alone knowledge and power!He knows how we function.. He knows how much we can mess up if given the power of complete knowledge.He wants to be the one who leads each one. he has the right..he's the creator.and we have no right to take away His right. all we need to do is be a child..and submit ourselves..our thoughts..our words..our actions..our lives into the hands of the one who knows you..recognizes you by the sound of your voice..by the sigh of your breath..knows you by name.and live life right because nothing can possibly go wrong now.
stay shortsighted,stay blessed.