Tested and Blessed

You have 100% attendance for your classes. You’ve learnt your lessons. You even stand a chance of being the gold medallist. But, if you don’t appear for the exams, there’s no way you can even earn your degree. Without clearing your exams, you can’t move on to the next class. Neither can we mature in life unless we clear ‘tests’.

I believe God uses trials and tests as a means to bless us. That’s what we read in James 1:12. It says, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”

Need an example? Read Job 1:8. Note that Satan did not come up with the idea and ask for God’s approval. God offers the suggestion. Why not Job? Soon, Job lost all that he could – wealth, health, children, true friends, and loved ones. He really had a hard time. It’s scary to even imagine ourselves in his shoes. But wait, the story didn’t end there! God blessed the later part of his life more than the first (Job 42:10-16). When God handed all of Job’s possessions over to Satan (Job 1:12), and when Satan decided to do the best job with what God just handed over to him, Satan perhaps had no clue of what is to come. But God had this later part is mind when he asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” Job seems to have got this right when he said, "when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10) You have seen Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. (James 5:11)

Abraham also had to pass his test before he could be credited as the ‘father of faith’. His test? He had to lay down his only son, the one he loved (Gen 22:1, 2). He was willing to do that, just because of his simple trust and obedience. And the result? First, his son was saved. (Gen 22: 12) Then, his blessings confirmed. (Gen 22: 16, 17)

If you are going through trials and tests – which I am sure you are or you will – that’s just one more reason to rejoice! (James 1:2 – 4) If you are tested, you are going to be blessed. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed." (I Peter 1:6,7)

Whatever You Do....

Have you ever felt that hours of hard work do not pay off? You are not looking for applause, but you just want acceptance. I’ve been through it – when I work on an article for weeks and it gets dumped, when I work so passionately on an idea and it gets scraped, when I spend sleepless nights to come up with a perfect design, but someone else’s design is preferred. I do it all ‘for God’, but so much of my time and effort is wasted and that disappoints me! I’m sure you have a similar story to tell.

But such situations only clarify our motives. I learnt that I need not get my article published in order to glorify God. Whether it is published or dumped, I can still glorify God by working wholeheartedly and sincerely.

We read in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” “Whatever you do” implies whatever you do irrespective of whether it is accepted or rejected, appreciated or criticised, noticed or unnoticed, whether it is an ‘important’ task or a ‘trivial’ one.

When we work as working for the Lord and not for men, we only need to be concerned about the process, not about the result. You don’t have to feel bad when your idea is not accepted. For God, it does not matter whether your idea is a ‘success’ or a ‘failure’. He is more concerned about the heart. So, your time and effort is not really wasted. After all, you haven’t lost your heavenly reward yet!

Me and My World Clock

I finally got it yesterday. A world clock. Not that I wanted or needed one. However, it is good to have one, because there was no clock on my desk. About a month back, I was one of the lucky winners to win a world clock as a prize. The prize was for playing an online game initiated by Cognizant. Well, that’s besides the point. When I got a mail saying that I have won a world clock, I did not really know what to expect. When the time came for me to retrieve the prize, I had to bother a few friends to get it to me. When it finally reached my hands, I carefully unwrapped it. The clock was in two parts. Common sense told me how to put them together. I did. It looked pretty good. But, the main function of the clock? To display time! It didn’t look like the clock was displaying time. The batteries were in place. The display was working. I know I have to set the time. But how? There are only three buttons on that clock. I tried to figure out how it worked. A few friends did too. We got nowhere. All three buttons seemed to function the same way! Let alone world time; I wanted at least the local time displayed on it.

Meanwhile, here’s what was going on in my mind... “Now, that clock only deserves to sit on my desk like a showpiece. Anyway, I didn’t pay anything for it. So, I’m not really losing anything. Hold on! It looks high-class. It’s Cognizant-branded. I’m sure there’s a way to make it work. May be there is. But what’s the use? I can never figure it out myself! It’s probably going to remain unused. How I wish there was a user manual!”

I gave up trying, put the clock on my desk and continued doing my work. A few people who saw it on my desk tried to figure out how it works. No success! Then I tried Google. No progress again. I was disappointed. When it was time to leave for the day and I was packing up my things, I dismantled the clock and packed it back the way it was. Whoa!! There it was – a manual. I was so excited. Yippee! I was going to figure out how it works. On my way back from work, I started reading the manual. There was so much I could do with it – view the time of 25 different cities, set 3 alarms, use the countdown, the timer and a few other options. That’s when I realised I could never have done any of that without the manual. I was so glad there was a user manual. As I used the manual, I had no difficulty following the steps. After doing it a few times, I can now set the time or set an alarm without referring to the manual for the steps. Now, it’s a functional world clock on my desk.

I couldn’t help but think how it is very similar with life. We try this and that. We think we are doing the right. But we don’t seem to get anywhere. Certain things work well with common sense. But there are a lot of things in life that we can understand only when we read our life’s manual. You wish there is something like that? There is! Don’t know where? Read the Bible. That indeed gives the whole perspective to life. Unless you know what life is all about, you will remain like an unused showpiece sitting pretty, not doing what you were really created to do!

2010 - Top 3 Lessons

I thought of briefly sharing the top three lessons I learnt in 2010.

1. I’ve been reading and studying the Bible ever since I accepted Jesus as my Saviour. At the beginning of this year, we were given a one-year Bible reading plan and we were asked to follow it. Initially, I was not very convinced about the idea of reading the Bible in one year, because I was used to studying smaller portions of the Scripture for my daily devotions. However, I started following this plan ‘out of compulsion’:) But, as I started reading more, I found that I started loving the Word of God more than ever. Memorising Scripture became easier than ever. Going forward, I started realizing that I have been following some ‘Christian’ traditions, listening to some ‘Christian’ messages and singing certain ‘Christian’ songs that are not really Biblical. I also learnt the importance of checking with the Bible if what preachers preach and authors write are based on the Bible. (Acts 17:11) Also, there is no use in just reading, meditating and studying the Word of God. What ultimately matters is putting it into practice. Blessed are those who obey what the Scripture says. (Psalm 119:1,2,9; James 1:22 - 25)

2.I learnt a lot about work this year and the Lord has helped me to change my attitude towards work. I had to learn this in a difficult situation. Our team was going through a lot of pressure for a few months. In that situation, most of my colleagues decided to resign their jobs and they did. I was also tempted to do that:) But the Lord wonderfully strengthened me through His Word. Every morning, when I would be worried and confused about facing the day, I was lead to verses that meant so much to me in that situation. I even remember praying that God would not take me through this tough time. I somehow wanted to escape. But now, looking back I am grateful to God for taking me through those difficult times. (Heb 12:11) Here are a few things I learnt about work: Eph 6: 5-8, Col 3:22-24, Eccl 3:22, Romans 13:1-7, Phil 2:14-15, I Peter 2:13-21.

(I urge you to take the time and read these verses)

3. Another major lesson I learnt this year is about trials. Of course, I learnt it through trials! This is the passage I am often reminded of: James 1:2-5. This is how we are commanded to respond to trials: rejoice! (I Peter 1:6,7) Blessed are we when we persevere under trials (James 1:12). We need to follow Jesus’ example of enduring trials (Heb 12:1-11) It is through trials that we are made stronger.

Thanks to be to God for His Grace that keeps us going.

The One

The One Who holds the sun and the stars is the One Who holds my future.
He is never late.

The One Who rules the universe with His word is the One Who ordained my days.
He is never chaotic.

The One Who painted the skies and coloured the flowers is the One Who formed me.
He is never out of ideas.

The One Who feeds the birds and clothes the plants is the One Who protects me.
He is never careless.

The One Who can’t stand the sight of sin is the One Who paid for my sin.
He is very gracious.

The One Who died in my place is the One Who overcame death.
He is very loving.

The One Who owns everything is the One Who became nothing for me.
He is very generous.

The One Way, Truth and the Life is the One Who longs for your love and mine.
I can’t but fall in love with You, Jesus!

A walk in the graveyard!

Recently, my sister and I got an opportunity to take a stroll in a graveyard. It was actually fun to amble there, reading the epitaphs. We couldn’t spend much time there, because there were other things we had to do. As we read what was written on each epitaph, I tried to get a vague idea of the kind of person that lay there. Wonder if my guesses were right! Some of them, perhaps, loved their family; one, I recollect, was “a very faithful wife”. There was so much mention of all that on those inspiring epitaphs. There is one I vividly remember, which says “His delight was in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditated day and night”. What a verse to be written on an epitaph! After those few minutes I spent there, I so fell in love with that place, that my mother was joking about having me buried there when I die.

Death – a creepy topic for discussion?! “That’s not something to be discussed. Let’s talk about something good”, I’ve heard some of my friends shun. My argument... If it is fine to discuss about career plans, marriage plans and retirement benefits, what is wrong with discussing ‘death’? After all, death is a reality all of us are going to face. The earth might have to bear some of us for 80 or 100 years. Who knows, you or I could live to be just 30 or 40! We can do nothing to evade death.

Talking of epitaphs, death and graveyard, I start wondering what really matters after I am dead and gone. Only an epitaph stands there bearing your name. Also, perhaps, family and friends talking about you for a decade or two. What happens to you?? All the money that you sweated your brow for, the name that you toiled for, the dream house you meticulously planned for, the luxurious car you proudly owned and your body that you cared so much for – none of these are with you. They do not belong to you anymore!

Common sense would tell you that if you had lived a good life, you will end up in heaven, while the bad ones are thrown into hell. In this world that believes in no absolute truth, what is good and what is bad? If you and I were to decide that, heaven and hell would be in chaos. I could call myself ‘good’, but my neighbour would say that I am the worst person she has ever seen! But, when we compare ourselves with God’s standards, we would realise that none of us qualify! That’s why the Bible says “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. No one deserves to be in heaven, because we are all sinners.

Before you think that’s the end of the story, wait to know the good news. The good news is that sinless Jesus was born in human form and He became a sacrifice for our sins. “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” Jesus willingly died a cruel death and came back alive!

Now, is that of any use, when I die? The answer is: “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Believe in the sacrifice for sin that Jesus has already paid on the cross, and that’s the way to heaven!! If you know where you are going, death is nothing to be scared of.

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Is Prayer Holy?

You might have heard it said “God answers all prayers. He answers ‘YES’, ‘NO’ or ‘WAIT’.” But, did you know there are some kinds of prayers that the Lord doesn’t answer or even listen to?

God does not listen when you pray with wrong motives. (James 4:3)

When you pray without obeying the Word of God, your prayers are not heard. In fact, such prayers are detestable to God! (Proverbs 28:9)

If you enjoy sinning and you pray, the Lord does not listen to your prayers. (Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 1:15)

You could go on and add to the list.

Though God is our best friend and He is Emmanuel, we need to be aware that we are talking to the GOD Almighty. (Eccl. 5: 1 – 7)

Often, we do not know what we need to pray for, because we do not know the mind of the Spirit. Before you think “Well, I already have my list of things to pray for”, check out Romans 8: 26 and 27.

How then should we pray? When we ask according to the will of God, He hears us. (I John 5: 14, 15) The best example to follow is Jesus Himself. What was His attitude in prayer? Read Hebrews 5:7 to know.