Agape Love of God (Arun Mohan, 14th February, 2024)

In this strange “digitally social” world of ours, people believe things that are “trending”. If it doesn’t come up as one of the top searches on Google were a bit skeptical about the topic – is it really true? Does it even exist? And with this background, you would be surprised to know that the number of Google searches for “love” worldwide has hit an all-time low in the last two decades. What does it mean – have people lost interest in love? Or has the concept become so fragmented, so distorted, so confusing that it doesn’t seem worth knowing about it? Why go through all the headache to understand something that’s so frustrating, maybe?

The challenge is that the concept of love has been heavily diluted over the years through various ways – through media, entertainment, advertising, pop culture, etc etc. The word is thrown around loosely for anything from describing how you enjoyed a vada pav to the latest movie you saw to the trending “hook step” on social media. The fact that the red heart emoji is the third most used emoji in the world is not surprising at all (the top 2 are laughing emojis).

In such a world that uses “love” interchangeably with “like”, is there a role model that we can all look up to? One who showed not just in words but through actions, the highest form of love – agape love – a love so pure and powerful that it drives the person to sacrifice everything ( dreams, desires and the most precious things) for another?

The answer is yes. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” When most relationships focus on “give-and-take”, here is a model relationship where He gave up His most prized possession – His only Son – for the sake of each one of us. Let us be those that shine this love through our lives, actions and words to those around us, so that the world learns the true concept of love – agape love, which lasts for eternity.

75th Republic Day (Arun Mohan, 26th January, 2024)

Today we celebrate the 75th Republic Day, the day we commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India on 26 January, 1950. While the Republic Day celebrations include a host of activities, the Republic Day Parade is one of the main highlights of the day and is also a much-anticipated event of the year.

One of the most memorable parts of the Republic Day Parade is the contingent of cultural tableaux representing the various states and union territories of our country. Each tableau showcases the uniqueness of a particular state and it’s people, and all of them together brings to life the rich and diverse cultural heritage of our nation, like a beautiful tapestry knit together with different colour threads.

Our unity in diversity is what makes our nation unique and each one of us a proud Indian. 1 Corinthians 12:18-21 says “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”” In verses 24-26 it goes on to say “But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

Each one of us have a role to play and more importantly it’s only when all of us unite despite our different languages, customs and traditions that we can truly unleash the potential of our nation. As we celebrate yet another Republic Day, let us join hands in unity and walk together into a bright future for our nation.

Our saviour is born (Arun Mohan, 25th December, 2023)

What’s the most memorable thing about Christmas for you?

Is it the decorations, the Christmas tree, the festive atmosphere? Is it the delicious Christmas dinner? Or meeting everyone in the family together? No matter how you celebrate it, the one thing we all remember with lot of excitement is the Christmas gift!

And the most memorable gift is the one that has an impact on your life. Like the guitar  you got as a gift which made you want to learn music and become a musician. Like the doctor play set which made you want to study medicine when you grew up. Or the cycle you got which you enjoyed riding everyday and made you feel like a grown-up. Gifts like that fill you with joy and it also shows how much love the person who has given the gift has for you.

More than two thousand years ago, our Father in heaven sent the most memorable gift to humanity – He sent His beloved son as a baby boy, born in a manger in Bethlehem. It was a gift that cost our Father dearly, because He knew that His Son would one day have to bear the punishment for our sins on the cross and give up His life, so that we can be saved from eternal damnation. But His love for us was so deep that He was ready to give up His only Son to save each one of us.

And today, after two thousand years, His gift continues to be remembered by millions of people all over the world – our Saviour Jesus Christ. As we celebrate Christmas – the birth day of Jesus Christ – amidst all the festivities and feasts, let us not forget the birthday boy Jesus, who came into this world as our Saviour and our Hope, as the gift that redeemed our life.

Wish you and your family a very merry and blessed Christmas!

Jesus, Light of the world (Arun Mohan, 10th November, 2023)

The festivities are over. The noise of celebrations is just an echo now. The strings of light are being dismantled and packed into boxes. The lamps have run out of oil and soon they’ll be put back on the shelves, to be taken out next year. And the world will go back to how it was the day before.

But there are some things that still don’t change.

Light always outshines darkness. Light always spreads warmth, it nurtures life. It’s purpose is to shine for others, not just for itself. Jesus called his followers to be “the light of the world” – to be a lamp to the world – to let their light shine before others so that through their actions others may see Him and come to know the true light of wisdom.

Now that the festivities are getting over, let’s remind ourselves that our duty to shine as the light to the nations is not over. Let’s live a life that shines light for those around us every day, because that’s the best way to live a life that’s meaningful.

Freedom (Arun Mohan, 15th August, 2023)

Freedom is not free. Like most other significant and precious things in life, it came at a great price and had to be earned through struggle and sacrifice by our forefathers. And since it was gained at such a high price, it’s important to reflect on how we’re using it today.

What are we using our freedom for? Do we use our freedom of speech to speak up for those who have no voice or to shout our own demands? Do we use our freedom of action to serve those in need or to do whatever we want? Do we use our freedom of belief to strengthen each other and unite our nation or to divide its people?

Galatians 5:13 in the Bible says “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather serve one another humbly in love.” It reveals that until all of us are free, none of us are free.

As we celebrate the 77th year of independence, let us take a stand to use our freedom to build our nation by serving those in need, those who have no one else to depend on.

Happy Independence Day!!

Mother’s Day (Arun Mohan, 14th May, 2023)

Here’s a chance to say thank you!

To the one who taught you that joy grows by sharing not hoarding.

To the one who taught you that falling down is normal but its more important to get back up.

To the one who taught you that it’s easy to lie but it takes courage to say the truth.

To the one who supported you and encouraged you even when you made mistakes, and taught you that true love is unconditional and that forgiveness starts at home.

To the one who always demonstrated the character of God in real life and shaped you into the person you are today.

Happy Mother’s Day!

He has Risen (Arun Mohan, 9th April, 2023)

Today we celebrate Easter – the day that Jesus rose from the grave, three days after He was crucified and died on the cross.

Well, some may think – what’s the big deal? Jesus is the Son of God, so it’s not surprising that He rose from the grave. In fact it’s expected that He would rise from the grave! So then what’s so special about Easter?

Easter is special not only because of the resurrection but also because of what the resurrection represents for each and every one of us, including you. It’s the pivotal point in God’s plan to save mankind from perishing for their sins.

Each one of us have sinned. But God in His infinite mercy and abundant love, sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. And on the third day, when He rose from the grave, it was irrefutable proof that Jesus himself was sinless and pure, and His sacrifice on our behalf was accepted…that our sins have been paid for.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus’s resurrection represents the promise of salvation which is freely available for each one of us, and all we need to do is put our faith in Him. That’s what makes Easter special.

Wishing you and all your loved ones a Happy Easter! Our Lord Jesus is indeed risen!

Perfect Love of God (Arun Mohan, 14th February, 2023)

In a world that celebrates imperfections and flaws, it’s not surprising that people believe that perfect love or true love doesn’t exist. In fact there are a number of online quizzes that claim to help you to know if you have found your true love or if you will ever find your true love! At the same time Valentines Day celebrations become bigger and bigger every year – how ironic!

Is perfect love a myth? Does true love exist only in movies and books? Sometimes it may feel like these things exist only for other people, it’s never going to happen to you.

Well, the truth is that true love does exist. And it not just in movies and books, but in real life.

1 John 4:9-11 says “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

True love is unconditional, all-forgiving, ever-lasting; it accepts you as you are. And it is this kind of love that made God send His only Son, Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. And when we accept Jesus into our lives, we experience that love in our heart and soul, and then we love others with that same unconditional, all-forgiving, everlasting love. Our world badly needs this kind of perfect love that builds each other up instead of hate that divides and destroys.

74^th Republic Day (Arun Mohan, 26th January, 2023)

A nation is made up of its people. The values of its people will determine what the nation values. The moral code of its people will determine how law-abiding the nation is. Just like knowing the law does not imply that it will always be followed, knowing  the Constitution does not imply that the values advocated by it are practised.

Every year when we celebrate the Republic Day, its an occasion for us to remember and reflect on the values represented by our Constitution – Sovereignty, Socialism, Secularism, Democracy, Republican character of Indian State, Justice, Liberty, Fraternity, Equality, Human Dignity and the Unity and Integrity of the nation. But it’s even more important to practise these values through the year.

The Bible encourages us to pray for the peace and prosperity of the nation where you live, because when the nation prospers, you also will prosper (Jeremiah 29:7). So as we celebrate our 74th Republic Day, let us also take a moment to pray for our nation and to remember that our actions decide the future of our nation. Happy Republic Day!!

Christmas (Arun Mohan, 24th December, 2022)

Birthday parties nowadays have become mega events – with welcome gifts, multi-layered cakes, variety games and activities, return gifts and so many more things. In the midst of all this “celebration” quite often the birthday boy / girl is in focus just for the few seconds when the cake is cut.

Something similar happens during Christmas. Celebrated by millions of people all over the world, it’s one of the biggest global events that happen every year. And somewhere in the midst of all the glittering decorations, gifts, events, shopping, etc. the birthday boy is forgotten.

The creator of this universe stepped down from the heavens and came into this world as a small baby – fragile and vulnerable, born into an ordinary family far away from palaces – but with a purpose to redeem the universe and save each one of us. And when we focus on Him, we remember His sacrifice for us and we remember the purpose for which He came to this world. And that’s when we truly celebrate Christmas – by honouring Jesus and sharing the good news of His gift of salvation to the world.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

Jesus, light of the world (Arun Mohan, 23rd October, 2022)

Light. It eliminates darkness and you can see things around you clearly. It makes you feel safe and warm.

Light shows where you are going. And where you shouldn’t go. It shows you how far you have come. And how far you still need to go.

Light does not discriminate. A lamp burns just as bright for a millionaire as for a pauper. It does not dim itself or shine brighter depending on your race, caste or ethnicity.

Light cannot hide itself. The only way to not see the light is to close your own eyes or to hide yourself. Even if you choose to ignore it or hide from it, the light will continue to shine, showing the way to those who acknowledge it.

1 John 1:5 says that God is light and in Him there is no darkness. But many people choose to turn away from that light and live in darkness because the light scares them. They’re afraid of what the light will expose; the dark corners of their life which they don’t want anyone to see.

But they forget that light gives life. A plant does not grow without light and where there is no growth, there is stagnation and eventually death. The longer you stay in darkness, the shorter your life becomes.

God loves you. John 3:16 says that He loves you so much that He sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for your sins, so that you may have eternal life. He made the ultimate sacrifice so that you may live in light. Now it’s up to you, what will you choose? Light or darkness?

Happy Independence Day (Arun Mohan, 14th August, 2022)

As we celebrate 75 years of independence, let’s take a moment to reflect on what being independent really means.

Many of us were born after the freedom struggle and have no memory of how life was before we got our independence. Hence we may not be able to truly appreciate the value or the purpose of our freedom.

What are we using our freedom for? Is it do whatever it takes to serve our needs, to chase our dreams, to fulfill our desires, to achieve our goals? Or is there a different purpose to the freedom we have?

The Bible encourages us in Matthew 22:39 to love your neighbour as yourself. When we’re able to put others interest ahead of ours and serve them and love them, then we’re truly united despite all the different languages, traditions, family backgrounds and so many other things; we’re all united in our hearts to serve each other. And that is being truly independent!

Father’s Day (Arun Mohan, 19th June, 2022)

In the last few years we’ve seen a flurry of super hero movies, some of which have become multi-million dollar hits. Why are they becoming so popular?

Because in a world that’s sinking deeper into violence, corruption and malice, we need role models who we can trust, who demonstrate courage, honour, integrity, loyalty and selfless love in their actions, not just in words.

And there is a man in each one of our lives who has done exactly this – our father. He always puts others interests ahead of his own, sacrifices his desires for those of his family and is willing to even give up his life to protect that family. Today we celebrate the incredible man in our life who has been our role model, our hero, our father. Happy Fathers’ Day!!

And we also remember our Father in heaven, who made the ultimate sacrifice of sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we can have an eternal life. Let us honour Him by becoming good role models for our next generation!

Mother’s Day (Arun Mohan, 7th May, 2022)

Being a mother is the toughest job in the world.

There is no other job that has such a big responsibility – building the generation for the future – and is more challenging – working 24×7, without any leaves (not even sick leaves), holidays and no retirement! And the job has no salary, no benefits and sometimes no recognition as well!

Most of us owe it to our mothers for helping us to become the person we are today. We learnt most of our values from her – to be patient with others, to work hard for the things you want, to forgive others even when it hurts to do so, to love unconditionally, to treat others with kindness, to be honest even when it’s dangerous to do so and so much more.

The role of a mother is one that no other person can fill. So this Mothers Day, take the time to thank your mother for all that she has done / is still doing for you. Happy Mothers Day!!

Good Friday (Arun Mohan, 15th April, 2022)

Second chances are rare in life. Quite often we wish we had a chance to re-do something – a conversation with a loved one which could have gone better, an evening we could have spent with our family rather than in office, a life decision that could have been done differently in hindsight and many other regrets. What if you got a second chance for life itself?

Left to our own desires and limited understanding we would have spent our days chasing things of fleeting value – money, fame and power – and died without ever knowing eternal joy. But in His mercy and out of His deep love for His creation, God sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, so that each one of us can have a fulfilling life, a life in abundance.

On the third day, when He rose from the grave, Jesus opened a door for us to enter the life that God intended for us to live. He made the ultimate sacrifice of giving up His life, so that we would have eternal life. By believing in Him, we claim our second chance to life itself.

This Easter, let us be grateful for the second chance that God has given us and live a life worthy of His mercy and love.

Good Friday (Arun Mohan, 6th March, 2022)

Second chances are rare in life. Quite often we wish we had a chance to re-do something – a conversation with a loved one which could have gone better, an evening we could have spent with our family rather than in office, a life decision that could have been done differently in hindsight and many other regrets. What if you got a second chance for life itself?

Left to our own desires and limited understanding we would have spent our days chasing things of fleeting value – money, fame and power – and died without ever knowing eternal joy. But in His mercy and out of His deep love for His creation, God sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, so that each one of us can have a fulfilling life, a life in abundance.

On the third day, when He rose from the grave, Jesus opened a door for us to enter the life that God intended for us to live. He made the ultimate sacrifice of giving up His life, so that we would have eternal life. By believing in Him, we claim our second chance to life itself.

This Easter, let us be grateful for the second chance that God has given us and live a life worthy of His mercy and love.

Women’s day (Arun Mohan, 6th March, 2022)

It’s interesting that almost every day of the year is now associated with celebrating or honouring something. And it’s ironic that most often we don’t celebrate or honour that thing for the rest of the year. Once the day is over, we forget and move on, until next year.

Every year, the world celebrates Women’s Day. And every year, the world becomes a more dangerous place for women.

This will not change until there is a renewal of mindset because our actions are driven by our beliefs. Rather than waiting for the world to change, can we not change our own mindset first?

Genesis 1:27 in the Bible tells us “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him: male and female He created them.” There is no room for debate here – women deserve to be loved, respected, honoured the same way as men.

The women in our lives – mother, sister, daughter, spouse, teacher, friend and so many other roles – deserve to be thanked, loved, respected and honoured for being a part of our life. Not just for one day, but every day.

Happy Women’s Day!!

A Love like no other (Arun Mohan, 14th February, 2022)

There are more than 100 million songs written about love; some of them talk about first love, some about lost love, some others about unrequited love, and so on. And some of them have words that touch our very soul.

But the most profound and soul-stirring words about love is in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

It teaches us that love is patient and kind.

Love does not envy or boast.

Love is not arrogant or rude.

Love does not insist on its own way.

Love is not irritable or resentful.

Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with truth.

Love always protects, trusts, hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

This is the kind of love that makes you want to lay down your life for the person you love.

This is the kind of love that made Jesus lay down His life for us.

It is a love like no other.

This Valentine’s Day, may you experience and share God’s true love.

Republic day (Arun Mohan, 24th January, 2022)

We often hear our country being referred to as a democracy; references to our nation as a republic are few and are mostly heard only on Republic Day. Understanding these concepts a bit deeper will help us appreciate the true significance of this day.

In an absolute democracy, power is directly in the hands of the people. While this may seem very appealing, this means that the majority had limitless power and the interests of minorities are at risk. However, in a republic, the government is made up of representatives elected by people and more importantly, the government follows the Constitution – a set of principles or rights that guarantee liberty, equality and fraternity to every citizen – which protects the rights of all people from the will of the majority. In short, it is because of being a Republic that we enjoy the freedom that we have, to be the unique citizens that we are.

And being a citizen of this Republic nation, it is our responsibility to respect and love our fellow countrymen as equal human beings. In the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, “love your neighbor as yourself”.

This Republic Day, let us open our minds and our hearts to truly see all Indians as our brothers and sisters. Happy Republic Day!

Christmas (Arun Mohan, 24th December, 2021)

2021 has been a challenging year. Many of us would like to erase this year completely from our memory. But even in a year like this, there are things that we can be thankful for – thankful for the strength to make it through this difficult phase, thankful for the protection we had during this time, thankful for the support of our friends, thankful for the love of our family, thankful for being alive and so many other things.

The question is who should we be thankful to?

Who do we thank for carrying us through this difficult time?

Psalm 46:1 says ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’ In the midst of all the pain, anxiety, confusion and worry that surrounds us, He is right there beside us holding out His hand for us. He has always been there and will always be there for each one of us.

This Christmas, as we enjoy the festivities and celebrations, let us also thank Him for being our ‘refuge and strength’. Thank Him for His unconditional love for you. John 3:16 says ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’

Merry Christmas!

Be the Light (Arun Mohan, 6th November, 2021)

Light feeds life.

Have you noticed how plants turn toward light as they grow? No matter which direction you turn them, they’ll eventually turn towards the light. Because that’s where life is. And in the absence of light they wither and die.

Human beings are not very different. Without the light of wisdom that comes from the knowledge of the Lord, our inner being withers and dies. We live a life that may look happy and accomplished from outside, but is dark and hollow inside.

The purpose of a lamp is to give light to everyone around it, not to shine for itself. Jesus called his followers to be “the light of the world” – to be a lamp to the world – to let their light shine before others so that through their actions others may see Him and come to know the true light of wisdom.

As the festivities end, the lamps are extinguished and stored away for next year. But remember that a lamp’s purpose is to keep shining and give light to those around it. Let’s live a life that shines light for those around us every day, because that’s the best way to live a life that’s meaningful.

The Uncertainity Antidote (Arun Mohan, 1st November, 2021)

You would’ve heard this quote that the only constant thing in life is change. Or another version of it as the only certain thing being uncertainty. And it is true.

There are more things that are not in our control than those that are in our control. There are more things that we don’t know about than those that we know about. But the more important thing is how do we respond when faced with things that are not in our control?

There are two ways to deal with uncertainty; our default approach is to imagine the various scenarios and try to plan for the most likely ones if not for all of them. But there could still be an unplanned one that will stump you. Because the only thing that’s certain is uncertainty, remember?

What if there was an alternate approach where you had the confidence that irrespective of how things may look like now eventually it will get better?

That confidence is called faith. Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” And we get this confidence from the promise of God in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. So rather than chasing certainty, why not rest in faith knowing that there is a God who is in control of all things and He loves us and wants what is good for us?

The only constant thing in our life is God’s love for us. Now that’s a quote worth remembering!

Lighthouse in the Storm (Arun Mohan, 26th September, 2021)

Uncertainty is inevitable. The last 18 months with its pandemic waves has demonstrated this. While there is no shortage of predictions and opinions about when the next wave will come and how bad it will be, we know that no one can say for sure. With certainty.

Coping with uncertainty is challenging. We feel like we’re completely at the mercy of things which we have no control over. We feel like a ship tossed about on the rough sea in the middle of a storm. There’s no way to know when the storm will end or if the ship will ever reach safe harbor.

Before the GPS was invented, sailors were guided by lighthouses which helped them navigate through violent storms and darkness to reach shore safely. Wouldn’t it be great to have a lighthouse that can help us navigate the storms in our life?

Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life”. (John 8:12) Even when things are uncertain, we have hope in knowing that we have a God who loves us and that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

If you’re going through a challenging situation in your life, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty, if you’re worried, anxious, feeling hopeless, call out to Jesus.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philipians 4:6-7)

FREEDOM (Arun Mohan, 15th August, 2021)

August 15, 1947.

The unforgettable day when our nation experienced the sweet taste of freedom after nearly 200 years of British colonial rule. The freedom to hold your head high, to dream without fear, to live with hope. What an amazing feeling!

August 15, 2021.

Do you think our nation still experiences that sweet taste of freedom? Many of us may do. But there are many many more who don’t.

There are those who are crushed by poverty and bow their heads under the burden of providing a single day’s meal to their children. And then there are those bound by the chains of poor health and malnutrition and don’t even dare to dream about a good life. And so many more who have lost their hopes of leading a dignified life because of discrimination, corruption, injustice…the list goes on.

When each one of us live our lives fighting for freedom to do what we want to do, to say what we want to say, to have what we want to have, there will always be those who are free and those who are in bondage.

But what if each one of us looked out for our neighbour, did what is good for our neighbour, loved our neighbour as much as we loved ourselves…well, that would truly be a free India to live in.

This Independence Day, share a kind word with your neighbour, or do an act of service for them. And enjoy the sweet taste of freedom again!

Happy Independence Day!

LET GOD (Arun Mohan, 20th June, 2021)

We’re just halfway through the year, but for many of us 2021 is already one of the toughest years in our life.

Especially for those of us who experienced the loss of a loved one, which, for some of us was so sudden that we couldn’t even believe it. It still hasn’t settled in. And we’re not sure if it ever will.

Losing a loved one can throw us off balance. We can feel so disoriented that we feel it’s better to shut down our senses and curl into our shell because reality hurts.
We feel so numb inside that even though the pain is unbearable, we’re unable to shed even one drop of tear. And as we struggle to come to terms with the loss, out of nowhere a feeling of guilt creeps in – could I have done something more to help? The question pounds our mind and our heart aches even more.

Not all people grieve the same way or for the same length of time, but dealing with grief is essential in order to come to terms with the loss of a loved one.

The first step in healing is to know that it’s ok to feel grief. It’s ok to feel sad. And it’s even more important to know that we’re not meant to carry the burden of loss on our own. “Let Go” is good advice, but “Let God” take care of it is the best advice.

We have a loving Father in heaven who has promised that He will “never leave us nor forsake us” (Deuteronomy 31:6). We’re not alone in our grief.
And He knows about our heartache, even when we try to put on a brave face for the people around us. Because “people judge by outward appearance, but the Lord sees the heart”. (1 Samuel 16:7)

We cannot fix ourselves and make ourselves feel better. But God can. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).

Let us open our hearts to Him so that He can fill us with His peace and we can move forward, just as our loved ones would have wanted us to do.

Mother’s Day (Arun Mohan, 9th May, 2021)

Ma. Mamma. Amma. Mommy.

For many of us that was the first word we spoke.

There’s a popular saying that “behind every successful man there is a woman”. It would be more accurate to say that “behind every successful man and woman, there is a woman..called mother”.

We learn to make a living by what we learn from our teachers, but we learn to live a good life by what we learn from our mothers.

When you got a handful of sweets and your mother asked you to share some with your sibling or with your friend, she wanted you to learn that joy grows by sharing not hoarding.

When you fell down and hurt yourself, she picked you up and told you that you’ll be fine, because she wanted you to learn that falling down is normal but its more important to get back up than to keep crying.

When you lied and said you have no idea who ate all the chocolates, she waited patiently for you to tell the truth because she wanted you to learn that it’s easy to lie but it takes courage to say the truth.

When you made bad choices which ended up hurting her, she still supported you and encouraged you because she wanted you to learn that true love is unconditional and that forgiveness starts at home.

So this Mother’s Day, do something special for the woman who demonstrated the character of God and shaped you into the person you are today. She deserves it!

Our Resurrection Hope (Arun Mohan, 4th April, 2021)

We live in a world where fear is freely available and hope is in short supply. Bad news screams from everywhere and drowns out good news.

     Isn’t it ironic that when the world needs to hear that things are going to get better, everyone talks about how it’s going to get worse?

More than 2000 years ago, Jesus’s disciples would have felt like this after His crucifixion. Their beloved Teacher had died and they were wondering if this was the end of their story.

But it wasn’t.

     Jesus didn’t stay buried. He rose from the dead. 1 Corinthians 6:14 says, “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.” No matter what circumstance or struggle you’re going through now, you can hope in the resurrection power of God. He has the power to raise us from our “dead” situations or circumstances, and He will save us.

This Easter, let us share the hope we have in our God with those around us who need it the most.

Good Friday Message (Arun Mohan, 2nd April, 2021)

Today is Good Friday.

What if I tell you that today is also Friendship day? And Valentine’s Day? And Father’s Day also?

     Who is a better friend than the one who would lay down his life for you? John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Is it not true love when you seek the happiness of the one you love even when it hurts you? 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

     Don’t all fathers try to give the best of things for their children? Mathew 7:9-10 asks, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?”

Well, God did something much more than all this.

As our Father in heaven, he wanted the best for all the people in this world – an eternal life with Him. And for that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, who is our friend, to lay down His life on the cross to repay for our sins. And He did that because He loves us – you and me and all the people in the world – so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins, so that we could enjoy eternal life with Him.

     John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

And that’s why this Friday is a Good Friday. And also Friendship day, Valentine’s day and Father’s day.

A Love like No Other (Arun Mohan, 14th Feb, 2021)

    “Did you know that there are more than 100 million songs written about love? Some of them talk about first love, some about lost love, some others about unrequited love, and so on. And many of them have words that touch our very soul.

But you’ll find the most profound and soul-stirring words about love not in a song, but in a book called the Bible.

“Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,

It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

You may wonder if such a love even exists.

The truth is that it exists. And the proof for that is also in the Bible.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

This Valentines Day, may you experience and share God’s true love.

Celebrating the Essence of Republic Day (Arun Mohan, 26th Jan, 2021)

    “As we celebrate our 72nd Republic Day, let us also reflect on the pillars of our Constitution: justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.

Justice ensures that freedom of one does not become tyranny for another. Liberty of thought, action, faith are crucial for the nation to function as a society. Liberty and justice remain mere words without equality. Without fraternity, without knowing that we are all part of one large community, nation and world, we cannot trust, respect or love each other.

     While our constitution was created decades ago, these values are still relevant to us and it is our responsibility to behave in a manner that upholds these values. For a believer, this responsibility is even greater – not only are you obeying the law of the land, but also demonstrating core Christian values.

May this thought encourage you on this day to renew your mind and continue to serve our nation and our God.

Let’s get back to the basics (Part 2) (Jennifer Wilkinson, April 2019)

     “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.‘” Mark 12:31

There are two components to this verse, I would say in fact three.

You, Your neighbour and God.

To be able to love your neighbour as yourself, we need to have a good understanding about ‘Loving yourselves’ first. Everyone has a love for oneself. It’s a no brainer, right? However, how do we love ourselves the way God actually means in this verse.

Not like the kind as Timothy puts it,

“For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,” 2 Timothy 3:2

It’s extremely important to understand how God wants us to love ourselves first before we love our neighbour.

It goes back to the first commandment.

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” Mark 12:30

When we love God with all our HEART, SOUL, MIND and STRENGTH, we BECOME a NEW BEING.  The I, ME and Myself is now in Christ…In Christ alone!! The NEW reformed self that renews day by day to become more in the likeness of Jesus.

This precious inner Self, “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man” Ephesians 3:16

The regenerated self in Christ covers every aspect of us.

With all your heart

“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,” Ezekiel 11:19

With all your Soul

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” 2 Corinthians 4:16

With all your mind

“and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” Colossians 3:10

With all your strength

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” Romans 13:14

As we love Him the way He commanded the more we love the person God made us to be.

In the overflow of us loving him this way, we get a true sense of our self-worth which will result in a pure and holy love for our neighbor. Love that is undefiled just like the Love He has shown us. A greater Love that the world cannot give but is hungry for.  A love that we cannot show with our own strength but divinely flows through us to all around. May this love flow through each one of us so that

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

Let’s get back to the basics (Part 1) (Jennifer Wilkinson, November 2018)

     “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” Mark 12:30

Love the Lord your God with all your

“heart” – where are your affections today?
“soul” – are you convinced that you were bought with a price?
“mind” – do you easily get stressed out, afraid, angry, anxious??
“Strength”- our body is the temple of the living God. Do you treat it like one?

     Basically, it means Love Him with your EVERY THING. Your entire being without keeping anything to YOUR self. 
I love what the Westminster confession of faith states: What is the chief end of man? To love God and enjoy Him forever. 

He wants your complete devotion. 

Why is it so important for us to get this right?
Because we can’t do life, relationships and work without fully making this a priority. 

When you are struggling in your relationship with your parents, spouse, colleagues or your fellow brother or sister in Christ, go back and evaluate to see if Your Love for God is the way He commanded. 

You are depressed about your present, bitter about your past and are in fear of the future. Go back and reflect honestly over your love for Him. 

Even when you doubt if God truly loves you. Go back and do the ‘Love for God’ math (All Your Heart+ All your Soul+ All your Mind + ALL Your Strength= Love for God) 

You are frustrated and rejected because you feel justice has not been done to you. Pause, right there, friend! He feels your pain. And He is asking you, “Do you trust Me, My child? Love Me as I have commanded you. The first commandment I have given to you.”

It seems so basic and simple yet this commandment is the very foundation to our life and faith. 

Only when we obey and grasp this, we will fully understand the second most important commandment that Jesus gave us. 

“The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”” Mark 12:31

Are you finding it hard to love ‘that particular someone’ (neighbor) today?? You know what to check now :).

Who holds more stake: Jury or Audience? (Vasudha Gupta, August 2018)
     There is a common thread between most talent hunt shows: more than one jury member and the audience have a role to play in deciding who moves to the next round. And in many cases, the audience’s approval, or the lack of it, can be the game-changer.
     While life is more complicated than talent shows, we still have an audience surrounding us most of the time. Some of them even playing the unsolicited role of “judges”. And very often, we forget that the audience holds a stake only in reality shows. In real life, their stake is zero, and all stake belongs to the judge – who is the Lord Himself. James 4:12 says, “there is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy”. There is no one else who can truly judge us for our deeds and actions and reward us appropriately.
     It is fully possible for us to miss out on our rewards if we don’t build our lives carefully. We can only build our lives on the foundation of Christ. And anything we built will need to pass through the test of fire to test its quality. We only receive an award for that which remains after being tested by fire. Anything that is burnt up fetches us nothing (c.f. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). It’s very possible that every deed that fails the test of fire received mass and blanket approval of our earthly audience; and similarly, what passes the test of fire did not get any votes from the earthly audience. May we grow in living only for the pleasure of One (God).
     On one hand, this should serve as a huge encouragement for us to continue to be servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Opinions of people should never stop us from marching forward and stepping into the good works that God has prepared for us. We need to test our motives and intentions with the Lord, and not assume that we will be rewarded by the Lord because people around us think we are doing great. On the other hand, it should also discourage us from passing judgement on people. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says, “Do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”
     This, of course, does not rule out the Holy Spirit inspired correction and encouragement that we all need in our journey – both as receivers and as givers. If anyone is caught in any trespass, the one who are spiritual, should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1). Let no unwholesome word proceed from our mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29).

Thank God it’s Monday! (Arun Mohan, June 2018)
     Wouldn’t it be great to get up on a Monday morning, feeling excited about going to work? Wouldn’t it be awesome to feel that way every week, every year of your career?
     You don’t need to look at surveys or research reports to know how many people feel like that in today’s world. Stress, burn-out, therapy, meditation are common phrases among today’s workforce.
     The first step to walking towards the solution is to recognize that work is from God, and therefore work is good! Work was part of the world before the fall and God Himself works (Genesis 2:2-3, 2:15).
     When you work, don’t do it for your boss or to impress your colleagues, do it unto the Lord expecting a reward from Him alone (Colossians 3:23).
     Our God is the creator of this universe, and all of His creation is perfect. We’re made in His image, but does our work quality reflect this fact? Think about that for a moment. All work deserves the best from us, there are no “good” or “bad” jobs (Proverbs 12:11, Proverbs 12:24, Ecclesiastes 9:10).
     We may feel we’ll never match up to such expectations, but remember, we have hope & abundant grace available in Christ & thus have nothing to fear. God wants us to grow, in all aspects of our life – including our work (Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Timothy 1:7).
     We need wisdom to navigate through the multiple expectations, challenges, politics, favoritism at work and to do our best. It is challenging but the best part is that our God generously gives wisdom to do well to those who ask. As we apply His wisdom to our specific work scenarios and persevere, we see all manner of breakthroughs. Remember that He is so much bigger than our problems at work (James 1:5-6, Proverbs 16:3).
     Now that you have this knowledge, can you think of ideas on how to apply what you’ve learned in your workplace? What are some new habits that you would start? Some habits that you may break? How would you respond to feedback from your boss or peers? What do you think needs to change so that you can say “Thank God it’s Monday!”?

We are God’s Ambassadors (Dr. Srilathaa Gunasekaran, April 2018)
     There have been several instances where I was chosen to represent my department for public lectures – briefing about the scope of our services, the team, the technology that we have, other infrastructures and so on. And invariably every time there was a great sense of responsibility to showcase my organisation well – in every manner.
     A much higher responsibility has been given to everybody who has received salvation through the finished work on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. As sons and daughters of the living God, we have been called to live to a high standard. 1 John 2:6 says “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did”. Indeed it’s a great challenge for all of us!
     The Bible says “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). As children of God, everyone has been given this mandate to represent Him. Through our attitudes, behavior, speech and conduct – in every manner to represent the Living God on the face of this earth and BE the messengers of reconciliation. We are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing (2 Cor 2:15). We are the epistles whom the people would read. It may be intriguing to know that God did not choose his angels for this job but us.
     The oxford dictionary defines ambassador as an accredited diplomat sent by a state as its permanent representative in a foreign country. It may be worthy to note at this point that as ambassadors for Christ, our home is heaven and this earth is a foreign land to us. We are called to live on this earth as aliens and strangers (1 Peter 1:17, 2:11) with all our interests and affections set on the One who has sent us.
     God has also equipped us for the task at hand by sending us His precious Holy Spirit as our counsellor and guide. The Holy Spirit will remind us of all that God has spoken and will enable and empower us to walk in His ways and His power.
     Charles J. Finney, great American Evangelist of 19th century wrote: “Every Christian makes an impression by his conduct and either witnesses for one side or the other. He cannot help but constantly testify for or against religion. He is either gathering with Christ or scattering abroad. Every moment of your lives you are extending a tremendous influence that will tell on the immortal interests of the souls around you”.
     For the great love and the rich forgiveness that has been lavished upon us (Psalm 103:11–12) , let us respond by being effective ambassadors for Christ by His grace.

A Call to Love (Vasudha Gupta, February 2018)
     Many of us have these questions: What is God’s call for my life? What ministry does God want me to do? What gifts has God placed over my life? All these questions are important, but many times, in trying to find answers to these, we forget the foundational answer that underpins many other answers. And that is, loving one another just as Christ has loved us (John 13:34).
     We live in times where the meaning of love has been diluted severely. God Himself is love, and He has very clearly described the meaning of love for us. The standard of His love far surpasses the standard we see around in the world. It goes beyond emotions and feelings, and is ultimately measured by actions. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).
     Now of course, the opportunity to lay down our lives in the “literal” sense doesn’t arise very often. But opportunities which call us to make sacrifices to love others are in no dearth. We don’t need much talent or skill or gifting to do such things: giving food to the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, giving clothes to the naked, being hospitable to strangers, looking after the sick or visiting those in prison (Mathew 25:35-36).
     It pleases our Father’s heart when we love like Jesus. He loves it when we love! All of God’s commandments are summed up in the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves (Galatians 5:14). No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us (1 John 4:12).
     Genuine and authentic love will always cost us, however, when we love in all honesty, we don’t count that cost. But at the same time, God also wants that our love may abound more and more in knowledge and discernment (Philippians 1:9).
     Prophecies will cease, tongues will be stilled, knowledge will pass away. But love will remain (1 Corinthians 13: 8 & 13).
     Which “least of the brethren” will you go and love today?

Wisdom has the Advantage of Giving Success (J.S. Malik, December 2017)
     Wisdom is the ability to put Knowledge to the best effect and demands effectiveness. The opposite of Wisdom is folly. Earthly Wisdom is full of bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, arrogance and hypocrisy. Wisdom from above is pure, peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits & unwavering. Wise people agree with God and His word and display good behavior with deeds in gentleness. Words of Wisdom are contained in the Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelation with concentrated dose in books like Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs known as Wisdom literature. The Holy Bible serves as a manual for humans as each machine has a manual to obtain maximum efficiency. We are made by God and for God. We come to God by faith in Jesus through His grace and the Bible tells us that in the Lord Jesus Christ are hidden all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge.
     Wisdom has many aspects like trust, integrity, generosity, deligence, watchfulness with words, friendship and personal purity. King Solomon, son of King David, walked as a wise man in his initial days and Nabal, husband of Abigail, is known for his foolish behavior. God has not made us machines but given us the freedom of choice and we are to face consequences for wise as well as foolish behavior. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and the Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Fools despise Wisdom and Instruction. God stores up sound Wisdom for the uppright and says Wisdom is more precious than gold and silver. Wisdom helps us to navigate through the mazes of life so choose the ways of Wisdom for your benefit and God’s glory. Remember, Wisdom has the advantage of giving success (Ecclesiastes 10:10)

Panacea – the divine remedy!!
(Vasudha Gupta, September 2017)
     Do we all not desire a sovereign remedy for all our problems and situations? Something that will always work, like a wonder drug. Something that will work like a trump card when we do not know what move to make. Something that will be the magic bullet and will act even after everything else has failed. There is a panacea available to every believer – and that is praise and thanksgiving. Praise and thanksgiving releases the power and presence of God in our lives. And His powerful presence releases supernatural breakthroughs and deliverances. Chains break and walls fall when His presence invades. He inhabits the praises of His people. (Refer Psalm 22:3) 
     There are several occasions in the Bible when praise and thanksgiving gave victory to His people, and the same victory is available to us. In the life of Jehoshaphat, we see God miraculously defeat the enemy, because of the people’s obedience to praise Him. “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2 Chronicles 20:22). As Paul and Silas sat in prison and kept right on praising God, God sent an earthquake that shook the cells and broke the chains. The jailer and all his family came to know Christ that very night. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened” (Acts 16:25-26). 
     One of the calls upon every believer is to proclaim His praises. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;” (1 Peter 2:9) 
     Anytime we are in need of a panacea for our circumstances, we can start praising and thanking Him with a sincere and genuine heart. Anytime we are struggling to find out His will, we can start praising and thanking Him because that is always His will. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15). 

Overcoming Setbacks in Our Journey (Dr. Srilathaa Gunasekaran, August 2017)
     How often we have been through a situation when we plan to reach a particular place at a specific time and then we encounter obstacles along the way only to delay us or even cause us to change our plans. Well, the above is a seemingly innocuous example and not so disabling as much as the other major setbacks sometimes life offers us. Even the disciples of Jesus Christ were caught by surprise – a sudden storm in the middle of their journey that evening when they had set to sail in their boat (Refer Matthew 14:22-33). Thankfully it was Jesus in the first place who had asked them to cross over to the other side, who saw them struggling in the storm and came to their rescue. Even so, during the storms of our life, Jesus is surely watching over us and waiting to rescue us, even as He has promised He will never leave us nor forsakes us (Refer Hebrews 13:5).
     Well we may wonder then, what about the time lost, the changed plans, weight of pain and fear in our hearts and above all the major thoughts which the devil always haunts us with. “When you are a God’s child this shouldn’t have happened to you”. God has presented the truth in His word that in this world we WILL face tribulations (Refer John 16:33) and He has asked us to be of good cheer because HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD and He will surely help us to overcome too. Also the assurance of His presence in the middle of the trials should comfort and strengthen us. Not to forget that God is so committed to see each of us transformed into the image of His Son (2 Corinthians 3:18) and He uses these very situations of our lives. And the fact that God causes ALL THINGS to WORK TOGETHER for the GOOD of those who love God and for those who are called according to His purpose (Refer Romans 8:28) should put to rest the doubts and anxieties of our hearts. God is our good Father who even through the setbacks, equips us to strengthen and help others in need.

Blessedness of True Confession (J.S. Malik, June 2017)
     Dictionary defines Confession as – to acknowledge; to admit; to agree with. There is power in agreement. Confession is faith’s way of expressing itself. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” In Romans 10:9 we read, “If we confess with our mouth, Jesus as Lord and believe in our heart, that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.” A wise man agrees with God and His word. Confession is to agree with what is true. The word of God is true. God created with His words, Jesus healed with His words and we overcome the devil because of the blood of Jesus and because of our words. The voice of sin seems to be loud but the voice of forgiveness is louder.
     We must begin by discarding our bad reports. A bad report imprisons us and leads us to double confession, one good and the other, bad; having two confessions will destroy our confidence in the word of God. Words carry either creative or destructive power. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Our words have consequences. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Our thoughts become our words. God’s view-point needs to be our view-point. When we say what He says, the Holy Spirit guards us from outside invasion.
     God wants us to praise and thank Him whether we are in the wilderness of life or on the mountain top. Faith takes the promises of God and acts on believing them as true! Let us agree with the Psalmist in Psalm 38:18, 22, “For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin; make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!”

You are God’s delight  (Naveen Sam, May 2017)
     Living in the age of smartphones, most of us have the practice of using wallpapers and screen-savers. Interestingly, we prefer to use the portraits of our loved ones – our fiancée, spouse or children as wallpapers. Even in the earlier decades, people use to carry the pictures of their loved ones in their wallets (some of us still do). Take time to ponder, why do we use their portraits?
     Wallpapers and screensavers are those that we ofter see in our smart devices and we cherish to have a quick glimpse of our loved ones as much as possible. Oh, the assured smile it brings to our faces even in the midst of the busyness of our daily routines.
     The Lord says, He has engraved us in the palm of His hands. {Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me. Isaiah 49:16} Do you know, palm is the part we could often see among the various parts of our own body. In that case, why would the Lord say that He has engraved you in His palms. When a look at your child’s picture could bring a smile to your face, how much more a smile in the face of God, your eternal Father as He looks at you. Think about it!! God Almighty is your Father, you are His child, His delight, He cherishes you. Let us not allow the very old lie to master us saying, ‘God is against us and we can never please Him’; Jesus has paid the price on our behalf.
     In another instance, the Lord reminds us of His thoughts concerning us that He rejoices over us with songs of joy. {The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah 3:17 }. You are God’s celebration. The Lord is neither angry nor against you. God loves you with an everlasting love, you are so precious to Him that He paid the most expensive price (the sinless blood of Jesus) to redeem you. God is for you and is thinking of you all the time.
Would you choose to believe? 

Jesus’ call to ‘Turn & Trust’ vs Modern meaning of faith  (Joel K, April 2017)
     It has come into fashion, the last couple of centuries or so, to speak about faith as an option or “add on” to life, as something the religious are especially preoccupied with. Faith is often contrasted with knowledge. On the same note, faith is also treated as something to be held separate from the many aspects of everyday-life; something one should keep private but not display in public. In short, knowledge belongs to the public sphere and official parts of living, while faith is limited to the private and secluded. For many modern people, faith splits life in two: public and private distinct spheres.
     It is interesting that Jesus Christ considers the opposite to be true. Let us consider the beginning of the gospel of Mark with the modern context of faith in mind. Jesus said: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1.15). Jesus is calling the listener to prepare for the coming reign of God. According to the prophetic call of Jesus, the time has come for God to spread His divine power over the earth with love and justice, as the waters cover the sea. One may ask, “How is this to be done?”. Good question! Jesus is just about to get to that, repent and believe in the gospel.
     Jesus draws up the conditions for the spreading of God’s love and justice: repent and have faith. The Greek words used for repentance and belief can be translated as “turn and trust.” (Faith and belief have the same root word in Greek: pistis) Jesus’ point is to convince you and me to turn away from whatever we trust at the moment, and come to rely on his message instead.
     Now, in contrast to what was saw earlier, Jesus’ call to “turn and trust” makes little or no sense if faith is limited to the “private” in contrast to the “public.” Jesus’ call to the coming of the kingdom of God is to all of us to let go of a fragmented view of what it means to be human and live as if God’s love and justice depends on it; because IT DOES. The message of Jesus invites all to come into the light that no one could have expected, whether you are wise in the ways of the world or not. The call of God, Jesus’ call to “turn and trust” makes our lives whole and directs them to a life-long service of love and justice.

The Centrifugal Self-Sacrificing Love of God  (Joel K, February 2017)
     It has been said many times that God’s death on the cross is one of the strongest enactments of self-sacrificing love in history. The real questions for us, as a Jesus-following community, then becomes ”How can we re-enact this love today?” “How can we take up this cross and follow the self-sacrificing God?”
     There is no simple answer to these questions, but there is, I believe, nonetheless a practical and self-evident example presented to us, in the Gospel of Mark. Said differently, the answer will not reveal itself in knowledge but in praxis. Time and time again, Jesus from Nazareth returned and ministered to those known as “the least of these” (or “these little ones” as some translations put it) in Galilee and Judea, with a particular focus (Mk. 9.33-50). The ones living on the periphery of society were constantly at the centre of attention for the messenger of the kingdom of God. Jesus thereby showed a God interested in the ones living on the margins, a God interested in the ones we perhaps willing to overlook. In this way, Jesus’ love was not only made visible on the cross; Jesus’ entire ministry was cross-shaped in this focus to serve, visit, eat with, touch and heal those no one else wanted to be associated with. Children, people with different physical and mental disabilities, outcasts, tax collectors and foreigners were all at the centre of the coming of the kingdom. Jesus put people on the periphery at the centre. Therefore, if we put Jesus at the centre, we will be drawn towards the periphery too.
     A community unwilling or hesitant to welcome the “least of these” in to their midst will run the risk of missing out of God’s radical love at work. The self-sacrificing love of God is centrifugal, always keeps on pushing you towards the edge of your capacity to love; always expanding the boundaries of your heart . It is and can be a painful experience to have one’s heart expanded in this way, to move out of one’s comfort zone. However, the symbol of the cross is not a symbol of comfort.
     For a meditation, take some time and read through Mark 10.35-44, and ask yourself: If I put myself in the position of these disciples asking Jesus for a way to share in his glory, will I also be willing to have my heart expanded, my love pushed towards the periphery? Who are the people living on the margins that God is showing me to love? How can I take up the cross of self sacrificing love and follow Jesus ?

On the rock!  (Vasudha Gupta, January 2017)
     Jesus said, “… everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
( Matthew 7:24-27)
     We are a blessed generation to have such easy access to the word of God, in our country at least. People have given up their lives that some may have access to a bible. We live in times where many of us have several versions of the bibles in print form and have countless e-versions in our pocket. Living in the age of Facebook and Twitter, almost all of us “like” and “follow” our favourite preachers, gospel singers and several other biblical resources. We are constantly ‘hearing’ the teachings from Scripture almost all the day-long. More knowledge is available today than was ever available in history. What are we building from this knowledge: A house upon the rock or a sandcastle? The answer is simple: how much of the hearing is turning into ‘doing’ and how much of the knowledge is turning into obedience.
     All our knowledge is in vain if we do not put it into practice. Knowledge that never translates into obedience is useful only for deception. As we read in James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” The house that Jesus talked about in Matthew 7 did not fall because of the rain or the streams or the winds, it fell because it was built on sand. Jesus gave no blame on the circumstances.
     Even though the foundation is not visible externally, the builder knows whether it is on the rock or on sand. We are the builder of our house and our life. The only way to ensure that we are building the foundation of our lives on the rock is to live in constant obedience. Even if we have built a sandcastle, the good news is, with God’s help we can demolish it and build a house upon the rock before the rain comes, the streams rise and the winds begin to blow. He is always ready to help the humble. Let us remember that pressures of life never cause cracks in our character, they only reveal what’s existing.

Press-on to overcome frustration  (J.S.Malik, January 2017)
     Dictionary defines frustration as disappointment; defeat. A symptom to operating under frustration is that we handle situations in our own strength. One lesson to learn in God is that He never wants us to be swallowed up with anything other than Himself. I John 5:4 says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world – our faith”. If we, God’s people are frustrated and cannot get past something, we must encounter Jesus, the Son of God, who will deal kindly with us and work in our hearts until light can shine in us and enlighten us about Him. When Paul was knocked off from his horse, the Lord Jesus was saying to him, “Your life will now be lived by Me living through you and telling you what to do.” God is willing to permit certain things to take place in order that the operative power in our lives become His and not ours. We are in danger when our source of strength and refuge is our ‘self’.
     We must not feel embarrassed by trouble, but learn to turn to God continually for deliverance. Holy Bible tells us that we are made alive in Jesus for the purpose of walking(pressing-on) in the newness of life giving glory to Him. God’s view-point needs to be our view-point. Depression leads us to live in anger, stubbornness and darkness, locked into our own view-point. The desire to pressing on involves yielding to the Word of God. It is God’s Word that equips and makes us ready. Revelation is an understanding released in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is the basis of strength that comes from God. Let us consider Jesus instead of considering our own ways of getting free from our frustrations. We do not wait to be set free and then go to God, but we go to Him to be set free. We must accept God’s ways of dealing with frustration and His ways are contained in His Word and let us agree with the psalmist “In You they trusted and were not disappointed (Psalm 22:5)”

Trust like a child (Naveen Sam, October 2016)
     I watched a four year old boy sitting beside his father and watching Cartoon Network. When advertisement featured his favorite toy, the boy asked his father, ‘Daddy, would you get me this toy’, his father patiently responded, ‘I will’ and the boy continued to enjoy the cartoon show. It really caught my attention to see the young boy rest assured without any doubt or second thought. He was very much convinced that his father would buy him the toys. Well, it’s a caution for us to what we commit to our children, but at the flip side we see how God expects us to find rest in His promises.
     The Lord has promised in His word saying, “… I know the plans that I have for you, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). The Lord is true to His word and is utterly faithful to His promises. There is a future and hope for those who choose to put their trust in Him.
     Trust is a strong and weightier word. The bible calls those blessed who choose to trust in the Lord. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17:7). Would you choose to trust Him with your life? Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) When our soul gets burdened and becomes heavy with the cares and concerns of this world, would we turn to Him and lay down our burdens in His presence, there we find much expected peace and a renewed hope for the future.
     Many a time we struggle to work out our faith in God, our intellect tries to reason that which is to be received and acted upon by faith. Let us choose to trust God and not rely on our own understanding. The Lord God is our eternal Father who cares for us more that we do for ourselves.

Whose heart would you rather hurt? (Vasudha Gupta, June 2016)
     One thing we all do – make choices. Many a time, our choice is results between these two –hurting our own heart or hurting the heart of the Heavenly Father. Our flesh wants us to choose what gives us most pleasure – it is desperate to ensure that our own heart never experience any hurt, pain or sorrow. Never does it take into account that this choice might hurt the heart of the One who created us. It does not even realize that this pleasure will be short-lived and may result in more heartache – almost bigger than the ones it tried to prevent.
Our heart needs to delight in what the Lord delights in. It should please our heart to please the Father’s heart. When His heart hurts, ours should actually tear apart in agony. May the Lord bring us to a place where we can truly proclaim, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (cf. Philippians 3:8). When we need to choose between hurting our heart and His’ – let us rather hurt our own. It won’t hurt too long anyway as the Lord has promised tremendous and eternal joy in obedience! Abraham received a great promise after he made a choice of letting his own heart hurt by laying down Isaac on the altar. For sure, it would not have been an easy thing for Abraham to do! The angel pronounced a glorious blessing over Abraham saying, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, BECAUSE YOU HAVE OBEYED ME.” (cf. Genesis 22:16-18)
Passing through temporary heart-aches for the sake of the Kingdom is a risk-free investment. Investopedia refers “low risk = low return” – but we see a different equation in the Kingdom. This investment is not only risk-free, but also has guaranteed and atrocious returns! Returns not just for this life, but also for heaven; returns not just for us, but for our generations to come.

Hope deferred makes the Heart sick (J.S. Malik, February 2016)
     Dictionary defines hope as desire combined with expectation. Biblical hope is not wishful thinking. Hope as per the Bible is sure, joyful expectation of good coming to us irrespective of our present circumstances because of who our God is and what He has accomplished through the cross of Christ. Christ in us, the hope of glory. Hope is the anchor of our soul.
Hope is the fruit of an intimate relationship with God in Christ Jesus. Hopelessness manifests in grief, depression, aggressive and reckless behavior. Godly hope motivates us. Our Savior Lord Jesus Christ is good and utterly dependable. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope“. The word of God contained in scriptures gives us hope. Love hopes all things and never fails. When God is on our side, the size of the enemy is insignificant. The best reason for hope is God’s unfailing love and covenant keeping faithfulness. Hopelessness speaks of position. Ephesians 2:13-14 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall“. Therefore if any person is in Christ, he is a new creature and God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. The Bible teaches us to abound in Godly hope by working with the character of God, positional truths, magnificent promises, rehearsing past victories, revelation of election and calling. Do not yield to hopelessness because pressing on is the attitude of the righteous. We are the victors because of our union life with the Lord Jesus Christ. A wise man agrees with God and His word. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but desire fulfilled is a tree of life“. Let us make a choice today to keep beholding the lamb of God (Lord Jesus Christ) who is the source of our hope and shalom.

Endurance brings Victory (J.S. Malik, November 2015)
     Dictionary defines endurance as perseverance, patience, to remain firm, durable, to bear. James 1:2-4 says “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trails, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance & let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect & complete, lacking in nothing”. The testing of one’s faith is a glorious opportunity for the redeemed to be worked upon by their Redeemer (Lord Jesus Christ). Endurance is a heavenly reality & only a person in union with the Savior (Jesus) can be experientially acquainted with this divine impartation. The testing of faith is not to be avoided & it is not biblical thought that testing is a life in turmoil. Holy bible tells us that His (Jesus) grace is sufficient to overcome depression & His love endures forever.
During the course of trial the saints falter when they become their own refuge, but a believer must agree with the words of God spoken through Apostle Paul for deliverance as per Hebrew 12:1-3. “Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witness surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance & the sin which so easily entangles us & let us run with endurance, the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author & perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, for consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary & lose heart”. Wow! Our God, the great God, ruler over all, He reigns! Fixing our eyes on Jesus, means to know who Jesus is, what He has done & all that He represents to us – His word of faith. As we come to Him in His word contained in Holy bible we are given opportunity to have our minds renewed & given a new place to set our minds on the things above with the mind of Christ, that announces, “The Lord Jesus Reigns”.

Googling Abundant life (Gunasekaran J, October 2015)
               The highly respected, late US president Abraham Lincoln said,” In the end it is not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” Many of us wonder from time to time about the meaning and purpose of our life here on earth. Bible says, “The living God has planted vacuum in human hearts & minds which nothing under the sun but He alone can satisfy”.
          God created our first parents Adam and Eve to share an intimate relationship with them. However, they disobeyed Him by choosing to sin. As a result, sin crept into every part of our life, our families, societies and nations. Bible states that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23). The various forms of sin are lying, cheating, malice, jealousy, pride, selfishness, immorality, lust, adultery, illicit sex, addictions etc.
Bible says, “God so loved the world (us), that he gave His only son Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). He did not allow us to wander away in our sin but instead provided a solution to this sin problem by sending His son Jesus Christ to die for you and me. You may think why Jesus had to die? And why not any human being on earth? As per the law book of God, the punishment for sin is our very life. The life is in the blood. Either my blood has to be shed or the blood of a sinless person on my behalf. Praise God, the historical death of Christ on my behalf & His rising from the dead secured not only the forgiveness of our sins but also an abundant, eternal life for those who would believe in this work of Christ.
Jesus said, “I came that you may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Thus we can expect healing for our bodies, all manner of provisions for our needs, peace & joy in the midst of difficult circumstances etc. So, how does this happen? How does one make peace with God and enjoy this abundant, purpose filled eternal life? By this simple prayer from the heart, “O God, I am a sinner, I am sorry for my sin, I am willing to turn from my sin. I receive Christ as Savior, I confess Him as Lord; I believe that He died for the forgiveness of my sin and rose to life forever to secure my eternal life.

Encouragement – Oxygen to broken hearted (J.S. Malik, July 2015)
              Dictionary defines encouragement as an act of encouraging, to give support, to assist, to inspire with hope, to appreciate, to promote and to comfort. Apostle Barnabas was known as the son-of-encouragement, who loved others more than himself. We should not underestimate the power of a kind word, an honest compliment, a listening ear, visiting the sick and praying for one another. God’s word has the power to change what has gone wrong in our lives, hallelujah! May be, you who is reading this have lived as broken hearted, have never known that your life could be different and full of peace; well, let us turn to Lord Jesus Christ – the chief encourager, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Surely, there is blessedness in knowing the Jesus of Nazareth and the Holy Bible contains all that you need to know about Him. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature.
We can only give what we have, we must learn to encourage ourselves with the promises of God from Scripture. Psalm 68:1a says, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered”. We let God arise by rejoicing and lifting up a song of praise before Him. We are filled with the peace that God gives us in His Son Jesus Christ and we can be used as instruments to minister His peace to others. The enemy of discouragements needs to be defeated for victorious Christian walk. Let us always be ready to be ambassadors of Lord Jesus Christ as God has blessed us to be a blessing to others. Let us make a choice today to encourage the broken hearted for their good and for the glory of God. Help me Lord to be an effective encourager for your glory. I thank our Lord Jesus Christ for sending effective encouragers in my life who gave me oxygen of encouragement in my most depressing situations and saved me when I was close to fainting.