Tuesday, April 12, 2011
GRACE
don't be afraid to preach the radical nature of the gospel of grace...it is by grace that you are saved and when you come under his love you cant sin no more because the mosaic laws move from writing on the wall to a love pact etched on your heart..
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
THE SPORTS YOKE!
Hi There,
I was reading Mathew 11.25 where Jesus says Father thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves wise and clever and for revealing it to the childlike.He is so amazing that many a time he leaves scholars dumbfounded by the revelation of christ spoken out by the judged to be "uneducated".
As we read on he says "Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.He continues ..take my yoke upon you and let me teach you because iam humble and gentle and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light. WOW!
YOKES are used to hold oxen on to a one track job like ploughing a field and thats normally done with a whip as an incentive..normally these yokes are made standard and sometimes it eats into the flesh leaving scars..
So what is this light perfect fit yoke that Jesus is talking about? The regular yoke when attached on to your neck makes you do the motions whether you like it or not because at the end of the day you need your INCENTIVE.However the yoke that Jesus is talkin about is not something thats imposed on you nor does it cause scars if accepted willingly.With the yoke He will gently move along with you. When the devil says that you are not worthy and you will not be able to live upto his standards, he will gently guide you with encouraging promises like "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man and God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear but when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.(1 cor 10:13) " and when the tempter comes and tell you that you are finshed he will gently guide you through another promise " that as we grow in our knowledge of God through his divine power he gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 peter 1:3)"
Now again the tempter will say but how can a holy God forget your evil deeds and God will teach you gently through Hebrews 8:12 and 10:17, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Each time you feel down he will come to your side and make sure that you get up and even when you try to run away he will humbly call you again and again and make sure that you rise up and shine.Slowly you will see that the yoke thats upon you is not a burden but a pleasure to carry and sometimes you may feel that the yoke is carrying you.Wherever you look you will see that the fields are white and ready for harvest and the yoke that you carry becomes a effective tool which empowers you. and as you move forward you wil see the fields behind you are already harvested and you will see mercy and goodness following you the rest of the days of your life..
What he has done in my life he can do in yours too.Dont get stuck on religion because thats not what Jesus came to do or establish, he came to restablish your relation ship with The Father..stay blessed
Your brother in Christ
surej jacob
www.theheavenlyfeast.org
I was reading Mathew 11.25 where Jesus says Father thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves wise and clever and for revealing it to the childlike.He is so amazing that many a time he leaves scholars dumbfounded by the revelation of christ spoken out by the judged to be "uneducated".
As we read on he says "Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.He continues ..take my yoke upon you and let me teach you because iam humble and gentle and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light. WOW!
YOKES are used to hold oxen on to a one track job like ploughing a field and thats normally done with a whip as an incentive..normally these yokes are made standard and sometimes it eats into the flesh leaving scars..
So what is this light perfect fit yoke that Jesus is talking about? The regular yoke when attached on to your neck makes you do the motions whether you like it or not because at the end of the day you need your INCENTIVE.However the yoke that Jesus is talkin about is not something thats imposed on you nor does it cause scars if accepted willingly.With the yoke He will gently move along with you. When the devil says that you are not worthy and you will not be able to live upto his standards, he will gently guide you with encouraging promises like "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man and God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear but when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.(1 cor 10:13) " and when the tempter comes and tell you that you are finshed he will gently guide you through another promise " that as we grow in our knowledge of God through his divine power he gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 peter 1:3)"
Now again the tempter will say but how can a holy God forget your evil deeds and God will teach you gently through Hebrews 8:12 and 10:17, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Each time you feel down he will come to your side and make sure that you get up and even when you try to run away he will humbly call you again and again and make sure that you rise up and shine.Slowly you will see that the yoke thats upon you is not a burden but a pleasure to carry and sometimes you may feel that the yoke is carrying you.Wherever you look you will see that the fields are white and ready for harvest and the yoke that you carry becomes a effective tool which empowers you. and as you move forward you wil see the fields behind you are already harvested and you will see mercy and goodness following you the rest of the days of your life..
What he has done in my life he can do in yours too.Dont get stuck on religion because thats not what Jesus came to do or establish, he came to restablish your relation ship with The Father..stay blessed
Your brother in Christ
surej jacob
www.theheavenlyfeast.org
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
my real journey begins..2006
Hi again‚
The other day I was watching "War of the Worlds" a Spielberg movie. It was about seemingly indestructible aliens invading our planet and about mans pathetic resistance to them. However in the end the aliens start dying one by one and the narrator says "from the moment they arrived‚ breathed our air‚ ate and drank they were doomed"." After all of mans weapons and devices had failed‚ they were undone‚ destroyed‚ by the tiniest creatures that God in his infinite wisdom‚ had put on earth".
Isn’t it amazing that ultimately when everything else fails God is the only answer? may of us call out to him and get the answer‚ many don’t call out but still he‚ in his mercy provides‚ some recognize the hand of God in that provision‚ some don’t. Why? I guess no one has the answer. Maybe we with our bloated ego do not want to acknowledge the hand of God in our lives or let others know that you are depending on God for fear of ridicule.
Long time back I remember when my sister told me her testimony of a healed ear‚ I felt ashamed of her at that point of time. I was saying to myself‚ what’s wrong with her‚ why can’t she go to good ENT and get it cured? Why does she go and attend prayer meetings with religious fanatics and claim all this? Sincerely at that point of time I felt ashamed that she should go for such a meeting.
I remember the time when we had a college mates‚ old friends‚ whatever new year eve reunion and how most of us where high and how we were having a party on the terrace of a friends place and how at the same time his relatives where having a prayer in the house below and how one of us went down the stairs and poked his head through a window and scared the wits out of them. To us at that point of time‚ the people in that room praying were a wayward bunch of fanatics who had nothing better to do on a New Year eve.
Sometimes when I look back‚ I feel maybe they would have joined hands and prayed for the wayward bunch on the terrace‚ because most of the guys n gals who were there on that day have all given their life to Jesus at some point of time in life and are in full time ministry. Only a few like me are still on the border holding it out and weighing the pros and cons. I know there are no pros and cons here but then‚ the I in me‚ I feel is yet to give up.
I had a lot of friends‚ but after I accepted Jesus the number of friends I have lost I feel is tremendous‚ some of them don’t call back or answer telephones‚ some don’t reply to emails‚ some don’t bother acknowledging your very existence‚ Some of the relatives look at you in bewilderment and ask through looks are you sure you are O.K.?
But I guess even though it hurts at times‚ it is O.K.‚ because I can pray for them without any inhibitions and know for sure that god will do his work in their lives as he did in my life .
This New Year I would like to spend some time for all the friends and relatives who have passed through my life and for all those who are still there with a very simple prayer. It says in Mark 11:24 that" therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer‚ believe that you received it and it is yours.(NIV)
Lord I thank you for all the wonderful friends and relatives that you gave me‚ please bless them immensely in the year 2006 and help them to move closer to you and I want to pray for those friends and relatives who passed through my life and moved away after I came to know you‚ please bless them also immensely in 2006 and help them to know you in truth and spirit. Help them to shed all inhibitions and help them to let go off traditions. Help them to know that there is only one true God and that he exists‚ not in different sects or different forms but as one. Help them to understand in depth‚ the few basic simple teachings that are required to follow you in truth and spirit. Amen.
And hey wish you all a fantastic 2006 filled with right kind of spirit!
Lots love n prayers
Suraj Jacob
For God so loved the world‚ that he gave his only begotten Son‚ that whosoever believeth in him should not perish‚ but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17
The other day I was watching "War of the Worlds" a Spielberg movie. It was about seemingly indestructible aliens invading our planet and about mans pathetic resistance to them. However in the end the aliens start dying one by one and the narrator says "from the moment they arrived‚ breathed our air‚ ate and drank they were doomed"." After all of mans weapons and devices had failed‚ they were undone‚ destroyed‚ by the tiniest creatures that God in his infinite wisdom‚ had put on earth".
Isn’t it amazing that ultimately when everything else fails God is the only answer? may of us call out to him and get the answer‚ many don’t call out but still he‚ in his mercy provides‚ some recognize the hand of God in that provision‚ some don’t. Why? I guess no one has the answer. Maybe we with our bloated ego do not want to acknowledge the hand of God in our lives or let others know that you are depending on God for fear of ridicule.
Long time back I remember when my sister told me her testimony of a healed ear‚ I felt ashamed of her at that point of time. I was saying to myself‚ what’s wrong with her‚ why can’t she go to good ENT and get it cured? Why does she go and attend prayer meetings with religious fanatics and claim all this? Sincerely at that point of time I felt ashamed that she should go for such a meeting.
I remember the time when we had a college mates‚ old friends‚ whatever new year eve reunion and how most of us where high and how we were having a party on the terrace of a friends place and how at the same time his relatives where having a prayer in the house below and how one of us went down the stairs and poked his head through a window and scared the wits out of them. To us at that point of time‚ the people in that room praying were a wayward bunch of fanatics who had nothing better to do on a New Year eve.
Sometimes when I look back‚ I feel maybe they would have joined hands and prayed for the wayward bunch on the terrace‚ because most of the guys n gals who were there on that day have all given their life to Jesus at some point of time in life and are in full time ministry. Only a few like me are still on the border holding it out and weighing the pros and cons. I know there are no pros and cons here but then‚ the I in me‚ I feel is yet to give up.
I had a lot of friends‚ but after I accepted Jesus the number of friends I have lost I feel is tremendous‚ some of them don’t call back or answer telephones‚ some don’t reply to emails‚ some don’t bother acknowledging your very existence‚ Some of the relatives look at you in bewilderment and ask through looks are you sure you are O.K.?
But I guess even though it hurts at times‚ it is O.K.‚ because I can pray for them without any inhibitions and know for sure that god will do his work in their lives as he did in my life .
This New Year I would like to spend some time for all the friends and relatives who have passed through my life and for all those who are still there with a very simple prayer. It says in Mark 11:24 that" therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer‚ believe that you received it and it is yours.(NIV)
Lord I thank you for all the wonderful friends and relatives that you gave me‚ please bless them immensely in the year 2006 and help them to move closer to you and I want to pray for those friends and relatives who passed through my life and moved away after I came to know you‚ please bless them also immensely in 2006 and help them to know you in truth and spirit. Help them to shed all inhibitions and help them to let go off traditions. Help them to know that there is only one true God and that he exists‚ not in different sects or different forms but as one. Help them to understand in depth‚ the few basic simple teachings that are required to follow you in truth and spirit. Amen.
And hey wish you all a fantastic 2006 filled with right kind of spirit!
Lots love n prayers
Suraj Jacob
For God so loved the world‚ that he gave his only begotten Son‚ that whosoever believeth in him should not perish‚ but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17
Saturday, June 14, 2008
compassion & acceptance
Hi everyone,
I have been sitting here in front of the pc with my fingers on the key board attempting my favorite style of typing i.e. pick n choose with one finger, forget qwerty or whatever and waiting for my Cray to process the same at unimaginable speeds so that the same can be sent out to different parts of the world (the Cray that I imagine owning is an old trusty rusty p4 heh! heh!) But, however hard I tried I could not type anything, I was wondering what was happening, this is strange, I asked god why am I not able to do the job you had asked me to do. A small still voice told me, just look back at the last week and check whether everything that you did was what Jesus would have done or is it something else?. So I started listing out the events that happened in the last one week…
Well I realized that what I had done was not what he would have wanted me to do by even a long shot.
I realized that I had been complaining about my job, about how much effort I am putting in, about how my boss seems to ignore this, about how I feel he has not compensated me enough, in the process forgetting that in a time of need, he was there to pull me out and forgetting that there must be a reason for him to behave in that manner.
I was complaining about how colleagues at the work place were taking things for granted, and stepping all over me, but forgetting that they too are human beings having their own problems in life.
How in spite of tithing I still am at times having financial shortage, but at the same time not seeing that at times I am not being 100% faithful with finances( e.g. even though I get paid for the fuel expenses in total, where is my fuel contribution for the personal use? No one has specified this but did I bother to ask for the rule or did I just go with the flow because it is more beneficial?)
I realized how a friend who does not have anyone in the world was in hospital with a stroke and how my response was to just buy a book on how god surprises you, and leave it at that and not spend more time with him or spend time for him in prayer. Why did I not have the compassion to sit with him in his hour of need?
I kept on listing more and more things. Man here Iam trying to live like Jesus did and trying to share it with others but when I look back at just a week, I feel thoroughly ashamed at my lack of compassion. Where is my effort in relating with everyone that I meet, do I try to be in their shoes before passing of a remark about them even if it is only to my wife? I do understand that compassion is not the same as acceptance because that would mean abandoning our values and falling away from god. Do I try to hold on to the very basic foundation of our belief and meet people wherever they are standing in life and try to relate with them and testify so that they will see the attraction of being close to god?. I realized that my lack of compassion was turning away some of the very people I was trying to reach with Christ's message.
In Colossians 4:5, Paul writes, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
Am I not trying to be perfect with the way things are to be done and in the process losing out on the compassion side? At times if Iam right I find it difficult to let go and forget that it is better to leave it for god to act upon, so that others will understand the attraction of being a Christian.
Lord please forgive me, my callousness, I want to change this today now and move ahead in life. Hence forth whenever I feel that Iam being trodden upon or feel that life is not being fair with me, I will not complain to others about the situation, I will pray to you and leave it for you to act upon
Amen
Your brother in Christ
suraj jacob....... www.theheavenlyfeast.org
I have been sitting here in front of the pc with my fingers on the key board attempting my favorite style of typing i.e. pick n choose with one finger, forget qwerty or whatever and waiting for my Cray to process the same at unimaginable speeds so that the same can be sent out to different parts of the world (the Cray that I imagine owning is an old trusty rusty p4 heh! heh!) But, however hard I tried I could not type anything, I was wondering what was happening, this is strange, I asked god why am I not able to do the job you had asked me to do. A small still voice told me, just look back at the last week and check whether everything that you did was what Jesus would have done or is it something else?. So I started listing out the events that happened in the last one week…
Well I realized that what I had done was not what he would have wanted me to do by even a long shot.
I realized that I had been complaining about my job, about how much effort I am putting in, about how my boss seems to ignore this, about how I feel he has not compensated me enough, in the process forgetting that in a time of need, he was there to pull me out and forgetting that there must be a reason for him to behave in that manner.
I was complaining about how colleagues at the work place were taking things for granted, and stepping all over me, but forgetting that they too are human beings having their own problems in life.
How in spite of tithing I still am at times having financial shortage, but at the same time not seeing that at times I am not being 100% faithful with finances( e.g. even though I get paid for the fuel expenses in total, where is my fuel contribution for the personal use? No one has specified this but did I bother to ask for the rule or did I just go with the flow because it is more beneficial?)
I realized how a friend who does not have anyone in the world was in hospital with a stroke and how my response was to just buy a book on how god surprises you, and leave it at that and not spend more time with him or spend time for him in prayer. Why did I not have the compassion to sit with him in his hour of need?
I kept on listing more and more things. Man here Iam trying to live like Jesus did and trying to share it with others but when I look back at just a week, I feel thoroughly ashamed at my lack of compassion. Where is my effort in relating with everyone that I meet, do I try to be in their shoes before passing of a remark about them even if it is only to my wife? I do understand that compassion is not the same as acceptance because that would mean abandoning our values and falling away from god. Do I try to hold on to the very basic foundation of our belief and meet people wherever they are standing in life and try to relate with them and testify so that they will see the attraction of being close to god?. I realized that my lack of compassion was turning away some of the very people I was trying to reach with Christ's message.
In Colossians 4:5, Paul writes, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
Am I not trying to be perfect with the way things are to be done and in the process losing out on the compassion side? At times if Iam right I find it difficult to let go and forget that it is better to leave it for god to act upon, so that others will understand the attraction of being a Christian.
Lord please forgive me, my callousness, I want to change this today now and move ahead in life. Hence forth whenever I feel that Iam being trodden upon or feel that life is not being fair with me, I will not complain to others about the situation, I will pray to you and leave it for you to act upon
Amen
Your brother in Christ
suraj jacob....... www.theheavenlyfeast.org
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