“He who supplies seed to the sower... will supply and increase your store of seed”  2 Cor 9: 10 A farmer would be proud of his produce. When he is harvesting, especially when the harvest is plenty, he has the right to be proud. He had worked hard by sowing the seed and tending the field with utmost care. Day after day he had toiled to remove the weeds and provide the right type of manure and exact amount of water needed for the growth. Now he has rightly earned his reward.  But Paul is pointing to another factor in the farmer’s success story: God. What part God has played in this success story? God is the source of this success. He provided the farmer with the seed he needed to bring out the product.  Seed is the basic thing for the whole story of success. But which farmer remembers the seed and thanks God for it! It is same with our success stories. We strive, toil and reap success. We are proud of our achievements. If anyone asks the secret of our success, w...

“My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare”  Psalm 25: 15 Power and position attracts not only friends but also enemies. As a person grows in stature, his/her enemies increase. This Psalm, written at the later stage of David’s life, talks of how he was surrounded by enemies. In the beginning of Psalm 25, David is talking about these ‘treacherous’ enemies who are trying to ‘shame’ him. Snares are spread on the way and around every corner. A little slip on the part of David would be used to paint a vicious picture of David and destroy his authority as a king. What was David’s response to this situation? As a king, he definitely had many advisers. He could also seek wise counsel from his closest friends. Even when he was fleeing from Absalom, there were confidants around him. But David did something which was unusual for a king. What he did could be termed as something too simple for a king of his stature. He said,  “My eyes are ever on the Lor...

Altar of Tudhoe Methodist Church “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he taught as on who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law”  Matthew 7: 28 & 29 Jesus amazed everyone through his teachings. He did not entertain the crowd which had gathered around him, but taught them the truths of the Kingdom of God. It was not the humour, but the authority which endeared his teachings to the masses.  There were several teachers during the time of Jesus. They also talked about the commandments God gave to Moses and about God. But Bible says the crowd identified the difference between them and Jesus. Jesus spoke with authority. It touched them as many came asking him what to do and to clarify whether he was the messiah.   Jesus’ authority came from the fact that he was sent by the Father, and his message was from God and about God. This authority in turn gave credibility to Him and his message. But his messa...

Understanding the Scriptures “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures”  Luke 24: 45 What do we need to understand the meaning of the Scriptures? Do we need to learn the original languages of the Scriptures – Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek? Is it based on the knowledge of the biblical background, and our ability to use Bible dictionaries or our understanding of recent scholarly discussions? Of course, these help to some extent in our understanding. But what makes us apply the Scriptures to our context and our situation? What makes us feel that these words are written for us and for our lives? Or should we rephrase the question and ask WHO helps in this process.  The Jews of Jesus’ time studied the Scriptures from their childhood. They had to memorise the Laws of Moses and keep in mind the large portions of Prophets and Writings. They always remembered their history through their annual festivals. In this way, even an average Jew was aware of what was writt...

“ Today I have made you a fortified city,  an iron pillar  and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land. ” Jeremiah 1: 18 God promised to make Jeremiah an iron pillar. This was an indication that Jeremiah would be given inner strength to face the challenges while he fulfilled his calling to be a prophet. In the earlier post Iron Pillar: Inner Strength , I mentioned that this was a promise by God to make Jeremiah emotionally and physically strong in life-threatening situations and that he should stand “ against the whole land – against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land ” (1:18). With that strength Jeremiah went onto fulfil his mission of proclaiming the destruction of Jerusalem, which was wrought by the sins of the people.    This image of inner strength represented by the iron pillar can also be extended further to indicate the call to be a support to others. Pillars do support big structures, even when they are hidden fro...