Humility is one of the most vital attitudes that every christian must have to lead a healthy and fruitful life. Yet, our sinful nature and the world we live in, makes it incredibly difficult to stay humble. Pride is one of the most obnoxious things to God, and the Bible teaches that God resists the proud while he gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34). Elsewhere in scripture we see that God knows the proud from afar (Psalms 138:6). In the light of these verses, every Christian ought to find ways to stay humble at all times. There might be times...
Monday, July 1, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The Light of New Jerusalem
The following is adapted from the book Apocalypse: Lectures on the book of Revelation by J.A Seiss.
That shining is not from any material combustion, - not from any consumption of fuel that needs to be replaced as one supply burns out; for it is the uncreated light of Him who is light, dispensed by and through the Lamb as the everlasting lamp, to the home, and hearts, and understandings, of His glorified saints. When Paul and Silas lay wounded and bound in the inner dungeon of the prison of Philippi, they still had the sacred light which...
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The LORD is in His Holy Temple (Psalm 11)
Today, we are going to consider another psalm written by David. This short psalm of seven verses, is David's reply to a confused saint of his day who doubted the survival of the righteous. Then, as it is today many had reasoned that since most of society was going astray from God and true religion, the righteous would soon have to follow suit to avoid becoming completely irrelevant in society. David confronts this argument with a succinct reminder of who God is and the extent of his power and influence.
Verses 1-3
In the LORD I take refuge, how...
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Why Do You Hide Yourself? (Psalm 10)
As one can see from the title of this Psalm, it is written out of a great desire to see God act swiftly in the Psalmist's life. At the time of writing, the Psalmist feels like God has intentionally hidden Himself, and the only question that pops up in the mind of the psalmist is "Why"? This is a familiar feeling for most Christians if not all, we all go through periods of dryness where we cannot experience God, or we feel like God has abandoned us. Some have called this experience, the dark night of the soul. This period, however is used by God...
Friday, June 14, 2013
I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds (Psalm 9)
This Psalm is another of David's many Praise psalms where he is either himself praising God or calling out the people to give praise to God. This particular psalm launches with four "I will" statements showing David's conscious decision to give praise to God for two reasons. Firstly, David expresses gratitude to God for the things God has done in his life. Secondly, David praises God and worships Him for who God is. What God is, and what God does for His people are closely related. The Psalm reveals God as a righteous judge and a savior of the...
Thursday, June 13, 2013
How Majestic Is Your Name (Psalm 8)
This Psalm is a Praise psalm and is unlike some of the Psalms we have considered before. Evidently, David is writing this during a good season in his life because he doesn't make any mention of his troubles. The Psalm can be divided into two parts. In the first part, David attempts to glorify the name of God by describing Him and his works. In the second part, David ponders on the position of mankind in God's created universe.
1. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
David uses...
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
In You Do I Take Refuge (Psalm 7)
The seventh Psalm in the book of psalms, is termed as a Shiggaion. A Shiggaion is defined as an "erratic melody betokening excitement and agitation." So we see that Psalm is again straight from David's heart and he is not concerned about the melody and the aesthetics of the psalm. He simply wants to pour out his heart through this song to God and his hearers.
As one proceeds through this psalm, it is easy to see that David progresses through many stages. In the first stage, David is pleading for divine intervention to deliver him from his enemies....
Monday, June 10, 2013
O Lord, Deliver My Life (Psalm 6)
This Psalm paints a picture out of David's personal struggles and desperation. It is a very intense psalm written from the heart of a man who seems to be crushed from all sides. However, as we have seen time and time again hope springs eternal in David' heart and by the end of the Psalm he is once again in a defiant mood.
1. O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
David seems to have made a habit out of starting most of his Psalms with a direct plea to God. This time his plea is for mercy from God. He fears God's...
Friday, June 7, 2013
You are Not Your Body
I just wanted to quickly share this anecdote I read just now. The time is now 11:13 pm and it is time for me to sleep, but I felt like I have to type this up before I sleep so here it goes.
One day in his 80th year... John Quincy Adams was approached by a friend who said, "And how is John Quincy Adams today?"
The former President of the United States replied graciously, "Thank You, John Quincy Adams is well, sir quite well, I thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon its foundations....
Lead Me in Your Righteousness (Psalm 5)
1. Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.
Like in the earlier psalms we have considered, David is again crying out to his God for help. His heart is groaning which signifies extreme distress. We all have times like this, it is an inevitable part of human life, but what we do during those times of suffering is what counts.
2. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God for to you do I pray.
David's plea continues here in verse 2. From a human standpoint we have a tendency to doubt whether God really hears our prayers...
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Answer Me When I Call (Psalm 4)
Today we are going to look at another psalm of David. Like Psalm 3 this one is also written by David in the midst of trying circumstances and again we see that David trusts and hopes in His God.
1. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
A plea of David for God to respond like he did in the past and give him relief in the midst of distress.
2. O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after...
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Save Me, O My God (Psalm 3)
This is the first of 73 psalms that are attributed to David in the Bible. The superscription tells us that this psalm was penned by David when he fled from Absalom, his son. The words of the psalm are indicative of the struggles that David had to face at the time of its writing. However, it also shows the great hope and peace that David had because he put his complete trust in His God.
1. O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
David was in the peculiar position of having his son as his enemy. Under these circumstances, defeating...
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
The Reign of the LORD'S anointed (Psalm 2)
Psalm 2 is a Messianic psalm and in a way expands on the idea of the previous psalm. The author of the psalm is not mentioned in the text, however scholars feel that the style of the psalm shows that it was written by David. Where Psalm 1 talked about being blessed in an individual sense, psalm 2 takes the same idea to a broader scale talking about nations and not individuals.
1. Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain?
This is a rhetorical question meaning that people plotting against God is useless as it will ultimately end only...
Monday, June 3, 2013
The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
We are about to begin an exciting journey into the world of Psalms. As I type this, I am excited as well as anxious. I am excited because I am sure that studying these Psalms like never before will have a great effect on my spiritual life. At the same time, I am anxious because this is a very long book and going through it and internalizing it will be very challenging and will require a lot of dedication and discipline from my part. But as our Lord said, each day has its own worry. So, I am not going to look forward too much. I am going to relax,...
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Study of Psalms Coming up
Let me cut right to the chase. I will be beginning a new series on the Psalms tomorrow. The vacation in the north east is done and I am back in Texas again. I had a wonderful two weeks with my cousins and their family during which I was recharged and redirected regarding my future. but now that I am back and the lawn is mowed, I am looking forward to beginning the study on the longest book in scripture. Its going to be a wonderful experience and I welcome you to join me in the journe...
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Vacationing in Delaware
I haven't been able to post anything since I am in Delaware right now. I will be back home in Houston on June 2nd. I hope to resume blogging before June 2nd though. Expect a new post tomorrow.
Bye. God Bles...
Monday, May 20, 2013
Caught in Sin?
Are you a "Christian" caught in some kind of sin? When I mean caught, I mean trapped in it to the extent that it seems to you that there is no way out. If you are, I want to let you know that there is hope for you. Do not be in despair, for there is a God that saves. The fact that you are despaired itself is the greatest sign that in the end you will have victory.
Many so called Christians live in sin without having the slightest sorrow. But if you have a sorrow and dissatisfaction about your sinful life, that proves that you are a candidate...
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Interruption
Normal blogging will be resumed once I am free from the formalities of my graduation.&nbs...
Friday, May 17, 2013
Watch Yourselves (Luke 21 & 22)
Luke 21 and 22 are the two chapters that we will be discussing today. In these two chapters, we see Jesus has entered the last phase of his mission on earth. The time of the betrayal, the cross and the resurrection was at hand. It is believed that Jesus spent the last week of his life in Jerusalem. Luke 21 and 22 talks about the events of this last week.
Luke 21 begins with Jesus' observation of the poor widow who put in two small copper coins into the offering box. Here is a woman, who needs help desperately but still makes...
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Small Man, Big Change (Luke 19 & 20)
In today's post we will look at one of the most repeated stories of the New testament. From Sunday School to VBS, the story of Zacchaeus has been told innumerable times to children because of its somewhat interesting circumstances. Zacchaeus is introduced as a chief tax collector who was also very rich. Being a chief tax collector he was probably in charge of a large tax district and had other tax collectors working for him. His profession was one of the most hated professions of the day, since tax collectors made their wealth by taxing more than...
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Bible Study (Luke 17 & 18)
In today's Bible study we again find ourselves in a rich portion of scripture filled with practical wisdom and teaching from our Lord Jesus Christ about a variety of issues. Here is an outline of the two chapters:
Luke 17
Temptations to sin
Woe to the one who causes temptation
Rebuke brothers caught in sin
Forgive without limit
Faith
Faith as small as a mustard seed is strong enough, if it is aligned with the will of God.
Unworthy Servants
Jesus cleanses ten lepers
The incident shows the rarity of gratitude.
The coming of the Kingdom
Luke...
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Bible Study (Luke 15 and 16)
In today's post I want to turn your attention to the parable of the Prodigal son. Although these two chapters contain other parables, I want to focus on this one only so as to keep the post as short and concise as possible.
Before we delve into the parable itself, it is imperative that we study the context in which it was told by Jesus. Not knowing the context fully, will keep us from grasping the finer details of this parable.
In the beginning of Luke 15, we see that the Pharisees had gathered around Jesus and that they were apparently disgusted...
Monday, May 13, 2013
Bible Study (Luke 13 and 14)
The following are some notes I jotted down after my study of Luke 13 and 14. I pray and hope that these might be useful to any that happen to read this. I also hope that I will be able to do this regularly. I know that with my own strength I won't be able to do this, because it takes a lot of time and I am simply not disciplined himself to do this unless he strengthens and teaches me to do so.
Luke 13:1-5
Repent or Perish
"All" who do not repent will perish
Calamities and Catastrophes are not always signs of some grave sin.
13:6-9
Parable...
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The Geneva Bible
The Geneva Bible
You might or might have not heard about the Geneva Bible. It was the very first Bible to be mass printed making it readily available to the public. John Milton, William Shakespeare and John Bunyan are few of the prominent men in History who used this Bible.
The Bible contains a short poem that I want to bring to the reader's attention. The poem describes the true worth of the Word of God and its innumerable benefits to the human...
First Post
I am starting this blog as a response to the great change that God has worked in me in these recent months. I don't have any big plans or ideas or dreams concerning this blog, only a desire to record everything I learn in my Christian life, both from scripture and experience.
I am not a great writer, which will become evident from my many run-on sentences and maybe a grammatical error here and there, but the point of this blog is not to show off my writing prowess it is to record and share any insight I receive from the word of God. The...
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