Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Month: August 2010 Page 1 of 3

Lovesick

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On August 31, 2010

In Christian

In the book of the Song of Solomon, the bride charges the daughters of Jerusalem, that if they find her beloved Bridegroom, they should tell Him that she is lovesick (Song of Solomon 5:8). Her beloved is hers and she is His (Song of Solomon 2:16).

We, who believe in Christ Jesus are His bride. He is the Bridegroom that has promised to return to take us into His Father’s house. Now as the bride of Jesus Christ, are we in love with Him? Are we earnestly seeking Him? Are we His for He is ours? Are we lovesick for the one who is Love personified?

Song of Solomon 2:16a (KJV)
16 My beloved is mine, and I am his:

Song of Solomon 5:8 (KJV)
8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

Conviction, Cleansing, and Consent

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On August 30, 2010

In Christian, Reuben

I was watching a show “The greatest is the least” with my loving wife, Sangeetha and beloved son, Reuben. In this episode, they depict the account where Jesus washes the feet of His disciples. When Peter refuses to let Jesus wash his feet, Jesus responds by saying, “if you DO NOT LET ME wash you, you have no part with me“. The words that stuck in my mind was “If you DO NOT LET ME”.

See the Holy Spirit of God convicts us of our sin. He also convicts us of righteousness (our need for God) and of judgment (John 16:8-11). God who is Holy can have no communion with sin. To have communion with God, we need to be cleansed. Jesus is ready to wash us. It is His blood that was shed that cleanses us of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9) so that we can be righteous, a.k.a., in a right standing before God. But then again, why is it that not all are clean and saved? Even though, the conviction and the cleansing is the responsibility of God, He is not a puppeteer or one who coerces anyone to believe in Him and accept Him. To be washed by Jesus is to first LET HIM wash us. In other words, it is ours to consent, in response to His conviction so that He can cleanse us. The conviction and cleansing is His to do, the consent however is ours. Without our consent, we can have no part with Jesus, for He is Holy as is His Father and His Spirit, the triune God in One.

If you have never believed in Jesus, believe in Him as the ONE TRUE God, who paid the penalty of you sin (which is death) and LET HIM cleanse you. If we have believed and are a born again believers, but have back-slidden, then we (you and I) too must LET HIM cleanse us. Ask Him to create in us a clean (cleansed) heart and renew a steadfast Spirit within us. If we don’t let Jesus wash us clean, we can have no part with Jesus. Oh, what a tragedy that is!

John 13:4-10 (KJV)
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

1 John 1:7-9 (KJV)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Beloved, which was not

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On August 27, 2010

In Christian

Through the voice of the prophet, Hosea, God says that He will call the people who are not His, His and that they will call Him their God (Hosea 2:23). God through the Apostle Paul, takes this further by expressing that not only will he address us as His people, but He will call us His Beloved, which was not beloved (Romans 9:25).

We who are vile in our sinfulness can be only made blameless and pure by the blood of Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, as the One and Only true God,  He takes us who are like trash/filthy (our righteousness is like filthy rags) and makes us His peculiar treasure (Exodus 19:5). He turns our rebellious heart into a repentant one, making us lovable, so much so that He can address us not only as His people, but as His very own BELOVED.

But, what does it mean to be called the Beloved of God?

Besides the fact, that the Beloved of God will BE-LOVED by Him, closer introspection of this text in Romans, reveal a fabulous hidden truth in it. When God addressed His Only begotten Son, Jesus, He called Him, beloved as he promulgated “This is my BELOVED son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5). When he addresses us as His beloved, He is not merely addressing us but adopting us. We will be called BELOVED; We will be called the CHILDREN of the living God.

The question that remains then is this, can God tell of us, “I am well pleased with you?” as He did of Jesus. Let us be imitators (followers) of Jesus (Ephesians 5:1) , so that when God calls us Beloved (which was not), He can also say, “I am well pleased with you!”

Romans 9:25-26 (KJV)
25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

Inseparable

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On August 26, 2010

In Christian

What can separate us (you and me) from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord?
Short answer: Nothing!
Long answer: Nothing!

In fact, I need not say any more to express this profound and inexplicable Truth about our inseparability from the love of God, in Christ Jesus. My brother, Ragland Remo Paul, when teaching from the text in Romans 8:38-39, written by Apostle Paul to the Romans, highlighted certain dimensional attributes, to ascertain the verity of our inseparability from God.

Romans 8:38-39 reads For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life (physical dimension), nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers (spiritual dimension), nor things present, nor things to come (temporal dimension), nor height, nor depth (spatial dimension), nor any other creature (everything else dimension since all are created by God) shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No matter whichever dimensional viewpoint, we take, it goes back to the truth that NOTHING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can separate us from the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. What a wonderful privilege and assurance this is! However, this also warrants our rightful response, which should be “Nothing absolutely nothing, neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature should be able to separate the LOVE we have for God, in Christ Jesus, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and demonstrated that by his sacrificial death (in our stead), while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).” This is my prayer, what is yours?

Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wise or Fool

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On August 25, 2010

In Christian, Reuben

When sharing the words of Jesus about the wise man who was likened to be as the one who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who was likened to be as the the one who built his house upon the sand, with Reuben, our beloved 4-year old son, I was telling him that merely listening to the words of Jesus is insufficient; we must also obey (do) them. For failing to do so will result in a structure that will collapse when the winds and waves of this world buffet against us.

If we were to ask ourselves, as to whether we are wise or a fool, what is going to be our most likely answer? This question to some may even seem  rude, so let me ask you the same question in a different way. How many of us listen to the word of God and follow and do what He requires of us to? We must not only hear, we must also do! Easier said than done, but the good news is that it is not by our own might, nor by or power, nor by our own strength, but by the Holy Spirit of God that we can be obedient to what God requires of each one of us. (Zechariah 4:6)

But what does it mean to say that we must not only listen but also do? This means that our faith is to be exercised. How is that so? Faith comes by hearing the word of God. So when we listen (hear), we receive faith, but what good is faith if it does not produce any fruit? In order for faith to produce fruit, it must be put into action (do). In fact, the scripture is very clear that “faith without works” is dead. In other words, “hearing without doing” is dead and the dead don’t stand. It is only those who put their faith into action; the wise; the living that can stand up against the pressures of this world.

Let us not merely listen, but let us also do!

Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV)
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

There is wonder wonder …

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On August 24, 2010

In Become a Child, Christian, Reuben

Our beloved 4 year old son, Reuben was learning to sing the song, “There is power, power, wondering working power, in the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ)” but instead of singing it the way we are used to signing it, he switched the words “wonder” and “power” and sang it as “There is wonder wonder power working wonder in the blood of the Lamb”. At first thought, I thought that I had to correct him so that he could correctly learn the words, but soon it dawned on me that he was spot on and accurate about the blood of the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

There is not only power in the blood of the Lamb so that you and I could be free for the bondage of the sin (that easily besets us), but there is wonder, power working wonder in the blood of the Lamb. The greatest power working wonder is that a sinner can be forgiven and made into a saint. Personally, I wonder and marvel at this blessed assurance, where I (the chief of sinners) am imputed righteousness and declared blameless before the throne of God above, because of the shed blood of the Jesus Christ, by which alone there is remission of sin. We can be forgiven from the burden of sin and free from the bondage of sin, for there is wonder wonder power working wonder in the blood of the Lamb.

Exodus 15:11 (KJV)
11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

Return and Remember; Remember and Return

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On August 23, 2010

In Christian

Psalm 94:15 states that judgment shall return unto righteousness. God’s judgment on mankind was borne by His Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One; the Righteousness of God; God incarnate who returned to the world He created in the person of His Son. He remembered each one of us, His inheritance, whom he could not forsake, despite our unfaithfulness (Psalm 94:14). He returned and remembered us, and it cost Him His ALL, for Jesus made Himself nothing (Philippians 2). And by the redeeming act of Jesus Christ, who paid the wages of our sin, which is death, in FULL, our transgressions are blotted out and God has assured us that He will NOT remember our sins anymore (Isaiah 43:25). Why? Not because of our sake, but for His own sake, lest He in His Holy and Just nature, consume us for our wickedness (Isaiah 43:25).

God returned and remembered us! So what are we to do? We are to remember and return!  Through the voice of His prophet, Isaiah, God asks us to put him in remembrance stating that in order for us to be justified before God, we need to remember and plead. But did you realize that we don’t need to plead on our own? The scripture says, let us plead together (Isaiah 43:26). Jesus Christ, the High Priest, intercedes on our behalf with God and when we confess our sinful thoughts, words and deeds, He pleads our case with the Holy and Just God, the Father.

But the scripture commands us not only to remember but to return as well. It is insufficient for us to merely remember, for we must also return (Isaiah 44:22). To return is to go back. We ran from God (in our ignorance and sometimes willful rebellion) and when we return, it means that we are going back to God. In other words, we ran from God toward the world (and its lures) and upon our return we run to God away from the world (and its lures). This is true repentance. The adulteress was asked by Jesus to “go and sin NO MORE”, meaning her life could no longer be the same, ever again. She had to turn from her worldly ways to be in love with Christ, her Redeemer, who did not accuse or condemn her, just as He does not accuse or condemn us though each of us deserve to be.

God returned to His own creation and remembered us, for His own sake, costing Him His ALL.
Let us remember Him and return to Him, forsaking our ALL for His sake.

Psalm 94:14-15 (KJV)
14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

Isaiah 43: 25-26 (KJV)
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

Isaiah 44:22 (KJV)
22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Lack(ed) Nothing

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On August 20, 2010

In Become a Child, Christian, Reuben

When our beloved 4 year old son, Reuben, was repeating Psalm 34, when he came to verse 10, instead of saying “but they that seek the LORD shall not want (lack) any good thing”, he left out the word “good” and said “but they that seek the LORD shall not want anything“. In other words, he was saying, that those who seek the LORD lack nothing and in essence meaning that the LORD shall supply all the needs of His people, who seek Him, in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Those who seek the LORD shall find Him in Christ Jesus and shall have the need for nothing else.

Though the operative word is “seek”, the one in operation truly is the LORD, who is Jehovah Jireh, THE PROVIDER. Nehemiah 9:20-21 is an attestation of this Truth for it reads that the people in the wilderness were sustained by the LORD who gave them a good spirit to instruct them besides provisions of manna and water for their hunger and thirst. The Psalmist avers that God will teach us and instruct us in the way we should go (Psalm 32:8). Jesus is the teacher from heaven (John 3:2); Jesus is the manna from heaven (John 6:31-33) and Jesus is the living water (John 4:14; John 7:37-39) that sustains us always, especially during the dry spells (wilderness) of our lives.

When we find Jesus (as we seek the LORD), we shall lack nothing. When we have Jesus, we have it ALL. When we have Jesus, nothing else is needed. In other words, as our loving son aptly put it, those who seek the LORD shall not want (lack) ANYTHING.

Point(s) to ponder:

  1. Are you/I seeking the LORD?
  2. Do you have (believe in) Jesus, in which case, you have shall not lack anything?

Nehemiah 9:20-21 (KJV)
20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.

What does the Lord require of us?

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On August 19, 2010

In Christian

We have all heard and sometimes we ourselves have expressed one or more of the following, “I am seeking God’s will in my life”, “I am not sure what the purpose of my life is”, “I wish I knew what the perfect and pleasing will of God is for me”, “I am not sure what God wants me to do”, etc. So what does God want us to do? In other words, what does the Lord our God require of us?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 gives us the answer as to what the Lord our God requires of us. It is

  1. To fear him
  2. To walk in all his ways
  3. To love him
  4. To serve him with all our heart and with all our soul
  5. To keep his commandments and his statutes

Point(s) to ponder:

  1. Which of the above requirement(s) do you/I not meet?
  2. Are we selective followers of Jesus or do we totally submit to his Lordship, walking in ALL his ways and serving him with ALL our heart and with ALL our soul. In other words, are we All-in-All His?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (KJV)
12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

A related post – To be good or not to be

Blind even with eyesight

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On August 18, 2010

In Christian

We come across many people who either don’t know Jesus as their Savior and Good Shepherd or who outrightly and openly reject His Lordship. In our day to day lives, when we see people who are lost, what do we do? Recently my loving wife, Sangeetha was encouraging and teaching me, as to how we should be basing our decisions by asking the question “What would Jesus do?” She not only preaches but she practices as well in this area. So as I was reading the Bible, I learned about what Jesus did, when He sees those who are without Him. When Jesus saw the people, he was moved with compassion, because they were scattered like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).

In other words, He saw and He felt (for them). He was moved with compassion for the lost sheep. By expressing his emotions, He taught us a very valuable lesson that He did not merely see with His physical eyes, but with His Heart. That is exactly what we should be doing as well. When we see those around us without Jesus Christ, we need to see them with our heart and not our eyes. Failing to do so will make us all blind even with eyesight. When we see but not feel, we are indeed blind.

Matthew 9:35-38 (KJV)
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

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