Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Month: January 2015 Page 2 of 3

Our attitude in giving – Morsel for a Feast?

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On January 16, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:6-8 states that Abraham offered the Lord and the divine visitor, bread (cake) made from a considerable quantity of fine meal, a tender and good calf, butter and milk. Such an offer of edible items in those days as is it is now would be deemed a feast and yet if you see the attitude of Abraham, he refers to this as a morsel of bread (Genesis 18:5).

Such an expression shows to us the attitude of Abraham when it came to giving to the Lord. Even though he gave a feast he deemed it as nothing more than a morsel.

Points to ponder:
What do you deem your giving to the Lord to be? Unfortunately there are many who are distorting the truth, often trying to paint the meagre morsel they give to God, as feasts, instead of being like Abraham who gave his fine and good items to the Lord, but consider it to be little. Let us give our best to the Lord without making it more important than the offering itself. Are you and I giving a morsel or a feast to the Lord?

Genesis 18:6-8 (KJV)
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Cooperative Service to the Lord

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On January 15, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

When the Lord agreed to the requests of Abraham and not pass by, but rest and be comforted (refreshed) in Abraham’s tent, Abraham not only hastened (ran) to request Sarah to make the bread, fetched a good and tender calf and gave it to one of his servants who dressed (prepared) it, which Abraham took along with the butter and milk and set it before the Lord (Genesis 18:6-8).

Note that, even though Abraham personally served the Lord, in Abraham’s service to the Lord, he involves Sarah, his wife (family) and he involves one of his workers (servants).

Points to ponder:
From this account, not only can we learn from Abraham’s leadership qualities of entrusting (delegating) to his wife (family) and workers (friends), but it also teaches us to be inclusive in empowering others to serve the Lord alongside us. Some Christians have unfortunately succumbed to the notion that the work they do, in service to the Lord, somehow reflects on their own piety (even though the Bible clearly calls our righteousness as filthy rags), while other serve as long as they are in the limelight, seeking fame and temporary glory (on earth), without involving anyone else in their ministry. Let us be inclusive and involve others, starting with our family and friends, entrusting and empowering them to serve the Lord along with us. In addition to our personal service to the Lord, do we cooperatively serve the Lord?

Genesis 18:6-8 (KJV)
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Personal Service to the Lord

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On January 14, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

When the Lord agreed to the requests of Abraham and not pass by, but rest and be comforted in Abraham’s tent, Abraham not only hastened (ran) to request Sarah to make the bread, fetch a choice calf and took the butter and milk and set it before the Lord (Genesis 18:6-8).

Note that Abraham was a wealthy man with property (cattle), possessions (silver and gold) and people (servants) (Genesis 13:2,6; Genesis 14:14). He had so many servants that he could even form an army with them (Genesis 14:14). So it would seem logical that Abraham could have asked one of his servants to make the necessary food and arrangements to serve his divine visitors, but that is not what Abraham does. He takes it upon himself to personally serve the Lord as you can  see from the account recorded in Genesis 18:6-8, for it says “Abraham hastened …, Abraham ran … he took and set …”

Points to ponder:
Abraham resolved that no amount of wealth or workers would deprive him of the opportunity and privilege of serving the Lord and he chose to personally serve the Lord. Not only did he choose to personally serve the Lord and act on it, he did so promptly (speedily). Are you and I personally serving the Lord. Let us not expect someone else to do so or if we are in authority resort to delegating our service to the Lord to others. Resolve today and choose to “personally” serve God and do so promptly.

Genesis 18:6-8 (KJV)
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Hastening to Serve

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On January 13, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:6-8 records the response of Abraham when the three visitors outside his tent agreed to his request of staying (not passing by), resting, and being comforted (refreshed) with nourishment. These verses record that Abraham hastened to his wife to ask her to prepare the meal and ran to fetch a tender and good calf and hasted to prepared it. Though these may seem like mundane activities involved in being hospitable, what is important for us to recognize is that Abraham hastened or hasted to serve his divine visitors.

Points to ponder:
Are we like Abraham hurrying (hastening, running) in order to serve the Lord or are we relaxing and moving at our own pace when called to serve?

Genesis 18:6-8 (KJV)
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Comfort your heart Lord

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On January 12, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:3-5 lists out three requests of Abraham to the Lord when he saw the Lord with two other men standing outside his tent. Genesis 18:5 reads “And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.” The third of Abraham’s request (plea) was to give him opportunity to “comfort the Lord’s heart”.

It may seem absurd that the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) may need to be comforted. Many a times, we seek comfort for ourselves comfort – comfort from the trials of life.

Points to ponder:
Let us ask for the opportunity to serve the Lord – to serve him so that he will not only be our comfort, but be comforted by our life as well.

Genesis 18:5 (KJV)
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

Rest yourself Lord (I pray)

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On January 9, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:3-5 lists out three requests of Abraham to the Lord when he saw the Lord with two other men standing outside his tent. Genesis 18:4 reads “Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:” The second of Abraham’s request (plea) was for the Lord to “rest” (under the tree)

In this fast paced life that we live in, we usually don’t take time to rest – rest in the Lord, but more importantly we seldom spare God time to rest in our lives. Abraham wanted the Lord to rest. This was his prayer.

Points to ponder:
Jesus said that man was not made for the sabbath (rest), but sabbath (rest) was made for man (Mark 2:27). Jesus who rested (not under but) on the tree (Galatians 3:13) of Calvary, by commending his spirit unto the Father God, and in the tomb until he was resurrected (Matthew 28:1), shows us how we ought to rest in the Lord as well.  But more importantly we must let God to rest in our lives (1 Peter 4:14). Like Abraham, can we pray that the Lord rest in our lives. Rest yourself Lord (I Pray).

Genesis 18:4 (KJV)
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

Pass not away (I pray)

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On January 8, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:3-5 lists out three requests of Abraham to the Lord when he saw the Lord with two other men standing outside his tent. Genesis 18:3 reads “And [Abraham] said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:” The first of Abraham’s request (plea) was for the Lord to “pass not away”, but note how Abraham addresses the visitor, as My Lord and himself as Lord’s servant. Also note how Abraham confirms the Lord’s favor on him. If the Lord was to leave Abraham’s presence and passed by, then Abraham would have known that the Lord’s favor was not on him.

When Jesus is standing by us (as the Lord was standing by Abraham – Genesis 18:2), the favor of God is upon us and like Abraham, we must pray, that the Lord (Jesus) pass not away. Because Jesus became the passover lamb for the Salvation of mankind, God’s favor does not pass away from us and is with us, in and through Jesus who stands by us. Let us therefore pray that the Lord pass not away (from our presence) ever.

Points to ponder:
Let our prayer be, “My Lord, Pass not away from me, your servant. Pass not away, I pray.”

Genesis 18:3 (KJV)
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

Standing by (you)

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On January 7, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:2 reads “And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,” The text reads that Abraham ran to meet these three men, but did you notice, how the verse reads that these three men stood by him, when he lifted up his eyes and looked.

Many a times, we run to God as if he is somewhere far away, while all the time, he is right there standing by you and me. When we look with eyes of faith, we see that the Lord is standing right by us.

Points to ponder:
No matter where you are in your life or what the situations of your life are, you and I can take solace in the fact that the Lord is standing by you and me, all the time. He has promised to be with us even unto the ends of the age (Matthew 28:20); to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 11:5); and God is standing by (you).

Genesis 18:2 (KJV)
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Run to Worship

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On January 6, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18:2 reads “And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,” Did you notice, that as soon as Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the three men standing by (one of who was the Lord and the two others angelic beings), he ran to meet them from his tent door and bowed himself toward the ground.

While this may at first seems like a natural reaction, close scrutiny reveals certain hidden treasures in this account. First, when we see someone outside your house or place of dwelling, how often do you and I run toward them and bow down to them? I believe, that though Abraham’s reactions may have been customary in the times he lived, it reveals certain behavior that each one of us should follow when we encounter the Lord. Abraham recognized who it was, just as a friend would recognize another friend (James 2:23), for the next verse reads that he addressed the men as “My LORD”. Additionally Abraham ran from his tent door. A tent is a place of temporary dwelling and while many of us hold on to our temporary residence on earth, Abraham does exactly the opposite and in haste runs towards the Lord. Furthermore, Abraham bowed down to the ground when he came to the Lord in an attitude of worship.

Points to ponder:
When we lift our eyes of our heart and look at the Lord, do we run toward him and fall down before him in worship of him? Think about it. Do we run to worship? If not, we ought to.

Genesis 18:2 (KJV)
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Jesus – The Prince of Peace

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On January 5, 2015

In Christian, Christmas

The Prophet Isaiah, in the divine prophecy revealed by God unto him, lists out the names by which Jesus shall be called, even before Jesus’ birth – the fifth being “The Prince of Peace”, for the Bible records “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

To be a Prince implies that you are the child of a King. Psalm 47:8 establishes that God reigns over all nations, meaning that he is the King over all nations. God is King and his only begotten Son, Jesus is the Prince. In addition to establishing the sonship of Jesus (as the Son of God), this name also gives insight into the Spirit (character) of Jesus’ reign. Jesus’ reign is one of peace for only through him can one have the peace that passeth all understanding.

Points to ponder:
When you and I let Jesus totally rule our life, then we can be assured of a life of peace (which passeth all understanding), irrespective of the circumstances or situations that surround us. Even in the valley of shadow of death, can one feel perfect safe and at peace, when Jesus shepherds one’s life. Jesus is the Prince of Peace – Are you at peace? Is Jesus your Prince?

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Philippians 4:7 (KJV)
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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