Friday, December 31, 2010
2011 - A Happy Voyage.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Don't miss out on this Christmas!
"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
"Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."
These chief priests and scribes were those who knew the Bible inside out. They knew when and where Christ would be born. They were the ones who confirmed the words of the wise men to the King.But they did not make an effort to go and see Jesus and worship Him in the manger. They were careless and were not bothered about the 'Good News'. Because of this attitude of theirs, they missed out on the first Christmas."In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet :'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;For out of you shall come a RulerWho will shepherd My people Israel.'"
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Letter from Jesus at Christmas
"Season greetings to all. It's the month of cakes and candles, joy and surprises, music and cards, fun and enjoyment, gifts and greetings, happiness and decorations. Have a fabulous and colourful month!"
Today,I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invite will be left outside. Be prepared because when all is ready, you will be part of my great party.
See you soon.
With lots of love,
Jesus.
Dear friend, Jesus isn't put off by the pleasure that we have. The fact that He is not in the midst of it all saddens Him. But Jesus isn't pushy either. Had He been pushy, He wouldn't have chosen the inn to enter this world. When it was Time for Him to be born, there was room for Him only in the inn.He gladly accepted it. In the same way, He isn't pushy to enter our hearts. He only knocks. If we open our hearts and invite Him, He will gladly come and reside with us forever.
Yea! So let's celebrate the reason for this season! Celebrate Jesus! Merry Christmas friends!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Let it go!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." - Proverbs 3:5,6
"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son." - Isaiah 7:14
"Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit."
"And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a Ruler will come from you who will be the Shepherd for my people Israel." - Micah 5:2
"At that time the Roman Emperor, Augustus,decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. This was the first census taken when Quirinius was Governor of Syria. All returned to their own ancestral town to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He travelled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary,his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant."
Yep! Don't wait. Let it go!
Listen to this song by Tenth Avenue North and you'll know why you need to 'Let it go'.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
"Thanksgiving is celebrated world over with equal fervour and euphoria. It conveys the universal feeling of being thankful to Lord Almighty for his continuous grace."
Ah! Honestly, I didn’t know that… With whatever I’ve seen on the television, it’s more of a banqueting time with family and friends, turkey being served as the main course! This is all that I knew. No wonder, this day is called as the ‘Turkey Day’ as well, for whatever reasons!
All over the Bible, we see a lot of importance being given to thanksgiving.
- For His never-ending love.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. (1 Corinthians 16:34)
- For His provisions for us through His creations.
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer. ( 1 Timothy 4:4-5)
- Simply because He is just and righteous.
I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. (Psalm 7:17)
- He is more than a helper in times of trouble.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. (Psalm 28:7)
And so, I sit down to make a list of why I wanna thank God today and I realize that He has answered every single prayer of mine. Probably not in the way I wanted Him to answer it, but in His own style.
"I asked for strength,
And God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom,
And God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity,
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for courage,
And God gave me obstacles to overcome.
I asked for love,
And God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favour,
And God gave me opportunities."
Give thanks in all circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus- Thessalonians 5:18
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Masterpiece
But hey, God has created you in His own image. And each one of us, He created unique. I can challenge you that you are the only person in this world who can be like you. No one can even try.
“He’s still working on me, to make me what I ought to be,
Friday, October 22, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Power of the Cross
I am posting this today not because I have all the time in the world to write something but because I badly want to take a break from the busy schedule that my college has to offer me. Overcrowded with thoughts of what to do, how to do, record work, assessments and project submission dates etc. etc. ( let alone the semester exam that is drawing nearer ).. And so I decide to give brainstorm a miss right now and do some soul-searching.
Continuing from where I left about ‘sin’ in one of my previous blog posts, I would like to share about the 3 reasons why Jesus had to come to the Earth, take up the Cross, die and rise again on the third day.(This is also one of the messages shared in the college prayer cell.)
When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost the intimate relationship that they had with God and as a result the entire mankind that followed them suffered its consequences. Hence, Jesus had to leave His place on High and come for sinful man to die, to bring us back in relationship with Him.
I personally think it is very important for us to know about His purpose of coming to this Earth because this Man (He took the human form to come to Earth) had such a powerful command over the entire World History (well, History = His Story!!), so much so that the year calendar was divided into AD and BC just because of His birth!
1) Why did Jesus have to die?
The Bible says in Romans 5:12, “... just as through one man(Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
Why death through sin? Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Since, we all have sinned, we all deserve death and the hell fire but Jesus being the gracious God that He is, took upon Himself the punishment that we had to bear and died for us.
How will His death mean our sins being forgiven? The Bible answers that too. It says that if only we believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins on the Cross, we will be forgiven and made righteous. Romans 5:19 says, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man (Jesus)’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
Jesus considers us as the sheep of His flock and tells us, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. (John 10:11)” Wow... what a loving God we have!! He loves His people (sinners) but hates sin. Why hate sin? Because sin makes His people go astray!!
2) Why did Jesus choose the Cross?
Ok. He had to die. But why chose the Cross? There are many other ways to die too. We need to know that everything God did had a greater plan behind it.
In the Old Testament of the Bible (the portion of the Bible written before the birth of Jesus), there was a law among the people which said, “For he who is hanged (on a tree) is cursed of God. (Deuteronomy 21:23)” Thus, by taking the Cross, Jesus took upon Himself all our curses.
3) Why was He whipped by the soldiers?
Jesus received a number of beatings while being mocked and ridiculed by the people who crucified Him. They buffeted, smote and did strike Him. Why? Isaiah 53:5 and 1 peter 2:24 in the Bible tells us that “by His stripes, we are healed”... yeah... healed spiritually and physically. Jesus literally bore our sicknesses. Every beating and blow to my Jesus’ body was for my healing. Bible scholars say that Jesus received 39 stripes and guess what; medical science says that there are exactly 39 categories of diseases on earth. One stripe for each category!! Wow… my God is an awesome planner…
I do not know how painful it was for Him to endure all this, all I know is that it was more painful than I can ever imagine. I know that what He bore is more than enough to cover all of my past, present and even future sins. He bore it all, everything, and He has redeemed me from every curse of the law. And I know that by those stripes, I am healed. It is complete. It is done. It is finished. He accomplished it all for me... And I can never thank Him enough…
Yes, dear friend. Jesus died for our sins, sicknesses and curses because of His love which is so wonderful. All we need to do is BELIEVE, ACCEPT AND RUN TO RECEIVE IT. It is a free gift.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
20 years of unmerited grace...
Ah... 20 years... 20 years of what?? Uh... Nothing.. Just that I was born on this day, September 24th 20years back...:D no more a teen... I must admit, the last 7 years were some of my best years of life… The teen age... Loads of fun, wonderful friends, full-on entertainment, bits and pieces of studying, some amazing mentors and wonderful people - i have had them all at some point in these seven years…
Through all these years’ highs and lows, ups and downs, I’ve seen one thing in my life – experienced it and tasted it – the love, goodness, mercy and favour of my Jesus. Ah!! What a friend I have in Jesus. I wake up in the morning and see through the window, and see the sun rise on the horizon and I can do absolutely nothing but thank the 'Creator' for the new day He has added in my life. Food on time, a wardrobe overflowing with clothes, a comfortable house to live in, a lovely family and amazing friends and I know I have a 'Provider' in Jesus. A church, fellowship with people saved by grace and i am reminded that I serve a God who is 'Active and Alive'. The supernatural healings, some wonderful miracles in my life and all I know is that God is 'Powerful and Almighty'. Sad, down and out, bogged down and confused and I find a 'Comforter' in Jesus. More than anything He has revealed Himself as a 'Healer' time and again. Above all, He has given me the greatest gift of all- the forgiveness of sins and a free ticket to Heaven and I found it at the foot of the Cross where His blood was shed for me. No greater love. He is my 'Savior'.
The Bible makes so much sense when I read it. Each time a new thought, a word of encouragement, advices and warnings, I have had it all by reading the Grand Old Book. I have learnt to trust Him for everything that I’ve ever wanted. Even a power cut at home... a silent prayer, probably a playful one but God takes it so seriously and He lights up the place again. Woo... I have grumbled, I have murmured, I have been angry but through it all, He has been so patient with me. He has taught me to give up things that I’ve loved more than Him, convicted me of my sins and yet He has been none but 'a Loving and a compassionate Father'. I am indeed blessed for I didn’t choose Him but He pulled me towards Him.
One Jesus. And He plays so many different roles in my life. My all in all. I know that there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more and nothing that I’ve done could make Him close the door ‘cos because of His great love that is free, pure and so powerful, He took up the Cross so that you and I would come.
Now that He has done so much for me and He continues to shower His blessings on me, what have I done for Him?? 20 years is 20*365*24*60*60!! High time.. the only way I can thank Him is by obeying Him, His one commandment – – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (matthew 28:18-20) Aww.. His awesome character is revealed even when He commands me. He has promised to be with me forever. What a God!! He died for me and now, I will live for Him.
Listen to this song - full of life and meaning and this is just exactly how I am feeling right now... 'In Christ Alone' by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty...
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Touching Heaven, Changing Earth
September 5th is celebrated as Teachers’ Day all over India. But for some reason, it didn’t have any impact on me this year and it was the usual busy ‘Sunday’ for me. But this one special show on ndtv ‘aasman choole, dhuniya badal de’, meaning ‘touching heavens, changing earth’ (translated based on what it meant to me!! ) totally shook me and drew me to write this blog.
Some real life stories that were brought up on the show…a little boy who lived along with his parents in a flood-prone area said how frustrating it was for him and his neighbours to run to a higher place each time the floods came only to come back and see that his house was in total ruins and all his books and notebooks were gone in the floods. Each time they had to start all over again, right from scratch, and as they would get a sense of life getting back to normal, they would face yet another flood. He was sharing on how he wished there were more teachers in his school and had a yearning desire to learn everything he could in the little time he got, quickly grow up and assist his father in helping his family meet both ends. Another instance where a 10 year old girl shared on how they always had to live in fear of being caught by the naxalites and so never enjoyed the freedom that girls of her age enjoyed elsewhere in this country. She had a burning desire to learn and make it big in her life and somehow get her family out of that place but it almost seemed like nothing but a passing dream. A teenage boy living in the remote eastern parts of India described on how he was miraculously freed from the terrible bondage of drug addiction and now has the grit and determination to lead a clean life and ‘be the change’ for his society. Each of the 3 kids came from different parts of the society, with their own share of troubles and hardships but had one thing in common – the desire to learn and make it big in life. How they wished they had proper schools and proper education they longed for!! Woo... their stories gave me Goosebumps..
Seeing their sorry state made me realise how blessed I was to have got an opportunity to study in some of the most wonderful schools and college. Yet, here we are hoping and praying for rains so that we get a break from schools and colleges while there are people who wish that they could carry on with their studies without any breaks. Here, we are waiting to see if teachers would leave us free or hope that they are on leave but there are our brothers and sisters in the same nation hoping that they have enough teachers in their institutions. This is the cruel truth, hard to digest but yes, we live in a society of extremes!!
But above all, my Jesus has been my best teacher. Each time I read His Word, it would mean so much to me. There have been instances when I would feel so miserable not knowing in which direction I had to put my foot and a beautiful verse from the Bible would lead me. A silent prayer has done wonders in my life. No one can convict me of my wrong doings or lead me in the right direction the way Jesus does. Ever grateful, Lord!!
As I write this, i am forced to think as to why this Teachers’ Day passed by as just any other day although I’ve had innumerable teachers who have impacted my life and I could just think of one reason- probably my college staff just couldn’t re-create the magical impact that my school teachers had on me. Why? I would say, not all, but mostly I find people taking up teaching as their profession only if every other profession closes its doors on them. As Jacques Barzun rightly put it, ‘teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.’
Since the time I entered college, I’ve always had this urge to take up teaching as a profession and this has never crossed my mind ever before in my life!! If God wills, I would take this up as my profession just for the sheer passion of impacting others’ lives, affecting eternity. The very thought that the responsibility of bringing up the next generation lies in the hands of teachers excites me and I would love to do it. While Jesus lived on Earth, He taught the people wherever He went and impacted so many lives and their life was never the same again. I would love to do the same and really pray that there are many more friends of mine in this society who are ready to take up this challenge and not look down on teaching as a profession. We need teachers who give their students something to take home besides their homework. This dying world needs us to stand up and help them ‘Touch Heaven and Change Earth’.. oh yes!! I would love to live in a society where everyone has this one desire,”aasman chooye.. dhuniya badal de!!”
I salute all the teachers who are passionate about what they do in their life which is nothing less than a great service to mankind. It is the only profession that teaches all other professions!!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Industrial Visit (IV) to Kerala
Everyone who was coming for the IV was involved in some kind of pre-planning for sure. I still remember how we all had a tough time in deciding what to wear, what to bring, getting our cameras charged, preparing checklists, and some even went to the extent of buying some new stuff just for the iv!! The excitement had raised to a new level when our counterparts came back from their IV and shared their experiences with us. The build-up to the most awaited event of this semester was a much hyped one definitely.
5..4..3..2..1… Finally, the day came for which we had all waited. Everything right from the train journey has a story to tell, a moment to cherish. Sharing dinner, telling out our childhood mischiefs, trying hard to entertain our ma’am and Indu’s variety performance lighted up the night in train. A special mention of the uncle who tried explaining to a few of us what one of the thirukkurals actually meant. In his terms, he had laid the seed in us and Harini missed him once he left!! The first day in kerala was a real adventure. We travelled to Wayanad. Every single climb to the Edakkal caves gave us some shrills and thrills. Trekking in the rain and getting my white pants a ‘Cadbury look’ definitely marked my day.
I finally come home by Wednesday mid-day tired, exhausted, trying hard to figure out which part of my body is in pain, unable to even move properly and my dad asks, ”So.. jeni, how was your tour technically useful?” and I am like,”huh??!!??!!” and I plunge in to the sea of sleep…