2011 - A Happy Voyage.

As this year draws to an end and we wait for the dawn of the New Year, I am sure most of us are in a 'reminisce mode' inserting our "My Journey in 2010" dvd into the player called mind, pressing the pause button at important moments of our life, reflecting upon them, pressing the rewind button to cherish some valuable moments and the fast forward button on events that we wished never happened. All of us have had a wavy 2010, some glorious moments and some darkest lows.Some of you might be saying,"2010,a year I would like to forget" while others are saying,"2010, definitely, a year to remember". I do not know which category you belong to, but I believe that each one us can have a great 2011 if only we chose to believe so. 

When Jesus lived on the Earth, He had 12 disciples who were with Him at all times. On a certain day, He got into a boat with His disciples and said to them, "Let 'US' cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. But as they sailed, Jesus fell asleep. A windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in a jeopardy. The disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying,"Master, Master, we are perishing!"Then Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. They ceased and there was a calm.

As we enter into this new year, we are all having our own goals and targets set. We are all going to set sail in the boat of life aiming to reach the shore (our goals and targets). As we do that, let us not forget to take Jesus into the boat along with us. But let us also remember that Jesus will enter the boat only if the shore we wanna reach is in accordance with His Mater Plan for our life. If Jesus doesn't enter the boat, we better step out. It is better to enter the boat that is going to take us to the shore that is in line with God's will for us because we will have the assurance of God telling us, "Let 'US' cross over to the other side of the lake." God doesn't say, "You will cross over to the other side." He uses the word 'US' which means He is going to be with us from the start of our voyage until we reach the shore. We are rest assured to reach the shore. If God has said it, then it is said and done. No changing it. But hey, there are going to be storms in our voyage. There are going to be times when we will feel that our prayers are not being answered. God's silence might appear as if He is sleeping but those may be times when He is testing our patience and faith. But thank God! He is still in our boat. He will arise and calm the storm while we stand in awe and watch His mighty power. God hasn't promised a 'no-storm-voyage' to any of us but He has promised to be with us and teach us to sail over them. When the oceans rise and thunders roar, He has promised to help us soar with Him above the storm. He is going to calm the storm for us and help us reach the other shore! Woo.. Aren't you excited?? I definitely am!

Listen to this song. May this be your song of faith as you bid good-bye to 2010 and step into the New Year that has lots in store for you and me. 

If God can move you from January to December, He can also move you from shame to fame, insult to result, sorry to glory, disgrace to His grace, labour to favour and mockery to victory in the New Year. Just ensure to make room for Him in your boat. What a privilege we have if we are going to have Jesus in our boats in the New Year. 

I pray that you sail across to your God-appointed shore for 2011 holding your joy and peace. Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year 2011 in Christ. Have a fabulous year!!

Don't miss out on this Christmas!

Are you celebrating Christmas today? Make sure you don't miss out on the big event! As I read the Bible yesterday, I could think of three different groups of people who missed out on the first Christmas although they had the invitations for the same right at their door step.

1. King Herod : The Bible says that the wise men saw a star in the night sky which symbolized the birth of Jesus. They immediately started out on the journey to see the new born babe. While on their way, they stopped at the king's place to enquire about the birth of Jesus. They asked the king, 

"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.”

The Bible tells us that on hearing these words, the king was troubled. Instead of rejoicing over the 'Good News', he sought to kill the Child. He secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared and said to them,

"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."

But the wise men were divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod after seeing Jesus. So they departed to their country in another way. The wise men, therefore,never reported back to the king. Because of his evil intentions, Herod missed out on the first Christmas.

2.Chief priests and scribes : When the wise men enquired the king about the birth of Jesus, the king called the chief priests and scribes together and inquired where Christ was to be born. They said to him,

"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 Ruler

 Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

 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.

3.Inn keeper : Joseph and Mary had traveled all the way from Nazerath to Bethlehem for the census and it was time for Mary to give birth to Jesus. The Bible tells us that when they searched for a room, they had no room in the inn. If only the inn keeper had known that Mary was going to give birth to the Savior of the world, he would have somehow managed to arrange a room for them. If only he had managed to provide them a room, his guestbook would have had a page written,"Best wishes. With love, Jesus." How wonderful that would have been! How much of fame he and his inn would have received! Because of his ignorance, the inn keeper missed out on the first Christmas.

All the people above had the opportunity to be a part of the celebrations on the first Christmas night. But they all missed it. They all missed the opportunity to see Jesus, to worship Him and to experience His love and peace. We see that in all their cases, it was a choice that they had made. They chose to remain the way they were.Today, most of us find ourselves in one of the three categories mentioned above. We may be like King Herod who chose not to participate in the celebrations because of His stone-heartedness and refused to break free from it.Are you someone who has heard about the love and mercy of Jesus but is not ready to accept it whole-heartedly? You are then,like King Herod. The chief priests had learnt everything in the Bible by-heart but never chose to impplement it in their lives. Are you a Christian born and brought up in a Christian family, reading the Bible every morning and saying a hurried name-sake prayer? Do you celebrate Christmas by going to church just because your parents want you to go? Is it just a family tradition according to you?Then you are just like the chief priests. The innkeeper chose to remain ignorant. Do you belong to this third category, where you have never heard of Jesus and His love. Then here goes the  'Good News' my friend. 'Jesus came to this Earth on this beautiful Christmas day to give you a new life full of joy and peace. He died on the Cross for your sins so that you can reign with Him forever in Heaven.' Now that you know the good news, you cannot be ignorant like the inn keeper any more.

I do not know which category you belong to. But all that I can tell you is that no matter which category you find yourself in right now, you need a change. And you can receive that change if you choose to accept the 'Good News' on this Christmas day. Unlike King Herod, the chief priests and the inn keeper, the wisemen and the shepherds chose to accept the invitation they received to be a part of the first Christmas.Now it is your turn. The initation to meet with Jesus is for you and me today. The wisemen and the shepherds had to travel a long distance in order to meet with Jesus on Christmas. But today, you needn't travel that far. You needn't go in search of Him. He is right at the doors of your heart. All you need to do is to open your heart and welcome Him on this Christmas day.

So what are you waiting for? Make sure that you don't miss out on this Christmas. I pray that the Jesus who was born on earth over 2000 years ago will be born in your hearts on this day. Have a Christ-centered Christmas!

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!"

I am sure that all of us got a similar text message at the start of this month.  The television and the Internet have found their way into our homes with options on how we could gift our family and friends, how we could give our homes a makeover, where to stop 'n shop and what not! Yes! It's Christmas time. What does it mean to you? Does it mean just the fun and frolic associated with it or does it mean more to you?

We celebrate the birthday of Jesus on this 'Christmas Day'. Let us read what He thinks of the revelries we involve ourselves in, during this season. Is He happy with what we do? A letter from Jesus. Read on!

(P.S.: This letter was a mail I had received from my friend a few years back! What better time to share it with you than now.)

My Dear child,

     As you well know, we are getting closer to My birthday. Every year there is a celebration in My honour and I think that this year it will be repeated.

     During this time, there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer. It is really nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of Me.

     As you know, the celebration of My birthday began many years ago. At first, people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for this celebration.

     Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration. I remember that last year there was a great feast in My honour. The dinner table was full of delicious food, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many many beautiful wrapped gifts.

    But do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honour and they didn't remember to send Me an invitation. The party was for Me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in My face. I wanted to be with them and share their table. In truth, that didn't surprise Me because in the last few years, all close their doors on Me. Since, I wasn't invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner.

    Everyone in the house was drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything. They were having a grand time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red, wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-ho-ho! He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him saying, "Santa Claus! Santa Claus!" as if the party was in his honour! At midnight, all the people began to hug each other; I extended My arms waiting for someone to hug Me and none of them gave Me a hug. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for Me. What would  you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one? 

      I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left!

      Every year it gets worse. People only remember the gifts, the parties, to eat and drink, and nobody remembers me. 

     I would like this Christmas that you allow Me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago, I came to this world to give My life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart.

    I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite Me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I'm still making the final arrangements. And to be a part of it, all you need to do is say, "Jesus, come into my life. I accept you as my Saviour. Forgive me of my past. Give me a brand new future. I invite you to be the Lord of my life."
     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!

        

         

Let it go!

It's Christmas time and like most of you, I am doing my shopping as well. There is such a huge collection of stuff for me to choose from. I can't buy them all although I would love to. I have to make a choice. I need to let go of some. We find ourselves in a similar situation during most times. We are at the crossroads, wondering which way to go. Which is the road I need to let go of? Some say, "Do what everyone is doing. That's better." While others say, "Don't follow the crowd!"

Different people come up with different opinions for us to choose from which leaves us all the more bewildered. God gives us an option too:

"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

In all that we do, God wants us to make sure that we are on His track. In other words, God wants us to let go of  the track that is not according to His will although that might be an easier path to go in. Sometimes, the path that God has for us might be full of trials and temptations and at times, walking in those paths might demand us to let go of some of our most priced possessions like our comfort zone, our status and dignity, our cultural practices and the way of living that the world says is right. But God wants to tell each one of us, "Hey!  Be still and know that I am God. I have overcome the world and so you too can."

What better example can we take during this Christmas season than that of the birth of Jesus and find out who had to let go of what to give us a reason to celebrate this day.

Before Jesus was born, there were over 360 prophecies that were foretold about Him in the Bible and each and every one of them were fulfilled through His coming into the world.

One of the prophecies were, 

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son." - Isaiah 7:14

When we look into the Bible, it tells us that this is exactly how Jesus was born. Matthew 1:18(NLT) says,

"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."

An angel had appeared to Mary before and had told her that she would be with a child while she was a virgin. In those days,(we are talking of over 2000 years ago) it was a disgrace for a woman to be pregnant before marriage. If Mary had prioritized her dignity in the society over the fulfilment of God's will, she might well have gone for an abortion. What a grave mistake she would have done then. But then she let go of her dignity to come under God's will.

Another prophecy was,

"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

This prophecy tells us that Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem. Luke 2:1-5(NLT) says,

"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."

This is interesting. Geography says that the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem was about 80 miles. History says that the only mode of transportation available at that time was walk or a donkey or at the maximum a caravan. Now, Joseph was a carpenter, so obviously a poor man. Say, he managed to get a donkey for Mary because she needed extra care and protection. A donkey can travel 20 miles a day on an average. The donkey had to be extra careful because it was carrying a pregnant woman. With all these calculations, we can safely say that it might have easily taken Joseph and Mary about a week to reach Bethlehem from Nazareth. Agreed? Imagine what would have happened if Mary had gone on a strike and told Joseph, "I am pregnant and you want me to travel that far to get myself registered? No way! I am not coming!" That would have meant another prophecy of Jesus not being fulfilled and hence, Mary not being a part of God's will.

Mary obeyed. She let go of what the society might think of her. She let go of her comfort zone. Only to be a part of God's master plan. End reward :  She got a name that none of the women on earth could ever get. She became known as 'Mary, the mother of Jesus.!' It was a very special blessing. It was exclusively for her. But the path to earn that reward was not a bed of roses. She had to endure a lot.

This is how it works in our lives as well. Sometimes, we need to take the difficult path if we want God's will to be done in our lives. When we decide to let go of what God wants us to let go of, we are assured of our blessings.  So, if you are wondering why nothing is going right with you at this point, sit down and search your life. Find out what God wants you to let go of. Just shake it off and receive your blessings! He has the best in store for you. 

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'.

  

Happy Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving time! I see all this ‘Thanksgiving Day’ trending all over twitter which made me Google up to see what exactly it is! And there you go… This is what I read…

"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.

Why not? We do have a lot of reasons to thank Him.

•  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 on and on and on. For friends and family, for the good health and comfort, for our educational institutions (no matter how much we grumble for the college we are in, we are still so proud of just being a part of it.. right? )

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.

So what did I ask God and what all have I received?

"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."

Yea… I am thankful today because I received nothing I wanted but I received everything I needed according to His perfect timing.

I am thankful for the sun that shines to wake me up every morning, giving me another day to praise my Creator!

Faith and Thanksgiving are great pals. When we are thankful, we thank God not only for what He has done for us in the past but also for what He is going to do in the future. When we thank Him, we magnify His name and not our problems.

The Bible says, 

 Give thanks in all circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus- Thessalonians 5:18

So, what are you thankful for today ???

Masterpiece

         I love looking up at the sky. It sometimes has such a beautiful mix of colours. As I flew back home after this summer vacation, I got another opportunity to get a closer view of the beautiful white clouds spread across the blue sky like cotton balls. Beautiful! And I managed to capture the moment as well. At that moment, I could just feel myself leaping inside and say, “Wah, Lord! You are such a master at creation.”

         Even now as I write this, it is raining outside and it makes me wonder how Noah and his family would have stood awestruck when God set the rainbow in the sky just for them! Those beautiful seven colours for the first time ever declaring the promises God has for us! The clouds, the night sky, blooming flowers, chirping birds and all these little things around us amuse us and we just can’t stop admiring the beauty in them.

        The Bible says that when God created the light, the water, the dry ground, the skies, the trees, fruits and flowers, the animals and the birds, He saw that it was ‘good’. But when God created man, He said that it was ‘very good’. The things that look so beautiful in our eyes are just ‘good’ according to God and we look much more pretty and precious than all these through the eyes of our Creator!! When He could create everything by just the utterance of His Word, He took time to ‘make’ us in His own image!! He knew us even before we were formed in our mother’s womb. What a privilege!

         And we, not knowing the importance of how precious we are in God’s sight, keep grumbling about our looks, the way we walk, the way we talk and say, “How I wish I was a little like this..” But all that God wants you to know is just this:

“If you’re dark or if you’re fair or if you’re fat or lean, God loves you.

If you’re tall or if you’re short or if you’re in between, God loves you.

He loves you when you’re happy; He loves you when you’re sad,

He loves you when you’re very good and even when you’re bad.

No matter what you look like, no matter what you do, God loves you,

He makes me happy, God loves you, He loves me too, Yeah! “

         Imagine how you would feel if you had worked carefully with all your heart and soul on a work and you really thought it was one of your best works only to find out that people are just not convinced with your work and they dislike it. This is exactly how God feels when you start grumbling about your appearances and talents that God has given you. It grieves Him.

         I remember one of my friends was telling me how bad she felt because people made fun of her for her features and how she just wished she was someone else.        

       
   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.

So next time you feel down and out and before you could say a word ill about you, hold on and remind yourself of this:

“He’s still working on me, to make me what I ought to be,

It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars,

The sun and the earth and Jupiter and mars,

How loving and patient He must be…

He’s still working on me.

There really ought to be a sign upon my heart,

Don’t judge me yet, there’s an unfinished part,

But I’ll be perfect just according to His plan,

Fashioned by the Master’s loving Hands.”

So cheer up friend! No one can beat you in being you. You are one of a kind! Yes, you are a masterpiece.

So, how are you feeling today mate?? Listen to this song video. Should make you feel good.

Packing. « Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

Packing. « Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

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.”

If God is so much against sin, how does He treat us, the sinners?

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.

Another reason would be this: The entry point for sin into the world was when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the ‘TREE’ that God had forbidden them. God wanted to show Satan and sin the exit door by taking up the Cross (made of wood from tree!! Wah!!)

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.

20 years of unmerited grace...

Ah... 20 years... 20 years of what?? Uh... Nothing.. Just that I was born on this day, September 24^th 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...

Oh yes!! Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I stand...

Touching Heaven, Changing Earth

September 5^th 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!!

I am what I am today, purely because of God’s immeasurable mercy and grace in my life. He has been so patient with me amidst all my grumblings and yet not restrain from blessing me with the educational institutions, teachers, friends and of course, a blessed family. Looking back, I thank all my teachers who have played an important role in shaping me up. There have been teachers who have pulled me out of my comfort zones to help me get rid of my stage fears. They have taught me the importance of celebrating every successful moment in my life with my fellow class mates. I still remember how ma’am Mercy (when I was in 8^th grade) wouldn’t let go of me unless I got a packet of chocolates to share it with friends to celebrate a small victory. There have been some great teachers in my life who would be on their knees for 3 whole hours just because their students were writing their board exams and I am grateful to those teachers because I can firmly say that I am a product of their prayers. I have had my share of teachers who have helped me mould myself into a better person.

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!!

The Industrial Visit (IV) to Kerala

Count down for our IV had begun almost a month back. Organising had started during the semester holidays. Everyone was excited about it. A visit to kerala – God’s own country, a much awaited one. Our last IV to Bangalore had definitely raised the level of expectations.

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.

Our next stop was at the Soochipara falls- a visual treat. I was personally in awe of God’s beautiful creation. The gushing water, the scenic beauty- wah! Absolutely no words.

The next day, we visited the Banasura dam and the Pookote Lake, again a treat to the eyes.

Boating here was simply too good. Trying to sneak out an extra 5 minutes after the allotted 20 minutes in water was fun not just because we could stay in water a lil longer but also because we could see the impatient expression on our fellow mates’ faces waiting for their turn.

That night we left to Trivandrum. Everyone wondered how on earth were we going to spend 9 hours in travel but I must admit, none of us felt it that long. The day that actually brought out the meaning for our ‘Industrial Visit’ was this 3^rd day when we visited ISRO. I felt the wait to get into the place was a lil too long with strict security check but the visit was definitely worth the wait. Although it had nothing to do with the subjects we are doing (IT), it still was a knowledgeable experience with a little stir to our patriotism. The evening visit to the kovalam beach made our day. Little did we expect that we would be completely drenched. Waiting for the water to kiss our feet and the little games that we played running around was some serious fun.

The last day of the tour was spent in veegaland, a theme park in Cochin which was nothing but solid fun. Personally, I liked Wonder La better, but with friends around, I guess even sitting idle would mean a lot to us.

The tour had to end and it finally did. We packed our bags and took our way back home- to Chennai!!

A special mention of the bus travel that was such an awesome time spent with dumb charades, song dedications( I loved it the most), random singing and dancing by every single soul in the bus right from ma’am and sir, some ‘tamil speaking abilities’ and much much more!! Every moment was captured, friendship bonds were made stronger, so many stories shared, got to know classmates better, blinking at what the ‘caring keralites’(!!!) were trying to tell us each time they saw us as a gang, hurried sleeps in the night, food that ranged from 10 bucks for two of us for lunch to 120 per head for dinner, sharing, living, loving, bonding- this is just what our trip to kerala was made of. The words of our guide on the final night, “so, your tour has finally ended” brought an expression on all our faces (probably, the only moment that was not captured) which would tell the tale on how much we wished the tour never ended. Yes, we did miss some of our close mates in the IV but it can’t take away the fun that we had over the past 5 days. A word on our organisers – Mani, Maheshwaran, Ananth and everyone else who worked behind the scenes(although words can’t describe the effort they put in) – ‘You guys did an amazing job. Wonder how many sleepless nights you invested on this tour!! We are grateful and a big THANK YOU to u guys.’ I am indeed blessed to be part of this class..

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…

Have you ever sinned???

It’s 1:15 in the morning as I start writing this blog. A summary of the message that I shared with my fellow mates last Wednesday in prayer cell:

Have you ever thought that you’ve actually not been a bad guy/girl in your life?? Have you ever thought that you’ve never sinned in your life?? Then read on... this is for you!!

What is sin? The Bible gives us the best definition for it in Genesis 6:6 –“The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” So anything that we do that will grieve God and cause Him pain is called sin. It shouldn’t really matter to us what others think of us but what God thinks of us is the most important thing.

What is sin?

1. It is a choice.

Well, I will not cheat in an exam when an examiner is standing right next to me. A robber will not rob a bank if he knows that the cameras are focussing on him. And we will not switch over to another channel or to another web page when we notice someone standing behind us.

So there is no point in blaming our society, friends and family for our wrong doings. They can only influence us but can never cause us to sin.

What is ‘peer pressure’ then? This was explained beautifully in one of the youth camps that I attended this summer vacation and it shook me totally.

“When I want to do something (wrong) but don’t have the courage to do it alone, I wait for my friend (friend, really???) to give me that initial push. And I’ll call it peer pressure so that the blame doesn’t fall on me...” wow!!

HOW OFTEN DO WE BLAME OUR ‘FALL’ ON PEER PRESSURE?

2. Sin is being away from God.

If I think that I am finding value and significance in my life to live without depending on God, that’s a sin. O yes!! It is. God does exist. It needn’t be proven ‘cos if I don’t believe it and if I am not ready to give Him the praise, then according to Psalm 19:1, I have this whole nature around me crying out praises to him. So no excuses if you are an atheist. Just look around you and you’ll know there is a Higher Power. Not submitting to Him is definitely a sin!!

What is addiction? Anything that controls me, my thought process and my actions is an addiction. Not just drinking and smoking fall under this category, but also our favourite tv shows, gaming, the internet and most importantly our cell phones. None should control us but God. So, we better be addicted to God and not value anything else above Him in our lives.

WHAT/ WHO ARE YOU ADDICTED TO? GOD OR THE WORLD?

3. Sin starts as a thought, not as actions.

The Bible says in Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' ". Yea!! It’s our thoughts that make us ‘unclean’. Before Eve could even pluck the apple from the tree, she had sinned. She had desired (thought process) for the wisdom that God had forbidden Adam and Eve to have (Genesis 3:6). Her thought process led her to a simple act of disobedience which made God throw both Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden.

IF ALL YOUR THOUGHTS CAN BE SCREENED ON A BIG SCREEN, WILL YOU BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU ARE SEEING??

4. There is no big sin and small sin in God’s view point.

Pride, selfish ambitions, anger and jealousy are just as deadly a sin like murder and adultery. In the Bible, God compares anger to murder (Matthew 5:22) and a lustful eye to adultery (Matthew 5:28) and says that it is all one and the same!! Remember, Adam and Eve was punished not for committing a crime as huge as we do these days. They were punished for their simple act of disobedience. Then just imagine how gracious our God is now!! How many times have we disobeyed God’s Word, out parents, our elders and never considered it as a sin? God still takes our acts of disobedience very seriously but has been too patient with us not to punish us for all that we do!!

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT A ‘SMALL’ LIE OR A ‘SMALL’ BACKTALK WAS NOT ALL THAT WRONG??

Now that we know what sin is, I am sure all of us will agree that we have all sinned at some point of time or the other. So what do we do? We need to sincerely analyse ourselves and repent of our sins. We need to ask God to forgive us and more importantly ask God for His grace to help us not to repeat them again.

Pray this small prayer:

“Dear Jesus, I know that I’ve disappointed You so many times in my life. Forgive me for all that I’ve done to this day. I leave my old life behind. Give me Your grace and help me not to fall into the sinful trap again. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

Now if you’ve prayed this prayer, make sure that you lead a new life from now on so that you don’t give God the chance to say this again, “The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”(Genesis 6:6) Let Him give you the grace that you need to lead a life pleasing in His sight. But first, repent and surrender your life to God. It's now or never!!