Biblical Thoughts

  When Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord on the eighth day of his birth, an extra ordinary event happened at the temple premise where God rewarded a man for his unflinching faith in a revelation that he received some time ago. Through the season of Christmas much has been spoken about the revelation that Mary received from Gabriel about the birth of Jesus, or Zechariah the priest received from the angel about the birth of his son John the Baptist.  Little has been spoken about a revelation that an unknown person named Simeon received through Holy Spirit about him seeing Jesus during his life.  Simeon appears briefly over the second chapter of Luke.  Bible says that he was devout and full of Holy Spirit. He was constantly expecting the Messiah to come and he expected the Messiah to come soon (Luke 2:25) unlike many of his generations.  Jews through their long history had suffered many a foreign invasions. At the time of Jesus' birth, R...

  When disciples approached Jesus to teach them to pray, he gave them a model prayer, famously known as the Lord’s prayer. While it teaches us how to pray, it provides a deep insight into the mind of Jesus. It uncovers the enduring intimacy between the son and the father. More importantly, it verily defines how the relationship between man and his creator God should be. Jesus begins by calling out to his father “Our Father in Heaven”. This expression is an acknowledgement of the highest order as to who God the Father is, where he dwells and why he is. All living and non-living things have all their origin from heaven. They have their being in him (Rom 17:28).   While on earth, Jesus could not but acknowledge how exalted the heaven is, which is the throne of God, the seat of all creations, the source of all life. Men of earth marvels at the wonders of the earth whereas the Son marvels at the heaven itself. What is earth after all for one who descended from heaven. As the heav...

    As Jesus passed by Jericho, there was a blind man who shouted out Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me (Luke 18:38). A blind man addressing Jesus as son of David is as startling as ever. Neither the learned Pharisees, the Jewish priestly class, the Roman elite, nor those who witnessed his miracles could recognize who Jesus was. Here we have a blind man who had no physical vision possessing unimaginable knowledge of who Jesus was. How could this blind man address Jesus by his Messianic and prophetic title “son of David?” God had spoken to David “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Jesus came from the tribe of Judah same as David, and his kingdom is eternal and timeless. This prophecy is fulfilled through Jesus. ...

  Faith is the assurance of things hoped for (Heb 11:1). So then fear is the assurance of things dreaded for.   Faith is the assured conviction of the unseen we hope for, fear is the assured conviction of the unseen we dread for. Faith is borne out of our dependence in God’s faithfulness. Fear is borne out of our dependence in Satan’s unfaithfulness. Faith takes you beyond the visible, while fear traps you within the visible. Faith propels you into the unknown, while fear fills you with fear for the unknown. Faith pulls you out of the cage of circumstances; fear keeps you bound. Faith emerges from the ashes; fear burns and bleeds in the ashes. Faith builds imagination, fear kills it. Faith is faithful, fear is fearful. Faith drives you into your future, fear holds you in the past. Faith creates the future, fear destroys it. Faith releases, fear restricts. Faith set you free into the freedom in Christ, but fear sets you into slavery to satan. Faith is God-confiden...

  There are many lessons to be learnt from Paul’s final sea voyage to Rome which turned out to be a major disaster due to crew’s disobedience to God’s word and yet a salvage due to God’s grace. This voyage tells how God sustains a fallen world through his people though they remain a thin minority. It tells how much leadership Godly people can demonstrate in a hostile world if they are led by the Spirit from the example of Paul. Paul was undergoing a trial under procurator Felix after Jews accused him of being a ringleader of the sect of Nazarenes and stirring up riots among them (Acts 24:5). The case dragged on for more than two years. Festus who replaced Felix did not declare his innocence to please the Jews though no charges could be proven. Meanwhile Paul made an appeal to be tried before Caesar. Festus consented as Paul was a Roman citizen and was taken to Rome for a trial. A centurion named Julius was given the charge to escort him to Italy. Paul was accompanied by Luke as...

    Faith and Unbelief go hand-in-hand if unbelief remains unchecked. Many believers fall into this habit of living in faith and unbelief at the same time without being aware of it. This is a state in faith life which can turn a believer ineffective in their faith journey. This is a trick played by Satan from the days of Jesus where he keeps a person free from guilt of not having faith yet fills him or her with unbelief for a given situation. Jairus came to meet Jesus and pleaded with him saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her that she may be healed, and she will live”. So, Jesus went with him (Mark 5:23, 24). It is clear that Jairus had full conviction that Jesus could heal her even from the point of dying. So, he was a man of extraordinary faith. Jesus reciprocated to his faith by deciding to go to his house. The decision of Jesus to go with him is enough to conclude that the life of his daughter is completely taken care ...

  Faith is trusting Jesus, Fear is trusting satan Fear is the opposite of faith. Jesus said, Fear not, only believe (Mark 5:36). This   just proves it. Faith comes from believing the Words of Jesus (Truth) and fear from believing the lies of satan. Why there is fear when you believe in satan? Satan approached Eve in the garden of Eden to suggest that she could equal God if she eats of the tree of knowledge of good and evil which was forbidden by God. She and Adam ate it and instantly fell from God’s favor. The very first promise of satan to mankind turned out to be the greatest lie.  When God came to walk on the garden he called out, where are you? Adam and Eve cowered behind the trees. He fretfully replied, “I hear the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid” (Gen 3:10). The maiden expression of the first man turned out to be a statement of fear in human history. Trusting satan resulted in fear.  Similarly trust in Jesus results in faith. Years later...