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- Bro. M. Geo Prakash
(Meditation for January 1, 2 ..then from 15th January is available)
‘AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION
No:- 1,069 💚January
01, 2024 💚Monday
💚
"The
LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength
of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27: 1)
I wish and pray for all
those who step into the new year that the Lord himself will be with them and
guide them.. !!
As King David says, let us
begin this year with words of firm hope. "The Lord is my light and my
salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, whom shall I
fear?"
The Lord himself will be our
light and keep our lives from darkness. Not only that, but He will protect us
by being our biggest fortress.
When we trust in Him, He
will not abandon us and keep us in the shelter of His tent when problems and
sufferings come. As David said this as his statement of faith, so will we. "For
in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his
tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." (Psalms 27:
5)
Yes, dear ones, the
scriptures say that those who seek the Lord do not lack any benefit. As David
said, "Though my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will take me
up." (Psalm 27: 10)
David speaks these verses
from his own experience. From the beginning David's life was a life of
oppression. He was oppressed by Saul, his own son, and enemy kings. Not only
that, he also fell into sin due to bodily weakness. But God did not leave him
like that but, made him shine with his light; Protected as a fortress.
We should also be those who
want to live a life worthy of God and surrender ourselves to Him. All the words
of God are related to human life. Therefore, it is necessary that our life
should be suitable to the verse and obey the verse.
We don't want to worry about
our old life, our mistakes and sins. When we cling to the Lord Jesus Christ and
confess our sins, He will forgive all and enlighten us. Because He is the true
light. "That
was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."
(John 1: 9) Apostle John identifies Christ Jesus to us. So, let's
begin the new year by entrusting ourselves to Christ with faith.
"The Lord is my light
and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the fortress of my life, whom
shall I fear?" Let's chant that loudly with hope.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION
No:- 1,070 💚
January 02, 2024 💚
Tuesday 💚
"Remember
now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in
them;' (Ecclesiastes 12: 1)
Usually, people show more
interest in devotional activities and seeking God only in their old age. When
there is strength in the body, they will work for the family and accumulate
wealth and pleasures, and in the last days of weakness, they will seek God. But
today's verse says, 'Remember your Creator in your youth.'
Most of the people seek God
only when some suffering or crisis occurs in their life. Their goal is to
somehow get rid of the problem. Today's verse says, remember your Creator in
your youth before such evil days come, and before the years come when you say,
'I have no pleasure in them.
"Then shall the dust return
to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
(Ecclesiastes 12: 7)
Many
people claim that "life is for living" and live a life as they want. Youthful
age is considered to be the time to enjoy pleasure. Sadhu Sundersingh, a saint
who lived in the last century and passed away, said the following about those
who spend their youthful days in pleasures, in sinful life and seek God in their
last days:-
"Would
we give a well-ripened mango after eating it up to the end and give it to
someone else with the little bit of flesh that is stuck to the mango at the
end?" But many men try to give their last days to God, having spent their
rich youth in family, enjoying life well, and giving the flesh attached to the
nut to God."
Beloved, the preacher who
spoke today's verse warns us at the end in verse 14, "For
God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it
be good, or whether it be evil." (Ecclesiastes 12: 14)
Yes, "God will bring
into judgment every private matter, whether good or evil, who live a godless
youth and labor in sin."
Most of the people reading
this may have passed their youth and reached middle age. But now we surrender
ourselves to God and try to live anew. We don't need to wait for old age. Not
only that, let's make our children grow in the knowledge of knowing God. In
today's social environment, it is our important duty to raise children in the
knowledge of God to escape from the situation where social media pulls people
towards sin. Let's make children know God at an early age.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:- 1,071 💚 January 15, 2024 💚 Monday 💚
"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth
eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also
that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57: 15)
Our
God dwells in all glory. Surrounded by billions of angels, they wait to obey
his orders. Hymns praising Him as Holy, Holy fill the sky. He is the creator of
these universes. His reign is eternal; There is no end to it.
But
such an eternal Holy says, "I dwell in
the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble”
Yes, this is His excellence and glory. The aforesaid great and glorious God
comes and resides in the mere dust man created by Him when he humbles himself.
Man
is a sinner. But he says that he will not always look at his sins. If he sees
like that, none of us can stand before him; Can't join him. And if he is angry
all the time, we humans will get fainted. "For I
will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit
should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." (Isaiah 57: 16)
In
this way, all human beings have lost their sanctity. They are those who have
strayed away from God and are lost. Therefore, thus said Jesus, "The Son
of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) So
beloved, it is necessary that we always be aware of our unworthiness before
God.
Sometimes
trials and tribulations of this worldly life can make us feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
But when we live with humility God will come into us and revive our broken
spirit and heart. That is why, "I dwell in the spirit of the contrite, the
heart of the contrite, and the spirit of the contrite." Says the Holy
Lord.
Let
us live a humble life before God. The Lord will strengthen us. "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith,
God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." (James 4:
6)
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION -
No:- 1,072 💚
January 16, 2024 💚
Tuesday 💚
"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I
will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of
David." ( Isaiah 55 : 3 )
Beloved, today's verse tells
us that we must obey God's words and walk accordingly. Listen and come to me is
God’s supreme command.
"Come unto me:
hear," we read in today's verse. That means we must first surrender
ourselves to Him and go to Him. Because God does not always lead us according
to pre-written commandments. Rather, He guides us eternally through the Holy
Spirit.
So, first of all we should
surrender our spirit, soul and body to Him and walk in the way of His Spirit.
Similarly, apart from reading and listening to God's words, we must act
according to them. When we walk like that, "I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."
says the Lord. What is the grace given to David? It was in his seed that the
promised Christ was born. That Christ was called the son of David was a grace
bestowed upon him by God.
Also, David committed
various sins. Not only was adultery followed by murder, more human blood was
shed by him (more murders). So, God commanded him not to build a temple. But
even so, God did not leave his grace. He loved David. These are all graces that
God bestowed on David.
In this way, David was not
destroyed in his spiritual life and God gave him eternal grace. I will give you
the same grace to you, says the Lord. This is also mentioned, “And as
concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to
corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.”
(Acts 13: 34)
After reading this, we
should not think that we can sin like David and ask for forgiveness. Instead,
we should pray for God's grace. We are saved by grace.
Also, not everyone who comes
to churches claiming to have faith in Jesus Christ will experience salvation.
It is by God's grace that we get that experience. That is why the apostle Paul
said, "For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God:" (Ephesians 2: 8)
We cannot be righteous just
by obeying the commandments. We are saved by the grace of Christ Jesus.
"For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through
Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17) So we should pray, "Lord, be gracious to
me as you were to David. We can live a successful Christian life when we
experience salvation by His grace.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE
MEDITATION No:- 1,073 💚
January 17, 2024 💚
Wednesday 💚
"Are
not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the
ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered." (Matthew 10: 29, 30)
When various problems,
sufferings, debts, diseases affect us, our faith decreases. Even though we are
living a life according to God, when we are troubled, we may think “why I have
all these sufferings and problems?” Some are unable to bear these sufferings
and seek the tragic end of suicide.
If you are troubled like
this, the comforting words of Jesus Christ today will surely comfort your
heart. We see birds flying in the sky. We enjoy watching them flap their wings
beautifully. They all fly like that according to the will of the Father. If it
is not his will they will fall down.
Similarly, God has counted
the millions of hairs on our head. In English translation it is mentioned,
"hairs of your head are all numbered." It means that every hair is
given a number just like we give number to houses. Many hairs fall out when we comb
our hair. What number of hairs should fall is also his will.
Beloved, Lord Jesus Christ
gives us courage that if God cares so much about even a hair that we count insignificant,
will He abandon us?
If we are worried about our
problems and sufferings, our mind will not get comfort. There is an end to all
our sufferings. The reason is that sufferings do not follow us without God's
will. They are not hidden from His view. God who makes sparrows fly without falling,
God who counts the hairs of our heads, surely counts our sufferings too. Surely,
He will deliver us from them.
That is why Jesus Christ
continues to say, "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value
than many sparrows." (Matthew 10: 31) Yes, we humans are more
valuable than sparrows. We are made in God's image. Therefore, the God who
protects the sparrows and the hair of the head will surely protect us too.
The words of Jesus Christ
give us comfort and faith in our times of suffering. So do not panic. We are valuable
than sparrows and hair.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:-
1,074 💚
January 18, 2024 💚
Thursday 💚
"I am
the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house
of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me." (Deuteronomy
5: 6, 7)
Our Egyptian life was the
old days when we lived a sinful life. A sinful life was the house of slavery.
From that house of slavery, we have been freed by the grace of God. Hence He is
our true God.
Therefore, we who are freed
like that should depend on the Lord and consider Him as our God. But many
people claim to have been redeemed by God but they are trapped in various
addictions without knowing it. That is, they create various gods for themselves.
They are worshiping them without realizing that they are worshiping them.
Whatever we give importance
to other than the Lord Jesus Christ is worshiping another god. Even though they
claim that they have been freed from their old sinful life, some people are
caught up in lust for money, fame and status. That is, they regard these as
God. They think that getting them is their main goal in life.
"Thou shalt have no
other gods before me." says the Lord. This is the first of his ten
commandments. But most of us think that worshiping other religious deities is
only worshiping other Gods.
Especially materialism or
desire for money dominates most of the people. That is their Lord and God. That
is why Jesus Christ said, "No servant can serve two masters: for either he
will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Luke 16 :13)
Many people are eager to
serve God and worldly goods. As much as they give importance to temple, worship,
they give more importance to other world gods.
Beloved, let us guard
ourselves that we do not prioritize anything other than the Lord our God who
brought us out of the land of sinful slavery in Egypt. None of the deities we
prioritize as gods are eternal. They cannot give us complete peace of mind. Therefore,
let us not have any such gods.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION -
No:- 1,075 💚
January 19, 2024 💚
Friday 💚
"But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you: " ( 1 John 2 : 27 )
When we are forgiven of our
sins and become Christ's, He gives us His Holy Spirit. This anointing of the
Holy Spirit guides us on the right path. Jesus Christ continues to say this in
today's verse, "but as the same anointing teacheth you of all
things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall
abide in him." (1 John 2: 27)
The root cause of the
thousands of divisions in Christianity today is not heeding the voice of the
Holy Spirit. That is, the so-called
Christian preachers give a scriptural interpretation as it appears in their
minds and make people accept them without listening to the Spirit.
The Bible was written by the
Holy Spirit through holy men. Therefore, only the Spirit can give the correct
interpretation of the Scriptures. So, we must yield to the guidance of the
Spirit and not to the teachings of men. Much of today's confusion is caused by
unnecessary and untrue explanations given by preachers who are only
theologically educated without the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ said, "Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come." (John 16: 13) Yes,
when, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will lead us into all truth.
Not only that, "And
when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment:" (John 16: 8)
Beloved, therefore it is
necessary for us to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Without the
guidance of the Spirit, we cannot lead a more spiritual life. Not only that,
but the Spirit himself will teach us, saying, "The anointing you received
from Him remains in you, and no one needs to teach you." He will make us
realize that when we listen to false teachings and sermons, it is wrong.
The Spirit prompts us in
this way, not to argue with those who assert false teachings, but to guard our
souls. Therefore, it is our duty to pray with thirst for the anointing of the
Holy Spirit.
"For I
will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I
will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine
offspring:" (Isaiah 44: 3)
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:- 1,076 💚 January 20, 2024 💚 Saturday 💚
"But let it be the hidden
man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek
and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." (1 Peter 3
: 4 )
The apostle Peter says that it is the hidden
good qualities of the heart that adorn a man. Qualities like meekness and peace
are true adornment. Moreover, in the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is
precious.
But
in some Christian congregations, without proper understanding, this truth is
distorted and it is taught that avoiding external decorations is superior in
the eyes of God. The reason is that before today's verse, the Apostle Peter
says for our clarity, "Whose
adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of
wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;" (1 Peter 3: 3)
That
is, properly plaiting the hair, wearing gold jewellery, wearing nice clothes,
etc., are not true adornment, instead he says, let the above virtues be your
adornment. Because they do not realize the true meaning of this, the wrong
teaching is being taught in some Christian churches that they should not wear
jewellery and should wear white clothes.
God
sees our innermost heart and humbleness of heart. When such humility of heart
comes into a man, he naturally avoids the things which the world regards as
pride. Such men who are converted into Christ will not need to wear jewellery;
their hearts will avoid it. But simply removing jewellery and putting on white
clothing without a change of heart will make a hypocritical Christian.
The
apostle Peter continues, "For
after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God,
adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:" (1 Peter
3: 5) In
other words, those women had qualities like gentleness and self-control. Next,
Peter talks about Sarah, Abraham's wife. Abraham was the richest man; Sarah wore
gold jewellery.
Beloved,
we should read and live the Bible verses truly knowing the purpose of which
they were written. Simply following them without understanding their meaning
does not make us superior in God's eyes. Hypocrisy will turn us into fake
Christians. Similarly, many verses in the Bible are misinterpreted and taught
as teachings. We can walk rightly if we have the guidance of the Spirit.
‘AATHAVAN'
📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION - No:- 1,077 💚 January 21, 2024 💚 Sunday 💚
"They are of the world: therefore, speak they
of the world, and the world heareth them." (1 John 4: 5)
At the time of the Apostle John also there
were Christian preachers who only preached world blessing like today. Most of
the people did not like the apostolic preaching and ran after such blessed
teachings. The apostle John saw this and said, "They are of the world: therefore, speak they of the world, and the
world heareth them." (1 John 4: 5)
And
he says, "We
are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not
us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." (1 John
4: 6)
That
is, if one knows God and loves Him will teach according to God's mind. People
who have realized it in life will also listen to such teachings.
Following
this, the apostle John says in the above verse itself, "By this we know
what the spirit of truth is and what the spirit of deceit is." People who
experience various sufferings in this world are not willing to wait for God.
They only seek instant comfort. They are consoled by such blessing’s preachers in
a psychophysical way. This is not the true comfort God gives. That is why John
calls them a "deceitful spirit."
The
Lord Jesus Christ is not just for the blessing of this world, rather, He wants
to give the heavenly blessing first. He will also shower us with worldly
blessings as we seek first His kingdom and righteousness. On the contrary, if
we seek Him only for worldly blessings, we will lose both.
Let
the people of the world talk about the things of the world and let those who
wander for the blessings of the world listen to them.
True
preachers may have smaller crowds than preachers who preach worldly blessings.
Because this world gives priority to attractiveness. God doesn't attract people
by showing glamours. He really needs even a small number of people who listens
to Him. "Fear
not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom."(Luke 12: 32)
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION -
1,078 💚January 22, 2024 💚
Monday 💚
"all whose works are truth,
and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to
abase." (Daniel 4: 37)
Today's verse is what
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, uttered after realizing it in his
experience. We read in the Bible that God opposes the proud. Even though God
resists the proud like this, He gives grace in return. That is, He opposes the
proud because He bestows abundant grace.
We read this "But
he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace unto the humble." (James 4: 6) That is, we should live with
the assumption that everything is possible only because of His grace, without
boasting, "This was made possible only because of me."
Babylonian king
Nebuchadnezzar was proud of his power as he strolled through his palace. And
so, he said, "The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have
built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour
of my majesty?" (Daniel 4: 30) As soon as he said this, God
humbled him and made him graze on grass like a cow.
As he grazed the grass, he
realized that he is nothing and everything is because of God. Then the
enlightened one says, "And all the inhabitants of
the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the
army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his
hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Daniel 4: 35)
Beloved, let us guard
ourselves against pride in any situation. All his works are truth, and his ways
are justice; It is He who humbles those who walk proudly and arrogantly.
Today we may be in a good
position, be in good health, live in wealth and have physical beauty. But don't
look down on others for that. We must always be humble that we have received
this by God's grace. In an instant we can be like Nebuchadnezzar.
He not only humbles the
proud but exalts the humble. God can greatly exalt and glorify someone we think
little of. "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar
from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the
throne of glory:"(1 Samuel 2: 8)
Therefore, dear ones, no
matter how great our position, wealth, physical strength or beauty, let us
inherit the character of humility. For God's ways are just; He is the one who
brings down in a moment those who walk proudly.
‘AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:- 1,079 💚 January 23, 2024 💚 Tuesday 💚
"For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and
ye shall live:" (Amos 5: 4)
Seeking
the Lord means seeking to know Him with genuine love. Look for me; Not
blessings from me, says the Lord God. When we seek Him like that, our soul will
survive.
A
man who truly loves a woman deserves that she should be his own because he
loves her, but he does not fall in love by calculating how much dowry he will
get if he marries her. Loving like that is not true love. But many who claim to
love Jesus Christ today love Him expecting what they will get from Him. So,
loving like this is not really loving Christ.
"Seek the LORD, and his
strength: seek his face evermore." (Psalms 105: 4) we read in the Psalms. This verse tells us to seek him
and his community not once, but daily. The reason is that life without Him, the
true light, will be a life of darkness.
Also,
what we see is that those who seek worldly blessings from the Lord without true
love often wander from town to town and temple to temple. But this is
pointless. This is what God says through the prophet Amos, "But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal,
and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and
Bethel shall come to nought.' (Amos 5: 5) Yes
dear, life without true love for God will make us wander like this.
We
should not wander anywhere in search of God. We can know Him, worship Him, feel
His presence right where we are. Yes, we can worship the omnipresent Lord
anywhere. This is what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye
shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father."
(John 4: 21)
Why
should we seek Him? Today's verse answers that too, "Then you shall live."
that. That is, if there is no Lord in our lives, we cannot survive. No matter
how many possessions we live with, it is not a truly living life. If we want to
survive in this worldly life and in the hereafter, it is necessary to seek Him
and for Him to be with us.
Those
who live in search of God for worldly blessings cannot find His presence in
their lives or realize the absence of God's presence in their lives. They eat,
sleep, go to work and do prayer and temple worship as a daily routine. But
those who seek and find the Lord know clearly His presence and His absence.
According
to the New Testament we believers are spiritual Israelites. Therefore, God says
this for us, “saith the
LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:" Let us rejoice in His presence.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:- 1,080 💚 January 24, 2024 💚
Wednesday 💚
"Philip
findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the
law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
(John 1: 45)
The best experience is to
know the Lord Jesus Christ and to feel His presence. In other words, it is
better to experience Christ in real life and to know Him and to announce Him to
others than just seeing miracles and believing in Christ.
Today's verse is about
Philip. Jesus Christ calls Philip, "Follow me." Philip, who
immediately followed him, found out that he was indeed the Messiah who was to
come into the world on that one day he was with him. Jesus Christ did not show
Philip great miracles or wonders. But through his experience with Christ,
Philip knew that He was the Messiah.
The reason why Philip
recognized Jesus in this way was because he was well-learned and familiar with
the Old Testament texts. That is why immediately after he found Jesus, he saw
Nathanael and said, "We have found him of whom Moses and the prophets
wrote in the books, this is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Beloved, those who know
Jesus scripturally and taste his presence are like Philip. They will be eager
to tell others about the Jesus Christ they have seen and experienced. When
Philip told Nathanael about Jesus Christ, he did not believe him. He answered
Philip, "Can
there any good thing come out of Nazareth? (John 1: 46) And
Philip said: "Come and see."
Yes, don't believe what I
say, come and see for yourself. So should we, dear ones. Not because pastors
and priests say it, but because we need to know and experience Him personally.
Philip was not giving Nathanael great scriptural explanations. He brings
Nathanael to Christ by saying, "Come and see."
Like Philip, we need to know
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is mentioned in the Old Testament books from Genesis
to Malachi. Like Philip, we must see it. When we see what God has spoken
through the prophets in the Old Testament, we will wonder and our faith in
Christ will increase. Like Philip, we will begin to proclaim to others that He
is the Messiah.
It is better to see Him by
experience and realize Him. Then we shall also proclaim like Philip, "we found
him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote in the law, Jesus of Nazareth, the son
of Joseph." We will definitely report that. Moreover, then, we will not
call anyone else for help and pray to them.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION -
No:- 1,081 💚
January 25, 2024 💚
Thursday 💚
“….. to be strengthened with
might by his Spirit in the inner man;” (Ephesians 3: 16)
All humans are of two natures
– the outer man and the inner man. The
outer man refers to how we appear to the outside world. The inner man refers to
our spiritual qualities that only we know, or that only we and God know.
We can express ourselves to
others by pretending to be good. That means we can hide our true state of mind
and present ourselves to others as good people. Yes, this is hypocrisy. Humans
are often hypocritical like this. By acting like this, we can show ourselves to
the world as a good person. But we cannot deceive God.
Although all men in general
have this dual life, the inner man of us as Christians begins to mature as
Christ forms within us. When we have our sins washed away by the blood of
Christ, we begin to live the inner human life in Christ. The Bible is also
written for our inner human development. We are weighed before God according to
our inner spiritual condition. This is what we call spiritual life.
It is very necessary for us
to be strengthened in this spiritual life of ours. In the early days of our
knowledge of God, we live in an experience like that of elementary school. Only
then will they teach you how to write. But we are not in that state always. We
study in each class and reach a higher level of study such as MA, MPBS,
Engineering studies etc.
So is the spiritual life. We
must not stop at the initial stage of knowing Christ. We must be strong in
Christ Jesus. Paul goes on to say, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the
Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Ephesians 6: 10)
Many Christians think that
power means performing miracles and receiving the gift of healing. But real
power is our complete freedom from sin and sinful habits. That is why Paul says
“to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;” If we still commits sin, it means we are not strengthened
in our inner man.
If we are still in our
fleshly thoughts, it means that we are not strong. Paul says, " I
have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to
bear it, neither yet now are ye able.” (1 Corinthians 3: 2)
“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas
there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and
walk as men?” (1 Corinthians 3: 3)
Carnal thoughts such as
lust, envy, slander, pride etc. should be destroyed and we should be
strengthened by the power of Christ. Yes, beloved, true power comes from the
power of God's Spirit. May the power of God's Spirit sustain us and guide us.
Only then can we gain power in our inner man and become proclaimers of Christ
to the world.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:-
1,082 💚
January 26, 2024 💚 Friday💚
"Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." ( 2 Thessalonians 2 : 14 )
Although
we live in this world this is not our ultimate goal; Instead, we should listen
to the gospel of Christ and live according to it and enter into glory like our
Savior Jesus Christ. We must receive His glory. We should live in this world
accordingly.
If we are working for
wealth, fame and glory of this world or if we are asking God for these things
in our daily prayers, even if we get them, our life in the hereafter will be
disastrous. The purpose of the writing of the gospel is so that we may experience
salvation and attain a life of glory. "He has called you to that
salvation." Paul the apostle said.
What should we do about it? "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye
have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." (2 Thessalonians 2:
15) says
Paul.
Today's verse tells us that
we must understand the purpose of our calling. This is the difference between
Christianity and other religions. All other religions, cults and rituals point
the way to this worldly blessing. But Christianity (not religion) shows the way
to eternal life.
Our emphasis is on God's
Word and not on prayers for worldly blessings. People are still doing the same
mistake that Adam did in Eden. Ignoring the words of God, Adam and Eve fell
into the lust of the eyes and were interested in worldly things. Even today
God's words are ignored.
God's words are spirit and
life. So, they are life-giving. "It is the spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and they are life.' (John 6: 63) said
Jesus Christ. Those words are the living gospel words. Through these words he
has called us to that salvation through the gospel to attain the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, if we want to
attain the glory of Christ, we must allow His words to work in us. Heed those
gospel words. "Stand ye, brethren, and observe the manners which we have
preached unto you, whether by word or epistle." Paul said.
Let's firmly believe and
accept God's words. Let's make them alive. Only then can we become partakers of
His glory.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:-
1,083 💚
January 27, 2024 💚 Saturday💚
"Let
him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than
wine." (Song of Songs 1: 2)
As we have already seen in
many meditations, our relationship with God should be like a true love feeling.
Nothing else – no worldly desire thoughts – can stand in the way of that love.
If that is not the case, it means that we are not loving God wholeheartedly. Song
of Songs was written with this experience.
Let him kiss me with the
kisses of his mouth: Thy love is sweeter than wine are the words of the man who
has tasted the love of God in that passion. King David also knew the experience
of the author of Song of Songs. Therefore, David, who tasted God's love like
this, tells us to taste this experience too. "O
taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in
him." (Psalms 34: 8) Yes, if we taste Him, we will be
faithful to Him.
Not only that, when we truly
know the Lord and live according to Him, we will have a fruitful life. For the
fruits of the Spirit to work in us, we need to be true lovers of the Lord.
Thus, the author of Song of songs, who lived a fruitful life tasting God's
love, invites the Lord to come to him and eat the fruits he has as follows; -
"Awake,
O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices
thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant
fruits." (Song of Songs 4: 16)
The above verse says,
"Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his good fruits."
Biblically, we, a spiritual people, are Israelites; We are his vineyard. We can
read this in Isaiah. "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the
house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant:" (Isaiah 5:
7)
If we are just worshiping
Christians, we will never feel His love or His relationship in our lives. When
we experience Him in life, we can taste Him in our lives as David says. It is
that experience that makes us love Christ alone. Only then can we live a
fruitful life. With courage we can call upon him, "Let my beloved come
into his garden, and eat of his good fruit."
Beloved, the kisses of His
mouth help us live a higher spiritual life and help us live a fruitful life.
Let us cling to the Lord with true love; Let us commit ourselves to live
according to Him. Then we will also get the experience of the author of Song of
Songs, "Your love is sweeter than wine." We can also experience that
in life.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:-
1,084 💚
January 28, 2024 💚 Sunday💚
"……
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" (Philippians
3: 9)
In today's meditation, the
apostle Paul talks about two types of righteousness. One is the righteousness
that comes from the law. It means self-righteousness. The other is the
righteousness of God that comes through faith in Christ Jesus.
Those who want to be
righteous by the law of righteousness are generally not righteous in reality,
even though they appear to be doing good in this world. Many of the Christians
we see in this world seem like righteous people who follow God's commandments. But
not everyone is righteous before God. The reason is that God desires a change
of heart rather than mere obedience to commandments.
Inner change does not come
because we obey commands. Rather, it only happens when we believe in Christ
Jesus. We can regularly go to temples, give offerings and do charity because of
the commandments. But by fulfilling these commandments we cannot become
righteous before God. That is why the apostle Paul said, "For
what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness." (Romans 4: 3)
There were no commandments
in Abraham's time. But he lived a righteous life because of his faith in God.
Man of appearance is
different; The inner man is different. We can do good as outsiders. But God
knows our inner man. Without Christ coming into our hearts, we cannot be
changed. The law cannot bring about change in the inner man. That is why Christ
came into the world and had to suffer to make was not possible in to possible.
"For
what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh:" (Romans 8: 3) we read.
Yes beloved, the
righteousness of God does not come by the law. Rather, it is through the
experience of God's gracious redemption. Christ need not have died if the law
was sufficient. "I do not frustrate the
grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in
vain." (Galatians 2: 21)
Let's not waste God's grace created
by him through Christ's death on the cross and depend on it. Let us commit
ourselves to Christ so that he may come and work in us and be seen as having
the righteousness of God which comes through faith in Christ.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:-
1,085 💚
January 29, 2024 💚 Monday💚
"Let every man examine
himself, and eat of this bread, and drink of this cup." (1 Corinthians
11:28)
Jesus Christ shed His body
and blood for our redemption. That is why even today we experience salvation by
getting rid of our sins. This is what Jesus Christ said, "My flesh is true
food, and my blood is true drink." (John 6:55)
This spiritual truth is
great. If we take the worldly meaning of the words of Jesus, we will be
backsliders like many disciples who turned away from him. Because they did not
understand the spiritual meaning of what Jesus said that day, "many of his
disciples went back and did not walk even with him." (John 6:66)
Eating the foods of this
world helps our body to grow. Eating the body of Jesus Christ which is true
food and it is food for our soul. But not understanding this caused many
disciples to withdraw from him.
When we partake of the
Eucharist, we confess and accept the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ
sacrificed His body and blood for us. But it is meaningless if it is merely an
external sign. Not only that, but the Bible warns us that such consumption
becomes a curse for us.
“But let a man examine himself,
and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning
the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many
sleep. (1 Corinthians 11: 28 - 30) Paul the apostle said.
Whenever we participate in
the services, God wants us to take a moment to analyse whether we are worthy of
partake of the Eucharist. This is what the apostle Paul says in today's
meditation verse, "Let every man examine himself, eat of this bread, and
drink of this cup."
Thus we shall have eternal
life if we know ourselves and eat his flesh and drink his blood; He will raise
us up on the last day. Rather than judging what others will think of us, we
should judge and know our worth. When we realize our worth and partake of
Christ's body, we become acceptable to Him. Only then will His flesh become our
true food and His blood our true drink as Jesus Christ said.
'AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:-
1,086 💚
January 30, 2024 💚
Tuesday 💚
"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I
cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold
him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:" (Job 23:
8, 9)
The pious Job also
experienced what we sometimes experience today in the spiritual life. Sometimes
when we are living with the experiences of being close to God, we can suddenly
experience a state of emptiness without God. Sufferings also occur and we become
nothing more than ordinary worldly people in spiritual life. This is one way
God treat us in the spiritual life.
Sadhu Sundersingh, a saint
who lived in the last century, also had this experience. He asks God about
this, "Lord, even though I have not sinned, sometimes I feel as if you are
suddenly far away from me. Why is it that all my joy has disappeared and I have
become inferior to ordinary people?"
God answered him, "Son,
if you always have higher spiritual experiences, pride will come into you
without realizing it. Not only that, you will live as if you are superior to
others. Apart from me, you do not exist, and you do not have spiritual life. To
make you realize this, I am leaving you like this so that you do not fall into
pride in spiritual life. I am there. But I am not abandoning you; I am watching
you like a mother watching her toddler walk. When you can't, I will lift you up
and leave you."
It is because Job
experienced this experience he says I go forward, but he is not
there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth
work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I
cannot see him.
But for that I did not turn
back from God and His commandments, says Job. "Neither
have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of
his mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23: 12)
Beloved, you too may have
experienced such abandonment by God in your spiritual life. Don't be
discouraged by that. Do not grumble against God, do not forsake His
commandments. God is watching over your situation from a distance. He lends a
helping hand in times of need. Yes, He is testing your spiritual life and
faith.
This is what Job said with
confidence, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he
hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23: 10) Let
us say like him and be faithful to the Lord. May the Lord himself bless us.
‘AATHAVAN' 📖✝ BIBLE MEDITATION No:-
1,087 💚 January 31, 2024 💚
Wednesday 💚
"Proving what is acceptable
unto the Lord." (Ephesians 5: 10)
Most people today are
testing the Lord rather than testing what pleases the Lord. That is, instead of
thinking about how their life is and correcting themselves, they think of
worldly things that are unnecessary and wish the Lord to fulfill them and pray
for that.
Even though claim to be
spiritual people, if we look at the prayers of some people, we cannot say that
they are spiritual. Mostly they give priority to worldly affairs and pray. Not
only that, some people wish and pray that they will advance in life ahead of
those they do not like.
They even pray that whatever
they like should happen and that the political party of their choice should
come to power. Not only that, but some pray, "Lord, destroy the life of
the adversary who works against me." Even many Christian pastors pray,
"Lord bring more souls to my church
than that church (saying the name of a particular minister's church)."
Once a grandmother was
talking to me and said, "Brother, my neighbour is not well with me. He is
very problematic. My prayer is that the
Lord should drive him out of here. the Lord is not answering my prayer”. Beloved,
they do not consider how God, who taught us to love our enemies, would hear
such a prayer.
Any of our prayers should be
as the Lord Jesus Christ prayed, "Lord, let your will be done." This
is the way the scriptures teach us to pray.
One of the reasons many
believers today pray un-scripturally is because of some ministers. Quoting some
verses from the Old Testament, they teach that if you pray like this, you can
defeat the enemies. That is why in today's verse, the apostle Paul says,
"Test yourselves to see what pleases the Lord."
We should think whether the
actions we do, the words we speak, and our prayers are acceptable to God and
not to humans.
If we call ourselves
Christians and remain in such a state of mind, it means that we are still
barren and in darkness. That is why "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Ephesians 5: 11) says
the apostle, Paul.
As the year begins, from
celebrity pastors to small street preachers say, "this year is a blessed
year" and check your life for God's blessings. They do not say to give up
unfruitful activities.
Today's meditation verse
asks us to test ourselves. When we do experiments in science labs in schools, only
if we do the research in a specific way can we get the expected results. Yes,
dear ones, only when we structure our life based on the scriptures, God will give
us the right results and make us happy. Let us "Proving what is acceptable
unto the Lord."
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