Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Wise or Fool

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On August 25, 2010

In Christian, Reuben

When sharing the words of Jesus about the wise man who was likened to be as the one who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who was likened to be as the the one who built his house upon the sand, with Reuben, our beloved 4-year old son, I was telling him that merely listening to the words of Jesus is insufficient; we must also obey (do) them. For failing to do so will result in a structure that will collapse when the winds and waves of this world buffet against us.

If we were to ask ourselves, as to whether we are wise or a fool, what is going to be our most likely answer? This question to some may even seem  rude, so let me ask you the same question in a different way. How many of us listen to the word of God and follow and do what He requires of us to? We must not only hear, we must also do! Easier said than done, but the good news is that it is not by our own might, nor by or power, nor by our own strength, but by the Holy Spirit of God that we can be obedient to what God requires of each one of us. (Zechariah 4:6)

But what does it mean to say that we must not only listen but also do? This means that our faith is to be exercised. How is that so? Faith comes by hearing the word of God. So when we listen (hear), we receive faith, but what good is faith if it does not produce any fruit? In order for faith to produce fruit, it must be put into action (do). In fact, the scripture is very clear that “faith without works” is dead. In other words, “hearing without doing” is dead and the dead don’t stand. It is only those who put their faith into action; the wise; the living that can stand up against the pressures of this world.

Let us not merely listen, but let us also do!

Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV)
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

There is wonder wonder …

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On August 24, 2010

In Become a Child, Christian, Reuben

Our beloved 4 year old son, Reuben was learning to sing the song, “There is power, power, wondering working power, in the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ)” but instead of singing it the way we are used to signing it, he switched the words “wonder” and “power” and sang it as “There is wonder wonder power working wonder in the blood of the Lamb”. At first thought, I thought that I had to correct him so that he could correctly learn the words, but soon it dawned on me that he was spot on and accurate about the blood of the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

There is not only power in the blood of the Lamb so that you and I could be free for the bondage of the sin (that easily besets us), but there is wonder, power working wonder in the blood of the Lamb. The greatest power working wonder is that a sinner can be forgiven and made into a saint. Personally, I wonder and marvel at this blessed assurance, where I (the chief of sinners) am imputed righteousness and declared blameless before the throne of God above, because of the shed blood of the Jesus Christ, by which alone there is remission of sin. We can be forgiven from the burden of sin and free from the bondage of sin, for there is wonder wonder power working wonder in the blood of the Lamb.

Exodus 15:11 (KJV)
11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

Return and Remember; Remember and Return

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On August 23, 2010

In Christian

Psalm 94:15 states that judgment shall return unto righteousness. God’s judgment on mankind was borne by His Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One; the Righteousness of God; God incarnate who returned to the world He created in the person of His Son. He remembered each one of us, His inheritance, whom he could not forsake, despite our unfaithfulness (Psalm 94:14). He returned and remembered us, and it cost Him His ALL, for Jesus made Himself nothing (Philippians 2). And by the redeeming act of Jesus Christ, who paid the wages of our sin, which is death, in FULL, our transgressions are blotted out and God has assured us that He will NOT remember our sins anymore (Isaiah 43:25). Why? Not because of our sake, but for His own sake, lest He in His Holy and Just nature, consume us for our wickedness (Isaiah 43:25).

God returned and remembered us! So what are we to do? We are to remember and return!  Through the voice of His prophet, Isaiah, God asks us to put him in remembrance stating that in order for us to be justified before God, we need to remember and plead. But did you realize that we don’t need to plead on our own? The scripture says, let us plead together (Isaiah 43:26). Jesus Christ, the High Priest, intercedes on our behalf with God and when we confess our sinful thoughts, words and deeds, He pleads our case with the Holy and Just God, the Father.

But the scripture commands us not only to remember but to return as well. It is insufficient for us to merely remember, for we must also return (Isaiah 44:22). To return is to go back. We ran from God (in our ignorance and sometimes willful rebellion) and when we return, it means that we are going back to God. In other words, we ran from God toward the world (and its lures) and upon our return we run to God away from the world (and its lures). This is true repentance. The adulteress was asked by Jesus to “go and sin NO MORE”, meaning her life could no longer be the same, ever again. She had to turn from her worldly ways to be in love with Christ, her Redeemer, who did not accuse or condemn her, just as He does not accuse or condemn us though each of us deserve to be.

God returned to His own creation and remembered us, for His own sake, costing Him His ALL.
Let us remember Him and return to Him, forsaking our ALL for His sake.

Psalm 94:14-15 (KJV)
14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

Isaiah 43: 25-26 (KJV)
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

Isaiah 44:22 (KJV)
22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Lack(ed) Nothing

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On August 20, 2010

In Become a Child, Christian, Reuben

When our beloved 4 year old son, Reuben, was repeating Psalm 34, when he came to verse 10, instead of saying “but they that seek the LORD shall not want (lack) any good thing”, he left out the word “good” and said “but they that seek the LORD shall not want anything“. In other words, he was saying, that those who seek the LORD lack nothing and in essence meaning that the LORD shall supply all the needs of His people, who seek Him, in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Those who seek the LORD shall find Him in Christ Jesus and shall have the need for nothing else.

Though the operative word is “seek”, the one in operation truly is the LORD, who is Jehovah Jireh, THE PROVIDER. Nehemiah 9:20-21 is an attestation of this Truth for it reads that the people in the wilderness were sustained by the LORD who gave them a good spirit to instruct them besides provisions of manna and water for their hunger and thirst. The Psalmist avers that God will teach us and instruct us in the way we should go (Psalm 32:8). Jesus is the teacher from heaven (John 3:2); Jesus is the manna from heaven (John 6:31-33) and Jesus is the living water (John 4:14; John 7:37-39) that sustains us always, especially during the dry spells (wilderness) of our lives.

When we find Jesus (as we seek the LORD), we shall lack nothing. When we have Jesus, we have it ALL. When we have Jesus, nothing else is needed. In other words, as our loving son aptly put it, those who seek the LORD shall not want (lack) ANYTHING.

Point(s) to ponder:

  1. Are you/I seeking the LORD?
  2. Do you have (believe in) Jesus, in which case, you have shall not lack anything?

Nehemiah 9:20-21 (KJV)
20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.

What does the Lord require of us?

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On August 19, 2010

In Christian

We have all heard and sometimes we ourselves have expressed one or more of the following, “I am seeking God’s will in my life”, “I am not sure what the purpose of my life is”, “I wish I knew what the perfect and pleasing will of God is for me”, “I am not sure what God wants me to do”, etc. So what does God want us to do? In other words, what does the Lord our God require of us?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 gives us the answer as to what the Lord our God requires of us. It is

  1. To fear him
  2. To walk in all his ways
  3. To love him
  4. To serve him with all our heart and with all our soul
  5. To keep his commandments and his statutes

Point(s) to ponder:

  1. Which of the above requirement(s) do you/I not meet?
  2. Are we selective followers of Jesus or do we totally submit to his Lordship, walking in ALL his ways and serving him with ALL our heart and with ALL our soul. In other words, are we All-in-All His?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (KJV)
12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

A related post – To be good or not to be

Blind even with eyesight

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On August 18, 2010

In Christian

We come across many people who either don’t know Jesus as their Savior and Good Shepherd or who outrightly and openly reject His Lordship. In our day to day lives, when we see people who are lost, what do we do? Recently my loving wife, Sangeetha was encouraging and teaching me, as to how we should be basing our decisions by asking the question “What would Jesus do?” She not only preaches but she practices as well in this area. So as I was reading the Bible, I learned about what Jesus did, when He sees those who are without Him. When Jesus saw the people, he was moved with compassion, because they were scattered like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).

In other words, He saw and He felt (for them). He was moved with compassion for the lost sheep. By expressing his emotions, He taught us a very valuable lesson that He did not merely see with His physical eyes, but with His Heart. That is exactly what we should be doing as well. When we see those around us without Jesus Christ, we need to see them with our heart and not our eyes. Failing to do so will make us all blind even with eyesight. When we see but not feel, we are indeed blind.

Matthew 9:35-38 (KJV)
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Homeless Jesus

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On August 17, 2010

In Christian

Many of us are so consumed by our homes and the needs of our homes that God has blessed us with, so much so, that many a times, it becomes not just a priority but a preeminent idol in our lives. When our focus is on things on earth, then we do things that are earthly in nature, but when our treasures are stored in heaven, we act according to the Kingdom calling and fulfill Kingdom work. Often, we end up storing treasures on earth where moth and rust decay and give so much importance to the ephemeral things of this world, which one day will be consumed and pass away. And when Jesus talks about the demands of discipleship in Matthew 8:18-22, he explicitly articulates that  foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but He, the Son of man does not have a place to lay his head. In other words, he was expressing that he did not have a home. He was homeless while on earth for His home was with the Father in heaven, from where He had come (John 6:38) and to where He ascended (John 3:13) to prepare a place for those who believe in Him (John 14:3).

Think about this, if Jesus went to prepare a place for us, why are we spending so much time on earth, trying to prepare a place for ourselves? The singer, Jim Reeves aptly put it in his song, “This world is not my home, I am just a passing through.” In other words, like Jesus who was homeless on earth, we ought to be the same, homeless on earth, for our home is in heaven.

Matthew 8:18-20 (KJV)
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Christian Verbs :: Z is for Zeroing

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On August 16, 2010

In Christian, Christian Verbs

The verb ‘zeroing’ means to adjust or reduce to nothing or naught. When used as a slang, it can be used to imply ‘kill’ and is used mostly in congressional proceedings such as “zeroing” (killing) a bill or proposed law.

As Christians, we are to imitate Jesus Christ, the savior, who being in the form of God, considered it robbery to be equal with God, and made himself of no reputation, taking upon himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the (shameful and cursed) death of the cross (Philippians 2:6-8).  In other words, Jesus who made himself of no reputation means that Jesus zeroed Himself. He zeroed Himself for us so that we who are empty earthern vessels can be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit of God.

We are to mortify (kill) our selfish desires of the heart from which proceeds evil thoughts and actions (Matthew 15:19) and seek a change of heart to one that is after God’s own heart. Jesus’ words are very clear – only those who lose their life will save it. To be a ‘Zero’ for Jesus is to be a Hero for Him.

Philippians 2:6-8 (KJV)
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christian Verbs :: Y is for Yoking

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On August 13, 2010

In Christian, Christian Verbs

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines ‘Yoking’ as ‘joining with’. Jesus asked us, his believers, to take His yoke upon ourselves and to learn from him. In other words, he want us to join with him. Just as an ox cannot go on its own way, when it is yoked with another, as they prepare the soil, when we are yoked together with Jesus Christ, we cannot go after our own selfish and sinful desires, as we co-labor (work together) in preparing the hearts of the unsaved to receive the gospel truth.

We can be yoked with the liberty of Christ Jesus or we can be yoked with the bondage of sin. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1).

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Galatians 5:1 (KJV)
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Christian Verbs :: X is for X-ray

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On August 12, 2010

In Christian, Christian Verbs

When the word X-ray is used as a verb, it means “to examine”. When we go to a doctor, the doctor examines us to determine if we are of good health or if we are sick. Likewise, we are to ask the LORD to examine us. In other words, we are to ask the LORD to X-ray us, so that there are no wicked ways in us, and to lead us in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24)

In addition to the doctor examining us, we often check ourselves at home to make sure that we are healthy. As Christians we need to do the same. We have to take time to introspect ourselves regarding our spiritual health. In other words we need to X-ray (examine) ourselves to ensure that we keep the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) for the just(ified) shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4), as many in the latter days will depart (fall away) from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1).

2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Psalm 26:2 (KJV)
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

Psalm 139:23-24 (KJV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

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