Christmas Worship & Message_This One shall be Peace

 
Venue: GEMS Church, Sikaria, Bihar
Date: 12th Dec 2010
Language: Tamil to Hindi

Timings:
Songs: 00:00:00 to 00:21:34
Message: 00:21:35 to 00:51:00
Worship: 00:51:00 to 01:10:00

Living with a loss

Verse:

Ruth 1:1-22 Ruth 1 (ESV)

 

Message of the day:

‘Mother hangs herself after hearing the news that her only son was killed by miscreants’, read the headlines of ‘Times of India’. Going through a loss is difficult and living with the loss is much more difficult. It could be the loss of life, honor, job or property. The loss of those so dear and near to us is a terrible thing to bear. It was very difficult for me when my grandfather, who brought me up, died. He was the bread-earner of our family when he died and his death had put the future of our family at stake.

People try to avoid places, persons and programs that would bring back bad memories. Because that could be haunting. Relatives, friends and others visiting war memorial of soldiers who died in Vietnam War or that of the victims of 9/11 in the U.S. or 26/11 in Mumbai, break down.

Naomi lost her husband and her two sons in a foreign land. The responsibility of running a family of widows fell on her. You may also be living with a loss of someone dear to you. The thought of that person might bring tears to your eyes. The loss of that person might have put you in cross-roads. You could be dumb-struck, not knowing what to do. Naomi not only learned to live with her loss, but set an example to her daughter-in-laws. Naomi not worrying about her own loss, sought the interest & comfort of others.

The Lord allows loss in our life, so that we might sympathize with such people. So that we could become a pole of hope on which others can lean. Naomi’s life was an inspiration to Ruth. That enabled Ruth to put her trust in her mother-in-law and follow her. Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest. (Ruth 1:22) When we stop worrying about our losses and start caring for others, God will make new beginnings and instil new hope in our life and that of the others. You could be a channel of God’s blessing in the lives of others.

Prayer:

Lord, when I think about the loss that I have had, it is terrible. I can’t stop worrying, but only cry. Thank you for teaching me this beautiful truth from Your Word. Give me the strength to bear my loss and help me to bring back joy in the faces of those who are hurt and down with their losses. Help me to seek those who are discouraged, tired, torn within & hopeless and make me a blessing in their lives. In Jesus name, Amen.

Does the end justify the means?

Verse:

Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.” (Micah 3:11)

Message of the day:

Most of the time, most of the people are concerned only about the end result. And to achieve their goal they are willing to take any means. Either be it academics or job related or administrative or political or even ministry. The popular adage which has become the ethos of our society is “by hook or crook”.

The saddest state is to see this happening in Christian ministries too. The reason why people take up any sort of means is that they want instant results. There are also many such motivating factors. One such is money. Almost all start well, but as years pass by they become insensitive to the voice of God and fail to apply the Scriptures to every area of their life. They even preach but do not practice.

God’s ministers and leaders eventually do things because it brings money, either for them or for their organization. Planning is not wrong, but money should not be the motivating factor for our ministries. And because the outcome is wonderful and many people testify of their blessings, they think that whatever ways they adopted are right. Miracles, signs & wonders and great testimonies do not validate the methods. One, our God is a compassionate God who does miracles for the people and He uses anyone who is available. That doesn’t mean that the minister is right with God. Every person, be a minister of God or a person working in a company has to introspect himself and weigh his ways according to the Scriptures and should seek to live a life pleasing unto God. We are accountable to God for every thought & action of ours.

We need to wake up to this truth before it’s too late. We need to ask God to give us a sensitive heart and a God-centered vision and a vision driven ministry.

Prayer:

Many a times I act because something pleases me or I think is right or I just follow a popular leader or a model. Lord, help me always to evaluate my means according to Your Word, before I venture into action. Forgive me my past actions and give me the grace to be firm & consistent in this decision of mine. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Abuse of Authority

Verse:

Woe to those who device iniquity, and work out evils on their beds! At morning light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. 

Therefore you will have no one to determine boundaries by lot in the congregation of the Lord.

(Micah 2:1, 5)

Message of the day:

There are always difficult people around us. It is natural for a person in authority who deals with so many people to feel disturbed at the end of the day. About the subordinate who did not complete the project on time, the assistant who did not prepare the report properly, the associate who did not finish his part of the job and so on. As we retire to our beds, we might feel tensed and filled with so many emotions towards that person who did not perform and/or live up to the mark of our expectations.

We might start thinking about ways to deal with that person. We take certain decisions. At the end of it we might say to ourselves and/or the person “nothing personal”. We do need to take actions or corrective measures against a person who underperforms or is at fault. But what motivates our decisions? We took that decision because we were hurt or we were disturbed or his/her actions affected our reputation, our ego? Or because we felt insecure? Did we try talking to that person and give him/her a chance to explain him/herself?

The authority that we posses is that which we have received from God, says the Bible. And though we are in certain ways accountable to those above us, in all ways we are accountable to God, because the authority is ultimately from Him and He is the one who can see deep into our hearts & minds. Authority without accountability leads to atrocity.

Let us not misuse the authority that we posses. This is not only about the power or position that we hold at our work places, but also in our families and with our friends. In some way or the other we have authority and influence over the life of so many people in and around us. Let us be careful in our decisions. Let not our decisions destroy someone, but only develop them!

There is also a consequence of abuse of authority according to the Bible. We will be left alone, having no one to stand by us & with us to empathize. What a terrible thing it would be to have no one in our life?

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you for the position and the power that you have given me. Help me never to misuse it for my own sake. But help me to use it to build people. Forgive all my wrong decisions that I took in the past and I pray that in Your own Sovereign way repair those that have affected the lives of others. I commit myself to be accountable to You for the authority that I have received. In Jesus name, Amen.

Resolutions & Decisions

Verse:

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself……. (Daniel 1:8 NIV)

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…….. (Daniel 1:8 KJV)

Message of the day:

Pollution has become a global concern.  Global warming has been attributed as one of the major factors to pollution. Many health hazards are caused by pollution. So our vehicles are checked for emissions that pollute the atmosphere. We are careful to avoid getting in contact with anything that might cause us physical danger and health hazards. It is also the same with the food that we eat and the fluids that we drink. We check for the quality of the food before we buy, because we don’t want to purchase & consume adulterated stuff. But are we careful enough to check that which pollutes our soul?

Profane entertainment, wrong relationships, immoral speech, abusive substances & drinks pollute us from outside. “From within, out of our 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 defile you.” (Mark 1:21, 22).

But very often it becomes difficult to say no to many of the above, because either we are heavily under its influence or it gives pleasure & satisfaction. It’s when we need to resolve it. This might require taking time alone and writing down all that is defiling us and resolving that with God’s help we are not going to continue doing that. When we ask God’s help, He sets us free from all that defiles us and gives us abundant & glorious life in Christ, that which He has made freely available to us by the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins.

Prayer:

There are so many things, I understand, that defiles me. I resolve now not to defile myself with all this. Jesus, set me free and give me the strength to stand firm in my decision. In Jesus name, Amen.

Like the chaff

Verse:

Not so the wicked, they are like the chaff that the wind blows away. (Psalms 1:4)

Message of the day:

Have you ever wondered at the kite, when it flies high in the sky? When a strong wind blows, the kite is high up in the sky and when there is no wind, it drops down. Most often it gets entangled in the TV antenna or on tall Palmyra trees, it is torn to pieces and that’s the end of it. It is the same with the chaff too, whereas the grains are entirely different. If you have watched women in villages winnowing, while it is windy, you can see them hold a sieve in their hands and drop down the grain and the husk. The grain having strength falls straight down into the container but the chaff is blown away by the wind.

Most often we too tend to be blown away like the kite and the chaff; being strongly influenced by our friends, peers & colleagues.  We always want to be part of the crowd; in the accepted realm of our friends & peers. “Everybody does it and so I am doing it” is how we substantiate our actions. We fall for peer pressure. Our friends & colleagues are the ones who become our masters, who not only influence but determine what we wear, how we do our hair, our entertainment, etc. Even though we may not feel comfortable to do certain things in the beginning, we don’t say no to our friends, fearing that we might hurt their sentiments or lose their friendship or we might be ridiculed. But later that same thing which wasn’t comfortable becomes an enjoyment to us. The last verse of this Psalm says that the end of such people, who are blown away like the chaff, is destruction!

If we need to be strong enough to withstand the wind that takes us towards destruction, we need to do that the Psalmist says in this chapter of Psalms. He says, “Do not walk in the step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers” (Psalm 1:1). After saying these three DO NOT’s he goes on to say what we need to DO! We need to delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on his law day and night. (Psalms 1:2). God’s Word, Bible is His law. His Word will make us strong enough to withstand all the winds!

Prayer:

Father, I am like the chaff that is blown away in the wind. I lack the strength within me to withstand the wind and to stand firm. This day I commit myself to the truth that I have learnt from this writing. I have known that strength comes from meditating the Bible and I commit myself to read & meditate it day and night.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Lean not on your own understanding

Verse:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

Message of the day:

Problems at the workplace make people change jobs. A troublesome colleague, a dominating superior, a tyrannizing boss, and many such could be the reason for quitting a job. We might even plan to switch jobs, hopping from one company to the other expecting a hike in pay. We even change careers for monetary reasons or for satisfaction. Even if we make mistakes in doing these, we can live with the consequences that they bring and they are to a certain extent repairable & reversible. But there are many life issues which can neither be repaired nor reversed. Just depending on our own understanding limits our perspectives to life. People end up having broken marriages & unpleasant family life because of limiting the decision making to them.

We need to start trusting God for everything of our life. We should trust God for our education, career, job, marriage, children, future, etc. When we trust God for all this, He deepens our insights and expands our foresight in a way we would not have imagined. He also adds a new perspective to our life and to the very situation we may be in. Added to this, He will also bring wonderful peoples in our lives who will help us to aspire for better things and would show us God’s beautiful plans for our lives. Trusting God also helps us to look beyond ourselves - our abilities and our weaknesses.

Trust God and commit every single activity of your life to God. He will make it plain and smooth.

Prayer:

Father, all these days of my life, I had just been depended on my understanding to plan every area of my life. Right now, I commit myself into Your hands. I also commit all my dreams, desires and aspirations to You. I had messed up so much in life, but now I know that You can make all the crooked things straight and beautiful. Trusting You for life, In Jesus name, Amen. 

My life is boring and meaningless!

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

 

 

In course of time, we may start hating our friends, parents, spouses, siblings, colleagues, everybody and everything around us. The friend, with whom we were hanging around all the time, might have let us down. The mall that we used to frequent might look so dull and the food & the drink that we used to enjoy might have become insipid. No longer, the bike ride thrills. We start to wonder as to what has happened. Nothing satisfies. Everything looks boring. Is it because we have been meeting the same people every day? Have the places and people become very much used to, that no one and nothing is appealing? The career that once looked interesting & lucrative has turned irksome.   Even the very life that we live seems meaningless.

 

When our watches don’t function, we take them to the watchmaker. When our cars don’t run, we take them to the garage. When our televisions don’t work, we take them to the electronic shop. Only the maker can figure out what the problem is. In the same way, when we do not know what has happened to us we need to go to God and His Word, the Bible. The Bible is the manual given to all humans by their Maker, God. He has put ‘eternity’ in our hearts. When we don’t have the perspective of eternity in our lives, in course of time, everything loses its significance. Eternity adds new meaning to life and everything that we do. As the above scripture says, without the perspective of eternity we will not know or understand what the Maker has made us for and what He wants us to do. But you don’t need to wait for all eternity to figure out what God has done! He has already made everything beautiful in its time. And eternal life is a gift from God. The Bible says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Seek to know the only true God, so that your life becomes beautiful and meaningful.

Prayer:

Lord, I am tired of my life! Nothing satisfies me and no one cares about me. Thank you for talking about eternity and adding a new dimension to my life. I understand that eternal life is to know about You. I am committing myself to seek you every day and all the day of my life. Let the perspective of eternity seep into every area of my life, so that I can understand the beauty in everything that You have made and may I live my life to the fullest. In Jesus name Amen.