Image Scripture: Psalm 73:1-2

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

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An Escape to Himalaya

Does my Lord ascend from the Mount Olivet?

Must I ascend from the Mount Himalaya?

Without fields to plow, no souls to bring, I fret.

The prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah

Remind me to linger on, no matter what –

Even when heaven’s door seems to remain shut.

Indeed, no sin, no devil, and no darkness

Can conceal the surety of God’s faithfulness!

Why I blog "With the Word" series

In my school days, I loved reading Our Daily Bread (popularly known as ODB) produced by Radio Bible Class (RBC) ministries. It was a devotional calendar-style booklet arranged for the whole year. Year after year, I would save money or ask my parents to buy for me this precious devotional book. Each morning before I step out of my bed I would be reading and would be praying after it.

I was so devoted to reading this book that one of my friends used to make fun of me saying, “ODB to him is like a medicine to a patient of cysticercosis.” (We grew up with that disease around us. Doctors would prescribe a tablet and syrup instructing us sternly to ingest before we step out of bed.) There were times I would like to get into the washroom, but I would not unless I completed the daily reading schedule of ODB. I was so passionate about reading it because it blessed my soul very much. I would even promote it by giving as Birthday gifts or Christmas presents to others.

Image Scripture: Psalm 119:105

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

For Audio in Hebrew click here

For Audio in English (ESV) click here

For Audio in Hindi click here

Fun-Orientated or Gospel-Oriented?

One late Sunday night, my friend came home after a hectic day of ministry. I happened to be standing at my door with a bottle of water. He stretched out his hand on a buoyant face to quench his thirst. I just said (pretending to be rude), “No! Go and drink in your room. You have fresh water in your room. It's just upstairs.” I was busy conversing with the pastor who was with him. He smiled tacitly with a  little wear of embarrassment on his face and went upstairs. I went back to my room and engaged myself in what I had been doing before.

Then I lay down to sleep, the picture of my thirsty friend came as a flashback. I just felt bad because I chose to make fun when he was really in need of water. I remembered Matthew 10:42, where the word of God says clearly, “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” I thought to myself, “Oh! I have forfeited the blessings.” I decided to apologize to him the next morning, and I did. 

Of course, he knew I was just grabbing an opportunity to make fun of him, which we often did to one another. Moreover, his room was not far away. He had chilled water inside his refrigerator well-suited and well-timed to battle the humid environment. After all, my water was just warm, he would not like it. However, I was not right; for I preferred making fun over helping him. It occurred to me that I was fun-saturated more than Bible-saturated (at least at that moment!)

I must have done like that many times before. We often choose to laugh at people instead of doing good things for them. We must be gospel-oriented, not fun-oriented people. I admit I must have sacrificed many noble works at the altar of fun and sense of humor. Jesus had a sense of humor when He dealt with the need of a Syrophoenician woman to cast out a demon from her daughter; but He did heal her too (Mark 7:26-30). Any sense of humor or fun without actual help is not Christianly. It is said that when Paul Washer was asked why he was so serious all the times, he answered, “The gospel of Jesus - heaven and hell is a serious stuff; so must I.” If there is a choice between seriousness and fun, I believe we must choose seriousness because we have been too much to fun and seldom to seriousness.

I also remember one day in a classroom, a wall fan felt over one of the students. By the grace of God, he was spared from major injury. The students were so relieved to realize that he did not get hurt, that we all burst out laughing. The professor reproved us to not laugh at adversity.

I also remember reading a book of Ravi Zacharias, where he recounted the incident of crowds laughing heartily in one of the streets of India. He went to see what was happening. He was shocked that people were laughing at the sight of somebody making fun of a beggar. We are not supposed to laugh at sin or injustice, or pain or suffering or adversity. Nor are we to laugh at God, the holy God. Our generation does not know how to be serious anymore. They would do anything for fun!!! Are you a fun-oriented person? Be a gospel-oriented one! Are you funny? Come on, be serious also! After all, the Son of man did not come to give a fun, but to call the sinners to repentance. That is serious – it is hell or heaven.

With Charles Spurgeon: Eccl. 9:4

“A living dog is better than a dead lion.” – Ecclesiastes 9:4

Life is a precious thing, and in its humblest form it is superior to death. This truth is eminently certain in spiritual things. It is better to be the least in the kingdom of heaven than the greatest out of it. The lowest degree of grace is superior to the noblest development of unregenerate nature. Where the Holy Ghost implants divine life in the soul, there is a precious deposit which none of the refinements of education can equal.

Image Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:11

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

For Audio in Hebrew click here

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Pursuing Excellence

“So that you may approve the things that are excellent” – Philippians 1:10

Summarize in a Word: Pursuing Excellence

Illustration: Pilot and the directionless flight

Exhortation: Look at your life. Is it filled with… virtues?

Suggestions for Prayer: Ask God to give you a heart constantly set on pursuing excellence for His glory.

Guest Author: John F. MacArthur

There's the story of a pilot who came on the loudspeaker mid-flight and said, "I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is we've lost all our instrumentation and don't know where we are. The good news is we have a strong tail wind and are making great time." That's an accurate picture of how many people live: they have no direction in life but they're getting there fast!

Image Scripture: Psalm 73:26

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

For Audio in Hebrew click here

For Audio in English (ESV) click here

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“Expect nothing from man; and accept everything in God.”

Two Scripture portions come to mind to explain this statement. Psalm 146:3 where it says, “Do not put your trust in man” and Job 2:10 where Job says, “Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?”

I shall not take much space to exposit them. Here is the point: We cannot afford to put our trust in man (not the biological male, but the human being). We are only to trust in God. Psalmist says that man is incapable of trust for help; he is just temporal. Whereas we should trust in God because God is our Creator and He owns everything (v5-6). Verses 7-10 further describe God that He remains faithful even when we are miserably down. V10 he is the ultimate and everlasting King. Thus, verse 5 – Blessed is he who has put his trust in God, and not in man.” If you do so, verses 1-2 will be your song “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Now, let us go to Job 2:10 because we know from our experience, Christian life is never smooth. It is a way of trials, chastisements, and sufferings. We often lose what we value. Sometimes, we did not get what we like. Things do not work out as we like. Here is the point “Accept everything in God.” Job did that. He accepted everything – good or bad; because he knew, God is in control. God never commits mistakes. We, who are Christians, have more assurance than Job, for we have God’s word like Romans 8:28 – “all things, good or bad as we think “will” work out for good so that we may become more like Christ.”

In conclusion, do not expect (run after) the comforts of man. Do not rely (put your security) on people – finance or anything. When you are in deep trouble, accept everything in God knowing He is in control.