Short Reflection from John 1-7

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[23:49, 4/26/2021] S.R:

JOHN 1:5

"And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it."

Where there is Jesus, there is light. Satan is a defeated enemy. We, even here on earth, are conquerors. We can overcome the force of darkness, especially in our personal lives, because we have the Spirit of God.

We can renounce our secret deeds of darkness. We can overcome sin, temptation, and trials.

Sure, it hardly is instantaneously, but we are to persevere. As Steven Lawson says, "The perseverance of a saint is the perseverance of the Saviour in a saint." Let's call out to God for help in our spiritual battle every day. We may fall, but will not be utterly cast down!

Even fear in this pandemic is a spiritual battle. We are to stay calm and rest in God! Lord, calm our souls!

 

JOHN 2:15

"And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables"

I saw a picture of Jesus with a scourge of thorns driving away people in a Sunday School's children book. And I thought Jesus whipped those moneychangers. At the same time, I was somehow disturbed in my thinking why would Jesus resort to violence?

But, when I grow older and studied this incident, I realize that there's no indication that Jesus ever whipped the moneychangers.

In fact, he needed that scourge to drive away the animals! Remember the cows of Delhi. They stood still in the middle of the road no matter how loud you honk them. Don't you wish you have a lathi to hit them like anything? 😂

Three lessons:

1. Sometimes, Sunday school materials are inaccurate!

2. Animals need a stick. And if we act like an animal, we may need a stick too!

3. Jesus is not a violent man! He is angry but not violent! He is always in control of himself. We resort to violence when we are out of control!

 

𝕁𝕠𝕙𝕟 𝟛

v3. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

v5. "Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "

v7. "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’"

𝚆𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝙹𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, "𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗" 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎. 𝙰 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚝. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚗𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎, 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚗.

𝙰 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖, "𝚂𝚒𝚛, 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗? " 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍, "𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎, 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗! "

𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝  𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 🅑🅞🅡🅝-🅐🅖🅐🅘🅝

𝓛𝓸𝓻𝓭, 𝓶𝓪𝔂 𝓘 𝓫𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓻𝓷 𝓪𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷! 𝓐𝓶𝓮𝓷!

 

𝕁𝕆ℍℕ 𝟜:𝟜𝟙-𝟜𝟚

"And many more believed ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ of ʜɪs ᴡᴏʀᴅ; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴏᴜʀsᴇʟᴠᴇs and know that this One is truly the Savior of the world.’"

𝙰𝚜 𝚊 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚗, 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝. 𝙰𝚜 𝚊 𝙱𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚕𝚢. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛s 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎.

𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚢 𝙶𝚘𝚍'𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜!

𝓛𝓸𝓻𝓭, 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝓨𝓸𝓾, 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓰𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓹 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓾𝓷𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓫𝔂 𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓿𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓯𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓖𝓸𝓭! 𝓑𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮! 𝓐𝓶𝓮𝓷!

 

𝕁𝕆ℍℕ 𝟝:𝟛𝟝

"He was the lamp that was burning and shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light."

ᴊᴏʜɴ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʜɪɢʜʟʏ ᴏғ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ. ʜᴇ ʜᴇsɪᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴘʜᴇᴛ ᴏғ ɢᴏᴅ. (He said of himself, just "a voice").

ʜᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀ sᴇʟғ-ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇᴄᴀᴛᴏʀʏ sᴛᴀᴛᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ.

ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀsᴛɪɴɢʟʏ, ᴊᴇsᴜs ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʜɪɢʜ ᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴏғ ᴊᴏʜɴ: ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴘʜᴇᴛ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ sʜɪɴɪɴɢ ʟᴀᴍᴘ!

𝙰𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝:

𝙾𝚑! 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍, 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢, 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢!

𝚈𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚙 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝐚 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚙

𝚈𝚎𝚜, 𝚊 𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚙 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚖, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝐚 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚙.

𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐧!

 

JOHN 6:39

"Now this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day."

What more can I expect from my Lord than to never let me go from His hands?

The Father wills, The Son wills, and the Spirit wills to preserve me till the day of resurrection. If not for the will of my Triune God, I would have lost my salvation again and again from the very day of my conversion.

Oh! My tongue is full of hymns and contemporary songs as I think about this truth that "He has never let me go!"

 

JOHN 7:5

"For not even His brothers were believing in Him."

But I believe! And you believe. Because Believing (Faith) is a gift from God. I do not earn it, nor do I believe because I am smart. Nor do I have all the evidence to affirm. I believe because God has given me saving faith.

Jesus' brothers, the crowd of Jerusalem had more evidence than I can ever discover. They had seen His wonderful life, heard His powerful sermon, and felt His compassion; still, they didn't believe in Him and crucify Him!

If it is not by the grace of God, how a man like me of the 21^st century, in this skeptical post-modern world, would ever believe Jesus is Lord!? No way!

Thank You, Lord, for granting me faith and eternal life!

Short Reflection from Luke 13-24

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟛:𝟚𝟛-𝟚𝟜

"And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’"

According to worldometers the world population is 7.9 billion. Out of which 2.38 billion profess to be Christians. Of which, more than half (1.38 billion) will be cultural Christians.

So, we may have over 1 billion somewhat religious Christians. Of which more than half could be nominal.

And how many will be church-going Christians? Perhaps 300 million. And how many will be Bible-reading Christians? Perhaps 100 million? How many will be regular Bible-reading Christians? Perhaps 1 million. How many will be daily Bible-reading Christians? Perhaps only 1 lakh people! And how many are saved?

So, it was a good question. And Jesus affirmed that only a few will find eternal life!

NB: I don't think there exists an adult Christian (14 years old and above) who has read their Bible every single day of their life. We get sick someday in a hospital bed, coma, etc. So, my rough estimate is that if we read our Bible 300 times or more in a year, that's great (perhaps we could consider it as daily reading). Btw, that's less than even 6 times a week!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟜:𝟚𝟜

"For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner."

Privileged people are often unworthy people who are thrown out.

The invited people were excluded, and the underprivileged people were brought in.

The Israelites who saw the wonderful works of God were left to die and rot in the wilderness, never reaching the promised land.

That's true even in church. Some who seem to be the most religious members are the ones whose hearts are hard, never learning and changing!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟝:𝟚

"Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'"

Indeed, our Lord Jesus came to receive sinners. But that they may repent and have a new life.

We come to Jesus just as we are, but we never stay the same. We are changing into His likeness.

Once saved always changed nah?

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟞:𝟛𝟙

"But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Those who will not listen to ordinary things will not listen to extraordinary things as well.

Likewise, even if Moses and Elijah join our group, there's no way to reduce the excuse of those who fail to update regularly.

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟟:𝟙𝟘

"So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"

Do we look for honor, fame, and wealth? Our identity is unprofitable servants. Unworthy slaves!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟠:𝟟, 𝟙𝟡

"Now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?"

"And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.'"

Don't ever doubt the goodness of God! God remains good to all. You are incompetent to make God bad. He shall remain good no matter what. But He is extra good to the elect (born-again Christians). That's what R.C. Sproul called God's love of Complacency.

Sometimes, I feel like I love myself more than God's love for me. That's far far from the truth. Actually, God loves me more than my love for Him, myself, or even my sin. Happy is he who realizes the goodness of God every moment of his life!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟡:𝟚

"And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich."

There are at least 2 good IAS officers in the New Testament! Zaccheus and Matthew.

While Matthew was told to resign to become an Apostle, Zaccheus wasn't asked to resign to be the disciple. Rather Jesus used his [Zaccheus] position and influence to reach out to more people. Jesus preached at Zaccheus' party.

You can be in any legitimate profession and still serve God. You may not need to resign like Zaccheus!👍

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟚𝟘:𝟙𝟠

"Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."

Christ is not a stone man should mess with. People will either come to this stone for shelter and be saved Or they will stumble and fall upon this stone and be broken. Or this stone will fall upon them and be crushed to death.

Blessed be God that we are given to sing, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me."

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟚𝟙:𝟙-𝟚

"And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins."

The rich and the poor are all in the watching eyes of God! He does see each one through and through— one's hands, treasure, hearts, and rewards!

Don't be intimidated to give less when you don't have much; don’t show off when you give much.

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟚𝟚:𝟛

"And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve."

Satan couldn't achieve victory with Christ in chapter 4. Now he entered Judas and claimed victory by killing Christ. Yet Christ rose again. Satan always loses against Christ.

It's not like a movie, where the protagonist got defeated in the first scene and finally triumphed in the last scene/fight.

Christ won from the first minute of the movie till the last minute!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟚𝟛: 34

"But Jesus was saying, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.' And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves."

When you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice of course. When you squeeze a lemon, lemon juice comes out. You don't get orange juice from a lemon or lemon juice from an orange.

Likewise, when you pressure, tempt or squeeze a sinner, sin comes out. Tempt a man, he shall fall. Tease a woman, she shall get angry. Humans fall into sin in temptation, pressure, and tough situations because we are sinners.

Now, when Jesus was tempted, tried, persecuted, crucified, obviously, righteousness and forgiveness came out of Him, because He is righteous and came to forgive.

Now, if you are a short-temper person or an unforgiving person, that reveals who you are. One of my school principals (JNV Bpr) once said, "He who angers you conquers you" There's a truth in it!

 

[7:14 am, 24/12/2021] S.R: 𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟚𝟜:𝟝𝟚-𝟝𝟛

"And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God."

Can this be said of us? Do we find ourselves continually in the church?

I am so glad to have met some Christians who have never missed church, the Sunday service since their conversion. Wow!

That's really wonderful. For me, there were some Sundays I enjoyed bunking church services😬🤦‍♂️😂. 

With this concludes the book of Luke! Thanks, everyone, for the opportunity to read and share my updates in the last 24 days! 🙏

 

[11:46 am, 27/12/2021] S.R: Good to have some faithful friends updating consistently even after the 30 days commitment! 😇👍

[3:20 pm, 27/12/2021] S.R:

Friends,

We shall resume our Daily Bible Reading and Update by January.

If you would like to discontinue, let me know. That we can remove you and still be good friends! 😎

Short Reflection from Luke 6-12

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟞:𝟙𝟚

"In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God."

*Went out

*To the mountain

*Prayer

*All night!

Who would like to climb a mountain especially only to pray? People don't want to even sit up on their beds to pray, forget about going to church.

Who would spend all night on a mountain in prayer? People love to sleep and sleep! Btw Luke recorded the prayerful life of Jesus and the importance of prayer more than any other writers of the Gospels.

Btw, if you want to talk or read about prayer, choose the book of Luke!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟟:𝟛𝟡

"Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.'"

Indeed, such a sinful woman doesn't deserve salvation! If I were God, I would send her to hell!  In fact, I would send everyone in this group to the deepest hell, and I would put myself first! Nobody deserves salvation. Salvation is a gift of God!

Thank God, I am not God! Thank God those Pharisees weren't God. Now, that Jesus is Yahweh, a wretched man, even I am saved! And if He indeed saves me, there's nobody who is so sinful that cannot be saved! Indeed, Jesus came to save sinners, yes even of my kind!

Btw, if you were God and you wouldn't send yourself and everyone to hell, that means you were already in hell!

Heaven will not be heaven without Jesus (the righteousness of God)

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟠:𝟚𝟙

"But He answered and said to them, ‘My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.’"

I grew up hearing blood is thicker than friendship and even politics. People look out for relatives.

I saw a movie, Operation Chromite, (how America's 5-star General Douglas MacArthur won a decisive victory against North Korea,) the landing and capture of Incheon. There, one Korean soldier said, "Ideology is thicker than blood!" [for the Communist]

Really? Is there anything thicker than blood???

Indeed, there is. Gospel is thicker than blood. Because Jesus's blood is thicker than your blood! Jesus affirmed that in this verse!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟡:𝟝𝟠

"And Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’"

I am certain that if you are about my age, you have watched The Drunken Master, a Jackie Chan starrer Chinese movie. [A friend of mine said that you must be living in Jupiter if you haven't watched that.]

In that movie, when the Master was asked about his whereabouts, he replied, "The sky is my roof and the earth is my floor" I picked up that line when I was just 7 or 8 years old and still consider it to be one of my favourite movie lines ever!

Well, The Ultimate Master Jesus Christ, our Master has a similar answer, but better and superior! And this is more famous than any movie line!

We love security, stability, and serenity. We want a good job, a handsome salary, and a decent living. Well, Jesus promises nothing. Indeed, Jesus didn't come to be a king, but to die like a criminal.

So, following Jesus is also expensive, demanding, and costs us everything. Or the other option is v25.

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟘:𝟚𝟘

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

What is your joy, strength, hope, and confidence? What brightens your mood, mind, heart, and soul every day?

Is it your gf/bf/spouse? Is it money/salary? Is it good food, a good place, and good looks? Is it the praises of people, achievement, and your good works? These are good and should make us rejoice. But they fade (and should) away in comparison to the fact that God has saved you.

Have you chased out demons? Has Satan bowed down before you? That's tougher than going to Mars against earth's gravity; yes, tougher than beating cancer; yes, tougher than an Olympic race; indeed, Satan is the ruler of this world. Even beating Satan is not great in comparison to getting saved from the wrath of God to come.

The greatest responsibility for a man is to get saved.

 

Those who are not joyful in life do not seriously realise the joy of salvation. Those who aren't delighted in God haven't really understood the love of God. Similarly, as I was talking to a friend this morning, those who have pet animals seriously don't realise the grandiose love of human! Sorry @Mermie and @Timothy Guwahati

Animals are food! 😎😆

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟙:𝟚𝟟-𝟚𝟠

"While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.' But He said, 'On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.'"

Do you notice how similar is it to Luke 8:21? Everyone wants to identify with a popular person. They want to be his relatives, classmates, friends, or from the same locality. Well, for Jesus, even the closest people, the family members, His earthly mother herself is not closer to Him than those who hear His Father's word. After all, Jesus is more God's Son than Mary's son. And we are more God's children than our parents' children.

Therefore, if you love your siblings more than your friends or neighbours, you ought to love your spiritual siblings just like that! How blessed when your siblings are also fellow God's children!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙𝟚:𝟛𝟜

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

There is a Manipuri song that sings, "Ukhrul da eigi thawai leihoure," Indeed, wherever whatever we treasure is, there is our heart. It can be wealth, people, popularity, or anything that holds dear to us.

Blessed are you if Jesus is the dearest thing in your life.

A friend of mine works with spice jet airlines, and no matter what, she wants that airline to prosper so that she can prosper along with them. If you invest your money in Bitcoin, I am sure you would want that Cryptocurrency to prosper. If your investment is in heaven and the kingdom's work, you will love mission, church, orphanage, etc. Btw, this is the only investment that will never fail but will secure you eternal rewards!

Short Reflection from Luke 1-5

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[6:11 am, 29/11/2021] S.R: 𝔾𝕌𝕐𝕊,

25th December is Christmas. And Tomorrow will be the last day of November. Now, the Gospel of Luke has 24 chapters. Wouldn't it be interesting to read each chapter of Luke before Christmas: a chapter a day—beginning with Luke 1 on December 1 and finishing Luke 24 by Christmas Eve, December 24th? That's what I intend to do! You can join me if you aren't having any other Bible Reading Plan!

[6:53 am, 29/11/2021] S.R: @Gaijuan Delhi @Sir Gaitoubung @Lalit Pune @Mermie @Dr Gailiang @Haoboi Geologist @Marantha Editor @Sir Dim Gangmei: If you haven't read the Gospel of Luke through this year, and if you aren't having other Bible reading plan, why not join me in going through it, a chapter a day? And be surprised in seeing how each one of us is gripped by the same or different verse from each chapter! 😎😇

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟙:𝟛𝟟

"For nothing will be impossible with God."

Luke 1 is the longest chapter in the NT. Happy reading😅

The theme of Luke is found in verses 1-4. Almost everything recorded in chapter 1 is not found in the other gospels. Very unique. Btw, the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are written by Luke.

Now back to v37: Last night, in a two-by-two fellowship with a friend, I asked him to meditate on his favourite Bible verse. He quoted this verse but was unable to identify the chapter and verse, or the context of it. That pretty much sums up the spiritual condition of a person.

Next time, I meet each one of you in person, don't be surprised if I ask your favourite verse and why? Among the 31,101 verses in the Bible, every Christian ought to memorize at least one. Or please go to h___! 😬

Well, this verse is in future tense "will" for Mary had not given birth yet, nor Elizabeth still. God did an amazingly wonderful miracle: divine conception. What God said, it (all) shall fulfill, even the jot and tittle of it!

 

[8:15 am, 02/12/2021] S.R: One of us had asked me to explain more, so,

This verse magnifies the power of God to fulfill what He promises because it's a direct reply to Mary's amazement (v34). Nothing can thwart His plan. Herod will not, Joseph will not, and Mary herself will not be able to stop.

It's not about the power of God to do whatever we desire Him to do. Unfortunately, that's what people want this verse to mean. Again, note the difference: what He promises, not what we desire Him to do.

Herod didn't want the child. Joseph didn't like the child (pregnant Mary). Mary herself knew no man. Still, God made it possible for the birth of the Child. That promise was made since Gen. 3:15.

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟚:𝟝𝟚

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Wow! This is a great verse. Parents, this is how you should want your child to grow. Adults, we are still children (not adults) of God. As long as we are alive, we need to keep growing in this fashion.

It’s spoken of Jesus, so, you may want to argue, saying, "Jesus is God, we aren't; we can't grow up like this!" Well, there's one identical verse in 1 Samuel 2:26, it's said of Samuel (a man, like you and me). Checkmate!

4 descriptions of Jesus's growth:

1. Increased in Wisdom, that's intellectual growth

2. Increased in Stature, that's physical growth

3. In Favor with God, that's spiritual growth

4. In Favor with man, that's social/relational growth.

Intellectually, Physically, Spiritually, and Socially

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟛:𝟛𝟠

"the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."

Not only Jesus is the son of God. Adam is.

Adam is the failed son of God; through him, judgment is wrought upon humankind: Jesus is the second Adam; through Him, salvation is wrought upon humankind.

Where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded.

Adam was placed in the wonderful garden of Eden where he may eat anything but one; Jesus was taken to a wilderness where He didn't eat anything yet still obeyed God perfectly.

Adam is our elder brother in sin; Jesus is our elder brother in righteousness. We have been adopted as sons and daughters of God. We are called children of God.

Now, watch what you eat, children of God! 😉😂

Well, eat your Bible every day!

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟜:𝟙𝟛

"And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time."

Every temptation we face in this world can be categorised into 3 types which Apostle John has done in 1 John 2:16: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life!

This was true for the first son of God, Adam (and Eve), and they failed miserably. Look at Gen 3:6. Saw good for food, that's the lust of the flesh; pleasant to the eyes, that's the lust of the eyes; desirable to make one wise, that's the pride of life. Adam (along with Eve) scored 0/3.

Jesus, the unique Son of God was tempted exactly in these 3 things: bread to eat, that's the lust of the flesh; showed Him the kingdoms of the world, that's the lust of the eyes; throw Yourself down, that's the pride of life (vain-glory). Jesus scored 3/3

Adam in the perfect garden without any nature of sin failed miserably. We are in a fallen world with a sinful nature (even as redeemed saints), what hope do we have to withstand the schemes of the Devil? Btw, the devil has never changed his schemes, he only comes in different colours, and all temptations fit into these 3.

Well, we have the Spirit of God that was in Jesus indwelling us, to strengthen us! Well, we have the word of God that Jesus used to fight against all.

Live by the Spirit. You do that by living by the word of God.

That's the reason, why we formed this group, to be more disciplined.

 

𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖 𝟝:𝟙

"On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret"

O how they wanted to hear the word of God! Would you go to church today [Sunday] and listen to the word of God? Sleeping under the blanket will definitely keep your skin warm, but fellowshipping with the saints in the church under God's word will keep your heart, soul, and mind warm.

O to long for the word of God, cause our hearts to press on You, Lord!