Vision Alive

Amos 5:24 But let justice run down like water And righteousness like a mighty stream This is probably a familiar verse that highlights justice and righteousness. The verse begins with the word ‘but.’ And if you refer the previous verses, it is amazing to know how God condemns several practices that were ritually followed by the Jewish society. He uses strong words like hate , do not savour , will not accept , nor will I regard , take away from Me and will not bear The list of things he condemns using these words is still tragic:        feast days         sacred assemblies         burnt offerings         noise of songs         grain offerings         melody of stringed instruments All these were very important to the Jews. They can be equalled to communion, worship, fasting prayer and special services in today’s churches. God says he...

Acts 13:36 says, “..David had served God's purpose in his own generation…” Esther 4:14 says, “…who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"” God places people at unique positions at unique times for unique purposes. No other individual would fit the role better. David faced uncertain days in his life. He was rejected by his father and ridiculed by his brothers. He was called fit only for looking after sheep. But David did his work faithfully as a shepherd, subjecting himself to what God has in place for him. He faced uncertain days during the reign of Saul but he was able to identify his calling in life. We are not sure whether Esther’s parents died the sooner she was born or when she was very young. But the fact is clear that she was an orphan and brought up by her uncle Mordecai. By the virtue of her beauty, she was forced to marry a heathen king – whether she desired it or not, we never know. But behind all th...

In 1 Cor 12:10, Paul talks about the ‘discerning of spirits’ as one of the spiritual gifts. In Matt 24:23,24, Jesus says, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” In these last days, as every hour takes us closer to Jesus’ coming, how important it is to have the spirit of discernment to safeguard our souls from false prophets who make all attempts to deceive even the elect. At this time, I was reminded of the ‘spirit of discernment’ that rested upon Jehoshaphat. In 1 Kings 22, we read of King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, consenting with the king of Israel Ahab to fight against Syrians in order to take Ramoth in Gilead from their hands. At the request of Jehoshaphat, 400 prophets were brought before them to give God’s will in this matter. All these 400 prophets in one accord said that God wo...

All of us go through experiences in life when we feel inadequate. At such times, where can we look up to except our all-adequate God who can fill us with his limitless grace? In the Bible, we find even David felt inadequate, although the anointed king. In 2 Sam 2:38,39, he cries out to his servants in desperation.  Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day?  And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!” Why did David feel himself weak? When Joab confronted David for making peace with Abner, Bible does not record of David speaking back anything. And he seemed powerless to control what followed. Abner was killed by Joab without David’s knowledge. Whenever you feel inadequate, place your complete trust in God, rather than brooding over...

How amazing to know that God wants us to be His co-workers? It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap. Joshua 3:13 Ever wondered why? If at all God had said one word ‘let the waters be cut off,’ immediately the sea and waters would have listened to His majestic voice and stood still as a wall. That’s how God created everything. When God said ‘Let there be light,’ there was light. When God said let there be living creatures, they immediately came into existence. But wasn’t all these before man came into existence? Once God created man in His own image, God wanted man to be His co-worker – work along with Him in everything He does. God loves us so much that He longs for our participation when He works. It is not that God cannot do ...

What is love? Often our ideas of love gravitate towards the love of parents, siblings or spouses. All of these are representative of the selfish love of humans. To understand what love truly is, only God can epitomise and define. The greatest experience I've had in my life is the awakening of my knowledge that I have a father who adopted me to be his very own child. For thousands of years in the history, even God's people didn't understand that He wanted to be their Father. So the Lord had to burst onto the human scene in Jesus and reveal his deep desire that He loved to be our Father. The God who set the stars in the sky knows us so well as to know even the number of the hairs on our heads!  He is a Father who provides for our needs and cares about our every concern. Even the most vulnerable beings can reach out to God, call him ‘Daddy’ and be welcomed into His arms of love and comfort. Never forget, each one of us is dearly loved by our Heavenly Father! ...

At one point in time, all of us would have wondered why did God create the tree of knowledge in the center of the garden and forbid Adam and Eve from eating of its frits when he was sure they would break the rule?  The fact that God knew Adam and Eve would eat of the forbidden fruit is His foreknowledge and not pre-determination. If we would not accept this fact, we can keep questioning everything. Why did God create Cain and Abel when he knew Abel would be killed? Why did God create the whole of mankind if he knew all of them except Noah’s family would be destroyed in flood? If God would wilfully avoid any circumstance/incident that would lead us to sin, where is our act of obedience do God? The term obedience loses its significance. But as you skim through the pages of the Bible, you would read of the blessings of God through the simple yet difficult act of obedience. Abraham obeyed God and received great blessings. In fact, his obedience was accounted ...