Today’s reading:
Acts 23: 11
“That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”” (NLT)
Have you heard the story about two patients in a hospital room, one of whom described the park he saw from his bedroom window in such vivid details that it gave so much hope to the man in the other bed, he was inspired to live through his time at the hospital? The story takes a twist when the man next to the window dies and the person in the other bed gets to go back with his family but just before he leaves, he checks out the window through which his friend saw the beautiful world outside. It did not make much sense to him when all he saw was a brick wall across the window. His friend had used his imagination to liven a boring hospital room. Words that gave him hope. Words that encouraged his friend to look forward to getting out of the hospital.
This world could use encouragement now, more than ever. The economic crisis, earthquakes, volcanoes, terrorist attacks, tsunamis, unemployment, increasing crime rates, foreclosures seem to be the current buzz words. “Be encouraged” is something we would love to hear. It feels good when someone tells us “It’s gonna be okay!”
Paul was not having a field day. He stands up for his faith and gets slapped on his face for it. “Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!” Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.” (Acts 23:1, 2)
Next, he heard that there were people ready to assassinate him the very next day (vs. 12).
But God had plans for Paul. “Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” If you noticed, when God makes the plans, he plans them well. Read verses 23-24 for the arrangements He got done for Paul – Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops. 24 Provide horses for Paul to ride, and get him safely to Governor Felix.”
Paul had a complete motorcade to take him to Rome. He did not have to sneak out or make any plans of his own. Paul was treated as royalty.
What are you going through today? What are you expecting this week? God says, “Be encouraged”. He has plans for you. And He will make sure that you are taken care of well. Just stand for Him. Be His witness.
What do I pray?
Lord, thank You for Your provision. I understand that I don’t have to worry about what I am going through because You are in control. I trust in You. I will stand for You. Help me, Lord to make a difference for You. Help me not to be overwhelmed by my circumstances. But let my focus be always on You. In Jesus’ name..
(If this thought has blessed you, won’t you let us know? Comment here or send us an email to feedback [at] simplyhim [dot] com)
Did you read the Bible today?Click here to read (This plan is a yearly plan where you can read the full Bible in a single year.)
We do not serve God because he is a dictator of sorts who expects us to worship him or serve him. He does not expect us to bow down, prostrate before him and give him non-meaningful worship. He expects us to love him first. Love him first and then worship flows. Love him and then we bow down to him. Hug him. Raise our hands to him. Smile at him. Open our hearts and mouths to sing. Love him first and we will keep quiet. Listen to what he has to say.
Love him because he loved us first.
When we realize who God is, we also realize who we are. We are small. Helpless. Unable. We are not possible. We are a speck. A mere dot in something so big, the dot is never thought of in the first place to be forgotten later.
When we realize what God has done for us, we realize who we are. We are big. Resourceful. Able. We are possible. Giants. We are that dot who got the chance to be remembered.
When we realize what God has done for us, we realize what we can do. We are scientists. We are philosophers. CEOs. Doctors. Spacemen. Mountain climbers. River-rafting champions. We are world-changers. People-changers. We take care of the needy. We show compassion to the poor. We direct the lost. We shine the light to the searching.
Love him, because he first loved us.
Expect great things not because you need them. Expect great things not because it will make you popular. Not even because you have not been treated right all this time. Expect great things not because you deserve them.
Expect great things because he is able to do great things. Expect great things because you don’t deserve them but he still gives it to you. Expect great things because he gives you a chance.
Heaven is filled with reluctant people who decided to give God a chance.
Today’s reading:
1 Samuel 18: 3, 4
“And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.” (NLT)
Here is a quick backgrounder – Jonathan is King Saul’s son. David is the latest hero in Israel and is also one of the commanders of Saul’s army. Jonathan is David’s best friend. The people love David better. Saul becomes jealous and starts to hates him. Saul wants him dead.
Now we think something like that would change the friendship between Jonathan and David. Nope. In fact, it grows stronger. Jonathan helps David escape from his own father’s schemes. But Saul had a reason and he says it in 1 Samuel 20: 31, “As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!”. David was getting so popular that the legal heir of the throne, Jonathan would not stand a chance against him. Saul, as any good father would do, was looking out for his son. But his methods were questionable.
Meanwhile, David and Jonathan’s friendship grew strong. And Jonathan died in battle and David becomes king of Israel. Read what David did – One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”. David remembered his promise to his best friend. He adopted Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth and gave him all the property that once belonged to his grandfather Saul, and he let him eat there with David at the king’s table!” (2 Samuel 9)
David didn’t have to do any of this. Saul was dead. The man who sought David’s life was gone. This was the same man that made David’s life miserable by keeping him on the run always. Now all of Saul’s family was dead, except for this one crippled guy. For the way Saul treated David, he was not obliged to do anything for anybody in Saul’s family. But David was not a man of circumstance. He was a man of his word. He kept his promise to Jonathan, just as Jonathan kept his word to David. David did not let Saul spoil the relationship between them.
So who are you? A man of circumstance? A woman who is swayed by the wind? Or are you someone who keeps your word? You do not have to do it on your own. Listen to what Jonathan said, “And may the Lord make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them“. 1 Samuel 20: 23.
What do I pray?
Pray the Lord to help you keep your word. Apologize for words not kept. Seek him. Trust him. Ask guidance to live a life where you can trust Jesus and people around you can trust you as well.
(If this thought has blessed you, won’t you let us know? Comment here or send us an email to feedback [at] simplyhim [dot] com)
Did you read the Bible today? Click here to read (This plan is a yearly plan where you can read the full Bible in a single year.)
There have been movies made about machines taking over the planet and the human race as we know it. And today, we are closer than we have ever been. Okay, the real deal is that I am trying to work out the registration of this blog on Technorati and they need to see some identification. The above code tells them this is I.
I may have gone too far calling it world-dominion-of-the-machines but they insist on putting this as a post. I may delete this post once this verification process is over.
New Section: Recommendations
This section will showcase some of the best resources available for a particular task, service or information. They feature websites that provide information on a particular topic in an insightful way. The topics covered will be mostly Christian but we will feature anything that is useful for our daily living. This section will also feature service providers that make our lives easier by doing what they do, the way they do it. Please note, these are personal recommendations i.e. – these recommendations are personal opinions of the writers who have used the services themselves. These are not sponsored in any way by the organization being recommended.
The options that are available for today’s entertainment are plenty. Making the right choice becomes a tough decision when the entire value system pulls down the “this is your limit” line. Let us take mainstream cinema for example – they deal with literally all topics imaginable and do a pretty good job at engaging the viewer. But not all cinema can be watched by everybody. That is where the rating agencies come in – they do a good job at classifying movies or television series to let us know what to expect in terms of content. A movie rated “R” is strictly not to be seen by a child but they are free to watch a movie rated “G”.
Movie reviews are another way of finding the quality of content. For example, reviewers rate the story line, cinematography, direction, acting and finally come to the decision whether the movie is worth watching. This is very important to me because I don’t see a lot of movies and when I do, I want to make sure I watch a good one. (Now I understand that good can be a very subjective word and I will leave that for discussion later.)
Christian Movie Reviews
Today, I wanted to share a resource that I use to pick my movies – ChristianAnswers.net. The website covers a lot of topics including answers to a lot of common questions about faith. One of the sections is devoted to movie reviews. They cover all recent releases and have reviews for movies since 2000 (I think). Anytime I hear of a movie, the first thing I do is check the review at christiananswers.net. I can quickly decide if I should see this or if it is okay to take my nephews with me.
One of the key features at the review section of the site is that it classifies the movie on two meters – “Moviemaking Quality” and the “Moral Rating”. Moviemaking Quality gives you the technical view point i.e. storyline, action, direction, cinematography etc. come in this category. Moral Rating tells you whether it is okay to watch the movie as a Christian. That part also tells you whether you can show it to your kids too.
At the beginning of the review, they have a box that calls out thestars – “Moviemaking Quality” and the “Moral Rating”. There is also a 3-item meter at the bottom of each review that quantifies the amount of violence, profanity and sex/nudity in the movie. Both of these put together should give you a
3-point ratings
good idea of what to expect from the movie. I have agreed with their ratings most of the time. I have rarely differed with the reviewer about moviemaking quality but I have never disagreed with the moral meters.
So the next time you want to watch a movie at the theaters or rent a movie at home, check out the review at christiananswers.net first. Especially, if you have kids around.
Today’s reading:
John 14: 5
““No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”” (NLT)
Is that an irritated tone we hear in Thomas comment? What ticked Thomas? Jesus and his disciples were all assembled in the upper room. The Lord had given an intense lesson in discipleship by washing his disciples’ feet. He then predicted his betrayal by one of them (John 13: 21). That could have ticked Thomas. Jesus predicted Peter’s denial (John 13: 31-38). Peter was a good friend, one of them, a comrade. After all, he was the only one who had the courage to step out of the boat on water. All the others stayed in the boat. And Jesus had to say something like this about Peter. It not only offended Peter but it may have offended Peter’s friends too.
I guess that is why Jesus had to start by saying, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” (John 14:1). Jesus continues to explain himself and says, “And you know the way to where I am going.” That is when Thomas snapped. ”No, Lord! We don’t know. Why don’t YOU tell us? Tell us what are we doing? Where are we going with this? We have been with you all this time and you accuse us of betraying you!” (emphasis mine)
Thomas gave Jesus a piece of his mind. Thomas spoke his feelings. He was upset and he let Jesus know about it. Jesus did not strike Thomas dead because he did that. Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (14:6). Jesus was patient. He understood Thomas’ frustration and calmly gave him reasons why there is more hope than he thought there was.
You and I have the same privilege today. To speak our mind to Jesus. To tell him we are upset when we are. If you don’t like how things are going, tell him that too. Ask him why. Ask him what. Ask him how. He will patiently answer and he will guide. After all, Jesus is the answer. He is the way. And the truth we all need!
What do I pray?
Ask God to help you be sincere. Be sincere. Tell him your doubts, your fears and worries. Tell him why you are happy. Tell him what will make you happy. Listen to what he has to say. Understand his truth and even his ways.
(If this thought has blessed you, won’t you let us know? Comment here or send us an email to feedback [at] simplyhim [dot] com)
Did you read the Bible today? Click here to read (This plan is a yearly plan where you can read the full Bible in a single year.)
There is an article on CNN today about Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman who has been convicted of adultery and is sentenced to be stoned to death. She is a mother of two. Human rights groups are trying to stop the stoning by building international pressure on Iran.
Reminds you of the time Jesus was confronted by the Jewish leaders. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” (John 8: 4,5)
Imagine being asked that question yourself. We found this man doing wrong. What do you think we should do with him? We caught her stealing. You tell me what should we do to her?
I do not know Sakineh personally. But I wish she had a chance. Her kids need that chance. The CNN report says she was forced to confess after being subjected to 99 lashes. Mina Ahadi is the human rights activist quoted in the article who also heads the International Committee Against Stoning. She said, “Article 74 of the Iranian penal code requires at least four witnesses — four men or three men and two women — for an adulterer to receive a stoning sentence. But there were no witnesses in Ashtiani’s case.”
I guess the authorities need to hear what Jesus replied 2000 years ago. “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (John 8: 7).
I wonder if the Iranian authorities can live up to that test. I wonder if any of us can live up to that test.
Today’s reading:
Luke 4: 5-6
“Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”” (NLT)
Is there a connection between what we see and believe? It definitely is easier. Easier than believing in something we don’t see. Like, we don’t see God. So how do we know he is there? We see people – friends who have helped us or relatives who can help us, people in authority who have the power to do something for us. It is easier to believe in them than trust in a God we cannot see. Another example is money. Money can buy your kid’s education into an Ivy league school. It can pay the medical bills. It can buy you a house or whatever else you need. Given the choice between a million dollars from the wrong source and trusting in God to work in our situation, what do we choose?
Satan offered Jesus one of the best offers of this world – “the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them”. Glory and authority. Glory that can be experienced. Authority that can be exercised.
Satan plays that same trick on us each day. He offers us what we see. The beauty of this world. The riches. Fame. Popularity. Power. But if we were to only scratch the surface, you would see what it really is worth. Rotten change. Putrefying filth. It won’t be worth a dime tomorrow.
Jesus understood that. He saw beyond what the devil showed him. He understood that this world will pass. That the earth and all its beauty is scheduled to burn. Nothing we see here will last. Peter says it very clearly, “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.” – 2 Peter 3:10
Contrast that with what Jesus has to offer? “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” – John 10:28.
What are you choosing today? Remember to choose the imperishable.
What do I pray?
Ask God to help you make the right choices this week, this month, this year. Always. Trust him to provide for your needs. Believe in him to take you through the circumstance you are in.
(If this thought has blessed you, won’t you let us know? Comment here or send us an email to feedback [at] simplyhim [dot] com)
Did you read the Bible today? Click here to read (This plan is a yearly plan where you can read the full Bible in a single year.)
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The options that are available for today’s entertainment are plenty. Making the right choice becomes a tough decision when the entire value system pulls down the “this is your limit” line. Let us take mainstream cinema for example – they deal with literally all topics imaginable and do a pretty good job at engaging the viewer. But not all cinema can be watched by everybody. That is where the rating agencies come in – they do a good job at classifying movies or television series to let us know what to expect in terms of content. A movie rated “R” is strictly not to be seen by a child but they are free to watch a movie rated “G”.
