12
WHO IS A BLESSED MAN?
Somebody pointed out long time ago, that there was no end for making books. If it was really true centuries back, what can be said of today? When millions of texts are coming up into the market, in the present day we find massive and sophisticated machines invented and billions of various kinds of books are printed.
In such circumstances the first book first printed in the movable type was the Bible. This was done in 1455 A.D. in Nang Germany of Gettenburg press. The inventor of the press chose to print the Bible as the first book and printed 180 books in Latin language. And out of them it seems there are still 20 original books to be found in some libraries in the world. The Bible is not only the first book which was ever printed, it also remained as the first selling book of all times.
For example the book of psalms with the collection of 150 sacred songs became the most believed one among the readers of the Bible. For centuries these psalms provided for the people who have hearts, who have been searching for the answers to their doubts to their life, light for the day and beautiful songs for the night. Those who read the psalms have different opinions about the authorship.
They put 100 psalms out of 150 for the identification of the author and the remaining 50 considered to be anonymous. But the most possible and identifiable author of those psalms was king David. He was actually credited with 75 psalms.
Again some commentators pointed out that the 1st psalm was written by either king David or his son king Solomon. It is finally suggested by the scholars, that king Solomon edited his father’s psalms and he himself wrote the 1st psalm as introduction to the book of psalms. But the opinions of different scholars were treated as mere speculations. And there is no doubt the writer of the psalms while writing got the “Divine inspiration” and blessings.
Today if we consider the Bible is the first book ever printed and if it is the best selling book also, then psalm 1 while it introduced the other 149 psalms, that follow must stand out as one of the most important documents historically. As the Who is a Blessed man? word of God, psalm 1st should be appreciated with wonder and references while reading that psalm we must take off our shoes as Moses did when he was standing at the Holy place.
Even the name of the 1st chapter is very interesting. It is called “Happiness of Godly and misery of the wicked”. This chapter has only six verses and the first verse is worth to quote in this context. It is "blessed is the man that walketh not in the council of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of the sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful”.
Psalm 1st spoke about the two men, Blessed man and wicked or cursed man.
It spoke of two things. Gods way and mens way and it spoke about two destinies the everlasting life and the eternal death. The psalm starts with the words “Blessed is the Man”. The word blessed is often translated as “happy or will off”.
Actually its meaning is deeper than that one. It appears there are two real things as basis for God’s blessings. The first one is the recipient of God’s blessings will possess life. The second one is the goodness of God rests upon our life. The blessing of God may be in physical realm or it may be in spiritual realm.
“A man may be blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heaven" (Eph
1:31) or he may be blessed with things like good health and wonderful family or with abundant wealth on the earth. So as to understand properly the main idea of blessing is that it helps the people to realize. It is exactly opposite to God’s blessing or God’s cursing. As blessing is the bestowal to life and goodness, cursing is the bestowal of death and badness, because God Himself explains and experiments these things upon us. Even before entering the promised land, God gave Israel a list of blessings for obedience and of cursing to disobedience.
On the sixth day of the creation God said "Let us make man in our image after our likeness – so God created man in His own image – in the image of God created He him – male and female created He them (Gen. 1:26-27). After the creation of man and woman God would have said for the infinite things to come to life. The words God spoke were recorded in the Bible “And God blessed them”. He blessed life and goodness upon Adam and Eve. He commanded be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth” (Gen. 1:28).
The third chapter of Genesis reveals how Satan with his cunning words, tempted Adam and Eve. The wicked Satan successfully solicited the first parents of the humanity to disobey God. He made them somehow to eat the fruit of the forbidden fruit and hence they became sinners. The result of that disobedience
Offsprings from the Tabernacle was really a tragic and unforgettable incident. With that result both could experience death (spiritual death). Immediately after this experience the beginning of aging process that could lead to physical death and the goodness of God was no longer upon them. This tragic event is called according to the Bible
God's curse. Because it brought death and badness to humankind.
As God blessed Adam and Eve, He blessed “Noah” also, after the floods, God, after destroying everything on the face of the earth, for the continuation of humanity He wished for a lot of Adams and Eves prosper around the planet.
Noah’s faith and righteousness and his family from the danger of flood, so God blessed Noah by saying “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with people”, Noah was a perfect man in the sight of God and he walked with Him.
Then the 12th chapter tells us about the covenant God made with Abraham.
He told the great nation and "I will bless thee and make thy name great and there shall be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee."
God made four promises to Abraham, which was related to divine blessings.
Again God promised him. He blessed him abundantly and made his name great.
He mad him a wealthy man also. And this day the name of Abraham was exalted by Jews and looked at him as the father of their people. The Muslims looked at him as one of the prophets of “Allah” and the Christians looked at him as the father of the faithful.
God promised him, He would bless those who bless Abraham and his descendants and curse those who curse Abraham and his descendants. Here is an unchangeable principle confirmed by history. At the time of salvation a person moves from being under the curse of God to being under the blessing of God as a result of new birth. This blessing that the redeemed church aquires comes out of the unconditional covenant God made with the patriarch Abraham and the promise that is in his seed all the nations of the world shall be blessed.
A Blessed man shall not do the following: We find in the 1st chapter of Psalms that begins with three negatives. They are interlinked and progressive - the first one is he must not walk with the council of ungodly is found and reached unto every area of life. You can see the ungodly council on TVs, radios, news papers, and through lectures in the class rooms and again this ungodly council was built on four pillars.
Who is a Blessed man?
1)There is no God. This wicked view is based ultimately on pride. It is nothing but the total denial of truth. That is, in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. If we believe that there is some supreme power which controls everything than man is accountable go God.
2)Man Evolved. If there is no God who created man in His own image, the only answer to human existence is evolution which causes the denial of God.
3)There are no disolutes. when God is not there, man is evolved and man is still evolving and everything is in the process of change because change is the law of life. If we take this for granted, man’s life is built on quite sand.
4)There is no specific standard for morality. Righteousness is the first of Righteous and righteous is determined by conformity to a particular standard. Then the standard for righteousness we God Himself, when there is no God and man evolving there can be no standard for right and wrong. If there is no standard for right and wrong to which man can appeal to anything is subjective, so every man dies by following and doing what is right in his own eyes. But the blessed man says “Not me, I’m not going in that direction.”
He would refuse to walk in the path of the council of ungodly secondly the blessed man does not stand in the way of sinners. The seeds of sinners will follow thoughts. If a man thinks wrongly he will get wrongly. The ungodly thinking and inglorious living are inseparable companions (Rom. 1:18). Thirdly the blessed one does not sit in the seat of the scornful. The man who walks in the council of ungodly and stands in the way of sinners will quickly sit in the seat of scornful. This is irresistable. The ungodly and unrighteous both in the mud of sin, degradation and pride, darkness never likes light. So the people that like and live in darkness will ridicule and scorn the people that walk in the light and finally take delight in mocking their God, His world and the Christian principles.
The blessed man must do – the Psalm 1 contains the following words. The blessed man should not do certain things. Then it gives chance for the consideration of the next two that the blessed man must do. He must delight in the law of the Lord. The idea is that the blessed man takes great pleasure in the covenant of God.
The word 'law' is translated from the Hebrew word “Torah” and torah is a synonym to Pentateuch which mean the ‘five’ ie., “the five books of Moses”.
These five books contain the details of an agreement that took place between God
Offsprings from the Tabernacle and the sons of Jacob. Moses acted as a mediator between God and Jewish people, especially in the wilderness for forty years. The agreement was also called
Mosaic covenant. This covenant inspired every area of a man’s life from birth to death. If man obeyed that covenant they would have God’s blessings and if man disobeys the covenant they will have God's cursing.
The major components in the covenant between the rules (God in this context) and the subjects (Jews in this context) are conspicuous in the scripture and it is really fascinating to watch. The author of the covenant is God Himself and so God is identified to Israel. He speaks all those words saying “I am the Lord thy God, which brought three out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage”. The second point is that there is the historical prologue. These deeds were with the acts of the ruler on behalf of the people and so they needed to enter into the covenant with Him.
The Lord said unto the sons of Jacob "ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bare you on eagle’s wings and brought you unto myself.
Therefore, now if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant then you shall be peculiar treasure to me above all. People in all the earth is mine. There are the important principles that govern the relationship between the ruler and the people. The Lord included the ten commandments and the general laws also for the governance of the covenant.
Finally Israelites were given about 13 laws to observe in the Mosaic covenant and those laws were given by God. This is the promise of the blessings and cursing. Actually blessings are promised to the people only if they heed to the contents of the covenant. The covenant, God offered to the descendents of Abraham through Jacob, was optional. They had the liberty either to accept or to reject the covenant. It was a Biblical and conditional covenant.
The Mosaic covenant was known as Abraham’s covenant which was made by God with patrearch. It was confirmed in blood. And Moses took that blood and sprinkled on the people. He said “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all those words. The blessed man is delighted in the covenant because he understood how wonderful God was and with whom His nation had intend to a covenantal relationship.
The covenant into which the Israel entered into their God addressed every area of life. It is not simply observed once in a week on their Sabbath day. That covenant contained both religious and ceremonial earth. According to the laws
Who is a Blessed man? there is no separation of church and state. This is the reason why when Joshua was made leader after the death of Moses, God said the following words, “Be strong and of a good courage”. God repeated His words to Joshua saying, “Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid neither being those dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee”. The blessed man will have the reward of faithfulness.
The following points are mentioned about a blessed man.
There are three major sources of water in Israel. The first one was the “eeseim”, which means cut into the rock and plastered to catch and hold water.
The second one was a well that means could dig but after it became necessary dry.
The third one was a moving water of a river which never becomes dry and it was called “living water”.
It is this third source of water that a blessed man will possess and his blessing would bear fruit at proper time and his tree leaves will never dry. The blessed man will be given his results at the right time because it is planted by the river of living water. With all the above mentioned reasons and sources one can understand that a blessed man will progress well in life.
The condition of ungodly men. The un godly man is no doubt a cursed man.
He does not possess the life of permanent value. He does not know the goodness of God. He is like the chaff when the wood drives away and also he is like a dry plant which does not have the source of water. The ungodly people are both lifeless and fruitless. And finally the ungodly people cannot stand before God on the day of judgment.
The psalm ends with a clear reminder "God should not be mocked at, for whatever a man soweth he will reap."
For he that soweth for his flesh shall of the flesh reap; but he that soweth for the spirit shall reap the spirit. So, God is not mocked at. The blessed are forever experience life and goodness, whereas the cursed people always experience death and badness. And today man is trying to live in the shade of the “ New covenant” or what is commonly called “Grace”.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself introduced this “New covenant” in the upper roorm, while observing the “Passover” with His disciples. This took place just a few hours before the crucifiction. Then the final analysis is made. According to ir there are two kinds of men on the earth, the blessed man and the cursed man.
There are only two ways – the way of God, and the way of man. And finally there are only two destinies – life and death”.
Offsprings from the Tabernacle
13
SEEING IS BELIEVING
“you are my witness" said the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you my know and believe me”.
As true Christians faith is our text to our promised land and also shield to opposition. God is He who says He is in fact everything. If not, He is a liar, unworthy of our faith at all. But today the scripture says, "no deciet can be found in him”. There are many examples regarding who he was (in the scripture) but it is seen a few of them which are mentioned is connection with the promised land.
“I am the Lord who brought you out of her” the land of Chaldians to give you this land to take possession of it. I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and Jacob. I have indeed seen the mistry of my people
…so I have come down to receive them from the land of Egiptians and to bring them out of bondages into a spacious and good land." God said to Moses, "I AM WHO IAM! That is what you are to say to Israel. IAm has sent me to you (Exodus 3:14). It is really great surprising that God went before Israelites while they were going in widerness. He said he was curious no doubt a powerful impression that can be easily missed into pointed explanation. Know that the Lord is God, know above all else that "YHWH" our covenant maker is Elohiym” the Lord of all creation. Jesus Christ had his own approval to the people. He gathered a small band of followers to move in the promised land in Jerusalem, Judah, Samaria and on the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Christ called his disciples who all loved Him. He put them two questions to answer.
The first question is “who do people say the Son of man is" - Christ knew the immense power of Himself. But He wants to know what the people were thinking about him. In the beginning He created - these divine and valuable words can make even the unbelievers as believers. These who want to believe God's word to be and ignorant about them, then nothing is more ignorant in chosing man's intelligence before God's.
Seeing is Believing
A man or woman can believe enough of scripture to accept Christ as the saviour. All attempts are a made to take away the mystery and wonder that sarvived and that God would leave something. We cannot tame the “Lion of Judah”. There as a mystery and wonder about God. We must be very careful while recreating the image of God different from the Bible. We know some of the parents prefer Christian institutions for their children because of two reasons.
They will have better education and then can know something about God. He is the God of Scripture. He is unchangeable even an iota of what man says. God is man's entire future.
Second question - "Who doe you say that I am?" Many great men have given thoughtful answers to these questions with their inventery thinking and positive belief of God. And they proved that Biblically accurage. If we have attended church the pastors, the Bible teachers would have undoubtedly shaped our concept of God. And so these factors made us understand God and believe Him.
With this truth our faith becomes unchangeable.
Then our strong faith and belief affects our enternal destinies an that nothing has greater effect on the quality of our life and the fulfillment of our destinies on planet earth.
Christ's third question - What do you say that I am? - To this question Simon
Peter asnswered and said, "You are the Christ the Son of the living God. Then Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by men - but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter. On that rock
I will build my church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. Though Christ wanted to build His church on the foundations of the Apostles' testimonies, it seems Peter might not have understood what Christ said.
Peter was disigne with transcendence position and responsibility of the Kingdom. In the Greek New Testament the word used for Peter is "petros". It means a stone, a boulder, a rock on which Christ wanted to build His church. In olden days the master or a king used to entrust the most responsible job to the trusted persons as king Pharoah did to Joseph in the Old Testament. He fully believed in Joseph and entrusted him the highest post next to him in command. In addition to that, God was with Joseph. He quided him and elivated him to the highest position.
Offsprings from the Tabernacle
In the same manner Christ entrusted to Peter the responsibility of the key of the kingdom of heaven. As God put tremendous duty on the shoulders of Joseph and Peter, He is willing to empower us also to do like spreading of His word in this world. Just a few verses after Jesus proclaimed Peter's place of authority, it semed Peter rebuked Jesus with authority and said, he would suffer many things in the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed (Matt. 16:21). This is really a wonderful prophecy of Peter about Jesus.
Our beloved God had made many things available for us for our happy living. He foreordained a perfect plan for our lives and stored immeasurable blessing to each of us. He longs for His children to be faithful. God had invited us even to participage in the affairs of heavenly kingdom and authority God is looking for stewards from us who are willing to bind over their own unbelief in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ and look for a fresh anointing faith. God wants us to be dependants upon His. Then only we can prosper with His blessings.
God can do precisely because He is who He says He is what He can do for us. For example, as the Saviour He saves us, as a master He assigns authority, as bread of life He gives us life. As deliverer He delivers us, as a redeemer He redeems us, As a preacher He preaches to us. And finally He is the embodiment of divine strength. In the gospels Christ called those persons who were without faith to believe in miracles, as an 'unbelieving and perverse generation' (Luke
9:41). the reason He called dub-miracle cravers as Adulterous because they worshipped God's wonders more than God Himself.
And this adultrous sensationalism also suggests that we can believe as long as He does what we wish him to do for us through prayer as if we were the potter and God the clay. Let us study some of the quotations from the Bible - 1. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for" (Heb. 11:1), 2 "Through him you believe in God, who saved him from the dead and glorified Him and so your faith an hope are in God" (1Peter 1:21), 3. "Against all hope Abraham in hope believed and also became father of many nations" (Rom. 4:15), 4. "And now those remain, faith, hope and love" (1Cor. 13:2).
It does not matter how many promises God must have made to the people.
They were "yes" or they will be done in Christ, who gave His life to redeem humanity from the sin. So God could simply say "yes" to the fulfillment of His promises in the lives of believing mortals. So the present believers may see
Seeing is Believing miracles but there may be greater miracles like abundant life resumption, ministry and exceeding harvest ahead.
Christ did miracles out of compassion. He raised the son of a widow in Nain from the dead, because Christs heart went out into her. He pitied her immensely and did that wonder. Jesus happened to perform the miracles because "to power of the Lord was present" or we can also say "creating an environment to do so."
Let us not misunderstand that believing God involves believing Him for His wonderful miracles. Some people may be under the impression that we are missing something. But certainly weare not at all missing anything as we are not the first generation to miss the wide spread wonders.
Gidions generation found slept under terrible enemy oppression of Philistines and hid themselves in strongholds. The Israelites were separated from their promised land, which made them cry unto God to save them from the enemy
Philistines. When the angel of the Lord appeared before Gideon and said,"The
Lord is with you, and you are a mighty warrior." Gedion replied for this as "If the Lord is with us where all His wonders that our fathers told about?" God in His great mercy gave to Gedion faith through a lot a vidence and encouragement on which he grew and then saved Israelites from the clutches of Philistines.
Now-a-days we are desparately looking for the wonders and miracles of God. We need Him to show His mightly arm, and by the world He is alive and active. We are told the churches are in terrible decline. Did I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" (John11:40). Believing God must be our motto for His best. Our heavenly position of glory that came to God is through our lives. God has the power and authority to grant us anything on a list of A to Z. And all resources both heaven and earth belongs to God only. God was glorified with the miracle that blessed temporary as well.
There was a great commotion blended with agony in the house of Martha due to the death of her brother Lazarus.. Both the sisters were under the impression that if Jsus were to be there at that time their brother would not have died. Then over her brother's death Jesus "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would seethe glory of God?" And he revealed that glory by raising Lazarus from death.
We must know how God must be glorified. God in His sovereignity could prioritize miracles and wonders in some generations and He maybe prioritizing in
Offsprings from the Tabernacle our generation too. At the time of the last supper Jesus Christ introduced a term with revolutionary implications, when He raise the cup, He said, "this cup is a new covenant in my blood" which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). The New
Testament books, 2 Corinthians and Hebrews clearly explained the New
Testament and compared that with the Old Testament. The old covenant was the letter, the letter of the law" The letter of the new covenant isof the spirit.
The letter of the old covenant was written on the tablets of stones. The letter of the new covenant was written on the tablets of 'human hearts'. In Hebrews
10:16 it is said this is the covenant I will make with them, aftet that, says the Lord. I will put my laws in the hearts and I will write them in their minds."
The law was written upon the external and visible on the tablets of stone.
God manifested His glory in many physical and visible forms such as Manna, a cloudy pillar by day and fire by night. The ministry of the New covenant is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirity to His desciples and said, "He lives with you and be with you". God has bountiful desires for us and He also clearely knows how His desires must accomplish the believer in each generation. God can do everything that He promises. He is willing to perform outstanding miracles in our generation as we increase our faith.
God was glorified often through the miracles that blessed temporarily. He treats all of us as His children an hears heirs to His kingdom. We are the heirs of God and co-hiers with Christ. If we really share in His sufferings we may also share in His glory.
Apostle Paul also said in this context he does not consider to present suffering to be remotely comparable with the glory God will reveal "in us". The New Testament has mentioned too much evidence for us to claim that suffering is never within the framework of our sovereign God. As we all knwo about the truth. of God, His unceasing ability to perform miracles, and the truth about His undominable role of suffering according to the new covenant, made all of us to believe Him more and more.
If we are really convinced that God loves us and has certain priorities for us then we are safe to walk by faith. So my dear friends, we are all safe and secure with God. We are safe to believe Him. We are quite safe with God because we are His priority. We want to experience God's blessings, but we don't want to judge people of lesser faith, as God is the judge of all.
Seeing is Believing
In Mark 9th chapter, we find an interesting discourses that took place between Christ and His disciples, when some of them were unable to cast out a demon from a tormented child. They were actually empowered by Jesus to do such miracles, but they failed in that. So, this was reported to Jesus. And Christ before he reprimanded them He questioned as what they argued about, with the teachers of the law.
Then Jesus said, I am convinced that the argument the disciples had with the educated and dignified teachers of the law diminished the power of the Spirit in them so drastically that ehy were unable to do miracles even though they were empowered to do. He advised the desciples "if you want to be full of soul, don'g argue with a legalist. you must love them, serve them if God permits. But don't argue with them nor even judge them.
Seeing is believing Jesus opinion is that a pure hearted and a faith filled petition certainly do miracles. They may be lesser or great, temporal or eternal wonders which never cease. "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:40). Count on it every time - God desires truth in the inner most being. May He invade our sub conscious minds with His word.
In this context let us have a glance of the Old Testament. The first question that Moses asked God after he heard the voice from the burning bush was, "Who am I that I shall go to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus
3:11). As a matter of fact Moses had the ire-raising audacity to respond to His call. So, Moses said, "O Lord please send some one else to do it." Moses had his own reasons to resist God's call and his identity as the servant of God. But in his character we can find one thing in common with other human beings. he also committed sin at the end for which I recieved the punishment not to enter the promised land of Cannan.
After Moses, Joshua was presented as a mighty warrior and also confident of doing anything commanded by God. He repeatedly told Joshua as repetetions are common in the Bible that "to be strong and couragious". But God repeated that these terms as "to be strong and very courageous" etc., It was Moses who gve the name Joshua. His original name was "Hoshea" the son of Nun. Scripture is also quite clear that Moses know the power and stength of Joshua. So, he was chosen by God, after Moses to lead the conquests.
Knowing the fact God commanded Moses to lay his hand on Joshua and
Offsprings from the Tabernacle commission him (Numbers 27:18-20). We don't find any reference when Joshua received that name from Moses. The name Hosea means deliverer whereas
Joshua also means deliverer. He was no doubt a deliverer of Israel. He won many battles and put them in the promised land.
God's perfect love is immeasurable. So, in response we must say, I love
God, I am blessed, I am favoured, I am redeemed, and I am forgiven. We have recieved Jesus as our personal saviour "Everything of our identity is found in Him" (1John 3:1). How great is the love of the Father that has lavished on us that we still be called the children of God" And that is what we are. Blessed be the God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ for He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.
In Him we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of our tresspassers. According tothe riches of His grace, He lavished on us with all His wisdom and understanding. the believers must look at the star that is mentioned below, because it is said in Philippeans 2:15-16 that we shine like stars in the universe, as we hold out the word of life.
BLESSED
ForgottenChosen
I'M LOVED
RedeemedAdopted
FAVOURED
How often we could use the same approach towards God? Let us speak about these words to our own soul as many times as possible. In love we are
Seeing is Believing blessed, chosen, adopted, favoured, redeemed and forgotten. God is also a task master.
Accordingly, all the believers have a call from Christ, and we are convinced that God assigns our callings for a host of reasons and many of them have a purpose in us. The believer must have faith in the following points. They have a dramatically strengthened sense of security, an righteousness are credited to their account and freedom is granted from the burden of their own sins.
We have to exercise faith to believe God, who can handle the consequences of our obedience even capable of long-term obedience. We can make our final observation on faith, credited as righteousness as the two Old Testament heros like Abraham and David. Though both lived in different circumstances, they fulfilled the needs of faith by which one became the father of many nations, and the other became the king of Israelites who were God chosen people.
By believing Christ we can do anything because He will give us strength.
Likewise Joshua was a man with good reputation for believing God in all difficulties. So he led the children of God to the promised land by faith and fruitfulness. Though Joshua lived long time ago even before Christ, his examples offered endless reputation and appreciation in New Testament believers. It does not matter how mighty the servant like Moses and Joshua, both did their job wonderfully.
Christ commanded His twelve disciples for a purpose. It was not like the twelve tribes of Israel. Christ called the twelve to join Him in His work he was doing. he empowered them with divine tasks in His name according to Luke 10:1.
Jesus further tells us that He appointed seventy two other members andsent them two by two to every place He wished togo in future. They were fully equipped and empowered to do anything in His name and they could do all with the strength of Christ.
He did not stop that programme with seventy two plus twelve disciples as mentioned in the gospel of St. John. Christ extended open invitation and basic requirements to accomplish remarkable works in His name. he said, "I tell you the truth any one who has faith in me can do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father" (John 14:11).
Jesus Christ finally gave instructions before leaving the planet earth "go and make the disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, in the name
Offsprings from the Tabernacle of the Son and the Holy Ghost and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age"
So, as Christ planned in His time, with His disciples, to spread the word of God, with good instructions, we must continue His mission at every nook and corner of the world. All we need to know is 'mighty is the shield of faith and the sword of spirit' (the Word of God) (Eph. 3:16-17).
"Onward Christian soldiers
Marching as to war
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before."
14
JOURNEY OF LIFE
“All the world is a stage”
All the men and women are mere actors. They exit from this world after they complete their role as something in their life’s journey “O, Lord----if you will please grant success to the journey on which I have come.”
Life is a journey ---- As every journey has a starting point this life’s journey has also some starting point. Our journey’s starting point is our birth. We can be sure when our birth takes place, but we are not sure when we die as it is in the hands of our Lord. Some people die all of a sudden with some accident or some complaint. Some live longer. So in our life childhood, manhood, middle age and old age after tender going all these stages we die as death in inevitable for every living species on the earth.
For some people life is a constant struggle for their survival. For some others there will be enough and to spare. But still they are dissatisfied and unfulfilled. So in our life’s journey we can experience wonderful things.
Sometime disappointment, sorrow, heartbreaking incidents and experiences. In such cases we will be far away from peace and happiness. Nobody can predict ones span of life except God. So God wants our life’s journey with joy and with some purpose and it will be clubbed with some events as the part of His plan.
And above all God wants to join us and lead our way in our life’s journey. To some people life becomes hectic and they are preoccupied with their own urgent needs.
In such strange conditions they can never go backward, but always forward.
While thinking about our lifes journey we must keep in our minds the creator
God and then for what purpose He created us. Then only we can fulfill God’s exciting plan of this journey. In this life’s journey we have to understand three important truths. They are -- 1 the first truth is very simple at the same time very profound. God put us on the journey of life. We are not in this world by chance or by accident. We are here as God created us and put us in this world.
Offsprings from the Tabernacle
Even before the world was created God know about us and the planned to give us life. We are proved of His plan from are eternity. He is the creator of everything in the universe. He put us on the track of our life’s journey. In the Bible this truth is made a difference in people’s lives ---and same is the case in our lives also.
God told Jeremiah, the prophet, "Behold, I formed you in the womb, I know you". Finally Jeremiah accepted God’s call to be His prophet. King David said “All the days ordained for me, were written for me in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). After David became the king he could put
Israel in the highest position that they never dreamt off. So, we must be sure God created us and put us in life’s journey. As we come from Him, we must go back to Him only and that is the greatest joy we can experience by giving ourselves to Him back. Then we can learn to walk with Him, every day until we return to Him once for all. The knowledge of this truth we can call the divine appointment for us.
The second truth is God wants us to join us in our journey. He wants to make us understand that we are not alone. Let us think for a while that God created us and would lead us to our destiny. Some people may be in such impression but they are wrong. God never leaves us in such helpless condition.
Even if we forget Him and do not allow Him into our hearts, He will be with us always and loves us. If we invite Him whole heartedly. He feels happy and joins us in our life’s journey. Then we can never feel we are alone. The psalmist in his prayer asked God “where I can go from your spirit. Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there, if I made my bed in the depths you are there” (psalm 139-7-8). So according to David; God is Omnipresent (seen everywhere) Omnipotent (All powerful) and Omnicient (knows everything). If we have faith in this truth we can live happily because God is with us.
Even if we forget Him He will come to our rescue as and when we need. He will never abandon us once we trust Him ‘Moses said “ The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you”(Deuteronomy 31:8) and we can quote another example of Jesus Christ. He promised “surely I am with you always to the very end of the age” (Mathew
20:20). For centuries millions of people realized the truth of the words of God.
Let us think about the third and final truth. We need to understand life’s journey in detail. God put us not only in our life journey but also He likes to join
Journey of Life us and asks to take a new path ---- the path of faith and trust in Him. While we are journeying accidentally we may come across two paths. One is wider, commonly used by many people and the other very narrow which is used by limited numbers.
If we make an enquiry about the path generally people suggest broad way only. But with careful study we can choose the correct narrow path that God wants us to travel. This is the path God laid for us and assures us that the path leads us to true life. Then we can proceed freely and happily as we are in the right track. Jesus once said “Enter ye in at the strait gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction, and many those be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).
Then we may question ourselves why should we follow that narrow path? or path that was chosen by God. He wants us to prefer for our journey worth taking path because of three reasons.
The first reason is that old path or wider path will never deliver what it promises. If we look around we can find many people how far they are really happy. Actually their happiness is superficial. The old path promised peace and security – but ends in anxiety, fear, headache, sorrow and boredom. The old path promises us freedom but makes us slaves with best grow anger and bitterness.
It will be like the story of a self centered rich man of whom Christ said in one of the parables. Christ said people who prefer old path or wider paths are like those that take life easier “eat drink and be merry”. They become slaves to temporary happiness. They forget about tomorrow what will happen to them. So God said that kind of “you fool. This very night your life will be required from you” (Luke 12:19-20). This foolish man preferred the wrong path. The wider path that leads him to destruction. The old path promises everything but all its promises are hallow and leave us with nothing.
The second reason to choose God’s path for the rest of our journey is that God’s path always delivers the fruit He promises. Therefore who walk on God’s path are different from the polluted society. When some people in the society are hurt or in need of some help God’s people will go to their rescue and respond to them with compassion as they are walking on the life’s path with God.
But there are some people who have false impression that God only
Offsprings from the Tabernacle promises always good health and prosperity. They must have forgotten of Jesus warning. “ In this world you will have trouble” (John 10.33) Christians are not exempted from suffering and grief. In spite of all those hardships they experience peace of God and transcend all understanding.
The third reason in choosing God’s path is that it leads us home, the home of peace and rest. We care only some years on this earth and then go to our eternal home. That is the only our final and permanent resting place. The Bible also says this truth that this world is not our permanent place. We are “strangers and pilgrims on this earth”. Our true home is heaven and to that destination.
God’s narrow path leads us. To all our believers that is the path of our journey since our birth.
Again we may question ourselves what kind of journey we do? The answer to this question is in our hearts. We cannot change our past, but we may be able to change the future with the help of God because He knows all about our strength and weaknesses. God wants to free us from old path and put us on new path – His path. Jesus said “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full”. We can begin our life’s journey by committing our life to Christ and learn to walk with Him every day. And this is the gist of the present topic life’s journey.
We must realize we are in God’s image and have God given soul. We don’t live like animals. Our soul makes us to live with dignity and sub-respect you made him a little lower than the heavenly bodies. The Bible says “and crowned him with glory and honour”. That is the reason why human life cannot be scorned or abused or wanted by destroyed as them are created in His image.
Because of the sanctity of our souls we have the capacity to know God and be His friends forever. We are created in such a way that we can live peacefully not only on earth but also with regular touch with heaven. This was the great design of th great designer (God).
God created Adam and Eve in His own image completely different from all
Creations on the earth. But why did He create them? Is there any motive behind it? The only reason conspicuous to us is out of “love”. It was only ”love” that prompted God to fashion a creation out of His own image and likeness and to please him in a paradise of enchanting loveliness. The love of human brings is imperfect and changeable but God’s love is perfect never changing and becoming weak.
Journey of Life
Much can be said about God’s love which is beyond human comprehension.
We may have to question ourselves why God’s love is important for us? It is important for us because God made us with all His love. We all know that love needs some out let and to be expressed and at the same time it is to be shared.
God is love and how wonderful it is. His personality was given to Adam and Eve.
What a great gift God created for Adam and Eve out of love and give them the ability to love in return.
God didn’t make Adam and Eve because He was lonely or He needed someone to love Him in return. This statement is true in the case of human beings. It is not true in the case of God. God is complete in Himself. He needs nothing. His love compelled Him to create the first humans. His love was expressed in the creation of Human race. His love has to be expressed as a skilled wood worker (carpenter) exhibits his fine work of wood or furniture. In the same way our loving God has a compelling urge to create human life. So, God’s love is expressed in the creation of human race.
Again let us question ourselves what made God to create Adam and Eve and us also. If we look into the Bible God created us to have personal relationship with us. In other words God created us to be His friends”. This is exactly the “divine plan” from the beginning of creation of Adam and Eve. He first created – and had the origin in the love of God. Generally friendship will take place between two persons of equal age. But it is really strange God wanted to have friendship with His own creation like Adam and Eve later people’s love.
God was the sovereign ruler of the universe. He created from the largest galaxies to the smallest grimmer of light. He sees everything that happens including all the details of our lives. So, the Bible says nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight everything is uncovered and laid before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews ). Adam was none of these things. God was timeless Adam was limited. God was independent Adam was dependent.
Still God want Adam and Eve to be His friends.
Now we must think seriously how far our souls are unpresenting practical lives. Jesus once said “our souls are more valuable than all the rest of the world put together. The main reason is our souls will never die”. Our bodies will perish.
As we come from dust we go to dust again. Our souls are immortal. Jesus said in this context, “what God will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forefiet his soul, or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:20).
Offsprings from the Tabernacle
Abraham was called the friend of God “(James 2:23). "You are created to know God and to be His friend forever”. It is also said we were not made for ourselves we are made for God “The Great Designer has a great design” that we might know Him forever. We are restless in our lives. We have been continuously searching for peace and contentment. We may find everything for our daily requirements. We may have enough and to spare.
But we are empty and restless what must be the reason for that? The Bible says that the main reason for our emptiness is “we are incomplete without God”.
If we leave from out of our lives, we will have an empty place in our souls. If we ignore God the hallow place inside the soul will stay with us and in such circumstances our search for everlasting peace and happiness will be fulfilled.
Some centuries ago St. Augustine wrote "you have made us for yourself O
God and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you”. It is really wonderful compliment. When God created human beings they never thought what restlessness and emptiness was. They did not even exist at that time. So Adam and Eve were fully satisfied at that time. So Adam and Eve were fully satisfied at that time. When God created them they were at peace within themselves. Their relationship was quite perfect before Satan provoked them to eat the forbidden fruit.
Their relationship with God and nation was perfect as they were beyond belief of anything. God saw everything He created was good (including Adam and Eve). They walked with each other and with God. If we think of our times our trusting of one another is quite different. There is one reason for Adam and Eve to remain perfect. God created everything with a word of mouth. For example He said “let there be light” and there was light. All the creation He did, like that He simply commanded. But when He planned to create Adam and Eve
He formed them with His hands. He made them in His own image.
This is very important for us to remember. So God deliberately created
Adam and Eve to keep them as His friends forever. Their friendship was perfect at moment of the day. They were not just physical creation or superficial type of animals. They were for superior to everything. They were spiritual beings and with the spiritual knowledge. They were able to know and experience God. In the Bible it is said God made man in His own image. That means He implanted some of Himself in their bodies.
Journey of Life
“God created man in His own image, in the image of God; He created him male and female. He created them”. (Genesis 2.27). One thing is true of us like
Adam and Eve we have not only body and mind but also soul and spirit as full fledged human beings. God implanted part of Himself in us with these things our souls are set apart from other living creations and we are unique of ourselves.
God wants us to know Him. It is not just to know Him, but to know Him in personal way. Most people believe in God. They believe in His existence and they will have even some definite idea about Him. They normally just know Him but never try to come near Him or try to meet Him through humble prayer.
We can become closer to God through prayer only. He wants to comfort us when we are in helpless condition. He will come to our rescue when we are in dejected and depressed position. He is always ready to help us for our prosperity.
All man friends sometimes deceive us and do not help us in times of need.
But God will never fail us. His love is everlasting and unconditional. The Bible says “A man of many companions may come to ruin but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 15:24). And that closer and reliable friend is God Himself.
Jesus said to His followers once “I no longer call you servants – instead, I have called you friends” (John 15:15). This is undoubtedly a staggering truth. The all powerful Holy God of the universe wants to be our friend. He wants us to know Him personally and walk with Him in His light every day. He wants to have communication with us through His word and prayer He is always dependable.
We have been in perfect happiness as God is with us and watching us as a friend in our daily life. We are very comfortable in this way. Then why did God allow evil also into our lives? Many scholars and philosophers must have broken their heads on this point. And why did God allow suffering and tragedy into our lives? These questions remained unanswered. At the same time we cannot question God. But faith prompts us to accept any kind of suffering. It is also said suffering in this world is a requisite qualification for happy life in the next world.
So, when sufferings or evil comes into our lives. We must accept and bear it sovereign He is loving merciful and compassionate.
Our next questions are from where this evil has come? Are we living in the
Offsprings from the Tabernacle world of both good and evil? These questions take us back to the beginning of the creation and the Bible. It begins with the story of Adam and Eve. In the beginning the perfect God created perfect world and in the right path put two human beings who were first created. They walked with God will and everything went on properly.
Just at that time Satan an evil doer came into picture. He wanted to take revenge against God through Adam and Eve. So they became instruments for Satan’s purpose. By his influence both rejected God’s love. Adam and Eve ate the fruit of forbidden tree on the advice of the Satan and finally they were sent out of the garden of Eden.
Then who is this Satan? This is one of the seven Articengels made to look after God’s work in heaven. Lucifer the original name rebelled against God. He wanted the seat of God. So God became angry and sent him out of heaven on to the earth as a punishment – on the earth the name Lucifer became Satan. Along with them one third of the angel population also followed Satan. This is the brief story of the Satan. He wanted to take revenge against God and His people and Adam and Eve became first victims of Satan. Jesus once declared I say Satan facing like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18).
Since that time Satan had only one aim to oppose God. Adam and Eve also turned their backs to God and believed in the words of Satan. This is the essence of “Sin”. This when we commit sin, we feel that we are wiser than God. Some scholars have pointed out a good number of different words for sin. Such as – “Missing the mark”, Turing away, “tarbing short”, “wrong doing” lawlessness unbelief” etc. All these words point to the same truth “sin” results in rebellion against God.
If we chose our own way instead of the path of God we are “sinners”. So the Bible says “there is no one righteous not even one - for all have sinned and fall short of its glory of God” (Romans 3:12 -23). Some theologians called the primeval tragedy “the fall”. Adam and Eve fell from the heights of glory into the pit at disgrace and shame which resulted in dressing both of them from the garden of Eden and kept an Angel in charge of the garden. Since then the Angel cherubim was guarding the way of the tree of knowledge with the help of the flaming sword in his hand.
The final shocking results of their sin are
Journey of Life
1.Death entered the world we were not meant to die but to live forever. But now death became inevitable on the whole earth. It is declared that man is destined to die and for the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Medical science may prolong man’s life for some time but eventually death follows.
2.We are separated from God “After God created Adam and Eve He was very friendly with them. When they sinned thy hid themselves out of shame and fear. They felt guilty and afraid of God. Their minds and souls filled with God’s anger. The Bible says” your inequities have separated you from your God” your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
3.We became alienated from each other
Now the friendship between God and Adam and Eve was broken. Adam and Eve blamed each other for the unfortunate event became desperate an answered
God. He said the woman you put me gave the fruit to eat. Nobody accepted their tressposs but blamed each. Adam was the first sinner and Eve the second. Doing something wrong and not accepting this wrong is called “second sin”. Since that time in human history a chronicle of turmoil and conflict came into existence.
4.We became subject of God’s judgment
God is pure and holy. But sin is abominable heneevs and unparadable to Him. We broke the laws of God by following the wide pat of Satan. And for all that show the only one work of the judgment is “guilty. Our sins condemn us and finally God’s judgment condemn us. And the Bible says a God is a righteous judge. “But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can endure when he appears?”