Tag: Providence

God’s Plan: More than just a Drake Song!

by Elizabeth Joseph, posted in Bible Daily, Pinned

“For I Know the plans I have for you”,declares the Lord. 

Jeremiah 29:11

There was once a water bearer who carried two large pots, each of which hung on either end of a pole he carried across his neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it, and so, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot always arrived only half full.

This went on every day for two years, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house after each trip.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. Continue reading “God’s Plan: More than just a Drake Song!” →

Hold Your Ground!

by Assumpta Pinto, posted in Blessed!

Matthew 5:10 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Christians for long have been subject to persecutions. This dates back to the time of Jesus Himself where Jews dismissed His teachings and lifestyle. From hate crimes to matrydom, over the many years we have seen it all. But don’t you reckon that these persecutions have reduced now? It definitely isn’t as intense as it used to be (in most parts of the world). But oh how naive we are!

Persecutions still exist today, but not in the same form that they used to. When was the last time you went to church without your cellphone? How long can you actually go without needing the internet? How often have you ditched hangouts with friends to hangout in prayer?

Yes, persecutions still exist but they have disguised themselves well. Agreed that we can live our religion freely and practice and speak what we want, but isn’t most of our thoughts, our words and actions governed by something or someone we spend our time with? When a rotten apple is left in the company of good apples, the good ones will start to rot too. It is as simple as watching a video and sharing it with others. It doesn’t take long to go viral. Rottenness is like this. Similarly, birds of a feather flock together. Look back and reflect on how true this is. Recheck the company you surround yourself with. Is there anyone holding you back? Is there anyone whose negativity is clouding your day? Take a break from your phone, walk without it. Turn off the music and listen in to the voice of God. Get off the internet and read a book! If there are a million distractions around you, there are also a million ways to overcome it.

If there is anything you could change to make yourself a better Christian, what would it be? Just remember, persecutions will come; they will adapt, take newer forms and strike you harder than before, but you got to ask yourself – do you have enough faith to endure the beating, or will you fall down flat at the first shot?

Firm Faith!

by Assumpta Pinto, posted in Blessed!

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Not so long ago, when I was on my way back home I heard this commotion that caught my attention. There was a passenger on the bus that travelling to a place she had never been to before. She had an idea about the name, but no clue about her destination. As she sat on her seat, the driver of the bus probed her about her destination. She confidently said, “Narayanapura!“ The driver was puzzled, because that stop passed a while ago. Did he forget to tell her? Did she forget to get off? What happened and why is she still on the bus?? By now he realised that this is her first time on this unfamiliar route so he informed her that her stop had gone by. She didn’t move. He told her again, this time he was angry. But she didn’t budge. By now he had stopped the bus, “What are you doing still sitting there? I told you your stop passed and you’re still here! How are you going to reach your destination now?” Sheepishly she smiled and turned around and pointed at a man. She said, “My brother knows the place. He is still on the bus so I know my destination has not arrived yet.”

Her statement released a lot of stress for the driver. He asked her brother what the name of the destination is. He said, “Nagawara”. The driver rived the engine. The destination was still a long way off.

When I look back at this incident, I’m amazed by the firm yet child-like faith that this young lady possessed. She did not know the route, or the destination or even the name. Yet, she sat there holding onto the comforting idea that her brother was in control and, that her brother had a plan. How privileged are we that we don’t just have a brother, but a father and friend accompanying us in the journey to a place prepared exclusively for you and me! A place that is filled with angels. A place so divine that every single fault, every single flaw and every single struggle is just overshadowed by the wonder and greatness of its beauty. Often we may get confused with our destination and believe that we have arrived, but the truth is –  the journey is long and the road is narrow. So unless you have a firm faith in your triune companions, the destination will still feel like its miles away.

Grafted in Life!

by Assumpta Pinto, posted in Blessed!, Pinned

John 15:5 – He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit.

We have often heard people say, “Nobody ever gave me a single thing. I did this all myself.” Isn’t that blasphemy? I don’t say this to downplay people and their accomplishments but isn’t it even more gratifying to know that the gifts and achievements in life are a sign of His presence, His touch in our life? He that abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit, (***for without me you can do nothing.***) Shouldn’t that make us think twice before using those two four-letter words “self-made!” Not a single being is self-made. There are only two kinds of beings: Uncreated: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Created: The whole universe! Nobody succeeds in isolation. Our success always comes because of God and because someone in our life helped us.

Let us look at the various ways of abiding in Christ . St. Paul talks about grafting. When a branch is dying it is stuck into a hole in the living tree and tied. It then takes life from the tree and begins to bear fruit.  In baptism you and I were taken out of a dying vine and grafted on to Christ. We are called to remain in Him, stick to Him so fruit will come out of our life.

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Continue reading “Grafted in Life!” →

Food for your Soul!

by Assumpta Pinto, posted in Blessed!

Mathew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” 

Junk food, isn’t it the most convenient yet tasty thing you can munch on? Yet, shortly after eating it you get hungry again. Now, looking back at my life, of all the good and bad experiences summed up, I strongly believe that a self-centred thought for life would look fulfilling, but it will never really satisfy anyone. It either leads to pride or depression, both of which are two extremes. But when we see try to shift our perspective to see how the Lord wants our life to be, that gives us an immense satisfaction. It is important that we let God take control of all aspects of our life. Let me share a very simple yet amazing experience which recently happened to me and that has changed the way I see things now.

Back in my under-graduation days, there was a faculty who taught me computer networks, who later became a mentor and a very good friend. I had told him that even after graduation I will stay in touch with him, but it never happened. Three years later when I realized that I should give him a call, something inside told that it’s too late now and doesn’t make any difference. I even had negative thoughts on how weird it would be to call or meet him now. Somewhere, I started blaming myself. Two more years passed, and the guilt inside me increased. That led me to examine and understand how self-centred my thoughts about my life had become. I had started ignoring my own conscience, which would always help me to take the right call in every situation. I prayed about this and slowly started believing in the voice of truth which always led me in the righteous path. One month back, I took a step forward and met him. The joy was indescribable and even he was all the more happy to see me. I felt that my soul had been filled and I just said a big thank you to Lord for giving me the courage to do the right thing. So if today you are eating the junk food of a self-centred thought for life, remember that you will never be satisfied. It might fill you at this instant, but it is not the healthiest food that your body needs. It is when you ask, what you seek and which door you knock on that makes all the difference. Say a prayer, and take that step of faith!

Testimony by the fun and faithful, Jethin Varghese. Jethin works at Deloitte, Hyderabad and is an active member of the Faith. Hope. Love. Movement.