Reflections

    STANDING FIRM IN THE SAME MIND AND JUDGEMENT Bible Reading:  1 CORINTHIANS  1 :10-13 Key Verse:     Vs 10: Now I plead with you, brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement. DEVOTION Paul appropriately advises the church in Corinth to be united. Vs 10 is the key verse of his first letter to Corinthians. if Corinthians can pay heed to Paul's call for unity, his mission will  be a success. Paul says Christ is not divided as the Corinthian community is and hence choosing sides is totally inappropriate and not in tune with Christ’s teaching. Unity in Christ is only possible of we make Christ as our central theme of our life. When we give importance to human leaders, Church traditions, or church constitutions that are made for the smooth operation and administration of the church, d...

Ecumenical Sunday  Unity: GOD’S Wholesome Design for True Restoration of HIS Image: The Highest Order of Creation  Bible Reading:   Col. 3:9-17 (NIRV)    Key Verse:    Verse 14: And above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfectness. DEVOTION You have gotten rid of your old way of life and its habits. You have started living a new life. Your knowledge of how that life should have the Creator’s likeness is being made new.   Let the message about Christ live among you like a rich treasure. Teach one another by singing psalms and hymns and songs from the Spirit. Do everything you say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Over all these good things put on love. Love holds them all together perfectly.  Colossians 3 NIRV - Teachings About Holy Living - You have - Bible Gateway Paul beautifully encapsulates the tug-of-war between our human nature--the sinful flesh, and the Unification that a HOLY SPIRIT-filled life br...

  Church: To be United in Christ Bible Reading:  St. John  17:13-23   Key Verse:   “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (St. John  17:20-21  NRSV) DEVOTION In John  17:13-23 , Jesus offers a prayer that reveals His heart for His disciples and the future church. His prayer emphasizes the importance of unity—not as a superficial bond, but as a reflection of God’s character and mission. This unity is essential for the church to thrive and to fulfill its calling as a witness to the world. Jesus prays for His disciples to have His joy “made full” in them, despite the hostility they will face in the world (v. 13). This joy is rooted in their identity as those set apart by the truth of God’s Word. In verse 17, Jesus prays, “Sanctif...

  Unified people: The promise of God's kingdom Bible Reading:   Zechariah  8:18-23   Key Verse:    This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.” (Zechariah 8:18) DEVOTION The nation of Judah rebelled against God and were attacked, looted, destroyed and taken captives by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  The four fasts commemorate the four disasters that fell on Jerusalem during the siege which is recorded in Jeremiah 52. Zechariah chapter 8 depicts the willingness of our Lord God to dwell in Jerusalem thus making it the Faithful City where once again the elderly men and women will sit together in the streets with young boys and girls playing there.  God in His mercy, on a condition, declares to save His people, bring them back from captivity to Jerusalem and remain faithful and a righteous...

  Embracing Our Diversity in Unity Bible Reading: 1 Corinthian  12:12-21   Key Verse:     “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”  – 1 Corinthians 12:12 DEVOTION Imagine your body trying to function without your eyes, ears, hands or feet. It wouldn’t work very well, would it? Each part of your body has a special purpose, and together, they make your body whole. Paul, the Apostle, reminds us that the church which is Christ’s body works the same way. We are all different, and that’s something to celebrate! Some of us are like hands, doing work to help others. Some are like feet, carrying God’s love wherever we go. Others might be like eyes, seeing the needs that others might miss. No matter what our role is, each of us is important, and we need one another to function as God intended. Sometimes, we might feel like what we do isn’t as important as what others do. But Paul teaches us that ev...

  The Beauty of Unity: Living in Harmony Bible Reading: : Psalms 133  Key Verse:     How good and pleasant it is when Gods people live together in unity! Psalms 133:1  DEVOTION Knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior and to live as a God’s child is the most prestigious virtue we have achieved in our lives. As a Christian, you don’t get to choose whether you are going to be part of the family of God. You already are. So, the only question remaining is how will you live as part of the family of God? Will you live in unity? Or in division? In this Psalms, David emphasizes brethren's dwelling together in unity, not only not quarreling, and devouring one another, but delighting in each other with mutual endearments, and promoting each other's welfare with mutual services.  David had in mind the relationship that God’s people have with one another, not with the world around them. First, living together in unity is both good and pleasant.  The next part ...