Reflections

Faith that has to be Enriched Philippians 4:10-20 Jessie Samuel St. Andrews MTC, NY 13. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.   In recent years, the highlighted verse of this passage has become very popular. We use it all the time, and we hear celebrities quoting this verse everywhere. But, what does it really mean? We know Paul was imprisoned during this time when he wrote this letter. Being chained to a guard, day and night, must have been difficult, much less imprisoned. In what context was Paul using this verse when he wrote this letter to the Philippians? At its core, the imprisoned Paul had received a gift and he wrote a ‘thank you’ note in return. He accepted the Philippians’ gift because they gave it willingly and because he was in need. He says he has learned to be content whatever the circumstances (verse 10). Are we content in any circumstances we face? Paul knew how to be satisfied whether he had plenty or whether he was in need....

Faith That Has To Be Enriched 2 Kings 12:1-6 Gabriella John St. Peter’s MTC,  NJ       4  Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money offered as sacred donations that is brought into the house of the Lord , the money for which each person is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money from the voluntary offerings brought into the house of the Lord , 5  let the priests receive from each of the donors; and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.”    It is easy for our Christian lives to become very routine-like; we become too comfortable, dormant, and lazy. We see a similar pattern of dormancy and laziness in the rebuilding of the Temple of Judah (2 King 12:1-6). King Solomon had originally built the Temple during his reign with the best materials available, yet with time it began to decay. The temple was vandalized by Athaliah and her sons as seen in 2 Chronicles 24:7 “For the...

Faith, the Fertilizer of Life Hebrews 2:1-4 Jocelyn Chacko St. Thomas MTC, NY 1. Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. Summer is officially here! Summer brings warm weather, school vacations, graduations, summer jobs, and of course the summer vegetable garden. Many people (or at least their parents) make time to establish a sizeable garden in any available backyard space. Driving around in the summertime, the bitter gourd plant’s panthal is the easiest way to distinguish every Malayalee home in the neighborhood. Each garden requires hard work to maintain the crops. The growing plants require timely watering, good fertilizer, some pruning, and careful protection against bugs, deer, and other animals. The hard work is well worth it. If weather cooperates, one can reap enough vegetables to last the rest of the year. Just as budding plants require fertilizer to grow into fruit-bearing crops that sustain ...

Ten Percent or a Blank Check?   Malachi 3:7-12 Tibi Mathew St. Peter’s MTC, NJ "Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts." vs.7   Malachi is a book about the restored Jewish community who doubted God’s covenantal love and no longer trusted His justice. They were beginning to lose hope. Consequently, they were unfaithful to God and did not take the law seriously. The prophet Malachi calls out the Jewish people for breaking their covenant with God by withholding their tithes.       A curse was placed on the whole nation because they were robbing God (Malachi 3:9). They faced the consequence because of their unfaithfulness. Jesus said more about money than any other single thing during His time on Earth. Why is that? Richard Halverson, who was a chaplain of the US Senate once said: “Money is an exact index...

People of God- Flock of Christ John 10:1-6 Philip Manuel and Laila Anie Philip Carmel MTC, Boston, MA v3....and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. To understand the context of this passage, one has to read John 9 where we see that Jesus has healed a man who was blind. The neighbors and Pharisees do not believe in this miracle and claim that the man was not blind. Some even claim that it is not the blind man that they are seeing, but somebody who resembles the blind man. They even drove him out. Jesus now remarks that even those who are able to see have become blind. Jesus was speaking metaphorically but this was beyond the comprehension of the Pharisees. In this passage Jesus goes on to further ridicule the Pharisees and calls them thieves and robbers. Jesus states, in John 14:6   “ I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me”.  However here we see that the Pharisees are try...

People of God – Flock of Christ John 21:15-25 Dr. Thomas Philip Orlando MTC, Florida The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:17)   The passage for this devotion presents a crucial requirement to belong to the flock of Christ. Jesus brings it out by asking Peter the same question three times. That question was “Do you love me?”   Peter had already made the public declaration: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16). So Jesus’ question was not about his doctrine or his faith. Neither was His question: “How strong is your faith in me?” Peter had already denied Him multiple times. Jesus did not ask about his occupation or status in society or position held. The question was not about any supernatural experience he had. If so he could have g...

People of God - Flock of Christ Psalm 80   Kiara George Canadian MTC, Toronto, Canada. 17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.   Our meditation for today, also titled as a Prayer for Israel's Restoration is from Psalm 80. The lament in the Psalmist's voice who cries out asking the Lord, "how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?" (vs.4) or when he beckons God to, " look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted" (vs.14-15) is hard to ignore. It is a plea which resonates with the people of God even today. Many biblical commentators have interpreted the 'vine' to represent the Church of God with Christ at the 'root' and all the believers as the ...

People of God- Flock of Christ 1 John 4:1-6 Jane George Christos MTC, Philadelphia, PA 2 “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God…” In today’s world education for us has become as important as food, shelter and clothing. To gain a wealth of knowledge, insight, and endless understanding, has become a priority. Ambition and drive is motivated by how much we can learn to survive life. But is it enough? Does the depth of our earthly knowledge compensate for our lack of spiritual knowledge? Can all the education the world provides us take the place of the spiritual knowledge that teaches us right from wrong, that clothes us with wisdom, and provides us with incomparable discernment? In 1 John 4: 1-6, John writes to us about recognizing the Spirit of God from the false spirits. As we live in a world of growing evil and limitless temptations, we need to recognize the spiritual truth. D...

People of God – Flock of Christ 1 Peter 5: 1-11   Dr. Mary Riya Mathew Horeb MTC, Los Angeles, California 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. This passage brings our attention to the focus of Christian ministry – Service. The church is entrusted with a task (“be shepherds”) as Jesus was to us. We see Jesus giving this same task to Peter in John 21:16. While we mature in our faith, it should motivate us to help others in our church and community do the same. However, there are certain nuances to the act of serving that we should take to heart. Serving as an overseer. In verse 2, we see that serving God’s flock has an element ...

People of God- Flock of Christ Genesis 35:1-7   Adarsh Abraham "...so that I may make there an altar to the GOD who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." Genesis 35:3 Today's passage reveals God's ultimate will upon Jacob's life. To give him a new name -  Israel.  That is God's ultimate will for all of His children.  To give us a new name. In Christ alone;  to put it another way, sanctify us.  Baker's Evangelical Dictionary says "The generic meaning of sanctification is "the state of proper functioning." To sanctify someone or something is to set that person or thing apart for the use intended by its designer. A pen is "sanctified" when used to write. Eyeglasses are "sanctified" when used to improve sight. In the theological sense, things are sanctified when they are used for the purpose God intends. A human being is sanctified, therefore, when he or she lives accordin...

Called to be sent Luke 5:1-11   Philip Manuel and Laila Anie Philip Carmel MTC, Boston 10. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” In this passage we read about the “great catch” but was it the fish that was caught or was it the disciples who were hooked on to Jesus. The great catch of fish was a turning point in their life as they left everything and answered Jesus' call to follow Him. The passage begins by stating that Jesus was being jostled by the crowd. He wanted to teach them so He gets in Peter’s boat and teaches the crowd. When He had finished with the crowd, He turned His attention to Peter. Jesus asks Peter to let down their nets but Peter is hesitant. They had just returned from a night of fishing and caught nothing. Finally, in despair, they had given up, washed their nets and most probably put it out to dry. Now, Jesus, a novice fisherman, is asking them to let down their nets again. Peter, addressing J...