Reflections

The Restoring Christ Jeremiah 30:1-10 Mariamma Ninan St. James MTC, NY But as for you, have no fear, my servant Jacob, says the Lord, and do not be dismayed, O Israel; for I am going to save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and no one shall make him afraid. Jeremiah 30 –33 often called Jeremiah’s " book of consolation”. This section depicts the ultimate restoration of both Israel and Judah. Jeremiah accuses Israel of breaking their covenant with God and warns them about the resulting exile to Babylon. But Jeremiah's hope is that God’s mercy will one day heal Israel’s rebellious hearts so they can truly know and follow their God. The prophet optimistically looks forward to the time when God would redeem His people, the restoration of God’s kingdom. The overall framework of Jeremiah’s prophesies is sin, then exile, and restoration.       ...

Redeeming Christ  Isaiah 12 Monsy Mathew, Randolph MTC, NJ In that day you will say: "I will praise you, LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. —Isaiah 12:1   Sin separates us from God. But if we repent and seek for forgiveness from God, He forgives us. In Isaiah 6:5–7 we can read that Isaiah is guilty of having unclean lips. And when he cried, his guilt was taken away, later in Chapter 12 we can see that Isaiah was comforted by the Lord. We need to repent and seek forgiveness from God and man, in the areas where we are guilty of disobeying the Ten Commandments. And when the Spirit testifies that we are forgiven, we must tell others about our salvation. That we can understand from two Bible passages here below. Jesus Christ said in a parable, “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins ...

The Restoring Jesus Job 42:10-17 Mrs. Beena John St. James MTC, NY 7: “ After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before”. The book of Job is structured into three parts. The introduction (ch-1), discussion (Ch-2-41) and conclusion (Ch-42). In this book the trouble starts with Satan’s trial, which God restrained and ends with His restoration in God’s mercy. When we read the book of Job we learn that while God allowed Satan to test Job, He set limits beyond which the devil couldn't pass. God insisted that Job’s life be spared. When Job was going through adversity, he didn't know anything about the conversation between God and Satan.     When we find ourselves in the midst of great adversity, we must keep in mind that there may have been a similar “behind the scenes” conversation regarding us. God has established the limits of trial, but we don't know what those limits are. W...

Redeeming Christ Romans 8:31-39 Rebecca Jacob MTC of New Jersey, Randolph Romans 8: 37: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? The Epistle of Paul to the Romans encapsulates the keynote message of Christianity - the Gospel message of Love, Forgiveness, Redemption and Salvation. Once there was a little boy who made a toy sailboat. One day he decided to try it on the lake in the city park. It was a beautiful day and he had a great time. In the evening he tied it to the dock and went home. But the next day, the boat was gone. Several days later, as the little boy was walking through the city streets, he spotted a boat just like his in a store window. When he got closer, he could see -- sure enough -- it was his! He hurried to the store manager and said : "Sir, that's my boat in your window! I made it!" But the manager replied, "Sorry, son, but someone else brought it in this morning. If you want it, you'll have to buy it." The lit...

Redeeming Christ Exodus 3:1-10 Sherine Thomas, Long Island MTC, NY  “Then the Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry…I know their suffering, and I have come down to deliver them…Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”  There can be times in life, even currently, when it just seems that God must not be watching or maybe God is busy with other things, because how else could X, Y, and Z be happening. If God is good, if God is just, then where is the evidence of such character? Exodus provides us with one perspective to this age old yet common question. God states His awareness and understanding of the situation, states His plan and then calls upon Moses to bring God’s people out of Egypt. At this point, one can safely assume that Moses was befuddled.  Moses eventually displayed obedience to God’s calling despite many doubts. ...

The Forgiving Christ Mark 2:1-12 Alex Thomas Jackson, TN 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven .”    "The greatest need of man is to escape the wrath of God,  poured out on sinners, eternally in hell". Only Christ's death and resurrection  offers the solution to that need.  Acts 13:38, "through Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you".  Jesus gave us the divine forgiveness of all our sins. Ephesians 1: 7, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace". Psalm 103:12, "As the father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him". Jesus was at Simon Peter's house and the house was full of people along with a few teachers of the law.  As the entrance to the house was blocked by the curious crowd, four men who carried a paralytic, made an opening in the roof ...

Redeeming Christ Galatians 5:1-12 Varughese Mathew  Bethel MTC, Philadelphia Freedom is what we have, Christ has set us free stand then as free people, and do not allow yourself to become slaves again.      This portion talks about preserving our freedom. Christ sought freedom for all people in this world. He has given His life on the cross for the freedom and salvation of people. As Christ has given the freedom, we should not allow anyone to take away our freedom and become slaves again. So the Lord is talking to us about keeping our freedom.       The author of this book, apostle Paul tells us that if you  allow yourself to be circumcised, it means that Christ is of no use to you at all. Those who are circumcised are obliged to obey the whole law vs2-4. For when we are in union with Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor the lack of it makes any difference at all, what matters is faith that works throu...

The Accepting Christ John 1:10-12       Sam Thomas Immanuel MTC, Houston, TX 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,   God has created man in His own image but sin separated man from the presence of God. In the Old Testament we can see that God sent many prophets to bridge the gap between man and God.  God loves us so much that He wants us to know Him and spend eternity with Him. So He reveals His love towards mankind by sending His own son to be a sacrifice to remove the gap.  That we see in John 3:16, God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have an everlasting life. Every human born in the universe will die and that is physical birth and death. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we will have the born-again experience and that is the spiritual birth. In John 3:3, Jesus said to Nicodemus , "Very tr...

The Cleansing Jesus Zechariah 13 David Panicker Baltimore MTC, MD 9 And I will put this third into the fire, refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “They are my people”; and they will say, “The Lord is our God.” Humankind was created in the image of God to serve as His people.  When Adam and Eve gave into their own desires, they turned away from God. Ever since then every person must make the decision of God verses sin being lord over their life.  Generation after generation, God refined His people through a cyclical pattern. God bestowed blessings and rewards to His people, who took it for granted and believed they don’t need Him therefore turning away from God and following their sinful desires. Then the trials and tribulations began and people turned to God praying for mercy and grace. The cycle would repeat where ‘good times’ people straye...

The Cleansing Jesus Ephesians 2:1-10  Gracious John St. Andrews MTC, NY For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Daily we are reminded that if we want anything in life, we have to go out and get it. We have to earn it, in order to get it. So we work hard, we study, we apply our skills, and work overtime just to accomplish our goals. Sometimes we succeed, and still sometimes we fail. Think about something you are trying to earn in your life at this time and how much of yourself you are giving. It is a pretty intense thought, but this is a small reminder of how great God’s love is for us. As we begin a new day, we are showered with new riches, new blessings, new mercies, and most importantly, grace. Every morning on my way to work, I am amazed at all the blessings of this world and life, but seldom remember to reflect on God’s greatest gift-His Grace and Lov...

The accepting Christ Hosea 2:14-23 Shibu Mathew Epiphany MTC, NY 23. and I will sow him for myself in the land. And I will have pity on Lo-ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-ammi, “You are my people”;     and he shall say, “You are my God.”   The story of Hosea and Gomer is a unique husband and wife story.  A story of a loving husband and a promiscuous wife was intended by God to compare God’s intense love for Israel, and Israel’s love for all the other gods from the surrounding regions.  Throughout the Old Testament Israel is described as an adulterous wife and God as the loving bridegroom bonded in a covenant relationship.  Hosea Chapter 2 begins with the punishment which results from adulterous behavior. Chapter 2:4 infers that Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi were children of adultery.  The two daughters Lo-Ruhamah which means  “not Loved” and Lo-Ammi means “not my people”, were names given by God. Th...

The Accepting Christ Ruth 4:1-10 Shibu Sam Baby Epiphany MTC, NY 9 . "Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon."   God’s presence in the book of Ruth is felt in the “chance” meeting of Boaz and Ruth. Did the events leading to this marriage all just work out by chance? 1. God notices people of good character. It seems clear when we studied the events of this book closely that God was taken by the character of this devoted, faithful young widow who was willing to put other's needs before her own. The unseen hand of God was at work to bring all these things to pass, especially when we consider that king David and Jesus Christ Himself descended from this special woman. We may at times think that God is only watching the really important people of this world, but the story of Ruth tells us otherwise. God is not impressed with our wealth,...

Lent: Time of Transformation Joel 2:12-14 Sally Abraham St. Thomas MTC, Yonkers-NY 3 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.   This verse is a call to repentance. A reminder that the time is at hand, as we do not know what the morrow holds for us. It’s not the outer appearance or the countenance which is important, but the attitude, we come with, is the focal point. A repentant heart is what the Lord our God is looking for. His love is unconditional- and as the song writer-Thomas O Chisholm, who wrote the famous hymn- Great is thy Faithfulness once said “God gives us the chance to prove His Faithfulness and throughout history, He’s never once been proven wrong, for His mercies are new every morning, no matter what.” This loving Gracious Father is waiting with arms outstretched for the return of His dear child. In...