Reflections

  Faithful Stewardship in Different Life Spaces Scripture Luke 12:41-48   Key Bible Verse Text  .From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded Luke 12: 48b Devotional Text In Luke 12:41-48, we find Peter seeking clarity from Jesus regarding the audience of His teachings. Jesus responds with a parable that invites us to reflect on our roles as faithful and wise stewards in the diverse life spaces we inhabit. This passage is part of a broader context where Jesus intertwines ethical teachings with eschatology (12:35-13:9). It reminds us that our ethical conduct today has a profound impact on our future salvation. The themes of eschatology, wealth, and family are intricately linked. Jesus begins by warning against hypocrisy and encourages open confession of faith. He teaches about the responsible use of wealth, cautioning us against greed and selfishness. The Parable of the Rich ...

  Created for a purpose: Christ in me Scripture Gal  1:11-17  Key Bible Verse Text  “…God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me…” Devotional Text Our Bible text today reveals Paul’s firm conviction in being called for a purpose. A purpose that he believed was decided by God, set in motion by God and being continued by God. Paul did not believe that he was chosen by man; he knew his calling was from a higher order and he tried to live responsively to that calling. This was his motivation.  Considering this understanding, we have to ask ourselves, what is our motivation for the lives we lead? Do we live in response to a calling from God? Or do we live with the deep desire to serve human standards?  By focusing on God as his true north (2Tim.1:12), Paul lived to God’s standards. He knew that the plans that was purposed for him was revealed to him by God. What he was given to do was not the wo...

  Christian’s presence in differing Life Spaces Scripture  Acts 16:19-34  Key Bible Verse Text 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”  Acts  16:31 Devotional Text Imagine receiving salvation in the most unexpected place, a prison. That’s what happened to the jailer who was guarding Paul and Silas. That fateful night was the turning point in the jailer’s life as well as his family’s. The jailer knew he was missing out on something in his life and needed answers. But who knew he would receive this gift in a prison and from the very men who were being held captive and mistreated. Verse 33 says, “At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.” Here we can see the jailer goes on to show kindness and hospitality to Paul and Silas; his whole demeanor changes.  Verse 34 says, “he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in...

  Christian Presence in Differing Life Spaces Scripture  Isaiah 49:1-6  Key Bible Verse Text  .. I will make You light to the Gentiles and You will bring my salvation to the end of the earth. Isaiah  49:6(b) Devotional Text Firstly a quick background, this Chapter in the book of Isaiah is summarized as ‘The Lord‘s Servant Commissioned ‘.  We learn from this chapter two primary points, Firstly Jesus Christ was commissioned to be God’s Chosen One, the Messiah that was to redeem God’s children and secondly Jesus Christ was commissioned to bring the message of Salvation to the World. Christ offered Salvation to all the Nations and further commissioned the Apostles as part of the Great Commission (St. Matthew 28:18-20) by means of the missionary work to take the Gospel to end of the Earth.  Today, the work of the Great Commission continues and each of us, have an important role to play in taking the light of the Gospel to all Nations. The chapter opens in V...

Christian’s presence in differing Life Spaces Scripture Ephesians 4:25-32  Key Bible Verse Text “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.” – Ephesians 4:30 Devotional Text Miriam Webster’s dictionary defines ‘life space’ as ‘the physical and psychological environment of an individual or group.’ Differing life spaces may be interpreted as two or more life spaces at variance with one another. On a theological level, when ousted from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve entered a new life space. When Israel left Egypt, they were stepping out to the threshold of a new life space. When our blessed Lord entered the life space of the Samaritan woman at the well, she was ushered to a brand-new realm of salvation. On a broader level, this variance may be projected as a Christian’s presence on the world stage. The very nature of a Christian’s existence in this world is at variance with the worldly norms. As Apostle Paul names a believer in Christ a...

  Christian Presence in Differing Life Spaces Scripture Nehemiah 1:1-11  Key Bible Verse Text  “let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.” Nehemiah‬ 1‬:6‬  Devotional Text Nehemiah was born in exile in Babylon. He was a faithful, loyal, and trustworthy Jew. He was the cup bearer to king Artaxerxes of Persia. He was in the citadel of Susa. The cupbearer tastes the drinks and food before the king consumes it. It was a responsible job.  Nehemiah’s brother Hananiah came to visit him from Jerusalem. So, he inquired about the state of the Jews that returned from exile. Though he lived in Persia, he was concerned about the Jews that returned to their homeland. Hananiah told him about the deprived state of affairs in Jerusalem, with the walls broken and burne...

  The Glorious Coming of our Lord Scripture  Psalm 15:1-5  Key Bible Verse Text .He who does these things will never be shaken.” Psalm 15:5   Devotional Text As we all know, Christ is expected to come soon. We have no idea when, where or what time, but we do know that he will come. Moreover, we must be prepared for his coming. In order to prepare for this coming of Christ, we are given the Bible as a guidebook to tell us how we should live. Psalm 15 does a perfect job in explaining to us who we should strive to be and how we could be the best version of ourselves. This psalm opens up with David asking God about who could dwell in his kingdom. Through the rest of this psalm the answer is revealed. In this psalm, the qualities that a person must have are righteous, honest, clean in speech, loving, caring and much more. Ultimately, you can live the way God wants you to live by genuinely wanting to serve him. Having a personal relationship and connection with God himself...

  The Glorious Coming of our Lord Scripture Matthew 24:42-51  Key Bible Verse Text “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 25:42 Devotional Text In the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we find both a promise and a warning in Matthew 24:42-51. Today’s reading reminds us of the glorious coming of our Lord, a day that is both eagerly anticipated and should fill us with a sense of urgency. 1. Keep Watch Jesus begins by telling us to “keep watch.” This is not a passive waiting but an active anticipation of His return. Just as a homeowner would stay vigilant to protect their house from a thief, we are called to remain spiritually vigilant, not knowing the exact hour when our Lord will come again. Our faithfulness is proven in how well we keep watch, living our lives in a way that honors and reflects the teachings of Christ. 2 . Faithful and Wise Servants Jesus continues by illustrating the qualities of a faithful and wise s...

  The Glorious Coming of our Lord Scripture Acts 1:6-11  Key Bible Verse Text Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts  1:11 Devotional Text  As we continue to meditate upon Jesus’ second coming, we come to a very familiar passage from the first chapter of Acts. The disciples, in a spirit of eager anticipation, asked Jesus when he would “‘restore the kingdom to Israel’” (Acts 1:6). In response, Jesus provides clarification with regard to this messianic expectation and tasks the disciples with carrying the good news to the entire world. Jesus’ ascension into heaven, in some ways, appears to be a cliffhanger. The commonly held belief at the time was that the Messiah would restore Israel and establish its reign. Jesus explained clearly throughout his ministry that his kingdom was not of this world. That is not t...

  The Glorious Coming of our Lord Scripture Matthew 13:44-52 St. Matthew’s Day  Key Bible Verse Text “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13: 49-50)   Devotional Text Matthew 13 consists of several parables that talk about the kingdom of heaven. In the first parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a buried treasure that was found and reburied by a man. He portrays the treasure to be such a joy that to possess the field it is in, the man sells everything he has to purchase the field. Like this, Jesus hopes that we are able to understand that the kingdom of heaven is worth much more than we have. Even though we may have to lose everything to attain the kingdom of heaven, the joy we experience will be unlike anything we have experienced before. The second parable also illustrates this, comparing the ...

The Glorious Coming of our Lord Scripture 1ST Thessalonians  4:13-18    Key Bible Verse Text For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” – (1ST Thessalonians  4: 16-17 )   Devotional Text  In he book of 1st Thessalonians, the apostle Paul writes a letter to a community of believers in Thessalonica, offering them encouragement and guidance in their faith journey. In chapter 4, verses 13-18, Paul addresses a specific concern of the Thessalonian Christians, the fate of their fellow believers who had died before the return of Christ. Through these verses, Paul provides comfort and hope to the grieving and reminds them of the glorious promise of Christ's return. Pau...

  The Glorious Coming of our Lord Scripture  Malachi  3:13-18 , 4:1-2  Key Bible Verse Text Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. Malachi 3:16 Devotional Text The glorious coming of our Lord refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ. We eagerly wait in anticipation of our savior. The first coming of Jesus was in the humility of a baby in a manger. He lived, suffered, and shed the last drop of his blood in the cross of Calvary to redeem all of humanity. His second coming will be in glory and majesty as King of kings and Lord of lords, to judge the world in righteousness and truth. We live in a world where very few fear God’s judgment. In Malachi  3:13-15 , we see Israelites raising the question of prosperity of the wicked and suffering of the righteous. They complain that the wicked get away with their evil deeds; they get blessed and come to a conclusion that there is no benefit in serving the Lord. There does ...

  The Glorious Coming of our Lord Scripture  2nd Samuel 18: 24-33  Key Bible Verse Text The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!” 2nd Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭33 .   Devotional Text Absalom had developed bitterness towards his father King David, as he did not take action against his step brother Amnon, when he violated his sister Tamar. Absalom murdered him, and as a result, his father sent him away from his homeland. When he returned, David had not forgiven and restored him. So he schemed against his father. He gained the support of the people through his smooth talk. Then, Absalom rebelled against his father King David and tried to dethrone him. Even Ahithophel, the counselor of King David, supported Absalom in his rebellion. King David had to flee from Jerusalem on bare foot to escape his son. This brought great embarrassm...

  OLD AGE THAT COMBINES FAITH AND EXPERIENCE Scripture  1John 4:7-21   Verses 20 and 21: Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.  For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God,  whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also  love their brother and sister.   Growing Gracefully: Embracing old age with Love and faith.   Old age is a phase of life that many of us will experience if we are fortunate enough to live a  long life. It is a time when the journey of faith often intertwines with the wealth of experience  gained over the years.   In the book of Psalms, we find a verse that beautifully encapsulates the essence of old age:  "Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you,  and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you" (Isaiah 46:4, NIV). Thi...

  Senior Citizen’s Sunday - Old Age that Combines Faith and Experience Scripture  St. Luke 2:25-38 Simeon and Anna, both witnesses present at the temple, acknowledged Jesus as the promised Messiah. Simeon, a man gifted with spiritual insight, recognized Jesus as the Messiah, bringing redemption to the Gentiles and honor to Israel. He gave thanks to God for sending Jesus and prophesied that Jesus would be a divisive figure among the Jewish people, with some rejecting Him and others finding salvation. This opposition would reveal the moral condition of the people and bring suffering to Jesus' mother. An older Jewish woman named Anna also saw Jesus and His parents at the temple. She was a devout Jew who never became resentful. Anna had willingly given up leisure and luxury to devote herself to worship and prayer, firmly believing that the Messiah would bring redemption. Based on this passage, let us focus on two key themes:  The Elder Generation: Conveyors of Divine Blessing...

  Old age that combines faith and experience. 1stTimothy. 5: 1-10.  Verses 1 and 2.) Never speak harshly to an older man,[a] but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. 2 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. On September 17th Sunday , our church celebrates as the  senior citizens’  Sunday to honor the faith, contribution and wisdom of our seniors. In Bible, several portions mentioned and valued the faith, wisdom and experience of the elderly people. Verse.17.  Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well,[e] especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. Leviticus 19:32. You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD. Affection and respect:   In this passage, Paul explained the importance of relationship with others am...