Your Father wants to brag about you

It is natural for parents to take great pride in their children. On occasion they can embarrass you and you take immediate, and sometimes not so great, steps to correct the situation. We take it upon ourselves to make sure our children look good. We obviously want to look good as a family. Paul was likewise proud of his family in the Lord and brags about them.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure.

But notice what Paul boasts about. Their patience and faith in the midst of persecution and tribulation. Yes, the steps to follow Jesus is simple but you could suffer greatly for it. But it is worth it.

We experience the love and the presence of Almighty God in our lives. We have certainty about our eternity. We no longer have an earthly mindset, but a heavenly one. All these are reasons enough to stay the course and follow Jesus.

Paul also commits to praying for them.

2 Thessalonians 1:11
Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,.

I also commit myself to praying and fasting for the nations of the world, and the individuals in the ministry I am involved in. That they will run the race well and complete it.

Father, lead me and guide me in the daily affairs of my life, that I may bring honor to my heavenly Father.

Comments

My Journey of Faith

Sreedhar standing to the left of his grandfather in the center Almost 55 years ago a son was born to a Hindu family. The parents were 2nd generation Malaysians raised in a rubber estate near a small town called Sungei Petani in Northern Malaya at that time. This first child was given much love and care by their parents and had the privilege of growing up in 3 different states of Malaysia, most of which was in Petaling Jaya. He was blessed with his first domestic airplane ride when he was 10 years old, and made his first trip by airplane to Bangkok at the age of 11. In the mid 1970's the family moved to a large house in a relatively exclusive neighborhood in Petaling Jaya. This was a result of the favor his father, aged about 35 at that time, had in the workplace,. As a result, this son grew up in a mostly multicultural environment with Indian, Chinese and Malay children. In the process, his perspectives became cosmopolitan and racially neutral. On...

Stand and raise your hands

I apologize if I offend anyone, but I feel free to lift up my hands when I worship the Lord. I would do it while standing up. It is only natural when you are worshiping the Almighty God, creator of heaven of earth. He is after all the God loves me and redeemed me by dying on the dying on the cross. The Psalmist agrees with me on this one. Psalm 134:1-2 Behold, bless the Lord, All you servants of the Lord, Who by night stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord. There are key elements to be observed here in this chapter being shared by the Psalmist. The familiar ones are us blessing God, doing it with hands raised, we doing this as servants of God. But a new element that I did not see before is doing all this at night, though it may have been said in other parts of the Word. The Psalmist ends with acknowledging God as the one who made heaven and earth. Reflection from 2016: Speaks to me about ...

All must engage

There are so many conflicts in the world today that it is very difficult to keep up. The other day I shared about the problems in Venezuela. And then there are more bombings aimed at Israel. And yet again, notwithstanding that some of you reading this may feel it unfair, Israel is preserved. Psalm 69:35-36, For God will save Zion And build the cities of Judah, That they may dwell there and possess it. Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it, And those who love His name shall dwell in it. There is a promise, and only God knows how it will be fulfilled. The impossible becomes possible because God is in charge. The trajectory for His Word to go forth to all peoples is set. Much evil is trying to prevent this. But, no weapons formed against us shall succeed. The technologies in place today allows instant reach of billions. The people of God have been prepared for this day, and now must be mobilized to engage in this ministry of reconciliation. There is no time to waste wh...

I have decided to do right today

Have you been told off for something that you may or may not have done wrong? How did you feel? I usually feel rotten. I get a mix of guilt and anger, but these situations have tremendously reduced with my growing relationship with God. You want to say many things to justify your actions (or inaction), but it is usually of little value. Accept everything said (or written) as good feedback, and do better the next time. Amos 1:2 And he said: “The LORD roars from Zion, And utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of Carmel withers.” Amos the prophet must have been in great fear as he spoke. So many negative things against so many people. The pronouncement of judgement can make you angry or repent. I am reminded of King David's reaction to Nathan the prophet when he confronted him about his relationship with Bathsheba. He cried out to God and repented. Many of Israel's kings never repented and the Lord c...

Stay close with someone precious

Yesterday, I sat in church and saw a very obedient young boy. We were sitting in the balcony and as the boy approached the railings, the mother gave an instruction with a whisper and the boy retreated back. Later the mother whispered for him to sit on the chair, and he immediately obeyed. The mother must hold him very precious and taught him from young about the importance of obedience. When we hold someone very dear and precious, we will invest in that person. The Song of Solomon 5:10-11 My beloved is white and ruddy, Chief among ten thousand. His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven. The writer describes how the bride missed her groom and went desperately looking for him. After that she elaborately describes his goodness using parallels of nature, precious stones and spices. Yes, we must not let go of something precious. Once I misplaced my passport when traveling overseas and a panic came over me. And so...

276 Safe - An appropriate headline for a miracle

Are we there yet? I can just hear my children asking, when they were young. When you are on a long journey, or even a short one, children get restless about being confined to a car during a journey. I do not blame them because they have limited or no historical experience to rely on. Thankfully the mode of transport available to us today is diverse and efficient to get us to a place faster than years ago in the days of animal drawn carriages and wind driven vessels. In Paul's days the best way for him to travel to Rome was on a sailing ship. Acts 27:2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. This was no cruise ship. And after boarding this regional vessel, they transferred to a ship going to Italy. But the weather conditions were against them unexpectedly. Seasoned sailors made the wrong call. A teacher of the law and now tentmaker was "giving advise" not to sail...

Sreedhar's Journey

Search This Blog