Sreedhar's Journey

I am thankful that many of my days fall into place perfectly. Even if challenges come they seem to be resolved in a manner that I cannot explain. Very little causes anxiety. Do not get me wrong. I get challenges all the time. Family, work, friends and others. Reading this verse, I can identify with it. Psalms 16:6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. Almost feels like I am in the zone. I believe the prerequisites of this is that you are in the center of God's will for your life. You may come up against serious challenges but because you are in God's zone you know it is all going to work out. Why would that not be the case from the one who knew you from your mother's womb, and wants to prosper you and not harm you. This chapter ends beautifully. The Psalmist was truly inspired by God. Psalms 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Father, ke

We will all face death one day. Are you ready for it? What do you know about death? Have you some reasonable certainty about what happens after death. The Bible is clear. This book documents correctly a lot of prophesy that has come to pass. It also talks about heaven. Psalms 15:1 Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? The question posed in this verse is a good one. Who will be with God at the end of their lives on earth? The Psalmist goes on to present God's response. All of it has to do with the character of the person and their fear of God. This stood for me in verse 5. Psalms 15:5 He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. It is a person who does not charge interest and does not take a bribe. If you are engaged in this, kiss heaven goodbye. However, God in His infinite mercy has sent His Son Jesus to die for all our sins and redeem us for Him

Psalms 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. Sound familiar? Many around us ignore the reality of God and our need for a Savior. The people of Israel in ancient times were probably mocked for their lack of a physical god when in reality they are worshiping the God. They were looking for a god like theirs that can be tempted with human sacrifice and other offerings to overlook their issues in life. They in fact use these gods to do evil things. In these "modern" times it is no different. Their gods have become money, leisure and human celebrities. They continue to mock those who pursue God. Others continue to pursue their images of god for self gratification or just fill their God given conscience. There are so many. But God's Word is good and clear. Psalms 14:6 You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lord is his refuge. The Lord is our refuge. Those who trust an

What is a five letter word with "you" in the middle. We have come into this world through the womb because someone you know has been given the "trust". As you developed in your mother's womb, she has been entrusted by God to carry you full term and give you the life that all human beings deserve. But there are governments around the world who choose to cave in to cruel human beings that want to make women untrustworthy. We cannot blame the women in the first instance. We are so caught up with the affairs of this world that we forget a new heart has started beating in a mother's womb for whatever reason. If the baby (a human being) is conceived under bad circumstances, does it mean we have the right the correct the wrong with another wrong? Psalms 13:5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. God is the direct opposite. Thank God! He can be trusted. He does not correct our wrong with a wrong. He corrects it by providing

I recently turned on to watch a movie and was shocked by the vulgarity used in the movie. It was decadent and the characters portrayed in the movie were looking depressed and so out of it. I thought it crazy enough that people would pay money to be scared, but to watch vulgar and depressed people? This behavior, on screen, would obviously influence people in real life. I remember days when we would say that something was not nice to be said. It was a small joke or a bit of sacarsm. Today, we are numbed to the point that our emails are not nice. The power of the unholy tongue has gone to emails, to Twitter, to Facebook, and more. Psalm 12:6, The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. God desires that we be like Him. His words are pure and full of love. When you are in Christ, you are a new creature. Christ lives in you. It is no longer you that lives, but Christ that lives in you. If you engage in conflicting thoughts and spee

Chinese New Year is coming soon. That means lots of celebration and cultural events and food. Did somebody say food? One of the foods made is a sticky cake that is served to the kitchen god. Why? Tradition has it that the god will come to the house and find this cake and eat it. It is so sticky that it's mouth will be stuck when it reports on the household in heaven. But of course God is not like that. Psalms 11:7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. There is nothing that escapes God. He sees everything we do every moment of our lives. He does not need to make a visit once a year. He does not get hungry and does not get tempted. He is a loving and just God. Nothing escapes Him and He will not accept things not right and evil. He sees those doing right. Thank you Lord for making me whole. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blame

Are you feeling guilty about something you did recently? That sense of guilt is normal. We have a God given conscience that says what is right and wrong. However, we tend to overcome those guilt feelings with temporal feelings of happiness and gratification from doing the wrong things. Psalm 10 is a psalm of prayer about the wicked. Psalms 10:13 Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account.” There is a false sense of security that no one is watching your wrong actions. No one to give account to. However, most every religion in the world seeks to provide a way out for wrongs or sins committed. They may pray for the departing soul. Or, could make sacrifices. And no one is really sure what happens after death. Only God can reconcile man to Himself. His intervention is needed. Our human efforts are useless. Jesus says, "I am the way , the truth and the life. No man comes to the father except through me" and He died on the cross a

My confidence in meetings, in travels, in fresh encounters and times of emergency comes from one source. Yes, my anxiety level may go up for a moment when I am surprised by something, but God brings calm, peace, wisdom and authority to deal with it. For this reason I can identify with the first verse of Psalm 9. Psalms 9:1 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I am thankful that I have God to turn to always. He is my autopilot, strong rudder, GPS, motor, shield, protector, fortress, and I can go on. So many times I have faced big challenges. God is always there to lead me through. I am not perfect. My journey has not been perfect. Ask my family. They know my many failings. But God picks me up each time and says, son come hold my hands. Let me lead you through this. The second part of verse 1 says, I will tell of all Your marvelous works. The purpose of this blog or journey is for this reason. How can I not share the reason for how

Recycling has become a habit for us. Even when we are in Malaysia we made it a habit to separate our garbage to see what can be recycled. Of course we are very challenged in trying to find the right place to dump our recycled items. We usually end up just giving it to the garbage collector, all sorted, for him to figure out what to do. We are not environmentalists, but as men and women given dominion, we have a responsibility. Psalms 8:6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, God is wanting us to dominate correctly. But we have failed greatly. Our interest is only self. It goes beyond animal rescue, forest conservation and climate control. It is what we are doing to see human beings live their fullest in a God ordained relationship with God and with each other. We need to reconcile all men. We need to be responsible in exercising our dominion. Father, help me not focus on just the here and now. Eternity is the persp

Facing the struggles of life is a given. Are you feeling very good about life? Beware! As they say in my language, "Awas!". Trouble could come at any time. In my years on earth (coming to 57 of it), good and bad times have come in cycles. But, I am so grateful that I knew Jesus from the age of 14. You knew you were not going through your troubled times alone. King David was the same. Psalms 7:1-2 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, Lest they tear me like a lion, Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver. This statement or psalm is filled with the genuine heart's cry of a man that only has God as his helper. He put everything in God's hands. He put his trust in God and he was delivered. It is difficult to understand the reasons, but God is always there. I also put my trust in Him. Father, I look to You as my great deliverer and shield. You have never failed me. I trust in You.

Men do not cry! Agree or disagree? Contrary to public opinion, crying is healthy. Perhaps this is why women live longer than men. Of course you can argue that there are many other factors to consider. However, I believe an outward expression of your emotions is always good. King David cried a lot. Psalms 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. You may read this and say it is all figure of speech. David was pursued relentlessly by Saul. It was over a number of years. Possibly over 10 years. It may have seemed that he would be a fugitive all his life. But David knew who he could go to. He cried before God and found comfort in Him. What do you do when you are are in trouble? Who do you run to? I run to God. I want to be in the palm of His hands. He is my Great Shepherd and Deliverer. Do you know the God that I serve? Father, eternity is where I am headed, but while I dwell on this earth, I am at peace because I know who holds

Have you made some decisions lately? Every moment we are making a decision. Even now as you read my reflections on Psalm 5 you need to decide whether to keep reading or move on. Whether to read or be distracted in your thoughts about something else. Maybe there is another decision that you need to make today. King David had a lot on his mind, but he made a clear decision. Psalms 5:7, But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. He decided to go into God's presence. He decided to worship God. You may be reading this and saying this is too "religious" for me. You prefer to read Facebook postings or get on with life. But, what is life? Make more money so you can be happy, or so your family can be happy? You can be happy now by giving more time for yourself and your family. I have decided that having a personal relationship with God is the best thing I can do. I therefore give more time f

Many people choose being anger as a right. The anger develops because they felt someone has done something wrong or there was injustice. I have gotten angry many times but I don't feel good about it. It creates tension in a relationship and generally I feel bad. Psalms 4:4, Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah The Psalmist is advising that if you are angry don't cause yourself to enter into sin. Instead, spend time processing it while at rest and be still. This is very good advise. We certainly don't want to say or do the wrong things while we are angry. Instead, let God dictate His works through us. This will bring forth His rich intervention in the situation. Psalms 4:7, You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. We will have joy from the release of the state of anger. It will be better than the joy you get from profitable gain from the work of your hands. It is God g

The buck stops here! You are probably familiar with this statement uttered whenever something goes wrong within an organization. A leader in the organization needs to take responsibility for a mistake or error and the consequences. King David probably found himself in that position many times as king of Israel. Psalms 3:4, I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah His practice was to cry out to God. Those of us in leadership know what it means to deal with something gone wrong. It creates stress, tension in relationships, bad meetings, and others. I have had those many times in the course of my years in professional and ministry leadership. I was in some form of leadership from the age of 12. It has been a journey filled with great success and personal failures. But, I am glad I could do like David. Cry out to Him when trouble strikes from the time I was 14. Psalms 3:8, Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah God

The United States was founded by leaders that were descendents of forefathers that had a strong Christian heritage. But today in the name of diversity and inclusiveness there are large numbers wanting to not just remove all references to that part of the history, but to go after Christian attitudes and principles that don't agree with them and make it illegal. The Bible also talks about this happening. Psalms 2:2, The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” The name Jesus is so blatantly and commonly used as a curse or derogatory word in Hollywood movies that even people who have never heard the gospel are saying the name "Jesus" without understanding who He really is. What do they gain from it? A way to be in with the crowd? They need to hear the truth. My prayer is that which is promised. Psalms 2:8, Ask of Me, an

Everyday we are challenged with situations that causes some stress and may rob us of our joy. We will never be able to remove negative experiences as long as we live in this imperfect sin infested world. But, we can certainly choose to have the right response. But choosing the right response is not easy because we are human. But God promises something special. Psalms 1:3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. The tree is subject to the elements. Rain, cold, sun, wind and humans. Like us in everyday life, the tree is challenged by these elements. In itself it cannot fully deal with these things. If a severe drought comes its leaves will wither and it may die. But God is ready to make us prosper under our challenges when we walk in His way. Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners

In the old days when a story book or movie is ending, the writer will create and present a happy ending. When you read children's books it would say, "and they lived happily ever after". The book of Job finishes that way. Job 42:16-17, After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days. He lost everything, but God restored everything double. He even needed to pray for his friends that falsely accused him so that the wrath of God would not be upon them. His relatives came with gifts of gold and silver. I especially like this verse. Job 42:2, I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. Job had complete confidence in God. He understood God's nature and ability. Are you struggling with something today? Lift up your hands to Jesus and cry out to Him. He knows best what needs to happen next in your life. Father, I know "You w

Many countries in the world today have conveniently taken the evolution theory and used it as a foundational part of any geography and science subject in elementary through high school. It is presented as the only worldview without regard for the many discrepancies and questions that the evolution theory brings with it. Then how can this chapter in Job refer to a sea monster that breathes fire and smoke? The whole chapter refers to this creature. Job 41:1 ​Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? It is clear that Job understood what was being described. Leviathan (I believe the English spelling of the same word in Hebrew) was a term used in ancient times. Again, like the behemoth, the leviathan coexisted with man. This challenges the evolutionists. Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. Oh my word! These creatures existed and roamed the

Do you believe in dinosaurs? Many Christians are challenged by this. You might say that if dinosaurs existed then evolution is true. Because they were in the prehistoric period before man existed. If evolution is true then God did not create the world. How then can you reconcile the evidence of these creatures during the days of Job? Job 40:15 “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox. I was checking out this verse in the web and I came across this cute video that you must watch. Check it out here . The Bible predates Charles Darwin obviously. You wonder why he never tried to make sense of the existence of man with the Word of God. If you miss connecting the information in the Bible, you will go crazy trying to explain away other modern day evidences that contradict evolution. Father, remove the blindness in people's heart and let them experience your great love.

Remember how in science you had to understand the Animal Kingdom. We had to learn how to classify them vertebrae and non vertebrae, and so on. All created with unique characteristics by the living God. No detail has escaped God. Including how they seek nourishment and reproduce. Man has been able to tame them to a certain extent. But they clearly follow their own "order". Job 39:27, Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high? In this chapter God uses the illustration of many different animals to demonstrate their unique behavior traits that cannot be dictated by man. It is all designed by God. Do we understand why they behave that way? There are fields of study that continuously research this. But most start their research with the premise of evolution. Sadly, they will never figure out the why. You need to bring God back into the picture. Is God out of the picture for you? Nothing will make sense. You need Him back. He helps make sense of everythin

MH 370 will go down in history as the greatest mystery ever. Not just because no one seems to know why the airplane changed course. Also, where did it end up. It went down in that part of the ocean that is away from all commercial sea routes, and it can be pretty deep in those areas. God explains to Job how immense the ocean is. Job 38:16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? There is no equal. The ocean is huge. It operates in a way that man cannot control it. The day the big tsunami hit on the morning of boxing day of 2004, I was at a friend's house in the evening in Malaysia watching the news reports come in on CNN. No one seemed to really know what happened after almost 12 hours. You quickly realized the power of the ocean. God is right. Someone either seriously or jokingly just thanked Satan for his entertainment award on television. He has no idea who God is. Satan is the father of lies and wants to steal, kill and destroy.

Yesterday I wrote having a smart Father. Please do not get jealous. He can be your Father as well. And so you think I am being absurd. God, my Father? Yes, in your current belief system or paradigm you may not be able to fathom a God who would have a personal relationship with you to the extent that you call Him Father. Elihu in his final discourse in the book of Job says it well. Job 37:5 God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. God is capable of anything. I became a follower of Jesus Christ at the age of 14 from a life of a Hindu because I wanted to experience a God that loved me. I did not fully understand His death on the cross or His resurrection. I just needed to know He loved me. As Elihu put it, He does great things which we cannot comprehend. Are you still jealous? Come experience God's love for yourself. He wants you to be your Father. Perhaps you have no father due to separation or death. God can become the father yo

When someone is not doing well or is unwell, and perhaps close to dying, we tend to judge them and say you must have done something wrong. Is it right to conclude this? I can only conclude that we do not completely understand why some are taken when yet to be born, while others live to be more than a hundred. Elihu makes a great statement here. Job 36:26 “Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered. As I mentioned yesterday, our Creator is all knowing, all present and all powerful. He sees the beginning and the end at the same time. That is why he is referred to as the Alpha and Omega. Elihu says we do not know Him. Very true. In another verse it says this. 1 Corinthians 2:16, For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. With the power of the Holy Spirit we can have the mind of Christ. Our daily thinking can be shaped according to His ways. No longer conformed to the patterns of

I have walked the streets of Kuala Lumpur, New York, London, Paris, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles and many other busy streets. The common thing about them is that you see people with deep and complex lives beneath all that you see outside. They are preoccupied with human relationships, challenges and successes at home, in the community and at work, and experiencing varying degrees of stress. And most do not recognize the presence of God at that moment. Elihu is quite right when he makes this statement. Job 35:10 But no one says, Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven? We may go to church, have an altar in our home, or even in our office. But, we go about our busy days with our own wisdom and strength. Are we shortchanging ourselves? Our God is all knowing, all present and all powerful, and yet we miss connecting with Him in the midst of our daily activities. Father, thank

We just installed quite a number of new security cameras at a facility I am involved in. It is very hard for anyone to move around our space without being noticed. But, there are still corners that someone could sneak to and hide, waiting for the right moment to rush somebody (even so everything is captured and so we can still review recordings to see what had happened). However, with God nothing escapes Him. Job 34:21 “For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. As mentioned by Elihu, God is a just God. That justice comes from His ability to see everything about us. He knows our thoughts, actions and heart. Nothing escapes Him. Given this situation why do we think no one is looking? It is because we do not have a personal relationship with Him. Contrary to popular opinion, God does want to have a personal relationship with us. Otherwise, He would not have sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us, and demonstrate His redemptive power by raising Him

In this new year, like the last, we may be disinterested in the lives of those around us. Or perhaps worse. You desire bad things on them. Why are we so selfish? Fault human nature? Maybe even God? Man can be rather vicious. We could walk around with an attitude that befits the worst movie character that you have ever watched. But God is quite different. Job 33:29-30, Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact, three times with a man, To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life. God is totally interested in us. He never has and never will desire bad things to happen to us. That is not His nature. This is God supernatural. His great interest is in our wellbeing. He wants us to succeed. The verse says that He wants to bring us back from the Pit (aka Hell). May this new year be the year that you discover God and have a personal relationship with Jesus. Father, let me not pass anyone without at least praying for them.