Sreedhar's Journey

When I was growing up I did not really like vegetables. It was very easy to just eat sweets and meats. But no vegetables please. However, as I grew up, I acquired the taste and began to enjoy vegetables. It is not easy, because it can be bitter or tasteless. And therefore having a good staple to eat it with was important. Rice! And in another culture, wheat or barley. Psalms 72:16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains; Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. I love bread, especially freshly made bread. The Filipinos make a bread called pandesal. I could live on that all day with hot coffee. I believe that when the Psalmist used this description he was speaking of the abundance of the main source of food. We will not go hungry! There will be more than enough. God will supply. Psalms 72:13 He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy. Father, let all povert...

I always say, I was young once. But we all know it is relative. When you are 12 in primary school you feel like you know everything, because you are the oldest in the school. This repeats in secondary school. But whatever my youth experiences were, the biggest discovery I made was that God loves me at the age of 14. Psalms 71:5 For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. This discovery continued into the rest of my days as a youth. At the age of 17 I had an opportunity of a lifetime to richly grow in the Lord. Verse 17 aptly describes this. Psalms 71:17 O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. As a result of this I moved into a God zone space that accelerated the deepening of my relationship with God. Today, I am not old, but I have a great desire to see others have the same relationship that I have had all these years. Psalms 71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I d...

A little smarts or a little wealth can make someone arrogant. You go about your day thinking you are above everybody else. Not knowing that the other person may in fact be better off than you. Rather than being caught out, it is better to be safe. Do not be presumptuous, and instead, be humble in how you carry yourself. You will add to the well being of others and yourself. Psalms 70:5 But I am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay. Admit that you are in need. Arrogance makes you move away from the need for God. When that happens you lose big time. You can never reach your fullest God ordained potential until you choose to maintain that state of humble need for God. Only the stupid (apologies for the bluntness) will ignore the need for God. Father, help me show someone's true potential by bringing them to You.

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...

As the Russians start to "occupy" Venezuela and take advantage of the turmoil to establish a "beachhead" for themselves in South America, you can sense that the old ideas from the Cold War are resurfacing. This adds to the conflict in the middle east and the terrorist activities around the world. It seems hopeless, but God is still in charge. Psalms 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place. Nations will continue to use power play to coerce others for their benefit. Much of it has to do with political and economic power. Nothing to do with anything else, especially religious motivations. Though many twist religious ideas to support their actions for aggression. But, God will have the final say. The nations will finally be wanting to keep peace. Psalms 68:31 Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God. Father, I will always remember t...

As I write this reflection, two dear friends are affected by the crisis that is at its all time high in Venezuela. When leaders can be bought, the nation suffers. You see this all over the world. In many countries you see new leaders being elected to help remove the problems of the old administration. Many due to corruption. But power corrupts, and eventually the new regime brings the country back to square one. Psalms 67:4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah The only solution is to return to God. True joy will result. God is a righteous judge and people and leaders who walk in the fear of God will result in a joyful nation. If God is taken away you will not see success. I am praying for success for many nations, including Venezuela. They cannot turn their backs on God. They need to turn back to God. He provides perfect blessing of peace and increase for a nation. Father, intervene in t...

I am sure you have heard of corporate power play. It has to do with the size of your office. The number of chairs. The distance of your desk from the door. The number of phone lines. Window space. Number of assistants outside your office. A driver and number accompanying assistants and/or bodyguards. I could keep going, but you know what I mean. What is man with all this when God reigns. Psalms 66:7 He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah Over the years I have built great confidence in dealing with senior people in many different spheres. This confidence comes from knowing I am a child of God. Please do not get me wrong. I honor and respect people in authority. But, I do not fear them. How can I when I serve a powerful God who sees all people. Nothing escapes God, including my humble cry to Him. Psalms 66:19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Father, I walk in good f...

Do bad things happen to good people? This is a perennial question. The mood reflected by this question seems to imply that it is unfair. I would greatly disagree. You can do everything possible to put into your body the right foods, and walk right, but you cannot prevent the germs and bacteria from harming you. Going beyond this, the carelessness and intentional wrongs of others. Psalms 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them. The entire chapter of this book is so beautiful. This verse jumped out at me. Bad things may continuously happen around us. It can and may harm us. You can get robbed. Suffer from a disease. And even be influenced to do wrong. But God will provide the perfect sacrifice and forgiveness. He provides it for ALL. This is atonement. Psalms 65:5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas...

Over the years I have learnt through success and failure what I should and should not say. My problem is that I am a loud thinker. This means nothing is hidden. Everything that I am thinking, I say it. It can get you into trouble. And it has for me. But at least people do not need to second guess me. They always know what I am thinking. But there is another type of talk that is destructive. Psalms 64:8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away. Talking behind people's back with great ill intention. Many schemes get developed (intentionally or unintentionally) and may bring down a person or an entire organization. It can bring great disrepute to someone when there is nothing. It could spilt an organization and build irreparable damage. But God has a promise for us. He will make them stumble over their own tongue. Father, keep me from speaking ill of anybody behind their backs. I want to build not destroy.

In many conversations we speak about hell with humor. The word hell is used a lot to describe something very bad. Culturally we know it is not a good place. In today's pluralistic world hell is generally accepted as a reality that will not impact anybody that does good. The Psalmist says the following. Psalms 63:9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. But is it true that if you do good you will avoid hell? Many faiths rely on your good deeds being more than bad. Even Christians who identify with Christianity culturally have the same idea. This means you get to avoid hell and therefore go to heaven with human effort. It is time to stop kidding ourselves. We know pretty well that soon after we do something right, we encounter something where we may have a bad thought or action. There is no end. You cannot see your heaven bank account. Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. The perfect sacri...

Growing up in Asia you have a sense of impatience. Impatience in getting successful. You did many things to get ahead. You were taught to do everything possible to get rich and settle into a comfortable life. Many times this entailed engaging in unethical behavior. This verse is a warning against this. Psalms 62:10 Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them. The biggest problem caused by greed is corruption. In my language they call it "kopi money". It used to be small and allow the recipient to afford a coffee with each transaction. Now the amounts are huge and sophisticated. This is simply unfortunate and evil. It impacts large numbers of the population of a country. The only real solution to this problem is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Father, I pray many nations around the world will see that they need Jesus.

When I was growing up I loved to play war stories with miniature soldiers and armament. Sometimes these stories will take multi-day stretches. And so, I also enjoyed watching action movies especially those around war themes. I am grateful I never had to deal with a real war. It must be terrible and devastating to experience this personally. The Psalmist could however remember how God intervened. Psalms 61:3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. The entire chapter resonates of God's faithfulness in the midst of great trouble and conflict. It was obviously a life and death situation, but the Psalmist survived to compose and sing this song. It is a song born out of a real experience. An experience that saw God's miraculous intervention. I have seen the same in my life through different circumstances. Father, you are my constant hope in time of trouble. My strong anchor.

When you need help the most, it seems not to come. And even if it comes, it is not the kind you needed. Am I stating the obvious? Many things get impacted by this, and some are irreversible. The Psalmist has this to say for human help. Psalms 60:11 Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. You realize that the best help comes from God, the ruler of the universe. We only know so much. We are discovering more of the universe, but there is still so much to know. And so we sometimes say in exasperation, "Only God knows". And, truly He does. He is the beginning to the end, the alpha and omega. And so we with the Psalmist have this to say about God. Psalms 60:12 Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. Father, nothing beats or surprises You. Thank you for being my Father.

I loved singing from the time I was a Hindu boy singing the song " Will Your Anchor Hold ". Just thinking about it brings back fond memories. Then I sang all those Boy Scout campfire songs. Then finally I discovered songs of love and praise to God when I joined Christian meetings. The Psalmist knew what it meant to sing. Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. We sing because God has intervened in our lives. He has broken sin's strangle hold on our lives. He has delivered us. We sing with great joy. The early Christians sang in spite of their persecution because they knew God. The Psalmist here sings aloud in the morning. He must have woken up his neighbors. We do it because we love God. Not because it will add to our justification for heaven. Father, I love you very much. Thank you for being my Abba Father.

Anger and patience do not go together. I am not sure if they are direct opposites, but they are certainly like water and oil. They do not mix. When people do wrong against us, you could either retaliate against them or cry out to God. The Psalmist cries out to God. Psalms 58:11 So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.” David could have easily killed Saul in the cave. He was in fact repentant that he had cut the corner of his robe. He continued to demonstrate patience and cried out to God about the actions of his enemies. Father, it is You we look to, to deliver us from evil.

I will never forget the one time a very close friend of mine was suspected of taking a bribe to cease investigating a financial crime. He was humiliated. He was kept in suspense for more than 3 months until finally the charges were dropped. He was falsely accused by people who wanted to bring him down. I was reminded of his experience when I read this verse. Psalms 57:4 My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men Who are set on fire, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword. As I mentioned in a previous post, when Peter tried to stop Jesus, Jesus rebuked Satan. The enemy tries to steal, kill and destroy. We need to stay vigilant with prayer and do what the Psalmist did. Psalms 57:9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. Father, I submit my day to you. I will praise you among the peoples and nations today.

Trouble can sometimes come from within. We need to recognize that much of this stems from our fallen human nature. We are drawn to the influences of Satan. Even Peter who proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, was implied to have had Satan influence his thinking as Jesus was facing his death in the cross. Jesus said, Get thee behind me Satan. Psalms 56:4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? The Psalmist is clear. In this chapter much is said about the attacks of the people around us. But we need to sing this Psalm. It is said again slightly differently in verse 11. We cannot fear the statements of man. He is right. What can man do to you? We need to put our trust in God. Father, I will not fear what man may do to me. Instead, I will trust in you.

I just shared about intimacy to a group of men yesterday morning. There is a big difference between knowing about someone, and knowing someone. It is like a connection in LinkedIn. Based on their profiles you know something about them. However, you may not know them at all. Psalms 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. Your intimacy with someone builds when you spend personal time with them. There is absolutely no shortcut. That means an investment of time. Time that you need to takeaway from something else since there are only 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. The Psalmist seems to indicate that he has personal time with God 3 times a day. This is also mentioned of Daniel who survived the lion's den. Father, my greatest desire is to be in an intimate relationship with You.

When you are up and about in life, there are many circumstances that will expose you to the dangers posed by the actions of other people, either intentionally or by accident. In such situations you go through highly stressful periods and you pray that things would work out right. King David had continuous challenges and learnt to lean on the Lord. Psalms 54:7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble; And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies. This verse caught my eye because not only did God deliver David out of ALL trouble, he also saw how God dealt with his enemies. The consequences of going against the Lord are huge. Don't mess with a praying man. It can come back to you many folds in His time. I would not wish this upon my enemies, but there are consequences for evil deeds. Father, thank you for taking care of it.

Man is in a complete state of denial. They do not understand how exposed they are with the things they do in secret. How silly they are to think they can get away with it. Nothing is hidden. Everything is known. All is captured on the most sophisticated system ever created. God knows. Psalms 53:2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. As the Psalmist says, God is seeking men and women who understand God's nature and are seeking Him. The sad truth is that they keep going back to created things as their gods. Other men, nature, or things created by the hand of man. And man thinks they can get away with things because they see the limitations of these gods. Using corporate language, "God has an open door policy". He wants you to come in and talk. Don't delay the blessing on you and your family. Father, I am so blessed that I can turn to You at any time. Thank you so much.

Everyday, as you read the news, you learn about new events of hostilities and pain. If you read on, or reflect on the reasons, you find that much of it can be avoided. It has to do with man's fallen nature. His issue with not wanting to do the right thing. His greed, selfishness, impatience, bitterness, lack of trust and hopelessness. Psalms 52:7 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness.” We cannot, and we are not built to be a being that operates independent of each other and God. We are built for relationships. Relationships with each other. The biggest one is with God. You are meant to grow like this. Psalms 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. Father, my hope and trust is completely in you.

We are often drawn to negative news in the newspapers or in everyday chats with neighbors, friends and family. We have a natural inclination towards bad news, more so than good news. Bad news seems to better feed the recesses of our minds than the news of victory and accomplishments. Perhaps, we have a natural way to feel terrible and remorseful about these things. Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. The Psalmist relates that a remorseful heart is a sacrifice to God. We feel badly that something is wrong. It digs deep into our being and we want to make it right. It turns something negative to positive, as we make effort to correct our ways or things around us. It is treated as an acceptable sacrifice to God. A broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart. This is the Godly way to respond to something negative. We rejoice when things go well, but when they don't, we make sincere efforts to c...

Have you ever spoken against somebody behind their back? I have. After you have done it you realize that it was wrong. Your God given conscience makes you feel sour, and you want to make it right. The Psalmist gets the same message in this chapter. Psalms 50:20 You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. What is this called? Gossip is a good label. Backbiting another. It is very detrimental to any family or organization. Repair is very difficult and may take years to make right. God is obviously displeased with it. We need to move away from human tendencies and take a God directed plan to reconcile the issues that are creating this. God urges us to get it right. Psalms 50:23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God. Father, help me to order my conduct in your ways, avoiding harsh talk and gossip. Let me build rather than break down.

In the course of my work and journey in life I have met, been friends with, worked for, and worked with many rich and powerful individuals. Many of them are kind and are prepared to go the extra mile to help someone. But the fact remains. They need Jesus. Psalms 49:7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— No riches in the world can help you do that. You can buy friends. You can even buy relatives (and they flock to you). You can buy a relationship with God. It is priceless. No money can buy. I have had many good conversations with these that I know. Many are walking with God. But, many are still walking with confidence in their wealth and power. I pray that they see this statement from the Psalmist. Psalms 49:17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. Father, help me to continue reaching out to all men that they will have a restored relationship with You.

In Maui there is a dormant volcano that you can drive up in less than two hours from sea level to 10,000 feet. From there you have an amazing view of much of the island and the Pacific. On a clear day you can even see the Big Island. When I read this verse it reminded me of that. Psalms 48:2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. We cannot imagine how high God can take us. He is only wanting a yielded vessel for the sake of His glory. The experiences that come as a result is truly out of this world, like the great scenery from the top of Haleakala. With elevation comes acceleration. Two thirds of the world is distant from God's ways. But I am praying that as we lift up the name of Jesus, He will be known to the ends of the earth. Psalms 48:10 According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Father, speak for your servant li...

We are in a constant state of bombardment of advertisements, music and entertainment. It's on TV, radio, the internet and on the road. The one piece of content that attracts the most viewers or participants is sports. It feeds our need for competition and victory. The good thing about it is that it unites people supporting a team and allows an avenue for loud expression. Psalms 47 is about praising and cheering for God but verse 7 jumped out at me. Psalms 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. Don't get me wrong. I love loud praise and expressive worship. But this verse says sing praises with understanding. In the same way many are carried away with the music, the celebrity performing, or the crowd, we can get carried away with praising God without understanding. The Word of God is rich. From ancient times people were encouraged to read the Word of God. They read it weekly in the synagogues from scrolls. When bibles were printed, it bec...

In my years in the workplace I have walked into many fierce periods of contention and trouble. I am so thankful that I could lean on God during those many periods. You may feel that I should not experience trouble since God is with me. However, as long as there is sin in the world, there will be trouble. But God is ready to deliver us. Psalms 46:6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. God stills the storms of life. The disciples were greatly amazed at how Jesus stilled the storm. During the time when it was not time for Him to suffer in the cross, Jesus was able to walk away, slip away and appear in private places without notice. God is totally in charge and nothing surprises Him. After all, He sees the beginning to the end of time in an instant. Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Father, thank you, and may I never forget to rest in you at all times.

I have learned over time that the discipline of writing is so crucial if you are going to speak well. The more you write, the better you speak. You have paid attention to the order of your presentation. The points to include and highlight. The color you need to bring for the listener or reader to come into your space. I am still growing and getting better. The Psalmist says it so well. Psalms 45:1 My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. I am very thankful to the Lord for inspiring me to start journaling in 2005 and improving its depth and frequency after my Haggai Leader Experience in 2008. After I started going online in 2016, I have gained greater insights from the Lord. The bible and God's impressions in my heart are great sources of reflections for me. Father, continue to speak to me as I write.

I have been talking about having hope. But sometimes life's journey can be tough. It is like going to a beautiful place in a remote location. You have to take a long and winding road. Then a hike through thick foliage and mud. Across streams and make steep climbs. Then you get to enjoy the first hand experience of watching and experiencing God's wonderful creation. The Psalmist felt deserted by God. Psalms 44:9 But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies. Do you feel alone? The journey is not over yet. The best is yet to come. You have some struggles to go through before you see success and beauty. But, rest assured that God is there as well. His heart aches when we struggle but He knows we need to grow through them. Father, help me never lose hope but completely trust your wisdom in all things.