Sreedhar's Journey

I grew up with a great reverence for God. But somehow it did not feel right to pray to man made images, sculptures and photographs. My quest to know more led me to know a God that loves us so much that He came to die for our sins. I believe He spoke to my ancestors but we chose to replace Him with images. The temples I used to worship at are designed like the Jewish temples. Psalms 99:1 ​The Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved! The Psalmist clearly speaks about where God dwells when He met with the people in ancient times. This is repeated many times in the Old Testament. We have shortchanged ourselves with hand crafted images. It is time to return to the Creator. He loves us. Our good works and show of reverence can never get us to heaven. Only Jesus can save us. Father, break the blindness of heart and reveal yourself clear.

Lee Yen and I love nature. But, nowadays we seldom travel to see nature because of schedules and priorities. I need to pull out the old camping equipment and go have some quiet time beside a stream or in the hills. This passage reminds me of how beautiful nature is. Psalms 98:7-8 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell in it; Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together The sea, the rivers and the hills. They are all part of nature that God created. There are some cultures that choose to worship nature and even make visiting some of these places taboo. This is a serious lie. God created the earth and all that is in it for us to subdue and be good stewards. We do not own it, neither are we to worship it. Only the owner, God, is to be worshiped. Father, may all worship the Creator and not the created.

Have you loved someone before? You may be wandering what this question is all about? Why not? What's wrong with this question? Sometimes we go about our daily activities without any care or love for anybody. We stay selfish. We are greedy for our personal benefit. But when you love God, everything changes. Psalms 97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Something new and fresh happens. You do things you normally would not. You would first of all reject everything that is evil. Saying bad things leaves you. Doing things that would upset somebody would stop. Ill feelings and ill will will be replaced with a kind and generous spirit. Can you see the beautiful flower that is blooming? It starts with us loving God. By the way, God loved us from the beginning of time. Father, I love You!

The internet is a powerful space. I will always remember the day I went to the Jaring office in Wisma Damansara in Kuala Lumpur to set up my pop access account. I was 3 thousand something account holder in Malaysia. I got to know about it from a fellow consultant from the Netherlands working on the new KLIA airport in the early 90's. A lot has changed since then. It is now the platform of choice to reach most everyone. Psalms 96:10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” This verse is having even greater meaning today. In a matter of seconds what you write and/or say reaches every corner of this earth. The multilateral agencies like the United Nations and the World Bank treat access to the internet as an essential service for the economic and sociopolitical development of a country. In the process, the most essential thing for the life of a person, the Gospel of Jesus Christ

All of us have our growing up stories of nagging. Right? Now, don't you deny it. We felt our parents were constantly nagging us about something. Most times it is Mother. I see smiles. Years later I have fond memories of those times. It was not that she was always right. It was because she loved me enough to care. Awwwww. God cares too. But, He is always right. Psalms 95:8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, One of those times she was not right was when she nagged about how wrong it was for a Hindu to change their "religion". Praise God, many years later she made a decision to follow Jesus Christ as well. But, God is never wrong. I am glad that when my mother nagged about me becoming a Christian, I followed what God was saying in my heart. My heart was open. It was not hardened. I pray yours is also open. Father, please speak to my relatives and friends, and let them enter into your salvation.

Psalms 94:18 If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. This verse reminds me of my student days in Toronto. Winters will see much snow and ice. It can be difficult to walk just after some snow and melting. It becomes frozen over. You learn to braze yourself and "skate" along. You learn tricks to keep yourself from falling. Here the Psalmist is saying God will hold you up. Many times we go through life with great uncertainty and anxiety. It causes us to experience unnecessary stress, and therefore illness. But if you have this assurance that God is there with you, all anxious thoughts will go away. During those early years in Toronto, I also met a refugee family from Sri Lanka. This verse reminds me of them, especially after the horrific bombings in this beautiful country. Psalms 94:21 They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood. There is no excuse for taking innocent lives, especially children. No person ca

I have never watched a tsunami live, and I never wish to. I will never forget the day I watched CNN news about the tsunami on boxing day at about 9pm on December 26, 2004. The devastation had already started in the morning, but the news only picked up speed about 12 hours later. It reminded me about the power of the sea, but reading this Psalm I am reminded of a greater power. Psalms 93:4 The Lord on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea. If the waters that killed more than 100,000 people are less powerful than God, I need to sit up and take notice of who God is. The problem with most people is that they go back to things that are less powerful. Human technology cannot beat it. Ancient worship of created elements cannot beat it. Conducting suicide bombings cannot beat it. We need to return to the Creator. Father, it is time all man acknowledged the true and living God, and accept Your redemptive act on the cross of Calvary.

When I was growing up I learnt to say thank you for everything. But praise was limited. In our family culture you were hardly praised. And so when I became a Christian that started a whole new paradigm. It started with praising God and then praising those around me. It felt good to appreciate everyone. The Psalmist here makes special mention of praise. Psalms 92:2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, The Psalmist recognizes the Lord for giving him another day to live. He also thanks God for seeing him through the day. This is so important. We cannot take our days for granted. It could have been worse. God is constantly watching over us. There is an assurance of His continued presence with us. He does not sleep and neither does He require it. Father, I am grateful and I praise You for who You are and my relationship with You.

Have you had a big brother? I never had one. I am the eldest child in my family. There are many firsts when you are the oldest. But it is different when you have an older brother. If they are responsible they can be a great help in your growing up years and into your adulthood. Many serve as a foster father. But there is a better father. Our Heavenly Father. Psalms 91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. The whole chapter must be read to grab the full measure of God's promises that essentially demonstrate His fatherly character and His love for us. The problem with many of us is that we go to Him as a last resort. He is not the first person for us to call. We call our friends. We call our parents. Nothing works unless you have made God your refuge and dwelling place. Psalms 91:9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, Father, it is so easy to not

Many of my friends are transitioning to the next season of their lives. They are moving from being gainfully employed to retirement (technically somewhere between 55 and 60 in Malaysia) and having grandchildren. As for me and Lee Yen, we just got started on our next season of work. When do we retire? There is no such thing in our vocabulary. You just move to the next season of your life. Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. God also has end. He preexisted time. He created all things. When He created man, He wanted man to have eternal fellowship with Him. In His sovereign way, He gave man free choice and prepared for man's day of salvation after man had failed. I have previously written about God's perfect plan. As we remember Good Friday, we remember the dark moment of His burial and the uncertainty felt by the disciples of Jesus. Was God ever uncertain? Never

Have you had someone break a promise with you before? Yes, I see many hands. It is easy to say a promise, but keeping them requires commitment. People, especially children, remember broken promises. But there is one promise that was fulfilled, and many forget it, or ignore it. Psalms 89:29 His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven. The message of the verse above is repeated in many different ways in this chapter and this book. It is reminding us God's promise of a Messiah. He came hundreds of years later to save mankind from eternal damnation. He fulfilled the need for the perfect sacrifice for man's sin by dying on the cross. Today, many will NOT forget and celebrate Good Friday. Father, I rejoice the day I started my relationship with You. Thank you for your promises fulfilled. We remember Good Friday.

When is a good time to pray? Most people only pray when they have a problem. When they are at wits end to know what to do next. They are in a state of hopelessness. You have no other choice but to cry out to God. Even those who do not believe in God do this. In this chapter of Psalms, the Psalmist cries out to God in his great despair and appears close to death. Psalms 88:13 But to You I have cried out, O Lord, And in the morning my prayer comes before You. He commits to prayer and builds arguments for why God should save him from death. There seems to be no appreciation of life after death. There is in fact fear of death. Many through the years have died, and even those who were killed because of their faith. They valued more their relationship with Jesus Christ than their lives. Some, more than the lives of their families, like Sadhu Sundar Singh who is attributed with the singing of the song "I have decided to follow Jesus" . Father, for me to live is Christ, to die

I am a third generation Malaysian of Indian descent. My grandparents and parents were made citizens of Malaya when it became a country. Many others moved to this country from neighboring countries after independence and have also enjoyed the rights of citizenship, but my parents and I were born in this land. Likewise, many were born in Zion (land of the people of Israel) and were acknowledged. Psalms 87:5 And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; And the Most High Himself shall establish her.” Israel has made great strides because of the covenant God made with Abraham. He and his descendants were to be blessed. But through Abraham and his descendents, that blessing was to be for all nations. Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” As a Malaysian the only country I am prohibited from entering with my passport is Israel. It is very interesting how

Have you heard of the united nations? I am sure you have heard of the organization called United Nations, but have a problem finding united nations. Still do not get it? Ask someone else to read this blog or drop me a message. It is virtually impossible to see all nations working for the common good. But our God unites us in a different way. Psalms 86:9 All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name. Only Jesus can unite us. You may raise the issue of some adherents of the Christian faith fighting against each other. When I last checked, all of them only belong to a church. Based on their behavior it is difficult to assess their commitment to Jesus Christ. Most worship themselves, rather than the true living God. The proof is in my personal experience. Last year, I had the privilege of seeing peoples from more than 75 countries gather in one place over time, living together, eating together, learning together and worshiping Go

I once met a senior person from Israel and spoke about how his country had developed agriculture technologies that allowed Israel to grow many things in very suitable areas of the country. These were offered to my home country, but due to the poor relationship between our countries they could not collaborate. This verse reminds me of the blessing Israel has received. Psalms 85:12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase. If you study the whole approach to farming prescribed in Leviticus 25, you will know that it is an incredible way to both manage the planting and growing seasons, plus revitalizing the land for new seasons of planting. Who gave these supernatural sounding ideas? God! Are you struggling to have good ideas and solutions? Look to God. Father, my dependence is totally in you for wisdom to carry on my many tasks. No one beats your wisdom and knowledge.

In Malaysia when we go to the beach we usually look for shade. We want to avoid getting too dark from being out in the sun. Invariably, you still get a little dark when you spend time in the water. But the scenario is very different when you are in cold weather. You look for days with lots of sun. Psalms 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. The Psalmist was expressing himself from this perspective when he writes the Lord God is a sun. He gives warmth and comfort. And he goes on to say that God is a shield. Our protection. In this context God gives grace and glory, and good things. 3 G's. But there is a perquisite. We need to walk uprightly. This reminds me of the theme verse of my life, where everything will be given when you seek first his kingdom and His righteousness. Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be a

Do you believe that we came from nothing? That no one had a hand in your existence? That a complex being like you, with the ability to procreate evolved from a less complex being? It is simply amazing that people believe these ideas. But this is not the end of their ideas. They use this to give excuses for "open relationships", gender confusion or diversity, and many other things that assumes that God does not exist, and there are no moral standards. Psalms 83:18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth. Soon, the above statement in the Bible may be classified as hate speech and deemed treason. However, if you dig deep into the state of the issues playing out, it is strongly influenced by a small few that have the big money to command media, governments and content. This explains the co-existence of liberal groups and faith groups that have differing views on women rights, LGBTQ, creation and many other things. As fol

There appears to be a growing level of injustice around the world. People are no longer safe in their daily routines because they could suddenly find themselves in the middle of a challenging situation because of a scheming individual or the intended or unintended target of a deranged individual or group. Much of this is unreported. The shooting in New Zealand is well reported, but there is so much happening in the developing and underdeveloped world that goes unnoticed. Psalms 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations. There is a cry going out to God to intervene. This sin infested world with Satan and his demons is causing continuous havoc. We need to seek God's immediate intervention to bring the peace. Then the nations of the world will turn from their wicked ways, humble themselves and pray. All nations! Father, I cry out to You Lord for your immediate intervention.

Growing up in Malaysia we are spoiled for food choices. You cannot go hungry. Within a year of going back to Malaysia, after having studied overseas, I gained 10 pounds. I was no longer living the poor student life, and you could not resist the beautiful flavors. My experience almost feels like this statement. Psalms 81:10 I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Most cultures celebrate with food. Celebrate what? In the case of the people of Israel, they celebrated their release from Egypt after 400 years. This situation was told to Abraham. It came as no surprise, but it came in an unexpected way. My learning today is that He will take you to places and bless you in very unique ways. I cannot limit God. Father, I am ready for your constant adventures and Your unique ways.

For security reasons, most houses in Malaysia have a fence. Some even a brick or stone wall. They may even place broken glass fragments on the top of these walls to prevent someone climbing over them. Most urban homes have grills in their windows and grill gates on their outside doors. The Psalmist says Israel is however without protection and facing problems with its neighbors. Psalms 80:12 Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit? It is difficult to protect an entire nation. Israel has had to depend on God to be protected. Right from the onset, they could not conquer and defend on their own. It would take too much effort and only temporary, if you decide to build an army and have sufficient perimeter protection. It could only happen with God. Father, you are the fence around myself. You are my hedge of protection. You are also the hedge of protection for my family. This is both physical and spiritual protection.

If someone has gained much from your kindness and later ignores you and wants nothing with you, how would you feel? You may feel taken advantage of. You are upset for awhile and hopefully move on. Some people say, once bitten twice shy. You avoid helping someone in the future. But thankfully God is not like that. Psalms 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake! The people of Israel on numerous occasions did wrong against God, but still God continued to show His mercy. The Psalmist cries out to God in song for help. He seeks forgiveness. He seeks mercy. What does God do? You know the answer. Israel is a sovereign state today. Miraculously, they are able to survive the constant challenges of their neighbors, the international Muslim community, and various groups and countries that symphatize with the Palestinian cause. The question remains. Are you walking in error before God Almighty

In years past we used to drop our children at Lee Yen's parents home when she was still working. One of those times, Lee Yen's Mum commented that one of our children walked like the father. We had a good laugh. But seriously, our children are unconsciously learning from us. Likewise, they are learning God's ways from us. Psalms 78:4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. We have the great blessing of being an influence into the years ahead through our children. They could become world changers through us. They can do greater things than us. The people of Israel were seen through their desert adventure by God. They had a direct encounter with God and His works. This should have changed their hearts forever and impacted their children. But, human nature forgets. Father, I will never forget your goodness and power. They have spoken to me and I will sp

Yesterday I reflected on there being no problem too big that cannot be solved. It is incredible what the human mind is capable of. In the deep recesses of the mind we can remember things from years ago. Wisdom has driven the most creative solutions for everyday problems. But still some things require someone greater. Psalms 77:14 You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. Our human wisdom only carries us so far. We can only control so much of the things around us. When we approach a situation, there are many variables. Some independent, and some interdependent. It is like trying to get the right conditions for the best crops. It is almost by chance. Not all farming projects succeed. God is listening. He is asking, when will my children come to me with their problems. No problem is too big or too small for Him. From finding a parking spot to overcoming a national or international conflict. Father, I will come to You for all things. You are

There are stories of Chinese emperors where the people were not allowed to look at him. The whole time they have to keep their heads bowed, even when they are having a meal with him. Such was the power that was held by these emperors. They were regarded as gods. But, God is greater than these mere humans. Psalms 76:6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep. Nothing can beat His all powerful presence and ability. After all, He created the heaven and the earth. When we look at our troubles they are nothing to God. The people of Israel were under attack from chariots and horses, but God would intervene and put them to "sleep". We therefore should not be perplexed. We will wake each day with full confidence. There is no problem too big He cannot solve it. Father, I know I serve a big God. Help me when I don't believe this.

We walk daily with a possibility that some harm may come against us. An accident, a sickness, or a person having ill will against us. These things can play on the mind and make us stressed. We live in a constant state of anticipation that drains us. Not an easy place to be. But, thankfully God is in control. Psalms 75:7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another. God decides on matters. He has the final say. His love for us says He will take care of it. He continually processes everything for our good. Nothing escapes Him. He is the Alpha and Omega. The beginning to the end. All "possibilities" are in His hands. There is no fear in God's perfect love. Father, I know you always take care of me.

Yesterday was April fool's day and today is another day. But does it stop the foolishness that many live in? We say things we should not. We do things we should not. We think things we should not. When we engage in things that we should not, are we are being foolish? There are those who cannot accept our hope in God, and they choose to destroy our places of worship. Psalms 74:3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Our God given conscience would say this is wrong. It is wrong to kill innocent people, even if people of that group have been doing wrong against you. There are cultures in the world that still conduct human sacrifices today. This is madness. It can only be influenced by demonic spirits. It makes you foolish. Our foolishness may not be this extreme, but we need to see it when something is wrong. God only wants good, and man needs to decide to want good. This can only happen when you give your life to God a

There are people out there who believe that their gods can be bribed or caused to not speak up against evil. This is not true about my God. How dare they ask questions like these. Psalms 73:11 And they say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?” Recently, I said it is difficult to refute the fact that Jesus walked this earth, died on the cross and rose from the dead. Forgive me for my bluntness. In fact I said you would be a fool to reject this fact. You are being blinded by the statements of others who have a personal agenda, or are fools themselves. It is a great deception that started with the Jewish authorities of that time. It is like the evolutionists who hide or explain away evidence that discredits their theory. Where are you in your understanding of world history? Do not submit to these false positions. Instead, follow me as I follow Jesus Christ. Psalms 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I