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...

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 c...

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.