Sharpen the axe

 If I ask you "Who is man of prayer in the bible", everybodys answer will be "Daniel". Yes though he was working in King's palace he took time to pray three times a day. Although he was super busy, he took time off to call on to God and speak to Him. If we read the book of Daniel in the bible,we see that he understood the importance of prayer. When trouble came all his answer was "Lets pray  to God and see" and not "King likes me a lot, I will speak to him". 

What prayer did in Daniel's life

1.Made him stay holy

2.Saved him from lions

3.Saved him from being killed and helped in interpreting the dream

4.Helped to receive favor from Kings.

5. Made him officer in Babylon by four kings

1. Nebuchadnezzar, after Daniel interprets his dream (2:48)
2. Belshazzar, after Daniel reads the original “handwriting on the wall” (5:29)
3. Darius the Mede, because Daniel had an “extraordinary spirit” (Da 6:1–3)
4. Cyrus the Persian, for reasons unknown … but the guy had a great résumé by then (Da 1:21; 6:28)

6. Helped him to stay healthier much more than his fellow people

7.Helped him to gain more wisdom.

        Daniel 1:17 

           To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

There are absolutely many more things to be added and the list could go on. And the secret weapon for his success in life is Prayer.

Everyone must have heard about "Sharpen the axe" story where one guy was more wise in taking time out from his busy life to "Sharpen the axe". It is used as a metaphor to exercising ,sharpening the skills etc. I want to do it with "Prayer". 

This lockdown has made us super busy (Similar to rich are getting richer, the busy are made busier). The magic for this work to be easier and smarter would be to take time to 'Sharpen the axe". Take time out for every 3hrs or 4 hr to call out the Lord and ask for help. We are privileged to have direct access to the "Creator God" (Creator of us and everyone around us and also ONE who can create out of nothing).

"I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord , the maker of heaven and earth.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

Put time on your calendar to sharpen your axe. As a leader, you will be glad you stayed so sharp.

When was the last time you sharpened your axe?,” the boss asked.

“Sharpen? I’ve had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been so busy trying to cut trees….”

Lets take time out to pray (or sharpen the axe) like Daniel to lead a victorious life  in physical, mental and spiritual spheres. [Pause and read]

Prayer:

Lord Jesus we pray, you help us in this life, to live the life you want us to.We look to you for our help in our everyday life. For You know our thoughts, You know our innermost being, You know about people around us, You know our situation, You are loving, You are Omnipresent, You are Omnipotent ,You are the alpha and the omega and You are God. Help us O Lord to live victoriously .In Jesus name , we pray.Amen.

God loves a contrite spirit

Isaiah 57:15

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

There are many places in the bible mentioning that God loves a contrite heart.I have always wondered as a kid after reading this verse, why God wants us to see us unhappy. For its tamil translation is "Psalm 51:17 தேவனுக்கேற்கும் பலிகள் நொறுங்குண்ட ஆவிதான்; தேவனே, நொறுங்குண்டதும் நருங்குண்டதுமான இருதயத்தை நீர் புறக்கணியீர்."

Why God loves to see us sad. Now I feel that I understand its importance.The below verse tells its importance.

Proverbs 24:16

For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

16 - நீதிமான் ஏழுதரம் விழுந்தாலும் திரும்பவும் எழுந்திருப்பான்; துன்மார்க்கரோ தீங்கிலே இடறுண்டு கிடப்பார்கள்

There are many perspectives based on the penitent thief getting repented at the last minute of his life and getting a ticket to heaven. Many envy to have that moment in lifetime.Since it does not matter, how much we have sinned till the last minute. That last minute we can repent and get to heaven. Our past life does not matter. We do not know if we will get such a moment. Even in the cross, there was one more thief who had a hard heart.

Everybody sins. Even the proverbs righteous man sins. Saul sinned. David sinned. But David was considered righteous because of his contrite spirit. Saul was given more options to repent.Even Samuel came in spirit after his death spoke to Saul of repentance. But he hardened his heart till the last moment in his life. He did not make use of the opportunities given to him but hardened his heart in every situation. So even in the last moment, just like the impenitent thief on the cross (who did not repent) Saul knew the time of his death , but still he hardened his heart towards God.

There are few takeaways in this blog :-

1.God loves a contrite heart since he wants us to be in heaven with him.

2.No matter we sin and fall, it is ok. You are still righteous if you repent and rise again.

3.It is important to repent in the situations that you get. Because stubbornness is like a muscle. If stubbornness is yielded one time, that muscle gets stiffer and you tend to become stubborn for the rest of your life. No matter if it is the last moment of life , that stubbornness muscle having gained strength will still remain stronger at the LAST BREADTH OF LIFE.(eg: Pharoah and the egyptians, Saul)

Prayer: Jesus we pray that you give us a broken and contrite heart and help us not to yield to our stubbornness. 

Standing before Kings

 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before Kings Proverbs 22:29

The Lord raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and He hath set the world upon them. I Samuel 2:8

The Lord raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

That He may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. Psalm 113:7,8

David's life story is amazing and truly a great motivation. For from being a shepherd boy, he rose to stand before kings.But even before becoming a king, there were two instances in his life where he stood before kings.

What was he doing as a shepherd that he stood before Kings?

1. He knew the scriptures.

Well, if you see Psalm 113:7,8 is a repetition of I samuel :8 .There are many Psalms telling the story of Genesis and Exodus. He had been a good meditator of God's word as a shepherd.

2. David plays harp

Bible shows he has used his free time, devotion time in playing harp and singing songs to the Lord.This was his hobby. How did this make him stand before kings?

It is interesting to read about it in I Samuel 16:14-23. Saul was tormented by an evil spirit sent by the Lord and so they searched for a person playing harp. When they knew David played harp Saul asked Jesse to send his son to the palace leaving the sheep (or shepherd work)

3. Being a shepherd

He did a sincere work as a shepherd. He loved his sheep more than his life. That is why when bear or lion came he was able to kill it. How will taking care of sheep make him stand before kings? And this story is all time favorite for all sunday school children.God is amazing!!

Well, the jist of this blog is no matter where you are (maybe in desert just seeing the sheep or butterflies) , what you are doing ( playing tabla or just tapping on the table and making music), GOD can make you stand before Kings.

Nothing matters for God. Only your faith matters

Remember.....What to remember ?

Dear friends in Christ, 

 It is always important to remember who we were when Christ chose us.Of course it is true we are new creation in Christ. Old things are gone and all have become new. This remembrance of us, is not to make us like dogs eating their own vomit. But instead it is to humble ourselves in Christ and boast only about Him.Pride is the greatest enemy that completely destroys us. Satan knows that , since he has experienced God's wrath because of his pride. 

I would like to show examples from bible, of how one person forget who he was before God chose him and had to experience terrible death and of another person who remembered who she was before God chose and choose to humble and obey. 

 Well, the first person is Saul the first king of Israel. When Samuel chose him as King, although being the tallest there was not a pride in him. 1Samuel 9:21 says, Saul said to Samuel "I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?" .But when he started cherishing people's voices , he completely forgot how he became a King. Or Who made him King. God was forgotten in his life. So God allowed all the spirits which made him more worse. In the battle with the Philistines, Saul was defeated. And so he took a sword and fell upon it [1 Samuel 31:4]

The other person is Esther the Queen. There are many people in the bible who humbled themselves till death after Christ chose them. But I would like to show what Queen Esther did. She was floating in favorism. There is no count of the virgins with whom she competed. King Ahaserus reigned from India unto Ethiopia over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces. From all these provinces beautiful young virgins were sought out for the King. Sure there must have been more competition. She got favorism from everyone around her. She understoon that it was the Lord's doing. That is why even after she became a queen, she choose not to trust in her beauty and charmness. But listening to Mordecai she remembered "God is everything".

May God always help us to remember that we are formed from the dust of the ground and remember God's doings in our life that it was "GOD".

Choose happiness during Death

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might

Ecclesiastes 9:10 

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Jochebed - do you know who she is

She is the mother of Moses. Pharoah on seeing the growth of Israelites ordered execution of all male children. On hearing this, Jochebed didn't keep mourning on the plight of her son who was born. But she did with all her might to save the child in whatever ways she could. Hiding her son's birth was not an independent task too. She trained her daughter too in hiding the message of her brother baby at home.Instead of letting him be murdered, she took a basket and coated the bottom with tar, to make it waterproof. Then she put the baby in it and set it among the reeds on the bank of the Nile River. At that same time, Pharaoh's daughter was bathing in the river. One of her maidservants saw the basket and brought it to her.

Miriam, the baby's sister, watched to see what would happen. Bravely, she asked Pharaoh's daughter if she should get a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. She was told to do that. Miriam fetched her mother, Jochebed -- who was also the baby's mother -- and brought her back.

Jochebed was paid to nurse and care for the boy, her own son until he grew. Then she brought him back to Pharaoh's daughter, who raised him as her own  .

Not only was her son saved, but she was paid to nurse for her own baby. Amazing.
When trouble comes, lets not sit and lament. Instead do whatever our hands can do by trusting in God. Amen.