Tag: Jesus

Reason For Advent – Week 4

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali

Luke 2: 25 – 35

25. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28. he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

29. “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30. For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31. Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32. A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33. And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35. (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Simeon was the last of a few faithful people who eagerly awaited to see the promised Messiah. Led by the Holy Spirit, he sought out Jesus’ parents Mary and Joseph as they came to present themselves in the synagogue. A righteous and devout man, who lived by the promise that he will not see death until he saw the salvation of the Lord with his own eyes. Here was Simeon, who lived among evil men, probably accosted for his faith, witnessed Israel disintegrating into lawlessness. His only hope was in the salvation of God, which He promised. He waited with anticipation the redemption that was coming.

Simeon knew the length of days of men on earth. He knew for certain that in his lifetime, he would see God’s salvation. He lived each day awaiting patiently for the arm of God to bring about His salvation. The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God (Isaiah 52: 10). Even though he was surrounded by evil, oppression by the Romans and to some extent the religious elite, he never gave up. God chose him and kept him alive so he could witness first hand the promise coming to fulfillment. What a blessed life, Simeon had!

Just like Simeon, we who are called by God to be the watchmen, to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth, also eagerly await His glorious return. When our eyes are fixated on Heaven and our union with our Redeemer, then we too, who are equipped to interpret the signs of the times, will live out each day of our lives expecting the coming fulfillment of His promise. Whether we live or die, our hearts long to behold Him. Time and time again, He has kept His promises. The skies may disappear, the earth may fall away, but His promises will never fail.

Dear Saint of God, as we live our lives in anticipation of His glorious return, let us continue to hold onto His faithful promises. Not one will be broken. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine upon them (Isaiah 9: 2). During Jesus’ first Advent, the heavens echoed of His birth but the world did not see since He came as a meek and lowly servant. However, at Jesus’ second Advent, the whole earth will see as the King of kings and the Lord of lords descends with the herald of angels and all creation. Even though, we may be engulfed with darkness, mocked for our faith and anticipation of His return, let us remain faithful and steadfast as Simeon, eagerly awaiting the hand of God to rescue us.

Isaiah 60: 1-3

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Bid Me Come

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali

Matthew 14: 25-31

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Many of us, as believers of Lord Jesus Christ, have a deep desire to do something for the Lord’s Kingdom. Whether it is evangelism, charity or some other noble ministry to help God’s children in our neighborhoods, our communities or people across the world. However, many of us struggle with the question, ‘Am I equipped enough?’ In our desire for being part of the Lord’s Kingdom, we ask the Lord to bless us with special gifts. God, in His great love, grants us one or multiple special gifts. He equips us for whatever mission He wants to use us for furthering the Gospel of truth. He even opens the right doors for us to enter, so the ministry that He called us to would be effective and bring glory to His name. He closes all other doors, prevents us from going to certain people or places. He even gives us the right words to speak and the right tools to use.

Peter was one of those disciples who was impulsive, eager and on fire for Jesus. All the disciples in the boat were petrified when they saw a ghost like figure walking towards them on water. When they learned that it was Jesus, Peter was the only one who mustered up the courage to ask Jesus to command him to come to Him. When Jesus asked him to come, Peter was bold enough to step out in faith and walked towards Jesus. He was able to walk a little distance before he got distracted by the billowing waves and howling winds. The moment he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked around, he began to sink. However, Jesus reached out, stretched forth His hand and rescued Peter.

When as believers of Jesus Christ, as disciples on fire for Jesus, we step out in faith, keeping our eyes on Jesus. However, the cares of this world, the distractions around us cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus. Sometimes, the initial success of the work could cause us to be proud. Sometimes, we do beyond what we are supposed to do, relying on our own strength. We fail to recognize that we need our Lord’s strength and not bank on ours which is weak and failing. Sometimes our desires get in the way of God’s plans. Sometimes, we get distracted by the applause we receive. Sometimes we get carried away by the worldly standards and fail to recognize that we are special and chosen by God. Our lives may not be typical of the world’s standards. We fail to recognize that we are set apart for His work.

That is when we sink. We sink into a cesspool of self-pity and failure. We cannot seem to understand why all our best efforts are not producing the results. We fail to recognize that we got distracted. We fail to recognize that our focus has shifted from Jesus to the world. We fail to recognize whose mission it was in the first place. We fail to recognize our utmost priority. Like Peter, let us cry out to Jesus to save us. Let us reach out to grab onto His outstretched arm. He will safely carry us through stormy waters.

Dear Saint of God, don’t get disheartened by the failure. Don’t get disappointed when the right opportunity doesn’t open up. We may be distracted but we need to refocus on Jesus. We must ask Jesus to bid us come to Him. We must remember on whose business we are about. It’s not ours but His. He will accomplish His purposes the best way He chooses. We must just remain with Him, and in Him. For His strong arm is always there to rescue us when we are failing, when we are sinking, and when we are distracted. He will ensure that the fire He lit in us will keep on burning, shining brightly His light in us for the world to see.

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