The Expert Weaver

A weaver is a craftsman who weaves and designs cloths. The weaver sometimes tends to make a mistake while weaving or designing. But if the weaver is an expert weaver he would turn that mistake into another beautiful design. In other words, he will use that mistake to create another beautiful design.

Even our life is like a piece of cloth that is being weaved each day. We as human beings tend to commit mistakes or sins that kinda spoils the cloth – our life. This makes us feel bad and very often gets us into depressions. At times we are clueless about what to do with all the mess that we had become.

But, if we give our lives to God who is an Expert Weaver and honestly tell Him about the mess we are into and request Him to take over our lives and do the designing…. then He will convert all our mistakes into a beautiful design that we would’ve never imagined.  The mess we are into might be because of our past or our failures or addictions or it could be anything. It doesn’t matter. All we have to do is just allow Him to do the weaving and designing.

One day when we look back ….. each of our lives will be an unique masterpiece designed by God for His glory.  We just need to allow the Expert Weaver to take over.

- Martin

“But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him” – Jeremiah 18: 4

“Turn me around pick me up
Undo what I’ve become
Bring me back to the place
Of forgiveness and grace
I need You, need Your help
I can’t do this myself
You’re the only one who can undo
What I’ve become” –  ’Undo’ by Rush of Fools

Choices

Everything that we experience in our life is dependent on the choices that we make everyday. The consequences that follow after we make a choice decides whether it’s a good choice or a bad one. But, is it possible to make the right choice every time? Or can we make the right choice when we are aware of the consequences for each of the choice? Eve also faced a similar situation when she was about to eat of the tree of the knowledge of both good and evil.

God took a huge risk by creating man with a free will. And man made a choice to move away from God. That’s why the first step(and the hardest step) to become a good christian is to surrender one’s will. God has placed before us both good and evil and it’s our responsiblity to use our will to choose the right path.

Isaiah 5.1-4 speaks of a situation where all the necessary things for a vineyard to yield good grapes is provided. But the vineyard yielded wild grapes. Choosing to disobey God can make us unfit for God’s purposes. Jesus, when He was in the garden of Gethsemane, prayed three times pleading with the Father:”My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me”. I think Jesus very well knew the consequences of being crucified and not being crucified. But He choose to obey the Father and said:”Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

It’s the nature of man to make a choice that is against the will of God. But we still have the ability to use our will to choose what we want to do.

My prayer is that the Lord may enlighten our minds to understand the will of God and give us the guts to choose to do it.

Beyond the Skies

Heaven must definitely be an awesome place. Its depiction by St.John in the 21st chapter of the Book of Revelations is really amazing. A place decorated with precious stones, surrounded by pearly gates and whose streets are of pure gold. But, I think, this is just a small imaginable glimpse of Heaven. God must be having loads of surprises when we get there. I think when it is seen in its entirety it will defy all imagination and description.

I think, in the sight of God, the six days creation of this world is just a paper cup that is crushed and thrown into the trash can. If this world, which was created to be destroyed later, could hold vast and deep mysteries which are still incomprehensible to man, how about a place which is going to last for eternity. Really wonderful… isn’t it?

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…”(Rev21.4) If at all we shed tears in Heaven, I think, it will be tears of joy. It’s just joy unspeakable and full of glory.

There’s one thing that I firmly believe. The initial salvation was by grace of God and not by our works. And also we live our lives each day by the grace of God. Even so, the final salvation is going to be by the grace of God. Of course, we need to follow and obey all the commandments of God….but it’s still by the grace of God that we’ll be entering Heaven. Remember the thief who said to Jesus at the cross:”….remember me when you come into your kingdom” and Jesus replied: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”(Luke23.42,43). It’s the grace that’s going to enable us to reach our destination. Thankfully, this GRACE is NEVER-ENDING and when we all get to heaven we’ll be able to truly appreciate why this GRACE is so AMAZING.

There is a beautiful song about Heaven sung by U2. “Where The Streets Have No Name” Enjoy the Video!

Let me keep Walking

There are some unanswered prayers in my life. These requests are very easy for the Lord to grant it to me. But He doesn’t do it. At times it’s really hard to understand the things He does and why He allows certain things to happen. Not everything goes according to the way that you plan. All your dreams are shattered. In situation like that it’s hard to understand where you are going. It’s frustrating. It’s a difficult to accept sudden change of events that you had never expected to happen. Doubt suddenly creeps in all that you do. There’s always a fear of failure. Pessimism raises it’s head. Faith loses its meaning. Questions like: ‘Is it worth trusting God?’ keep hitting hard at you.

If life is a race…..it’s hard to keep running. So what do I do? There’s one thing I don’t want to do….that is, to stagnate in one place. If I’m not able to run, I just want to walk slowly. Praying a little and crying a little. Getting some comfort from His words.

One special verse that keeps me going is Jer 29:11: “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

But accepting to tread an unknown path is not easy. Trusting becomes a difficult task. I’m reminded of what Philip Yancey states in his book ‘Reaching for the Invisible God‘: ‘to fear God or to fear everything else, to trust God or to trust nothing’

I feel it’s better to trust a little in God than to trust nothing and living in fear and depression. So let me keep trusting and walking even if the it’s the darkest night. Maybe, the dawn is just in sight.

Jus’ Plug-in!

I’m always fascinated by the word ‘plug-ins’…..whether it’s in software or other electronic equipments. Whenever an electrical or electronic equipment doesn’t work the first thing that I look into is the plugs, to check whether it’s properly connected to the power supply. The equipment might be made of latest sophisticated technology but unless it is plugged-in to the power supply it’s of no use.

Jesus says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”(John15:5).

Here Jesus is the power supply and we all need to plug-in and make a connection. Establishing a connection may be easy but sustaining or abiding or remaining in that connection is sometimes difficult. Bearing much fruit completely depends on remaining in the connection.

Sometimes I find it difficult to be plugged-in. When the road gets rough I pull the plug off from the power supply thinking that I can manage on my own. But it doesn’t work. So I run back again to get plugged-in. I can’t do anything apart from Him.

Being plugged-in always keeps us renewed and burning brightly for His glory as His grace and power flows within us. All our gifts and talents can be used for His glory only when we are plugged-in.

So, just plug-in and remain there.