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

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.

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!

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.

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.

The other day I was reading the book of Habakkuk. The last chapter is a prayer song sung by the prophet. The ‘Shiginoth’(v.1) refers to a song with turbulent lyrics. Surely the lyrics are turbulent especially the last few verses of the 3rd chapter:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

These verses really trouble me. Was that a good time to sing, rejoice and be joyful? How can one sing and rejoice when there’s nothing favourable and good? I also found similar situations in the Bible. The only time we read that Jesus sang was few hours before his arrest (Matt26:30). And there’s also Paul and Silas singing in a Roman jail (Acts16:25). How could these people react to a grave situation by singing?

If I were to be in such a situation, I will probably react with anger, self-pity and will be murmuring against God. Sometimes, maybe I will accept it with a sigh but the relationship with God will remain unsteady for sometime. But to sing and rejoice seems to be impractical.

But Habakkuk seems to have a completely different perspective about it. Even when the ‘Physical reality’ around him was breaking down, he was finely tuned to the ‘Spiritual reality’. He was able to look beyond the shattered reality to a God who is still in control. Hence, he is able to sing, rejoice and be joyful.

To find meaning in such a situation is to see it from a higher perspective. But such a perspective seems elusive in the midst of a storm. It’s a choice, but it’s still difficult to sing and rejoice.
I’m just praying for the grace to have more faith in God and to sing and rejoice in the midst of a storm.

When I think about the love of God, three things come to my mind and I would like to share that here.

Firstly, God loved and chose us even before the creation of the earth(Eph1:4,5). He was rejoicing and took delight in mankind while the earth was being created(Prov8:30,31). It’s not something that is easily comprehensible but, it’s wonderful that we were born into this world being loved of God.

Secondly, when man fell because of sin, God sent His only beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins because He loved us. That divine love constrained Him to come down to the earth to save mankind (I John4:10). Otherwise we would have perished in our sins. He endured the cross because of the ‘joy’ that was set before Him(Heb12:2). The love that He had for you and me gave Him meaning to suffer and die on the cross.

Thirdly, He is preparing great mansions in Heaven so that we would be able to dwell with Him eternally to enjoy and rejoice in that love for eternity.

The love of God spans from ‘former’ eternity to the ‘latter’ eternity and continues forever. It’s so huge, vast, immeasurable, undescribable, unimaginable, incomprhensible. But it’s a fact.

So, what do I infer from this? From the day I was born till the day I reach home, every day of my life is completely covered by the love of God. Therefore I need not fear because perfect love casts away fear. When I’m guilty of sin, He forgives because of his love and helps me to live better. When I fall down, He lifts me up and gives me more grace to move forward. When I feel things are not going my way, He says that He loves me and has got better plans. When I call to Him in need, He answers and provides out of His love.

His divine love does not change. It’s an eternal love. When we all get to heaven and look back on our lives….it will be the greatest love story we have ever known.

(I got this as an email message from a friend and I thought it would be nice to post it here)

1. Wake Up!

Decide to have a good day. “Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24)

2. Dress Up!

The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7)

3. Shut Up!

Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. “He who guards his lips guards his soul.” (Proverbs 13:3)

4. Stand Up!…. for what you believe in.

Stand for something or you will fall for anything.. “Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good…” (Galatians 6:9-10)

5. Look Up!… to the Lord.

“I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

6. Reach Up!… for something higher.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

7. Lift Up!… your prayers.

“Do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything.” (Philippians 4:6)

Diana, Sharla and many other bloggers are meditating on the book of Proverbs for the month of February. Althought I couldn’t get myself involved fully, I thought I could get into the Proverbs ‘train’ occasionally and travel with them. So here I am.

I was blessed by the 5th & 6th verse of the 3rd chapter of Proverbs. It says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

When I read these verses, I was reminded of a story from my sunday school days.(many of you might have heard this before)

A mountain climber was climbing a very steep snowy monuntain. It was getting darker and the climbing got tougher. He was very tired and at one point he lost his balance and his feet slipped. He was now rolling down the mountain like a ball and was getting badly hurt because of the rocks that were on the way. Since it was dark he could not see anything and couldn’t hold on to anything strong that could stop him from falling. Suddenly, in that dim light, he saw a rope beside him and took hold of it. Inspite of holding the rope he couldn’t stop himself from falling down further but still he held on to it tightly. At last, to much of his relief, he came to a stop. But he found that he was now hanging in the mid-air supported only by the rope. By now he was badly hurt and was bleeding. He didn’t know what to do. Finally, realising that he had no other option, he cried unto God to somehow get him out of this. And God told him to take his hands off the rope that he was holding. He was shocked to hear it. It was like adding more fuel to the fire. He felt that it was the most foolish advice and he regreted asking God for help. He tried many ways to save himself but couldn’t and was finally dead.

The next morning, when another set of climbers came to that mountain, they were astonished to find a dead man hanging on to a rope that was only five feet above the ground. If only he had trusted God and took his hands off the rope, he would have had a very safe landing.

Trusting in God isn’t easy at all times. It’s a matter of choice. Sometimes trusting in God and obeying what He bids us to do may defy pure reason and seem illogical. We, finite beings with our limited perception, react to pressing circumstances around us and fail to see the big picture and with our finite minds we cannot comprehend the mind of an Infinite Being. So trusting and obeying God makes sense. Though we may not be able to see immediate results, but in the longer run it really pays off.

The most comforting truth is that He has already gone through this path and has carried this cross, so I would rather trust and follow Him who knows the way than lean on my own understanding. And in all my ways I will acknowledge Him and He will make my paths straight, however crooked they may be. Because of His unfailing love He will not forsake us and His amazing grace will take us to through any rough path. All we need to do is simply trust.

-Martin.

I do not ask thy way to understand,

My way to see;

Better in darkness just to grasp thy hand

And follow Thee.

- Minnie Lousie Haskins

Life is a journey. We all have unique paths or roads to traverse. But it’s not always a smooth ride. It gets bumpy at times. I have always wondered why can’t the road be smooth all the way till the end. Why should there be ups and downs in life? Why should I undergo trials and sufferings? When I’m down with depression I plead with the Lord to make my path a bit easier to walk and I doubt whether God listens to such prayers. And, I have seen that God never changes the path or gives a smoother one. But, He responds with more love and grace and does something better…..He changes me instead.

Such rough paths helps me to stop and analyse my life and enables me to have a completely different perspective of life. Suddenly there’s a closeness to Him that I’ve never known before. There’s always a newness and growth in my life whenever I come out of such dark periods. He showers me with His love and gives a lot more grace to tread the same old, rough and narrow path. I feel that with God’s love and grace we’ll be able to walk without falling in this journey called life.

I’ve been treading this rough path for the past few years and it has changed me for better. But the journey is far from over. There’s still a long way to go……….

While I’m on this journey…my only prayer is this:

Even if I have to tread an unknown terrain

Even if I have to cross a broken bridge

Even if I have to sail through a stormy sea

I will still follow You.

I dare not reason why

I dare not disobey

I’m just content to know

That Your LOVE is everlasting

And Your GRACE is never-ending.

- Martin.