While starting with God takes much internal efforts and strides, finishing with God requires double the effort. The finish line requires a mobilization of all our wills in order to make it over. Not realizing this, many remain comfortable and so do not finish well, they do not finish with God. That is why the … Continue reading ‘The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride’ – (Ecclesiastes 7:8)
Christianity
‘Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead’ – (Exodus 4:19)
Sometimes, in order to make to our destination, we need to tread paths our footprints have been before. Although this may seem like a regression, it is in fact a progression. When God told Moses to go back to Egypt after being away for 40 years, Moses at first did not understand why. It was … Continue reading ‘Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead’ – (Exodus 4:19)
“Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit and lay hands on him . . . Give him some of your authority so that the whole Israelite community will obey him” – (Numbers 27:18,20)
He watched him call forth plagues, he watched him part the Red Sea, he watched him speak to God face to face, and he watched him lead the people. Joshua watched Moses. Although he himself was a valiant tribal leader and Moses’ assistant, Joshua thought Moses to be exceptional. Approaching at the brink of his … Continue reading “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit and lay hands on him . . . Give him some of your authority so that the whole Israelite community will obey him” – (Numbers 27:18,20)
“Let the Righteous One strike me – it is a kindness; let him rebuke me – it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it” – (Psalm 141:5)
One of the things God says is, ‘See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?’ (Jeremiah 9:7). When we go astray, God corrects us by refining and testing us, not by harming us. That is why David said, ‘Your rod and your staff … Continue reading “Let the Righteous One strike me – it is a kindness; let him rebuke me – it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it” – (Psalm 141:5)
‘There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recess for ore in the blackest darkness’ ~ Job 28:1-3
When the devil tried to tempt Jesus one last time, he ‘took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour (riches)’ (Matthew 4:8). The devil then tells Jesus, ‘All this I will give you, if you bow down and worship me’ (v9). The devil offering … Continue reading ‘There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recess for ore in the blackest darkness’ ~ Job 28:1-3
‘Do you want to get well?’ ~ John 5:6 (Starting with Desire)
You see, you want it. You hear, your interest is piqued. You feel, your heart warms to it. Whatever the means, you start to desire it. This usually is the process that we go through before pursuing a matter. Jesus even asks an invalid man, ‘Do you want to get well?’ (John 5:6). It may … Continue reading ‘Do you want to get well?’ ~ John 5:6 (Starting with Desire)
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a safe country, how will you manage in the thickets of by the Jordan?” ~ Jeremiah 12:5 (Racing with Horses)
‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God’ ~ Psalm 20:7 When Jeremiah found out that people around him were plotting to take his life because of prophesying God’s word, he became troubled. Jeremiah then lodged a complaint before God asking, ‘Why does the … Continue reading “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a safe country, how will you manage in the thickets of by the Jordan?” ~ Jeremiah 12:5 (Racing with Horses)
“I will give you keys to the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” ~ Matthew 16:19 (Keys to the Kingdom)
Like any other kingdom, the heavenly Kingdom is well guarded and requires permission to access. But unlike other kingdoms, the heavenly Kingdom is self-sufficient and self-reliant, as it has everything needed. It is the source of all things because the Source, the Beginning and the End, oversees all. That is why James writes, ‘Every good … Continue reading “I will give you keys to the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” ~ Matthew 16:19 (Keys to the Kingdom)
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the Mountain of God” ~ Exodus 3:1 (The Mountain of God)
When the Flood covered the face of the earth, ‘The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet’ (Genesis 7:20). After 150 days the Flood receded ‘and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to … Continue reading “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the Mountain of God” ~ Exodus 3:1 (The Mountain of God)
“What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance over to them” ~ Numbers 27:3 (Zelophehad’s Daughters: Unlikely Inheritors).
Zelophehad was a man among the people in Israel making his way to the Promised Land. Not much is known about him other than he had seven daughters. But before he could make entrance into the Promised Land and settle in a land that would be allotted to him, he ‘died in the desert . … Continue reading “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance over to them” ~ Numbers 27:3 (Zelophehad’s Daughters: Unlikely Inheritors).
Decoded Word 