kosarajuraj

                                                                    Pic:Tony Evans “Many, LORD, are asking, ‘Who will bring us prosperity?’   Let the light of your face shine on us.  Fill my heart with joy   when their grain and new wine abound.”— Psalm 4:6– Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein quotes: What’s it going to take for people to be happy? We live in a world of smart-phones, the internet, and air-travel – things that our ancestors could not imagine. We have relative abundance and conveniences that kings of the past could only dream of. Our grocery stores are well-stocked and we have indoor plumbing, two things that much of humanity still lives without. But, for most people, that’s not enough: “Many, LORD, are asking, ‘Who will bring us prosperity?’” People want to know, “Who...

There are three kinds of people you will meet in life: (1) The critic. They're the first to point an accusing finger and the last to extend a helping hand. (2) The cautious. When you're in trouble they'll distance you lest they become tainted by your perceived liabilities. These people are not bad, they're just self-serving. Don't put your trust in them. (3) The committed. 'A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.' Recognise such people and build your life around them because they are a gift from God. Beware of those who change their mind about you when your circumstances change. Build your life on those who believe the best about you, and want to bring it out. When we work and worship, we reflect God to our world, and reflect our work in this world back to God. And this means that everything we do matters. Everything we create, the mouths we feed, the sick for whom we care, the environments we clean up, the children we n...

Change is never easy. And it is rarely painless. But it is inevitable. We all go through different times and seasons that require us to change. Some changes we hope for, and other change we reluctantly go through. But often we pray that God would change our situations, rather than praying for a change within ourselves. In May of 2008, Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth lost their five-year-old daughter in an automobile accident. They were deluged by messages of kindness. One in particular gave Steven strength.  It was from a pastor friend who’d lost his son in an auto accident. “Remember, your future with your daughter will be greater than your past with her.” Death seems to take so much. We bury the wedding that never happened, the golden years we never knew. We bury dreams. But in heaven these dreams will come true. Acts 3:21 says that God has promised a “restoration of all things.” All things includes all relationships. Our final home will hear no go...

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. —1 Timothy 2:5 Jesus looked around at the people of Nazareth. There were people of all kinds there. He knew that He had been sent to them all, but He also knew that there were some who would reject Him. He knew there would also be those who would accept Him readily: His people. His people were the poor and oppressed. They were the slaves and the widows and the orphans. They were the outcasts: prostitutes and tax collectors and lepers. In a world where so much value was placed on beauty, His people were the dregs. But he had something to offer them that would make them beautiful. Through His grace, His people would be elevated to the level of angels, and even higher. In God's wisdom, the last-His people-would be first, and the first would be last. Jesus set out, looking to find His people. Are we His people? Do we accept Him, and fashion our life to His will, or do we reject Him, continu...

  We learn some interesting things about this God who created the universe. He is: • Supernatural in nature (as He exists outside of His creation) • Incredibly powerful (to have created all that is known) • Eternal (self-existent, as He exists outside of time and space) • Omnipresent (He created space and is not limited by it) • Timeless and changeless (He created time) • Immaterial (because He transcends space) • Personal (the impersonal can’t create personality) • Necessary (as everything else depends on Him) • Infinite and singular (as you cannot have two infinites) • Diverse yet has unity (as all multiplicity implies a prior singularity) • Intelligent (supremely, to create everything) • Purposeful (as He deliberately created everything) • Moral (no moral law can exist without a lawgiver) • Caring (or no moral laws would have been given) Most people agree that the world cannot last forever. Eventually the hydrogen in the sun will burn ou...

My Brother came to see one of his friends Adhir Patil who was a Maharashtrian and was due to be operated in Hyderabad for a bye pass surgery early next week. They are Microbiologists. At age 42 he is quite young. He has a wife and son who live in Pune and travel every fortnight to see him. My Brother returned from Boston last weekend and is planning to go to his European site at Amsterdam next week. He is an extremely busy person. I hardy ever see him. So we had a small conversation about Adhir. Among the many things that he spoke about his family he feels proud to be from a Maratha clan. He is the descendant of  one of the famous Maratha warriors. They stood for a do or die philosophy of life. They remember the stories of their forefathers and are extremely proud of their achievements. An important thing I remembered is the value that you tend to give to such important occurrences. I grew up as a South Indian Hindu and we were proud to say that our Grandfather was...

"The War on Christmas Wages" by Steve Strang has brought some important viewpoints and I completely agree to what he says:  For instance, you can't say "Merry Christmas" at school or the office anymore, but only "Happy Holidays"; you can't go caroling in public; if you put up a tree for decoration, it must be called a "friendship tree," not a Christmas tree. He reported that Santa Claus was banned from one school in Kansas and that in Plano, Texas, some overzealous school board officials actually told parents they couldn't use red and green to decorate! In contrast, non-Christian holidays such as Hanukkah, Ramadan and Kwanzaa don't face persecution. Can you imagine forcing Jewish people to call the Chanukiah (a menorah-looking 9-candle symbol of the miracle commemorated in Hanukkah) a "holiday candelabra" to avoid offending non-Jews? Through the years, Christians themselves have often downplayed Christmas....

Life is often very trying whether you are a Christian or not. Difficult circumstances fall on the righteous and unrighteous alike. However, the Christian life often adds to our difficulties. We may be discriminated against because of our faith, or our beliefs may eliminate the "easy" ways out of a problem. But Christ does not ask us to suffer anything for Him that He was not willing to suffer for us. Someday we will be rewarded for our diligence and faith. Who is He to you May I ask you a personal question? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? You do? Then may I ask you another question? Is He your Lord? Let’s be more specific. •    Is He Lord of your tongue? •    Is He Lord of your time? •    Is He Lord of your treasure? •    Is He Lord of your talents? •    Is He Lord of your testimony? •    Is He Lord in deed as well as word? Is He truly Lord? Now, don’t...

"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite" - Psalm 147:5 Some years ago a friend of mine was standing on top of a mountain in North Carolina.  The roads in those days were filled with curves, and it was difficult to see very far ahead.  This man saw two cars heading toward each other.  He realized they couldn't see each other.  A third car pulled up and began to pass one of the cars, although there wasn't enough space to see the other car approaching around the bend.  My friend shouted a warning, but the drivers couldn't hear, and there was a fatal crash. This is how God looks upon us in His omniscience.  He sees what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen.  He also sees us when we foolishly think we can get by with breaking His moral laws, or we act out of sinful pride or lust or anger.  Like the  man on that mountain, He shouts His warnings at us---but we are too busy or too stubbo...

The overriding theme of Genesis is God’s eternal existence and His creation of the world. There is no effort on the part of the author to defend the existence of God; he simply states that God is, always was, and always will be, almighty over all. In the same way, we have confidence in the truths of Genesis, despite the claims of those who would deny them. All people, regardless of culture, nationality or language, are accountable to the Creator. But because of sin, introduced into the world at the Fall, we are separated from Him. But through one small nation, Israel, God’s redemptive plan for mankind was revealed and made available to all. We rejoice in that plan. God created the universe, the earth, and every living being. We can trust Him to handle the concerns in our lives. God can take a hopeless situation, e.g. Abraham and Sarah being childless, and do amazing things if we will simply trust and obey. Terrible and unjust things may happen in our lives, as with Joseph, bu...