Det Proverbs 2

1.  Loneliness engages the mind.
2. Love covers multitude of sins, and not all sins.
3.  Love endures all things but does not accept all things.
4. Some are stolen after you own them and some before you own them. Both need your watching.
5. Devil tried to steal Joseph's crown before he owns it and he ran from there and secured it. 
6. Fear of the Lord is the password of God's will.
7. Overwhelmed boss takes your explanation as a complaining. 
8. Sheep needs the leader in front of them, and the cattle behind them.
9. Feeling is the fetus of a song. Heart is the womb. Mind is the nurse.
10. Sheep waits crying, coin waits silently, sons should not wait since Father is waiting.
11. Faith can send worship & prayer to Goliath but it cannot go by itself. 
12. When it comes to war, prayerless is counted faithless.
13. Faith will win either prayed or paid. So if you wage war obtain guidance.
14. Word was spoken many times to create many. To revolve continually, earth doesn't need a continuously speaking.
15. Continuity in what you do is actually programming your body. 
16. Clarity in your tasks helps you to keep up your due love with others.
17. A sneaky boss announces your work and never your free time
18. Four wheels of a car often experience rest, and stepney has to be available 24 hours a day.
19. God is nearer to those who pray. And those who don't pray when he is nearer might lose him.
20. Promises are given easily, but they never easily manifest in your life.

det-proverbs.html

Lev. 1:9 Ascending in offering

When you worship, its all about God and not people. Same way when you give a sacrifice, heaven takes it as its all about you and not the victim. Its actually you that supposed to be burn on the altar. No sheep, goat or a cow has born to die. Its only because of you its throat is cut and the whole body is cut into pieces and burnt.

Actual sacrifice that God pleases in, is obedience. This is what we learn from Samuel the prophet. "To obey is better than sacrifice". 1 Sam. 15:22. Hebrew word for the burnt offering is olah. Literally Olah doesnt mean burnt offerings. Its actual sense is "ascending". 

There was a man who said to Jesus that he obeys all commandments from childhood. Mk.10.20. Yes, that pleases God better than any sacrifice. Yet Jesus found that he has been obeying without a sacrificial heart. This man did not understood the element of ascending in sacrifice. He got to sell his riches and give to the poor. Then what? Then what happens is that he will get riches in heaven. His sacrifice will ascend to heaven. Its like water evaporates to sky and takes the same form again. Whatever the riches you give to the poor will ascend to heaven and takes the same form again. You will get the riches in heaven.

Burning a sacrifice on the altar without understanding what is ascending to heaven, doesn't yield fruit.  Though we talked about this rich man here, the word in Lk. 6:38 "Give and it shall be given unto you." is actually spoken to the poor people. Compare this verse with the verse 20 in the same chapter which says, "Blessed are you who are poor..." When he was saying "give.." he was talking to the poor people there.

Luke 21:1-6 What is she that you are mindful of her?

They are rich. They are giving. They are offerings they give. Their richness appears in what they give. A woman came. It seems nothing is in her hand. No bag, no box. Almost sounded empty. She dropped two coins. She also a widow.

"she dropped only two coins?" disciples said to themselves. Jesus said, "she had only two coins". Disciples are watching the same thing that Jesus was watching. They are not watching the same way that Jesus was watching. 

"What is she that our Lord is mindful of her?", disciples thought. They went to Jesus and said, "come Lord. See these valuable stones. How beautiful the temple was built because of the offerings". 

Yes her offering cannot buy a single stone there. Its all because of the big offerings the rich people gave. They know how to buy their credits in the church. 

Jesus said, "yes. Let them build. But it won't stay. The day is coming that each stone will be removed." What is a gift if he did not take it?

Let the disciples mindful of granite, even now. Jesus is mindful of granny. Her husband died but she never chose a way for coins. She brought everything she had. She emptied herself. She emptied and made a way that the Lord would come and fill. She did not use it for a bribe. She love the Lord so she gave ALL that she has. Disciples gave their attention to the temple and she pulled the attention of the Lord of the temple. They said she has nothing but she got every thing that Jesus is mindful of her.

Lev. 1. Burnt Offering in New Testament

When Abel gave his offering God accepted him and then his offering. This tells us that the offering which we bring is not to escape but to show ourselves before the Lord. Its "me" that is important to the Lord than the animal i bring as an offering. It was Abel that God accepted first (Gen. 4:4). How can i compare then the sacrifice in this modern life?

1. If I could have mercy 

Hos. 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice".

Didnt they give tithes? They did. Jesus said to them, "you give a tenth of  your spices- mind, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law- justice, mercy and faithfulness." Matt. 23:23

2. If i could have love

Mk. 12:33 "To love Him with all your heart... to love your neighbor... is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

3. If I could have knowledge of God

(Hos. 6:6."For I desire mercy... and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings")

4. If I could have the obedience

1 Sam. 15:22 “...To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

5. If I could have the faith 

Heb. 11:4, 6. "By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did..." "And without faith it is impossible to please God..."

6. If I could have a broken heart

Ps. 51:16  "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit."

Ps. 32:8 May be it was not your road

In my childhood I have a friend. He is very short. In our school there is a girl. She is very tall. In break time we go to the next street where there is a tamarind tree. His friend would climb up and throw the tamarind. This short guy would stand under the tree and pick them up. The tall girl came and stood beside him. The first one to catch tamarind was this girl because she is taller. She steals that way. This short guy would run after her but she runs faster than him and he could not catch her. 

An another day the same thing happened. This time this short guy said some thing that made her very angry. This time it was her turn to run after him and he got to escape. Being short he cannot run faster but he was brilliant. He chose a road that goes through where there are many trees. They are small trees. The branches block you and you got to bend. My short friend has no need to bend. Just running as faster as he can where as this girl got to bend. She failed to catch him.

It was his disadvantage to be short. When he chose the right path, the same shortness became his advantage. If you know the way you got to go, the same disadvantage that has been troubling you for a long time will become your advantage. You need to chose a right path. How do you know your way to go? The Lord said, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." Ps. 32:8. The Lord knows it. Why dont you ask him today. You will surely reach your destiny.

Voice of the Lord

God's voice was heard by Adam and Eve when they actually disqualified to hear it. It was God's grace even from the time of creation. First he initiates his voice and we need to continue it. Disciples on the way to Emmaus did not expect the voice of the Lord but was talking about him. The Lord himself came there and talked to them. (Lk. 24) He initiates. After a while they wanted to stop but he seems to be walking. Now its their turn to continue the talk. They beseech him to stay with them so he did. 

God talked to Cain when he committed sin. Its possible. It doesn't mean the Lord will continue. If he wants to hear it again, he cannot just wait but he need to learn to beseech. After all that is what he failed in. We are like Cain some times. We need to ask God and wait. Often times we do knock the door of the neighbor and then wait for them. When it comes to God we wait without knocking. Its not right. 

Hagar was in the wilderness with her son. Her son has no food or water. Now she could not see his death. She cried. The angel said that God heard the voice of Ishmael her son. Gen. 21:17. I don't think Ishmael addressed Jehovah while he was crying. Yet God heard his voice. Ishmael was not the son of the covenant but connected to the man with whom was the covenant made. If God can hear the cry of those who are connected to you, how much more he inclines to you to whom the covenant was made?

His voice is for teaching and to discipline us. (Dt. 4:36)
His voice is some times not for the ear but for the eye to see. God said to Elijah that he commanded a widow to feed him. Actually she never heard a voice from the Lord. We could see that it just came to happen. She fed Elijah. 

New Year- Who helps my decisions?

There are many times that i struggled between two years. At the beginning of this year i said to myself that i would not make any mistakes like i did in the last year. Now i stand and look back there are many mistakes i did. Yet now i am here healthy and happy. Its all because in each moment of pressure in the last year, like a rainbow after every rain fall, i could see the hand of the Lord my God. Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save.

There are many that followed the Lord in the bible. But those that made some decisions are highlighted. 

Joshua made a decision that he and his family will serve the Lord alone. Josh. 24:15
David made a decision that he will take care of leading a blameless life. Ps. 101:2
Paul made a decision that he will press on toward the goal.. Phili. 3:14
Peter made a decision that he would not leave the Lord even if others leave. Mt. 26:33

Satan came to both Iscariot and Peter. Peter was addressed by Jesus as Satan. Yet Jesus made him survive because he is a man of decision where as Judas has been an important disciple and never took a loyal decision. Peter could not keep his decision, yet God helped him with it. David could not lead a blameless life but since he took a decision the Lord helped him with it. 

Now, I am taking a decision based not on my ability but on my Lord's faithfulness. He helps me through. Oh I am taking my Savior's hand and stepping into this new year with a complete peace. He is Emmanuel.