Passing on the inheritance...

What do you think are the best gifts parents could give their children? Of course, as every parent would know, it is a good education (not a pressurizing one) and quality time spent with them...And there is one more thing which is the responsibility of every Christian parent to give their children as inheritance...that is, teaching them the fear of the Lord.

For we may not understand now, how the fear of the Lord would help them in every walk of their life, from childhood through their adult years...It is exactly what King Abhijah gave his son Asa, and Asa to his son Jehoshapat.

Here is the account of these 3 kings

2 Chronicles 13:17,18,21 (New American Standard Bible)

17a.Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter...18b....and the sons of Judah conquered because they trusted in the LORD, the God of their fathers. 21... Abijah became powerful.

2 Chronicles 14:1b-2, 19 (New International Version)

1b...Asa his (Abhijah's) son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years. 2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

2 Chronicles 17:1,3-4 (New International Version)

1.Jehoshaphat his (Asa's) son succeeded him as king and strengthened himself against Israel.3 The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals 4 but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel.5 The LORD established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor.

From the accounts of these kings, we see how the fear of the Lord was passed on as inheritance from Abhijah to Jehoshapat and the result ...Glorious!

Christ to me...

Facing life's challenges and disappointments time and again, we may feel emotionally weak and may not have the energy to try again. We will feel that we have come back to square one, where everything looks like we need to start all over again. Competition and challenges at work and life may look too big for us many a time. Though we know inwardly that we are God's children and God is on our side to help us, the current pressures of life may seem too much to bear.

While facing such challenges in life, I read a scripture (from the Bible) during my daily devotion, which not only gave me an inner strength (not an emotional lift) but also a strong determination to persevere...

1 Corinthians 1:24 (New International Version)

but to those whom God has called... Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

When Christ is for me the power of God and the wisdom of God, then surely there is no challenge or pressure in life which I cannot face through Him...

Faith-Less

Exodus 15:23-24 (New International Version)

23.When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah. 24.So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"

The Israelites had a spectacular experience of the way God worked in their lives. They saw how God's hand delivered them out of Egypt, allowing them to walk through the Red sea bed while the pursuing Pharaoh and His soldiers were drowned in the sea. Their hearts were excited as they celebrated the greatness of the Lord with singing, dancing and moving forward in their journey. But suddenly they were in the middle of the wilderness without proper water to drink and they start grumbling. How quick it was for the people of Israel to forget the way God worked for them and turn to grumbling?

It looks that the people of Israel were impatient, quick-tempered and faithless not to trust God for their provision. The same God who was able to divide the Red Sea wouldn't He provide them water to drink? Of course He would...But their faith was short-lived. So is ours...Many times we are so excited when God works something in favor of us. But when other trial comes around the corner, we grumble instead of trusting His faithfulness.

Let us never grumble in times of waiting or trial. Let us learn to trust God for He who sees us is a faithful one...

Like Ruth

Ruth 4:15 (New International Version)

For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons,

This is the statement the Israelite women make to Naomi about Ruth at the close of the story. Wow! What a testimony of Ruth we see from the mouth of the Israelite women. We all know that Ruth stands as a wonderful example in the Bible because of her devotion to her mother-in-law. We still see an enthralling testimony of Ruth, a Moabite, coming forth from the mouths of Israelite women. And this exaltation about Ruth is something marvelous. For bible commentary says, that for a woman to have seven sons is a symbol of completeness of God's blessings. And Ruth's presence in Naomi's life is regarded higher than that.

How much more we who are called by His name stand as a testimony before others? Do people in the world exclaim the same kind of expression about us? We who are called Christians or believers ought to stand as a powerful testimony through our life and the character we display...only then we will glorify God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

The danger of complacency

Many times there is always a risk among believers who would have walked with the Lord for long years to get into a stage of complacency. This stage does not help them know that they have come a long way being self satisfied and independent (sometimes proud and arrogant of their spiritual accomplishments). They forget the truth they need the grace not only to be saved but also to sustain them in their spiritual journey. During such times their spiritual walk may slow down without their own knowledge.

But our Lord who is rich in His grace and mercy tarries for such children of His, until they come into realization of their complacency. That is why the Word of the Lord clearly explains

Ephesians 2:4-7 (New International Version)

4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved...7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

When God made us alive in Christ while we were still sinners, how much more after having come to Him? He shows the richness of His grace by pulling us out of our complacency, thus helping us to walk our spiritual journey by grace alone...

When doing His will...

There are times when we would have done something believing it to be God's will and face negative outcomes instead of positive results. Those times we may even wonder why did we have to face such negative results in spite of doing God's will.

God asks Moses to go to Pharaoh and instruct him to let the people of Israel go. But when Pharaoh hears this for the first time, he gets very angry and imposes more burden on the tasks that people of Israel do. When Moses hears this news, he implores with the Lord his burdened heart.

Exodus 5:22-23 (New International Version)

Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

Thinking in human ways Moses expected that doing God's will would yield positive outcome. He was not able to see that God has His own way of fulfilling His plan. It look a long time for Moses to understand that the plans and purposes of God cannot be thwarted.

So it is in our case many times. We do not understand that God has His own way of fulfilling His promises in our lives. And He does that in His own terms and ways and not ours...

God's silence

Isaiah 18:4 (New International Version)

This is what the LORD says to me:

"I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place"

There are times when God chooses to remain quiet says author Mrs.Charles.E.Cowman. This does not mean that the Lord is passive about the complaints and situation of His people, but has a definite purpose to accomplish. We see that even in the story of the Exodus. The people of Israel suffered at the hands of Pharoah for almost close to 400 years. When we read that passage a question arises in the heart of the reader why did the Lord not intervene for so long years?

Exodus 2:23-25 (New International Version)

23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

The Word of God says that 'God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them'. Rev.Selwyn Hughes says that "this doesn't mean that God did not notice them before or were less concerned about them." This passage signifies that it was the time God chose to intervene. God had a plan and purpose for His chosen people. And in appropriate time He delivered them at the hand of Moses.

In the same way, God sometimes chooses to remain silent to accomplish His purposes and plan in our lives.We should never mistake that as passivity or lack of concern.His plan and purposes for us is always perfect.