The Greatest Valentine Day Gift

One fine Valentine morning, many years ago, as I was about to walk out our front door to go to the store to buy the ingredients to make the Valentine cake for my husband,  On my way out, I remembered that I hadn't read my Bible that day. Guilt stricken, I slipped out of my winter boots and put my jacket back in the closet and walked back to my room.

 As I sat on my bed and flipped open my Bible, the familiar verse, John 3:16, well underlined in red ink hit my eyes in a very special way. Countless times I would have read that passage before, but on that Valentine day, it spoke to me with a special effect to give me a deeper understanding of true love.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

No human being could outgive God in love or in gift giving. Dozens of red roses tied up in beautiful ribbons and boxes of chocolates given out in romantic love do not have a chance to compete with God's agape love and His precious gift of His Son. Even though we are unworthy to receive such a valuable unwrapped gift of love, God in His grace had chosen to love us so much that He opted to send His beloved Son to go to the cross so that we could have eternal life. Isn't that amazing or what?

In return, what could I offer Him? Knowing that He wouldn't be much interested in any card I write or the flowers I send, the candle I light or the beautiful cake I make, I decided to offer Him what He loves to get from me.

 Slowly in reverence, I got down on my knees and with closed my eyes, I pledged that I would love my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with all my mind. Because I uttered those words in heartfelt sincerity, it would have sounded so beautiful in God's ears. It was the best gift I could offer in return for His amazing love on that Valentine Morning.

Rahab- In Christ's Genealogy?

Last week, when I started reading the Gospel of Mathews in the Bible I came across the name of Rahab in the first chapter. I may have read this Gospel many a times, but it was the first time I took notice of Rahab's name in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

I knew that Rahab was the prostitute who hid the two Israelite spies in her house in Jericho, and made them escape the king's men. I also knew that as a reward for saving the spies, she and her family were spared from being killed, when the highly fortified walls of Jericho fell down and the Israelites rushed in to kill and destroy the city. I've read all about it in the second chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament.

But now, it does seem to me that Rahab's story didn't begin and end within that single chapter. I see her name re-emerge in the first chapter of the Gospel of Mathews in the New Testament. I couldn't understand how a former prostitute and idol worshipper like Rahab's name be included in the genealogy of Christ Jesus? How could that happen? No human mind could ever think of linking her blood line with that of any royal . For that matter, in the ancestry line of King David and Jesus.

But God did. With Him nothing is impossible. In His great plan, no one is exempt. History would tell that in the story He crafts, He uses paupers, princes, priests, prisoners, prostitutes, fishermen, tax collectors and so forth to fulfill His purpose. He surprises us in His unique ways. He could make a mere shepherd boy with a sling and five smooth stones to bring down a giant like Goliath and later make him a great king of Israel. He also could make Saul, the devout  Jewish rabbi and persecutor of  Christ followers to transform into Paul-the Christ lover, preacher and writer of the most epistles in the New Testament.

Yes, God chose Rahab, when she was living in Jericho as a prostitute and as an idol worshipper. He used her to shelter the Israelite spies in her house and help them to escape from the hands of the king of Jericho. In return for her help, God spared Rahab and her family's life and made them enter the promised land along with the Israelites.

We don't know what made Rahab to choose the profession. The Bible doesn't mention about her family background or her growing up years. We don't know whether poverty, divorce, abuse, or the tradition handed down from her grandma to her mom drove Rahab to become a prostitute.

As I mentioned earlier, we come to know about her in the second chapter of the Book of Joshua in the Bible. By this time, Moses, the Israelites leader is dead and Joshua has become their new leader to lead them to the promised land. Israelites had to cross the Jordan river and take down the fortified city of Jericho to reach the land God had promised them. In order to evaluate the land and strength of the city, Joshua sent two spies to Jericho. To avoid suspicion from the people in city, the two men chose Rahab's house for their visit. However, the king of Jericho had somehow been alerted that two Israelites had entered the city to spy on the land and they're staying in Rahab's place. The king immediately summoned Rahab to handover the two Israelites at her place to him as they were considered to be spies.

Rahab could have easily done that and got on with her business. But she didn't. She put her life at risk to save the two Israelites. She was also wise enough to make a deal with the two spies. She told them that she would help them to escape, but they had to assure her that they would spare her and her family from being killed when the Israelites take over Jericho. Rahab didn't seem to be a prostitute who was keen on making money out of her profession. She was someone who was also interested in knowing what was going around in her country as well as in the nations around.

It was her inquisitive nature that helped her to learn about Israelites and their God. From the mouths of the travelers who came across the Jordan river to visit her house, Rahab had come to know how the God of Israelites had dried up the water of the Red Sea for Israelites to walk through and escape from Egypt. She also had heard of how their God helped them to overthrow the two kings in East of Jordan and completely destroy the place. She knew that at any time these Israelites whom even the courageous men in her country dread, may walk in and take over the entire Jericho for themselves. She knew for well, neither her king's men nor the high and fortified walls of Jericho, nor her gods could protect her and her family from a nation backed by a powerful God.

Probably, Rahab must have been tired of the life she was living in her land and was looking for an escape. So, when the opportunity knocked at her door, she was wise enough to grab it without delay. Thus a verbal agreement was made between her and the two Israelites spies that if she helped the spies to escape from Jericho, they in turn would spare her along with her parents and siblings when the Israelites walk in to fight and take over the city. To identify and spare her household, the spies requested Rahab to tie a scarlet cord in her window and get her entire family to be inside her house at the time of the attack.

As agreed, the Israelites honored the spies' oath and rescued Rahab and family during their attack on Jericho. It might have been painful for Rahab to see her city ruined and her people killed when she left Jericho and joined the Israelites in their journey toward the promised land.

 When Rahab left Jericho, she must have left her past behind and started a new chapter in her life in the promised land. By embracing the God of Israelites and following His ways, she must have found hope and redemption. Gladly Rahab's story didn't start and end within the second chapter of Joshua in the Old Testament. We see her name emerge in the New Testament too.

Do you know that the same Rahab later became the mother- in -law of Ruth, the loving and honorable Ruth for whom an entire book is named after in the Bible. But, wasn't Naomi ...Ruth's mother-in-law? you might ask. Yes, Naomi was Ruth's mother-in-law by her first marriage;Rahab was Ruth's mother-in-law by her second marriage.

In the Book of Ruth, we read that Ruth, a Moabite woman got married to Naomi's son Kilion, a Benjamite in Moab. But he died leaving Ruth childless. When Naomi decided to go back to her land Judah, Ruth was determined to accompany her mother -in -law and take care of her. In the new land, Ruth not only embraces the God Naomi worshipped, but she also get married to Boaz, a relative of Naomi.. Boaz was  found to be a kind and highly respected man in the community. And his mother was none other than Rahab.

No doubt, when Rahab left Jericho, she must have left her past behind and started a new chapter in her life in the promised land. By embracing the God of Israelites and following His ways, she must have found hope and redemption.

In the course of time, she got married to an Israelite named Salmon and gave birth to Boaz. Rahab must have done a great job as a mother in raising a highly respected man like Boaz.
Ruth and Boaz named their son Obed, who became the father of Jesse. David, the shepherd boy who killed the giant like Goliath and later became the King of Israel was the youngest son of Jesse.
Down the royal line of King David, after twenty eight generation came Christ, the King of kings and the Lion of Judah. If you in doubt, check out the first chapter of Mathew to verify the lineage of Jesus Christ.

Yes, God gave a place for Rahab in His story ( history) to play an important role and revealed to the generations to come that He, the Almighty God, the Alpha and Omega is far beyond any barriers. By making His only Son to be born in the blood line of former prostitute, He declared that His ways are far superior and righteous than ours. Prejudice doesn't fit into His equation to thwart His plans. He sees things which we human beings cannot foresee, and incorporate people and events into his plan without the need to ask permission from anyone of us.

Rahab might have been a prostitute and an idol worshipper in the past in Jericho. But she was wise and courageous enough to leave her land and past behind and walk towards the promised land and embrace the worship of true God. The new found life gave her hope to emerge as a good wife, great mother and a great, great grand mother of a great king like David. Rahab's wisdom helped her to spot an opportunity and grab it to help her escape from destruction. God's grace gave her redemption. Rest is history with her name in Jesus' genealogy. Isn't that amazing?***

Christmas-My childhood Memories

 “There is nothing sadder in the world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.” Erma Bombeck.

I grew up in a neighborhood where Christians were in the minority. Yet Christmas brought so much joy not only to us Christians but also to those who lived around us. 

Christmas preparation started early in October at our home, when my mother along with my two older sisters and I went shopping downtown for clothing and cake ingredients. Exchanging gifts at Christmas time was not a custom for us then. However, wearing pretty new clothes to church on Christmas morning, making the traditional Christmas fruit cake, and having a feast-like Christmas lunch with family and neighbors were part of the celebration.

The dark and moist fruit cake my mom made at Christmas was called Rich Cake, because almost all the ingredients that went into the cake were imported from either Britain or Australia and that surely cost a lot of money. Along with 25 freshly laid eggs collected from our chicken coup, large amounts of  imported raisins, currants, cherries, strawberry jam, butter and vanilla went into making this cake. At that time, we didn't have a cake mixer to beat the batter, or a food processor to chop the large amount of dried fruits or even an oven to bake the cake. Yet that didn't stop my mom from making the cake.

Along with my two older sisters, she spent long hours chopping the fruits and soaking them for days in brandy and golden syrup and beating the cake batter in a huge enamel basin with a wooden spoon. She then poured the batter into large baking trays and sent them to the bakery to be baked a month ahead.  Once the cake was brought back from the bakery, no one was allowed to see, touch or taste the cake until the Christmas morning. It was stored securely in barrel-like steel containers away from ants and the family’s sight. As a child, I wasn’t fond of the fruit cake, and so it didn’t bother me much. My favorite was my mom's fluffy raisin and cashew nut cake.

We didn't have Christmas lights blinking on our rooftops or a decorated Christmas tree in our living room. Instead red, yellow and green loops of crepe paper hung across our front porch and living room with clusters of huge colorful balloons pinned at every corner.  From the middle of December, Christmas carolers from our home church as well as from neighboring churches would start marching down our lane with candle lights in one hand and tambourines in the other, making a joyful sound to wake up any dozing soul. Yet, no neighbors complained nor did they throw a stone to show any displeasure. Love and respect for each other gave no ground to feud  over petty things.

On Christmas morning, we would wake up to the sound of firecrackers blasting in our backyard and far across our streets. My ears, in the mean time  would be perked up to hear another kind of sound, the jingling of keys on my father’s almirah (free standing cabinet) in the next room, and for my father's voice calling my name. No sooner did I hear that, I’d jump out of bed and run towards Dad’s room wondering what toy Dad would be holding in his hand this time. As always Dad would  be waiting with a huge smile and a gift in his hand-a beautiful doll in a box, or a winding toy-like monkey beating a drum or a shaggy dog barking , a toy train or a tea cup set . He would also present me with a beautiful taffeta or a frilly lace dress to wear to church that morning.  Since my sisters were old enough then to sew their own clothes, he got mine made at the seamstress' shop in downtown where he worked.

Until we returned from church on Christmas morning, we were not allowed to eat anything. But when we returned, we would find all kinds of Christmas goodies and cakes laid out neatly on plates on the table with bunches of a variety of plantains. Soon, Kaakka, an old Muslim man, who worked at  my father’s office would walk in to help my mom prepare the Christmas lunch. Kaakka resembled the genie poofed out of Aladdin’s lamp, and his broad toothless smile and gentle manners charmed anyone who came  across him.  In no time, he’d get ready to prepare his famous ghee rice and goat curry in two huge barrel like containers over open hearth under at our backyard The aroma of cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and other spices in the curry and rice wafting in the air would soon bring the neighbors around to celebrate the Christmas meal with us. Invitation was not needed for anyone to drop in, and whoever came never left without eating on that day.

Apart from the neighbors, those who usually worked at our yard fixing fences, plucking coconuts from the trees and chopping firewood would also come with their children  to eat and take some food back home. Because of the caste system that prevailed, they didn't sit with us at the table to enjoy the Christmas meal. Instead, they sat under the mango tree at our backyard and ate on huge banana leaves. 

As a child, I couldn't understand why they were not invited indoors or eat with us, but I never questioned.  Probably, my parents feared that if they invited the workers to sit with us and eat, our neighbors, mostly Hindus, would object and would leave without eating. Looking back today, such things look stupid and outrageous. But at that time, no one questioned and no one wanted do anything about it. But I was happy to handout candies, balloons and firecrackers to the children at the end of the meal, while my parents presented  new clothing and money to their parents.

 I may have born in a Buddhist country and grew up in a Hindu neighborhood, but the joy of  Christmas experienced during my childhood was extraordinary.  I didn't have the pleasure of  walking down lighted streets or sitting on Santa's lap to take a photo or have a pile of wrapped up gifts under the Christmas tree, but I had everything what Christmas is all about- love, laughter and sharing.

Pain Could be a Blessing in Disguise

 It was one of those October afternoons in Madurai, South India in 1970’s when the sun was burning bright and wind was nowhere to be seen to blow on the Neem branches to make them sway and wave. Meanwhile, inside the building which was marked “Chemistry Lab,” on the outside door, fifteen women in their late teens with lab coats worn over colorful cotton saris were busy doing experiments at the bench stations or scurrying up and down the room with test tube or a beaker in hand to get the necessary reagent for their experiments. I was one among those final year chemistry major students in the room on that day.

Because our professor Miss.Rhine was away that afternoon, we were at ease to smile and exchange some funnies whenever possible. Always watching the clock on the wall and the supervising TAs walking around the room, we tried to some fun amidst tiring work and pungent smell of chemical fumes coming out of our experiments. Being on our feet and doing experiments all day long had been hard enough, but managing the time to finish the task in hand was a challenge to most of us in the room. Especially, to someone like me, who was slow and a perfectionist.  Time seemed to be running fast , and  It was then I realized I was running short of a reagent.

Quickly grabbing a small measuring jar off the rack, I hurried to the shelf on which stood strong acids and corrosive liquids. Scanning through the printed labels on the brown bottles across the shelf, I quickly spotted Phenol, the reagent I needed for my experiment.  The bottle being full, felt heavy when I took it off the shelf.  In my haste, I overlooked the nature of the liquid and tried to pour it into the narrow mouthed - cylinder from a rather heavy bottle. Result- the corrosive liquid quickly overflowed the cylinder and ran down my left arm within seconds.  At first, it felt like cold smoothy running down my arm; but, within seconds its coolness turned into vengeance and started to scorch my hand with intense pain. I felt as if my whole arm was set on fire and I was about to faint.

Quickly, the cry of those nearby alerted our lecturer and the TA to rush to my side and apply first aid. After my injured arm lavishly powdered down with baking soda like substance, I was rushed to a nearby hospital in a taxi with our college nurse. At the hospital, the wait was long and my pain became intense. Because my case was not life-threatening, the staff at the hospital let me wait till they attended to more serious ones. After sitting an hour or so on the hard wooden bench in the emergency room, I was finally called in to be seen by the doctor. The doctor quickly me a tetanus shot in the other arm and applied my left forearm from elbow to the wrist with a dark purple ointment. Painted in purple, my arm would have looked perfect to wave on a parade, but the scorching pain made me to whimper and groan instead.

Back in my room an hour later, I blurted out in a loud cry.  Far away from home, I longed for my mother’s touch and her gentle strokes on my back at such a time. I also longed for the company of my brothers and sisters, who would have tried to make me laugh and forget my pain by their humor and comical gesture at a time like this. On any other afternoon, especially,  after standing long hours in the laboratory, the gentle breeze coming through my wide open windows on the upper floor would have lulled me to sleep. But, not that afternoon. Utterly feeling alone and homesick, I cried out to the Lord in self-pity.

“ Lord, I’m in terrible pain. My whole arm is burning as if it’s set on fire. Why don’t you do something Lord? Please make the pain go away soon.”  I tried to remind Him of His promises and expected Him to make my pain go away at once.  No miracle took place. The pain remained intense and unbearable.

Then something strange happened. Suddenly my attention turned to the suffering of Jesus Himself on the cross. I began to see the pain He underwent on the cross, with huge iron nails piercing through his palms and feet, and a crown of thorns poking His head all around. What an agony, Jesus must have gone through at that time. In comparison, the pain in my arm was like a pin prick. If the Lord could endure such pain patiently for my sake, what am I wailing about? Why am I making a big fuss over a little pain in the arm. How much more Jesus should have complained of the terrible pain He underwent for you and me? To my surprise, the more I thought about it, the lesser I became aware of the pain in my arm.  In fact, the moment I took my eyes off myself and focused on Jesus, I felt my pain sliding away. Within minutes, the scorching pain left me without a trace.

Truly I couldn’t even believe it at first. But it did happen. The pain that was tormenting me all this time simply vanished. When I shared this experience with someone years later, she thought it might the injection the doctor gave me. I was told the shot the doctor gave me was a tetanus shot and not something for pain.  Even if the doctor had given me a pain killer shot, I doubt whether it would have brought me instant healing like this. We could call it a coincidence, medical intervention or a miracle. I would call it a miracle, for I had never experienced such an instant healing like that ever before or after.

 Yes, God has the power to heal us when we cry to Him in our need. But, His methods differ from time to time. Sometimes He does it miraculously; sometimes through medication and other times through changing our focus, hearts and circumstances.  God has His unique way of answering our prayers.

I also saw this incident as a blessing in disguise. Many in my resident hall, including my juniors, to whom I haven’t even uttered a “hello!” before, came to my aid when I needed to use my injured hand. Because I needed to keep that arm from getting wet to prevent any inflammation, I could only use my right arm. In our college at that time, we didn’t have the luxury of dishwasher or taps in our dining room or kitchen. We had to wash our own plates and tumblers by pumping water from the ground by hand.

So, when the girls in my hall found out about my injury, they offered their hands to help me wash my plate, carry my books, comb my hair, dress up in my sari, and making me comfortable in every way. Not only God enabled my pain to go away, He also opened my eyes to see the love and care of my fellow colleagues-Christians as well as Hindus.

This incident taught me a great lesson which I’ll never forget. When our eyes are on Jesus, our mindset seems to change. When our focus is on others’ needs than on our very own, our problem  seems to matter less.  What a better way to overcome pain and strife?***

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone in the US
Family and friends have flown back home
Mom's chinaware washed, dried and putaway
until the next Thanksgiving celebration at our place
A week had already gone, yet the leftover
turkey and pickled beets and greens are still finding
their way into our lunches somehow these days.
Tempting are still the wrapped up pumpkin cheesecake
and sweet potatoe pies in the fridge
yet, the weight showed on the scale this week
does want to make us to run
to run away from the fridge,
and to run and run around the block non-stop.

Yes, it's great to have Thanksgiving Day every year
And to be with the family and feast to your fill
We do remember to thank God for all His blessings
for the family and friends,good health and jobs we do have.
Now that the Thanksgiving Day is over and the house is gettign back to normal
Do we forget to thank the Lord for our day to day blessings?

No, not at all.
To be alive and to be fed, clothed and sheltered in a safe environment
are something we can never taken for granted
How many who went to sleep last night failed to see this day, we cannot count
The house we live in, the job we do and the love of the family we have are not guaranteed for life
Disasters come, accidents occur, hurricanes and tsunamis shake and sweep away lives without notice
So, what we have now at hand is something we need to be thankful for whether they're big or small
Each day is God given gift and each of us need to be thankful that we are alive and loved and cared.
Let us not wait for another Thanksgiving Day to thank and celebrate
Instead, like the psalmist in the Bible, let us sing and thank the Lord as below.

" It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and sing praises to Your name , O Most High,
To declare Your loving kindness in the mornings
And Your faithfulness every night!" Psalm 92:1

The Book of Revelation-The scroll and the Lamb (Rev:Chapter 5)

In the old testament, we read that an unblemished animal- a lamb, a ram or young bull is offered as a sin offering for the sins of a person or the nation. When the animal is killed, the anointed priest would dip his fingers in the blood of the animal and would sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary at the temple in Jerusalem.

In the New Testament, in John 1: 29, we read that John the Baptist points to Jesus at the Jordan river and telling, " Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

In 1Peter 1:19, apostle Peter writes, " But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

Yes, the precious blood of Christ is shed to redeem the mankind from sin and to reconcile the redeemed with God Almighty, who is holy and righteous. Jesus' last words on the cross was, " It is finished." Yes, no more sacrifice of animal as sin offering is needed at the temple or anywhere. Christ has done it once for all mankind. That is the Good News we are called cherish and share.

Now getting back to our study on the Book of Revelation, we come across a slain Lamb in the 5th chapter of the book. In this chapter,  John sees a scroll in the right hand of the One who sat on the throne sealed with seven seals. And John hears a mighty angel telling in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" At this sounding, John started to weep for he saw no one in heaven nor on earth nor under the earth was worthy enough to break the seals on the scroll or even to look inside it.

Luckily, he was soon comforted by one of the elders saying, " Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

Who is this Lion of Judah? Who is the Root of David? Who else, other than Jesus of Nazareth was called the Son of David or King of the Jews? Yes, it was none other than Jesus Christ, we Christians follow. He is the One, who triumphed over sin was worthy to break the seals of the scroll in heaven.

John then sees a slain Lamb standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four creatures and elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which the scripture interprets as seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. When the Lamb took the scroll from the One who sat on the throne, John sees the four creatures mentioned in the previous chapters as well as the twenty four elders seated on the throne, fall down before the Lamb.

Wow! What a scene! How great and praise worthy the Lamb must have been to receive such a reverent bow. That wasn't all. They began to sing too. Each of them had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang,

" You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
" You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God
and they will reign on the earth."

Then, John heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousands times ten thousands. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain
to receive power and wealth and wisdom
and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"

John heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
" To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!
The four living creatures said, " Amen," and the elders fell down and worshipped. (Rev 5:9-13)

To your benefit and mine, I've tried to post whatever I've studied and gleaned from the first five chapters of the Book of Revelation. By doing so I've tried to spike an interest in you to further delve into the book on your own or with the help of a good Bible commentary or with the support of a Bible study group.

The entire Bible from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation is truly God's revelation of His redemption plan for mankind. God, the Alpha and Omega who is a creator of heaven on earth gifted us with a beautiful world to live in. But by man's choice of disobedience, sin entered the world and suffering and death followed. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we could read about the fall of man. God could have easily given up on the rebellious mankind, but His unconditional love made Him to come up with a redemption plan to bring back the strayed away mankind back to Him.

The Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible could be considered as the final revelation of God's plan of judgement and what is yet to come. That doesn't mean God has completely  stopped revealing His plan to us. No, not at all.  He continues to reveal His love and plan to us, individually and cooperatively through out our lives as long as we keep our eyes focused on Him and our ears attuned to His voice.

I pray that my posting on the first five chapters of the book has been helpful for you to look upon God with absolute reverence and gratitude. I'd very much appreciate if you could be kind enough to leave a comment at the end of your reading. Just a word-thanks, would be sufficient to know that someone has read the post. 

Book of Revelation: Letters to the Churches- contd.( Rev:chapter.3)

Well, in my earler posting, I wrote about what Apostle John was commissioned in his vision to write to the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum and Thyatira, which were in Turkey at that time. In this posting, we are going to learn what Christ asked John to write to the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia and Laudicea. Though all these churches were in existence at that time, what is said to them is applicable to the body of churches even in this twenty-first century. How? Because we do display some of strength and weakness these churches had both as the body of the churches as well as individually. That's why it's crucial we need to give great attention to what the Spirit of God is saying to these churches that we too could repent and retreat to our first love of loving the Lord with our soul, heart and mind and become the true followers of Christ Jesus.

To the Church in Sardis, Christ introduces Himself as the One who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Even though the church is seemed to be alive and reputed in people's eyes, Christ seems to find them fully dead spiritually. His call to them, " Wake Up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die. Remember, what you've received and heard. Obey it and repent!" That's a strong command.
Warnig: If they don't wake up, they'll face God's judgement earlier than they expected. They were told that He'll come as a thief in an unexpected time.
Rewards Promised: To those who had remained alive and faithful( a few among them,) they'll be worthy to walk with the Lord dressed in white.(white reflects righteous and untarnished.) And their names will never be blotted out from the Book of life. The Lord will acknowledge them before His Father and His angels.

Question? How do I see myself spiritually- super spiritual and judgemental, lukewarm or dead?
                 How do others view me outwardly? Active and serving widely in ministies or passive and serving quietly whenever needed.
                How does God see me inwardly? Dead/ alive?
               Whose view should matter the most to me? God's, mine or others?
               Can I count myself among the few whose name will never be blotted out of the Book of life?
              If not, what should I do to be alive and be worthy to be dressed in white and walk with the Lord? Confess, repent ,rejoice and be faithful to the Lord. Simple, but important steps to take. If the journey becomes tough and challenging, you can always rely on the Lord's strength to keep you alive and keep you moving forward.

To the Church of Philadelphia, Christ introduces Himself as the One who is holy and true and who holds the key of David.
Although the Lord sees the church having little strength, He commends them for being obedient to His word , not denying His name and for their endurance during hard times. They were asked to hold onto their faith so that no one could take away their crowns.
Rewards Promised: They will be kept away from the hour of oncoming trial that's going to come.   upon the whole earth. To those who overcomes, he'll be made a  pillar in the temple of God and the Lord will write on him the name of God, the name of the city of God-the new Jerusalem and also His new name.
Question: Would I be found faithful and obedient to the Lord as this church?
                 Have I ever denied the Lord to avoid skeptism, scrutiny or humiliation?
                 Have I ever grieved the Lord knowingly by my choices and actions?
                If so, how do I rectify my faults? Simple- Go before the One who is of unconditional love and uncountable forgiving capability. Bathe His feet with your tears and surrender your weakness and wrongs and ask His guidance and strength for your journey ahead.

To the Church of Laodicea, Christ introduces Himself as Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.
The Lord finds them lukewarm in their devotion. He could have preferred them to be either hot or cold and not to be in between. Such lukewarm condition of the church makes it so distasteful to the Lord that He says that He wants to spit it out of His mouth. Being boastful of its wealth, the church has become overblown in its thinking and complacent in its attitude towards God. However, In God's eyes, they look wretched, poor, blind and naked. What a sad situation to be in, inspite of their wealtlh and status in the world.
Yet, God refuses to give up on them. He wants to refine and heal them and make them walk righteously dressed in white with Him. His voice is heard as echoeing as below:
" Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me."  Rev 3:20

Rewards Promised: To him who overcomes, the Lord will give the right to sit with Him on His throne just as He overcame and sat down with His Father on His throne. What a glorious sitting that could be and what an amazing blessing in store for us, if we are to overcome and stand firm till our last breath!
Question:  How does my spiritual barometer read?-Cold, hot or luke warm? If my passion for Christ has dwindled with time, I need to wake up and rekindle it with spending more time in His presence and less time in being busy with things that are eternally not worthy.

Instead of being a Christian for namesake and attending church for ritual sake, I need to be a true witness for Christ spreading His love and grace wherever I am. To attain such a faith walk, I need to seek God's guidance and strength on a daily basis. Instead of being happy and satisfied with having a ticket to heaven, we need to first learn to live the life on earth with gratitude and God's prospective without giving into complains and grumblings.

Christ has promised us peace and joy amidst any calamity in life and such an abundant life can be attained only when we have an intimate relationship with the Lord. I pray that you and I develop such a devotion and obedience towards  the Lord that we get to sit beside Him on the throne one day in heaven as He had promised in this chapter.