inkhorn

So faith is the evidence of things not seen, the hope of things to come. Yet, I find that I am struggling to have faith, and believe in God. I know that He will bring what He has promised, to pass. But my fear is that I wouldn’t like it, or it wouldn’t be as good as I expect. My mind tells me one thing, and my heart tells me something else. Each day is a tussle, though some days are better than others. The thing is – I will obey Him. That’s the bottom line. But my fear is that I will end up enduring what He gives, rather than enjoying! Strangely enough (or not), all my life, I’ve never been given anything (by Him) that I had to endure. When I’ve obeyed His will, I’ve received the absolute best – not immediately or in the way I expected, but better! So why, on the basis of all that I’ve experienced, do I doubt now? Why is my faith so fleeting and ephemeral? Abraham believed, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Believing, which would include an element of trusting, is the ...

My little boat just got rocked today. Rough seas ahead, methinks. Here I was, merrily sailing along, and this squall hit me. It’s hard to trust and have faith when I’m quaking inwardly! I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a coward. Well, I knew that already, given my penchant for turning tail and running when faced with a barking canine! But I’m scared. And I feel so lonely. Elijah must have felt the same. I mean, this man had just had the most amazing mountaintop experience – then he hit the ground with a vengeance! Frustrated at his countrymen’s tendency to sit on the fence, threatened by a psychotic, power-crazy queen, no wonder he said, enough is enough! God’s answer was to give him a hot meal and nice long nap! There’s a thought. As someone said, “How many problems are solved by a good night’s sleep!” But I digress. Elijah had an interesting conversation with God. He explained his position ( I have been very zealous for the Lord…the children of Israel have forsaken Your cov...

One thing about Roman roads – most sections of them are extraordinarily, ruler-straight! I mean, those Romans had a single-track mind (and I mean literally!). If they needed to get from Point A to Point B – they’d map out the straightest, most direct route and then build it. Quite focused really – if a river lay in the path of the road, a bridge would be built across it; if a mountain came in the way, either a tunnel would be dug out, or the road would go straight on – uphill and then down the other side! God has a route planned for me. He says, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” * So, I can rest assured it’s a straight road, as well! One of the recurring themes God uses, to describe “impossible-to-possible” situations, is of the crooked places being made straight (Isaiah 40:4). Those old Romans had the right idea! God loves straight roads – no short cuts, no detours, n...

“God’s ways seem dark, But soon or late, They touch the shining Hills of day.” - J. G. Whittier Why? Why do certain things happen? Why is there so much injustice in this world? Why does tragedy hit some families, while others seem to have more than their share of good things? At different points in my life I have faced situations, wherein my trust in God’s unfailing justice, was shaken. One time, I remember feeling pain and a sort of blank amazement, as blow upon blow, fell. I couldn’t comprehend why God would allow such things to happen. His reply to my incoherent query was, “…do not sorrow for the joy of the Lord is your strength…be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved…” * At other times, I compared my life to others and asked Him, why. His response was similar to Aslan’s – “It is not your story to know.” I do not claim that I have understood His ways. One thing, however, I do know – I lay my “whys” Before Your Cross In worship kneeling, My mind too numb ...

A while back, I was looking at pictures of a potter making clay jars. The entire jar-making process is truly fascinating - the way a lump of clay is spun around on a crazily, careening wheel till it transforms into a beautifully shaped pot. Several times, the clay would be half-shaped, and then suddenly collapse, unable to bear the pressure. But faithfully the potter would gently prod and push till it was able to stand up again. One thing that struck me was that the wheel never stops spinning until the jar is completely ready to be used. And, the most important fact, the potter’s hands never leave the clay. My life seems like that – spinning out of control, with me, falling down painfully and learning lessons the hard way, unable to bear the load. But it is, especially, in times like these, that my Potter’s hands are always around me. And He will never leave me. Jeremiah 18: 6 “…says the Lord ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand’…”

A missionary and his wife were returning after nearly 50 years on the mission field. They had toiled and lived – far away from all they held dear, away from the basic conveniences of life – in a place where every day brought new challenges and a hand-to-mouth existence, shadowed by the knowledge that that could be their last day on earth. But God had been faithful throughout those years and they had never had any cause to complain. They had witnessed miracles and seen lives transformed. They were now returning with the quiet assurance that God had used them for the furtherance of His kingdom. As the ship approached the docks, people on board began lining themselves up on the decks, eagerly waiting to catch their first glimpse of land and beloved faces. The old missionary and his wife were also there – they were, after all, coming back after 50 years! As the ship drew close, they noticed huge banners and hoardings festooning the pier. Most of them had the same message – “WELCOME B...

Ever wonder why Jesus applauded the man who built his house on the rock? (Yeah because it didn’t collapse like the other sandy one!) Bear with me as I muddle my way through this thought… One thing that Jesus doesn’t seem to question, is the appalling number of natural disasters that hit the poor man’s house! “…the rain descended, the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house…” A telling statement that. As a Christian the one thing we can confidently expect is “trials and tribulation”! Daunting and a tad depressing. But the rest of that verse is the end of the matter, so to speak. “…(the) house…did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”

Isaiah 25:9 “Behold this is our God; We have waited for Him and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Waiting is a part of every Christian’s life. The knowledge that at the end of the wait there is redemption, and hope in that redemption, is what gives us the grace to wait. The verse goes a step further and says that we will rejoice and be glad in the midst of waiting – not just at the end of the wait. Isaiah 30:12 “You despise this word and trust in oppression and perversity and rely on them.” The evidence of problems and hardship seem to be more true and real than the Word. The Word says that God blesses those who trust in Him and wait for Him. But that seems to last forever - the waiting I mean - and nothing seems to happen. On the other hand when things go wrong, those circumstances seem more real than God’s promises. Isaiah 30:15,16 “In returning and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and confidence sh...

Hi Andrew, I’ve been learning the lesson of faith these past couple of days. I’ll just put down all that I’ve learnt and what has hit me anew… Faith is different from belief. Faith is an action. Jesus says in Matthew that when we have faith as small as a mustard seed, it can move mountains. Faith doesn’t automatically come to us when we accept Jesus into our lives. We have to take the action of planting our faith (seed) and then it grows. Faith cannot be big enough to move a mountain at the seed stage; but when it grows into a tree, it can move anything. So faith has to be nurtured and grown. Which basically means that I should take it one step at a time. Not try to have faith for really big, seemingly impossible problems, immediately. But have faith in the small things, and eventually I will have faith for the big things. God doesn’t expect me to have full-grown tree-sized faith instantly. The story of the Roman centurion, who had faith in Jesus’ power to heal his servant, taugh...

So what does a spy do? To my (frankly Alistair-Maclean-James-Bond-ish) knowledge, a spy is a person who gathers facts and useful information regarding an enemy and reports it to his superiors. So going by that, the spies Moses sent, did a pretty good job. They were asked to gather specifics – which they did. In truth, they went a step further and brought along some fruity proof as well! Speaks a lot for their initiative. Listen to their report – “…the land…truly flows with milk and honey…the people are strong; the cities are fortified and very large…the Amalekites dwell in the…South; the Hittites, the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” Top marks on the spying job wouldn’t you say? They had their facts straight and were logical, reasonable and rational. However, Caleb’s impassioned appeal to go up at once and take possession of the land was met with a lukewarm response. Logic and cold, hard reas...