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SHORT CUT SAINTSComputers have the provision of shortcut icons which help us reach the desired location bycutting short the usual procedure. These save both time and energy but sometimes it ends upwith some problems.

J. PETER DANIELM.E.,76, LIVING SPRING AVENUE,SANJEEVIPURAM, BAGAYAM

VELLORE 632 002PHONE 0416 2260066

9443800393Email: peterpearline@yahoo.co.in

Website:

mailto:peterpearline@yahoo.co.inmailto:peterpearline@yahoo.co.in

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Recently I drove my car from Tambaram to Egmore in Chennai. On the way there were severalflyovers without proper signboards. I took one flyover andlanded up in another lane which leading to Avadi (in acompletely different direction). It took a few u-turns, sometensed moments and a lot of wasted time amid the confusion toget back to the correct lane.

So too in our spiritual life, we love to take shortcuts toaccomplish certain tasks with our own ways. Sometimes, we doit and then go to God for ratification or end up facing theconsequences. In just a few moments, we end up in the wronglane and start cursing our own actions. .

In the Bible, there are a few examples of those who took shortcuts.

A. Asa the King: 2 Chr 14:2-6Asa was the son of Abijah who ruled Judah for ten years. Asa did what was good and right in theeyes of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacredstones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of theirfathers, and to obey His laws and commands. His nation enjoyed peace without any war as longas he relied on Lord for all his deeds. From 2 Chr 14:12, we see that Asa defeated Ehopian army

by relying on God during that time.In the thirty sixth year of Asas reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortifiedRamah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering Asas territory. The economy came to astandstill and famine crept in due to the siege (2 Chron 16:1-6).

Asa immediately took silver and gold out the treasuries of the Lords temple and of his palace andsent it to Benhadad, king of Aram who sent his army to fight Israel. King Baaha heard of this andreturned to his own country. God sent his seer to warn Asa for relying on the Lords treasure andthe king of Aram to send king Baaha back. He rebuked him for taking a shortcut to complete thetask without getting proper guidance from the Lord.

B. Saul the King: 1 Sam 13:9-12The Israelites cried out before God for a king. God anointed Saul as the king through Samuel theprophet. One day, the Philistines assembled for war on one side while his own men scattered on

the other side due to the late arrival of Samuel to give the burnt offering. Saul was in a hurry toget his people together and send his army to fight the Philistines. He began to play the role of thepriest which was against Gods commandment. Samuel rebuked him and prophesied about theperson who would come after him.

Even in our own lives, let us wait on the Lord, get His guidance and do everything in accordanceto His will. We need not take shortcuts which will be unacceptable to the Lord. Let us always keepin mind that Gods will done in Gods way will never lack Gods resources!

BELIEVER USES A BLINKERA horse rider uses a leather eye-patch sewn to the side of the halter whichprevents a horse from distracted. It helps the rider to guide the horse inaccordance to his will. The leather piece used for this purpose is calledblinker.

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Today, many cult groups / Pastors / so called evangelists use blinkers to prevent the sheep fromgoing away from their folds. Many teachings against marriage propagating celibacy, treat yourspouse as a sister or brother, teachings against sporting a mustache / wearing of jewels /propagating unkempt hair under the pretext of not conforming to the world, prosperity theology blessings, positive confession Humanistic psychology, etc. These trivial matters have becomea leather eye patch blocking our vision to hide the need around us. This attitude may damageour spiritual life and cause us to loose the purpose of being in this world to do Gods will.

Let us see some of the examples who have used the blinker in their eyes.

A. Esther uses a Blinker:Esther was a captive from Jerusalem, living in Persia (India to Ethopia) as a refugee. She wasalso an orphan but God had brought her up through Morcedai her uncle. God lifted her up from asmall place to the kings palace after the ousting of Queen Vaisthi for her disobedience to theking. The blessings of God had become an eye patch and made her unable to see the thingsdistant to her room. She was not aware of things going against her and community even thoughshe was at a strategic point of origin of the law. She was unable to see the happenings insideand outside the palace.

The silence of Esther showed that she was wearing blinkers on her eyes. For removing theblinker, Morecdai had to send a severe warning message regarding the threat to Jews communityby Hammam, prime minister through Hathach. Esther woke up after hearing the strong wordfrom her uncle.

In our life also, we are sleeping or pretending to sleep when the need of the people is brought tous. We are unable to open our eyes to see the things out of our box as God sees.

B Disciple uses a Blinker:Jesus was speaking with a woman about the living water. At the time, disciples had gone toprocure food for Jesus. When they returned back they offered the food. But Jesus said that hehad food which the disciples didnt know. Jesus meant the food means doing the will of God. Hiswill is to preach the Gospel to the world.

The disciples eyes were on the physical food instead of spiritual food which Jesus sawdifferently. After this incidence, Jesus commanded them to open their eyes to see the need inand around the world.

Let us remove the blinker from our eyes and open to see the need in and around the world.Jesus is coming soon. So we need to think about preaching the gospel at every nook and cornerof the world.

Gods Gallery.

India is moving towards economically and technologically at par with the developed countries.The development has increased the lifestyle of citizens. Moreover the financial constrain in thepast has not been faced much by the present day people. But the task oriented work load, fame,self satisfaction and coming up to the top has affectedtheir quiet movement, enjoyment, and rest.

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The same phenomenon has entered into a Christian believers life. This is one of the strategies ofSatan to divert the attention from knowing the ultimate purpose of God in our life in this busyworld. We have to be cautious and swim against this world by utilizing the opportunity to do Hispurpose in this world.

In Bible, God raised a lot of people at the particular situation to accomplish His purpose in thisworld. God raised Ruth, a gentile woman in an appropriate time to bridge the gap in thegenealogy of Jesus Christ. He brought Esther to save His chosen people. The law of storingfood is still alive (food corporation of India) which was imposed by Joseph during the famine inEgypt.

God shapes His people according to His will to do His task in this world. Let us look 2 Tim 2:20-21 to know more about this.

1. Criteria for noble purpose:In 2Tim 2:20, Paul mentions two type of purposes, one is noble and another one is ignoble. Thecriteria for being an instrument for doing noble purpose is that the person has to be Holy andblameless (v.21 Eph. 1:4). Holy is the word which means the internal where God lives in ourheart. The blameless is an external word which resonance the internal holiness to the outsideworld. The world has to give the testimony that the believers are blameless.

We have to flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, alongwith those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Tim 2:22-23

2. Commitment to Masters Noble Purpose:John Mac Arthur in His book Found Gods will - finished by saying that do whatever you like ifyou follow the first five principles. A commitment precedes with the criteria. God has called to doany work. The word any and good are mentioned before the word work. The good work ismentioned about doing His ministry in this world. Jesus fulfilled Gods ministry. In the same waywe have to do in this world. God sent Jesus Christ. In the same way Jesus sends us to this worldto do a global evangelism (Mt. 28:19) and to make a mark in the history.

3. Chose to do His specific noble purpose:A large house is filled with different articles made up of different materials. The value of thematerial depends upon the material used to make it. God also wants to be in the gallery to show

how far we have eagerly sought His will in our life for this world. This will be revealed at last whenwe would stand before his throne.

Let us be ready to fulfill His criteria to take up His purpose, commitment to do His purpose andfind out His specific noble purpose in our life. So that in the final judgment God will make us tostand in the gallery according to our life in this world.

Spectacular Spectators

If a child gazes steadily at an objects an action nor reaction for a long time, the parents begin toworry about the growth of their child. The development of a child is gauged by his/her activities,movements, speech etc. Parents become paranoid if their child prefers to be inactive.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, skipper and wicket keeper of IndiasODI and Twenty20 cricket teams announced that he watchedcricket only for a few moments to see his favorite batsmen suchas Sachin Tendulkar play. He preferred to rather spend most of

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his time on the ground practicing and honing his cricketing skills. A cricketer has to be in thefield playing instead of just watching others play.

Similarly, the growth of the believers depends upon their active participation in building Godskingdom. The silent spectators are the greatest threats to Gods ordained global mission. Godrequires watchmen who are involved actively in His work. He does not need watchers whowonder what is happening. God wants go-er and not a sender. God wants a performer not atalker. God wants an achiever not an assigner. God wants a builder not a dreamer.Let us glance at some salient points of the dangers of being spectators.

Peter sat in the Wrong Place:The fiery speech of Peter in Matt 26:3535 (But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, Iwill never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same) had ended up in him sitting inthe wrong place among the guards at the courtyard and watching Jesus Christ. Though, he didnot dare to go near Jesus he wanted to watch the proceedings.

Many a time, we prefer to sit at a wrong place and watch wrong doings happening around us. Weremain oblivious to the evil and dont to even raise our voice against it let alone fight against it. Inthe Roman Colossuem, people loved to watch the Gladiator games which involved two warriors

fighting one another to death.

Telemachus, the Monk who created History!One day when one such fight was going on, a little monk named Telemachus (whom God hadlead to Rome) could not bear it and ran down from the back of the gallery shouting In the nameof Jesus, Stop! He came to the edge of the arena and jumped in and stood in between gladiatorsrepeating In the name of Jesus, Stop!

The stronger warrior who was about to kill his rival looked atthe Emperor who signaled to kill the monk. Even as the swordpierced him, blood gushed out and he shouted one moretime, In the name of Jesus, Stop! and he died. That was thelast gladiator game which ever took place in Roman history

(January 1, 404 AD). Three days later, the Emperor issued adecree to stop gladiator game forever. One mans actionbrought to an end a horrendous game.

Telemachus created history that day. Let us think about ourlife. Are we sitting and watching or actively participating in theenhancement of Gods kingdom? Let us commit our lives tolet others know that our Savior lives!

A BAD APPLEA team works when the members work with mutual understanding to reach the

earmarked goal. It leads to an upward growth of individuals and theorganization. But if one person has opposed the process then the whole teammoves in a downward trend. This affects growth, unity and team work.

A recent survey explained that one "bad apple" can spread negative behavior likea virus to propel officemates downward or act as ameans of destruction in a good team. Conflict inthe workplace a study conducted by California

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team. Terence Mitchell, co-author a professor of management and organizationsays that the negativity of just one individual is pervasive and destructive and canrapidly spreads. One more research scholar said that the bad apple that spoiledthe barrel and a single "toxic" or negative team member can be the catalyst for agroup's downward spiral

The consequences of a bad apple, negative behaviour are portrayed in the Biblevividly. Let us look at some of the passages to know about our standing.

I. Achan (Josh 7:1-5):The Israelites captured many nations and marched towards Canaan under theleadership of Joshua and with the help of God. When they were on the verge ofgetting into Canaan, they were chased by the small country Ai from the city gateas far as the stone quarries and were struck down on the slopes. Theyeventually lost a lot of soldiers. Joshua was unable to accept the defeat. So, hetore his clothes and fell down at Gods feet to know the reason behind the

Calamities they had faced. God revealed to him that it was due to thedisobedience of one person, Gods presence had departed from the camp.

Joshua tracked down the culprit by screening every clan, down to everyindividual. Finally he found out that Achan the son of Carmi had taken thedevoted things and hidden them in his tent.

Due to one mans mistake, the whole team of soldiers bore the consequences.Let us analyze whether we are on the problem side or in the side of the solution.

II. PeterGal 2:11-13, John21:3:

On two occasions, Peter led others to make a wrong direction. One incident isportrayed in John 21 and is about taking the first step to resort to fishing. Theother apostles joined him and went fishing. God restored him and put him backon track by asking him three different questions, all of them meaning the same.Finally he wept and God was later able to use him mightily.

On another occasion, he simply withdrew from the Gentiles to avoid unnecessaryfriction with circumcised group. Due to this behavior, the Jews and Barnabasfollowed him.Let us analyze and see if we are withdrawing from a team due to peer pressureor because of being unable to cope with the problems. Let us be a partaker ofGods kingdom and also to be part of solution.

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Purge Out.!!!

Regular housekeeping keeps a room clean. Otherwise dust amasses on thesurface of objects. This looks like a thick layer blended with the object. Thecleaning of the heavy grime takes a long time and needless to say, it will belaborious process.

Recently days, I was stuck up with an airlock in the chilled water pipeline duringthe commissioning of a central air conditioning unit. It took a long time to releasethe air to make the system functional. After removing all the air, the unit started to

function satisfactorily.

In our spiritual journey too, a lot of dust such as old incidence, scars, emotionalhurt, bitterness, physical abuse, child abuse etc. piles up. This cripples our mindand thinking. At times it makes us feel low. It comes into our mind often tocommove our day to day activities. The psychologists have named it asdepression. It comes to a believer when the relationship with God soars or while

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preparing the Bible study for others or during a superficial study of the Word ofGod.

The antidote for this is to perform the Purge Out Therapy on a daily basis. Ifnot our lives would be affected seriously. Moreover, it mars the joy of salvation

and feigns the ministry also. As Christian believers, let us use the PurgeTherapy in a habitu to live a happy and joyful life.

A. Purge Out the Old Leaven (I cor. 5:7-8)The old leaven is mentioned as malice and wickedness. It has to be peeled offfrom our lives and be replaced with Sincerity and Truth. The peeling off is not aone day event since we are living in this world. This will make us dirty. It has tobe subbed with new leaven and new wine which God has given us through JesusChrist.

B. Purge Out the Dross (Isa. 1:25)

The dross is the scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals. Theformation of scoria takes place in our relationship with others. E.g slip of tongues,slur, hiding some of things, playing politics, thinking one thing and then givingcontradicting information,.

Sometimes the slag may be an insignificant and an invisible one. To make itconspicuous, it is better to evaluate the days happening before going to bed andwriting down what God has spoken through that circumstance. It helps us to clearour impurity and look ahead for tomorrow.

C. Purge Out the Inmost Being (Prov. 20:30)

People of different faith try to control their physical desires by regular externalself- punishing acts. External beatings cannot purge out the inner parts. HereSolomon instructs to punish the inward part which produces the evil in our life.Dwelling a lot on the self and inmost being makes us to feel hurt or depressed.Thats why Paul said in Gal 2:20 not I but Jesus Christ:

Let us purge out the old leaven dross and inmost being and replace withsincerity, truth with the help of our Lord Saviour Jesus Christ.

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Where We Went Wrong.Let modesty take a back seatsays an advertisement displayed at a textilesshow room. Another ad on T.V. says, Neighbors envy, owners pride. Wesqueeze to please is written above the price list of a juice shop. All these adgimmicks seek to promote their own goods. However they have blasted the basicvalue system in order to selfishly attract the buyers!

The value system in India is slowly declining. People think that education willprovide a value system that would improve the students life. This view of thoughtwent horribly wrong when the child of today started to use the gun to quench hisanger instead of seeking better solutions from the moral values learnt. The

moral class failed to impart the desired value system.

Some people seek values from movies stars. That also has become a mockery.Lets take a flashback to the two prominentstars who frequently visit the jail for theircrime of indulging in terror against humansand animals.

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Some people think that riches and wealth will give them the required valuesystem. The sad stories of the Ambani brothers and theMahajan family reflect the fact that moneycant even solve fights between siblings. Thelatter case saw brother killing brother for the

sake of money. The flow of money can neverincrease the flow of values into a system.

The world evaded from providing the values which man is in need of to have abetter quality of life. When values diminish, man begins to behave like an animal,killing other human beings without knowing the cascading effect on the victimsfamily and the society at large.

Many people have an opinion that the value system has to be embedded into aperson at birth or even before birth which would give a better effect. This theorylies defeated after seeing the news splashed by the media. The value system

has been marred in the birth process itself. The child comes out of the wombcrying and not smiling! The reason behind is that the child has entered into ahopeless and helpless world.

In Ps 51:5, David said, surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my motherconceived me. The root cause for the decay in the value system is the sin whichhas entered into the human race. The value system has showed negativeprogress on the chart due to the sin of man and not because of nature or fate.

The world has allotted a lot of money for safeguarding the value system fordifferent issues such as protection, preservation etc. The way out for the

degrading value system is to follow the Person who has lived in this world withoutany sin, corruption or blemish. That Person has lived in this world already. ThatPerson was testified by the king, high priest and the people as a sinless man.

He said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He followed the rules andregulations by giving the tax to the government and encouraged others to pay thetaxes. He had compassion for the poor, the sick and the outcasts. He had thecourage to touch and heal the leprosy patient which was more than touching aHIV patient today. His values were praised by many stalwarts.

He spoke of Godly values. He practiced those values. On the cross, He died totake away our sin. He was buried and He resurrected on third day and Heascended into heaven. Now, He is with us to help us practice those values whichHe spoke about and followed; the values which the world is still searching for.Jesus will come back again to take all those who have accepted Him as theirLord and Savior.

The demolished value system can be restored by Jesus Christ. If you accept Him

and follow His steps, the world will become in the better place

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LAME DUCK BELIEVERSThe Presidents post is the highest and powerful in America. But during the

elections in 2006, many of the powers of the president Mr.Bush were clipped His power went to democrats who startedcontrolling him. The news papers portrayed him as a lameduck president

The Christian believers also living like this, even though Godhas given them power and authority to exercise them (Lk.9:1-6). In the Bible, Jesus Christ spelled out two wordsrelated to the word lame duck.

1. Fig tree:The fig tree has to produce fruit. It is the indication of its growth. If it is notproducing fruit, then it is waste for the soil and also for the place occupied by it.It is better to throw it and use the place for some other purpose.(Ref Luke 13:6-7), Then He told this parable. A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, andhe went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took

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care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit onthis fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?')

The Christians have to produce fruit by His power so that the world will recognizeus. This will make others to come to Jesus Christ. Let us live up to the

expectation of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ and exercise His power in our life tobear more fruits.

2. White Washed Tomb:Jesus used the word white washed tomb to refer to the Pharisees. They arethe people who never go or allow others to enter in to the kingdom of God. Theiroutside life is decorated but inner heart never matches with that. God hates thepeople with dual personalities.(Ref. Matt 23:27-28) "Woe to you, teachers of thelaw and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which lookbeautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones andeverything unclean. (V.28) In the same way, on the outside you appear to be as

righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.)

Jesus correctly pointed out that they have a name in the society but there is noinner life. They are just like a tomb which has name outside with no life inside.

In our lives, we are teaching, preaching, and training others to come to Christ.We have a name in the Christian circles. Do these activities match with ourinner lives? Do our souls have life revived each day in His presence?. Letus evaluate our lives today in His presence and correct it.

One More YearThe living room is the place where family members gets together to discuss

family as well as contemporary problems and other issues. These discussions

always revolve around either the person who has instigated the problem or

victims involved or about the politicians (who always seem to be a root cause to

many problems!). Most of the time, such discussions (sometimes lead to

arguments too) end up condemning or giving a clean chit the particular person

involved. Invariably, we all love to give our opinion and pass our judgment on

everything that happens around us (irrespective of whether we are involved in it

or not!) This is a regular feature for most of us in our day to day life.

Similarly, the pre New Year week is the time during which the media reviews the

happenings of the past one year. The highs and lows are analyzed and

predictions and trends for the forthcoming year are talked about.

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The last weeks of this year are ending with terrible violence. First was the mind-

blowing terrorist-based assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir

Bhutto. Next was the horrifying episode of school students shooting their own

classmate right inside the school campus as an act of revenge for bullying them.

In another incident in Noida, an engineering college student shot his classmate

who has refused to hang out with him.

After hearing about above happenings, a lot of questions propped up .What

went wrong? Where is the value system? Is it the problem of the media? Is it

the problem of improper upbringing? Is it the problem of urban and rural cultural

division? Is it the problem of minting money?

In Luke 13: 1-5, Jesus read out the news happenings of that day two thousand

years ago. Then He told that the victims were not

greater sinners than those who were living. He

concluded that the people, whether victims or the

unaffected had to repent or they too would perish.

Many times, we compare ourselves with others and

say that we are better than so and so. But God has

warned us not to do so but think and evaluate our

own life in Gods perspective. In the following

verses Jesus narrates a parable.

1. God expects fruit:

A person who had planted a fig tree expected fruits

from it. When it did not give the expected result he

called it as a barren tree. It had no use to either man or to the soil. It onlyoccupied space. It affected the growth of other plants. It sucked the resources of

other trees without much outcome.

The barren spiritual life of a person affects the place where he/she is planted to

be a witness. They will only fill the space without causing much impact in that

area and the purpose of being placed in that area (for instance, our workspot /

place of study) would be defeated.

God expects us to bear fruit which will be everlasting.

2. Man pleads for one more year:

A barren tree is used for firewood and not for any other purpose. In the Biblepassage, the man who had been tending the vineyard requested the owner of the

garden to give a grace period of one more year so that he could try out two

things.

1. Dig around it - To make the water flow through it freely and be

absorbed by the root of the tree. This was to strengthen the

root Eph 3:17

2. Fertilize it. Luke 13:8-9 To protect it from decaying

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3. Man gets one more year:

The owner gave one more year, a last chance for the tree to bear fruit. If the tree

failed then the tree would be cut down.

God has given us one more year (2008) as the extension of His grace. He is

expecting us to bear His fruit for this forth coming year. He is expecting us tobear fruit instead of comparing and condemning others.

Let us take a resolution as a Christian believer to bear more fruits for His glory.

PEACE IN PERPLEXITYSometimes, the meaning of a word becomes applicable only when a contrary situation

happens in an individuals life. The importance of the word democracy was revealedwhen the emergency was imposed in Pakistan (last month). Iraqi people realized thevalue of peace when they lost it during the tyrannical reign of Saddam Hussein in theircountry.

Over the recent days, I have undergone a lot of stress in and out of the workplace andthe ministry. During those times, I studied the book ofPsalms which enabled me to identify with Davids life whichwas studded with several stressful events. The versesbecame more appropriate even though I read the samepassage before and had a great impact on my life.

In the same way, the Christmas has to be seen in the light

of the first Christmas. The celebration of the birth of thePrince of Peace took place in the heavens, synagogues,deserts, hills and plains when there was a lot of pain andgrief each time a babys life was lost to the wicked plans ofKing Herod to destroy the Son of God.

Let us look into the two incidents clearly and then compare them with the birth of JesusChrist.

A. Peace amidst Hopelessness:

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The pregnant woman Mary and Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee toJudea, to Bethlehem to register themselves as per the decree of Caesar Augustus. Inthe olden days, traveling was never easy. It was a cumbersome and painful processwhich was to be endured and not enjoyed. When the couple reached the lodge to settlein for that night, the inn keeper sent them out just as how in India we even refuse to giveplace for a fellow passenger who is sick.

The hope of settling in that night in the inn had gone (Lk.2:7). They did not know whereto go. However, God had arranged a manger for them. The insignificant mangerbecame significant due to the birth of Jesus, the visit of the wise men, the Star which ledthem, the angels and shepherds who came to worship the Savior.

At times, God allows hopeless situations in our life to fulfill His delightful purposes. Themanger proved to be of greater use than the inn.

The indication for the shepherd was very easy as the manger was related to hisprofession.

The star rested on the manager which was easy for the wise man to identify.

The place also big enough for them to accommodate Jesus and the manyvisitors.

Often, we get depressed and sad when things dont go the way we desire them to. Godallows such situations for our own good to make us to understand that Gods peace isunbreakable and unshakeable always!

B. Peace amidst Utter Confusion:

The envious and insecure feelings crippled Herod after the Magi had outwitted him. Heordered the killing of all male babies under the age of two in Bethlehem and its vicinity.The first Christmas had been a bloody event for those who were in Bethlehem. It turnedout to be a time of weeping and mourning in Ramah. No one was able to comfort thebereaved families (Matt 2:16-18). In the midst of these horrific happenings, the Prince ofPeace was born in the manager. The message of Christs birth was proclaimed to theshepherds and to the whole world.

In our life too, we face unacceptable situations such as accidents, natural calamities,terrorism, sudden deaths, disease, illness, poverty, problems at work, unansweredprayers and so on. What will Christmas this year mean to those in such situations? Thecelebration of Christmas will be very difficult just as it was two thousand years ago. Thecelebration of first Christmas was for the celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peaceand not for mourning for the tragedies. .

Very often we dwell in the scars of the past and incidents which cloud out the real peacewhich God wants to give to each one of us. Christmas is not just about thinking of ourbad past. Instead we need to focus on Jesus Christ who has come to this world to givepeace to the world which the world cannot offer.

Let us remember that in this world we will always have trials and tribulations. The goodnews is that even in the midst of perplexity, God will give us His everlasting peacebecause He is the Prince of Peace!

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C(G)RAB CHRISTIANS.?

A child likes to move from one direction to another to grab the things which are

scattered on the floor. The toddlers moves dependupon the attraction of the object. The attraction of onething wanes when the child sees a more attractiveobject. This process goes on and on still the childbecomes tired.

Recently, one of my young friends was part of a teamthat conducted a conference on Radiotherapy. Theyhad designed a logo which portrayed a crab that was partially trapped within anatom. With great curiosity I asked him to decipher its meaning. He explained thatthe crab signified cancer which can spread in all directions and destroy the body.

However the atom symbolized the radiation treatment which was a powerful toolin destroying cancer cells. The logo showed that the battle of the crab and theatom was an ongoing struggle and more and more innovative techniques werebeing developed to the defeat cancer.

Many Christian believers are also like the crab, moving aimlessly in differentdirections for different types of ministry and churches depending upon their likes

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and dislikes. Several crab Christians never prosper and never really allow othersto prosper too.

In our Christian life, God uses each and every one according to our abilities andtalents. As a Christian, we have to find out His will and Purpose for our life and

move towards the goal. Otherwise we too will be like a Crab without any properaim.

Let us refer two passages to understand the clear direction of a Christians life.

I. Focus on Primary Aspect (Acts. 6:1-7)During the apostles period, the Grecian Jews among them complained againstthe Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the dailydistribution of food. These types of complaints and criticism are the part andparcel of the ministry. It is better to use the criticism and complaints as a tool fordevelopment of the ministry instead of going into a depressive mood.

The disciples analyzed the complaints from different angles and brought out abeautiful solution without compromising their stand. They formed a separategroup who were interested in this type of activity. They stuck on to their primefocus of preaching the Word of God. They anchored to the primary aspect oftaking the Gospel to whole world which also lead them to bring the Gospel toIndia.II. Focus on the Vital Aspects:Battery charging is essential for cell phones, laptops and other equipment. Theperformance reveals the level of charging. In the same way, the level of ministrydepends upon the time spent by the Christian in the presence of God.

In Luke 10th chapter, God clearly gives His expectation from the believers. Hesent seventy disciples to go to the nearby village by giving them a list ofinstructions to follow (v.1-12). They went and returned with the joy of seeingdemons submitting to them in Christs name. However Jesus asked them not torejoice about the submissive demons but rejoice for their names were written inHeaven (v.17-20).

In the next verse, He explained the meaning of neighbor with a parable of TheGood Samaritan. He pointed out that we are the neighbors to the person who isin need. The object of the neighbor in the question has been turned to thesubject in the end of the story(v.21-37).

At last verse of the chapter, He demonstrated another significant aspect atLazarus house (n the village of Bethany) where He stayed. At that time Marthawho was busy cooking, expected Jesus to send Mary to help her in the kitchen.In response, Jesus told her that preparing meals or doing many things was notthe vital stuff. The most vital aspect was that Mary had chosen to spend time atthe feet of God.

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Luke 10 starts with the sending of the missionaries and ends with the centraltheme of spending time with God. Without His presence the ministry and ministerare in vain.

Let us focus on our calling and the vital aspect of spending time with God.Thereby we will not end up as C(G)rab Christians

Slur... Slur...

A little baby's language is neither easy to define nor easy

to comprehend. However everyone loves to listen to the joyful gurgles the baby

makes and enjoys its talk thoroughly. Yet the same child-like speech is not

acceptable from us "grown-up children". We need to be responsible for every

word we express. Sometimes we let out words without our control and simply

justify it as the slip of tongue. It shows our inability to control our language.

On 08th August 2006, a one-day cricket match between South Africa and

SriLanka took place at Colombo During the match, Dean Jones, the former

Australia batsman who was on air as a commentator made a casual remark

during the commercial break. The terrorist has taken another wicket. He was

talking about the South African batsman Hashim Amla, a devout

muslim. Unfortunately for Jones it was relayed across the world. Oneworng word terroristmarred his name as well as the core values of the game in

a split second.

On 19th September 2006, Sania Mizra, the Indian tennis superstar said in

Kolkata that she had to assess every word she verbalized. An "if to but" from her

lips could create a national crisis. If a secular person is analyzing every word she

speaks then how much more careful should a spiritual person be!

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In the Bible James 3:1-6 talk about the tongue using three important words.

A. Bit:

A bit is a piece of metal held in a horse's mouth by

the reins and is used to control the horse while riding. For

us human beings, the origin of the word comes from insideour heart (Matt.12:34 35). If our heart is filled with Gods

presence then pure and encouraging words will come out

from our mouths. Let us fill our heart with His word and

speak His words to others. (Col. 3:16).

B. Rudder:

A rudder is just like a steering wheel which guides a vehicle or a ship to the right

direction. It equates with the tongue which leads the whole body. The

spiritual person's life should be controlled and maneuvered by His

Spirit. Isaiah 30:21 says that God guides our way by speaking to us.

Let us listen to His voice and channelize our life according to His

command.

C. Fire:

Just as a small spark destroys the whole forest our tiny tongue can muck

up our life as well as the lives of others. Instead, we need to master and steer

the tongue with the help of filling our heart with the Word of God and His

guidance. If we do the above then our words will be powerful and will bring

transformation in the lives of others.

Let us control and direct our tongue with His help and spread His gospel

across the globe like a wildfire!

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FIVE PRECIOUS STONES

In the 18

th

century, buyer did not have freedom to choose products according totheir desires. They had to abide by the market availability.(Sellers market). In the 19th Century, the situation changed abit in favour of buyers. In the 20th century, the option haswide opened to the need of the buyers. The buyers have alot of choices to make. Due to these recent changes, thebusiness man has found it difficult to penetrate into themarket.

Similarly the 21st century students have varieties of fields, colleges and coursesto select and pursue their career. Moreover the question pattern for theexamination has changed into multiple choice questions from conventional types.

Today, many of them are living in this 21st century with the 18th century outlook.Shalini, a believer from a staunch Christian family secured high percentage in thepre-university exams. She wanted to pursue her career in engineering field,especially in the IIT. She applied only to the IIT and not to any other engineeringcollege or other degree courses. The entrance results were published. She

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failed to get through the exams. Now she can not enter into other engineering ordegree colleges since all of them have closed their admissions.

Like Shalini, many people have damaged their careers due to the wrong teachingof ask in faith, God will give whatever your request by some of the believers.

This type of teaching has no room for God to intervene in our life. If you refer tothe Bible, we can see lot of examples where people kept the options open.

1. David went with an option:David ventured into the battle field with five precious stones instead of one stone,even though God promised him to handover Goliath. For this, we cant brandDavid as a sinner or faithless person.God has promised the victory but He hasnt given a blueprint to fight. David usedthree important Ts Trust, Tools and Training to win the battle. As a believer,follow the footsteps of this great king to face this competitive and contemporaryworld. Let us keep our options open so that God can fulfill His will in our lives.

2 Five wise virgins went with an option:Matt 25:1-13, describes that ten virgins had gone to meet the bridegroom.Among them, five were wise and the other five were foolish. These wise virginskept a jar of oil as an option to rekindle the fire. The bridegroom came and tookthe wise virgins for the wedding banquet. The door was shut for the foolishvirgins.

Let us go with our options open and with a open heart to God our Saviour. Hewill do miraculous things in our lives.

GREAT REWARD

A man strives hard to get a good name or fame. A sportsman likes to win the firstprize. Politicians try to implement the poll promises to get the votes from the

people. The world distributes the cup, medal, rolling shield etc for the highest

achiever.

The reward at first may seem glamorous but it loses its appeal soon. A famous

tennis player once won the Wimbledon tournament. When a journalist asked her

how she felt after her feat, she said, I felt happy but the felicitousness receded

slowly within a span of time. This trend of seeking appreciation has crept into

believers lives too.

In the Bible, we see the paradox in Abrahams life. Abraham won the great battlewith Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him (Gen 14:17). The king of Sodom

tendered a great reward to Abraham. But he turned down and told: "I have

raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and

have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread

or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram

rich.'(Gen 14:22-24). After this incident, God granted two promises in his vision.

(Gen.15:1)

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God is the reward:

God became a reward for Abraham. The creator of this world has

become the great reward for the creatures. Many times, we are exploring for the

appreciation from the world. If it dodges then we will go through depressions or

sleepless nights. Here Abraham declined the goods (Gen.14:21), So Godrendered himself as a reward for him. First of all, we have to disdain the

insignificant worldly rewards. Then God will be our reward. Let us have our

Great Global God (3Gs) as the Great reward in our lives.

God is the shield:

Abraham and 318 trained persons fought with the four kings and the soldiers to

liberate Lot and his family. Abraham won the battle without

any causality because his God was the shield for him. He

never expected his trained man/skill/experience as a shield.

He acknowledged that only the Most High God delivered

the enemies into his hand. (Gen 14:20). In our lives, we

are considering a lot of things like fame, amassing money,

paper publishing as a defending mechanism for us. Let us

depend on God so that He would be our shield.

Let us proclaim that Lord Jehovah is our reward and our shield.

RED CAR(D)PET

The course completion certificate is given to one who has completes the

course successfully. This certificate is a prelude for getting degree certificate.

The childrens promotion depends upon their attendance and performance. The

athlete has to complete his race following all the rules, and then only the result

will be decided. The end result will always be considered after completion of

their course or degree. Etc.,

It is better to finish rather than starting. The statement becomes true to

Golden ball winner and France Captain Zidane. He

started his carrier in street and ended up as a street

fighter before 11 million people watching the FIFA

2006 football Final world cup match. He used his

head to butt the chest of the opponent instead ofbutting the ball. His career ended after the red card

shown by the umpire.

In Bible, we see a lot of people finish their race abruptly. Losing the

focus is the main reason for this. e.g King Solomon. God gave him wisdom and

wealth but he ended his life in worshipping pagan God. King Ahab disobeyed

God by giving freedom to the enemy. King Saul disobeyed and lost his kingdom.

Samson started and ended his life with pagan girl.

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Some finished the race successfully. King David started well. In

between, he missed the path. Yet, he came back and finished his life

successfully. Paul said I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I

have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,

which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- 2 Tim 4:7-8.

John the Baptist started and finished the race successfully.Jesus commanded the disciples to work out the cost before following

Him. He gave the examples of a king and the builder as examples to explain the

project of unfinished task (Luke 14:28-33). In New Testament, Jesus and Paul

used the word finish.

1. Jesus used the word Finish:

Jesus came to this world to finish the work which Father has given John

5:36. In the cross he uttered the word finished. God expected us to complete

the spiritual journey which we have started after accepting Jesus Christ as a

Savior. He has given a command to carry it on to completion till the return of our

Lord (Ph. 1:6). Let us carry his promise and move towards completion.

2. Paul used the word finish: Acts 20:23-24

Many will participate in Marathon race. In the initial stage few will back

out. After an hour most of them will back out. At last only a few will complete

the race. The spiritual race is to complete not for competition.Let us fight the good fight and finish the race (2 Tim 4:7-8) by fixing our

eyes on the author and finisher of life (Heb. 12:1) so that Our Lord will welcomeus with a red carpet to His kingdom.

One man..........

A man has the capability to change the course of action by taking proper or

improper decision. The choices are many in this world but choosing the best

depends upon the individual. A few leaders will take decision after analyzing the

pros and cons. Some will take hastily.

Recently, Skipper Rahul Dravid had been given a chance to take a decision after

winning the toss in Test match against England. He gave a choice of fielding

or batting. He took fielding which led to a great defeat. The decision of one man

affected the team as well as the country.

One man First Man:

The first man in the history made a wrong decision which affected globally. Thefirst deviation of the line will mar the entire picture. In the same way one man

first man Adams mistake affected the beautiful world. Sin entered the world

through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men,

because all sinned Rom 5:12-6:1 Adam brought condemnation, disobedience,

curse and trespass to this world. He has become a pattern for this world.

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If the wrong decision of one man has to be rectified, then, one who is sinless and

able to rescue man from the curse, condemnation and sin has to offer himself.

One man Last man.

God gave a gift of His own son to revert the decision made by Adam. He cameto show His love in this way: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He

removed our iniquity and justified us by shedding His blood on the Cross.

(Without shedding blood, there is no forgiveness). He once again restored this

broken relationship by His death.

The first man Adam brought death by his wrong decision, but Jesus Christ

brought redemption from sin through His resurrection. He made the sinners

righteous and delivered man from death to eternal life. He turned Adams

generation (race) to Gods Race by His death and resurrection.

If we have faith in Him and have been justified, then we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us believe and accept Him, so that we will

have peaceful relationship with God.

9/11 AND 7/7Suicide bombers assassinated Late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, eminent,energetic, enthusiastic leader. After this incident, terroristorganization used the same strategies to destroy thefabric structure of the country. E.g. Suicide bombersattacked twin tower by hijacking the passengers plane on09/11. Suicide bombers attacked underground railwaystation and bus in London on 07/07. Suicide bomberslaunched attack even in Egypt and other countries also.

The world devised so much plans to combatterrorism by waging war and making beautifulstatement like War on terrorism Global

struggles with violence extremism. The endresult is failure. The root cause of terrorism isan individual selfish motive. Terrorists are notborn but their own attitude develops them asone.

Terrorist means fulfilling his own selfish desires,murderer, taking vengeance, and killing. If we

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think in this line, the Bible clearly reveals the character of terrorist in Genesis 4 th

chapter itself. The name of the person is Cain. Cain brings some of the fruits ofthe soil as an offering to the LORD. He keeps the good portion. His brother Abeloffers fat and first portion as an offering. This incident reveals Cain selfishness.The slogan goes on The selfish attitude alienates us from the society. The

disapproval of Cains offering leads him to angry and downcast. Slowly Theanger develops hatred feeling towards his brother.

Selfish attitude and hatred makes him to devise a cunning plan to kill Abel. Hemurdered his brother. The reward for his action is that God made him to bewanderer in all of his life.

Terrorist are not only killing others etc. The Bible says that those who arethinking evil in their heart will come under that category.E.g 1. Anyone, who is angry with his brother, will be subject to judgment.

2. Anyone, who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin.

3. Anyone, who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.4. Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery.The simple and effective antidote for terrorism is the following three verses fromthe Bible.

consider others better than yourselves Phil 2:3

Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hateyou, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, Matt 5:44-45

Jesus said the first commandment 'You shall love the LORD your God with allyour heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' Second is like it: 'Youshall love your neighbor as yourself. Matt 22:38-40

As a glocal youth has a role in this world to combat terrorism by spreading theJesus` message to all the people. I am challenging you to spread the effectiveGods message through out the country and win many to Christ.

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Cricket creeping in....

On 28/11/05, I tuned my television to the Doordarshan channel for news. It was a

disappointment, as the DD channel was telecasting the live cricket match of

South Africa and India. I looked at the bottom of the screen to read the headlines.Nothing was being displayed. I wondered whether

cricket has become more important than whats

happening around the World. Which one has to

come first?

In our personal life, many times important things

have been replaced with unimportant things vice

versa. Satan strategies is to deviate, distract us

from reaching the proper destination. Satan

weapon is same what he had used 2000 years

back, to deviate Jesus Christ from His plan andpurpose. Let us analyse Satans three important

weapons.

I. Useless things become useful things:Satan strategies to convert useless things to be a useful things in believers life.He did the same things to Jesus by requesting Him to convert the stone intobread. Similarly, he distracts us by evoking to accumulate wealth and earn moremoney to maintain the status. It is not wrong to have earthly treasures. These

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treasures should not cloud us to worship the source of all treasures Jesus Christ.Let us store the heavenly treasures of bringing souls to Jesus Christ. RememberJesus word uttered to Peter, Follow me, I will make you fishers of men.

II. Sharp becomes unsharpened:Satan slants the Gods word to use it for his own purpose. He shows the one

side of the Bible verse and hides other verses. He disturbed Jesus by showingthe promise verse and hiding the verse, which Jesus stated to overcome thetemptation.

The strategy of Satan is to give importance to let out our emotions by praise andworship service not for correcting word of God. This type of services hasreplaced the importance to Gods word. People will deluge to the church wherethe pastor is soothing the heart with Gods promise and prosperity messages. Itis better to sharpen our character, life and attitude by His (s)word. Let usremember 2Tim. 3:16,17. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful forteaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man ofGod may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

III. Temporary becomes permanent:Satan exposes temporary things to make us to believe as though it is permanent.

He stimulated Jesus by promising to give the whole world but requested Jesus to

worship him. He uses the weapon by showing the temporary world as a

permanent one. Many times, we give excuse for permanent spiritual things like

prayer meetings, fellowship, venturing for Gods work but we spend the time to

watch the cricket match etc. Let us seek the permanent and eternal things of

obeying his will and doing Gods ministry.

Let us correct our priorities by giving first place to God and His kingdom. IdaScudder said He came to build Gods kingdom not a medical school. Are wewilling to build Gods kingdom in

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GROOMING YOUNGSTERS FOR THE FUTUREGreg Chappel, the coach of team has been quite firm on giving youngsters achance at regular intervals. He said that, resting important players from minortournaments could be considered besides using the rotational policy to groom theyoungsters and make them ready to step in when

key positions become vacant.

"This is one lesson the Australians learnt twodecades back when they had almost all their seniorplayers quitting at the same time. It's much easier fora few youngsters to come into a team of experiencedplayers than all of them coming in together," he said

Great Chappells principles of grooming youngstersor mentoring second line leader to take up positionsof new responsibilities are neither new nor innovative one. This has beenalready revealed in the Old Testament where God trained successive leaders totake up His ministry. Effective training needs the following 3A.

1. Associate:God promised His presence to Joshua to do Himalayans task of taking theIsraelities to Canaan. Leaders have to be with their successors during theirtrials and difficulties. A successful successor develops by the support givenby the trainer. Proper support is not to squeeze them but to comfort,appreciate and encourage them.

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2. Assign:Moses gave Joshua small assignments such as fighting with Amalekites andspying on Canaan. Joshua did the job well.

Assigning work has two important elements authority and responsibility.The successor needs authority to take decision to get the job done.

Moreover the people under the successor will respect to him because of hisauthority. (Num 27:20-21).The responsibility is to complete the assignment within the stipulated

timeframe.3. Anoint:

God anointed Joshua as the successor to Moses before his tenure came toan end. The smooth transfer of leadership did not affect the Israelites. SinceJoshua had been trained earlier, he was able to effectively lead the peoplewith the help of God.

Jesus Christ trained 12 disciples during His period of three years ministry. They

went on to accomplish his ministry to the ends of the earth. We are doing ministryfor many years and even decades. How many student leaders have been sentfrom our home. How many Joshuas have we raised from our colleges?

Let us take this as a challenge and develop leaders in the local level to go untodo the ministry in the Global level.

A PROBLEM FOR GUY?

Sam was studying B.E. Ist year in one of the reputed engineering college. He

was good and meticulous student. One day, his classmate, Geetha showedshinning golden ball to her classmates. He was attracted towards the ball. Hedecided to touch and explore the ball. He made a plan and executed to get it.

The guys are stimulated by sight1. Gals need attention or need to be noticed byguys. This is the common character existing in gals andguys.

The gals can really tempt a guy with what they wear.Prem, a believer was studying Ist year MBBS in one ofthe reputed medical college. He stopped going to EUbible study. He told that the girls are coming in theshots, skirts, sleeveless blouse, tight pants and T-shirts.He ran away from that place to protect his purity just likeJoseph.

The struggle of Mark Student (In his own words) Ishould at a girl in a midriff baring top, a short dress or low-cut shirt. I had findmyself daydreaming about what I had seen. Sometimes those images I tuckedinto my brain led me to masturbate.3The gals are thinking that sexier the dressthe more attention will get. They are wearing different kind of tight T shirt with

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vulgar wordings which shows their belly button, Denim short dress to show theirlegs and uncomfortable to the person wearing and to other person at the sitting

posture.

Seeking attention by sloppy dresses not really good for gals. When dress toimpress guys notice, but when you try to live a life thats honoring to Christ a

whole different set of guys notice. Because they are not looking you up anddown, instead of thinking about you with no clothes on, they are thinking about inwedding dress. Instead of one night of sex, they are thinking about what it wouldbe like to grow old with you. Instead of wondering if you are a cheap date, theywondering if you are gonna be a good mom1.

The sloppy dress has penetrated into EU circle. The EU students parent mayhappy just like Chennai parents2&4 if the dress code implement in EU circle.Bible verse Luke 17:2-3, If anyone is a stumbling block for others should tied astone on him and throw him into the sea. The provoking others to sin leads togreat penalty. 1 Cor 8:11-13So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, isdestroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this wayand wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ

Try to help the guys by dressing modestly. Attract them by your heart not bybody. Make them to be loved not lusted over.

Reference:

1. Whats Wrong in wearing This? Amber Penney2. Ref. sept 4 2005. http://rss.indianinfo.com3. Every Guys struggle LaTonya Taylor4. Students Oppose TN univ ban on mobiles, dress code.

http://rss.indianinfo.com/http://rss.indianinfo.com/

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Gods Brand Ambassadors?

Each individual reflects someone in the world. Small kids

resemble their parents who resemble their own parents.

Students represent their schools / colleges. Employees

represent their companies. The image of parents, schools,

or companies depends on the behaviour of theindividuals.

The 18th Commonwealth Games at Melbourne 2006

commenced on 15 March 2006. The Indian athletes

represented one billion Indians. Before the opening

ceremony, Indians had lost their credibility due to the

misbehaviour of the 35 year old masseur Dewan Nabi

with a Games worker. The shameful behaviour of one player dented the image of

India. Good conduct is more important than winning gold medals.

Believers are to reflect the true God. The world calls us as strangers but Godhas called us to be representatives of Him. Gods name will not be glorified if we

live a careless or worthless life.

God expects our life to be like salt to the society. Matthew 5:13

S A L T Salt has three vital qualities:

1. It Preserves:

A pinch of salt preserves a big quantity of food products. God chooses the little

faith, a small group of 12 disciples, unwise and

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unlearned men, to shake the world. The small group / individuals have a power

to preserve Gods values in this wicked, dying world. But remember, the One

who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world, 1 John 4:4-5, 2 Kings

6:16, 2 Chron. 32:7-8, and Romans 8:31.

2. It Penetrates:

The pinch of salt penetrates into every nook and corner of the food product.Penetration starts, and only then the preservation starts. God called us to

penetrate (go) into this world. A student can study the method of fishing but, to

catch fish, one has to go where the fish live. Penetration means to go inside the

world to preserve the people from destruction by preaching the Gospel.

3. It Performs:

The pinch of salt performs irrespective of season, time (7/24/365) and substance.

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season, 2 Tim 4:2.

Delay in performance will decay the substance. The believers have to work as

Gods representative without any break. A break in Gods ministry will break our

relationship with God. Some people apply for one year sabbatical from ministry

after their marriage. This may lead them away from the ministry for the rest of

their lives.

Let us analyze our life and see if we are Preservers, Penetrators or Performers

just like salt in Gods Kingdom. God calls us to be salt to the earth to bring His

kingdom to earth.

SPIRITUAL MIRAGE...!

Incoming callsfree for lifetime!!, Just pay Rs. 999/- for a brand new cell

phone + free talk time! These catchy advertisements bait the customer easily

with their tempting offers. The advertisers never reveal their hidden agenda

which only benefits them. Advertisements are illusions which trap the unwary

customer into buying their products.A couple of months back, as I was driving my car to Chennai with my family and

my friend Timothy (GYV. Hon. Advisor) I saw a puddle of water on the road at a

distance. I prepared myself mentally to swerve in order avoid the puddle of water.

However, to my real surprise, as I reached the spot, it was just dry road with

absolutely no trace of water! I was simply amazed to see this repeatedly happen

over and over again as we went along. Timothy, who is a physicist, explained

that it was a mirage. A mirage is an optical illusion in which atmospheric

refraction by a layer of hot air distorts or inverts reflections of distant objects. In

short, a mirage is something illusory and unattainable.

Many people are seeking to quench their spiritual thirst (which exists in everyman) by going after the worthless mirages offered by this world. They are

wandering everywhere to find real peace, real joy and real happiness. All they

find is real emptiness. Many a time, they approach Christian believers only to find

out that they are spiritual mirages too! Believers, whose lip and life styles do not

match with their beliefs and faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus branded these people

as white washed tombs whose insides were unholy and dirty.

Let us see Jesus stern reaction to a mirage (illusion) in Matt. 21:19

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Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except

leaves. Then He said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree

withered.

Jesus Expects:

Jesus saw a tree by the road which resembled a fruit bearing tree. When He

went near, He found leaves, branches and roots, but no fruits. Fruits are theevidence of growth of a tree. Jesus expects us to bear fruit and be salt and light

to the world. But as believers we end up being spiritual mirages without light and

saltJesus Rebukes:

A purposeless life is as good as a dead one! Jesus knew that a fruitless tree

only would occupy space being useless to the land and

would stunt the growth of the neighboring trees by taking

up their nutritive food and water. So Jesus rebuked the

tree not to bear fruit. The tree withered.

God has placed us in different places and positions so

that we may be like an oasis in the desert. Let usspread the aroma of Jesus Christ to this world and bring

many people to Christ by our behavior, attitude and actions. Instead of being a

worthless mirage, let us be a life saving oasis to make a real difference in the

lives of the dying people around us.SPIRITUAL PROMINENCE.....?

Every human has a tendency to portray himself different from others. He sparesno effort to stand out amongst his peers. Just as much as a scientist wishes tozoom into fame by getting recognition for his achievements, a journalist toowishes to get all the glory for reporting some fantastic news before anybody else.

The two words, `prominence and `pride are two of Satans sharpest tools usedto destroy the spiritual of a Christian. A few months back Ihappened to be at the sports day of my elder daughters(Praisy Tryphena) school. I was eagerly watching all theevents and was busy looking out for Praisy who wascompeting in two of the races.In due course of time, it was the turn of the preschoolersto race. The first event involved running 25 meters (thatsbecause preschoolers have very short legs!) to pick up a basket and drop twocolourful balls into it before running to the finishing end. The bubblingpreschoolers lined up. The shrill sound of the whistle rang out and the childrenbegan their race. They got of their baskets and put those beautiful balls into thebasket and waited till all had done so. Then they all ran together to the finishline. All the children who ran finished at the same time. The surprised judgescould not decide on the winner. The event was repeated only to get a similarresult. There was no individual winner. The unselfish nature of the innocentchildren left all the parents shell-shocked.

This event echoed me the following verses.

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Matt 18:1-4, tells how spiritual prominence was becoming more prominent whenhis disciples asked Him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesusdidnt give a lecture on maturity or psychological counseling or suggest a courseon personality development as this present generation would have done. InsteadHe called a little child and had him stand among and thought them great lessons

BecomeJesus warned the disciples about having exalted opinions about themselves. Heknew that such an attitude would wreck havoc within the fellowship of thebelievers. The little children did not to be desire prominent. That was why Jesusasked His disciples to become like little children.

Become and behave are two different words. To Behave like children wouldmean to act with immaturity (in a childish manner). Instead to become like littlechildren would mean to put on their character of meekness and humility. Truespiritual humility comes when we realize our inadequacy which leads us todepend more on the Lord than ourselves.God does not want us to strut around like proud peacocks donning our cloaks of

self-righteousness. Jesus showed us the way of humility when He becamenothing, taking the very nature of a servant. As much as He humbled Himself,God exalted Him to the highest position (Phil. 2:5-11). True spiritual humility willresult in the greatest rewards in heaven

Am I proud and arrogant about my spirituality? Let us analyze ourselves andbecame like little children for this is a prerequisite to enter the kingdom ofheaven...

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WHITE ALREADY TO HARVEST

When Nehemiah heard that the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down,he wept and prayed to God earnestly. God opened the way for Nehemiah to go

to Jerusalem. Nehemiah surveyed the city and its wall to know the status beforebuilding it. (Neh 2:13-14).Information is important formissionary work. Jesus Christtaught his disciples to do threeimportant matters before venturinginto the field.

Open your Eyes

Look at the Field

Harvest the YieldA. Open your eyes:

Disciples showed their concern for Jesus by urging Him to eat (Jn.4:32).However, Jesus explained that finishing the work of His Father was His food(John 4:32-35).

The eyes of the disciples were confined to earthly elements - just like foodand other temporary things. But Jesus saw it in Gods perspectives. He directedhis disciples to open their eyes to empathize the heartbeat of God. Theheartbeat of God is Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" (Isa 6:8).Isaiah responded positively. Let us open our inner eyes to see Gods plan for theperishing student community.B. Look at the field:

Secondly Jesus turned the disciples view from physical hunger to spiritual

hunger of the Samaritans by saying, look at the field.If we look around us we can observe that many young students are passing

away without knowing the love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

. Let us go, walk through the length and breadth of the land (Gen 13:17),God will give us this world.C. Harvest the Yield:

The Samaritan womans testimony brought the whole village to Christ. .The village was harvested by one Samaritan woman.

The college campuses and schools arealready white for harvest. God has commanded usto reap the harvest. In Rom 10:14-15, Paul says,How, then, can they call on the one they have notbelieved in? And how can they believe in the one ofwhom they have not heard? And how can they hear

without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they aresent?"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

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Let us move forward as soldiers for Christ to the campuses to reap theharvest of student community.

BATON. Dt. 31:14-23

Tom was an athlete, specialized in relay race. After his studies,he got a job in sportsman quota category in a reputed institution.As a representative, He went for national relay race. The teamname was announced. They took their position. After hearing thewhistle sound, Tom, the starter, ran fast to give baton to his teammember. In the time of transferring, the baton slipped from hishand. The team went out of the race.

Toms mistake made the team to stop from proceeding further. In the same way, theimproper transfer of leadership will affect the institution to move forward to reach thegoal. Gods way of transferring the leadership is described in this passage.

First, God reminds us that the leadership position is temporary. If theleader realizes this, then he will never take pride in his position or achievements.In turn, he will nurture other person to take up his responsibilities.

Secondly, God commissions Joshua who associated with Moses (Josh. 1:1).Joshua was raised and trained by God in all aspects to take up the leadershipposition. E.g Caleb and Joshua gave correct report and entered into Canaan.The second line leadership has to be developed and commissioned by thepresent leader from their own place.

Thirdly, God never changes even the leadership change. His promise never

fails irrespective of person. In Josh 1:5, God said that as I was with Moses, so Iwill be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Gods promise ofpresence is an antidote of fear. God was dealing with Joshua personally as hedealt with Moses. Our God is a personal God.

Finally,God reveals the mind of Israelites. God prepared Joshua by revealingthe situation and nature of the Israelites. The leader should explain the situationand roles and responsibilities to the successor. This will make the successor toprepare to move forward in the time of struggles and hurdles.

Let God gives us His grace to transfer the leadership in a proper orderly manner.

For reflection and discussion:1. If God hadnt transferred the Leadership from Moses to Joshua, what willhappen? In the same way what will happen in our departments andinstitution?

2. Are we delegating our work to our coworker/junior students? If so, are weexplaining the situation and giving the authority and responsibility to completethe work.

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SINGLE MINDOnce the mind has competing bosses, the individual starts to have

arguments with himself about what to concentrate on. In that state it is hard tomuster the single-minded focus needed to make runs consistently atthe highest level. Often the reward is the greatest competition toperformance and when that starts to come first, performance declines.With Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar, two of the greatestsportsmen of the last fifteen years, the body has started coming in theway as well.

Chappell believes that Tendulkar is struggling withhis mind and his body and with conflicting thoughts thatcan therefore arise. If he (Tendulkar) is to return to hisbest then he is going to have to recapture the thinking

process that allowed him to dominate bowlers. Becausehis focus is not clear he often finds himself looking forcheap runs on the leg side early in his innings. Early in hiscareer, when his mind was clearer he would walk in and

meet the ball with the full face of the bat.In our Christian journey also after some time we feel depressed, dejected,

declined and deviated from the first love and zeal for Jesus Christ. This is timefor us to compare our present life with our joy in accepting Saviour as ourpersonal Saviour. Find out whether our focus on Jesus Christ was clouded withwordly things just like cloud blocks the sunshine. Let us focus our life on JesusChrist. Bring our thought life into the right track of pleasing the Lord Saviour

JesusLet us recommit our life for Jesus. Let us do Gods will, Gods ministry

and live Gods pleasing life. Let us focus on God given vision. Let us remindPauls word in Phil.1: 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain..

In this newsletter, we are focusing ICEU year plan and district details. Tryto pray and participate. In last we have mentioned our focus and mission. Let uskeep the focus and mission clear in our mind and move with the help of God toconquer north region.

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LET US.....David Beckman a great soccer missed the simple penalty shot in the

match between France and England. This lead to a great defeat.His son Romeo Beckman cried like anything that became theheadlines in many newspapers. The small issue has become abig issue in England. In our spiritual life journey also the careshould be taken in each and every area. Daily Christian living isvery much needed the one day believer. In Heb 12:1-4 Giveshow to run our spiritual life... In the 4 verses let us phrase hascome three times,LET US THROW OFF A.EVERYTHING HINDERSThe sportsman cannot run with a heavy luggage in his hand. He has to throw off

everything that slow down the race. Spiritual life, let us throw off our ancestor

tradition, culture, caste dowry etc. etc. otherwise it will slow down ourspiritual growth BSin: Burden slow down our speed but sin entanglesfrom the path. It is very much dangerous. In our struggle against sin,Let us resist to the point of shedding our blood (v.4).LET US RUN A With perseverance:The sportsman will get weary and tired dueto the emotional stress. In spiritual journey we will get tired of seeingthe circumstances and situation. At that time consider Jesus Christ who hasendured hardship (V.3,7) and shame with patience for us. B On ourtrack: God has planned for each and every one. It is better to adhereto his plan instead of crossing to others track.(Heb,.

11:40,NIV). LET US FIX The sportsman must focus on the final line.Let us fix our eyes on Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of ourLife. Let us fix our thoughts on Jesus. Let us run our race with apurpose of getting a reward.

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SHED THE SHEATH

Man becomes very stressful when he pushes himself beyond a limit to fulfill theexpectations of the world. It leads him to manipulate, pull others and push himself ourself forward. This type of gimmick will happen when the person wants to show who he

is. In one word, the world calls this as EGO.

The dictionary meaning of ego is An inflated feeling of pride inyour superiority to others and Your consciousness of your ownidentity. Kenneth Blanchard, co-author of The One-MinuteManagersaid I define ego as Edging God Out.

Ego stimulates to live under the constant pressure ofconsciousness of worthiness. This leads to unnecessary stressand strain. Let us look at two needles needed to puncture theego.

A. Humbleness:

It is not like pretending as though we are aught in this world. The hypocritical humility isa mockery of Christian life. Billy Graham said "Nowhere in the Scriptures does this wordcarry with it the idea of being spiritless and timid. It carries the idea of being tamed, likea wild horse that has been brought under control".

The model for humility is described clearly by Graeme. He describes Billy Grahamshumbleness like this: "I was on an elevator with Billy when another man in the elevatorrecognized him. He said, 'You're Billy Graham, aren't you? '"'Yes,' Billy said. "Well,' he

said, 'you are truly a great man.' "Billy immediately responded, 'No, I'm not a great man.I just have a great message." His quick response is due to intimate relationship withGod.

Jesus set aside all His identity as Lord, to identity with us as a human, and took thenature and appearance of a man. (Phil 2:5-11).

B. Self-Perspective:

Man has two problems: One is viewing himself in the elevated position and the second isexpecting others to view him as he views himself. One of my friends pats himself sayingthat he is a good programmer. He feels inferior and he says this often to overcome that.

We have to change our outlook by substituting I with Jesus. Paul in his letter toGalatians 2:20, He engraved like this, Not I but Jesus Christ. Billy Graham said "ifanything has been accomplished through my life, it has been solely God's doing, notmine, and Henot Imust get the credit."

Let us have humility and supplant I with Jesus so that we can shed the ego in ourlives. This is a life time process so exuviate it daily.

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SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE

Every father likes to grant the very best to his children. Be it expensive toys or mouth-wateringchocolates or any special present which costs him. Children too wish to inherit all what the

parents possess. As parents, are we really imparting beautiful and elegant futures to our

children?If we evaluate the state of affairs, we will find that we are rendering them a bleak

future. It means that the next generation is inheriting violence,

environmental pollution, poverty, disasters etc.

In line with this, Kiran Desai named her book as The Inheritance of

Loss. It got the Man Booker Prize 2006. Herextraordinary newnovel manages to explore, with intimacy and insight, justabout every contemporary international issue:

globalization, multiculturalism, economic inequality,fundamentalism and terrorist violence.

If we refer to the Bible (Ps. 33), we see that the inheritance of the believers is different from what

the world inherits. As believers we can expect to inherit three special things from above.

A. Inherit Lords Plan: (v.10)

Just as an architects plan is postulated for constructing a building, an

automobile engineer too needs a plan to assemble a car. In the same way our creator

has a unique design for each one of us. He reveals His excogitate after foiling the plan of the

nations. Many times, our plans crop up from our desires. These have to be extinguished first, for

then only God can reveal His Plan to us.His Plan stands forever. He maneuvers us from the womb to the grave and from the grave

to heaven. In heaven, Jesus promised that He would provide a good place for us (John. 14.

3)

B. Inherit Lords Purpose: (v.10)

A buildings plan reveals its location and dimension. However, it never

unveils the purpose of the building. A plan without purpose is vain. In this verse, The Lord

reveals His Plan knitted with His purpose from His heart.

There are two purposes in an individuals life. One is the general purpose which is

common to all, while the specific purpose may vary from person to person. The general purpose

is to please Him. Each person has to find out his/her specific purpose from God.

Gods purpose is not for one generation only. It has to pass on to successive generations

too. Let us pass on Gods purpose to the next generation!

C. Inherit God is the Lord: (v.12)

Just as an engineer forgets the architect and his plan after constructing the

building, we too tend to forget the Provider of the Plan due to our busy schedule

and even due to our trying to fulfill Gods purpose in our life. These activities and even the

blessings we receive can cloud the Source of the blessings and the Giver of the Plan.

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Let us make God as the most important priority and thus live a more abundant life

as the Lord Jesus promised!

MOMENTARY LAPSES?Several accidents happen due to tiny human errors or split-second lapses on thedrivers part. These lapses often prove to be costly with disastrousconsequences. Momentary lapses also lead to law-breaking.

Along the same lines, the world has gone one step further to consent the lawbreaking by redacting words such as lapses, mistake and so on. A Punjab trialcourt awarded the death sentence to 30 year old Amrit Singh for luring an eightyear old girl and molesting her. On finding her alone he raped her in a field. Shedied due to excessive bleeding. He appealed to the Supreme Court for reducingthe sentence. In a shocking verdict, Indias highest court reduced the sentenceand validated it by stating, The way the girl was raped may have been brutal, butit could have been a momentary lapse on the part of Amrit Singh, seeing a lonelygirl at a secluded place (14 Nov, 2006 0058 hrs IST Times News Network)

The Bible (Psalm 19: 12 & 13) gives us a step by step procedure of what followsmomentary lapses.A. Errors:

The INSAT 4c rocket failed because the propellant regulator in the failedengine had much higher discharge coefficient inits closed condition. The reason for this couldhave been an inadvertent error in manufacturing,

which escaped the subsequent inspection andacceptance test procedures. The error causedthe exchequer 1600 cores of rupees anddamaged the name of the scientist.

In our lives such errors can be avoidedwhen we walk closely with Jesus Christ. TheWord of God warns us when we go in the wrongdirections (v.11). Let us mediate on His word and live according to it.B. Hidden Faults:

Piling up of errors leads to the second step of hidden faults which whensecretly kept inside harden our heart and make it like stone. These hidden faults

pop up now and then to disturb our normal state of life just like the ugly pop-upson the internet..

It is better to allow radiant Gods Word (V.6) to penetrate in our life toremove all our hidden faults.

C. Deliberate Sin:Hidden faults cause a person to deliberately sin and traps him in a

bottomless pit of endless sinning and covering it up by more sins Unless we

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address the grey areas of our life it will be difficult to get out of the bottomless pitof sin. We must openly ask God to intervene and change us completely

Let us pray to the Lord to give us strength to live a life pleasing to Him,the Redeemer and the Rock (v. 20).

Christian IgnoranceThe grown up child shows a little bit of childish character in their behaviour. It takessome times for the adolescents to shake away the infantile character. The parentsdisdain the baby character in striplings because it will affect the development of thechild.

Similarly, the spiritual child tends to follow the former ways which he resolved not to dowhen he accepted Christ. The former ways crab the growth and freedom in Christ. Oneof the students described like this after referring to the verse John 8:32. TheChristians have a lot of freedom when compared to other faiths. Thestatement is almost true. Nevertheless many are not able to enjoy it due to their desireto follow the ancestors tradition, rituals and customs.

Recently the Hollywood Superstar Amitaabh Bacchanforced her daughter in law to marry a Peepal tree atBenaras and a banana tree at Bangalore to overcomeastrologically (mars bearing Manglik as per thehoroscope for removing dhosham) differences withher finance Abhishek bachan.

It penetrates even into Christian believers life by keepingthe dates, seasons, celebrating different type of functionslike installing Main door frame in the constructed building, full term pregnancycelebration, teenage girl attaining puberty, installing green bamboo in front of house tocommence the wedding ceremony etc. in the name of prayer and thanks giving meeting.

Not only that, we use the same type of stuff like banana, cocounut, candle, 14 types ofrice, fruits etc. without knowing the symbolic behind this.

The custom has filtered into Christian faith so that the world is not able to identify trueChristians.

Paul rebuked the Galatians in Gal 4:8-10, formerly, when you did not know God, youwere slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God-orrather are known by God-how is it that you