Seeing new ways
“Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.”
Acts 9:8-9
“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,”
Acts 9:18
Saul (the apostle Paul, before his conversion) was zealous and working hard in his own old ways. When he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was struck down by a light that both opened his eyes and blinded him. This can be a good metaphor for our own crisis moments. In a crisis, we are at once blinded and have our eyes opened to new ways.
When you face difficult situations, you may feel temporarily sightless and lost direction. You don’t know exactly what the next days or months will bring. At the same time, you may also start seeing life in a new light. God can use this time to open your eyes to a new way. When you feel blinded and lost direction, He can give you new insight.
In a times of difficulty, God’s encouragement can often come from other people. After Paul’s life-changing experience on the road to Damascus, Paul went into the city where a man by the name of Ananias came to help him. Ananias prayed that Paul might see again. Following his prayers, Paul was completely restored to health. This story shows that even if your sight is limited, God could send others to you for encouragement and help. Or there could be someone you can reach out to help during these new work situations.
Let God open your eyes to see the new realities of life in your difficult moments this week. May He send you the right help and support and above all give you direction to do things in ways you’ve not done before!
Blessed week!
Joseph, PROFIT Singapore
Slow to Believe
“Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.”
Mark 16:14
The emphasis in Mark 16:9–14 is on the unbelief of the disciples, who were mourning and weeping instead of rejoicing at the good news of the resurrection of Jesus. Though Jesus predicted it several times and taught the disciples about how He would die and be raised again, they couldn’t believe because of the sorrow they experienced.
Jesus prepared them ahead for His death and resurrection. But they simply couldn’t imagine how Jesus’ death fit into God’s purpose and their own expectations. If we do not let go of our human way of viewing the world and see it through the words of Jesus and the scriptures, We cannot see the goodness of the Lord through the world events and the plan of God amidst the unexpected events.
We may have our own assumptions about life, God and our future -which could prevent us from seeing the work of God around us. In times of uncertainty, We need to rely on the scriptures through which the Lord has spoken to us. In times of doubt, there are signs of God’s love, protection, and deliverance around us we can point to. When we continue to believe His words, his signs to us, we ourselves will see the resurrected Saviour and fully embrace Him soon.
What are some of the assumptions you hold about life, God, or your future, that could be keeping you from seeing what Jesus might be up to in your life? Are your difficulties today keeping you from seeing the work of God around your life? The resurrection account shows us that the only way to embrace the risen Jesus is to let go of our normal ways of viewing the world around us. Only then can we open ourselves to the surprising power of God’s love for our world through us.
Blessed week ahead experiencing and showing the resurrected Saviour to the world!
Joseph,
PROFIT Singapore
King on a donkey
“King on a donkey”
“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” Matthew 21:5
In the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we are seeing the paradoxical nature of His kingship. The disciples, for some time then, wanted Jesus to openly declare his kingship. But Jesus was not budging to that. They knew His power, His glory and His ability to perform miracles. They must have thought “Jesus is finally doing something right”. They must be quite thrilled thinking that it was the moment for Jesus to declare His kingship to the world.
But there was a problem: Jesus chose to ride on a donkey. Kings do not come riding on a donkey but servants do. Instead of riding on a warhorse like a victorious king, Jesus rode on a donkey like a servant. Despite being the eternal king, Jesus takes the position of a servant. And He is also vulnerable and defenceless – one who is riding on a donkey could easily be slaughtered. What kind of King is he?
Jesus is saying, “I am the king, but not the kind of king you expect – I am the gentle king, the dying king, the servant king” He is the king that’s higher than the heavens, yet He comes so low to fulfil all the requirements to save us from our sins. “Sin” is like servants putting themselves in the place of a king. For offering Salvation, Jesus the mighty king put himself in a place of a servant.
As the world faces many crisis situations at the moment, we may have our own idea of how God should act in our lives or in the current crisis in the world. Like the disciples, we may expect Jesus to come in His power destroy all the evil and end the crisis in a moment. But God may surprise us and the world by acting in a much different way than we thought. But it’s about His way, His will and His purpose. If we want to accept his kingship, it should be in his terms and not ours. He will not let us and the world have our way, our will or wish.
Surrender to his kingship and His ways today because He is worthy and He is the true deliverer. He will bring about the much needed deliverance in His way and in His time as He knew it fully. He will also turn you into a gentle servant for His kingdom to touch the lives of people around you and bring them under His kingship too!
Blessed week ahead having Jesus as your king and let Him have His way in your life!
Joseph,
PROFIT Singapore
You will Prosper and Abound
And his way will prosper Isaiah 48-15d (NKJV)
Whatever he does will prosper Psalms 1-3 (NIV)
Dear brothers and sisters loving greetings to you. Post pandemic the three cardinal requisites are Health, Wealth and Honor. Other side of the coin is the spiritual requirement (Life after death). This month the Lord laid a burden to share some thoughts on how to be successful in your efforts. I would like to share 3 divine principles with you.
Delight in the word of God: We are living in a world which is tormented by plagues, wars and apathy. Seldom have we got time to spend with the family. I know a family of 4, Dad, Mom, a daughter and son. They have a family WhatApp group to communicate with each other. Do we have time to read Bible or spend some silent moments with God in prayer? Check self! Read Psalms 1-2, But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and meditates day and night. Do we delight in the word of God while reading it? If not just take a decision to read Bible regularly and meditate at least 5 chapters in a day and pray for one hour. Then Bible reading and praying will become a source of Joy and delight. Then what ever you do will be successful.
Obey the Word of God: Often we complain, children do not obey your words. They do what you tell them not to do? Before pointing a finger at them, think how many times you have disobeyed the Word of God. People want to sleep and unwind on a Sunday; Bible says love your enemy, feed him when hungry and pray for him. Have we done in everyday life? Read Genesis 26-1 to 12. There was a famine in the land Isaac dwelt, and he decided to leave to Egypt like his father Abraham. But the Lord told him not to go to Egypt but stay in Gerar. Bible says Isaac stayed in Gerar and obeyed God. Verse 12says Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a 100 fold because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich and wealthy. This is the result of obedience of Isaac .Brothers and sisters, are we obeying the Lord or you are leaning on your own understanding? Obey the Lord, and he will prosper your work.
Favor through your enemy: God can use your enemy to promote you or meet your desire. Isaiah 48 we read about Persian king Cyrus to deliver Judah from Babylon. God laid a thought in the heart of Cyrus to win Babylon and deliver the people of Judah. God used a pagan king or an enemy to deliver his people. Are you facing stumbling blocks or impediments, God will set you free through your enemy. You can do it only when you love the word of God, obey it and be faithful in all your dealing. Then the Lord will make your ways prosper. Let’s seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness then you will succeed always.
God bless you and your family. Eric Sundararaj. New Hope Ministries.
Trust an unknown future to a known God
Many years ago, I was called to the office of the CEO of the company I worked at. He informed me that he would not like for me to continue working with them, after which he asked me to resign. Conversations such as this aren’t typically pleasant, and neither are their outcomes. As someone in HR, I had been on the other side of this conversation many times. Having been at the receiving end this time, I had to take it with equanimity.
I went home and told Nazarene, my wife, about this conversation and its outcome. Naturally, we felt disappointed and forlorn thinking about the future. We happened to be in the midst of shifting houses at that time and needed to clear some items from the old house. We therefore went to the old house later that evening to clean it up.
Lying on the floor in the living room amidst all the dust was half of a poster that I purchased when I started working in the early eighties. Here it is:
Nazarene noticed it and pointed it out to me. We both stood still for a few moments and felt the Lord Himself speak to us. We felt a reassuring calmness and we reaffirmed our Faith in God. Over the years, we’ve grown in our spiritual life. God has been faithful to us despite various troughs and valleys thereafter.
Now, as I reminisce about what happened so long ago, I am awestruck by God’s blessings on me. I superannuated as Director of a Management Training Center, in one of the world largest corporate Group, a few months ago. When many in the world were laid off, I was asked to continue beyond my retirement age, which was an added blessing. We have all enjoyed good health, the love and affection of family and friends and the opportunity to work, contribute and make a difference. I am living a future that was unknown to me so many years ago and it is all because of God’s grace.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
We wish you good health, peace and happiness for 2022 and leave this assurance
“ Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a Known God.”
Written by : Emmanuel David is a Corporate Executive Coach, Influencer and Strategic Leader in many MNCs and has impacted many executives in large corporations. He can be contacted @ Linkedin : linkedin.com/in/emmanueldavid & Email : emmydavid@gmail.com