To be a light in a Dark World

Being a light in the world is not just about doing good deeds but also about reflecting on Christ’s teachings of kindness and compassion. Every small act of kindness can have a ripple effect on others, positively impacting their lives and inspiring them to do the same. Whether it’s standing up for others, helping them with their problems and difficulties or just by distinguishing yourself from everyone else around you. These acts of kindness can make a difference in someone’s day. By being a light in the world, we can spread positivity and love, making the world a better place for all

Johan Elijah Justin

.

A LIGHT IN THE WORLD

Jesus Christ teachings in the Bible shows the compassion, generosity and empathy towards others. The teachings of Jesus inspired many people to practice kindness in their life. Jesus teaches compassion through his parables such as the good Samaritan where a person helped a wounded stranger. Jesus emphasizes the importance of mercy and compassion no matter the social or cultural differences.

Jesus preached about showing love and forgiveness to everyone, He encouraged them to love their neighbours as themselves. Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick and taught us to help those in need without expecting anything in return.

Another teaching of Jesus was humility. He washed disciples feet and taught us the importance of service and to consider ourselves as servants rather than seeking high positions or statues. The teachings of Jesus Christ regarding kindness, continues to spread across cultures and generations. They serve as guiding light, inspiring countless people to practice kindness in their interactions with others.

In essence, kindness serves as a practical manifestation of the virtues taught by Jesus Christ creating a positive impact on individuals and communities by promoting compassion, love, forgiveness, generosity, humility and service.

Concepts such as the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you” highlights the importance of treating others with kindness and empathy. In conclusion, Jesus teachings emphasize a true inspiration for others to become a better person.

Jovina Saiju

BEING A LIGHT TO THE WORLD

As we Christians, it’s our duty from the heavenly Father to shine light out bright for the world. When we speak about giving light to those around us, it is one of the great gospel images of discipleship; it’s a great replica of showing that Christ is in us. As we are made in His own image, and thus we behave and act like Him.

In order to be a light to the world, it can be done by doing and saying what the Messiah did. Such as sharing the gospel to those who are unaware about Jesus, or performing tiny acts of kindness such as forgiving, being patient and kind, which will eventually be passed on to everyone around the world.

As stated in Matthew 5:16 our light is not meant to be kept hidden, it is suppose to shine in front of the whole world, displaying the skills and image that Christ had in him. Even through the darkest times, you light must shine, as it should be an encouragement that showcases that Christ performs in us, even in our most upset times.

Having excellent faith also works well, as these characteristics are noticed by the outer world, that when they see our acts, they should see Christ in us, and start acting the same so that they, too, might become a light to the world.
When we compare ourselves to Jesus, he is also a light for us, as he was the only way that led us to the heavenly Father, thus just like him, it’s also our responsibility to use our light ad bring many towards his kingdom.

Christy Boby 

JESUS is my SUPER HERO

Though like batman Jesus does not get along with the devil because he hurts us quite a lot, Jesus won a special battle, He died, rose again and won the final victory. It’s our gain and devil’s loss.

Jesus is our superhero, He helps us out in every ways. He lives inside of us through His spirit. We should love Him because He died for us.

My hero is Jesus Christ and there is only one person who could be my hero. My hero is Lord and savior Jesus Christ. There is not and will never be a better hero than Jesus Christ, as He died for me… and I have no one to thank more.

God made all things and He loves everyone so much, God is so good and He helps us in every way. He gives us the opportunity to go to heaven through Jesus Christ. He gave us the bible to learn more about Him.

I love my Jesus!

by: Daivik Menon – Class 5

Behold I Come

A human takes birth, passes through various phases through infanthood, toddler, teenage hood, adulthood and elderly hood and it becomes into a sort of going with the tides of cares of this life. It’s too easy to go with that flow and not pause to think or retrospect or regarding what is really reality and what isn’t. It is way too easy to expect a sort of eternity within the seams of routine, within eat, sleep, work, study, socially interact and repeat and within such a life we have made our lives easier through preplanning them all out.

And it’s often too easy to spiritually sleep, while finding a form of constancy and security on different temporary things in life, be it financially, or in the form of family or parents or well the options are endless.

It is way too easy for us to repeat the sins which had been repeated in the past by Israelites in the times where prophet Jeremiah was around. In Jeremiah 2:23 we find the Israelites being pointed out for two sins;
One, forgetting that the real form of constancy and eternity is to do with God and
Two- finding a form of security in reservoirs of things in life even if they were just broken cisterns at the end of the day.

Since we all are surrounded by culture and environment which is set in stone to play out according to the world system of the prince of the air, it’s even more easier to be spiritually blinded and asleep.

Sometimes it’s when we have certain crisis, breakdowns, like a health issue or job loss or loss of loved ones, finally we may have a break from this stream of eternal seeming cares of life and that’s when we really see how much of our security and belief of constancy and reassurance was put in a temporary element.

In such moments we often would find difficult to accept the reality as it is since we have been putting our assurance in a broken cistern and it take so much energy to get out of the status quo to notice that is broken. Perhaps in the past the well might have been working but not anymore.

This is a major significant reason why we could comfort ourselves in preparing to be present in the fullest form of the kingdom of God during Jesus Christ’s 2nd coming. Because during this period we can totally expect a constancy and security from the presence of the fount of living waters – God. And hence the verse below gains much meaning because the main source of pain is via expecting a constancy from a temporary aspect of life.

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold , the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4

The second coming of Jesus isn’t given any specific time and this indeed is still an unanswered question among many who are unaware of the Biblical context.

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2)

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” (2 Peter 3:9-10)

God’s immense form of longsuffering ought to be held in wonder and awe. But also in my opinion there is a reason why the timing is not said. It is just so that we would be prepared for the coming of the Lord anytime so that we would be diligent in any blessing that God has given to us steadfastly.

Consider this parable which Jesus said.
“Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make a ruler of his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming’. And begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,

The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware…”
(Luke 12:42-43, 12:45)

One would be able to decipher out that the faithful servant believed his master’s return was imminent while the evil servant has given room to complacency in his heart which leads him to becoming unfaithful in his work.

May each one of us be sober and build our relationship with Christ, the way , the truth, the life, to examine our paths we walk in – whether we have given room to complacency of keeping things for tomorrow or whether we have given Christ to dwell in our heart in every aspect of life.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and let Him act

As I begin to pen this down, I thank God for his grace and providence he has showered on me in all things specially to have the chance to learn His word.

What I have received from the Lord, I would like to share with you my dear ones.

Proverbs 3:5-6 reads;

“5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths.”

Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived! Solomon with the wisdom and understanding that is many folds above ordinary men, here in verse 5, asks two questions;

1.“Why do we lean on our understanding during important situations in our life?”

2.“Why is it, that we don’t turn to God in those moments?”

Is it our pride? our self-confidence? or more specifically our overconfidence with our knowledge, or as Solomon says, “Our Understanding”?

The Lord’s council will lead you to a greater and permanent victory and this is a fact, as His ways are always and surely better than our ways and His understanding, infinitely better than our human comprehension.

The other day when at church, I thought to myself; ‘one way or another, I have always found a way to keep in touch or talk with my friends.
Why is it that I hardly ever find a way to equally keep in touch with God?’

Remember this if not anything else;

“God is only as far as you keep Him”.

It says Adam and Eve closely interacted with God and even physically felt his presence while in the garden of Eden. However, when Adam did that which was not pleasing to the Lord, he hid from the Lord.
….. He wished to be far from the Lord!!…

Proverbs 5:6 says ‘in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths

It says ‘in ALL your ways’!!
Let go to the basic of your ways…. when you’re eating, when you’re drinking, when you’re walking, when you’re talking… Basically wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, do it with the firm belief that the Lord is the only reason for your being and the only reason you are able to do anything you do.

This firm dependence in the Lord is what He expects from us and what it truly means to acknowledge HIM.

Let me conclude with

Psalms 37:5
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

Thank you.

May the Lord bless you all.

  • CHRISTOPHER PRINCE

An Eternal Friendship

Throughout our lives we make relationships starting with family all the way to friends. We learn to trust and love and care for people. However, while we spend whole lives perfecting and exploring our relationships with people, we neglect the one that was created with sacrifice, unconditional love and solely for our benefit.

The Google definition for prayer is as follows – a solemn request for help or expression of thanks.Gratitude and thankfulness are the most deeply felt emotions. Gratitude for the things you have and for knowing God can change one’s perspective on life. We convey our gratitude, love, worries and sorrows through prayer. Prayer is often mistaken for a ritual or a ceremonial monotone activity that one must complete in order to appease God, when in reality it is a manner by which we vent our feelings and worries and happiness. Every emotion under the sun can be communicated to God through prayer, for he is the one who created all things and no other could fully grasp the extent of them like he would.

If we want to draw near to God and build a normal relationship with God, the most crucial step is to quiet ourselves before God and pray to Him with a concentrated heart. Because we will encounter all kinds of people outside, matters and things every day that often disturb and occupy our hearts, and quite often our prayers just cling to rules and are just spoken as a formality without really meaning any of it.

We could be talking to God all the time, not just before bed and in the morning. When we drive to work or go to school, when we’re cooking in the kitchen and we’re taking a shower. All the time is as good a time as any to be talking to our father and creator. Just as we would tell a close friend about the details and the minor things in our life, and maybe even more, we can always talk to God.

Just as prayer is how we communicate with God, the word of God – the Bible – is how God talks to us. The Bible truly has all the answers if we only read and listen with patience and an open heart. We may not always like things in the bible but the truth does not alter itself to our liking, it is eternal and never changing. Meditating and understanding his word and viewing it from different perspectives is always the way to go when listening for God’s advice to us.

Sometimes when we feel the most burdened is when a certain verse speaks to us, a miracle, a comforting and uplifting hand from God. It’s also good to know that the burden and the weight we feel from the pressures of life is not always a bad thing. It’s important to sharpen the burden, the pain and worry, it keeps us grounded and closer to God. In comfort is where sin thrives.

John 15 verses 15 to 17 say: No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.

Just as we would share good news with our friends and partake in their joys, we can share the joy we have found in Christ and the friendship we have with him. It is certainly possible to be respectful about other people’s beliefs while sharing our own. Nevertheless, even then we may be rejected and treated outcasts because of our friendship with God. In John 15:18 – 20 it says, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecute Me, they will also persecute you. If they keep My word,
they will keep yours also.”

Like any friendship or relationship, there may be hurdles and obstacles. There may be times of doubt when your faith in God is tested. That is when you will taste the true goodness of God, because while worldly friendships may fail you, God never will, even when you don’t see the purpose he has for you. God will never give up on you or reject you, he will always await your companionship and love while showering you with his. It’s up to us to receive it.

Our God is a ‘Game Changer’! Can we be?

“I am doing a new thing!” We all know, believe, and have experienced that our God can turnaround hopeless situations. He can make a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. But can we change situations to have positive outcomes? God wants us to be a game changer!

In the Word of God, we see many who were non-prominent but made crucial moves that impacted the outcomes.

The chief butler in Genesis chapter 41 who is introducing Joseph to Pharoah reformed Pharoah’s troubled spirit to understand the spirit of God, (“can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?”), which led to Joseph’s blessings. In Exodus chapter 2 the daughter of Pharoah who had compassion on baby Moses, who in fact named him and raised him as son, (she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water), ultimately presented a leader for Israelites. Jethro in Exodus chapter 18 shows how to give wise counsel. He has provided leadership insights to Moses, (“every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge”), and made his life easier. The Saul’s servant who recommended David to Saul in 1st Samuel chapter 16, (“he is skilful in playing, a mighty man of valour, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him”), helped Saul to feel refreshed and to get relieved from the evil spirit. In Esther Chapter 4 we see words of Mordecai (“who knows whether you were brought into the kingdom for such a time as this?”), which made Esther realize her incredible destiny which in turn changed the destiny of a nation. And in Gospel we see the thief on the cross who believed Jesus at the last moment of his life and was blessed to receive the eternity with God, (“truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”).

Most of the above Bible characters are not eminent but all of them are game changers. By their natural but powerful and timely moves they handled and utilized the situations that they have come across gracefully in a blessed manner. Like the chief butler we can introduce God or men of God to those who are troubled in spirit around us which will ultimately result in blessing of many, have a compassionate heart for others like the daughter of Pharoah so as to save those who are appointed to death, like Jethro let us give wise counsel to those struggling to manage various situations and make their life easier, let us be able to understand people and make sound recommendations in times of need like the Saul’s servant so as to cast out evil spirit from many, speak words like Mordecai that pours courage into others to do the seemingly impossible and like the thief on the cross by trusting and believing Jesus and taking right decisions at the right time let us save and guard our own lives to enjoy the eternal life with our Saviour and Master.

As a child of God, each moment we are playing in God’s team, He wants us to give our best game following the rules in the Word of God and make a difference. To be a game changer, we should leave normalcy, step out of our comfort zone, and run for God. In this game we will often be challenged to compromise our Christian convictions, but we can stand before the world and make our moves boldly that glorifies Christ. Yes, our God can dramatically change desperate situations and its outcomes, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we also can be game changers and impact our lives as well as the life of others to finally receive the unfading crown of glory!