Renewed to Honor

This section of the story in 2 Kings chapter 5 focuses on Naaman. We know that Naaman was the commander in chief of the armies of Syria and possibly the right hand man as he was incharge of strategic, political and warfare and security. This was a very prestigious role that Naaman had earned. Some Jewish Rabbis say that his ruthlessness and his power resulted in God punishing Naaman with Tzaraat which is translated as Leprosy. For the sake of these notes, I would consider the word Leprosy.  Naaman was powerful and wise. In fact, it was God who had blessed him from the start. The verse says that Naaman was a powerful and influential man valued by the king greatly. His victory was a gift from God to Aram. Why would God bless a foreign nation to attack the Israelites? In Deuteronomy chapter 28, Moses tells the people that God would make the enemies of Israel punish the people of God if they are disobedient. Jehoram, the then king of Israel was the son of Ahab. Ahab and his wife Jezebe...

I moved to Germany in the last week and having lived in many cities in my life and having to have moved a lot between countries both me and my wife, the move was easy. We are simply used to having our luggages packed almost all the time. I guess this is life. From London days and Basildon nights to a new life in the suburbs of Neidersachen ( Lower Saxony, Germany), a suburb in the middle of nowhere. Praise God for Internet, Telephone, Water, Rewe (akin to ASDA UK) ,  the brand "Ja" (the equivalent of ASDA Smart Price) and my wonderful landlords. Th house is a lovely thing and once we get it arranged, then we are going to be very happy. Last week we even had our first guest. Praise God! I always wanted to welcome people to my house and till date this is the first property that has been in my name (and I am just renting this one). So, what is the point of all this? Well, it is to tell the manner that I am overwhelmed at the amount of change in my life. I carry Euro in my ...

I was reading an interesting article on Desiring God blog  by Maxwell , when it occurred to me about the point that was being made in it. We often see devotion as something we have to give God. Thus we often look at devotion as what an inferior being gives to a superior one. We who are Christians from childhood are told often that we must be devoted to God and those of us from a Pentecostal or Arminian heritage are told that God values us on our devotion to Him. While it may be slightly true, the truth is this. God doesn't depend on us. Let me illustrate with a personal example. My fiance is not much of a talker. So, to understand her means I would have to listen to her unspoken words, the hmm's, the nods and the facial expressions. I am sure that I am going to miss a lot of things she has not spoken to me about and more over she may fail to express in words her love and devotion to me. I now having discovered that, though it being really hard, I  am getting better to a...

I find obedience a by product of love.  I am engaged to marry and my fiance loves me.  Now because of this she obeys when I ask her to do something or other. God's justice is in his nature as much as his holiness, jealousy  and love. If we were to obey God only because He gives us gifts then we love the gifts and not God. In Job 2:10 it says if we are happy to get good gifts why can't we rejoice when we are hurt by God. God's desire for us to be obedient is because He wants us to find Him our only and greatest treasure. Absolute obedience comes with absolute surrender and I think it's this what we should wake up each day for. See where in our lives we have not surrendered. I find sometimes taking five minutes extra in my morning devotion a pain, but God let's me in my pace to surrender my hold onto my precious five minutes. The rewards is only going to be in heaven, and the reward is meeting Him in all holiness ; what we get here on earth is still His mercy. Even th...

When I was growing up, I was introduced to a wide range of culture and believes, it may have been because like London, Dubai too was and is a pluralistic society although the core religion of Dubai was Islam. Although having been raised in a Christian family, I was given some freedom to choose and find my own believes. Like most people raised in a pluralistic society, I believed in communal harmony and unity of religions. Now, being an Indian also exposed me to the vibrant culture I have at home and this was fueled by my interest in Ahimsa and Gandhian views in life. I too at that age wanted to write “my experiments with truth”. One of the many stories and moral lessons I had learned then, is as follows. <em>Once upon a time, there were five blind men, and they during their usual walk, came across a large elephant in their path. The first person touched the trunk of the elephant and said that it was a huge pipe, the second the stomach and said it was a huge wall, the third the t...

I am not sure where I came across this poem, and then it did sound amazing, and so I learned it, memorized it, and took it into my heart. I think its most reffered as "answered prayer". So in a poetic manner I am quoting it, the author is unknown, however, Goodreads have quoted it to   Swami Vivekananda although his version is slightly different. I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve. I asked for prosperity and God gave me brawn and brains to work. I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome. I asked for patience and God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait. I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help. I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities. I asked for everything so I could enjoy life.  Instead, He gave me life so I could enjoy everything. I received nothing I wanted, I received everything I needed.  Now, I have a ...