My wife and I have been blessed to have our two children – Sam and Jerry. And while every child is special, and every type of parent-child relationship is special, there is something unique about the relationship between a father and a son (just as the relationship between a mother and daughter is unique – there are just some things only a female identifies with another and so on). My wife and I are blessed to have these kinds of relationships with our children, and it has been a privilege that we have enjoyed. With this event, we can officially move into having a real “adult” type relationship with both our children J

Talking of parent-child relationships, I am reminded that one of the very first recorded interactions between a father and his son as shown below:

Gen 22: 6-8 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

 This is a simple, yet poignant interaction that belies the underlying tension of the moment. God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son – a miracle child who was born after a long, long wait – on a distant mountain. The father knows what is coming next: his only son is going to be killed, and that by his very own hand, and the child is now asking a very valid question that demanded an answer solely based on faith. Abraham, for all his wisdom and experience with God, did not know how God would provide a sacrificial lamb on a remote place such as this mountain. All he knew was that God would somehow provide, and went ahead, even up to the point of tying up his only beloved child, placing him on the altar and raising his knife to kill.

And this little interaction has a lot of lessons for you and me (I list just three below):

• Abraham trusted in God implicitly, just as we are asked to. My wife and I don’t know what the future holds, both for us, and for our family – We do, however, know who holds the future. We know that God has plans for us: good plans, plans to prosper and not harm us (Jer 29:11), with a prosperity that is both internal and external (3 John 1:2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is prospering [getting along well])
• Just as Abraham believed that God would provide, we know that our only source is God, and that He will provide for us through his enabling: of opportunity, strength and skills that He has given us (Psalm 18:34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze)
• And in the context of this post, we know that we have to set an example for our children to follow, both in word and deed, just as Abraham did. Abraham must have raised his son right – the lad obeyed implicitly, even when he was being bound and placed on the altar

Coming back to the point: My son is officially done being a teen, starting today – a day when he launches into his “twenties”. We will help getting him started on this new phase in his life with our blessing and support.  And pray that we have set a good example for him to follow, just like Abraham.

So, with the same blessing we gave Sam, here’s to you Jerry:

Number 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Have a happy 20th. With many blessings and all our love!

John and Sharmila (Dad and Mom)

Ps 103: 1-5 Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

I hit a significant milestone today, and as I was mulling over this event on my way to work, I was reminded of this very appropriate assurance: that my youth is renewed, again and again every time I claim this promise. Note that it doesn’t say that I will become younger, but that my youthfulness will be renewed. In other words, I can grow older without getting older! This is also an excellent reminder to give praise, with all my inmost being, to the Lord God. Further, I was also reminded that the blessings of God that starts with the forgiveness and redemption for my soul extends into the physical realm with the blessings of health and all other attendant benefits.

While God renews our youth, we, in turn, are asked to renew our mind (no one way traffic there!) Paul urges us to be transformed through a renewal of or mind thus:

Rom 12: 1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

While God works in us for his part, we are also to do our part – check this post for more on this topic. So if you feel older today, or bemoan the fact that you are “aging”, be encouraged by this promise of renewal.

As well, this “physical” renewal comes with some responsibility: that of taking care of what has been given to you (in this case your body). And what better way to take care of your body than through eating right and exercising. (Exercise is a life long commitment by the way – it doesn’t work in jerky starts and stops)

So enjoy His renewal today, and every day! Get out there and move: At least have a walk around the block, clear and renew your mind, filling it with praise for our wonderful God.

John

While the Rest of the World would normally use the DD/MM/YY format, here in the US, we use the MM/DD/YY format. So today (March 16th) would be “3/16/11″, and I heard  a little comment on my favorite radio station – Klove - about how today can be named the “John 3:16″ day, because it starts with 3/16…. So here’s “John 3:16 Day” to you.

Number play aside, John 3:16 is by far the most well known of all Bible verses, and it goes thus: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus himself said these words in response to a question from Nicodemus, a learned man and a religious leader in the Jewish ruling council. In one simple, yet powerful sentence, Jesus summarized God’s love for Mankind and the promise of eternal life for whoever believes in the Son and his work.

This is the first step in turning away from the world and turning to God, and this can lead you, if you follow through, to a full life here in this world, and eternal life with God afterward. This is like starting up the stove before cooking up your recipe for life.

This fact is much too precious to keep to myself, so I want it to share it with you – the reader. If you would like to know more about this topic, let me know!

John

PS: I know I am coming back after a very, very long hiatus of more than a year. I hope to post more often – today is the day to restart!

Just as I delight in my children, I believe that God our Father who considers us His children also delights in us the same way. In Zechariah 2:8, the prophet refers to Israel (God’s people – ultimately you and me) as the apple of God’s eye. Just as compassion stirs in my heart for my children, so it does in God the Father towards us (Psalms 103:13). In various verses in the Good Book, God has modeled Fatherhood for us. He not only protects and provides for us His children (Mt 6:7,8, Mt 7:9-11), He also disciplines those He loves, just as a father would discipline his son or daughter (Prov 3:11,12). This discipline is not punishment, but the gentle correction and guidance that a father needs to provide to his children, since we are prone to wander!

My children have grown up, moving up into and past their teenage years, with my son entering his undergrad freshman year and my daughter getting ready to move into her undergrad senior year. While they no longer need (and in fact avoid!) the same, constant attention required when they were babies or toddlers, they do have their needs and my responsibility is no lesser. While our hope (and a requirement for their “growin’ up”) is that, in time, they will stand independently on their own, I know my wife and I will be ready in a flash to come to their aid whenever and with whatever they need.

In the very same way, God is sensitive to our position in Him, knows where we are in our walk, and provides and intervenes appropriately. A good example is the way in which the Lord deals with Peter: Matthew 14 records how Peter’s simple faith results in this brash disciple stepping out of the boat and walking on water just because Jesus said “come”. In verse 31, we see how Jesus “immediately reached out his hand and caught him” when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and seeing the wind, became scared and began to sink. And in John 21, Jesus gently reinstated Peter when he asked him thrice whether he loves Jesus, thrice to erase Peter’s three prior betrayals. However, later in the same chapter, Jesus shows how Peter would die for the Cause in the future, revealing how Peter fits into God’s purpose for Mankind.

Coming back to my life: While my Mom taught my brother and I about God, and modeled it via her life, my Dad modeled Fatherhood for the two of us. Always a gentle person, I don’t remember him ever losing his patience with me. I only remember one occasion of him pushing me very gently towards my ultimate choice of a major in Engineering: I wanted to become a mechanical engineer, and he advised me to choose the upcoming “Electronics and Communications” specialization. This timely and crucial advice finally resulted in what I am today. Always a tinkerer, he used to repair all sorts of items both large and small for friends and relatives. He involved us in these “adventures”, and we used to spend hours watching and helping him. It was during these memorable moments that I learnt a lot about how stuff works, what tools and techniques to use to solve a vexing issue, how to take things apart and put them back together, all essential skills in my everyday work as an Database and Application performance troubleshooter. While I don’t have his patience and haven’t had the opportunity to do the same kind of “lepair” (as we used to call it) with my own children, we have enjoyed lots of other adventures together and had wonderful and memorable times. Just as my Dad did for me, I hope that I have been able to assist and guide my children in making important decisions as well, and know that I will do so in the future as well. Although I haven’t been (and never will be) perfect,  I also hope that I have modeled fatherhood to some extent for my son, just as my Dad did for me.

And this brings me to an important point: I don’t know what your relationship is with your children (if you are a parent) or your parents (especially your father). We are all frail humans – me, you, your parents and mine, your children and mine – but our Father in heaven is God is perfect (Matt 5:48). While we are supposed to be perfect like Him, our parents were not perfect, nor will we be as well. The need of the moment is to put past hurts and negative experiences behind us, and consider how we can change for the better, especially in how we interact with our children. We can replace any negative models we have, either of fathers or of ourselves, with the Perfect model from above.

Just like Paul stated in Phil 3:12-14, I cannot (and never will be able to) claim to have obtained maturity or perfection, whether in that delightful journey called fatherhood or in my walk with Christ. However,  one thing I aim to do: forget my past failures and lost opportunities and strain toward what is ahead, and press on toward that goal that God has set for me. Would you also do join with me in resolving to do the same for yourself? If we do so, I believe we can make the world a little better for ourselves and our children, and will create a model for others in our life to follow…..

Finally, for my children, I want to say this: I thought we had an agreement that you would never grow up! Now that you already have grown up, Mom and I will stand by the sidelines and cheer you on as you take wing and fly. Our prayer is that by basing your life on His Word, you will become all that God intended you to become, and enjoy all that He has in store for you. And as you go along in this journey called Life, we will be there as long as we can, to pray, provide, support, assist and love!

In Him,

John

Verses used in this post:

Zec 2:8: For this is what the LORD Almighty says: “After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you–for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—

Psalms 103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him

Matt 6:7-8 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: ” `Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,….”

Matt 7:9-10 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Prov 3:11,12 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Matt 14:28-31 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.     Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.

John 21:17-19 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Matt 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Phil 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Whether this reduction in the family’s TEEN count is going to help us parents or not is questionable, but it is certainly worth pausing to consider this event, marked by a specific time-period called a day. God has in His Infinite Wisdom, has created order in both the Universe and in our World, and part of that is the creation of such distinct time-periods. In fact, right at the very beginning, in Genesis 1:3-5, God created the Day and Night, the basic markers for creating the larger time-periods of Weeks, Months, Years, and so on.

Such distinct markers provides opportunities for us to pause, to think back and remember as well as to look forward and hope. Today, my wife and I take that opportunity to think back to that day not so long ago when Sam, by being born, launched us on this great adventure called “Parenting”. We are filled with thankfulness to God for both the opportunity and the resources He provided to raise this little girl into the almost-adult she has become today. And on this day, as Sam looks forward to stepping into her twentieth year (as well as her final year of Undergrad study), we join her in anticipating the good things that are yet to come. These good things are part of the Good Plan that the Master has in store for her per Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.)

We are reducing our TEEN count from two to one today, and I see that as a good thing. God in His Infinite Wisdom, had factored in even this event in His Plan for us as parents. And just as my wife and I moved up from being just a couple to becoming parents through Sam, so also we hope and look forward to advancing to the next level.

So here’s to you Sam:

Number 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you  and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Have a happy 20^th. With many blessings and all our love!

John and Sharmila (Dad and Mom)

Since I work in IT and have to deal with many different computer accounts, I have to remember more than a fair share of passwords. And since these office accounts have elevated privileges, these passwords need to be secure in the sense that they shouldn’t be easy to guess. As a means of ensuring secure passwords, IT security policies or rules mandate that passwords contain a combination of numbers, alphabets, and special symbols and be of adequate length. Such rules ensure “password strength” and prevent hackers from using brute force “dictionary” attacks in which hacking programs repeatedly try using a combination of known names and phrases in the hopes that users would have used such “insecure” passwords. (You will be amazed by the number of passwords which are simply just the words “secure” and “password”!!!)

The flip side of enforcing password strength is that since the passwords created to abide by strict policies are difficult to remember, many users literally write them down on post-it notes stuck on their screens, thus defeating the whole purpose of using such strong passwords in the first place!

However….. On an entirely unrelated topic, we have very clear instructions from God about how to handle His Word the very first time He wanted this Word to be written down. In Deuteronomy 5:1 Moses summoned all Israel and said: “Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them”.

Later on in the very next chapter, God, speaking via Moses had very specific instructions about how to learn his Law and even gave us tips on how to remember them easily. In Deuteronomy 6:6 -8, He said “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates….” In other words, God wants us to incorporate His Word into our daily activities so that it will remain with us. After all, the Word is your only spiritual weapon that we need to wield as His soldiers!

Did I say “unrelated topic” just a few sentences ago? This is how I related both these requirements: Why not take an inspiring or encouraging verse that I want to remember and transform it into a password? This way, every time I use the password, my memory of the Word is refreshed. As well, I find it is easier to remember the plethora of passwords because it is based on His Word which is (and should be!) always close to me.

Let me explain this with an example. (Before the Security people crack down on me, this is just an example of a password that I have never used or plan to use!). Consider the verse “Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart”. Use the first letters from each word, and arrange them thus: “Pr3:5T1tLwayh”. I now have a combination of numbers, upper and lower case alphabets and even a special symbol (“:”). Notice that I converted the lower case “i” into a “1″ after the “T”. This is a favorite approach to further obfuscating passwords by converting letters to numbers. For example, the letter “e” converts to “3″ and the letter “o” converts to “0″. Even if you want to use a phrase in a password, you can trip up simple hacking programs by replacing letters with numbers.

My point is this: You can always find innovative ways of keeping God’s Word close to you while dealing with everyday mundane tasks. Whether it is listening to Christian music while exercising or driving to work, or in this particular case, using a :”worldly” requirement to strengthen your remembrance of a verse, we have ample opportunity to come closer to Him everyday. If you know of or use any such methods, let me know!

Many Blessings,
John Kanagaraj

PS: No birds were harmed while creating the subject line of this blog

This is from my brother Peter Asivatham. Enjoy!

John Kanagaraj

For God’s sake, mind the Shift key. And the # key.
peter_asirvatham @ yahoo.co.in

Blame it on the mobile phone if you like to, the English language in SMS form is taking a beating in the hands of youngsters these days. Some of these SMS text messages baffle me. Sometimes without a re-read I cannot get the message of the text. Like the time I received one from a niece of mine some months ago. I was reading the Bible one morning when my mobile phone beeped announcing the arrival of a message and I diverted my attention to it from Moses pleading with The LORD for the Israelites. “Pls snd 2days msg i deltd it” read the message. It has been my practice for about three years now to send Bible verses by SMS every morning to family and friends. Apparently my niece had deleted some messages in her Inbox by accident and requested me to resend them. I promptly replied, “Which two days, yesterday’s and today’s?” and returned my attention to Moses. Within a few seconds my niece replied by resending the same message. This time I put Moses away and gave my full attention to the message. After re-reading I replied, “O my God. 2days as in today’s! Sorry, usage of numbers in words had me confused.” Back came the cryptic reply, “S”. Going to my Sent folder, I forwarded the verse of the day to her. There was no return message thanking me for the good deed done interrupted me as I resumed my study of Moses, but that was ok.

Technology is changing the way we communicate with others using the written word. There was a time when the Telegram – a short message sent by Morse code from one post office to the receiving post office, hand delivered to the addressed by a postman, even in the dead of night – was considered the fastest mode of communication. Today the humble SMS has taken that slot delivering similar messages right to the hand of the addressed, within the country or without.

Telephones were a rarity those days and it was the humble hand-written mail which people used to keep in touch with their loved ones. The written word held an important place in our lives those days.
Not that words have lost their importance these days, but they are mutilated and abused in many email and SMS messages. Sentences are constructed grossly, many times with a liberal sprinkling of numbers and character symbols in words. Punctuation and capitalisation, which give meaning and importance to words in sentences, are ignored. To some extent the Internet is to be blamed for this ignorance, for the World Wide Web used to be very case-sensitive. You have to type your email ID and password in lower case only to gain access to your mail box. Thanks to the Internet, the “lower case” has become popular.

The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 and the Reformation started by Martin Luther in the middle of the 15th century are two events in history that had made the Word of God – The Bible – accessible to the layman.

With The Bible becoming the first book to be printed, other books were printed and soon this technological revolution fostered education like never before. Learning starts for toddlers with the alphabets – A, B, C, and then word associations: A for Apple, B for Ball and so forth. Learning to write follows learning the words. Stringing words together to form sentences that make sense follows learning words and writing. It is here that punctuations and capitalisation of words play the role that they are destined to play – i.e. to make sense. It is not my intention to insult your intelligence by going back to the basics of learning to write, but the whole point of the article is the importance of punctuations and capitalisation. Let me give just an illustration: the words “gods”, “Gods” and “God’s,” though they sound the same, obviously mean three different things.

Some years ago I peeked into Judaism to see what it says about the Divine. One of the first things that struck me was the way the word ‘God’ is written-”G_d”. There are some reasons why devout Jews drop the vowel “O” in the word “God”, but whatever the reasons maybe, there is a deeper meaning in this: when you come across the word it makes you pause and think, at least for a second about the Divine: What an awesome God our Creator is! The opening chapter of The Bible describes the love and affection God has for mankind. He took five days to make and provide a beautiful home for man and then, on the sixth day created man in his own image! Many times we do not accord God the respect that he truly deserves. Many times we take God for granted.

Many teachers and sociologists are worried about the way “SMS lingo” has crept into students’ writings, even in examinations. I’m not, for one moment, concerned about abbreviations of words. We all use quite a few of them in everyday speech and writings. For example: the letters 400 BC stands for 400 years “Before Christ” and AD for “Anno Domini” (The year of Our Lord). I’m concerned about the wholesale slaughter of words and sentences – butchered and truncated. I’ve received emails and SMS text messages from youngsters written with utter disregard for punctuations and capitalisation-with words like, “gods luv” and, “lord jesus christ”.

Does it really matter how we write our text messages and emails? Would God take offense if he is mentioned with a lower case “g” or “l”? How do you react when somebody misspelled or mispronounced your name? Or your parents’ or spouse’s or childrens’ names?

God alone knows how many English Queens and teachers would turn in their graves the way the English language is abused, not out of ignorance but out of convenience.

Blessings!

Peter Asirvatham

If you have any comments, please click on the link below to send them my way!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pQs4SrVw55Be49HaaB28Kew

(Before I launch into the main point, I do have an older daughter in college who has already started working. I am remiss in not blogging on this subject earlier, so even as I use my son as an example, these principles apply equally to both my children)

Through this event, I felt a sense of achievement that was probably at a higher level than he did. And as always, I wanted to map these feelings to how God feels when we “grow up” in His eyes. There are many parallels that I can draw between these events and our own spiritual growth. I remember the time when I saw my son for the first time in the delivery room at the Khoula Hospital in faraway Muscat (capital city of the Sultanate of Oman), and I well remember the indescribable feeling of joy when I held my daughter in my arms for the first time. (I wanted to be seated before the nurse gave her to me because I was so afraid I would drop this little bundle!) Little did I know of the exciting journey that my wife and I would take through life with these little babies! At that time, we were unable to make this leap across time and understand that these little ones will grow up and achieve all that they have (and will in the future).

Such a leap across Time is not a problem for God though. Even before we were born, nay even before we were even formed, God knew His plans for us, and what He would help us do with our lives. The Psalmist said this best in Psalm 139:131-16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Although He knew what we will do with our lives, He still gave us the choice. I blogged on this earlier in my post titled “Recipe for Life: 3 parts God, 1 part you”.

Now about the car: Since he is a minor, the title deed for my son’s car is still in my name (although he has his name in the insurance papers as a listed driver, and I cover his insurance). For all practical purposes though, the car is his and in principle, I need to let him know when I need to borrow his car. He is supposed to drive it, take care of it, and make sure he uses it for “good purpose”. In the very same manner, God has given us resources that we need to take care of, and ultimately use for his “good purpose”. In fact, Rom 8:28 assures that He will ensure all things will work for us when we work for His purpose “… in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” These resources include time (24 hours a day for everyone in this world, both rich and poor), family (to raise and nurture for His glory), work (a place not just to help make ends meet, but an opportunity to witness for Him) and so on. God’s name is on my title deed and I am covered by His insurance – how about you?

As well, I need to draw a parallel to the job he has: Before he took up this job, it was made clear to my son (and daughter) that the job always comes second to school (or college as the case may be). Although the prospect of making money is attractive (minimum wage is still a lot of money in a teenager’s eyes!), they need to understand that the job is always secondary to studies which is their main occupation right now. In much the same way, we need to understand that we have a larger purpose in Life and work is just one part of that (as I briefly noted in the paragraph above). In fact, St. Paul sets the right attitude we need towards work. Col 3:23-24 is a favorite verse of mine: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.“.

Finally, we need to recognize that growth and change is part of every day life. Just as my children grew up and took on the responsibilities appropriate to their age and position in their life and in the family, we need to grow and continue to exhibit positive change in our spiritual life and in the family of God. In I Cor 13:11 Paul states thus: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me”. Much as my wife and I would like to think of our children as “our little babies”, we need to acknowledge that indeed, they have grown up. We are confident that our two teenagers are on the right path and on their way to becoming full adults. We will never fully be able to let go of the children, but we have taken some major steps and this entry is in some ways a public announcement of this “letting go”. Similarly, in our own spiritual lives, I hope we have grown and will continue to grow, for that is what God wants for you and me – His children…

In Him,

John Kanagaraj

First of all, Paul starts this letter with the following introduction: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…” So let us get this straight first of all: A leader is first and foremost a servant. Paul echoes this often in his letters – Romans and Titus for example. Paul is not alone in this teaching, nor is this a new idea. Remember that Jesus himself expressed this sentiment: Addressing the question of who was to be the leader among his apostles, in Matt 20:26-28 Jesus said “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave– just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We even have a term for this: “Servant Leader”!!

The second one is this: That a leader constantly prays for those he (or she!) leads and serves. A leader has to be concerned for his group. Paul establishes this right away when he says (Phil 1:3-5) “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,…” This leader prays with joy and thankfulness; he keeps them close to his heart (v 1:7 and 1:8), fondly remembers them often, and uses every remembrance to pray for them. I found another nugget in this: You will find great satisfaction from praying for someone who is brought to your remembrance right away. Rather than wait for “prayer time” to pray for this person or persons, why not keep them in prayer whenever you remember them!? Rather than fill your mind with concern and worry for a loved one, why not use that time to thank God for that loved one, and pray for that person? Exercise is a great time to pray – see this earlier post for my thoughts on the act of praying.

This leader’s prayer for his recipients is that “… your (their) love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you (they) may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God…”. While it is good to pray for the recipient to be blessed, it is also important to pray that the recipient comes to be filled with Christ and His Love. The theme of Love abounds in Paul’s letters – Chapter 13 from I Corinthians is full of this theme. Love binds everything and should direct our actions. Love triumphs over everything; it covers all faults and forgives when it is impossible to do so otherwise. God’s love broke through our chains with His Love – shouldn’t we break the chains of others with the same kind of love? This was the kind of love that this leader was seeking for his flock…

Thirdly, a leader is sacrificial. When Paul wrote this letter, he was in chains, in prison. Old and fragile, hurting from the various beatings, Paul longed to be gone from this world to be with God. But in Phil 1:21-26 he states “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.” Paul was willing to endure suffering for his followers’ sake. Jesus exemplified this sacrificial aspect when He took on the cross for you and me….

Fourth: A leader envisions the big picture, breaks it down for his flock, brings them on board and inspires them to follow. In Phil 1:12-14 he says “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” The Philippians were probably looking at Paul’s imprisonment and his physical suffering, but Paul rose above the issue to look at the “big picture” and how his suffering and his circumstances actually served to inspire others and serve the larger purpose of God. A leader should find this larger picture and make it available and understandable for his flock.

Jesus also gave his disciples the big picture in the form of the Great Commission (Mk 16:15-20) and that He did not come into this world to conquer physically, but spiritually. It is clear that this statement worked for in V 20 we see that “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”

Fifth: A leader takes negative criticism and opposition gracefully and does not allow this to affect or deter him. Many others were also preaching at that time – some “preached Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.” (V15). Paul, however, was gracious and just shrugs this off stating “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” (V18). Paul took the “big picture” that he aptly described before, and applied it to this part of the situation as well. A leader will always face negativity and negative criticism – he (or she!) will have to take that in stride, objectively determine if there is any truth in the criticism and allow that to change him/her if true but not let that deter or discourage in any way.

There are many more nuggets in this chapter, but in order to keep this already long post as short as possible, let me state just one more: A leader never works alone. Throughout this chapter, starting in V1, where Paul co-opts Timothy as his co-servant, and right through to V27 (“…whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit [with me], contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you…”). Paul encourages them to stand together with him in this work, always working with and through others, inspiring, leading and showing by example.

All of us are leaders, whether we have a title or not. If you are a parent, you have a responsibility to lead your child(ren). As a worker bee, you are to reflect God wherever you are, leading others towards this light and away from the darkness. As a student, you are a future leader in training. All of us need to be equipped for leadership in any of the circumstances we are in. I hope that God’s word as spoken through Paul in these verses informs and equips us for leadership as we lead others!

In Him,

John Kanagaraj

Paul maps the word-picture of a well equipped Roman soldier of his day to a Christian past and present, comparing the armament of this soldier to the spiritual weapons that are available to each and every Christian. The whole of Ephesians is about God’s Master Plan, and how we as Christians fit into the Plan. These verses show how God has already fully equipped us in order to fight this good fight. Starting with the belt of truth that holds everything together and the breastplate that protects, Paul talks about the shoes and the shield and the helmet. Finally, he mentions “… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

(Image courtesy Peter Asirvatham – my brother)

Much has been written about these spiritual weapons, and about this cosmic battle, but I would like to take up just one of these weapons – the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. This sword is the one and only offensive weapon in this repertoire. A sword is an “up close and personal” weapon, one that is wielded and used when locking eyes, skills and muscles with an enemy. The sword should always be present on a soldier, indoors, outdoors and even in a formal setting. The sword is also been an object of majesty and authority. In fact, when a ruler or general surrenders to his enemy, he usually has to offer up his sword to the victor as a sign of his acceptance of defeat. A solider without a sword would never be considered a soldier. Such are the connotations associated with this weapon…..

So why is it that so many of us Christians barely even take up this potent and powerful weapon? Why is that we find many of us just standing in the face of our enemy and taking all that he throws at us without ever lifting the Word against our adversary? It is not that we do not have the Word of God with us – we have multiple printed and even electronic versions of the Word, but we just refuse to use it! Paul used the word picture of a well equipped Roman soldier whose mere presence usually made his enemies quake, but it looks like we need to use the term “Soldiers without swords” in this sad situation of today…..

Granted some of us (and I place myself in the fore here!) have a few standard set of verses from the Word to invoke when difficulties or problems arise, either in our lives or in the lives of others. I just love to rattle off a set of pre-prepared verses in most situations. The question however is not whether we use the Word of God at all, but rather whether we use it fully and effectively. Paul is clear about how we should use this weapon. In his letter to Timothy, Paul instructs his protégé with these words: (2 Tim 2:15) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” and (2 Tim 4:2) “Preach the Word; be prepared (in the Word) in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.”

These verses make it very clear that we need to know the Word of God well, and be prepared to use it correctly, whenever and wherever required. Just as a soldier does not enter battle without adequate training and continuous, ongoing preparation we too need to be knowledgeable and well versed in the Word, having read it and used it as part of everyday life. The Word of God should not be a ceremonial sword that is just worn on the side on Sunday morning, but a weapon that is available and useful everyday in every situation. Just as a soldier is not content with the basic training received in boot camp but continues to both sharpen his sword and his skills everyday, we need to move beyond the spiritual milk we received as baby Christians and grow up to eat at the full feast of solid food that God has prepared for us in the Word. (Heb 5:12-14 “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”)

Such growth can only happen through commitment to a Word reading schedule, with dedicated time and no compromises. If you are new to this, or just trying to get back to the Word, make a start today – don’t try to read 10 chapters a day or the whole Bible in a year. Even if you read a few verses, make sure you understand and digest and meditate on what you read. I would recommend reading through entire books, sections at a time and not just verses at random. Start with the New Testament – the book of Romans is a good one that lays out the foundation of Christian Faith, followed by the letters of the Apostles. (Personally, reading bits and pieces here and there from the Word is akin to snacking, and not eating full, balanced meals!) Allow the Word to speak to your life and learn to listen. At the risk of repeating myself: Make a start – God through the Holy Spirit will honor your commitment and will speak to you if you are sincere.

My prayer is that starting today, both you and I will get to finally and fully read, understand and use our swords – the Word of God – in our daily battle with the enemy; that we will grow in these skills and teach them to our fellow Christians, and that ultimately God will be glorified through our victorious life lived by His Word.

Don’t be found a soldier without your sword. It is never too late – make a start today!

John Kanagaraj

A Soldier in God’s Army