Finding the Gomer in Me

Hosea 3:1,2

"THEN SAID the Lord to me, Go again, love [the same] woman [Gomer] who is beloved of a paramour and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins [used in the sacrificial feasts in idol worship]. 

So I bought her for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley [the price of a slave]."

Now, sit back for a while and think; your partner is in love with many others. How does it feel to accept your partner in that case? You know that your partner is cheating you, and that too openly. How would that make you feel? 

Now coming back to Hosea, God told him to marry an adulteress, which he did. They had kids and were happily married. But, being a human, she felt weak. She returned to her old ways. Hosea should have left her. She didn't deserve his love. After all he did for her, accepted her knowing who she was, she just didn't deserve his love. But God asked him to BUY his wife, and Hosea BOUGHT his wife. 

Buying someone who belonged to him! Buying someone who was already his...paying a price for someone who didn't care. But he did so. 

You might be wondering, 'how can I relate to all of this?' Well, to be brutally honest, we all have a Gomer in us. No offense, but we do commit/have committed/end up committing adultery. How, you ask? Just like Gomer, we forget the love and sacrifice of Christ thus, returning to our old sinful ways of living. We forget that HE PURCHASED WHAT BELONGED TO HIM. We forget that HE PAID A PRICE FOR THE FOOLISHNESS OF HIS CREATION. But because of His unending, unconditional and selfless love for us, He bought us. 

Are we still running away from Christ because of our selfish desires? Are we hesitant to run into His arms open wide because of the guilt we carry in our hearts?

Well, the good news is that : THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE HIS LOVE FOR YOU. He's already lavished it. A love that covers multitude of sins. So, let not your guilt or selfish desires take over the place of your Saviour. If you're broken or lost, suicide is not an option nor a solution; Jesus is. His sacrifice at the cross, His blood is more than enough to set you free, complete you and heal you. 

I'd like to conclude as Chris Tomlin has sung:

Come home running

His arms are open wide

His name is Jesus

He understands

He is the answer

You are looking for

So come home running

Just as you are!

Let His arms be your home. Get enveloped in His embrace because, He is more than enough for you. 

When I Stopped Praying For Myself

I received my healing
I slept in peace
The day I went on my knees,
The day I stopped praying for myself.

I saw His joy overcome my mourning
Uplifting me, setting me free
The day I prayed for her world that was crumbling,
The day I stopped praying for myself.

I could forgive and love freely
Without receiving the same toward me
The day I prayed for his heart bleeding hatred,
The day I stopped praying for myself.

I covered myself with His blood
Thanked Him for all I had
Then I stood in the gap for them,
Assured that He knows my needs.

I lay their burdens at His feet
He being faithful knew how and when to give
He did His goodness to me reveal,
And all my needs He did meet.

He gave me joy, He renewed my strength
He helped me soar and my peace I regained
The day I let go off my self,
The day I stopped praying for myself.

Something known as Dating!

‘Dating’ - might seem such a taboo in our society. People always seem to have a negative notion about the concept of dating.

My husband and I dated for two years before marriage, and I must say that those are the most cherished days of our relationship. Now before you jump to any conclusions, we had something that I would like to term as healthy dating.

Since it was a long distance relationship, it became easier to maintain our testimony. But we ensured that we were careful each time we met. What I really liked about him was that he would seek the permission of my parents each time he took me out. Everything we did was known to our family and hence, we had nothing to fear. Walking in the truth will always cast out fear. We ensured that we do not commit mistakes that we made in our past relationship. That made our journey of courtship even more special. Our pastors were aware of our plans and so were our families.

It’s so important in the sight of God to maintain your purity. We all make mistakes. What’s important is that we learn from them and don’t repeat them. Having people to guide us who have been through such experiences proves to be a blessing in disguise as we can be more cautious about doing the right thing.

I’d like to share somethings that I’ve learned about healthy dating:

1. When you date a person, you are basically trying to get to know the will of God even as you spend time talking with the person. Dating can never let you know how compatible you are with a person. If you look into yourself, you will be surprised to find out that you aren’t aware of most of your weaknesses and strengths. So you can’t possibly know a person just by spending hours of talking with him/her. I’ve known a girl who was dating a boy for almost eight years yet, there was this side of his that remained unknown to her and finally was the cause of their separation. How can you be so sure that the person you are dating is not deceiving you? The best you can do is seek the will of God because God sees the heart and knows who’s best for us.

2. When you date someone, you DO NOT OWN THE PERSON! So please hold your horses back! You haven’t promised the person to to stand by him/her until death separates you. So, there is a possibility that you haven’t been sensitive enough to the voice of God or you decide to turn a deaf ear to His plans. In either case, if it’s not His will it won’t last long. You need to bear in mind that The person you date might be someone’s future husband/wife. Don’t enforce yourself on the person and don’t give in to the wrong demands of the person as well. It’s better to know your limits and stay safe and right. It might seem difficult in the flush of all emotions you go through, but trust me, it is possible!

3. Don’t expect a lot from the person you date. Know the desires and plans of the one you date and share yours as well. You can always find out ways to mutually plan out things and find a way out. Accept the person with his/her individuality. There might be a lot of differences, but love surpasses them all!

4. Don’t walk in lies. Let your journey of courtship be truthful. It’s always better for your pastors, elders and family members to be aware of it. They are way more experienced than you are and can guide you in the right way. When they sense something fishy, ensure that you follow the advice and check if you are attuned to God’s word. This way, you can be sure of maintaining a good testimony and an example for others.

A healthy dating experience will help your conscience feel free and peaceful. Eventually, you will also see God’s plan unfold beautifully in your lives.

Perfect Love

When I was younger, the picture of ‘love’ looked so perfect in my mind. Like a perfect person or perfect parents or a perfect marriage. However, God gradually led me to the deeper meaning of love. Love is not about the good people or the good moments you spend wit someone. Love is all about being with someone through all the dirt and mess they carry. Love is not about expecting perfection, but it’s all about accepting the imperfections and loving them anyway. True love is all about sacrifice, just like Jesus sacrificed His glory for us. Just like the Father sacrificed His only Son for us. That, to me, is love; unconditional love, yet not blind love. He knew the cost. He knew the pain and suffering. Yet, he chose to carry the cross because He loved us, and still does.

Love will never let you fall in a pit. True love will help you stand and face the tests of life, and help you rise above your situations. It considers the beauty of the heart above the external beauty. There is no fear in love.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear”

-1 John 4:18

Sometimes, we continue to hold onto relationships because of fear, but we mistake it to be love. When we love in our hearts, there will be no room for fear.

There is a difference between genuine Christ-like love and its counterfeit known as attachment. Attachment says, “I need you to love me, so I will love you in order to gt your love.” But true love says, “I don’t need you, but I love you and hope all the best for you.” True love will always stand by you and never fail you.

When you understand the love displayed at the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished”, you will be able to love unconditionally and experience unconditional love as well.

-Sarah Timothy & Sussanah

Who's My True Friend?

I have heard of a classic story since I was in my school days and it was very popular. This story was about Damon and Pythias, said to have taken place in the Sicilian city-state of Syracuse in the fourth century B.C. As I'm sure many of you remember, these two men had been close friends since childhood. Pythias spoke out against the tyranny of the ruler, Dionysius, and was subsequently arrested and condemned to death. As a last request he asked if he might be allowed to go back home to say goodbye to his wife and children and to put his household in order before his execution. Dionysius was not willing to risk Pythias' fleeing, until Damon stepped forward and offered to pledge his own life and be imprisoned until Pythias returned. The condition that Dionysius imposed was that Damon must be willing to die in his place if Pythias did not return 3 by the date of execution. Damon willingly agreed and Pythias gratefully left. As days and days went by, and the deadline approached, and there was no sign of Pythias, Dionysius visited the prison to see if Damon was sorry he had made such a bargain: "You were a fool to rely on your friend's promise. Did you really think he would sacrifice his life for you?" Yet, Damon remained confident of his friend's loyalty, explaining that perhaps the winds had kept him from sailing or he had met with some accident on the road. On the day of execution, Pythias still had not returned, and Dionysius smugly greeted Damon, who was bound and ready to die. "What do you think of your friend now?" asked the ruler. Damon simply replied, "He is my friend. I trust [that he has good reasons not to be here, and I am ready to die in his place]." Just as he finished speaking, Pythias suddenly appeared, staggering, beaten and bruised, and nearly speechless from exhaustion. "[Thank heaven I'm not too late!] You are safe, [Damon,] Praise the Gods," he gasped. Pythias then explained how his ship was wrecked in a storm and how he was then attacked by bandits on the road. "But I refused to give up hope," he declared. "At last I've made it back in time. I am ready to receive my sentence of death." Dionysius was utterly astonished. He was so emotionally overwhelmed by this demonstration of friendship -- in both directions -- that he revoked the sentence and let both go free, asking only that he could be taught how to be such a friend. "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friend."

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

-John 15:13

Easier said than done? Well, the One who said this actually did it! Yes, He laid down His life for us because He knew that there was no other way we could live eternally.

In this world, where everything seems fake and where most of the people are so diplomatic, we have a hope that true friendship does exist. If we claim to walk in accordance to God’s word, we too will display this quality of friendship - Selflessness.

True friendship is rare to find these days. People are so focused on their needs and maintaining a good name in the society, that diplomacy and craftiness has taken over honesty and innocence in friendship. It’s no longer about what the other person feels or needs, it’s all about ME. The culture in corporate world is such that, people use the very same people as footstep to climb the ladder who helped them to shape their career at a very critical phase. So the word called Trust and friendships are just mere fictional words found in bed time story books in the industry.

We can find it very easy to push our friend into the pit in order to remain safe outside. We can only understand the true meaning of friendship when we realize the work done for us at the cross and apply it in our friendship as well.

You might be experiencing lots of stress and pressure in your school, workplace, home, personnel life. End results would be how you give in into the situation. When you put potatoes, egg and coffee beans into hot water, potatoes which is hardest gives in to the heat and turns softer, egg which is very tender becomes very hard, but coffee beans brings aroma and changes the liquid.

Most of teens experience ‘peer pressure’. But the fact is that if your friendship is true, there’s no pressure whatsoever. You are accepted for the person you are. The essence of friendship is comfort and honesty. A true friend will always make you feel comfortable, be honest to you about your flaws and yet love you and accept you. A friend won’t pressurize you to ‘fit in’. Neither  do you have to force anyone to believe the truth. Love and respect keeps friends bound. Jesus never looked down on people. He accepted people with love and spoke the truth in love. He never forced people to follow Him or believe in him. He only led a life of example which encouraged people to be like Him. You need not be a great preacher to bring your friends to know about the Salvation in Christ. Let your life be a testimony, just as the life of Jesus was. And even as people see Christ in you, God will start working in them!

-Neethu Shaju & Sussanah

It Does Not Always Have To Be Loud!

Many a times people end up saying things or doing things that hurt us and vice versa. We trust God and know that He is just. We believe that He will lift is up and deliver justice in His perfect time. So we pray, we forgive and we move on. But when God actually proves us right, we want to shout out loud and show how the other person wronged you. Isn't that a bit unfair? Sometimes, God actually likes to do things quietly and it's best to keep our excitement of being proved right to ourselves. We don't need to look down upon the person who wronged us. We are accountable for our own deeds, so let's decide to act wisely. Just because the person doesn't personally apologise to you, doesn't mean that you have to force one to do it. In that way you're just returning the bad done to you. That also means you didn't really forgive the person in the first place. 

Let's deal in love. Let's learn to keep somethings between God and ourselves. We don't need to always shout out from the roof tops. Not everyone needs to see God's justice in your life at every instance. Sometimes it's best when it's realised by you. Take joy in what the Lord has done for you and avoid taking steps that will take you back to the situation God got you out from. The only difference now would be, that you'll be the one taking the wrong step. 

The entire purpose of the Book of Esther is to help us realise that sometimes God likes to work quietly through cause and effect. Esther's role as a queen gave her a platform. It gave her a place where her voice could be heard and she could make a difference. She didn't know it, though, until God asked her to speak up. 

So, relax and wait patiently on the Lord. Obeying Him will only get better results. If he wants you to stay quiet, do so. You know what being in that pit is like. Instead of pointing out how wrong the person is and telling the whole world about it, learn to empathise and be helpful. That will only make your Heavenly Father more proud of you. 

BUSY???

When I think of last year, it’s been a wonderful year. Not that I haven’t been through rough phases, but it’s about how I’ve emerged out of them as a better and a stronger person.

With the New Year come new resolutions. We all try our best to live up to the standards we set up for ourselves. When I thought about my resolutions, the only statement that popped into my mind was you’re so busy these days! I haven’t been able to keep in touch with close friends, I haven’t been able to devote enough time to write my blogs, and the list goes on. But while thinking about all of this, I questioned myself: Are we really busy?? There are so many people who work hard, or maybe even harder than me and yet find enough time for themselves. And when I thought of all the possibilities, it all came down to just one problem : improper management of time. 

If we really prioritize things correctly, we can have enough time to catch up with the little things that bring happiness in our lives. And I delayed writing this article just because I first wanted to live up to it myself. I have got my priorities right and I have been able to take out time for all those things I avoided by reasoning that I’m busy!  

There are plenty of articles about time management with a lot more details. But I personally feel that prioritizing things correctly is all that you need to do.

Have a wonderful year by staying connected with the ones who beautify your life, doing the things that you love, taking joy in the little things that bring you happiness and also help in spreading smiles!