Acts 8:4 "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went"

A mega church was taking shape at Jerusalem. There were meetings everyday, scores of baptisms almost every other day, and conventions, seminars or crusades happening as frequently too! The Church at Jerusalem was happening. Money was coming-in in unthinkable proportions and amounts! People were selling even their house and properties to meet the needs of the growing church! Widows and orphans were fed and needs of everyone who was a part of the number were met adequately. The leaders too were of no less repute but the likes of Peter and John and all the other apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Signs and wonders were a seal of heaven on the correctness and the growing influence and impact of this church. Had the church continued in Jerusalem, history perhaps would have been different!
Oh yes! History would have been different because the Church in Jerusalem would have become what Vatican, Mecca and Varanasi have become! No wonder why the days of the fast growing mega church were numbered! God had other plans as He knew that this dream church was growing into a behemoth which would soon go beyond control and perhaps even settle down into something quite unlike what was originally intended!
Persecution interrupted the solemn settings, be it the temple porch or the believers houses that they met at! Soon, they were all scattered all across the land and even abroad!
No surprise! God has been in the business of scattering his folks from the times of Abraham; at least. Poor Abraham! He lived in tents though he was recognized as a prince because he knew that His God wanted him to settle down ‘only’ with Him! After all God had told him that He was his reward! Abraham waited for Him! God looked back later and called him – “friend”. Moses could never settle and left no inheritance. We don’t even know anything about his family! He was that humble! David tried to settle but lost his sleep and got unsettled when he saw that the Ark of the Lord was in tents! He sang that the Lord was his portion! David- the man after God’s own heart! Jesus – our Savior and Lord; declared that foxes had holes and birds had nests, but not Him! So the conclusion - God wants his people to settle down only when they enter His rest! If so, how could the church at Jerusalem settle down – albeit in spiritual euphoria!?
Now the remarkable thing is the response! The response of the scattered victims! Shifting of residence or office or any shifting for that matter is not easy! It takes months of planning and weeks of packing, not to talk of the time that it takes to unpack and settle down afresh. Moving is not a pleasant experience, even if it is to a location of utmost desire! Therefore, a shifting to a location that one hasn’t planned and packed for can be really horribly unsettling, literally! Such folks have all the right to bicker, complain and be bitter about the unfortunate turn of events and providence in their lives! But Luke tells us that they preached the good news wherever they went! Unbelievable but that is what they did! So it is possible to be surrounded and overwhelmed by miserable circumstances and yet speak; not in response to what we see; but what is inside – a trust in the One who is our Savior and our Lord!
Also equally notable is the term “preached”. Preaching is much different than plain talking and sharing. It demands borrowing a lot more from inside us mixed with a lot of other things. It is not everyone’s cup of tea! But scattering produced preachers! God knew that scattering was more favorable for the great commission than settling into a mega church of whatever influence and potential! Everyone started preaching! Thanks to scattering, we are reading this in India. Thomas got scattered into our land! But let me add another perspective. The scattering perhaps allowed an opportunity for fresh beginnings. They were probably back benchers in Jerusalem’s mega church, but the scattering gave them an opportunity for fresh beginnings in a new land where people knew neither their history nor potential!
Bottom-line. God doesn’t want us to settle down for anything less than He Himself. Not even a church! So as soon as He thinks we are kind of settling and becoming comfortable, he will unsettle us! He will scatter us! But scattering allows a furtherance of His purpose. Scattering provides us new beginnings. Scattering is good especially if deep inside we are sure of who holds our hands and our future. So here is wishing you happy preaching under scattering! God bless.

Luke 16:8 "For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light"

There are some remarkable insights I received while I was trying to profile the Centurion in the gospel account (Luke 7:1-10). As I wrote them down, I understood the statement of Jesus, “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light”.
There are rare occasions mentioned in the New Testament when Jesus ministers to non-Jews. He had his task clearly cut out and in fact also declared that he had come for the lost sheep of Israel! However, we see him rushing to the house of this gentile centurion without any questions! Was it because of what he heard and came to know about that man!?
There are several things we come to know about this Roman citizen! He was someone who was genuinely concerned about his slave! He had friends in some of the elders of the Jews! He also had influence on them and so when his slave was ill, he convinces them to approach Jesus on his behalf! When the Jews introduce him to Jesus, he is also introduced as someone who loved the Jewish nation! We also come to know of him having built a Jewish synagogue! So there is quite an influence and name that this man created for himself!
The centurion had no business in doing all that he did! His business was to ensure “law and order” in the location he was stationed and for that he didn’t have to choose an approach as he did! However, we can guess that he chose to have that approach because he was someone who valued human relationships and was shrewd enough to know how to deal with his own kind.
He surely knew how to deal with his subordinates, his subjects, or the important people around him! The question is – Do I? Do you? Do we? Should we all not?
In Luke 16, Jesus makes an observation that should make us all squirm in our places. The ‘children of the light’ somehow develop an attitude whereby they ignore or perhaps even ‘lose the art’ of dealing with the people around them. We become so “ecclesiastically” oriented and so “heaven focused” that we start severing connections with the world around! We become so “heavenly oriented” that we become of no “earthly use”! We forget that, we are only supposed to get the ‘world out of our hearts’ and not ‘get ourselves out of this world’! Are we not the salt of the earth? Are we not the light of this world! Can we severe our connections with the world and make an impact! We need to do our bit to bring flavor and bring light! We have to be creative! We have to build bridges. We need to care!
This centurion cared even for his slave! Forget about servants, do we even care for our colleagues and peers! Will we go out of the way to help them! I am not talking about situational ‘fire fighting’. That is something everyone can do. Do we form relationships with people working with us! Do we really care for them on normal days! Do we put our hands around them to share their pains or concerns? Are we concerned about their souls?
The centurion formed relationship with the Jews around him, and not just ordinary Jews at that, but elders among them! Do we make efforts to establish contact with the ‘Who’s who’ in our community! We may perhaps do that for our own benefits and needs, but out of genuine concern and sincerity! Do we pray for at least some of them!
The centurion gauged that the biggest priority for a Jew was his synagogue and spent his resources to get the Jews into a position of obligation! What shrewdness (So smart!)! He was not such a high ranking official that he could perhaps afford to build a synagogue which perhaps many Jews together were struggling to build! But he did facilitate for the building! It is really commendable! How many of us will go out of our way and spend some huge sum to strike a chord with the community around us! I told you - we are so ‘heavenly focused’ that we care not about what happens to people around us, what their greatest joy is!
The centurion is also claimed to be someone who loved the nation of Israel! Now he was on deputation and had no reason to love the nation of Israel. I mean, his job didn’t demand that! However, he did! Do we love the colleges we study in, companies we work in, institutions that we are a part of, sincerely? The Jews didn’t come to know about his love for Israel because of what he said, but by what he would continually have done before their own eyes!
Jesus wasted no time in rushing towards this centurion’s house because he knew that the centurion was someone who knew how to live his life, and how to get his work done! There was a lesson to give to the ‘children of the light’ with regards to the response of heaven to people who value their work and the people around them and genuinely show love and concern, irrespective of what their background was! Will we change ourselves!?

Romans 1:19 "For what can be known about God is plain to them... (RSV)"

I have used this verse and other verses in this passage very often especially during times of personally sharing with people. From the entire passage of which this particular phrase is just a small part of, there are a few things I would like to deliberate on.
What can be known about God is plain. It is clearly seen!
Now whatever it is that is plain is equally plain to all men. Be it from any nationality on any part of the globe, across centuries, cultures, races, caste or communities, gender or age, it is equally plain to everyone. Nothing more has been specially revealed to any kind of people, and nothing has been specially hidden from any of them too! So there is impartiality. Those who start believing in God and those that chose not to, those that honor God and those that chose not to, those that give thanks to God and those that chose not to, both are subject to the same evidences, see the same things, perceive the same things. It’s only that they chose to differ in their responses!
Now what is that is plain? Paul says, "The invisible nature of God". God has hidden himself only so much that he may be found by the seeker and revealed himself only so much that the evidence doesn't become overwhelming and become a weight on the free will of the person. Isn't that his magnanimity! If God were visible, then man would have been without even a 'right to have an excuse', but since he is invisible, man has the right and freedom to differ. However, the Bible says, yet he is without excuse! Even God's invisible nature is so overwhelmingly evident, that man cannot deny it, but for the hardness of his heart.
Now what is the 'invisible nature' we are talking about here? Paul qualifies this term by adding just two attributes to it - God's eternal power and his deity. He adds that these two attributes can be clearly perceived in the things that have been made. Be it the vast expanse of the seen Universe or the Universe yet unseen, be it the innermost parts of the nucleus or the particles consisting therein, be it the high temperatures in the core of the sun or the low temperatures of deep space, be high energy inside nuclear fusion or the repulsion of like poles of a magnet, be it the astronomically high energy that keeps the protons together inside the nucleus or the low gravitational force of the earth, be it the astute timing of the planets and the seasons or the randomness of the lightening, be it the pristine nature of the lush green pastures or the ruggedness of the mighty waterfalls, be it the hot springs or the desert sands, be it the cactus or the rose flower, be it the low flying peacock or the high flying eagle, the crawling ladybird or the swaying butterflies, the leaping lambs or the majestic lions, the goldfishes or the fighter sharks, be it the small ponds or the mighty rivers, be it the low valleys or the high ranges, be it the amoeba or man, these and in infinite more comparisons can we see God’s eternal power and the deity made PLAIN.
Much more marvelous and amazing is the conception and birth of a child, the growth process and
the learning inside of it, the compassion we feel and the sympathy we exhibit, the love we show and the care we share, the smiles and giggles and the romance and tingles, the feeling of awe and the realization of accountability, the sense of purpose and the potential of creativity, a friend's counsel and a well wishers comfort, a father's heart and a mother's sacrifice, brotherly love and teacher's wisdom, and many more things we live through. Though the joy of life is mixed with the pain and sorrow, hatred and murder, jealousy and bitterness, malice and sin, sickness and death, yet, what still comes out plain, be it in the elated or the deflated, is the eternal power of God and His deity.
One chooses to suppress these facts in the light of his priorities while the others chooses the knowledge to overwhelm and overshadow each of his decisions. One chooses to follow the lusts and desires of his heart while the other chooses to deny himself and the voices . The one appears wise and the other apparently foolish.

But if the evidence is so plain and simple, then it appears more foolish to ‘not honor’ the eternal power and deity of God and give thanks to him. The Bible says, that they that overlook such an evidence have become futile in their thinking, by their own choice.

The Bible calls them senseless, ones whose minds are darkened.

Mathew 25:14 "He called his servants together and entrusted them with his property"

The nobleman called his servants together, "not differently", and then entrusted them, "not a few of them", but all of them together, with his property. A collective responsibility!
Then, the Bible says, to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one - to each in proportion to his own personal ability. Now did the nobleman have only eight talents in all? No, not at all! He had actually just entrusted his entire property to them and then additionally also given them talents so as to conduct his and their affairs in his absence.
To serve their master well, to be good and faithful servants, there were three aspects that these servants had to always keep in mind. 1) It all is "his property" 2) There is an inequity in the distribution of responsibilities and/but 3) There is an equal "collective responsibility" about the property!
A similar collective entrustment can also be seen at the beginning of all stories. Coming to the end of his creation activity, God entrusted the earth and everything in it to Adam and Eve, the representatives of us all. Genesis 1:28 reads "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."
"Be fruitful and increase in number" was an endowment by the Creator (something like the talents that the servants received). However ‘Fill the earth and subdue it’ was definitely a directive, a greater responsibility that fell outside the reach of one or even a few individuals: certainly an area of collective responsibility!
Man was made a co-ruler with God, albeit over a very small part of it. His directive was to be an agent in establishing God’s sovereignty on earth and subdue it. Not that God needed man for this, but that is how God chose to begin to allow man to share with what was His and even He Himself. Fill the earth and subdue it – was the method prescribed, however, strangely, as believers, most of us have ascribed ‘filling the earth’ to be just a biological mandate!
What happened to the collective responsibility throughout history?
The Bible states that Cain went away to the land of Nod (wandering) had a son who he named Enoch (initiate) and also built for himself a city by the name Enoch. Cain "initiated" a new beginning away from God and also his parents and the first thing he did was build a city and "settle"! Settle in the land of wandering! The bitter truth of human tryst! Actually speaking he strayed away from the collective responsibility of filling the earth by choosing to settle down, just like many of us. A little later, when Cain’s descendants multiplied, they did start filling the earth, but with violence! Genesis 6:13 says, the earth was filled with violence because of men and God decided to destroy the earth with a flood!
Much after the flood, men again got together and decided to build a name for themselves and also a city in the form of the Tower of Babel, a tower that was supposed to reach up to the skies! It was another ‘Enoch’ in the making, only to end up filling the earth with more violence and so this time God confounded their language and scattered them! Without God, man only filled the earth with violence!
Abraham, was a "non-settler". He lived like a stranger in tents, and rather filled every place that he went with a testimony about himself and about the God he worshipped. He influenced his household, his neighborhood and even kingdoms. He was so full, that his influence and heritage decided even the course of his descendants. He was the first person in Biblical history to have taken the collective responsibility of God seriously and also showed the way for his descendants to do the same!
The story of Israel is a history of being scattered all over the world of those times! They never really settled. Whenever they did, they became a people that did what was right in their own eyes. And then, God scattered them again to keep them allied to the collective responsibility!
The first church decided to settle in Jerusalem and enjoy the goodness of Pentecostal experience, but God scattered them. His directive was to fill the earth and subdue it. Jesus included it as a part of his Great Commission when he said, ‘Go and teach all nations’. He also asked them to be initiated with the Holy Spirit, before they filled the earth! All the names that he has used for us are also a reminder of what we are supposed to be – Salt, Yeast, Light, Seed! They were supposed to fill the earth with his glory, his praise, his love and of course his good news. So are we.
Let’s shed the Cain like mentality of settling down in a land of wandering and become more like Abraham, more like the Apostles and believers of the first century who were committed to filling up the earth and subduing the earth. They couldn’t do it alone. They worked together and know what – Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit who collaborates in this activity and coordinates with us so that our collective responsibility is well met and his trust in us is justified!

Mathew 22: 36 "Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

In a world and time wherein practically everything and everyone is vying for attention, and companies splurging very high proportion of their budgets on ads and promotions, and media and brands aggressively and literally climbing and rolling over each other to have an edge, be it direct or indirect competition, the customer, the audience, the client surely is the king. At least he is made to feel so momentarily, for surely, at the end of the day, it is he who also pays for all these exercises!
In the process, everyone makes superlative claims and such claims usually go unchallenged unless the competitor feels threatened or some retired person decides to pass time by filing a public interest litigation or an infuriated client, who is already furious at his wife and circumstances, now feels thoroughly cheated by the brand too!
Now, what is the reason behind the claims that every brand and company is making? The clutter for sure is the principal reason. There are options galore. There are so many products on the shelves that people will need and won’t and there are all kinds of companies and establishments making them! Now, unless they claim to be from Andromeda and even beyond, they will go unnoticed. In fact, I think that the reason also is that, even we expect to be approached with such adjectives else the promotional stunt or effort will remain just a noise that was never heard! One "has to" claim to be the highest, the first, the best, the most, the greatest et cetera, et cetera!
But then this doesn’t seem to be a typical 21st century phenomenon! Even in the times of Jesus, we see this person coming and asking him to tell him the ‘greatest commandment’. Perhaps he only wanted to test Jesus’ priorities. But let me assume another reason for benefit of examining ourselves. Assuming this person was like me, perhaps he was not sure whether he would be able to follow all of law, so at least if the so called ‘Son of God’ could help with the ‘greatest’, it would ease the guilt and stress! Please tell us which is the most important so that we can do it and please God! So much like 21st century audience of Jesus Christ! Don’t tell us too many things, just the greatest and we will do that.
Have we not become a generation that attends and focuses only on the superlatives? We miss our devotions and meditations and then faithfully come to church and expect the pastor to serve us the best out of what he would have learnt during the week. We want someone to work and give their best while we are pursuing other things! Even in our relationship with the Lord are we not becoming a generation fulfilling just the minimum requirements so that we can escape God’s wrath? Are we not becoming a generation that might enter into God’s rest but like ones that barely escaped through a wall of flames and thus bear the smell of fumes and a reveal burnt appearance even while huddling to escape specific attention from the saints of previous generations, marching on to receive a reward from the master, if any!
Hark now to the beacon statements of Jesus, "If you love me, obey my commandments." "All who love me will do what I say." Not just the greatest, but ALL.

Praying More!!

These days I have committed myself to praying more. But I have to admit that it has always been a struggle. Every time that I have decided so, the devil, since he knows the power of prayer, tries every trick in his book to dissuade me.
Now it’s important to decide a particular time and pray at that same time everyday. That way it can become a habit. I decided on early mornings and also decided to treat this time like a big appointment. I was never a big supporter of this. Not that I opposed it, but now I would suggest one and all to do it this way. Maybe as you grow old, you realize the importance of discipline and begin appreciating the warnings that our parents "caned" into us. Early in the morning, right when I arise, the struggle begins. I wonder if it were so hard to commit oneself for the gym!
First it’s the demand for sleep! The body never seems to have had enough sleep especially now when the prime activity in the morning was going to be prayer. Also I noticed that since the day I resolved to pray at least an hour every morning, I started waking up to a variety of pains in my body beginning from the head to the toe! Everyday something new! The spirit is always willing but the body always weak too and so, after the hot tea, I rush to get fresh and that involves putting me under the cold shower to proclaim and establish to my rebelling body my commitment to the prayer. The body kind of twists and turns but gets tamed eventually to the constant flow of cold water. Now I enjoy it! I wonder why all my life I hated cold shower baths!
I wish many of us would understand the adaptability of our body to the situation we force it into. I mean, God has made our bodies in such a way that it is very "teachable". The flip side of this characteristic being addiction, and regular habits that we develop; some of which are hard to shake off; but the bright side being the ability to set the body clock to the daily routine that we want it to follow. Of course, the body dislikes change because change involves struggles and efforts. But the body is certainly teachable. If we don’t teach it, it will cheat us. No matter what my body says each morning and however loud, I have resolved to pray and never give in.
I have also decided the place where I will pray daily. It helps to decide a place free from all distractions. A fixed place leaves least things for body and eyes to get distracted by, thus allowing more focus and attention on the subject of concern. It takes a five minute drive for me to reach this place. I now walk down to the place, thus clubbing morning walk with the prayer making it a morning ‘prayer walk’! That takes about fifteen minutes but it’s worth every minute. That way, very soon I will become an owner of a fit spirit inside a fit body!
I have also learnt that it helps to pray loud rather than whisper it in our minds. The latter often facilitates a slippage into ‘wonderland’. The loud prayers keeps the mind alert and also is a confession for the devil and also the situation to hear! Yes, even the situations hear! Now, the loud prayers do take a toll on the throat because invariably I end up speaking almost non-stop, sometimes even without appropriate pauses, but then prayer is a battle, a struggle, not an activity that has to be padded for my comfort and meager efforts.
Prayer is an enjoyable experience. But it can become draining as days pass by and you starting praying and praying for the same topics but never actually see changes happening in reality. But prayer moves mountains and it takes a while to notice when a mountain moves! Hallelujah. Making praying a habit has been my best decision ever.

1 Corinthians 12: 5 "There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord"

There are two major labels that attach to me as a disciple of Christ - son of God and servant of God. The first I receive by grace, but the latter is the expression of my gratitude for what I receive. Son-ship symbolizes my privileges and rights, while servant-hood, my duties towards him. As a son, my inheritance is grand, but as a servant, there is an earning too that I must do by the trading of what I have been entrusted, which includes work, wealth, education, abilities, spouse, children, family, church etc. I at least need to add value to these! A closer look reveals that my earning will decide my inheritance! So my service to the Lord (also labeled as ministry) is not only my gratitude and my duty but a decider of my eternal bequest making it completely significant in my life.
As Paul talks about service (ministry) in the above portion, he follows up with a treatise of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit equips the Christian in specific areas of ministry for the common good. Since these are key areas identified by the Holy Spirit, these shouldn’t be neglected anyhow as even divine abilities were to be bestowed if needed to make up for any lack in them.
Since these areas are so critical, should I then await a divine prodding to spruce them up? Shouldn’t I commence taking tiny steps? There are nine gifts illustrated in the portion but on a closer observation I can categorize them into three groups - the Knowledge Gifts, the Speech Gifts and the Power Gifts.
Knowledge, wisdom and discerning are the constituents of first group.
Knowledge is the information that I need to collect not just from the Bible but also from various other sources and by diverse means, be it reading, writing, or interactions. To strike conversations with people around, to be noticed at all, it’s crucial to have a knowledge bank. Wisdom is the ability to pick up the right information for application. Wisdom is knowledge applied. Proverbs talks at length about wisdom. Wisdom intensifies with experience. Discerning is the art of application of knowledge and wisdom on people and situations. Anything that we accumulate, has to become applicable to real people and situations, else, it’s just as useful as wherever it was lying in the first place!
Tongues, Interpretation and Prophecy are constituents of the second group.
Tongues and Interpretation characterize speaking and grasping respectively. I should not just season my speech with salt, but also garnishing my expressive skills in each form of communication. All amassing of knowledge, wisdom or discerning skills become useless without proper articulation at the stage of application. ‘Be quick to hear’ is a counsel given so that we give enough time to understand and grasp the expressions and situations of the other person. Now I understand the importance of featuring more in groups and discussions. Prophecy, in the roll of gifts, refers to encouragement and words of exhortation. Having grasped, when I speak, I should build - build up confidence, strengthen relationships and foster courage.
Faith, Healing and Miracles are the constituents in the third group.
If my faith is the tree that people see, then trust is its roots. Unless I have a walk of trusting the Lord in even the trivial things in my life, I cannot have a faith which impacts. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, but it establishes and develops by walking according to the Word of God. I can be resourceful, I can be useful too, but unless, I live what I espouse, will I not be a Pharisee? It’s my life that should reinforce my utility, back up my function, cause and values. With such a conviction and life I will be a comfort and thus a healing. I will also need to make every effort be above the ordinary, do the unexpected, and stand out – traits that define a miracle.
Indeed a lot of work on my hands since I claim to be His servant. There are many more areas, but these being identified by the Holy Spirit as essential, I need to urgently proceed on, not just to be called a good and faithful servant, or for a glorious inheritance, but also for common good.

Never Give Up!!

For the last few weeks I have been working on Spiritual Warfare and I feel that I need to highlight something very vital from it in the musings this month instead of the matter I previously promised to continue in the last issue.

One fact that I realized in a new light during the course of the meditations was that just like we take Satan as our enemy, he takes us as "his enemy" too. This knowledge is very crucial because many times we think of him as just being in the business of impeding or interrupting us on our way to Christ and ‘just that’ and nothing more. Whereas, on the contrary, he considers us as his sworn enemy and as the Bible says, all he earnestly desires is to kill us, steal from us and utterly destroy us.
However, there is something more amazing that emerges in the study of the enemy of our soul, something that perhaps has been showcased by God in the fabric of history especially in the scriptures. It’s the ‘Never Give Up’ attitude of the devil.
If we just plainly trace his steps from the time of his own fall, every time that he has been defeated or thrown out after humiliation, he has only stood up again with fervor and some kind of an undying hope in him that he can turn things around for himself and his troops only if he just keeps trying. The fact that he is warring God himself doesn’t deter him a bit. Not that I am glorifying his detestable act, but I surely am amazed by the grit he shows in rising up every time.
He has failed shamelessly, albeit after brief moments of victory, even to seemingly weak willed men like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Elijah. He didn’t ‘Give Up’ when these men had glorious ends than what they probably deserved. He was driven away by Jesus from the wilderness but he came back to Jesus in facade of Pharisees, demon possessed people and even his very own disciples. He was shunned away every time but yet he returned with a vengeance and finally a Cross. He received a fatal blow in that his head was finally crushed at the Cross and the Resurrection but has he given up yet? For the 2000 years of church history and even now, he is still battling against the church, and he his also building up his forces for the great big war at Armageddon. The Bible says that he will rebel even after the Millennium! For someone who knows the Bible by-heart and knows that his fate is sealed and knows his destiny of the ‘Lake of Fire’, the fact that he apparently never worries, nor lets his troops to get paralyzed; in fact he keeps them amazingly motivated; is unbelievable. In fact he has only proved himself to be increasingly creative and effective in these present times.
I really don’t want anybody to misunderstand me for highlighting the least of all characters in the Bible to emulate, the devil himself. I am really amazed at his ‘Never Give Up’ attitude and actually this exposes his prime directive against us Christians – make us ‘Give Up’.
Oh! How easily we ‘Give Up’? How much does it take for us to give up on God and Christ our Lord and our Hope?
After having learnt about this, I always remind myself when I am pushed, ‘I will Never Give Up’. If the devil despite his hopeless destiny ‘Never Gives Up’, how can I let him make me ‘Give Up’! He is very crafty and will try anything to ensure that we ‘Give Up’ on God. I often used to wonder why Job’s wife was left out of the fury of Satan. But the words she spoke simply exposed his intention wonderfully. She said, "Job why don’t you ‘Give Up’? Curse your God and die?"!!
Let’s join with Job and also join with the choir of the cloud of witnesses who not through their song but through their lives have left a song across the centuries that echoes and resonates so loudly into our spirit’s ears, ‘Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up’. Help us Holy Spirit. God bless.

John 13:33 "I am to be with you only a little longer: you are not able to come where I am going"

The scene is that of the Last Supper. Jesus knew that his time to be crucified had come. It was time to prepare his close group for what was coming. Jesus firstly exposed the role of Judas. After that, Jesus said, "I am to be with you only a little longer: you are not able to come where I am going". Though perhaps he had spoken of it several times before, this time around he had managed to get the attention of some of them. These few approached him and voiced their understanding and concerns. Let me look at one of them today.
Simon Peter: Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "You are not able to follow me now where I am going, but you shall follow me afterwards."
Instead of replying to the question per se, Jesus tells Peter that he couldn't go with Him then but "only" later. That was something that really got my man excited; excited not because he could follow Jesus to that place later on, but excited in the exactly contrary sense.
Peter was now, no longer interested in knowing whereto Jesus was going but only that why was it that he couldn't go with him then! Suddenly, his focus and priority had shifted. "Lord, why can’t I follow you NOW?"
Was there a place where Jesus could go and he couldn't? And then, hadn't he, John and James got the privilege to go with Him where the other nine couldn't? This was perhaps the first time Jesus was stopping him from joining him! And what's with these words "not able to". Peter probably thought, "Have I not even walked on water?!" He couldn't take the "No" for an answer. He gets desperate and expresses it when he says, "I am ready to even lay down my life! How come you say, I can't come!"
Peter sincerely felt that he was eligible, qualified and above all that, willing to go wherever Jesus was going! Jesus probably hadn’t thought it over enough. Peter actually could perhaps go with Jesus then itself!
Now, sometimes its does happen that the aide of a big officer or politician does feel like he has become as powerful as his boss himself. They do start acting, talking and behaving like their bosses themselves! Was not Peter perhaps exhibiting such a mannerism?
Moreover here, we also see a man driven by his emotions. He even puts his own life on the line. His heart ruled his decisions. And when one is like that, it’s possible that he becomes irrational and sometimes unreasonable. A man driven by his emotions values his feelings more than any other decision, albeit rational, and also gets quickly irked when confronted. He takes the confrontation as a questioning of his intention! Therefore he says, "I am ready to lay down my life".
A man of such disposition is also easily tempest tossed. It doesn’t take much for him to be side-tracked and forget the ‘Whats’ and ‘Whys’. Peter had taken off into another tangent altogether.
However sincere he might have been when he said about laying down his life, Jesus' reply to emotionally driven Peter was, that he would surely deny him not once or twice but thrice before the dawn on that very day! An alarm bell for all emotionally driven folks!
Frankly, I do behave like Peter sometime or the other, especially when I am charged up by the message of a good preacher. Some people are perpetually so. It’s time to take the warning.
Good intentions, initiative and willingness are not enough to tread the path which Christ took. He has asked me to carry my cross and follow Him. It takes much more than mere human grit and determination to follow in His footsteps. Hasty, emotionally driven, irrational commitments do look unpardonable if not backed up.
Just to endure the suffering and even get crucified might still be possible for some, but to exude the character, self-control, perseverance and perfect understanding-of and alignment-to God’s will at all times is what makes it a "going to where he went".
What a sorry picture of Peter got projected here. But even still, it’s riding on this very Peter’s back that the first century church launched itself as a force to reckon with for "all times". Something changed this man. He started getting driven by some other force, some other power. More on that: later.

Luke19:13 “Buy and sell with these while I go and then return.”

Jesus and his disciples were getting very close to Jerusalem and expectations were building that God’s kingdom (Jesus’ reign) would begin any time. I am assuming that the disciples were already deciding on the portfolios and different roles they would play in the new kingdom. We are aware of how a couple of them even had their mother to intervene! It is at such a time that Jesus tells them a story.

There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, ' Buy and sell with these while I go and then return.'

When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done. The first had doubled his money and because he was trustworthy in this small job, he was made governor of ten towns. The second made a fifty percent profit and so was put in charge of five towns! The next servant however kept the money safe and sound, hidden in the cellar because he was a little afraid. He knew that the master had high standards and hated sloppiness, and didn't suffer fools gladly.

The master said, 'You're right that I don't suffer fools gladly—and you've acted the fool! Why didn't you at least invest the money in securities so I would have gotten a little interest on it?' His money was taken away and given to the servant who doubled his stake.

The master reiterated, "Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag." 1

Jesus’ thrust through the story is - buy and sell with the deposit he has made in us while he goes and then returns. The RSV uses the word ‘Trade’.
Trading or business is different from an investment especially with regards to the activities (number of transactions) involved in the same. A person who does a trade or business is day in and day out buying and selling and trying to make profit, minimize losses, square off, or keep the show going. A share market enthusiast, someone who is involved in daily buying and selling, exemplifies what a trade comprises of. It is very much unlike an investment wherein I put in my money for a certain time frame and don’t return till that time is done. Trading is like breathing and eating and drinking. It will involve and engage me completely and involves a number of small and different transactions which in turn add up to the turnover.
What is the cue? God has given me various deposits (minas). They can be identified as my talents and abilities, my ministry gifts, my money, my resources, my time, even my children (literal and spiritual) etc. The cue is to keep looking for opportunities to trade these deposits. A trader has eyes and ears open and mind alert to opportunities. I too am supposed to jump on every opportunity wherein my deposits can be put to work.
It is definitely not a once in a while activity. I usually satisfy myself with that Sunday surge or the lone weekday bursts. Trading doesn’t happen like that. I have to be on my toes for it. It has to be done on the Monday and the Thursday and all the other days. What if I don’t? I think I risk not meeting his high standards and in fact I will look like a sloppy fool!
Often I do not put my deposits to work because of fear of failure. I need to remember that the master never said that I have to make profits. Nor did he ask for minimum returns. He just wants me to be active. He just wants me to employ my resources and in turn be tuned and prepared for something greater that I know nothing about, but the master knows. The first servant was made a governor of ten cities! So, the stakes are very high. No wonder, as soon as he returns, more than anything else, the first thing on his mind was to meet up his servants. He was deciding his team for the future. Trade, O my soul, trade!
Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.