The halfbaked Bard

Phil:2:6-11 Christ was exalted when He humbled. He humbled Himself In obedience even until death Therefore the Father exalted Him And His name above all else. He made Himself nothing. Therefore the Father exalted Him. That at the name of Jesus Every knee should bow In heaven, in earth and under the earth And every tongue confess That Jesus Christ is Lord To the glory of God the Father. In true humility, there would be exaltation God would cause it, because He resists the proud. But if you dream to be exalted, while you humble, Then that is not the true humility intended. That is only a shortcut you desire, to exaltation. In true humility, there is servanthood. There is selflessness. There is only absolute giving Not what would I gain. When Jesus humbled Himself . He was only mindful of me. He was only thinking of me. He was only thinking of redeeming me. Back to His bosom. The lost me. He was only willing. To be separated from the Father Out of His love for me. He was only...

Phil:2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Man's innate nature is self centredness. To project oneself. To do things to gratify his own nature. To highlight himself. To focus the limelight on self. Whatever good deeds or sinful act you do, it focuses on your own self. But Paul admonishes to do nothing out of selfish ambition. Infact he encourages to do things considering others better than yourself. Like Jesus. Paul sites the example of our Saviour - to have the attitude of Christ, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. He considered us more important than His privileges and positions. He considered to share His position with us. While we were still His enemies. Jonathan loved David as himself. Despite knowing the truth that David is going to take the throne that was supposedly his. To serve; to help; to do things for my own brother even if I have...

Phil:1:27 Whatever happens conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Live a life that is worthy of the precious gospel you have received. Live your life with love, with peace, with joy, with kindness, with humility - as you have received a treasure. Reflecting the One who called you. Why are you downcast O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God For I will yet praise Him My Saviour and my God. Ps:42:11 Worrying and fretting is not living a life worthy of the gospel. Where is the smile? Where is the excitement that you are expected to have because of the gospel.  He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil:1:6. He has got it in control. He has got the whole world in His hands. So when disturbing thoughts come (for they will come for sure), I will focus on His beautiful face, my Saviour who loved me and think of the ways He had led me this far. How from the fiery hell He has save...

Now as always. Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death. Phil:1:20 As long as Christ lives in me; as long as I proclaim to be a child of God - it is Christ who will be exalted in me. Do not try to claim the praises to yourself. Weak as I am, I am able to do the things that I do through Christ who strengthens me. Secondly through my life, do I exalt Christ or do I defame Him? With selfish ambitions, through marred motives. This is a privilege as well as a warning. A responsibility as well as an admonition. An honour as well as a caution. It is a prayer as well. Because of the reality that I can do nothing out of my own but only through Christ who lives in me. And I would reflect Christ alone. I am unable to do with right motives and this helpless realisation would bring me to repentance humbling myself. That I will be equipped to give Him the glory. Why do I seek glory when I deserved nothing? When I did absolutely nothing? Image credit: https://eubieblog....

Phil:1:18 Yes and I will continue to rejoice Paul is writing this letter, while he is in chains. He is sure of his deliverance. Even if he is not, whether by life or death, he says, let Christ be exalted in him. Joy has become a subjective feeling based on circumcision. If everything is well, I will rejoice. In the middle of crisis, I pray Lord, to give me your joy. Whether I will overcome or not I will rejoice. That through it all Christ will be exalted. The truth is Christ will enable to overcome, for He is good. He is with me in this. As I go through it, I pray Lord that the tangible presence of my Lord I would surely feel. Rejoice for He is nigh. Rejoice in the middle of trouble, for He is with you. Continue to rejoice, no matter how big the problem you are going through is. Let your joy reflect the One who is in you. Image credit: https://www.dreamstime.com/happy-children-running-joyful-summer-sunlight-playful-kids-painting-bright-colors-outdoor-scene-art-cheerful-run-...

Paul prays for the Philippians - that your love may abound more and more in the knowledge and depth of insight. Phil:1:9 That love may increase - love to the Lord. Based on your knowledge and insight which will become deeper as you spend time with Him. It's a cycle. Love Him more to know Him more. Know Him more to love Him more. The key is realising the depth of His love and loving Him and therefore spending more time with Him and thereby loving Him. But not by your effort or interest or discipline. Paul prays that this would happen to the Philippians. The element of divine grace. Lord have mercy on me and open my eyes and enable me to see you as you would want me to see you. As you desire to reveal yourself to me. Help me to understand the depth of your love that my love will only abound by the increasing knowledge of you. Image credit: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2024/12/14/paul-and-prayer/?amp=1

Phil:1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you, will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Predestining you was His initiative. Calling you and choosing you, His act. And why was it that He called you. Not to gain accolades for Him through you. Not to gain many souls through you. Not that He saw a fighter in you; a good soldier who would stand for His cause. He called you because He loves you. And why did He call? For what purpose? It is to transform you into His Son's likeness. He has started this. And He will complete it. If this is the primary purpose for which you have been called; then He will not deter from completing it. All the other purposes might fade. But this won't. Be confident of this. Image credit: https://dianegottsman.com/2022/01/17/handling-the-first-day-at-a-new-job-jitters/

Ephesians 6:24   Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.  Is your love undying? Your love to One who loved until death. Whose love conquered the death for you. Is your love living. Ever growing? Ever increasing? Have you lost your first love? In emotions  In actions  In decisions If it's not living love.its dying. If it's not increasing love.its dead. Do you love me more than these? You know Lord.how much I love you. Image credit: https://www.godisreal.today/gods-love-for-us/

Eph:6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me too. This is like summing up of all that Paul had to tell them. Guys. Just pray. In the Spirit.  Rom:8:26. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying. For the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. To pray in the Spirit is to agree and acknowledge what the Holy Spirit would pray for you. We do not know what we should pray for ourselves. But the Spirit in us pleads for us and the Father knows what the Spirit is saying. It is like, you pray through the filter of the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Spirit, you pray. At all times and in every occasion. It is the helplessness that will lead you ...

And the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Eph:6:17 And - Last but not the least. Probably the most important one. The only offensive weapon. To counter and attack the enemy. The Word of God. Use the Word of God. For that you need to know the Word. To know. Who God is.  Who Jesus is. What Jesus has done. Who you are. What is your position in Jesus. What is grace. What merit do I have to boast. What do I look forward to. Infact it is the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, God Himself who isbyour offensive weapon. You need not fight. He will fight. Lord, I pray that, let whatever knowledge I have about you  whatever is true, let it be translated from my head to my entire life. Entire being. So that I might fight the good fight. I pray that I would take every effort to know your word to take it up and fight. I pray that I would let you do the fight. That I would trust that you will do it. Image courtesy: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-is-t...

Take the helmet of salvation. Eph:6:17 Helmet covers your head. The center of all your thought processes, your emotions. Always be thinking of your salvation. Always remember from where you have been plucked out. Always humble yourselves, not thinking high of yourself. Always be grateful. Never forget Image credit: https://www.vecteezy.com/png/48775672-ornate-medieval-knight-s-helmet-with-floral-design

And with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. Eph:6:14 Love the gospel of peace. Love people. Be ready always to share God's love and how He made peace with mankind. Be willing to take extra efforts to share Him. Take radical steps. Like Jim Eliot.  Be a Lottie D. Moon of this generation. Like Graham Staines. Be a Dr. Tharian. Be a Dr. KV. Be a Philip John Kottarathil. It might look foolish for the world. But you will be still wise in God's eyes. Be ready. Image courtesy: https://www.ibelieve.com/christian-living/what-are-the-feet-fitted-with-readiness-from-the-gospel-of-peace.html

With the breastplate of righteousness in place. Eph:6:14 Breastplate covers and protects the heart. Heart is the core of a being. Heart exposed is the end. Cover your core with the righteousness imputed from the Son. A sinner redeemed by Grace you are. Sin was your root. But you are indeed a new creation. Not inclined to the rotten ways anymore. But inclined to Christ's righteous ways. No condemnation for you are in Christ Jesus. The core forms the man. So let righteousness define you.  Not yours. For your righteousness is like filthy rags. Let Christ's righteousness be in place. Be in the right place of your life. Let it be the center of your life. Image credit: https://www.wyrmwick.com/paladin-armour-set

Eph:6:14 Belt of truth, buckled around your waist. That holds all your armour. The core of it all is the truth of the gospel. Believe in it always. Always be aware of from where you have been called; humbling yourselves. The righteousness of God. That has been imputed upon us. Not by our merit. But by the grace of God. Always binded by the truth. No matter what happens, to stick to the truth. Because He is true. Image credit: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-is-the-belt-of-truth-in-the-armor-of-god.html

Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Eph:6:10 Be strong. Do not fear. Do not be discouraged. Do not lose heart. Be strong against the schemes of the devil. You may seem weak. But the One who is in you is more powerful than the one who is in the world. Put on the full armour and be strong. Isn't it beautiful to think - God with all His might and power could have just annihilated the devil. But what He chooses to do is to enable His power in weaklings like me, to defeat Him. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Image courtesy: https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/strong-hand

The Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. Eph:6:8 A reward is waiting. For every good that you do. Big or small - that will not disappoint you. Because it is given not based on your deeds. But based on the goodness of the Giver. And He is good. This is a conclusion of a series of admonitions from St. Paul. - To wives - submit. - To husbands - love. - To children - obey. - To fathers - do not exasperate. - To slaves - obey. serve. Why will God reward if you do these routine mundane things?  It is because, it is the acronym that we do in this fallen world. Though we are tuned to do this, we are inclined to do the opposite, because we are fallen. So resist. Fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith, and there is in store for you the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge will award you on that day. Amen. Image credit : https://davidjeremiah.blog/what-kind-of-rewards-will-believers-receive-in-heaven/

Eph:6:7 Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord. There is no slave - master relation in the present world. But this is all the more relevant for an employer - employee relation. Or a subordinate - boss relation. A resident - HOD or a resident - management relation. Work with sincerity of heart as you would obey Christ. Wholeheartedly as if you were serving Christ. Full effort. For the betterment of the company. Be a pro- company man always. Desiring good for the company / senior / boss. Work as a unit. Not seeking personal benefits. Your sincerity at work is a face of your testimony. Your genuinity is your identity as a child of God. Bosses - treat your subordinates in a way knowing that your master and their master in heaven is the same. They are in no way inferior to you. You are all one in Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us not make it difficult at work. Let us be sincere and wholehearted.  Image courtesy: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/bharat-...

Eph:5:22 - 6:4 Wives submit to your husbands as the church submitted to Christ. Husband's love your wives as Christ loved the church.  Children obey your parents in the Lord  Father's, do not exasperate your children. Unless God is in the centre of your family. There is no hope. You can do all these things without being Christ centred. You can be good parents, good husbands, good wives and good children. But to reach the fullness of the purpose of your life, Christ has to be in the center of all relationships. Pray. Obey the word precisely. Teach and discuss God's word. Family prayer. Family Bible studies. Without these you can definitely be a good family. But will not be the epitome that God has planned. Image courtesy; https://www.shutterstock.com/video/search/family-five-silhouette

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Eph:5:19 Not everyone is a musician. Oh! I can't sing well. I am not musically oriented as others. My voice is croaky and I can't hit those notes. I don't know how to sing. These are comments we often hear. But God is not looking for a performance or a concert. It is in fact a command to be obeyed - sing and make music in your heart to the Lord - not to singers and musicians alone. But to all. Songs are prayers. Hymns are words of praise. Not that the tune is unimportant. But the words communicate more. V:19 starts with, speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs .   Col:3:19. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. It is a time of pondering the word of Christ. It is an expression of gratitude to God.  It is an act of worship. So even if you are not incli...

Be imitators of God. Eph:5:1 St. Paul lists a few things in the end of chapter 4 and beginning of chapter 5. But summarises everything  in these 4 words. Be imitators of God. Do as God would do. A revival started when a group of people asked. "What would Jesus do?"  Your life would change too, if you would ask the same. That is the purpose for which you have been created; to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Rom:8:11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. He will enable, He will equip. For that is His desire. Rom:12:2 Take of any unwholesome talk, any immorality, any coarse talking, greed. Live as children of light and find out what please the Lord. This resurrection day,  let us renew our minds and desire for what God desires. Image credit: https://montessori150.org/taxonomy/term/177

Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves. Eph:4:13 It is infants who are tossed by the waves. Mature people stand on solid rock. In faith they are strong. They shall not be affected by the things that will disturb them. Rock solid they stand. They hold fast to the One who called them. They are sure of the One who called them. They are sure of the One who is in their boat with them, who says, 'Be still' to their tumultuous situation. They believe, no matter what. There is their Father who works all things for their good. It is a matter of trusting Him who is with you. It is about the surity of Him who called you. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future. And life is worth the loving, just because He lives. Image courtesy: https://www.freepik.com/premium-ai-image/wooden-ship-is-being-tossed-around-stormy-sea-waves-are-crashing-deck-ship-is-listing-one-side_199535152.htm

Eph:4:4 There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. There is only one. No endless possibilities. No multiverse. No multiple saviours. No limitless superheroes.  Only one Father. One Jesus. One Spirit. One possibility of salvation. One eternal kingdom. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life. This is the only truth. Period. Image credit: https://superheroes.fandom.com/wiki/Marvel_Universe