The halfbaked Bard

Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. James:1:21. Filthy around you is so huge and encroaching that you can protect yourself only by filling yourself with the word within. It has been planted. It can save you. Now nurture it. Fill your whole being. So that it can continue to save you from all the filth, that is around you. Otherwise; no determination or self control is going to purify you. You are sure to fall. Only the Word will purify. Because it is the Son Himself. God Himself. It is alive and active, sharper than the double edged sword, penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. Heb:4:12 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Heb:4:13. It exposes everything that is sinful. So if you want to be purged and make yourself pure, fill your life with the Word.  Spen...

James:1:20 For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Anger is in no way beneficial. It neither brings the righteousness that God desires in your life. For anger almost always results in sin. And it comes as a result of sin. Anger leads to bitterness. Anger leads to fits of rage. Anger leads to lack of love. - results in sin. Anger comes out of selfishness. Anger comes out of bitterness. Anger comes out of holding on to your selfish point. Anger comes out of not letting go. - comes as a result of sin. Nor does it bring the righteousness that God desires in their life. The one on whom it is angered upon - he/ she will discipline oneself may be out of fear. But not long lasting. Not out of clear insight or understanding. Not out of love. Then there is the righteous anger which Jesus had in the temple. A genuine outpouring of judgement on seeing what is wrong. But will you be able to draw the line? Therefore be slow to anger. Refrain. There i...

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father. James:1:17 How do we know that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father? Because He is good and perfect. Only He is good. And He is a loving Father. So He will give all things that is good to His children.  All good things can come from Him alone, because He alone is good. Whereas the enemy, the counterpart ( eventhough he is no equal to the good God, nor is he the antonym), his intention is always bad. He has come to steal and kill and destroy. Outwardly what he offers might look alluringly good and beautiful. But his intention is bad and it is to destroy. But God works everything for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The best ( which is the superlative of good) gift that came from above is salvation. The best is God Himself. When we were lost, when we were without hope, while we were still not seeking Him and faraway from Him, Christ died. When we least ...

When tempted no one should say God is tempting me. James:1:13. Temptation comes not from God. But by your own evil desires. Trials and testing is different, which are sent by God. Infact He being the Sovereign ruler, everything is allowed by God. But He is not the source of any temptations. Temptation has an evil or sinful outcome. Trials and testing does not have. It involves a little bit of suffering in contrast. Not an overt sin. The admonition here is to be careful of your evil desires. Not to find out the source. Desires become evil when the direct outcome is sin. Sin with rebellion written all over it. Sin which has "I" written all over it. But when you have fallen. Seek and come back. Return and repent. Beware. Image credit: https://www.asianage.com/life/more-features/230317/overcome-temptation.html

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial. James:1:12 The second benefit of perseverance in trial is that you shall be given the crown of life which has been promised to those who love Him. Therefore we conclude that perseverance is a sign of loving Him. Only if I love Him will I cling on to Him, in hard times. It is a cycle. Perseverance is a sign of love. Perseverance will also increase your love. And love is not something you manufacture. You need the grace of God to love Him and to understand His love. All you can do is ask helplessly. Ask grace to persevere. Ask grace to understand this love. Seek. Ask forgiveness for walking away from this love and show yearnest desire to come back. Image credit: https://butterflyliving.org/how-to-persevere/

Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials ofany kind. James:1:2 How can you be joyous when you face trials? You know for sure that God is in control. You know that God will work on your favour because you are His beloved. All things God works for your good. You know that God will bring about a solution. These are good reasons to be joyous. But apostle James tells even more better reasons. Persevere during testing times. Cling on to God during these difficult times. Because perseverance when it finishes it's working, you will become mature and complete. Your character will change because of that perseverance. You will become more Christ like. Just as He desired you to be. Complete. Just like silver is purged of gross when it goes through fire. It is difficult for the silver. Painful. Nothing complete happens for the silver which jumps out of the refinery. It remains unpurged. Therefore cling on. Hold on. Hold fast to the One who allows you to go through this. He will...

James:1:1 James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This James is the brother of Jesus Christ. The elder of the church. But his address is different. He is humble enough to identify himself as a servant of his own brother. The very person whom he did not acknowledged when they were younger. It was filled with disbelief and skepticism. Mk:3:21 Jn:7:5 But after the resurrection, things started to change.  Acts:1:14 What made James believe? There was a personal encounter.  1 Cor:15:7 But is that all? More than that, James knew about a Jesus that none of us knew. The silent 30 odd years. He saw the perfect righteous sinless elder son, the brother Jesus. That convinced him that Jesus is the Messiah. That He is the Son of God.  An intimate relation with Jesus will instead of swelling us up with pride, will humble us. The more you know Him, the less you will think of the positions, the less you will brood over lost accolades, the more you humble yourself a...

Heb:13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. The sacrifices with which God is pleased are doing good to others and sharing with one another. Selfessness written all over it. No hoarding. When you give to others selflessly, God is pleased. When he prayed for others, Job's situation was changed. Do to others what you want them to do to you. Not with a motive of getting things to be done for you.  But a genuine interest and love to others. The greatest commandment according to Jesus, apart from loving God is, to love your neighbour as yourself. Image credit: https://naturefriendmagazine.com/hand-feeding-birds/

Heb:13:15 Through Jesus, therefore let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name. A sweet aroma, a sacrifice pleasing to Him who hears. Confess Jesus' name. Acknowledge His authorship in our lives. A sacrifice of praise. Nothing much sweeter for Him, than His child giving glory to Him, despite the circumstances. Praise is the natural word that comes in the mouth of the believer in all situations. Out of his belief that his Father has got all things in control. It is pleasing for Him to hear. Because it involves trust. And trust is something which pleases God. Let praise be your anthem. In joyous circumstances, let it be an anthem of thankfulness. In difficult situations let it be an anthem of trust and hope. As much as it pleases the Lord, it disturbs the enemy. The devil flees with the shout of praise. Let it be a natural response. Image courtesy: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/studio-mic

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have. Heb:13:5 Love of money is the root of all evil. 1 Tim:6:10 Not money perse. But love for money is the root of all evil. You will never be satisfied. America's first billionaire John D. Rockfeller was asked, how much money was enough? He replied, "Just a little more."  This endless pit of discontentment and greed will never be quenched. Money is needed. But love of money is dangerous. It will never satisfy. You compromise on the basics and discredit the ideologies when you try to be filled. But it is like drinking salty water. The hunger just keeps increasing. The solution is to be content with what you have. The promise that follows in v:5b-6 gives you the key. Because God has said, Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.  So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. W hat can man do to me?  That the Lord is enough. That He will provide. That He ...

Without holiness no one will see the Lord. Heb:12:14 Therefore make every effort to be holy.  Holiness is an attribute that God cannot keep aside. In fact none of His attributes can He do away with. But holiness is of a different league. His love accomodates. His forgiveness draws us to Him. His glory inspissates. But His holiness, He cannot compromise. He is so holy and pure that He cannot accomodate even an iota of sin. He lives in inapproachable light. And man was created in this image of God. But man fell. And now he cannot come to God. Therefore he hid from God. But His love still accomodates. His love still longs for man, for his good. But He cannot let sin go unpunished. He wants to forgive. But He has to deal with sin, because He is holy. He cannot compromise His holiness and include sinful man. But He loves man that He wants to forgive him. He cannot shove sin under. Blood has to be shed. Man has to be punished. Therefore He Himself chose to bear it for man's s...

Let us run with perseverance the race marked for us. Heb:12:1 Because we have examples ahead of us. Because we saw what priorities these examples have set before them and how well they have run. Let us also run like them with perseverance. Jesus looked ahead to the joy that was set before Him and He endured the cross and scorned it's shame, so we too looking forward to the joy of joining with Him, let us endure our cross. Do not grow weary. Do not lose heart. (v:3). Persevere. Keep running in the right direction. Endure hardship and discipline (v:7). Because He is your Father and you His child. He disciplines you because He loves you. To purge you out of all evil that is in you. Do not lose heart. Do not be discouraged.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (v:11). Image credit: https://www.transparentlabs.com/blogs/all/how-to-run-faster?srsltid=Afm...

The world was not worthy of them. Heb:11:38 The world and its blessings eluded them. Fools they look because they chased something they did not receive. The world was not worthy of them. Because of their faith, they deserved much more than what this world could offer them. V:40. God had planned something better for us, so that only together with us, would they be made perfect. Inorder to live with a heavenly or eternal perspective you need to have faith. That eternal perspective is what you are destined for. Without which you are incomplete. And without you heaven is incomplete. Living with a finite perspective of what this world could offer will limit you. What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard and what no human mind has conceived, that things God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Cor:2:9

Heb:11:34 Whose weakness was turned to strength. Do not be anxious dear one. Do not worry. Are you inherently weak in some areas? In faith that weak point will turn to your strength, the Bible promises. There has been circumstances when the most difficult and discouraging times of your life, you will experience as the most blessed time when you look retrospectively because He was present in those times of trouble. You will learn something worthwhile. You will see the very thing which you were weak at, will turn out to be a blessing for you in the spiritual realm. You will realise that, when you are weak you are strong because you trust in a strong God. You trust in His guiding delivering hand rather than your own instincts. You grow in faith. You gain strength to trust in Him more. He will strengthen and He will guide. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You will realise that the very things that you are weak at, turn out to be your strong stories of test...

Heb::11:29-31 Red sea crossed. Jericho walls fell. Rahab included. Your God is the God who makes possible the impossibilities. And you trust in this God and therefore He will make your impossibilities possible too. Because He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will not change. The mountain might look huge. But your God is bigger still. For God nothing is impossible. The same Spirit who raised the Son from the dead, resides in you. Jer:32:27 I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Image credit: https://wallpapercave.com/impossible-is-nothing-wallpapers

Heb:11:24-28 Regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt. Looking ahead to his reward. Left Egypt not fearing the king's anger. Persevere because he saw Him who is invisible. Moses is considered as a stalwart. Not second to Abraham. The meekest man ever lived on earth as testified by God Himself. Because of faith he considered disgrace for the sake of God of greater value than the alluring treasures that the world could offer. And he persevered. No turning back. He was consistent in his convictions about life. That God was more important. The system that we are in, is totally against the Godly system that we are inculcated into. It will fight against us if we are for God. Because there is hostility between the two. In this world you will have much troubles, Jesus Himself ascertained. But He also assured, be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. The fact that there will be enimity between you and the world because you are ...

Heb::11:22-23 Joseph saw the future, that his children would go back from Egypt. Therefore arranged to take his bones with them. Moses' parents saw an extra ordinary child in Moses and therefore they protected him from the king's edict. How did they know this? How did they have these personal promises? As result of regular communication with Him who promises, they received these promises and because they were sure that these came from a true God, they acted upon it. What are the personal promises you have received from God. Our God loves to communicate. He loves to give a promise before He does something. That proves He is true. When was the last time you got one, shows how intimate is your relationship with the loving true one. Get promised  Act upon it. See His goodness in the land of living. Image credit: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/mothers-hand-on-the-bible--78813062203667778/

Heb:11:20-21 When things were still unseen, they blessed their children. Looking forward positively when things were blurry, when things were uncertain, when future looks bleak, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau; Jacob blessed Joseph's son's. Isa:54:13. All your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be their peace. Psalm:127:3. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Psalm:128:3. Children will be like olive shoots around your table. It is the Almighty, Sovereign God who promised this and He will not lie.

Heb:11:19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. Who said Christian life is unreasonable? Abraham reasoned based on the One who does things His way. It looks illogical to you because your understanding is limited. Nothing is impossible for God. He is a God who created everything from nothingness. The Sovereign ruler. Abraham believed in this God. And it was natural for him to believe in the normalcy of God. What God could do, he reasoned and therefore he did receive. Believe realistically and logically in the God who is all Powerful. That is reasonable. Look at God not with your finite lenses. Look at the world with His infinitely focussed lens and it will make sense. He is a God who makes impossible things possible. But that is normal for Him. Image credit: https://eccles.utah.edu/news/why-well-reasoned-theories-are-more-important-than-crunched-numbers/

Heb:11:13. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. How foolish? Believing in an illusory unreal belief which was never true. They did not receive the things promised. So whatever they believed was a falsehood that they chased uselessly. Is it? But it continues to read - people who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own - they are longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Their eyes were set not on things down here. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. For He has prepared a city for them. Jesus said, I am going to prepare a place for you. The things which they believed, they actually got. This life is futile and insignificant. The world above is real. The world coming is eternal. Store up your treasures there. Image credit: https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/scientists-discover-a-mysterious-third-state-beyond-life-and-death-in-new-study/amp_articleshow/...

Heb:11:8. By faith Abraham obeyed . And it was complete obedience. Despite the uncertainties around him, he still obeyed. That was out of faith in Him who called him. Faith brings forth absolute obedience. By faith you are able to keep aside that habit, because you know that hurts your love, your husband. By faith you are able to say no to things which allured you before. By faith you are able to say yes to things which God asks you to do, eventhough it looks foolish according to the world. Jesus says, if you love me, you will obey my commands. Faith and love prompts you to obey, no matter what.  Heb:11:10. For He waited . Abraham waited in the land of promise as in a foreign country as a pilgrim. He waited for a city whose maker is God. He had his eyes on heaven, not on his wealth in this world. Not on what this world can offer. He also waited for approximately 24 years for the promised child. Heavenward was his eyes always. Godward was his heart always.  Heb:11:1...

Heb 11:7 By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. Noah's faith was linked to condemning the world that was around him. He was not interested in what was happening around him. It looked alluring for others. To make money, to have fun and to enjoy life there way. But Noah condemned all these.  His eyes were set on the life to come. His eyes were set on God. So when God called him to build an ark in preparation of rain, that which He has never even heard of, he simply obeyed fully and completely. Condemned the world and looked forward to something better. What do I  look forward to? Eagerly and earnestly waiting? Money? Secure future? Enjoyment? Aish karna? Or do I condemn all these in the sight of eternal surplousness in my Father's kingdom. Do I long for His kingdom come? If not - you shall not be one an heir of righteousness as promised for Noah. In faith Noah became an heir of righteousness as he conde...

'Come Enoch let's walk'. Enoch thought that would be just like any other day. Walking with God. But that day was different somehow. He didn't know why. Everything around him was joyous. The smile was even more radiant in God's face. He couldn't understand when the wind whispered in his ear, you're going home. But joy was definitely bubbling in his heart too. He didn't know why. Yards turned to miles. Sand became rocks. But the talking and fun wouldn't cease. Then at the top of some mountain they reached. He said, come lets go home with a radiant smile. Enoch turned to walk back alone. He thought Oh! I have to wait till tomorrow again to meet my Love yet again. But he could see the ground dropping low, and the air getting thinner. And when He realised he is in the arms of his husband, oh! What joy. God is taking him to his heavenly home for eternity. No more time constraints. Enoch's heart was now jumping with joy. Kissing frantically ...

By faith he was commenced as a righteous man Heb:11:4 Abel learned to offer the right sacrifice according to the standards of God. Bloodshed was needed for forgiveness of sin, according to God. He knew just that, because he wanted genuine forgiveness and reinstation. He believed that by offering a pleasing sacrifice, he could gain God's favour and forgiveness and reinstation. And that was counted to him as righteousness. Where as Cain brought some things which he thought was good. Probably out of compulsion, or out of peer pressure. If he was genuine, he would have sought and found out what would please God. There was superficiality instead of genuinety in it. Because Abel believed and he was seeking God from his heart, out of his desperation to reinstate and bring back his relation with God, it was counted as Abel's righteousness. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. Only if you seek him from the depths of your heart will you be able to find Him. Image cre...

Heb:11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. I believe in the creation of the world by a Supreme, intellectual being rather than a blast that occured randomly. Blast of what? Vacuum producing Carbon, Hydrogen and Nitrogen in itself is imperceivable and ludicrous. Then what about these atoms join to form what we call as life. There has to be a higher being who fashioned the world that we see ( and that we do not see), by His own wisdom and by His own hands. There has to be a beginning of time and there has to be a nothingness from which all that we see was created. It cannot just come into existence. If it were so, then why is nothing coming into existence even now? Why are we not able to recreate life? Mixing Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Oxygen? Why are new brings not being formed out of nothingness now? Why do I believe this? Along with reasoning and logicality, I believe so ...

Heb:11:1 Now faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The definition of faith. Faith is hoping. Not of an idea which is beyond logic. It is evidence based. Even when you have not seen it. Faith is not based on a written code which you decipher out or construe for your comfort. But faith is based on the character that is behind the promise. The person who made the promise. Him whom I call my Father. My Appa. That is the base of my faith. On this Appa, I have put my faith in my redemption, my salvation, for my eternal life. On Him I will place my faith for my everyday walk. He is good and He will do all things for my good. That is enough for me to trust in Him. So when something overwhelming comes my way, I will still choose to trust Him. I will still choose to cling close to Him. For He holds me. Doubt or fear or worry is an antonym to faith. Faith hopes. Faith ensures. Faith relieves. Faith brings joy. Faith is the sum and substance of my l...

Therefore brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. Heb:10:19 Because the final sacrifice has been done and the ransom has been paid full- Therefore we have the boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. Because the veil has been torn, we have full access to Him, who was denied to us first, because of our sins. Because a new and living way has been granted to us, we have full access to God, that which He is already willing to reveal. Therefore let us draw near with a true heart. Grateful for the grace offered. Thankful for the mercy for not giving what we truly deserved. Let our hearts be genuinely open to Him. Let us live with that fear of God. That God orientedness. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Renouncing that which He abhors. Staying pure. Having justified. Being sanctified. Therefore let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. Not to be selfish an...