SPIRITUAL GRAMMAR

Illustration:I recently met Dr Silas C. Nair, on a Bible study course, it was such an honor to see God's workers working for us. Dr. Silas Nair is an evangelist and elder in fellowship with Christian Brethren Chapel, Palarivattom, Ernakulam, Kerala. He is a Bible Teacher well accepted by the Brethren Assemblies the world over. Coming out of caste Hinduism, he knows the Lord since 1968 and has been serving Him in His vineyard since 1972. He is the author of several books viz. Can I know God, Who is Jesus Christ, Who is Holy Spirit, What is Baptism, and Why Bible the Book of books, The Servant Leader, etc. published by Gospel Literature Service, Bombay. In his writing ministry, he is at presently engaged in producing an eleven volume series on systematic theology titled “ABC-of-Theology”. His books, He is Wonderful, Man and His Destiny, ABC of Christology, ABC of Ecclesiology, and ABC of Pneumatology, ABC of Eschatology, Essentials of Theology & Life and Election of God is presently available. In his recent discourse, what really caught my spirit was his addressing English Grammar to Spiritual Grammar. The simple conversion of I, You and Him to Him, You and I. In English Grammar we have learnt, I as the first person, You as the second person and Him as the third person. In Spiritual Grammar we learn to take Him as the first person, You as the second person and I as the third person. This twist in grammar can almost give you a turnaround perspective on our belief, works on our faith, and marinates our soul. In this wonderful course I also got to meet Mr John who introduced Dr Silas into the faith. A faith with a common goal to salvation, yet not an "I" in their speeches, but "HIM" in all their deeds, from an unbeliever to a beliver, from a beliver to eternity. To see them still together growing in faith and still serving the Lord was marvellous drive down the memory lane. This is a message of fellowship, a fellowship with the Holy Spirit be with us for now and evermore.

When we are meditating on the following proverbs, we must remember and practice our spiritual grammar, to win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3
1My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
8It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
11My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
12For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 13Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her. 19The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
27Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
29Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
32For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
33The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Prayer : Lord I ask for favor so that I may remember not my will but thy will. Lord let me serve with love and faithfullness, and all that pleases you. Lord I seek your blessing so that I can discipline myself as you wanted me to. Lord help me to lift up sound judgement and discernment, so that I am on my way to safety. Let me sleep soundly without being afraid, let disaster not take the best out of me, let me reserve my confidence in the glory of the Lord. Let me be just and fair to my family, neighbours, friends and collegues. Lord may I be blessed with righteous, grace and humbleness in all that I do and all that I ask for. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship with the Holy Spirit be with us. Amen

NO MATTER HOW FAR

Illustration: Many times knowingly unknowingly we have wandered away from the Cross. The Cross has been a witness to our sins many times, we think that we may cover ourselves, but our saviour knowest us all. He knows that we are being tempted all the time and when we cannot bear it any more, he gently makes provisions to save us, yet we forget to Glorify the Lord. As Youth we have rebelled the word of God. As Professionals, we always think that it was a part of the job. As Teachers, we take for granted all the teachings. As Parents, we engage ourselves in worldly pleasures. As Preachers, we use the Bible as a glorified menu card. Are we not then the children of a lesser God? Our spiritual disobedience leads us to consequences that our offspring may suffer in testimony, let us remember that we have a living God and a God for all ages. Let us not be prudent in our spiritual inheritance, but let be exemplery in the manifestation of the word of the Lord Our God, in whose name all good things come.

Proverbs Chapter 2

1My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

2So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

3Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

4If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

5Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

6For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

7He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

8He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

9Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 10When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

11Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

12To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

13Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

14Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

15Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

16To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

17Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

18For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

19None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

20That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

21For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

22But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Meditation Prayer:No matter how far we have wandered in our lives, we just need to take one step to come closer God. No matter what sins we have committed, our God is a forgiving God. We may have carried the wrong crosses in our lives; we now want to set it free. Let us recommit our lives to what our forefathers have given us. Father in heaven, glory be your name. We surrender our lives to you Lord, a life to be baptised with the Holy Spirit. Let us not be led by our will, but thy will. Lord deliver us from every evil and grant us peace in our day. Keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety. As we live in joyful hope for the coming of thy kingdom. Amen

CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD

Illustration: We often find ourselves in a realm of spiritually emptiness, too hard for us to be understood by others. Our restlessness, anxieties, our way of life has taken us, away from ourselves. We have no control on our desires, and yet we are led into a path of spiritual warfare. We are confused by the delusions of modern day packages, looking for incentives in everything, buy one get one free. The Great American Dream, an inspiration to billions youngsters, is now a living nightmare. The yo-yo market hangs like a noose, awaiting the genext on a slimy foundation. Where are the management gurus who carved an iconic image for themselves in the economic books of history? Most of them were from the worlds top premium management schools, whose white papers and speeches have deformed personality traits in young minds. Their collapse able state of art infrastructure is too weak to nurse the wounds they have inflicted. If we can blame ourselves, we can heal ourselves. Let not fate decide our destiny, but by faith overrule it. Are we children of a lesser God? Let us reflect our lives every day guided by the Holy Spirit, in the words given to us by our forefathers. Meditation for wisdom, understanding, instruction, justice, judgement and equity.

Proverbs Chapter 1

1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

11If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

12Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

14Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

15My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

16For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

17Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

18And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. Prayer:May our praise never cease, may our hearts rejoice gladly, may our needs be fulfilled, may our sins be forgiven, may we be delivered from all evil, may we be granted peace, may we be protected from all anxiety and may eternal glory be showered on each one of us. All glory and honour is yours Almighty Father, forever and ever. Lord, we are living in the world of choices, often our paths are leading us away from you Lord. Lord we ask for forgiveness that we may be strengthened by your mercy, by your love. Lord many times you have stretched your hand to save us yet we chose not to fear the Lord. Lord from this very moment, fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we may know thy word. Keeps us free from all desires. I ask this in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

HOLE IN THE WALL

The Beginning
Do you believe that God created man?
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
Do you believe that you are blessed?
God blessed them and said to them. “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Genesis 1:28
Do you believe that God makes provisions?
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground- everything that has the breath of life in it- I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:29-30
Do you believe what God made was good?
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day.
The first day God created heavens and earth, day and night.
The second day God separated water from water, so the expanse was called, “Sky.” God saw it was good.
The third day there was vegetation, fruit bearing trees according to the seeds. God saw it was good.
The fourth day God made the greater light to govern the day and the smaller light to govern the night. God saw it was good.
The fifth day created creatures for the sea, land and air, and blessed them to increase in number. God saw it was good. God saw that it was very good.
The sixth day God created male and female and blessed them to increase in number, to rule over the earth, seas, the airs and every living creature that moves.
It was only from the second day onwards that God began to see good, and after that every other day God saw that it was good. It was only on the sixth day God saw all that he made, and it was very good.

All of us knowingly or unknowingly have sinned and have hidden ourselves away from God and the Bible says, “The wages of sins is death.”
But our God is a merciful God, a forgiving God, a God who wants us to live an eternal life. So about 2000 years ago….God sent us his only son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.
If you believe that you want to be saved and live eternally, just say this prayer.

"Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always."