Perfecting: Repair and Recover

“For we rejoice whenever we are weak and you are powerful; this also we pray for, your perfecting.” (2 Corinthians 13:9, RecVer)

Footnote from the Holy Bible, Recovery Version: Or, restoring. Implying repairing, adjusting, putting in order again, mending; perfectly joining together (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10 and note 4), thoroughly equipping, well furnishing; thus, perfecting, completing, educating. The apostles prayed for the Corinthians that they might be restored, put in order again, and thoroughly equipped and edified to grow in life for the building up of the Body of Christ.

And they delivered it into the hand of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and those who did the work, who worked in the house of Jehovah, used it to mend and repair the house. 2 Chronicles 34:10

During the reign of Josiah, the people under his kingship collected offering and delviered it to the people who did the repair work of the house of Jehovah that was in ruin. In this, the principle of repair can be seen whenever the need arises. The ruins of the house of Jehovah was not torn down for new building, but the remains and ruins were repaird instead.  Herein I learned the lesson and apply it in my family life and personal life too. Repairing whatever needs to be repaired and not letting things go when they can actually be reapired. 

The Lord in His mercy has been preserving all of us despite the "ruins" the enemy has done since our human birth. Yet the Lord comes in did the "reparing" works spiritually, psychologically, and physically. These days I also have been feeling the Lord's repairing works in my personal Christian life and the lives of a good number of saints I know. He knows excatly what to repair and when and how to repair. Subjectively in many cases, he does the reparing work by first reviving us inwardly through His speaking or through the members of His Body. Then, He renews the mind of the people He has been "repairing", gradually restoring their soul and finally recovering their normal function in the Body. All these, He does for the sake of fulfilling His purpose through man. He has been faithfully and skillfully carrying out His repairing works. I am still under His divine repairing work day by day.

However, this must not be misunderstood with the truth in Galatian 2:20.

I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

As He does the repairing works, He brings us into an identification with Himself in His death, and brings us into His resurrection. The result of such repairing work is, "no longer I but Christ." What was useless has now become useful to the Lord. What was worth wasting has now become worthy. The Lord never gives upon on anyone. He can turn the worst to the best.

This spiritual lesson I learnt from the broken utensils in my kitchen that needed repairing.  In fact, they could have been discarded as garbage and new vessels could have been brought.  But I still wanted to give them a second chance and tried my best to repair them and somehow make them useful. Therefore, I paid the price to search for a repair shop in Sikanderpur and Chakkarpur market one evening. After Lee than an hour of search I found a shop that could repair most of my broken utensils. Therefore, I repaired whatever could be repaired. 

I did the same for my wife's phone whose charging jack created problem in charging for many weeks which I finally got it repaired. In this way, instead of discarding what can be used I still repaired and made them usable. These experiences led me to the spiritual application in my Christian life, the need for repairing the ruins of the house of God which further applies to the need for experiencing the cross of Christ in "repairing work" and live Christ as the "repaired" person.

This repairing work is the work of recovering which includes reviving, restoring, and renewing to make me a new person in Christ as His organically recovered person.

Praise the Lord for such a repairing work!

Resting in the Lord

Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Mt 11:28-30

The Lord has been speaking to me these days concerning coming to Him and taking rest in Him. I have not been resting in the Lord. Rather, I have been trying my best to do what I think I was supposed to do, so I kept trying and trying, exerting all my energy until the Lord showed me that all that I have been trying means nothing. I must simply come to him and rest in Him.

To toil is the toil of struggling to be successful in any work. Whoever toils thus is always heavily burdened. Such people need rest which is to be in perfect peace and full satisfaction. This is the kind of person I was until the Lord spoke to me through these verses.

Inwardly and secretly I have my works which I think are the Lord's work. Of course, it is, but I have tried to use my natural strength to do the works of the Lord.  Yes, I needed success in my work if at all I get to do anything,. That's what anyone would expect. But the Lord somehow never led me to be successful in the way I wanted it to be. He simply dealt with my natural strength until I get fully exhausted only to acknowledge to the Lord, "Lord I can do nothing without You. I give up. Now, I rest in You."

To accomplish the work that I desire, I also have many words. All the words I have spoken and fellowshipped with people to fulfill my work all seemed to flow over the head. It seems it did not bear the fruits I expected. In this way, the Lord also showed me my words mean nothing without His words. My words, my address, and my fellowships if not from the Lord or of the Lord, they are just empty words.

The ways I have been taking to accomplish the words I desire with the word I have spoken too, came to nothing. All my plans and schemes came to nothing,. What a success! My failure is truly my success. The Lord saved me and opened my eyes to see what I should have seen according to Him. 

In shepherding the new ones and the saints concerning their lives, my words ultimately became futile. I am glad that the Lord has been dealing with me through the people I have been shepherding. They have shown me that without the True Shepherd, I cannot shepherd anyone at all. 

For the past two days, I had been struggling to do something according to what I thought was right. But the Lord stopped me; charging me not to say anything anymore to the one I used to speak to, of course, out of care and concern. The Lord now has stopped me and let me know that if need be He will lead me instantly and arrange the time to speak. This actually happened while mealtime once and I spoke whatever I felt the Lord allowed me to speak. After that, the Lord never gave me another opportunity nor led me to speak on the matter again. Instead, He asked me to take His yoke and rest in Him. 

To take the Lord's yoke is to be constrained by the will of the Father. The Lord’s yoke is the Father’s will, and His burden is the work of carrying out the Father’s will. Such a yoke is easy, not bitter, and such a burden is light, not heavy. This is what the Lord called me to. Now, I am learning this lesson.

This is not an easy lesson to learn, but the Lord has been gracing me to digest this lesson of limiting myself, in fact, putting myself to death that I should only allow Him to speak if at all He feels the need to speak. Otherwise, I simply should stop all my speaking and doings, and simply rest in Him as my true rest. Finally, I am learning to take the Lord's yoke and rest in Him. What a lesson to learn after so much struggling with myself. Oh, what a relief to learn this lesson subjectively!

Lord, I come to You with all my toils and burdens. Please give me rest. Lord, I take Your yoke upon me and learn from You, for You are meek and lowly in heart, and I will find rest for my soul.

God's Plan My Plan

“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.” (Proverbs 16:1, RecVer)

Today, I had a wonderful experience of making my own plan but ultimately a much better plan was accomplished. In fact, this was not the first time such a thing had happened. In many cases I had similar experience. I planed but God’s plan was carried out instead.

Today in the afternoon I planned to visit a brother as we planned a week ago to spend time in prayer walk and preach the gospel together every Friday afternoon. As I was getting ready, I was informed that he had another plan and our plan got cancelled. But immediately, I used this time to have my own prayer walk and accomplished some productive works. Then, I realized what actually happened was much better than my own plan was cancelled.

Later, I planned to meet a brother as we planned yesterday. But when I called him he was on his way to another meeting and the plan was cancelled. Then, I spent the time calling up contacts in Port Blaire as we planned to visit this month end. Then, one by one, I was able to talk to different contacts over the phone and the stage was set for the ministry journey to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Besides, I could also fellowship with different brothers for the visit to Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. Had not I spent time for this planning. The visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh will still be in the air.

After all these transpired, I was in awe at what the had reserved for me despite my own plan. If I were to go ahead with my plan, I would have missed all these important fellowships and the works accomplished. The Lord knows best and it is always best to simply amen the Lord’s way of doing things.

I was reminded of the proverb, “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.” 

I planned but the answer was from the Lord not necessarily according to my plan, but definitely according to His plan.

I simply worship the Lord in His way of doing things. If my plan were to overlap with God’s, God’s plan must always have the precedence. And I give up my plan immediately, and I simply amen God’s plan. What a wonderful experience! I am full of peace, joy and satisfaction. For,  I have the full confidence in God’s plan.

Lord, may Your plan always be my plan too. 

Be Perfect!

 You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matt.5:48

Be perfect? Yes, be perfect! This is what the Lord Jesus said to all the disciples and the believers. If the Lord said it so and is written in the Bible, it must be possible! Otherwise, He would not have said it. It was really hard for me to believe that I can ever be perfect in this lifetime on earth. Though I read this verse many times, I simply accept mentally what the Lord said and I really did not take to heart that this verse is meant for me, meaning that this is what the Lord said. 

To be honest, I really do not believe that I can be perfect knowing myself truly well. Far from perfection, I have been groaning for myself and longing for growth in life so that one day I can gradually be perfect indeed. My most optimistic view on this verse is that "Yes, one day when I meet the Lord I will be perfect." It is purely a futuristic view for I did not have the faith that I will be perfect so soon. But this time, my view begin to change as I hear the Lord's speaking  again and again on "Be Perfect!" 

Through the help of the ministry, my eyes have been gradually opened to see what the Lord said about perfection is truly possible because He has also given all the provisions to make me perfect. The verse says, "You, therefore, shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Note the phrase, "as your heavenly Father is perfect." It did not say, "as your God is perfect." The term "heavenly Father" is relational and organic in nature. As your Father is so shall you be. Because the life and nature of the Father are in the son. Man begets man, sheep begets sheep, so God begets God in life and nature, not in the Godhead.  Therefore, as children of the heavenly Father, I can be perfect as He is, it is just a matter of time.

Besides, the Bible also says that His divine power has granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness. His divine power is in His divine life that I received when I was born of God. Therefore, I have all that I need to live an overcoming life and godly life. Then, there is the divine nature along with the divine power and divine life which can qualify me further to be the same as He is.

Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and virtue, through which He has granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature… 2 Pet. 1:3-4

In the Old Testament, Jehovah God  told Abram, "I am the All-sufficient God; walk before Me, and be perfect." Abram's responsibility was to simply walk before God, live in His presence, enjoy His all-sufficient supply,  and trust in Him and not in the strength of his flesh.  

…When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Jehovah appeared to Abram and said to him, I am the All-sufficient God; walk before Me, and be perfect. Gen. 17:1

In the New Testament, the Lord's grace is sufficient for all of us.

…My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me. 2 Cor. 12:9

Our only responsibility is to keep His word, love Him, and abide in Him.  

But whoever keeps His word, truly in this one the love of God has been perfected… 

1 John 2:5

Therefore, I can be perfect even as the heavenly Father is perfect. 

Finally, brothers, rejoice, be perfected, be comforted, think the same thing, be at peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.  2 Cor. 13:11

To such a revelation what else can I say except, "Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!" Now, I am fully confident that I can be perfect as a child of my heavenly Father whose life and nature I now possess and partake of. What a grace, what a blessing! Now I do not doubt God's word anymore. When He says, "Be Perfect," I simply say, "Amen, Lord, perfect me."

Lord, what a prophecy, what a blessing that I can be perfect like my heavenly Father God! Perfect me, Lord!

Lord, Help My Unbelief!

“And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. And after these things, He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking on their way into the countryside. And they went away and reported to the rest, but they did not believe them either. And afterward He appeared to the eleven as they were reclining at table, and He reproached their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” (Mark 16:11-14, RecVer)

The disciples of the Lord Jesus did not believe in what He prophesied concerning His death and resurrection. In a good number of instances, the Lord’s own disciples did not believe in what actually transpired of which He already foretold. While reading this incidents of unbelief in my Bible reading time, I thought to myself, "Why they did not believe having had walked with the Lord physically for years?"

On a second thought and reconsideration, I was enlightened to see myself that even if I were to be one among the disciples hearing all His prophecies yet when they were fulfilled I possible might still not believe. The Lord showed me that how I did not believe in His words when I actually thought I truly believe.

The Lord has given me promises and spoke to me concerning certain matters and things. And He confirmed with His written words and also through the experiences of some saints and through the speaking of others. But deep within I doubted until I could practically see the fulfilment of them all. Though I was confirmed time and again, I still doubted the Lord’s words and wanted a proof of its fulfilment. O what a poor me!

Today, I had a very uneasy feeling concerning a sister whom I have been caring for, like my own daughter. When I sensed certain things concerning her living I wanted to "fellowship" with her. But the Lord inwardly calmed me down not to. When I was tempted to make a call to her or considered to speak to her on the matter I was suspicious of, the Lord reminded me to simply believe in His words. He has spoken and He will take care of the matter in His own way and in His own time. Therefore, I gave up the idea of "fellowship" and left her to the Lord’s hand and prayed for her instead. And as I prayed, the Lord reminded me again to simply believe in His words.

I was exposed to see myself that even in such a small matter I was anxious and suspicious instead of trusting in the Lord. I myself am filled with unbelief despite my tall claim of believing in the Lord’s word. Now, I no longer wonder nor condemn the disciples of the Lord for their unbelief. During their time, they had not yet received the Lord’s Spirit into their spirits. No wonder they did not believe. Now, I have already received the Holy Spirit and still then instead of living by the Spirit I live by my mind and invited trouble for myself by my unbelief. Now, I totally lost confidence in myself and my belief system. Only the Lord’s life of faith can make me believe in what He said or did.

Now I would gladly identify myself with the disciple who proclaimed to the Lord Jesus concerning his belief.

“Immediately, crying out, the father of the child said, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24, RecVer)

Devoted to Destruction

“And the city shall be devoted to Jehovah for destruction, it and all that is in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the messengers we sent. But as for you, keep yourselves from what has been devoted to destruction, lest you devote yourselves to destruction by taking of what has been devoted and you make the camp of Israel something devoted to destruction and bring trouble to it.” (Joshua 6:17-18, RecVer)

“But the children of Israel acted unfaithfully in that which was devoted to destruction, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of that which was devoted to destruction; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the children of Israel.” (Joshua 7:1, RecVer)

“Israel has sinned. Indeed they have trespassed My covenant, which I commanded them; indeed they have taken of that which was devoted to destruction; indeed they have stolen; indeed they have been deceptive; indeed they have put it among their goods. Thus the children of Israel are not able to stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become something devoted to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy that which was devoted to destruction from among you. Rise up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, There is something devoted to destruction among you, O Israel; you will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove that which was devoted to destruction from among you.” (Joshua 7:11-13, RecVer)

“And he who is taken with that which was devoted to destruction shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has trespassed the covenant of Jehovah and because he has committed folly in Israel.” (Joshua 7:15, RecVer)

The Lord enlightened me afresh this morning during my Bible reading time concerning the seriousness of involving in something that Jehovah God has destined for destruction. The children of God should have nothing to do with what God hates. Any compromise, any mixture with the world will face a stern punishment from the Lord. The story of the Israelites serves a good testimony to paying heed to what God had commanded. Disobedience to God’s word was meted out with dire consequences. O what a warning!

In the New Testament too, the principle is still the same. But we have the divine life of God, our Father, that can enable us to obey what He has commanded. It is by living by the Father's divine life that true obedience is practical. On the one hand, there is the warning and on the other hand there is the divine life supply that enables us, the children of God, to heed to the warnings. What a blessing!

There is the divine part which God has gracefully bestowed, His divine life and nature. And there is the human part which the children of God have to actively exercise their free will to obey God’s word. The coordination between the divine and human will enable one to be truly obedient to keep oneself from the things devoted to destruction. 

This is the Lord’s Holy warning!

Lord, I need Your grace day by day to actively exercise my free will to choose You and cooperate with You to keep myself away from the things devoted to destruction. May I be preserved from anything devoted to destruction. Lord, save me!

A Visit to a Hospital

A cousin brother of mine who has been living with me for many years recently had a complaint about his health. He suspected it to be TB as he was once treated with TB which was already cured. But this time, he suspected based on the symptoms manifested in his body. Therefore, I took this opportunity to shepherd him in a way of taking him to the proper hospital for proper and timely medication.

The only TB center I found was in Sector 10, Civil Hospital in Gurugram. This disease has been claimed by the Government of India as being eradicated. So there is a diagnostic center for treatment. It was a wonderful time driving him to and fro to the hospital for treatment. We altogether had three trips. Firstly for a medical check-up, secondly for lab testing, and thirdly for confirmation with the TB doctor. After all these processes it was confirmed by the doctor that there was no TB in him, but then he should be on medication for five days. The matter was solved! The Lord allowed such a thing so that I could practically show him that his life matters to me and to the Lord. That he is being loved and cared for.  From my side, I got the opportunity to take care of the needy saints, starting with my family members, and then shepherd others in a very practical way.

I hardly visit a hospital as the Lord has been keeping in good health. Though I used to have a cold and slight fever now and then, I took the natural way of increasing my immune system through a healthy diet and rest and dealing with bodily weakness along with trusting in the Lord for His healing. When my children fell ill, my wife will take them to the nearby clinic. In that way, the Lord has provided all the necessary needs for my family. Therefore, we hardly need to visit any hospital. If need be, we will visit too.

The Lord used even visiting a hospital to take care of one another. I felt it was a good time arranged by the Lord that visiting a hospital is visiting one another for shepherding. There was physical healing and there was spiritual healing too. The Lord is sovereign in all things related to His children. Praise the Lord!