My Authority

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19). 

Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International, tells a story about a lady who was in charge of Chicken at a barbecue.  

This is an amusing story about the late Christian A. Herter, former U.S. Secretary of State, when he was running hard for reelection as Governor of Massachusetts.  One day he arrived late at a barbecue. He'd had no breakfast or lunch, and he was famished.  As he moved down the serving line, he held out his plate and received one piece of chicken.  The governor said to the serving lady, "Excuse me, do you mind if I get another piece of chicken.  I'm very hungry."  

"Sorry," the lady responded, "I'm supposed to give one piece to each person."

"But I'm starved," he repeated.

Again she said: "Only one to a customer."  

Herter was normally a modest man, but he decided this was the time to use the weight of his office, and said, "Madam, do you know who I am?  I am the governor of this state."  

"Do you know who I am?" she answered.  "I'm the lady in charge of chicken.  Move along, mister."

If we were there, we would have probably given the governor an extra piece of chicken.  However, the lady's stubbornness is noteworthy for two reasons.  First, she knew who she was -- that is, the lady in charge of chicken.  Second, she knew what her authority was -- that is, she diligently implemented the instructions given to her.

Christians need to be more like the chicken lady.  We need to know who we are in Christ. We have been filled with His Spirit and have received His power (Acts 1:8), we are joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17), and are seated with Him in heaven (Ephesians 2:6).  When we walk in the Spirit, we walk in His authority, we speak His words, and we do His acts.   We are not intimidated by the powerful of this world, or by the powers of darkness.  The devil should be intimidated by all Spirit-filled followers of Christ.  We should be popular even in Hell, as the apostle Paul was (Acts 19:15).

"David said to the Philistine, 'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied'" (1 Samuel 17:45, NIV). When facing the giant, symbolic of Satan, David knew who he was. When facing the prophets of Baal on the Mountain of Carmel Elijah knew who he was. Standing in front of the mighty walls of Jericho, Joshua knew who he was. On the banks of the Red sea, Moses knew who he was. Going to the king’s presence with a plea to redeem her people, Queen Esther knew who she was. At the jaws of death Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew who they were. Oh Christian friend, do you know who you are? Do you understand the authority that Christ Jesus has given unto you? Do you exercise the authority over the enemy that is your right? May we be like that Chicken lady who knew who she was, what her authority was and who diligently implemented the instructions given to her.

May God help us to use the authority that Jesus has given us.

Blessings

Daniel Solomon Raju

Ride on a Rope

...After beginning with Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?... so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit... Gal 3:3-14.

One fine day in 1859, Charles Blondin, the famous tight rope walker traveled to Niagara Falls. He stretched a three-inch wire over the gorge. There on this wire, he walked 1100 feet from one side to the other. He did this a number of times: blindfolded, in a sack, pushing a wheelbarrow, on stilts, sitting down midway while he cooked and ate an omelet and standing on a chair with only one chair leg on the rope. But that’s not all. He also carried a man on his back over that tightrope. This must be one of the best examples of trust ever placed by one human in another. It’s either brave or stupid. Blondin carried his manager Harry Colcord on his back from one side of the Falls to the other. Imagine if halfway across Harry had said to Blondin, “Look, I appreciate that you’ve taken me this far, but I really don’t trust you anymore. I think I’ll do the rest myself. Let me down, and I’ll take it from here.” Can you imagine? He’d be a dead Harry from that point on. Having been carried that far, why in the world would he think that he could get the rest of the way across by himself? It sounds ridiculous.

Paul addresses a similar kind of situation in this passage. Paul evangelized the cities of Iconium, Lystra and Derbe of Galatian province during his first missionary journey. The Judaizers had infiltrated the churches in Galatia and taught that believers needed to follow Jewish religious requirements for their salvation. Galatians seemed to have accepted the false teachers and had abandoned the faith that Paul has taught them. Paul rebukes and admonishes the Galatians to turn back to the faith they were taught.  John Piper puts it this way, “The essence of the Galatian heresy is the teaching that you begin the Christian life by faith, and then you grow in the Christian life by works, that is, by drawing on powers in yourself to make your contribution to salvation.” We have started our Christian journey by Faith, when we received his salvation. But some eventually started depending upon own strength. If we try to live the Christian life by our own strength, we’ll only end up being condemned. We’ll never measure up. Christian life is no easier than a ride on a rope. There is always a chance to falter when tried with one’s own strength. We shall sustain only when we cling on to the master.  

Are you frustrated by the lack of progress that you see in your own life? Do you ever feel disappointed with yourself? Do you ever find yourself not living up to your own good Christian intentions? Here’s the key. Stop trying to improve yourself. The way you grow is the same as the way you became a Christian. It is by having the same unswerving faith all the way upon the ever reliable God, who promises to carry you all the way.

May God help us to have the starting faith all the way…..Amen.

Blessings

Daniel Solomon Raju

Jesus, The Chain Breaker

The Thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, once told a parable about a tyrant and his subject. He said, “There was once a tyrant who summoned one of his subjects into his presence and ordered him to make a chain. The poor blacksmith—that was his occupation—had to go to work and forge the chain. When it was done, he brought it into the presence of the tyrant and was ordered to take it away and make it twice the length. He brought it again to the tyrant, and again he was ordered to double it. Back he came when he had obeyed the order, and the tyrant looked at it then commanded the servants to bind the man hand and foot with the chain he had made and cast him into prison.” Spurgeon continued with an application. “That is what the devil does with men. He makes them forge their own chain, and then binds them hand and foot with it and casts them into outer darkness.”

Lord Jesus uses a parable of sheep and a shepherd in John chapter 10. He presents himself as the good shepherd and the doorway to the Salvation. He affirms that he is the Way and all those who came before him promising the salvation are thieves and robbers. When Jesus said all who ever came before Me were thieves and robbers, He referred to those leaders and so called saviors who cared not for the spiritual good of the people but only for themselves. Jesus, the Shepherd provides security for His flock from enemies. He also provides for their daily needs (the sheep come in and go out, and find pasture).  The thief, that is, a false shepherd, cares only about feeding himself, not building up the flock. He steals sheep in order to kill them, thus destroying part of the flock. But Christ has come to benefit the sheep. He gives life which is not constricted but overflowing. The thief takes life; Christ gives it to the full. The thief promises much and makes the subjects to work hard only to bind them with their deeds and cast them into darkness. Similarly today, many come forward promising easy living and easy money only to leave you with much pathetic position. The thief makes you forge your own chain, but Jesus gives life and life in abundance. He redeems His people from all the chains that are forcefully forged by the devil. He is the answer to all the bondages. So he says: Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing…

¹⁸The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
¹⁹ To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)

Blessings

Daniel Solomon Raju

Snails of the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; ¹⁶ for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever. (I John 2:15-17)

One bright and beautiful morning, on the bank of a gorgeous lake, a crane was searching for snails. Snails are the best food for the cranes. The crane scratched and pulled the weeds to catch hold of the tasty and yummy snails! All of a sudden his eyes caught sight of a beautiful swan wading on the lake waters. Its wings were pure white and were glazing in the glare of the sun. The crane kept on staring at the swan for some time, as he had never seen such a beautiful creature before. He went near it and asked eagerly, “Hello Mister! Who are you and where are you from?” the swan replied, “I’m a swan and I’m from a place called heaven”. “Oh! Heaven! How does that place look like?” the crane exclaimed. The swan answered, “You can imagine how beautiful that place would be by looking at me.” Then, he further explained about all that is found in heaven, its splendor and glory. He then asked the crane, “Would you like to be a part of it?” The crane was very much excited, but as a second thought came to his mind, he asked, “do you find snails in heaven?” then the swan replied “of course not!” the crane said, “oh! Then I don’t care going to heaven!” Oh what a pity! Swapping the splendor and glory of heaven with dirty snails? This is just an old story, but how true it is! Can you relate this story to your life? Let us see what John the apostle says.

John addresses this text to the house churches in and around Ephesus, a famous metropolitan city in Greco-Roman World that has all the luxury and pleasures of the time. In such a context, these verses come as an important warning to the strong and loyal churchgoers to stay in guard and shun away from all the yummy looking snails of the World. He admonishes saying, do not love the things of the World for they will surely affect your eternal destiny. Those who love the World don’t have the love of God in them. Jesus also says, no one can serve two masters. And John moves on to say that the World and its desires are passing away but those who do the Will of the Lord live forever. You cannot have the things of the World and heaven together. You can either go for snails or heaven. What do you choose today? The perishable snails of the World or the eternal and glorious heaven? Choice is yours.

May God help us to have the Love of God that results in doing the Will of God which leads to eternal life! Amen. 

Blessings

Daniel Solomon Raju 

Eternity's-eye View

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8

 Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International, tells a story that comes from the sinking of the Titanic.

A frightened woman found her place in a lifeboat that was about to be lowered into the raging North Atlantic.  She suddenly thought of something she needed, so she asked permission to return to her stateroom before they cast off.  She was granted three minutes and told that if she were gone any longer, they would have to leave without her.  

The woman ran across the deck that was already slanted at a dangerous angle.  She raced through the gambling room, past all the money that had rolled to one side, ankle deep.  She came to her stateroom and quickly pushed aside her diamond rings and expensive bracelets and necklaces as she reached to the shelf above her bed.  She grabbed three small oranges.  She quickly found her way back to the lifeboat and got in.  

That seems incredible, because thirty minutes earlier she would not have chosen a whole crate of oranges over even the smallest diamond.  But death had boarded the Titanic.  One blast of its awful breath had transformed all values.  Instantaneously, priceless things had become worthless.  Worthless things had become priceless.  And in that moment she preferred three small oranges to a crate of diamonds.

Oh, dear friends, when we look at things in eternity’s-eye view, our perspective and values totally change.  Most humans have their head in the sand of this old earth and cannot see the starry heaven above in all its splendor.  

Apostle Paul is very clear when he writes. He lost whatever was gain to him personally apart from God. Certainly Paul had a great reputation as a scholar (Acts 26:24) and a religious leader. He was proud of his Jewish heritage and his religious achievements. All of these things were valuable to him; but he measured these "treasures" against what Jesus Christ had to offer, and he realized that all he held dear was really nothing but "refuse" compared to what he had in Christ. Apostle Paul looked at things from Eternity’s-Eye view. So, he considered the knowledge of Christ and Fellowship with Christ as priceless when compared to the reputation of the world.

In a sense, the Titanic symbolizes the world, which is passing away.  During our brief sojourn as passengers on spaceship Earth, let us only concentrate on those things that truly matter for eternity. I leave you with these famous words of Jim Elliot "He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." A Bird’s-eye view gives us the view of an entire location. And an Eternity’s-eye view changes our perspectives and keeps our priorities right. May God give us an Eternity’s-eye view!

Blessings

Daniel Solomon Raju

It is Well With My Soul

“Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, IT IS WELL.”  2 Kings 4:26 (KJV)

Horatio G. Spafford was a prominent American lawyer from Chicago in the mid 1800’s. He and his wife Anna were committed supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, hardships attacked their life. The Spafford’s’ only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, fire ravaged real estate holdings along the shores of Lake Michigan that Horatio had heavily invested in and every one of these holdings was destroyed by the Fire.

Needing a sabbatical from the stress that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. It would be a combination of rest and helping DL Moody as he traveled around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November to catch the French steamer ‘Ville de Havre’ across the Atlantic. Just before they set sail, a last-minute business development caused Horatio to delay. Instead of letting this ruin the family holiday, Horatio persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow later. Nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife. It read: “Saved alone.”

On November 2nd 1873, the ‘Ville de Havre’ had collided with ‘The Loch earn’, an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people with Anna being only one of the 47 survivors by clinging to a piece of floating wreckage. Their four daughters--Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie--were killed. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford’s first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, “You were spared for a purpose.” And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, “It’s easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God.”

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. During his voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. “A careful reckoning has been made”, he said, “and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep.” Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told “her soul is vexed within her“, she still maintains that “It is well.” And Spafford’s song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was.

None of us truly know how we would react or respond in such overwhelming circumstances. Spaffords knew God was not their source of trouble. They knew Jesus was their hope in trouble and received His grace to be able to respond so wonderously! In fact, the true biblical response to life's problems is to take full advantage of the grace of God and turn every setback into a springboard. We can also know that this same grace is available to us so that no matter what circumstances shadow our life, we may be able to say with Horatio Spafford…

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Blessings

Daniel Solomon Raju