What does delivering a person to Satan in 1 Corinthians 5:5 mean? Paul said this regarding the person who lives with his father’s wife or stepmother, a sin considered particularly grave in the Christian context. This sin is not found among those who have not known Christ. Paul says such a thing is “not tolerated […]
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor 5:1). Wear and tear are normal and cannot be avoided, even in the case of the human body. As we age, our body […]
“If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.” […]
The story known as the “the prodigal son” is popular (Luke 15). Christian preachers and Sunday School teachers usually focus on the younger son. They skip the elder goodie altogether. The two sons were different in their approaches to life. The younger was for indulgence and instant gratification. He wanted to enjoy all that life […]
The Psalmist prayed on behalf of her community “give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless” (Psalm 108:12). One of the reasons for this prayer is the psalmist’s confidence in God. The psalmist was sure that “with God we will gain victory, and he will trample down our enemies” (Psalm […]
The Bible is the story of people responding to God in faith but also of those who doubted him. Genesis is the book of the beginnings of many things. The origin of the created order, human life, sin, and the list could go on. But it also records the origin of faith and doubt. Sin […]
Miracles are displays of God’s power over human body, and nature that he created at his will.
The cliché “exercise your faith” accentuates human effort, while miracles are purely what God does at his discretion. Nothing may happen however hard your exercise your faith unless God makes the move!
Jesus taught that praying is committing to act; he expects us to commit to what we pray for. The disciples whom Jesus asked to pray for laborers are the first batch of laborers that he had in mind. They may pray for more laborers like them, but they cannot shun their personal responsibility to be harvesters that they prayed for. Praying for a cause is committing to that cause. Without that commitment prayer turns useless.
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!” Psalms 57:7 Can anyone sing when surrounded by hungry lions? When surrounded by enemies who intend to harm us there is no time to sing or to think of singing. But the Psalmist says, “My heart is steadfast, O […]
Scarecrows are placed on farms to scare the birds away. Even though the scarecrows have only a skewed resemblance to human beings who can harm them, birds go nowhere near them. But some birds are smart enough to tell the scarecrow from a real human. They know that they are just hay for the body, a broken pot for the head and still. These birds also know that the scarecrow is placed where there is something to eat. No one puts a scarecrow where nothing is grown. Instead of being scared away, they dare to land on the scarecrows to enjoy the feast the ripe field offers. This is the difference between faith and fear. (Click the title to read further.)
Paulson Pulikottil 