As the Biblical stories from the beginning of creation to the time preceding the entry of the Israelites into the promised land, spanning more than 25 centuries, culminates in Deuteronomy 34. The Pentateuch closes with what some may call as the “anti-climactic death of Moses” atop Mount Nebo, about 100 kms on the wrong side of Jordan and the promised land. This 120-year old mediator and intercessor of the old covenant between Israel and God, would fall short because of…

As we are reading the book of Joshua these days, it struck me how the Israelites still did not learn. They still did not ask the Lord concerning the Gibeonites, as they did not ask Him concerning Ai, which happened not long before. How could they not learn at all? Looking at my own life, I know I am no different. It’s easy to judge how stiff-necked they were, but am I not doing the same thing? Thinking that I…

“For this is what the Lord says—he who created the heavens,    he is God;he who fashioned and made the earth,    he founded it;he did not create it to be empty,    but formed it to be inhabited—he says:“I am the Lord,    and there is no other.“Turn to me and be saved,    all you ends of the earth;    for I am God, and there is no other.By myself I have sworn,    my mouth has uttered in all integrity    a word that will not be revoked:Before me every knee will bow;    by…

“And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.…

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 The seeds of sin sown in the fields of this world reaps brokenness. This absolute truth of every man and woman born, having sinned and missed the mark of God is evidenced by the certainty of death in our lives (Psalm 90:10). The one somber truth as a child is born into this broken world is this: one day this child would also die. Nothing else…

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” I worked…

The spiritual man, contrary to the carnal man, walks in the supreme victory of the power of resurrection that raised Christ to life (Romans 6:5). He yields himself to the willingness of the spirit and resists every weakness of the carnality ingrained by his fallen nature (Matthew 26:41). The spiritual man finds himself in a battle every day. A battle fought in the hidden place of his mind and heart against sin. A vigorous resistance through the power of grace,…

For those who know baking, you know that cakes, cookies, and brownies contain similar ingredients—however, different proportions and ways of processing lead to different products. Even if you have the same coffee bean, if you plant them in different locations, process them differently, and roast them under various conditions, you will end up with coffees with different characteristics and flavor profiles.  Similarly, in Christ, we are new creations. The old has gone, and the new is here (2 Corinthians 5:17).…

Amidst the challenges we face every day, how do I know what to do?  The Bible gives the answers. “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10). What an assurance we have in Jesus Christ! Of course, it doesn’t mean that you just need to sleep and do nothing. The same Bible also says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it…

There are two events surrounding the dedications of the temple of God, that stand out to me in the old testaments. Both these events, in my belief, foreshadow the essence of true worship. The first temple in Jerusalem, built by Solomon around 959 BC, was a grandeur symbol of the promise of God dwelling among His people. The temple was constructed atop Mount Moriah in 7 years time and stood for around 370 years, before being completely destroyed by the…