Our church had two house warmings today.
One was to welcome Mrs. Maninder to Thane. She has been staying for 2 years in a wonderful home run by Oasis India Trust where she and her two daughters (now 4 and 2) were loved and cared for. During this time her older daugther Bina had a surgery done on her cleft palate - and Mrs. Maninder found peace in following Jesus too.
Now it was time for her to come back - and that she did today. Our church members have rented a room for her. Put the deposit down. Got things together for her. Bought utensils and buckets and filled the shelf with food and tea and sugar. Put up a fan, made curtains. Waited for her and then when she came, took her to her new home and prayed for her.
We are so glad for God's people and their great love for others. I must admit that we had some times of really wondering what would happen for Mrs. Maninder - but the church folk have come through - and really want to continue to bless this dear woman.
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Same day. A number of the same people. A very different world.
We are in the sleek new flat of a family from church. New means sharp-shiny new. A dedication service is in progress. Bro Stanley is sharing from the Bible about how God blesses Abraham - and how Abraham in turn is a blessing to all the nations - especially through the Lord Jesus.
A few hours earlier - we were praying in a slum. Now we are on the 14th floor of luxury. The same people. The same God.
Its hard not to be bowled over by the outside appearances. But the rub of the matter is this. Everything we experience is a blessing. The sun. The air we breathe. The sweet sleep at night. The waking up in our own bed (and not in a hospital or prison). The fact we wake up at all. Stanley pointed out that all these blessings are from God - because of His nature - namely to be gracious to us all. What a leveller that is.
To whom much is given - much is expected says the good book. Each one of us has the challenge of knowing what to do with our lives - and with our wallets. We may have much or little - but the key is our generosity - and whether we are trully and madly loving Jesus at the core of who we are.
Its much easier for me to feel comfortable with the poor. But who am I to call the shots? Jesus certainly didn't spend all his time with the poor - in fact his choice of friends included the politicians and film stars of his day. The key is Jesus' unswerving devotion to Father God. His last hours of prayer in the garden are a summary of his whole life: "Not my will, but yours be done."
One day every knee shall confess you are Lord, one day every knee shall bow....
We are in the sleek new flat of a family from church. New means sharp-shiny new. A dedication service is in progress. Bro Stanley is sharing from the Bible about how God blesses Abraham - and how Abraham in turn is a blessing to all the nations - especially through the Lord Jesus.
A few hours earlier - we were praying in a slum. Now we are on the 14th floor of luxury. The same people. The same God.
Its hard not to be bowled over by the outside appearances. But the rub of the matter is this. Everything we experience is a blessing. The sun. The air we breathe. The sweet sleep at night. The waking up in our own bed (and not in a hospital or prison). The fact we wake up at all. Stanley pointed out that all these blessings are from God - because of His nature - namely to be gracious to us all. What a leveller that is.
To whom much is given - much is expected says the good book. Each one of us has the challenge of knowing what to do with our lives - and with our wallets. We may have much or little - but the key is our generosity - and whether we are trully and madly loving Jesus at the core of who we are.
Its much easier for me to feel comfortable with the poor. But who am I to call the shots? Jesus certainly didn't spend all his time with the poor - in fact his choice of friends included the politicians and film stars of his day. The key is Jesus' unswerving devotion to Father God. His last hours of prayer in the garden are a summary of his whole life: "Not my will, but yours be done."
One day every knee shall confess you are Lord, one day every knee shall bow....
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