In it with Christ

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

Most Christians learned it by heart and knew that this is the shortest verse in the whole Bible. As short as it might seem, the meaning behind His weeping is a deep one. Did I ask myself why?

This incident happened when John died and Jesus was four days late. Bust Jesus knew that He can raise him, and he will be alive, after knowing all those things he is going to do, why did Jesus weep? I am not certain about the reason why Jesus wept. This incident proved to me He is 100% God and 100% human.

We can see that though He knew He can raise John as God, at the same time He also felt the pain of separation from dear ones. He was empathizing with John’s dear ones (Mary, Martha, etc). He also sees you and me on that day already and knew death was an inevitable part of human life and all will go through this pang of separation from our dear ones. He was there that day and He can raise John, but you and I cannot raise physically again after death so this makes Him wept.

So, to raise you and me after death, to be with Him, He endured it till the end on the cross. And He goes through the pang of separation from His Father. So that you and I can be with Him. He goes through this pang of separation from His Father, so He understands the pang one goes through by death. My dear, I just want to let you know today that you can be 100% sure that He can empathize with us. No matter what you go through, even if it is a pang of death.

“The word of God, how short it might seem’ is embedded with a deep meaning, handle it with reverence.”- Nei

1 John 2:5-6 This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.

It was 26^th June 2021, a night of Evangelistic week organized by KWS Delhi, as the speaker spoke about how we have to follow Christ and read different scriptures here and there, my younger brother and elder sister were with me attending the church on Zoom platform both of them raised a question: How we are going to live in this world exactly as the Bible says? It is not possible, for this… there needs to be a different world where only Christians should live according to the Bible, or else it is not possible.

Listening to their comments a thought came into my mind, if it is impossible for us to live in a different way, will not God create a different world, but He didn’t do so, why? The answer is if we are in different world what about the others…we became Christian and follow Jesus through someone who left his/her place and share the word of God to our fore-fathers and once we know the truth we are given the opportunity and responsibility to share it to others, who didn’t see this truth yet. To live out our faith in this world. Indeed following Christ is not an easy task and the road is narrow, it takes us to carry our cross every day. But, the good news is that it is not impossible, had this been impossible, God might have arranged other means. But He didn’t do it because He knew we could do it, not in our strength, but we can do it all through Him who gave us strength.

It is a challenging one to live in this world being different from others, live in this world but not of the world, we need to dare to be different even if we look like we are a fool in the eyes of this world because we are called by God to be different. So that people around will see Christ in you and He will be glorified. Dear, if we walk as Jesus did, this is how the world will see and know that we are in Him.

“Living a different life in this world is indeed possible, but only for those who dare and through HIM alone.” – Nei

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously gave us all things.

Since childhood, I can tell you with pride, I never get what I wanted. But now I realized had God gave me all that I asked, where will I be? What will I be doing by now? Will I be happy? Will I be satisfied? The answer is I didn’t think so.

My heart is full of gratitude towards God for not giving me all that I asked. He didn’t gave me all that I want instead He gave me all that I need. Yes, if He didn’t even spare His Son but gave up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously gave us all things. The truth is God is ready to give us all we ask but He didn’t gave us sometimes because the thing we want or ask from Him will do us no good. He actually filter everything we ask and gave us only those things which will build us, not those which will harm us.

With our human mind we like what we see in our eyes, but we cannot see what harm can that bring to us. We only see up to what the vision of our eyes can see, but the truth is God sees beyond. And He sees what can be the outcome of, what we keep on asking. He is our Father so He won’t gave us things which we keep on asking but which will only destroyed us, as we are His children, He love us more than our earthly father’s do.

Dear, just take a few moment and reflect it, what will happened had God given you all that you asked? Thank God with me for not giving all that you asked but all that is building you up or is bringing closer to Him.

“Don’t be sad if God didn’t give you what you want/asked, it is His way of protecting you.”- Nei                                                               

Joshua 1:9“This is my command–be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)

It was 0n 11/ 7/22, I traveled abroad for the first time ever in my life, to the USA. It was an excellent experience I had layovers in two places Amsterdam and Minneapolis, the international flights were huge and the air hostesses were my Mom’s age. It was funny though. This is not the end.

It was in Minneapolis the US Border Security Police hold me, in the detention center for about two hours, as I happened to travel 14 days earlier before the said time. I came to know this after I booked my ticket that with F1 Visa one can go into the USA only 30 days before class starts, and I cannot reschedule it for some reason, I was prepared that something going to happen, as they interrogate me, take away my phone and check all my luggage, I was not scared at the moment. But as the time keeps on ticking, it seems that I am going to miss my flight from Minneapolis to Oklahoma. It makes me worried, what if! I really missed my flight in an unknown land. A small voice within me reminded me, that I am not alone, this verse which Rev. Hencha Doungel read me before leaving India reflect in my mind, and reminded me that God is with me where ever I go, and He is right there present with me, I am not alone. This gave me peace that surpasses all human understanding.

It was 6:00 pm pass when they released me, I should have missed my flight, but God in His grace delayed my flight for 7:00 pm, I was in waiting but some good souls volunteer to stay back, which makes a way for me to reach safely to my destination. My dear, I just want to remind you today that You are not alone, “For the Lord, your God is with you where ever you go. He will make a way.

“The fact of knowing the truth that you are not alone makes you strong and courageous”- Nei

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Wish I can tell, what is in my heart. Things that I’m grateful for, and things that I really felt…it is funny to say, I can’t express not even 30% 0f what I really felt. I so want to, but I can’t help. This is me.

There are people whom I really want to thank for having significantly impacted my life one way or the other. There are people I really want to appreciate for the sacrifices they made for me. There are people whom I really respect for what they had done. But, I had never said in person how I really felt about all they did, never did I appreciate them in person.

Today I thought about it, what difference would it make had I spoken what is in my heart, not corrupting talks like the Bible says but, speaking what I really felt for building up others, as fits the occasion, that may give grace to those who hear. Many of us did the same as me keeping with us, words which we really wanted to speak, even though we knew, it fits the occasion. Dear today, I just want to encourage you, to say what is in your heart, but no corrupting talk.

“Dare to speak what you really felt in your heart, but be careful! no corrupting talk.”-Nei