2011 Resurrection Sunday - JESUS is ALIVE!
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the life, He who believes in me, even though he were dead, yet shall he live again. Do you believe this?“
Dear family and friends,
This is to wish you a very blessed and a happy Resurrection Sunday.
We do not find the term ‘Easter’ in the Bible. Jesus rose from the dead and it is called Resurrection Day. This day gives us hope beyond the grave. The Bible says, “Oh, grave, where is thy victory? Oh, death, where is thy sting?”
During his earthly ministry, there are 3 recorded resurrections that Jesus performed. One was the 12yr. old girl who had just died, the other was a widow’s son on his way to the grave during the funeral procession; and the third was of the Lazarus, the beloved brother of Mary and Martha.
In one way these all show that Jesus has the power to raise the dead be it dead for few minutes, few days or many years. He is the one who gives breath and life to all creatures big and small. Even as we are in the spring season and see the dead trees come alive again, we find the earth green once more, is there anything that we face this Resurrection Sunday that needs to be resurrected? I know we can have an endless list, from our circumstances to finances, to relationships to deaths and many more. We need to trust Jesus to do this in his time and his way. He is the Resurrection and life.
The resurrection of Lazarus speaks volumes to me. One of the reasons is Jesus knowingly, delays going to cure him. The 4 days delay was too much for the sisters. Jesus comes in his time and speaks peacefully, “I am the resurrection and life, he who believes in me, even though he were dead, yet shall he live again.”
Do you find God delaying in your circumstances, answering your prayers? Do not despair. He won’t be long. He comes in his time. His timetable does appear to move slowly but it moves surely.
What takes my breath away in Lazarus’ story is that Jesus knows he delayed purposely, he knows in few minutes he will raise Lazarus from the dead and there will be immense joy yet, in the moment of grief, when he sees the sisters and relatives crying, mourning the loss of the loved one, the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35 says, “JESUS WEPT.” This is a real deal. I love Jesus because he lives in my today, even though he holds my every tomorrow, and has all my yesterdays, He cries with me in my today. He understands my pain. He does not tell me to ‘get over it’ he does not tell me ‘get on with life,’ he mourns and weeps with me, and wipes my tears, he picks me up each time I fall.
Because He is alive, we can face tomorrow, Because He is alive, all fear is gone, because we know he holds the future, and life is worth living just because Jesus lives forevermore.
May this Resurrection Sunday bring hope in your today no matter what the circumstances. If we can trust Jesus with eternity, we can certainly trust him with hear and now.
Death has no power over Jesus; He is the Son of God and our Savior. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, we invite you to let him in your heart. He promises you resurrection. You can always bank on his promises, they are true and forever.
Because Jesus lives,
We do - Kalpna, Bharat, Narita and Stuti Sharma.
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Mothers' Day 2010
In USA Mothers' Day is celebrated in the month of May while in the UK it is in March. Whatever the month, mother is a special person in everyone's lives.
Mother gives us birth and right from the word go, our 1st touch, 1st language, 1st relationship, 1st nourishment, our life comes from God through a mother and a father.
While I write this, I want to say that many folks share with me about how good their relationship is with their mother or how bad it is. There are many in between as well. I pray that those who read this will read with an open mind. Regardless of how we have been treated in our lives, our mothers chose to give birth to us. If for nothing else, let us be thankful for that. The very life that we live, the bones we have, and the flesh and blood that runs through our veins, were formed by the Creator in her womb. God chose for whatever reason for our mom to be our mom. Like Margaret, a coach at a Landmark Forum said, "You need to be grateful for and to your mother for giving you birth! Anything else that comes more than that is a bonus" (1997, Landmark Forum, Nairobi, Kenya).
I pray that the world will give more honor to mothers and assist mothers to be moms, instead of just offering adoption options, even within the Christian circle. Let us not just encourage women to give birth only, but truly empower them to be real moms; provide and assist them with tools to be one! I know kids and real moms in the longer run will be more blessed by that than taking away their God-given role and God-ordained tie unless the parent is no more in the world. Motherhood is something sacred, anyone can give birth but it is a long deep delightful commitment to be a mom. (Note: I am not totally against adoptions. There are cases where the parents are either not present, dead, or severely incapacitated, or no safe relatives are around or kids are abandoned, adoption is sacred. But I am opposed to the easy way out kind of adoption, a multimillion-dollar industry, or snatching kids from less developed countries. Hey, the economic aspect is important but you can support the good biological parents through financial assistance rather than taking kids from their good parents, culture, language, and customs. If you are financially blessed you can empower these less privileged parents and let them raise their own kids.)
In the Bible, God is portrayed as gentle as a mother and good as a father. God has both characteristics which is why God can empower us to be the moms that God knows best that our kids need.
Rejoicing with you in being a mom to the precious kids God has put in our laps, thanking God for them and for our husbands whom God used to make us moms.
To all dedicated moms, happy and blessed is your calling: Happy Mothers' Day!
Kalpana Christian Sharma (Mrs.) ©copyright 2010
Mother gives us birth and right from the word go, our 1st touch, 1st language, 1st relationship, 1st nourishment, our life comes from God through a mother and a father.
While I write this, I want to say that many folks share with me about how good their relationship is with their mother or how bad it is. There are many in between as well. I pray that those who read this will read with an open mind. Regardless of how we have been treated in our lives, our mothers chose to give birth to us. If for nothing else, let us be thankful for that. The very life that we live, the bones we have, and the flesh and blood that runs through our veins, were formed by the Creator in her womb. God chose for whatever reason for our mom to be our mom. Like Margaret, a coach at a Landmark Forum said, "You need to be grateful for and to your mother for giving you birth! Anything else that comes more than that is a bonus" (1997, Landmark Forum, Nairobi, Kenya).
I pray that the world will give more honor to mothers and assist mothers to be moms, instead of just offering adoption options, even within the Christian circle. Let us not just encourage women to give birth only, but truly empower them to be real moms; provide and assist them with tools to be one! I know kids and real moms in the longer run will be more blessed by that than taking away their God-given role and God-ordained tie unless the parent is no more in the world. Motherhood is something sacred, anyone can give birth but it is a long deep delightful commitment to be a mom. (Note: I am not totally against adoptions. There are cases where the parents are either not present, dead, or severely incapacitated, or no safe relatives are around or kids are abandoned, adoption is sacred. But I am opposed to the easy way out kind of adoption, a multimillion-dollar industry, or snatching kids from less developed countries. Hey, the economic aspect is important but you can support the good biological parents through financial assistance rather than taking kids from their good parents, culture, language, and customs. If you are financially blessed you can empower these less privileged parents and let them raise their own kids.)
In the Bible, God is portrayed as gentle as a mother and good as a father. God has both characteristics which is why God can empower us to be the moms that God knows best that our kids need.
Rejoicing with you in being a mom to the precious kids God has put in our laps, thanking God for them and for our husbands whom God used to make us moms.
To all dedicated moms, happy and blessed is your calling: Happy Mothers' Day!
Kalpana Christian Sharma (Mrs.) ©copyright 2010
My notes on Mothers' Day of 2006
Dear fellow earth dwellers,
These are my notes on this Mother's Day and I share them with you! May 12, 2006
Mother's Day is widely celebrated in the USA in May and in England in March. I salute many moms in the world and also in the Bible. Each one who loves God, and what difference they make in the lives of their child/ren. The one that particularly caught my attention was the Canaanite woman.
Do you know she came to the Lord Jesus and Jesus answered her not a WORD! not that, even his disciples had to tell him, "Lord, please send her away, she is really disturbing!" (to put it in today's language, "She is really being a pain!") and guess what! Jesus did not seem to pay any attention to her!
She kept pleading and we read that Jesus seems to shut her, "I was not sent to the gentiles but to the lost sheep of Israel." (dare I, rephrase it, "to the 'Faithless' lost sheep").
She kept pleading... now notice, what Jesus says to her, "It is not right to take the meat from the children and give it to dogs!!" (OUCH!!) I know it feels so condescending, humiliating, and belittling, but hold on; let me disclose something here! All my life, before, i got this insight just a few months back, I too had kept questioning this radical answer but the minute I realized some truth about GOD, my eyes saw an amazing fact!
First not as a mom or even as a gentile, but as a child of God, I realized God is never WRONG ever!! the Word of God can NOT be wrong! and Jesus can NOT be wrong! so I prayed, "Lord, forgive my little understanding of mind and in your own time you show me your truth!" aha! guess what I learned!
He had made that woman, and he knew her inside out, just as He knows each of us, be it Canaanite, gentile or Jew, Christians or non-Christians!! Even before Pharisees spoke, He knew their thoughts, Jesus knew this lady's faith was GREAT, greater than the faith of the Jews to whom HE was sent first!! (generally speaking!) and by no means he was belittling her! He knew a MOTHER'S HEART because He is our Heavenly Father and Mother. "Can a mother forget her child? even if she does, I will never forget you! (Isa49:15)
So he knew he was talking to a persistent, consistent, unstoppable, and persuading parent and her faith was not willing to take anything less than what she had come for! from the ONE who ALONE can give her WHAT she needed, what she came for!! she was not going to take a NO for an answer! Jesus was drawing out the words from her, words that would leave an impression on the listeners' hearts for generations to come!
So she replied; and dear one! I want you to picture this humble experience, she said, "Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the kids' table!" and JESUS said, "GREAT is your FAITH, let it be to you as you desire" and we read, "Instantly her daughter was healed!"
Now unlike the centurion, a gentile as well, whose "servant" was sick; note not his child but his servant! and Jesus knew he was not talking to a father but a human boss! And Jesus offered to go to his house saying, "I will come to your house." Now notice because the Jews and Canaanites did NOT share any deep relationship so for that lady to come to a JEW was a big thing! This was a Roman soldier, but he also humbled and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, speak a word and I know it will be done as I am a man under authority!" wow! Jesus said, "TRULY I have NOT seen THIS FAITH in Israel."
These folks displayed humility that was accompanied or pushed by faith (faith is the gift of God, we cannot work for it). My missionary cousin, shared with me a few years back that "Every time disciples asked, 'Lord, increase our faith,' He kept emphasizing "BE humble!"
"By grace, we are saved through faith! even that is not our own, it's a gift of GOD!" Eph. 2:8-9
Would you and I humble ourselves before this GREAT ONE and take anything that comes into our lives to help us be God's faithful children, to be the kind of parent, mom, or dad that God wants us to be!!!!! not our dreams but as per divine plans! It may seem like God is pushing you at times, rejecting you, or closing the door on you, but at that time let's remember this persistent, persuasive, unstoppable Canaanite mother and see who God wants to impact through our reactions!
I pray that this God who knows us inside out will make a difference in our lives to be such parents!
Happy Mother's Day to all those faithful moms!
Honoring faithful moms from the mother of our Lord Jesus to this Canaanite woman, to Hannah, to Susanna Wesley to Mother Teresa to any unknown mom that we have not yet heard of, and to some of us who are in the middle somewhere!
Kalpana Christian Sharma (Mrs.)
Copyright © KC's writings 2010
These are my notes on this Mother's Day and I share them with you! May 12, 2006
Mother's Day is widely celebrated in the USA in May and in England in March. I salute many moms in the world and also in the Bible. Each one who loves God, and what difference they make in the lives of their child/ren. The one that particularly caught my attention was the Canaanite woman.
Do you know she came to the Lord Jesus and Jesus answered her not a WORD! not that, even his disciples had to tell him, "Lord, please send her away, she is really disturbing!" (to put it in today's language, "She is really being a pain!") and guess what! Jesus did not seem to pay any attention to her!
She kept pleading and we read that Jesus seems to shut her, "I was not sent to the gentiles but to the lost sheep of Israel." (dare I, rephrase it, "to the 'Faithless' lost sheep").
She kept pleading... now notice, what Jesus says to her, "It is not right to take the meat from the children and give it to dogs!!" (OUCH!!) I know it feels so condescending, humiliating, and belittling, but hold on; let me disclose something here! All my life, before, i got this insight just a few months back, I too had kept questioning this radical answer but the minute I realized some truth about GOD, my eyes saw an amazing fact!
First not as a mom or even as a gentile, but as a child of God, I realized God is never WRONG ever!! the Word of God can NOT be wrong! and Jesus can NOT be wrong! so I prayed, "Lord, forgive my little understanding of mind and in your own time you show me your truth!" aha! guess what I learned!
He had made that woman, and he knew her inside out, just as He knows each of us, be it Canaanite, gentile or Jew, Christians or non-Christians!! Even before Pharisees spoke, He knew their thoughts, Jesus knew this lady's faith was GREAT, greater than the faith of the Jews to whom HE was sent first!! (generally speaking!) and by no means he was belittling her! He knew a MOTHER'S HEART because He is our Heavenly Father and Mother. "Can a mother forget her child? even if she does, I will never forget you! (Isa49:15)
So he knew he was talking to a persistent, consistent, unstoppable, and persuading parent and her faith was not willing to take anything less than what she had come for! from the ONE who ALONE can give her WHAT she needed, what she came for!! she was not going to take a NO for an answer! Jesus was drawing out the words from her, words that would leave an impression on the listeners' hearts for generations to come!
So she replied; and dear one! I want you to picture this humble experience, she said, "Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the kids' table!" and JESUS said, "GREAT is your FAITH, let it be to you as you desire" and we read, "Instantly her daughter was healed!"
Now unlike the centurion, a gentile as well, whose "servant" was sick; note not his child but his servant! and Jesus knew he was not talking to a father but a human boss! And Jesus offered to go to his house saying, "I will come to your house." Now notice because the Jews and Canaanites did NOT share any deep relationship so for that lady to come to a JEW was a big thing! This was a Roman soldier, but he also humbled and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, speak a word and I know it will be done as I am a man under authority!" wow! Jesus said, "TRULY I have NOT seen THIS FAITH in Israel."
These folks displayed humility that was accompanied or pushed by faith (faith is the gift of God, we cannot work for it). My missionary cousin, shared with me a few years back that "Every time disciples asked, 'Lord, increase our faith,' He kept emphasizing "BE humble!"
"By grace, we are saved through faith! even that is not our own, it's a gift of GOD!" Eph. 2:8-9
Would you and I humble ourselves before this GREAT ONE and take anything that comes into our lives to help us be God's faithful children, to be the kind of parent, mom, or dad that God wants us to be!!!!! not our dreams but as per divine plans! It may seem like God is pushing you at times, rejecting you, or closing the door on you, but at that time let's remember this persistent, persuasive, unstoppable Canaanite mother and see who God wants to impact through our reactions!
I pray that this God who knows us inside out will make a difference in our lives to be such parents!
Happy Mother's Day to all those faithful moms!
Honoring faithful moms from the mother of our Lord Jesus to this Canaanite woman, to Hannah, to Susanna Wesley to Mother Teresa to any unknown mom that we have not yet heard of, and to some of us who are in the middle somewhere!
Kalpana Christian Sharma (Mrs.)
Copyright © KC's writings 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Cross of Christ - 2
While I ponder about the Cross of Christ, 'the sacrificing pole' that we are commanded to carry daily and follow Jesus, I am reminded of a great truth learned from a gentle, Brahmin, Hindu family in Nairobi, Kenya, who owned a confectionery (an Indian sweet shop); we would talk about religion when we visited their shop.
This was in the 1980s when Dad used to tutor their ready-to-go-to-college son in Physics and Mathematics. Dad and I used to witness to this family about Christ. One day they shared with Dad, saying "Do you know why we really adore the Cross of Christ so much? The reason being - the Cross of Christ shows you to deny the 'I' and self." They so simply showed the crossing out of the vertical line from top to bottom by the horizontal line from left to right! That means he said, No to the big 'I', the selfish I... without making it an idol, have you tried to draw a cross and see how much of I and selfishness we are called to cancel out?
I know some theologians will disagree with me that Christ did not die on the cross but on the pole, on a tree, yes that is true, but the Cross is widely known today as the symbol of Christianity. Without making it an idol or a statue, or like fascinating stuff that most movie stars and singers wear on their necks and ears, can we use the available resources, anything and everything to talk of his torturous death.
This was in the 1980s when Dad used to tutor their ready-to-go-to-college son in Physics and Mathematics. Dad and I used to witness to this family about Christ. One day they shared with Dad, saying "Do you know why we really adore the Cross of Christ so much? The reason being - the Cross of Christ shows you to deny the 'I' and self." They so simply showed the crossing out of the vertical line from top to bottom by the horizontal line from left to right! That means he said, No to the big 'I', the selfish I... without making it an idol, have you tried to draw a cross and see how much of I and selfishness we are called to cancel out?
I know some theologians will disagree with me that Christ did not die on the cross but on the pole, on a tree, yes that is true, but the Cross is widely known today as the symbol of Christianity. Without making it an idol or a statue, or like fascinating stuff that most movie stars and singers wear on their necks and ears, can we use the available resources, anything and everything to talk of his torturous death.
Lord, help me to love you with ALL my heart, all my soul, all my strength, and all my mind...to crucify me, my self, and 'I' daily, on the sacrificing pole that I am to carry and to let the beauty of Jesus shine through me...
Kalpana Christian Sharma
Copyright © KC's Writings, 2010
Kalpana Christian Sharma
Copyright © KC's Writings, 2010
Cross of Christ- 1
Have you ever wondered, if the word 'cross' has different meanings in the English language? There is a crossing cross, a plus sign cross, an x letter cross, a cross of Lorraine, or a term used as cross my heart (promise to give) or someone being cross with us. Here I am talking about the Cross of JESUS Christ that the Bible talks about. Recently a lady belonging to a Jehova's Witnesses denomination pointed out to me the real meaning of that cross translated into my own mother tongue, Gujarati language from the State of Gujarat in India. The cross means 'Vadh-Stumbh' the literal meaning 'The Pole of Sacrifice' - the Cross of Jesus as used in the holy Bible in Gujarati language. I was surprised with joy even though it is my mother tongue and I grew up with it, little had I paid attention to that. The reason? At this grown-up stage, I am trying to comprehend that Jesus calls us to carry our Pole of Sacrifice and follow him...to put it in easier terms like the famous Indian movie would have its heroes and brave folks say in lines such as..."Sir pey Kafan bandh key chaltey hey"(we walk carrying the coffin cloth on our head, meaning we are ever-ready to die).
I asked myself, Do I carry my Cross, my pole of Sacrifice, and live like that for CHRIST every day? It is a big question! We are called by Him to do that. Denying self and following him; being a living sacrifice as Romans 12 says!
Vadh-stumbh (Vadh no Stumbh) the pole of Sacrifice! To die to selfishness and sin, to comforts that call my name, the fun and cultural values, TV and movies that allure us; to die to that, to die to be the person who is totally in charge and in control, and let God be the King and in charge of our lives, and help us handle all aspects of our life HIS way! To die to prestige, fame, and what more than a line from one of Issac Watts' songs that goes like, "When I survey the wondrous cross on which the price of Glory died...Forbid it LORD that I should boast, save in the cross of Christ my LORD, all the VAIN THINGS THAT CHARM ME MOST, I SACRIFICE THEM TO HIS BLOOD...(carry our vadh-stumbhs and follow him...) like Paul says, I must decrease and HE must increase in me!!
LORD Jesus, Help us carry our vadh-stumbhs (poles of sacrifice) and follow you.
Kalpana Christian Sharma
Copyright © KC's Writings, 2010
I asked myself, Do I carry my Cross, my pole of Sacrifice, and live like that for CHRIST every day? It is a big question! We are called by Him to do that. Denying self and following him; being a living sacrifice as Romans 12 says!
Vadh-stumbh (Vadh no Stumbh) the pole of Sacrifice! To die to selfishness and sin, to comforts that call my name, the fun and cultural values, TV and movies that allure us; to die to that, to die to be the person who is totally in charge and in control, and let God be the King and in charge of our lives, and help us handle all aspects of our life HIS way! To die to prestige, fame, and what more than a line from one of Issac Watts' songs that goes like, "When I survey the wondrous cross on which the price of Glory died...Forbid it LORD that I should boast, save in the cross of Christ my LORD, all the VAIN THINGS THAT CHARM ME MOST, I SACRIFICE THEM TO HIS BLOOD...(carry our vadh-stumbhs and follow him...) like Paul says, I must decrease and HE must increase in me!!
LORD Jesus, Help us carry our vadh-stumbhs (poles of sacrifice) and follow you.
Kalpana Christian Sharma
Copyright © KC's Writings, 2010
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