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DONATE/CURRENT NEEDS
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Watch Duke's Messages On Youtube
READ DUKE'S LATEST ARTICLES
HEAR DUKE'S MESSAGES ON SOUNDCLOUD
READ THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH - LATEST ISSUE
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DUKE JEYARAJ BIO
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News
VIEW DUKE'S MINISTRY FACEBOOK PAGE

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This-Season-This-Day-Apt Scripture Meditations by Duke Jeyaraj

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WHAT WAS JESUS DOING ON PASSION WEEK MONDAY: THE THREE Cs - Duke Jeyaraj

On the Monday of the Passion Week Jesus was busy doing three Cs:

1. CURSING - Jesus cursed the fig tree that had no fruit (Matt. 21:18-19). Jesus hates HYPOCRISY. The tree should have had edible buds by then (though it was not the season for fruits), but only had leaves. Jesus hates the sin of SHOWING-OFF!

2. CLEANSING - Jesus, in the same day, the Monday of the Passion Week, went about doing the second cleansing of the Temple (Matt. 21:12-16). There was a need for having money-changing facility in the Temple. Pilgrims from far away had to have these services to exchange currencies. There was a need to have doves being sold in the Temple area. Doves were a key part of the sacrifice routine which the Law of Moses recommended. But, these activities were conducted with a view to make huge money and at the expense of the main reason why the Temple existed in the first place - as a place for prayer. It was possible that Jesus saw through the lives of these money-changers and dove-sellers and saw that HOLINESS was lacking in their lives. Jesus "over-turned" their tables to demonstrate this message: "You may be a church-attender! But your life has to be changed upside down. You need to repent! You need to be holy!"

3. CHATTING - Jesus, on the Monday of the Passion Week, was busy chatting with the Greeks who came to meet him (Jn. 12:20-50). Jesus has time for people of all races. Jesus hates casteism. Jesus met with the Greeks who hailed from another nation than his. Jesus told them about the HURTS that were his lot and his followers' lot (Jn. 12:23-25). Suffering was part of Jesus' life. And it will be a part of a Jesus-followers life. We must be grain of wheat till our last heart beat, for Jesus! Jesus predicted the way he would die - by being lifted up (Jn. 12:32).He called crucifixion being "lifted up". How you see your suffering matters. Do you see it as a blessing like Jesus did? Or do you get bitter over it?! Jesus final message to the Greeks before he hid himself from them was a message against procrastination. "Put your trust in the light while you have it," Jesus told them finally (Jn. 12:36). Opportunities to come to Christ will not be with us forever and ever. We may die suddenly and after that it would be too late to come to Christ. The Holy Spirit may stop convicting our stubborn hearts and after that it would be too late to come to Christ. Our Lord Jesus will return again to judge the world, suddenly, like a thief in the night, and that time it would be too late for anyone to accept him. So, the time to come to Jesus in NOW!

(Dr. Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, the G4 Mission - a reader/listener/viewer supported Indian ministry to presentday people. Find out more at www.dukev.org).

WHAT WAS JESUS DOING ON PASSION WEEK MONDAY: THE THREE Cs - Duke Jeyaraj

On the Monday of the Passion Week Jesus was busy doing three Cs:

1. CURSING - Jesus cursed the fig tree that had no fruit (Matt. 21:18-19). Jesus hates HYPOCRISY. The tree should have had edible buds by then (though it was not the season for fruits), but only had leaves. Jesus hates the sin of SHOWING-OFF!

2. CLEANSING - Jesus, in the same day, the Monday of the Passion Week, went about doing the second cleansing of the Temple (Matt. 21:12-16). There was a need for having money-changing facility in the Temple. Pilgrims from far away had to have these services to exchange currencies. There was a need to have doves being sold in the Temple area. Doves were a key part of the sacrifice routine which the Law of Moses recommended. But, these activities were conducted with a view to make huge money and at the expense of the main reason why the Temple existed in the first place - as a place for prayer. It was possible that Jesus saw through the lives of these money-changers and dove-sellers and saw that HOLINESS was lacking in their lives. Jesus "over-turned" their tables to demonstrate this message: "You may be a church-attender! But your life has to be changed upside down. You need to repent! You need to be holy!"

3. CHATTING - Jesus, on the Monday of the Passion Week, was busy chatting with the Greeks who came to meet him (Jn. 12:20-50). Jesus has time for people of all races. Jesus hates casteism. Jesus met with the Greeks who hailed from another nation than his. Jesus told them about the HURTS that were his lot and his followers' lot (Jn. 12:23-25). Suffering was part of Jesus' life. And it will be a part of a Jesus-followers life. We must be grain of wheat till our last heart beat, for Jesus! Jesus predicted the way he would die - by being lifted up (Jn. 12:32).He called crucifixion being "lifted up". How you see your suffering matters. Do you see it as a blessing like Jesus did? Or do you get bitter over it?! Jesus final message to the Greeks before he hid himself from them was a message against procrastination. "Put your trust in the light while you have it," Jesus told them finally (Jn. 12:36). Opportunities to come to Christ will not be with us forever and ever. We may die suddenly and after that it would be too late to come to Christ. The Holy Spirit may stop convicting our stubborn hearts and after that it would be too late to come to Christ. Our Lord Jesus will return again to judge the world, suddenly, like a thief in the night, and that time it would be too late for anyone to accept him. So, the time to come to Jesus in NOW!

(Dr. Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, the G4 Mission - a reader/listener/viewer supported Indian ministry to presentday people. Find out more at www.dukev.org).

WHAT WAS JESUS DOING ON PASSION WEEK MONDAY: THE THREE Cs - Duke Jeyaraj

On the Monday of the Passion Week Jesus was busy doing three Cs:

1. CURSING - Jesus cursed the fig tree that had no fruit (Matt. 21:18-19). Jesus hates HYPOCRISY. The tree should have had edible buds by then (though it was not the season for fruits), but only had leaves. Jesus hates the sin of SHOWING-OFF!

2. CLEANSING - Jesus, in the same day, the Monday of the Passion Week, went about doing the second cleansing of the Temple (Matt. 21:12-16). There was a need for having money-changing facility in the Temple. Pilgrims from far away had to have these services to exchange currencies. There was a need to have doves being sold in the Temple area. Doves were a key part of the sacrifice routine which the Law of Moses recommended. But, these activities were conducted with a view to make huge money and at the expense of the main reason why the Temple existed in the first place - as a place for prayer. It was possible that Jesus saw through the lives of these money-changers and dove-sellers and saw that HOLINESS was lacking in their lives. Jesus "over-turned" their tables to demonstrate this message: "You may be a church-attender! But your life has to be changed upside down. You need to repent! You need to be holy!"

3. CHATTING - Jesus, on the Monday of the Passion Week, was busy chatting with the Greeks who came to meet him (Jn. 12:20-50). Jesus has time for people of all races. Jesus hates casteism. Jesus met with the Greeks who hailed from another nation than his. Jesus told them about the HURTS that were his lot and his followers' lot (Jn. 12:23-25). Suffering was part of Jesus' life. And it will be a part of a Jesus-followers life. We must be grain of wheat till our last heart beat, for Jesus! Jesus predicted the way he would die - by being lifted up (Jn. 12:32).He called crucifixion being "lifted up". How you see your suffering matters. Do you see it as a blessing like Jesus did? Or do you get bitter over it?! Jesus final message to the Greeks before he hid himself from them was a message against procrastination. "Put your trust in the light while you have it," Jesus told them finally (Jn. 12:36). Opportunities to come to Christ will not be with us forever and ever. We may die suddenly and after that it would be too late to come to Christ. The Holy Spirit may stop convicting our stubborn hearts and after that it would be too late to come to Christ. Our Lord Jesus will return again to judge the world, suddenly, like a thief in the night, and that time it would be too late for anyone to accept him. So, the time to come to Jesus in NOW!

(Dr. Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, the G4 Mission - a reader/listener/viewer supported Indian ministry to presentday people. Find out more at www.dukev.org).

FOUR 'YOUTH' THAT JESUS MET DURING HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY (FOURTH HE MET ON PALM SUNDAY!)
Duke Jeyaraj

The Scripture says that Jesus met four "youth" during his earthly ministry.

1. A COLD Youth (Lk 7:14) - Young Widow's Son Who was Cold and Dead.
We are dead in sin, Paul writes. A relationship with Jesus will resurrect us! We don't need reform. We need a resurrection! We are saved by grace! Are you COLD in your love for Jesus like the Laodicean church?

2. A HALF-COMMITTED YOUTH (Math. 19:20,22) - The Rich Young Ruler loved money more than Jesus. Are there areas of our lives, we haven't given over to Jesus yet? The young man was sad when he turned his back to Jesus and walked away. When you turn away from Jesus and turn to worldly pleasure, you will be ultimately sad! Jesus is the ultimate true joy giver!

3. A COWARDLY YOUTH (Mk 14:51) - The nameless youth ran without his linen underwear frightened that he would be arrested along with Jesus! Are are afraid of being a witness for Jesus!

4. A YOUTH WHO CARRIED JESUS - The "young" donkey (John 12:14) that carried Jesus to Jerusalem. Jesus is still on the lookout for young donkey to carry him to part of the world where folks haven't heard about him. Would you be that Donkey? Would you carry Jesus into your college, corporate office like a donkey would? Would you carry Jesus to a nation where you can't preach the Gospel openly?

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by Indians who read his writings and hear his messages. Find out more about this ministry by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke)

FOUR 'YOUTH' THAT JESUS MET DURING HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY (FOURTH HE MET ON PALM SUNDAY!)
Duke Jeyaraj

The Scripture says that Jesus met four "youth" during his earthly ministry.

1. A COLD Youth (Lk 7:14) - Young Widow's Son Who was Cold and Dead.
We are dead in sin, Paul writes. A relationship with Jesus will resurrect us! We don't need reform. We need a resurrection! We are saved by grace! Are you COLD in your love for Jesus like the Laodicean church?

2. A HALF-COMMITTED YOUTH (Math. 19:20,22) - The Rich Young Ruler loved money more than Jesus. Are there areas of our lives, we haven't given over to Jesus yet? The young man was sad when he turned his back to Jesus and walked away. When you turn away from Jesus and turn to worldly pleasure, you will be ultimately sad! Jesus is the ultimate true joy giver!

3. A COWARDLY YOUTH (Mk 14:51) - The nameless youth ran without his linen underwear frightened that he would be arrested along with Jesus! Are are afraid of being a witness for Jesus!

4. A YOUTH WHO CARRIED JESUS - The "young" donkey (John 12:14) that carried Jesus to Jerusalem. Jesus is still on the lookout for young donkey to carry him to part of the world where folks haven't heard about him. Would you be that Donkey? Would you carry Jesus into your college, corporate office like a donkey would? Would you carry Jesus to a nation where you can't preach the Gospel openly?

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by Indians who read his writings and hear his messages. Find out more about this ministry by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke)

FOUR 'YOUTH' THAT JESUS MET DURING HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY (FOURTH HE MET ON PALM SUNDAY!)
Duke Jeyaraj

The Scripture says that Jesus met four "youth" during his earthly ministry.

1. A COLD Youth (Lk 7:14) - Young Widow's Son Who was Cold and Dead.
We are dead in sin, Paul writes. A relationship with Jesus will resurrect us! We don't need reform. We need a resurrection! We are saved by grace! Are you COLD in your love for Jesus like the Laodicean church?

2. A HALF-COMMITTED YOUTH (Math. 19:20,22) - The Rich Young Ruler loved money more than Jesus. Are there areas of our lives, we haven't given over to Jesus yet? The young man was sad when he turned his back to Jesus and walked away. When you turn away from Jesus and turn to worldly pleasure, you will be ultimately sad! Jesus is the ultimate true joy giver!

3. A COWARDLY YOUTH (Mk 14:51) - The nameless youth ran without his linen underwear frightened that he would be arrested along with Jesus! Are are afraid of being a witness for Jesus!

4. A YOUTH WHO CARRIED JESUS - The "young" donkey (John 12:14) that carried Jesus to Jerusalem. Jesus is still on the lookout for young donkey to carry him to part of the world where folks haven't heard about him. Would you be that Donkey? Would you carry Jesus into your college, corporate office like a donkey would? Would you carry Jesus to a nation where you can't preach the Gospel openly?

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by Indians who read his writings and hear his messages. Find out more about this ministry by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke)

ANSWERING QUESTIONS OF SKEPTICS AND SEEKERS THE JESUS WAY
A Duke Jeyaraj Passion Week Tuesday Meditation

On the Tuesday of the Passion Week, Jesus answered a series of questions (at least five). From the way he tackled these questions we learn rich lessons on handling questions from skeptics and seekers.

1. Use UNFORGETTABLE IMAGERY & STORY while answering the Question.

Jesus talked about the "moving mountains" while answering the question, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" (Matt. 21:20-22). Jesus told parables (stories with a message) when he was asked questions (see Matt. 21:35-41). In Matt. 22:4-14 Jesus narrated another parable in response to a question during Passion Week Tuesday. When someone asks you, "Is there a God?", respond this way, "Can 1000 monkeys sitting on a typewriter produce a dictionary?"

2. Sometimes you need to ASK A QUESTION in response to a Question.

Jesus retorted with another question when the chief priests and elders asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things?" (Matt. 21:23-22:14). This question concerning their disobedience to John's call for repentance and baptism stumped them! To those who question you about the faith you need to believe in a God, retort, "Do you think that you do not need any faith not to believe in a God?" To those who ask you about, "What happens to those who have never heard of Jesus?" ask this question, "Why, do you want to go as a missionary to them?" before giving a serious answer.

3. Use the question to address IMPORTANT ISSUES which may benefit the questioner.

When answering the question, "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus took the opportunity of teaching this: Since we are made in God's image, we must give our whole lives to Him! (Matt. 22:15-22). In other words, go beyond mere answering of the question into evangelism. If someone asks, "Why is Jesus the only way in a world of many faiths?" we should not only be able to answer that question but also issue an evangelistic call as the Spirit leads us to.

4. Encourage hearers to go back to the BIBLE when answering the question.

The Bible is the ultimate answer to every question. Jesus knew this. So when he was asked, "Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be of the seven (dead brothers married to the same women, one after the other), since all of them were married?" (Matt.22:23-33), he shot back, "Have you not read...."(Matt. 22:31). "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures..." Jesus charged (Mk. 12:24).

5. DIRECTLY answer the question, instead of beating about the bush.

To the question, "Which is the greatest commandment in the the Law?" Jesus gave a direct practical answer ((Matt. 22:34-40). When people ask you, "Is Jesus the only way to heaven?" say, "Yes, He is and he has given us considerable proof for that like his sinless life, fulfillment of prophecy and amazing claims to divinity...."

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those who read his writings and hear his messages. Find out more about this ministry by visiting www.dukev.org or by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

ANSWERING QUESTIONS OF SKEPTICS AND SEEKERS THE JESUS WAY
A Duke Jeyaraj Passion Week Tuesday Meditation

On the Tuesday of the Passion Week, Jesus answered a series of questions (at least five). From the way he tackled these questions we learn rich lessons on handling questions from skeptics and seekers.

1. Use UNFORGETTABLE IMAGERY & STORY while answering the Question.

Jesus talked about the "moving mountains" while answering the question, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" (Matt. 21:20-22). Jesus told parables (stories with a message) when he was asked questions (see Matt. 21:35-41). In Matt. 22:4-14 Jesus narrated another parable in response to a question during Passion Week Tuesday. When someone asks you, "Is there a God?", respond this way, "Can 1000 monkeys sitting on a typewriter produce a dictionary?"

2. Sometimes you need to ASK A QUESTION in response to a Question.

Jesus retorted with another question when the chief priests and elders asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things?" (Matt. 21:23-22:14). This question concerning their disobedience to John's call for repentance and baptism stumped them! To those who question you about the faith you need to believe in a God, retort, "Do you think that you do not need any faith not to believe in a God?" To those who ask you about, "What happens to those who have never heard of Jesus?" ask this question, "Why, do you want to go as a missionary to them?" before giving a serious answer.

3. Use the question to address IMPORTANT ISSUES which may benefit the questioner.

When answering the question, "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus took the opportunity of teaching this: Since we are made in God's image, we must give our whole lives to Him! (Matt. 22:15-22). In other words, go beyond mere answering of the question into evangelism. If someone asks, "Why is Jesus the only way in a world of many faiths?" we should not only be able to answer that question but also issue an evangelistic call as the Spirit leads us to.

4. Encourage hearers to go back to the BIBLE when answering the question.

The Bible is the ultimate answer to every question. Jesus knew this. So when he was asked, "Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be of the seven (dead brothers married to the same women, one after the other), since all of them were married?" (Matt.22:23-33), he shot back, "Have you not read...."(Matt. 22:31). "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures..." Jesus charged (Mk. 12:24).

5. DIRECTLY answer the question, instead of beating about the bush.

To the question, "Which is the greatest commandment in the the Law?" Jesus gave a direct practical answer ((Matt. 22:34-40). When people ask you, "Is Jesus the only way to heaven?" say, "Yes, He is and he has given us considerable proof for that like his sinless life, fulfillment of prophecy and amazing claims to divinity...."

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those who read his writings and hear his messages. Find out more about this ministry by visiting www.dukev.org or by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

ANSWERING QUESTIONS OF SKEPTICS AND SEEKERS THE JESUS WAY
A Duke Jeyaraj Passion Week Tuesday Meditation

On the Tuesday of the Passion Week, Jesus answered a series of questions (at least five). From the way he tackled these questions we learn rich lessons on handling questions from skeptics and seekers.

1. Use UNFORGETTABLE IMAGERY & STORY while answering the Question.

Jesus talked about the "moving mountains" while answering the question, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" (Matt. 21:20-22). Jesus told parables (stories with a message) when he was asked questions (see Matt. 21:35-41). In Matt. 22:4-14 Jesus narrated another parable in response to a question during Passion Week Tuesday. When someone asks you, "Is there a God?", respond this way, "Can 1000 monkeys sitting on a typewriter produce a dictionary?"

2. Sometimes you need to ASK A QUESTION in response to a Question.

Jesus retorted with another question when the chief priests and elders asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things?" (Matt. 21:23-22:14). This question concerning their disobedience to John's call for repentance and baptism stumped them! To those who question you about the faith you need to believe in a God, retort, "Do you think that you do not need any faith not to believe in a God?" To those who ask you about, "What happens to those who have never heard of Jesus?" ask this question, "Why, do you want to go as a missionary to them?" before giving a serious answer.

3. Use the question to address IMPORTANT ISSUES which may benefit the questioner.

When answering the question, "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus took the opportunity of teaching this: Since we are made in God's image, we must give our whole lives to Him! (Matt. 22:15-22). In other words, go beyond mere answering of the question into evangelism. If someone asks, "Why is Jesus the only way in a world of many faiths?" we should not only be able to answer that question but also issue an evangelistic call as the Spirit leads us to.

4. Encourage hearers to go back to the BIBLE when answering the question.

The Bible is the ultimate answer to every question. Jesus knew this. So when he was asked, "Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be of the seven (dead brothers married to the same women, one after the other), since all of them were married?" (Matt.22:23-33), he shot back, "Have you not read...."(Matt. 22:31). "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures..." Jesus charged (Mk. 12:24).

5. DIRECTLY answer the question, instead of beating about the bush.

To the question, "Which is the greatest commandment in the the Law?" Jesus gave a direct practical answer ((Matt. 22:34-40). When people ask you, "Is Jesus the only way to heaven?" say, "Yes, He is and he has given us considerable proof for that like his sinless life, fulfillment of prophecy and amazing claims to divinity...."

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those who read his writings and hear his messages. Find out more about this ministry by visiting www.dukev.org or by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

THE POOR WIDOW JESUS MET ON PASSION WEEK WEDNESDAY: A WINDOW ON WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ON GIVING
A Duke Jeyaraj devotion on an event that took place on the Wednesday of the Passion Week

On the Wednesday of the Passion week, Jesus appreciated the widow who put in two coins into the temple treasury (Mk 12:41-44). This widow serves as a window for me to learn about the discipline of giving from the Bible. From this poor widow story we can learn the following rich lessons on giving:

1) NO ONE IS EXEMPT FROM THE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE OF GIVING - This was a poor widow who gave. She could have thought to herself: "I am a widow. The church is supposed to take care of me. Why should I give?" But she did not do that. She gave.

No one is exempt from giving. Even those in the fulltime ministry must give unto the Lord. The Levites had to give 'a tithe of the tithe', the Bible teaches (Num 18:26). Though, Evan and I, are in the fulltime ministry and live by faith, we give to our local church and the denomination it is associated with. We give to bless the ministries of other servants of God - those not related to us in any way. And we do that, by God's grace, regularly. You may not have a job, but you need to still give to God. You may just have a small salary, but you still need to give towards the Lord's work. You may be sinking because of a loan, but you need to still give to the Lord.

2) WHAT MATTERS IS NOT HOW YOU GIVE, BUT WHAT IS LEFT BEHIND - Your monthly salary may be 100,000. And you may feel greatly elated about giving 1000 to the Lord's Work. But the Lord is more impressed with the person who gives 1000 even when that person only earns 5000 a month. "Give God what is right - not from what is left behind" - someone rightly said. Jesus said this about the widow under observation in this article: "All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on!" (Lk 21:4). What would be Jesus' comment upon our giving disciplines? It is time for some serious introspection.

3) THERE IS NO PROMISE OF A REWARD, ALWAYS, WHEN WE GIVE TO GOD. Jesus, did NOT talk about a reward for this giving widow in this passage. To give to God is such a joy - and we don't need to be coaxed to do that with a promise of a reward. Elsewhere, Jesus said, And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward (Matt. 10:42).

I recall that I gave just Rs.100 for my local church's youth project and immediately God blessed me back with 100 times that amount! But I don't give to multiply my wealth. I give because I am grateful to God. No matter how much I give, it is never more than what I have graciously received from him.

(Duke Jeyaraj, the author of this article, is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by his messages and writings. Find out more by visiting www.dukev.org or liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

THE POOR WIDOW JESUS MET ON PASSION WEEK WEDNESDAY: A WINDOW ON WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ON GIVING
A Duke Jeyaraj devotion on an event that took place on the Wednesday of the Passion Week

On the Wednesday of the Passion week, Jesus appreciated the widow who put in two coins into the temple treasury (Mk 12:41-44). This widow serves as a window for me to learn about the discipline of giving from the Bible. From this poor widow story we can learn the following rich lessons on giving:

1) NO ONE IS EXEMPT FROM THE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE OF GIVING - This was a poor widow who gave. She could have thought to herself: "I am a widow. The church is supposed to take care of me. Why should I give?" But she did not do that. She gave.

No one is exempt from giving. Even those in the fulltime ministry must give unto the Lord. The Levites had to give 'a tithe of the tithe', the Bible teaches (Num 18:26). Though, Evan and I, are in the fulltime ministry and live by faith, we give to our local church and the denomination it is associated with. We give to bless the ministries of other servants of God - those not related to us in any way. And we do that, by God's grace, regularly. You may not have a job, but you need to still give to God. You may just have a small salary, but you still need to give towards the Lord's work. You may be sinking because of a loan, but you need to still give to the Lord.

2) WHAT MATTERS IS NOT HOW YOU GIVE, BUT WHAT IS LEFT BEHIND - Your monthly salary may be 100,000. And you may feel greatly elated about giving 1000 to the Lord's Work. But the Lord is more impressed with the person who gives 1000 even when that person only earns 5000 a month. "Give God what is right - not from what is left behind" - someone rightly said. Jesus said this about the widow under observation in this article: "All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on!" (Lk 21:4). What would be Jesus' comment upon our giving disciplines? It is time for some serious introspection.

3) THERE IS NO PROMISE OF A REWARD, ALWAYS, WHEN WE GIVE TO GOD. Jesus, did NOT talk about a reward for this giving widow in this passage. To give to God is such a joy - and we don't need to be coaxed to do that with a promise of a reward. Elsewhere, Jesus said, And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward (Matt. 10:42).

I recall that I gave just Rs.100 for my local church's youth project and immediately God blessed me back with 100 times that amount! But I don't give to multiply my wealth. I give because I am grateful to God. No matter how much I give, it is never more than what I have graciously received from him.

(Duke Jeyaraj, the author of this article, is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by his messages and writings. Find out more by visiting www.dukev.org or liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

THE POOR WIDOW JESUS MET ON PASSION WEEK WEDNESDAY: A WINDOW ON WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ON GIVING
A Duke Jeyaraj devotion on an event that took place on the Wednesday of the Passion Week

On the Wednesday of the Passion week, Jesus appreciated the widow who put in two coins into the temple treasury (Mk 12:41-44). This widow serves as a window for me to learn about the discipline of giving from the Bible. From this poor widow story we can learn the following rich lessons on giving:

1) NO ONE IS EXEMPT FROM THE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE OF GIVING - This was a poor widow who gave. She could have thought to herself: "I am a widow. The church is supposed to take care of me. Why should I give?" But she did not do that. She gave.

No one is exempt from giving. Even those in the fulltime ministry must give unto the Lord. The Levites had to give 'a tithe of the tithe', the Bible teaches (Num 18:26). Though, Evan and I, are in the fulltime ministry and live by faith, we give to our local church and the denomination it is associated with. We give to bless the ministries of other servants of God - those not related to us in any way. And we do that, by God's grace, regularly. You may not have a job, but you need to still give to God. You may just have a small salary, but you still need to give towards the Lord's work. You may be sinking because of a loan, but you need to still give to the Lord.

2) WHAT MATTERS IS NOT HOW YOU GIVE, BUT WHAT IS LEFT BEHIND - Your monthly salary may be 100,000. And you may feel greatly elated about giving 1000 to the Lord's Work. But the Lord is more impressed with the person who gives 1000 even when that person only earns 5000 a month. "Give God what is right - not from what is left behind" - someone rightly said. Jesus said this about the widow under observation in this article: "All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on!" (Lk 21:4). What would be Jesus' comment upon our giving disciplines? It is time for some serious introspection.

3) THERE IS NO PROMISE OF A REWARD, ALWAYS, WHEN WE GIVE TO GOD. Jesus, did NOT talk about a reward for this giving widow in this passage. To give to God is such a joy - and we don't need to be coaxed to do that with a promise of a reward. Elsewhere, Jesus said, And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward (Matt. 10:42).

I recall that I gave just Rs.100 for my local church's youth project and immediately God blessed me back with 100 times that amount! But I don't give to multiply my wealth. I give because I am grateful to God. No matter how much I give, it is never more than what I have graciously received from him.

(Duke Jeyaraj, the author of this article, is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by his messages and writings. Find out more by visiting www.dukev.org or liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

THE FRIEND CLOSER THAN BROTHER! YOUR BEST BUDDY EVER!
Duke Jeyaraj

JIM CAREY’S HONEST CONFESSION
The popular TV program Friends is a huge hit with yahoo youth. But you know what! Despite the fact that young people's lives revolve around their friends, many of them are lonely. It may be unbelievable but it's true – the loneliness hits even when they are rubbing shoulders in a big crowd! Funny movies superstar Jim Carey once said, "I don't have anyone special in my life and it is a drag!" He was lonely – no question about it! Another popular music group sang, "All alone in this world…" Yes, this generation is longing for a true friend.

HE IS BOTH UNDERSTANDING FRIEND &
THE UNAPPROACHABLE LIGHT-DWELLER!
To a generation to which loneliness is the best friend, it's my joy to introduce a "friend who sticks closer than a brother" (See Prov 18:24). Who? Jesus. He is getting bad press these days. He is portrayed as one who lives in Unapproachable Light. He lives there no doubt. But hardly anyone hammers home the fact that he is an Understanding Friend. We know he is God – 100 %. But how many of us have celebrated the fact that he is human – also 100%. Read the last sentence again: I am not talking about a cerebral understanding but a celebration of the humanity of Jesus! Even the disciples of Jesus got lost in his Divinity. They told themselves after he did a stupendous miracle, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mk 8:27). Notice that they did not stop and wonder when Jesus was sweating after a hard day’s work, "Hey! He is like us, man – he understands our lives’ battles!" There were some that only saw him as an ordinary human. "Isn't he the Carpenters' kid? Don't we know his brothers and sisters!" – they slighted him, made jokes about him. I am clearly not advocating that we look at Jesus in a shallow way like them – never! Nothing could be more further from the truth!

Who is Jesus? Ask Samuel Dickey Gordon. He said, "Jesus is God spelling himself out in a language that man can understand." He got it right – bull’s eye! Can Jesus understand us young people? Yes, there are a pack of reasons.

ACTRESS CALLS HINDU GOD, BOY-FRIEND. HMMM…
This is what a particular website reported on 14 April 2012: Actress Kamna Jethmalani visited the hill shrine Tirumala to seek the blessing of India's richest god - Balaji. The actress went ahead and claimed that he was her boy-friend. "I'm coming to Tirumala since I was a little kid. Balaji is one of my favorite gods. He is actually my boyfriend…" said Kamna.

While I am not sure why Kamna Jethmalini called Balaji her boyfriend. But I do have pact of reasons – reasons that are one-of-a-kind – why Jesus can be called the best ever eternal friend. May I present them to you?

1. BECAUSE HE ENTERED THE WORLD LIKE US!

How on earth did we enter this planet? We all – without exceptions – came out through our mother's womb. No faltering about this fact! That's the way Jesus came into the world too. No – he was not conceived the way we all were conceived. The Holy Spirit made his conception in Mary's womb happen, in spite of the fact she was a virgin (Math 1:18-20). Yet his birth was normal. That's why we read, "When the right time came, God sent his son, born of a woman!" (Gal 4:4). This is just to underline the fact that he didn't drop into this world as an alien swinging down in a parachute. He came into the scene the normal way – through a woman's womb! He did not prefer to land on earth in a space-ship! He stayed put in Mary's womb for a full term – he did not jump out in the third month! There was a stamp of humanness about Jesus' birth except the way he was conceived.

2. BECAUSE HE WAS EDUCATED LIKE US!

Jesus grew up like the rest of us. He grew in all dimensions (Luke 2:52). "Jesus grew up both in height and wisdom!" Luke pens. That surely must imply that He had to learn up the Hebrew alphabets (Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth…) just the way we learnt our A, B, C and D. That's right. Like every Jewish boy he studied the Old Testament. True he was "filled with wisdom beyond his years" (Luke 2:40). But don't forget the fact that he 'grew' up (Luke 2:40).

When we started growing up have we not experienced our t-shirts becoming smaller? Even Jesus must have out-grown his clothes. Let me remind you that Jesus shared in every non-sinful aspect of our humanity (Heb 2:14).

Young friend, that's why I say with gusto that Jesus understands the tension you go through as you tangle with your Calculus test or that Physics paper. He does. He has been through the whole process of studying. So he understands.

3. HIS EXTERNAL APPEARANCE WAS LIKE OURS!

Jesus' 'picture' has made it to the cover pages of the top magazines of the world like Time, Newsweek, etc. In every shot of Jesus they have printed he looks drop-dead handsome with graceful curls with cheeks without a pimple or wrinkle!

Nevertheless there is one description of Jesus' looks that's worth a look: Isaiah 53:2,3. "There was nothing beautiful nor majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care." Don't miss this, Jesus wasn't handsome. Attractive? Nope. Eugene Peterson's contemporary version has it that there was "nothing" about his face that would "cause us to take a second look." Note that pal.

IF HRITHIK ROSHAN WALKED IN A THRONG…
Quiz John the Baptist. Ask him if he would have recognized Jesus without a special revelation. He wouldn't have. There was nothing about Jesus' external appearance that made him stand out in a crowd. If a Hrithik Roshan walked in a throng, he would be gazed at even if he was not movie star, right? But not Jesus Christ. He looked ordinary and plain, it looks like! That is why he could dissolve himself in a swarm when there was a plot hatched to finish him off. That is why some people merely addressed him as "the Carpenter" or "the Carpenter's Son" (Mark 6:3/Math 13:55). He looked like a regular rugged man – that's all.

30 OR THEREABOUT JESUS CALLED 50!
Once Jesus remarked to the Jewish leaders that their father – Abraham – "rejoiced at the thought of seeing" his days (John 8:57). They dropped their jaws in amazement and said, "You are not yet 50 years old and say you have seen Abraham!" (V. 58). Don't miss out on the fact that they thought Jesus was 50 or there about. Strange that they did not say, “You are not yet forty years old and say you have seen Abraham?” One wonders if this was some kind of an unkind dig at his personality or just that it was hard to tell? But do you know what Jesus' actual age at that instance? 30. At best 33. So they mistook the age of a person who was about 30 to be 50! That, certainly, was not a compliment on his looks. That tells me that Jesus, perhaps, looked a lot older than he actually was. He, it looks like, didn't look young and dashing!

The point I am driving home is this: When Jesus walked around this earth no one would have walked up to him and sang this Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR) number (with adaptation) "From my youngest years to this moment now – I have never seen such a lovely king!" He looked very common – not glamorous! You must listen to this one from Philip Yancey: "Our glamourized representations of Jesus say more about us than about him!"

Ever thought about yourself, "I am not handsome"? Ever felt bad that you aren't "that pretty"? Ever got worried that you can’t turn heads when you walk into the college like a Bipasha Basu could? Jesus understands what you go through. He wasn't, perhaps, a good-looker himself!

4. HE HAD EMOTIONS JUST LIKE US!

No – Jesus wasn't cold and clinical. He wasn't a machine. He had real emotions – just like us! When he talked about his death to Philip and Andrew, he conceded that his "heart was troubled!" (Jn 12:27). He did not jump for joy that he was going to die. He felt bad. That's being normal. That's being like us, buddy.

When he geared up to announce, "One of you guys is going to betray me," John (Jesus' closest pal) records that Jesus was in 'great anguish!' (Jn 13:21). He did not feel like bursting out in laughter when he knew that. He felt hurt – just the same way we do when our friends backstab us.

SHORTEST VERSE MAKES A LONG STATEMENT
His eyes were welling up with tears when his close acquaintance Lazarus passed away (John 11:35). The shortest verse in the Bible comes in this context. It says, “Jesus wept.” But it is a long statement about His great love for you. Jesus knows why you are crying. He sees the pain behind your sad eyes. He's been where you've been. Yes.

Jesus understands the pain you go through when you have flunked in your exam. When someone has ditched you. When someone has played football with your heart. When you go around singing along with MLTR, the song of those in one-sided love, "Even if you want to go alone, I will be waiting when you’re coming home. If you need someone to ease the pain, you can lean on me, my love will still remain” – Jesus would nod understandingly. He may not endorse everything you do. But understand – he sure does!

MOUTHS-OPEN DURING A DINNER BREAK IN HSBC!
Indian Cricket fans were absolutely astonished when Yuvraj Singh scored 6 sixes in an over in the T20 World Cup 2007 game versus England. The espncricinfo.com website reported: India had made 171 at the end of the 18th over before Yuvraj exploded in the 19th, bowled by Stuart Broad. Yuvraj dispatched Broad over cow corner, square leg, extra cover, point, midwicket and wide long-on to become the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in Twenty20 internationals. His 50, off only 12 deliveries, was also the fastest in this format. The 61-run Yuvraj-Dhoni partnership - if you could call it that, for Yuvraj scored 58 of those runs - came off only 16 balls and boosted India to 218 off 20 overs. I watch this ‘six sixes in one over’ over on the TV live when I was on a dinner break during the days I worked at HSBC’s Global Resourcing Centre in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Most of the folks who watched that Over in the canteen had their mouths open – not just because they were in the process of eating food but because they were supremely shell-shocked by astounding cricket action they had just seen! Feelings of amazement – young peoples' lives are dotted with them. Time and again. Even Jesus had those kind of feelings – that's correct. When a non-Jew told him to speak a word so that his servant living far away would be healed, the Bible records that he was 'astonished!' (Math 8:10). Shell-shocked – in our language! Jesus' eyes widened – if I put it in modern terms!

FIG TREE FIRED!
Have you ever lost your cool? Jesus understands what you go thorough when you lose your cool for the Bible speaks of times when he was angry and upset! Let me narrate a case-point. He was once looking for edible buds in a fig tree in a certain Passover Season – one March end or early April. It was just the right season for figs in Israel to sprout with edible buds (if not fruits). But that particular fig on which Jesus cast his eyes had no edible buds that implied it would stay barren that year too. But it was leafy – as if to show it was healthy and normal. The tree reminded Jesus of the religious leaders of the Jews with whom he was constantly at loggerheads because of their pretense and show. So he cursed the fig tree (Mk 11:13-21)!

LETTING IT RIP WITH A WHIP!
When he saw the temple in Jerusalem having been turned into a messy marketplace he let it rip with a whip. He turned the place upside down (John 2:15). What Jesus saw was blatant injustice and he could not take it cool. He had to get angry. It has happened to us young guns – has it not? When we see hypocrisy around us we get incensed and infuriated. He can understand why you feel that way.

YUVRAJ & JESUS – WHAT’S COMMON BETWEEN THEM?
Andrew Flintoff provoked Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 T20 World Cup game between England and India. And the furious Yuvraj took out his red-hot anger on the cricket ball in the very next over bowled by Staurt Broad following this spat. Yuvraj, in a seething rage, hit Broad for six sixes in a single over. Yuvraj’s reaction was a typical human reaction. Jesus also reacted the way Yuvraj did, sans the abusive language and sin. Jesus was quite upset with the Jewish folks who were out to accuse him if he did any work on the Sabbath Day (Saturday). So, when Jesus did a miracle deliberately on a Sabbath, he was quite angry (Mark 3:5)! Though Jesus may not appreciate the unwise things we may have done things while fuming in a rage, he understands the human phenomenon of anger. He who has sinned not while having been angry understands those of us who sin while having been angry and is most willing to help us in this regard!

5. HE ENJOYED HUMAN COMPANY LIKE US!

WALKING 90 MILES JUST TO HAVE FUN WITH HUMANS!
A monkey enjoys the company of another monkey. "What a brilliant observation!" you may well chuckle. Hang on. Using the same logic we can say that only a human can truly enjoy another human's company. A monkey can't – I bet! Jesus had a nickname. What? "A friend of sinners." Listen, each one of us are sinners (Rom 3:23). So one can reframe that pet name of Jesus to "A friend of humans." That tells me he loved to hang out with humans. He accepted invitations for Jewish weddings that lasted for weeks together. No, they did not call him because His miraculous powers would be useful. Come on! His first miracle was in that wedding at Cana. His reputation as a miracle worker hadn't been made known yet. So why did they call him? Let Max Lucado tell you. When they were finalizing the list of invitees for the wedding someone must have said, "Let's have Jesus and his gang here. They really light up a party!" Whew! Lucado’s eloquent pen goes on: "The Almighty did not act high and mighty. The Holy One was not holier-than-thou!" Can you believe it – Jesus walked 90 miles to attend a wedding! He scaled 90 miles to have some clean fun with humans!

Just love to hang out and have clean fun with your pals? Same pinch with Jesus!

6. HE HAD ETHEREAL INSTINCTS LIKE US!

“I AM LONELY” CRY FROM THE MOVIE STARS
Urmila Matondkar, once said, "I wish there was someone to talk to when you are alone at night!" Genelia D’ Souza’s lump-in-the-throat causing, famous line in a particular Tamil/Telugu movie is this: “I was surrounded by so many in this home. Yet I’ve never been so lonely!” Suriya Sivakumar in a particular Tamil movie song, sang these lines: Newyork Nagaram Urangum Neram Thanimai Adarnthathu / Paniyum Padarthathu../ Thanimai Thanimayø.. Thanimai Thanimayø../ Kødumai Kødumaiyø.. (‘When the city of New York sleeps, the loneliness of my soul is thickening, even as the mist is spreading and this is a torture!’) That's the cry of our generation. A cry of loneliness, a cry that reaches out to something beyond the skies. That’s the cry of our generation.

Make no mistakes here. Jesus is God – every bit God. But he is also human. So as a human he had ethereal instinct. In other words, Jesus was always reaching out. This instinct in him pushed him to pray. He was praying early in the morning (Mark 1:35). In the evening too, he did the same (Math 14:23). Late in the night he was doing just the same up the hills (Luke 6:12-13). It was his die-hard habit (Luke 5:16).

DRUGS, ALCOHOL, ILLICIT SEX CAN’T PLUG THAT EMPTINESS
You feel like constantly reaching out beyond yourself, to the skies and beyond. Jesus knows that desire deep down in your heart. He too had it. Because of this empty feeling on the inside some young people would reach for drugs or alcohol or illicit sex to fill that emptiness with those things. Jesus doesn't sanction such a course of action. But he knows why we go after these fleeting pleasures. His example that we must find our pleasure and fulfillment in God the Father is before us.

When this ethereal link with his Father was cut on the Cross (for no sin of his own) he made this plaintive cry, "My God! My God why have you forsaken me!" When we flirt with sin and take trips into worldly pleasures we too have felt God's presence leave us, haven't we? Jesus understands that can't-be-explained empty feeling inside us when we live lives in rebellion against our Maker. He sure does. And if we come to Him to have a living, daily relationship, the vacuum inside our hearts will be permanently plugged (John 4:13-14/10:10).

7. HE BECAME EXHAUSTED LIKE US!

Jesus became tired after a long walk. That is why he stopped at the well at Samaria to catch some breath. To get a drink of water (John 4:6). If that story were replayed today chances are that Jesus would have sipped some Sprite to rev up his tired body! Jesus understands it when we guys want to chill ourselves with Coke when the Mercury threatens to hit half-a-century. Oh yes!

NOT READY FOR 100 METERS DASH WITH BOLT
After having fasted for 40 days in the wilderness Jesus wasn't exactly ready for a 100 meters dash with Usain Bolt! Fatigue caught up with him (Math 4:11). After a hectic day of ministry he would sleep like a log. A storm (with water splashing on his face, perhaps), a rocking boat – all of this could not wake him up – he was that tired (Math 8:24)! The disciples had to fall all over him and shake him before he finally woke-up. Jesus understands it perfectly when you want to sleep for a couple of hours longer because you had stayed up nightlong and studied (even if our parents sometimes may not)!

“STURDY-AS-SALMAN” ROMAN SOLDIERS WHIPPED JESUS
When he was whipped brutally by the “sturdy-as-Salman” Roman Soldiers he felt excruciating pain. He wasn't smiling, "Oh what an amazing privilege to die for humans!" He was screaming in agony. In fact he became so tired after the 39 lashes that he needed Simon's help to carry the cross that weighed 50 kgs or there-about. When the Roman Soldiers hammered seven-inch nails into his wrists he wasn't emotionless. He was crying in real agony.

COLLAPSING ON THE BEAN BAG – COOL WITH JESUS
He understands it when we become drained after a hectic work assignment that you want to just relax and catch your breath for sometime. He understands your desire to collapse on your bean bag and catch a few winks of sleep. He’s cool with it. In such an occasion Jesus will certainly not lecture you saying: "Our real rest is only in heaven – so keep on running!" No way! He would not upset us with inconsiderate words like that (like some 'super' spiritual people would)!

8. HE ENCOUNTERED TEMPTATION LIKE US!

JESUS, TEMPTED ALL HIS LIFE!
Jesus was tempted in every area – this is what the Bible plainly tells us (Heb 4:15). There is no getting around this fact. Note that the devil left only for some time – an opportune time – after his desert temptation (Math 4:11). Jesus was tempted all his life. We do not have a record of all his temptations. But we do have a record saying that he was tempted in 'every way'. Peter for instance, suggested that Jesus escape the Cross. The crowds, by wanting him to be king also were trying to seduce him away from the Cross. Even when he was on the cross, Jesus' temptations did not cease. The taunts that were thrown at him – “Come down from the Cross”, “if you are really the son of God” – were deadly temptations. Yet he beat them all.

That means, my chum, we can't say, "No one understands the secret struggles with sin I go through!" Jesus does. And what is more is that he can help us out in that struggle. He is in sympathy with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15). Just above Hebrews 4:15 is this verse: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Vs. 13). Frightening, eh! It was not meant to be. When we study the context, the thrust of this verse is: "God knows every struggle you go through; yea, everything. Why then are you trying to run away from him? Rush to him. Run into his wide open arms. Grace and mercy are waiting for you – his beloved child!" How did I figure it out? Scroll down a bit: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest (Jesus)…Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need"(Vs. 14,16).

NOT LIKE A STIRICT PRINCIPAL
Jesus ain't like a strict School Principal waiting to whack you for the first blunder you commit. Far from it! Max Lucado will tell you best: "Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seeking grace and did not find it. Search the pages. Read the stories. Envision the encounters. Find one person who came seeking a second chance and left with a stern lecture. I dare you, search." He is an understanding friend who has been through what we are going through. Yet he stayed from sinning. So he can lend us his hand – hands that alone can truly help us to say 'no' to sin next time out. We can't obviously ask for more, correct?

9.HIS LIFE ENDED LIKE OURS, ONE DAY, WILL!

Every human's final destination is death. No doubts about it. No questions about it. The Bible tells us that. King David when he knew his death was near he summoned his son Solomon and told him, "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth" (I Kings 2:2). It is mankind's "last enemy" (I Cor 15:26). You know what? Jesus went all the way – even to death – in order to tell us: "Hey! I understand each and everything what you will ever go through!" Jesus shared in our humanity by his death (Heb 2:14).

Can God, who by definition is ever-existing die? Good question. He can if he chooses to. He can if he wants to. That's what Jesus did. He died voluntarily for us (Jn 10:17,18). He died on the Cross. The Roman Soldiers usually broke the legs of the ones crucified so that they would not be able to lift themselves up to breathe. But in Jesus' case they refrained. The reason? They were very sure he had died! He was dead beyond doubt! Jesus did not shy away from death – the event that's the common end for every human.

FOOTBALLER BERGKAMP’S FEAR OF DEATH
Young people – most of them – are scared of death. Dutch footballer Dennis Bergkamp stopped flying in planes because of this nagging fear. A few of his teammates had died in a plane-crash. That was it – a fear of death has gripped him, since then. Young friend, Jesus understands your fear. In fact he lives today to deliver those who lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying (Heb 2:15). Because Jesus died and rose again he can quell every fear we may have in our hearts – including the fear of death. Just no one else can understand us like Jesus can – believe me!

Why did Jesus die? To make us his friends again. He stated, "the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends…" (Jn 15: 13,14).

10. HE WILL BE LIKE US ETERNALLY!

We are not through yet. One fact remains. The fact that He will stay as a human. Forever. After he rose from the death, he still had his human body (though it was a glorified human body). He could eat with that body – just like us (Check out Jn. 21:10 and Lk. 24:49). He went to heaven as a man (Acts 1:11). Today he is speaking to God as an advocate for us as a human (I Tim 2:5). The same human Jesus is gonna return someday (Acts 1:11). The man Christ Jesus will judge all humanity – the Word of God tells us (Acts 17:31). So on that fearsome day we cannot go like, "Jesus you never know what it means to be a human – the struggles we had to go through!" Your judge and mine will be a human. The "You-can-never-understand-my-struggles" excuse will never work on that dreadful day!

WHAT TYSON ONCE SAID
If we denied that Jesus was a human we are anti-Christs! The Bible makes no bones about this (Jude 1:3/I Jn 4:1-2). My young peer do you now understand that He understands you. My bosom friend do you now realize that you and I can never really say what Boxer Mike Tyson once said, "I don't have one friend in my entire life!" You can count on Jesus to be an understanding friend! Even if all others walk out of your life you can count on Jesus to stay.

You may be a traitor to Jesus. Yet he will call you his friend (Think of Judas – Math 26:50). You may have told white lies and found your own way. Yet he calls you his pal (Think of Abraham – Isa 41:8). Young buddy you have to choose today if you are going to give this friend a finger. Tell Him to leave you alone, like some did (Mt 8:34). Or invite him to be your best friend ever – a friend who sticks closer than a brother!

LOVELY YET LONELY NICOLE KIDMAN
Sipping coffee, I glanced at the newspaper. My eyes panned the page. My eyes zeroed in on a small news piece beside the bubbly picture of Nicole Kidman, the Hollywood actress in one corner. The article announced, “Lonely Oscar night!” “Sounds interesting!” I thought. I read what was printed below: Actress Nicole Kidman has revealed that she felt big but lonely after winning an Academy award for her role in The Hours in 2003. The 40-year old said she felt very upset that she did not have anyone to celebrate the moment with. “I felt big. It felt lonely and big. You are in a hotel and you’re like OK, well, I’m sitting in this big suite with an Oscar, and I still don’t have a life. What is wrong with me,” Contactmusic.com quoted her saying. “It hit home that I needed to get a life: who do I jump on the bed with, and celebrate with, and order pancakes with. That was painful, not having that person to share it with,” she said (Page 14, The Hindu Vijayawada Edition, September 10, 2007). As soon as I read that several questions boggled my mind and bothered my heart. Here they are: Why would a lovely lady with loads of cash and lots and lots of fans feel so lonely? Why would a pretty, planet-trotting actress be in such acute distress? Why would this Oscar winner who lived with gay abandon feel so abandoned?
I turned to my Bible – God’s roadmap for the journey called life - for the answer. It told me that we become lonely – utterly lonely - when we sin against God. “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you,” Prophet Isaiah writes in the Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit (Isa 59:2). Yes, our sins drive a heart-cutting wedge between us and our Maker and leave us lonely and empty. Our sins eventually will take us to the loneliest place of them all – eternal, ever-burning hell, a place God has marked out for folks who have decided, stubbornly and finally, never to enjoy his company, the Bible warns (Rev 22:15). But the Good news the Bible announces is this: Jesus, God in human flesh and bone, the only sinless person who lived on this earth, experienced languishing loneliness as a punishment for our sins and we don’t have to be lonely any longer (Isaiah 53:5,6). That is why Jesus voluntarily died a cruel and brutal death for you and I on the Cross. The sins of all people of all time were laid upon him while he hung there for six hours one Friday two thousand years ago. God, the Holy Father of Jesus, cannot wink at sin. So when Jesus his Son became the planet’s sin-bearer while he hung bloodied on the Cross, he turned his face away from him and forsook him. Yes indeed, Jesus was truly lonely at that point. That why he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” hanging on the Cross (Math 27:46). That loneliness experience was so heart-crushing yet he went through it for you – the lonely you! Today, if you will repent from your sins and trust in the Alive-again Jesus you will never again be lonely! Jesus says to you now, “I will not leave you (feeling lonely like) orphans… I will come to you!” (John 14:18). The only God who came in search of you when you were still lost and lonely is Jesus, the Bible reveals (Luke 19:10; Rom 5:8). Would you invite this unique Jesus into your life now to discover eternal life and “a friend closer than a brother” (one of the many sweet names for Jesus found in the Bible)? Would you do it NOW?

Will you join me in singing these lines from a famous hymn:

There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus – No not one, no not one!
Jesus knows all about your struggles.
He will guide till the day is done
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus – No not one, no not one

(This article originally appeared in Duke Jeyaraj's book, Goodnews For The Google Generation: The Greatest Goodnews Wrapped Around Most-Talked-About Contemporary Events. Price - Rs.150/-. Courier charges as per location. Duke is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by hearing/reading/watching Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

THE FRIEND CLOSER THAN BROTHER! YOUR BEST BUDDY EVER!
Duke Jeyaraj

JIM CAREY’S HONEST CONFESSION
The popular TV program Friends is a huge hit with yahoo youth. But you know what! Despite the fact that young people's lives revolve around their friends, many of them are lonely. It may be unbelievable but it's true – the loneliness hits even when they are rubbing shoulders in a big crowd! Funny movies superstar Jim Carey once said, "I don't have anyone special in my life and it is a drag!" He was lonely – no question about it! Another popular music group sang, "All alone in this world…" Yes, this generation is longing for a true friend.

HE IS BOTH UNDERSTANDING FRIEND &
THE UNAPPROACHABLE LIGHT-DWELLER!
To a generation to which loneliness is the best friend, it's my joy to introduce a "friend who sticks closer than a brother" (See Prov 18:24). Who? Jesus. He is getting bad press these days. He is portrayed as one who lives in Unapproachable Light. He lives there no doubt. But hardly anyone hammers home the fact that he is an Understanding Friend. We know he is God – 100 %. But how many of us have celebrated the fact that he is human – also 100%. Read the last sentence again: I am not talking about a cerebral understanding but a celebration of the humanity of Jesus! Even the disciples of Jesus got lost in his Divinity. They told themselves after he did a stupendous miracle, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mk 8:27). Notice that they did not stop and wonder when Jesus was sweating after a hard day’s work, "Hey! He is like us, man – he understands our lives’ battles!" There were some that only saw him as an ordinary human. "Isn't he the Carpenters' kid? Don't we know his brothers and sisters!" – they slighted him, made jokes about him. I am clearly not advocating that we look at Jesus in a shallow way like them – never! Nothing could be more further from the truth!

Who is Jesus? Ask Samuel Dickey Gordon. He said, "Jesus is God spelling himself out in a language that man can understand." He got it right – bull’s eye! Can Jesus understand us young people? Yes, there are a pack of reasons.

ACTRESS CALLS HINDU GOD, BOY-FRIEND. HMMM…
This is what a particular website reported on 14 April 2012: Actress Kamna Jethmalani visited the hill shrine Tirumala to seek the blessing of India's richest god - Balaji. The actress went ahead and claimed that he was her boy-friend. "I'm coming to Tirumala since I was a little kid. Balaji is one of my favorite gods. He is actually my boyfriend…" said Kamna.

While I am not sure why Kamna Jethmalini called Balaji her boyfriend. But I do have pact of reasons – reasons that are one-of-a-kind – why Jesus can be called the best ever eternal friend. May I present them to you?

1. BECAUSE HE ENTERED THE WORLD LIKE US!

How on earth did we enter this planet? We all – without exceptions – came out through our mother's womb. No faltering about this fact! That's the way Jesus came into the world too. No – he was not conceived the way we all were conceived. The Holy Spirit made his conception in Mary's womb happen, in spite of the fact she was a virgin (Math 1:18-20). Yet his birth was normal. That's why we read, "When the right time came, God sent his son, born of a woman!" (Gal 4:4). This is just to underline the fact that he didn't drop into this world as an alien swinging down in a parachute. He came into the scene the normal way – through a woman's womb! He did not prefer to land on earth in a space-ship! He stayed put in Mary's womb for a full term – he did not jump out in the third month! There was a stamp of humanness about Jesus' birth except the way he was conceived.

2. BECAUSE HE WAS EDUCATED LIKE US!

Jesus grew up like the rest of us. He grew in all dimensions (Luke 2:52). "Jesus grew up both in height and wisdom!" Luke pens. That surely must imply that He had to learn up the Hebrew alphabets (Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth…) just the way we learnt our A, B, C and D. That's right. Like every Jewish boy he studied the Old Testament. True he was "filled with wisdom beyond his years" (Luke 2:40). But don't forget the fact that he 'grew' up (Luke 2:40).

When we started growing up have we not experienced our t-shirts becoming smaller? Even Jesus must have out-grown his clothes. Let me remind you that Jesus shared in every non-sinful aspect of our humanity (Heb 2:14).

Young friend, that's why I say with gusto that Jesus understands the tension you go through as you tangle with your Calculus test or that Physics paper. He does. He has been through the whole process of studying. So he understands.

3. HIS EXTERNAL APPEARANCE WAS LIKE OURS!

Jesus' 'picture' has made it to the cover pages of the top magazines of the world like Time, Newsweek, etc. In every shot of Jesus they have printed he looks drop-dead handsome with graceful curls with cheeks without a pimple or wrinkle!

Nevertheless there is one description of Jesus' looks that's worth a look: Isaiah 53:2,3. "There was nothing beautiful nor majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care." Don't miss this, Jesus wasn't handsome. Attractive? Nope. Eugene Peterson's contemporary version has it that there was "nothing" about his face that would "cause us to take a second look." Note that pal.

IF HRITHIK ROSHAN WALKED IN A THRONG…
Quiz John the Baptist. Ask him if he would have recognized Jesus without a special revelation. He wouldn't have. There was nothing about Jesus' external appearance that made him stand out in a crowd. If a Hrithik Roshan walked in a throng, he would be gazed at even if he was not movie star, right? But not Jesus Christ. He looked ordinary and plain, it looks like! That is why he could dissolve himself in a swarm when there was a plot hatched to finish him off. That is why some people merely addressed him as "the Carpenter" or "the Carpenter's Son" (Mark 6:3/Math 13:55). He looked like a regular rugged man – that's all.

30 OR THEREABOUT JESUS CALLED 50!
Once Jesus remarked to the Jewish leaders that their father – Abraham – "rejoiced at the thought of seeing" his days (John 8:57). They dropped their jaws in amazement and said, "You are not yet 50 years old and say you have seen Abraham!" (V. 58). Don't miss out on the fact that they thought Jesus was 50 or there about. Strange that they did not say, “You are not yet forty years old and say you have seen Abraham?” One wonders if this was some kind of an unkind dig at his personality or just that it was hard to tell? But do you know what Jesus' actual age at that instance? 30. At best 33. So they mistook the age of a person who was about 30 to be 50! That, certainly, was not a compliment on his looks. That tells me that Jesus, perhaps, looked a lot older than he actually was. He, it looks like, didn't look young and dashing!

The point I am driving home is this: When Jesus walked around this earth no one would have walked up to him and sang this Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR) number (with adaptation) "From my youngest years to this moment now – I have never seen such a lovely king!" He looked very common – not glamorous! You must listen to this one from Philip Yancey: "Our glamourized representations of Jesus say more about us than about him!"

Ever thought about yourself, "I am not handsome"? Ever felt bad that you aren't "that pretty"? Ever got worried that you can’t turn heads when you walk into the college like a Bipasha Basu could? Jesus understands what you go through. He wasn't, perhaps, a good-looker himself!

4. HE HAD EMOTIONS JUST LIKE US!

No – Jesus wasn't cold and clinical. He wasn't a machine. He had real emotions – just like us! When he talked about his death to Philip and Andrew, he conceded that his "heart was troubled!" (Jn 12:27). He did not jump for joy that he was going to die. He felt bad. That's being normal. That's being like us, buddy.

When he geared up to announce, "One of you guys is going to betray me," John (Jesus' closest pal) records that Jesus was in 'great anguish!' (Jn 13:21). He did not feel like bursting out in laughter when he knew that. He felt hurt – just the same way we do when our friends backstab us.

SHORTEST VERSE MAKES A LONG STATEMENT
His eyes were welling up with tears when his close acquaintance Lazarus passed away (John 11:35). The shortest verse in the Bible comes in this context. It says, “Jesus wept.” But it is a long statement about His great love for you. Jesus knows why you are crying. He sees the pain behind your sad eyes. He's been where you've been. Yes.

Jesus understands the pain you go through when you have flunked in your exam. When someone has ditched you. When someone has played football with your heart. When you go around singing along with MLTR, the song of those in one-sided love, "Even if you want to go alone, I will be waiting when you’re coming home. If you need someone to ease the pain, you can lean on me, my love will still remain” – Jesus would nod understandingly. He may not endorse everything you do. But understand – he sure does!

MOUTHS-OPEN DURING A DINNER BREAK IN HSBC!
Indian Cricket fans were absolutely astonished when Yuvraj Singh scored 6 sixes in an over in the T20 World Cup 2007 game versus England. The espncricinfo.com website reported: India had made 171 at the end of the 18th over before Yuvraj exploded in the 19th, bowled by Stuart Broad. Yuvraj dispatched Broad over cow corner, square leg, extra cover, point, midwicket and wide long-on to become the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in Twenty20 internationals. His 50, off only 12 deliveries, was also the fastest in this format. The 61-run Yuvraj-Dhoni partnership - if you could call it that, for Yuvraj scored 58 of those runs - came off only 16 balls and boosted India to 218 off 20 overs. I watch this ‘six sixes in one over’ over on the TV live when I was on a dinner break during the days I worked at HSBC’s Global Resourcing Centre in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Most of the folks who watched that Over in the canteen had their mouths open – not just because they were in the process of eating food but because they were supremely shell-shocked by astounding cricket action they had just seen! Feelings of amazement – young peoples' lives are dotted with them. Time and again. Even Jesus had those kind of feelings – that's correct. When a non-Jew told him to speak a word so that his servant living far away would be healed, the Bible records that he was 'astonished!' (Math 8:10). Shell-shocked – in our language! Jesus' eyes widened – if I put it in modern terms!

FIG TREE FIRED!
Have you ever lost your cool? Jesus understands what you go thorough when you lose your cool for the Bible speaks of times when he was angry and upset! Let me narrate a case-point. He was once looking for edible buds in a fig tree in a certain Passover Season – one March end or early April. It was just the right season for figs in Israel to sprout with edible buds (if not fruits). But that particular fig on which Jesus cast his eyes had no edible buds that implied it would stay barren that year too. But it was leafy – as if to show it was healthy and normal. The tree reminded Jesus of the religious leaders of the Jews with whom he was constantly at loggerheads because of their pretense and show. So he cursed the fig tree (Mk 11:13-21)!

LETTING IT RIP WITH A WHIP!
When he saw the temple in Jerusalem having been turned into a messy marketplace he let it rip with a whip. He turned the place upside down (John 2:15). What Jesus saw was blatant injustice and he could not take it cool. He had to get angry. It has happened to us young guns – has it not? When we see hypocrisy around us we get incensed and infuriated. He can understand why you feel that way.

YUVRAJ & JESUS – WHAT’S COMMON BETWEEN THEM?
Andrew Flintoff provoked Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 T20 World Cup game between England and India. And the furious Yuvraj took out his red-hot anger on the cricket ball in the very next over bowled by Staurt Broad following this spat. Yuvraj, in a seething rage, hit Broad for six sixes in a single over. Yuvraj’s reaction was a typical human reaction. Jesus also reacted the way Yuvraj did, sans the abusive language and sin. Jesus was quite upset with the Jewish folks who were out to accuse him if he did any work on the Sabbath Day (Saturday). So, when Jesus did a miracle deliberately on a Sabbath, he was quite angry (Mark 3:5)! Though Jesus may not appreciate the unwise things we may have done things while fuming in a rage, he understands the human phenomenon of anger. He who has sinned not while having been angry understands those of us who sin while having been angry and is most willing to help us in this regard!

5. HE ENJOYED HUMAN COMPANY LIKE US!

WALKING 90 MILES JUST TO HAVE FUN WITH HUMANS!
A monkey enjoys the company of another monkey. "What a brilliant observation!" you may well chuckle. Hang on. Using the same logic we can say that only a human can truly enjoy another human's company. A monkey can't – I bet! Jesus had a nickname. What? "A friend of sinners." Listen, each one of us are sinners (Rom 3:23). So one can reframe that pet name of Jesus to "A friend of humans." That tells me he loved to hang out with humans. He accepted invitations for Jewish weddings that lasted for weeks together. No, they did not call him because His miraculous powers would be useful. Come on! His first miracle was in that wedding at Cana. His reputation as a miracle worker hadn't been made known yet. So why did they call him? Let Max Lucado tell you. When they were finalizing the list of invitees for the wedding someone must have said, "Let's have Jesus and his gang here. They really light up a party!" Whew! Lucado’s eloquent pen goes on: "The Almighty did not act high and mighty. The Holy One was not holier-than-thou!" Can you believe it – Jesus walked 90 miles to attend a wedding! He scaled 90 miles to have some clean fun with humans!

Just love to hang out and have clean fun with your pals? Same pinch with Jesus!

6. HE HAD ETHEREAL INSTINCTS LIKE US!

“I AM LONELY” CRY FROM THE MOVIE STARS
Urmila Matondkar, once said, "I wish there was someone to talk to when you are alone at night!" Genelia D’ Souza’s lump-in-the-throat causing, famous line in a particular Tamil/Telugu movie is this: “I was surrounded by so many in this home. Yet I’ve never been so lonely!” Suriya Sivakumar in a particular Tamil movie song, sang these lines: Newyork Nagaram Urangum Neram Thanimai Adarnthathu / Paniyum Padarthathu../ Thanimai Thanimayø.. Thanimai Thanimayø../ Kødumai Kødumaiyø.. (‘When the city of New York sleeps, the loneliness of my soul is thickening, even as the mist is spreading and this is a torture!’) That's the cry of our generation. A cry of loneliness, a cry that reaches out to something beyond the skies. That’s the cry of our generation.

Make no mistakes here. Jesus is God – every bit God. But he is also human. So as a human he had ethereal instinct. In other words, Jesus was always reaching out. This instinct in him pushed him to pray. He was praying early in the morning (Mark 1:35). In the evening too, he did the same (Math 14:23). Late in the night he was doing just the same up the hills (Luke 6:12-13). It was his die-hard habit (Luke 5:16).

DRUGS, ALCOHOL, ILLICIT SEX CAN’T PLUG THAT EMPTINESS
You feel like constantly reaching out beyond yourself, to the skies and beyond. Jesus knows that desire deep down in your heart. He too had it. Because of this empty feeling on the inside some young people would reach for drugs or alcohol or illicit sex to fill that emptiness with those things. Jesus doesn't sanction such a course of action. But he knows why we go after these fleeting pleasures. His example that we must find our pleasure and fulfillment in God the Father is before us.

When this ethereal link with his Father was cut on the Cross (for no sin of his own) he made this plaintive cry, "My God! My God why have you forsaken me!" When we flirt with sin and take trips into worldly pleasures we too have felt God's presence leave us, haven't we? Jesus understands that can't-be-explained empty feeling inside us when we live lives in rebellion against our Maker. He sure does. And if we come to Him to have a living, daily relationship, the vacuum inside our hearts will be permanently plugged (John 4:13-14/10:10).

7. HE BECAME EXHAUSTED LIKE US!

Jesus became tired after a long walk. That is why he stopped at the well at Samaria to catch some breath. To get a drink of water (John 4:6). If that story were replayed today chances are that Jesus would have sipped some Sprite to rev up his tired body! Jesus understands it when we guys want to chill ourselves with Coke when the Mercury threatens to hit half-a-century. Oh yes!

NOT READY FOR 100 METERS DASH WITH BOLT
After having fasted for 40 days in the wilderness Jesus wasn't exactly ready for a 100 meters dash with Usain Bolt! Fatigue caught up with him (Math 4:11). After a hectic day of ministry he would sleep like a log. A storm (with water splashing on his face, perhaps), a rocking boat – all of this could not wake him up – he was that tired (Math 8:24)! The disciples had to fall all over him and shake him before he finally woke-up. Jesus understands it perfectly when you want to sleep for a couple of hours longer because you had stayed up nightlong and studied (even if our parents sometimes may not)!

“STURDY-AS-SALMAN” ROMAN SOLDIERS WHIPPED JESUS
When he was whipped brutally by the “sturdy-as-Salman” Roman Soldiers he felt excruciating pain. He wasn't smiling, "Oh what an amazing privilege to die for humans!" He was screaming in agony. In fact he became so tired after the 39 lashes that he needed Simon's help to carry the cross that weighed 50 kgs or there-about. When the Roman Soldiers hammered seven-inch nails into his wrists he wasn't emotionless. He was crying in real agony.

COLLAPSING ON THE BEAN BAG – COOL WITH JESUS
He understands it when we become drained after a hectic work assignment that you want to just relax and catch your breath for sometime. He understands your desire to collapse on your bean bag and catch a few winks of sleep. He’s cool with it. In such an occasion Jesus will certainly not lecture you saying: "Our real rest is only in heaven – so keep on running!" No way! He would not upset us with inconsiderate words like that (like some 'super' spiritual people would)!

8. HE ENCOUNTERED TEMPTATION LIKE US!

JESUS, TEMPTED ALL HIS LIFE!
Jesus was tempted in every area – this is what the Bible plainly tells us (Heb 4:15). There is no getting around this fact. Note that the devil left only for some time – an opportune time – after his desert temptation (Math 4:11). Jesus was tempted all his life. We do not have a record of all his temptations. But we do have a record saying that he was tempted in 'every way'. Peter for instance, suggested that Jesus escape the Cross. The crowds, by wanting him to be king also were trying to seduce him away from the Cross. Even when he was on the cross, Jesus' temptations did not cease. The taunts that were thrown at him – “Come down from the Cross”, “if you are really the son of God” – were deadly temptations. Yet he beat them all.

That means, my chum, we can't say, "No one understands the secret struggles with sin I go through!" Jesus does. And what is more is that he can help us out in that struggle. He is in sympathy with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15). Just above Hebrews 4:15 is this verse: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Vs. 13). Frightening, eh! It was not meant to be. When we study the context, the thrust of this verse is: "God knows every struggle you go through; yea, everything. Why then are you trying to run away from him? Rush to him. Run into his wide open arms. Grace and mercy are waiting for you – his beloved child!" How did I figure it out? Scroll down a bit: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest (Jesus)…Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need"(Vs. 14,16).

NOT LIKE A STIRICT PRINCIPAL
Jesus ain't like a strict School Principal waiting to whack you for the first blunder you commit. Far from it! Max Lucado will tell you best: "Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seeking grace and did not find it. Search the pages. Read the stories. Envision the encounters. Find one person who came seeking a second chance and left with a stern lecture. I dare you, search." He is an understanding friend who has been through what we are going through. Yet he stayed from sinning. So he can lend us his hand – hands that alone can truly help us to say 'no' to sin next time out. We can't obviously ask for more, correct?

9.HIS LIFE ENDED LIKE OURS, ONE DAY, WILL!

Every human's final destination is death. No doubts about it. No questions about it. The Bible tells us that. King David when he knew his death was near he summoned his son Solomon and told him, "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth" (I Kings 2:2). It is mankind's "last enemy" (I Cor 15:26). You know what? Jesus went all the way – even to death – in order to tell us: "Hey! I understand each and everything what you will ever go through!" Jesus shared in our humanity by his death (Heb 2:14).

Can God, who by definition is ever-existing die? Good question. He can if he chooses to. He can if he wants to. That's what Jesus did. He died voluntarily for us (Jn 10:17,18). He died on the Cross. The Roman Soldiers usually broke the legs of the ones crucified so that they would not be able to lift themselves up to breathe. But in Jesus' case they refrained. The reason? They were very sure he had died! He was dead beyond doubt! Jesus did not shy away from death – the event that's the common end for every human.

FOOTBALLER BERGKAMP’S FEAR OF DEATH
Young people – most of them – are scared of death. Dutch footballer Dennis Bergkamp stopped flying in planes because of this nagging fear. A few of his teammates had died in a plane-crash. That was it – a fear of death has gripped him, since then. Young friend, Jesus understands your fear. In fact he lives today to deliver those who lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying (Heb 2:15). Because Jesus died and rose again he can quell every fear we may have in our hearts – including the fear of death. Just no one else can understand us like Jesus can – believe me!

Why did Jesus die? To make us his friends again. He stated, "the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends…" (Jn 15: 13,14).

10. HE WILL BE LIKE US ETERNALLY!

We are not through yet. One fact remains. The fact that He will stay as a human. Forever. After he rose from the death, he still had his human body (though it was a glorified human body). He could eat with that body – just like us (Check out Jn. 21:10 and Lk. 24:49). He went to heaven as a man (Acts 1:11). Today he is speaking to God as an advocate for us as a human (I Tim 2:5). The same human Jesus is gonna return someday (Acts 1:11). The man Christ Jesus will judge all humanity – the Word of God tells us (Acts 17:31). So on that fearsome day we cannot go like, "Jesus you never know what it means to be a human – the struggles we had to go through!" Your judge and mine will be a human. The "You-can-never-understand-my-struggles" excuse will never work on that dreadful day!

WHAT TYSON ONCE SAID
If we denied that Jesus was a human we are anti-Christs! The Bible makes no bones about this (Jude 1:3/I Jn 4:1-2). My young peer do you now understand that He understands you. My bosom friend do you now realize that you and I can never really say what Boxer Mike Tyson once said, "I don't have one friend in my entire life!" You can count on Jesus to be an understanding friend! Even if all others walk out of your life you can count on Jesus to stay.

You may be a traitor to Jesus. Yet he will call you his friend (Think of Judas – Math 26:50). You may have told white lies and found your own way. Yet he calls you his pal (Think of Abraham – Isa 41:8). Young buddy you have to choose today if you are going to give this friend a finger. Tell Him to leave you alone, like some did (Mt 8:34). Or invite him to be your best friend ever – a friend who sticks closer than a brother!

LOVELY YET LONELY NICOLE KIDMAN
Sipping coffee, I glanced at the newspaper. My eyes panned the page. My eyes zeroed in on a small news piece beside the bubbly picture of Nicole Kidman, the Hollywood actress in one corner. The article announced, “Lonely Oscar night!” “Sounds interesting!” I thought. I read what was printed below: Actress Nicole Kidman has revealed that she felt big but lonely after winning an Academy award for her role in The Hours in 2003. The 40-year old said she felt very upset that she did not have anyone to celebrate the moment with. “I felt big. It felt lonely and big. You are in a hotel and you’re like OK, well, I’m sitting in this big suite with an Oscar, and I still don’t have a life. What is wrong with me,” Contactmusic.com quoted her saying. “It hit home that I needed to get a life: who do I jump on the bed with, and celebrate with, and order pancakes with. That was painful, not having that person to share it with,” she said (Page 14, The Hindu Vijayawada Edition, September 10, 2007). As soon as I read that several questions boggled my mind and bothered my heart. Here they are: Why would a lovely lady with loads of cash and lots and lots of fans feel so lonely? Why would a pretty, planet-trotting actress be in such acute distress? Why would this Oscar winner who lived with gay abandon feel so abandoned?
I turned to my Bible – God’s roadmap for the journey called life - for the answer. It told me that we become lonely – utterly lonely - when we sin against God. “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you,” Prophet Isaiah writes in the Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit (Isa 59:2). Yes, our sins drive a heart-cutting wedge between us and our Maker and leave us lonely and empty. Our sins eventually will take us to the loneliest place of them all – eternal, ever-burning hell, a place God has marked out for folks who have decided, stubbornly and finally, never to enjoy his company, the Bible warns (Rev 22:15). But the Good news the Bible announces is this: Jesus, God in human flesh and bone, the only sinless person who lived on this earth, experienced languishing loneliness as a punishment for our sins and we don’t have to be lonely any longer (Isaiah 53:5,6). That is why Jesus voluntarily died a cruel and brutal death for you and I on the Cross. The sins of all people of all time were laid upon him while he hung there for six hours one Friday two thousand years ago. God, the Holy Father of Jesus, cannot wink at sin. So when Jesus his Son became the planet’s sin-bearer while he hung bloodied on the Cross, he turned his face away from him and forsook him. Yes indeed, Jesus was truly lonely at that point. That why he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” hanging on the Cross (Math 27:46). That loneliness experience was so heart-crushing yet he went through it for you – the lonely you! Today, if you will repent from your sins and trust in the Alive-again Jesus you will never again be lonely! Jesus says to you now, “I will not leave you (feeling lonely like) orphans… I will come to you!” (John 14:18). The only God who came in search of you when you were still lost and lonely is Jesus, the Bible reveals (Luke 19:10; Rom 5:8). Would you invite this unique Jesus into your life now to discover eternal life and “a friend closer than a brother” (one of the many sweet names for Jesus found in the Bible)? Would you do it NOW?

Will you join me in singing these lines from a famous hymn:

There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus – No not one, no not one!
Jesus knows all about your struggles.
He will guide till the day is done
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus – No not one, no not one

(This article originally appeared in Duke Jeyaraj's book, Goodnews For The Google Generation: The Greatest Goodnews Wrapped Around Most-Talked-About Contemporary Events. Price - Rs.150/-. Courier charges as per location. Duke is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by hearing/reading/watching Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

THE FRIEND CLOSER THAN BROTHER! YOUR BEST BUDDY EVER!
Duke Jeyaraj

JIM CAREY’S HONEST CONFESSION
The popular TV program Friends is a huge hit with yahoo youth. But you know what! Despite the fact that young people's lives revolve around their friends, many of them are lonely. It may be unbelievable but it's true – the loneliness hits even when they are rubbing shoulders in a big crowd! Funny movies superstar Jim Carey once said, "I don't have anyone special in my life and it is a drag!" He was lonely – no question about it! Another popular music group sang, "All alone in this world…" Yes, this generation is longing for a true friend.

HE IS BOTH UNDERSTANDING FRIEND &
THE UNAPPROACHABLE LIGHT-DWELLER!
To a generation to which loneliness is the best friend, it's my joy to introduce a "friend who sticks closer than a brother" (See Prov 18:24). Who? Jesus. He is getting bad press these days. He is portrayed as one who lives in Unapproachable Light. He lives there no doubt. But hardly anyone hammers home the fact that he is an Understanding Friend. We know he is God – 100 %. But how many of us have celebrated the fact that he is human – also 100%. Read the last sentence again: I am not talking about a cerebral understanding but a celebration of the humanity of Jesus! Even the disciples of Jesus got lost in his Divinity. They told themselves after he did a stupendous miracle, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mk 8:27). Notice that they did not stop and wonder when Jesus was sweating after a hard day’s work, "Hey! He is like us, man – he understands our lives’ battles!" There were some that only saw him as an ordinary human. "Isn't he the Carpenters' kid? Don't we know his brothers and sisters!" – they slighted him, made jokes about him. I am clearly not advocating that we look at Jesus in a shallow way like them – never! Nothing could be more further from the truth!

Who is Jesus? Ask Samuel Dickey Gordon. He said, "Jesus is God spelling himself out in a language that man can understand." He got it right – bull’s eye! Can Jesus understand us young people? Yes, there are a pack of reasons.

ACTRESS CALLS HINDU GOD, BOY-FRIEND. HMMM…
This is what a particular website reported on 14 April 2012: Actress Kamna Jethmalani visited the hill shrine Tirumala to seek the blessing of India's richest god - Balaji. The actress went ahead and claimed that he was her boy-friend. "I'm coming to Tirumala since I was a little kid. Balaji is one of my favorite gods. He is actually my boyfriend…" said Kamna.

While I am not sure why Kamna Jethmalini called Balaji her boyfriend. But I do have pact of reasons – reasons that are one-of-a-kind – why Jesus can be called the best ever eternal friend. May I present them to you?

1. BECAUSE HE ENTERED THE WORLD LIKE US!

How on earth did we enter this planet? We all – without exceptions – came out through our mother's womb. No faltering about this fact! That's the way Jesus came into the world too. No – he was not conceived the way we all were conceived. The Holy Spirit made his conception in Mary's womb happen, in spite of the fact she was a virgin (Math 1:18-20). Yet his birth was normal. That's why we read, "When the right time came, God sent his son, born of a woman!" (Gal 4:4). This is just to underline the fact that he didn't drop into this world as an alien swinging down in a parachute. He came into the scene the normal way – through a woman's womb! He did not prefer to land on earth in a space-ship! He stayed put in Mary's womb for a full term – he did not jump out in the third month! There was a stamp of humanness about Jesus' birth except the way he was conceived.

2. BECAUSE HE WAS EDUCATED LIKE US!

Jesus grew up like the rest of us. He grew in all dimensions (Luke 2:52). "Jesus grew up both in height and wisdom!" Luke pens. That surely must imply that He had to learn up the Hebrew alphabets (Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth…) just the way we learnt our A, B, C and D. That's right. Like every Jewish boy he studied the Old Testament. True he was "filled with wisdom beyond his years" (Luke 2:40). But don't forget the fact that he 'grew' up (Luke 2:40).

When we started growing up have we not experienced our t-shirts becoming smaller? Even Jesus must have out-grown his clothes. Let me remind you that Jesus shared in every non-sinful aspect of our humanity (Heb 2:14).

Young friend, that's why I say with gusto that Jesus understands the tension you go through as you tangle with your Calculus test or that Physics paper. He does. He has been through the whole process of studying. So he understands.

3. HIS EXTERNAL APPEARANCE WAS LIKE OURS!

Jesus' 'picture' has made it to the cover pages of the top magazines of the world like Time, Newsweek, etc. In every shot of Jesus they have printed he looks drop-dead handsome with graceful curls with cheeks without a pimple or wrinkle!

Nevertheless there is one description of Jesus' looks that's worth a look: Isaiah 53:2,3. "There was nothing beautiful nor majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care." Don't miss this, Jesus wasn't handsome. Attractive? Nope. Eugene Peterson's contemporary version has it that there was "nothing" about his face that would "cause us to take a second look." Note that pal.

IF HRITHIK ROSHAN WALKED IN A THRONG…
Quiz John the Baptist. Ask him if he would have recognized Jesus without a special revelation. He wouldn't have. There was nothing about Jesus' external appearance that made him stand out in a crowd. If a Hrithik Roshan walked in a throng, he would be gazed at even if he was not movie star, right? But not Jesus Christ. He looked ordinary and plain, it looks like! That is why he could dissolve himself in a swarm when there was a plot hatched to finish him off. That is why some people merely addressed him as "the Carpenter" or "the Carpenter's Son" (Mark 6:3/Math 13:55). He looked like a regular rugged man – that's all.

30 OR THEREABOUT JESUS CALLED 50!
Once Jesus remarked to the Jewish leaders that their father – Abraham – "rejoiced at the thought of seeing" his days (John 8:57). They dropped their jaws in amazement and said, "You are not yet 50 years old and say you have seen Abraham!" (V. 58). Don't miss out on the fact that they thought Jesus was 50 or there about. Strange that they did not say, “You are not yet forty years old and say you have seen Abraham?” One wonders if this was some kind of an unkind dig at his personality or just that it was hard to tell? But do you know what Jesus' actual age at that instance? 30. At best 33. So they mistook the age of a person who was about 30 to be 50! That, certainly, was not a compliment on his looks. That tells me that Jesus, perhaps, looked a lot older than he actually was. He, it looks like, didn't look young and dashing!

The point I am driving home is this: When Jesus walked around this earth no one would have walked up to him and sang this Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR) number (with adaptation) "From my youngest years to this moment now – I have never seen such a lovely king!" He looked very common – not glamorous! You must listen to this one from Philip Yancey: "Our glamourized representations of Jesus say more about us than about him!"

Ever thought about yourself, "I am not handsome"? Ever felt bad that you aren't "that pretty"? Ever got worried that you can’t turn heads when you walk into the college like a Bipasha Basu could? Jesus understands what you go through. He wasn't, perhaps, a good-looker himself!

4. HE HAD EMOTIONS JUST LIKE US!

No – Jesus wasn't cold and clinical. He wasn't a machine. He had real emotions – just like us! When he talked about his death to Philip and Andrew, he conceded that his "heart was troubled!" (Jn 12:27). He did not jump for joy that he was going to die. He felt bad. That's being normal. That's being like us, buddy.

When he geared up to announce, "One of you guys is going to betray me," John (Jesus' closest pal) records that Jesus was in 'great anguish!' (Jn 13:21). He did not feel like bursting out in laughter when he knew that. He felt hurt – just the same way we do when our friends backstab us.

SHORTEST VERSE MAKES A LONG STATEMENT
His eyes were welling up with tears when his close acquaintance Lazarus passed away (John 11:35). The shortest verse in the Bible comes in this context. It says, “Jesus wept.” But it is a long statement about His great love for you. Jesus knows why you are crying. He sees the pain behind your sad eyes. He's been where you've been. Yes.

Jesus understands the pain you go through when you have flunked in your exam. When someone has ditched you. When someone has played football with your heart. When you go around singing along with MLTR, the song of those in one-sided love, "Even if you want to go alone, I will be waiting when you’re coming home. If you need someone to ease the pain, you can lean on me, my love will still remain” – Jesus would nod understandingly. He may not endorse everything you do. But understand – he sure does!

MOUTHS-OPEN DURING A DINNER BREAK IN HSBC!
Indian Cricket fans were absolutely astonished when Yuvraj Singh scored 6 sixes in an over in the T20 World Cup 2007 game versus England. The espncricinfo.com website reported: India had made 171 at the end of the 18th over before Yuvraj exploded in the 19th, bowled by Stuart Broad. Yuvraj dispatched Broad over cow corner, square leg, extra cover, point, midwicket and wide long-on to become the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in Twenty20 internationals. His 50, off only 12 deliveries, was also the fastest in this format. The 61-run Yuvraj-Dhoni partnership - if you could call it that, for Yuvraj scored 58 of those runs - came off only 16 balls and boosted India to 218 off 20 overs. I watch this ‘six sixes in one over’ over on the TV live when I was on a dinner break during the days I worked at HSBC’s Global Resourcing Centre in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Most of the folks who watched that Over in the canteen had their mouths open – not just because they were in the process of eating food but because they were supremely shell-shocked by astounding cricket action they had just seen! Feelings of amazement – young peoples' lives are dotted with them. Time and again. Even Jesus had those kind of feelings – that's correct. When a non-Jew told him to speak a word so that his servant living far away would be healed, the Bible records that he was 'astonished!' (Math 8:10). Shell-shocked – in our language! Jesus' eyes widened – if I put it in modern terms!

FIG TREE FIRED!
Have you ever lost your cool? Jesus understands what you go thorough when you lose your cool for the Bible speaks of times when he was angry and upset! Let me narrate a case-point. He was once looking for edible buds in a fig tree in a certain Passover Season – one March end or early April. It was just the right season for figs in Israel to sprout with edible buds (if not fruits). But that particular fig on which Jesus cast his eyes had no edible buds that implied it would stay barren that year too. But it was leafy – as if to show it was healthy and normal. The tree reminded Jesus of the religious leaders of the Jews with whom he was constantly at loggerheads because of their pretense and show. So he cursed the fig tree (Mk 11:13-21)!

LETTING IT RIP WITH A WHIP!
When he saw the temple in Jerusalem having been turned into a messy marketplace he let it rip with a whip. He turned the place upside down (John 2:15). What Jesus saw was blatant injustice and he could not take it cool. He had to get angry. It has happened to us young guns – has it not? When we see hypocrisy around us we get incensed and infuriated. He can understand why you feel that way.

YUVRAJ & JESUS – WHAT’S COMMON BETWEEN THEM?
Andrew Flintoff provoked Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 T20 World Cup game between England and India. And the furious Yuvraj took out his red-hot anger on the cricket ball in the very next over bowled by Staurt Broad following this spat. Yuvraj, in a seething rage, hit Broad for six sixes in a single over. Yuvraj’s reaction was a typical human reaction. Jesus also reacted the way Yuvraj did, sans the abusive language and sin. Jesus was quite upset with the Jewish folks who were out to accuse him if he did any work on the Sabbath Day (Saturday). So, when Jesus did a miracle deliberately on a Sabbath, he was quite angry (Mark 3:5)! Though Jesus may not appreciate the unwise things we may have done things while fuming in a rage, he understands the human phenomenon of anger. He who has sinned not while having been angry understands those of us who sin while having been angry and is most willing to help us in this regard!

5. HE ENJOYED HUMAN COMPANY LIKE US!

WALKING 90 MILES JUST TO HAVE FUN WITH HUMANS!
A monkey enjoys the company of another monkey. "What a brilliant observation!" you may well chuckle. Hang on. Using the same logic we can say that only a human can truly enjoy another human's company. A monkey can't – I bet! Jesus had a nickname. What? "A friend of sinners." Listen, each one of us are sinners (Rom 3:23). So one can reframe that pet name of Jesus to "A friend of humans." That tells me he loved to hang out with humans. He accepted invitations for Jewish weddings that lasted for weeks together. No, they did not call him because His miraculous powers would be useful. Come on! His first miracle was in that wedding at Cana. His reputation as a miracle worker hadn't been made known yet. So why did they call him? Let Max Lucado tell you. When they were finalizing the list of invitees for the wedding someone must have said, "Let's have Jesus and his gang here. They really light up a party!" Whew! Lucado’s eloquent pen goes on: "The Almighty did not act high and mighty. The Holy One was not holier-than-thou!" Can you believe it – Jesus walked 90 miles to attend a wedding! He scaled 90 miles to have some clean fun with humans!

Just love to hang out and have clean fun with your pals? Same pinch with Jesus!

6. HE HAD ETHEREAL INSTINCTS LIKE US!

“I AM LONELY” CRY FROM THE MOVIE STARS
Urmila Matondkar, once said, "I wish there was someone to talk to when you are alone at night!" Genelia D’ Souza’s lump-in-the-throat causing, famous line in a particular Tamil/Telugu movie is this: “I was surrounded by so many in this home. Yet I’ve never been so lonely!” Suriya Sivakumar in a particular Tamil movie song, sang these lines: Newyork Nagaram Urangum Neram Thanimai Adarnthathu / Paniyum Padarthathu../ Thanimai Thanimayø.. Thanimai Thanimayø../ Kødumai Kødumaiyø.. (‘When the city of New York sleeps, the loneliness of my soul is thickening, even as the mist is spreading and this is a torture!’) That's the cry of our generation. A cry of loneliness, a cry that reaches out to something beyond the skies. That’s the cry of our generation.

Make no mistakes here. Jesus is God – every bit God. But he is also human. So as a human he had ethereal instinct. In other words, Jesus was always reaching out. This instinct in him pushed him to pray. He was praying early in the morning (Mark 1:35). In the evening too, he did the same (Math 14:23). Late in the night he was doing just the same up the hills (Luke 6:12-13). It was his die-hard habit (Luke 5:16).

DRUGS, ALCOHOL, ILLICIT SEX CAN’T PLUG THAT EMPTINESS
You feel like constantly reaching out beyond yourself, to the skies and beyond. Jesus knows that desire deep down in your heart. He too had it. Because of this empty feeling on the inside some young people would reach for drugs or alcohol or illicit sex to fill that emptiness with those things. Jesus doesn't sanction such a course of action. But he knows why we go after these fleeting pleasures. His example that we must find our pleasure and fulfillment in God the Father is before us.

When this ethereal link with his Father was cut on the Cross (for no sin of his own) he made this plaintive cry, "My God! My God why have you forsaken me!" When we flirt with sin and take trips into worldly pleasures we too have felt God's presence leave us, haven't we? Jesus understands that can't-be-explained empty feeling inside us when we live lives in rebellion against our Maker. He sure does. And if we come to Him to have a living, daily relationship, the vacuum inside our hearts will be permanently plugged (John 4:13-14/10:10).

7. HE BECAME EXHAUSTED LIKE US!

Jesus became tired after a long walk. That is why he stopped at the well at Samaria to catch some breath. To get a drink of water (John 4:6). If that story were replayed today chances are that Jesus would have sipped some Sprite to rev up his tired body! Jesus understands it when we guys want to chill ourselves with Coke when the Mercury threatens to hit half-a-century. Oh yes!

NOT READY FOR 100 METERS DASH WITH BOLT
After having fasted for 40 days in the wilderness Jesus wasn't exactly ready for a 100 meters dash with Usain Bolt! Fatigue caught up with him (Math 4:11). After a hectic day of ministry he would sleep like a log. A storm (with water splashing on his face, perhaps), a rocking boat – all of this could not wake him up – he was that tired (Math 8:24)! The disciples had to fall all over him and shake him before he finally woke-up. Jesus understands it perfectly when you want to sleep for a couple of hours longer because you had stayed up nightlong and studied (even if our parents sometimes may not)!

“STURDY-AS-SALMAN” ROMAN SOLDIERS WHIPPED JESUS
When he was whipped brutally by the “sturdy-as-Salman” Roman Soldiers he felt excruciating pain. He wasn't smiling, "Oh what an amazing privilege to die for humans!" He was screaming in agony. In fact he became so tired after the 39 lashes that he needed Simon's help to carry the cross that weighed 50 kgs or there-about. When the Roman Soldiers hammered seven-inch nails into his wrists he wasn't emotionless. He was crying in real agony.

COLLAPSING ON THE BEAN BAG – COOL WITH JESUS
He understands it when we become drained after a hectic work assignment that you want to just relax and catch your breath for sometime. He understands your desire to collapse on your bean bag and catch a few winks of sleep. He’s cool with it. In such an occasion Jesus will certainly not lecture you saying: "Our real rest is only in heaven – so keep on running!" No way! He would not upset us with inconsiderate words like that (like some 'super' spiritual people would)!

8. HE ENCOUNTERED TEMPTATION LIKE US!

JESUS, TEMPTED ALL HIS LIFE!
Jesus was tempted in every area – this is what the Bible plainly tells us (Heb 4:15). There is no getting around this fact. Note that the devil left only for some time – an opportune time – after his desert temptation (Math 4:11). Jesus was tempted all his life. We do not have a record of all his temptations. But we do have a record saying that he was tempted in 'every way'. Peter for instance, suggested that Jesus escape the Cross. The crowds, by wanting him to be king also were trying to seduce him away from the Cross. Even when he was on the cross, Jesus' temptations did not cease. The taunts that were thrown at him – “Come down from the Cross”, “if you are really the son of God” – were deadly temptations. Yet he beat them all.

That means, my chum, we can't say, "No one understands the secret struggles with sin I go through!" Jesus does. And what is more is that he can help us out in that struggle. He is in sympathy with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15). Just above Hebrews 4:15 is this verse: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Vs. 13). Frightening, eh! It was not meant to be. When we study the context, the thrust of this verse is: "God knows every struggle you go through; yea, everything. Why then are you trying to run away from him? Rush to him. Run into his wide open arms. Grace and mercy are waiting for you – his beloved child!" How did I figure it out? Scroll down a bit: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest (Jesus)…Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need"(Vs. 14,16).

NOT LIKE A STIRICT PRINCIPAL
Jesus ain't like a strict School Principal waiting to whack you for the first blunder you commit. Far from it! Max Lucado will tell you best: "Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seeking grace and did not find it. Search the pages. Read the stories. Envision the encounters. Find one person who came seeking a second chance and left with a stern lecture. I dare you, search." He is an understanding friend who has been through what we are going through. Yet he stayed from sinning. So he can lend us his hand – hands that alone can truly help us to say 'no' to sin next time out. We can't obviously ask for more, correct?

9.HIS LIFE ENDED LIKE OURS, ONE DAY, WILL!

Every human's final destination is death. No doubts about it. No questions about it. The Bible tells us that. King David when he knew his death was near he summoned his son Solomon and told him, "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth" (I Kings 2:2). It is mankind's "last enemy" (I Cor 15:26). You know what? Jesus went all the way – even to death – in order to tell us: "Hey! I understand each and everything what you will ever go through!" Jesus shared in our humanity by his death (Heb 2:14).

Can God, who by definition is ever-existing die? Good question. He can if he chooses to. He can if he wants to. That's what Jesus did. He died voluntarily for us (Jn 10:17,18). He died on the Cross. The Roman Soldiers usually broke the legs of the ones crucified so that they would not be able to lift themselves up to breathe. But in Jesus' case they refrained. The reason? They were very sure he had died! He was dead beyond doubt! Jesus did not shy away from death – the event that's the common end for every human.

FOOTBALLER BERGKAMP’S FEAR OF DEATH
Young people – most of them – are scared of death. Dutch footballer Dennis Bergkamp stopped flying in planes because of this nagging fear. A few of his teammates had died in a plane-crash. That was it – a fear of death has gripped him, since then. Young friend, Jesus understands your fear. In fact he lives today to deliver those who lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying (Heb 2:15). Because Jesus died and rose again he can quell every fear we may have in our hearts – including the fear of death. Just no one else can understand us like Jesus can – believe me!

Why did Jesus die? To make us his friends again. He stated, "the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends…" (Jn 15: 13,14).

10. HE WILL BE LIKE US ETERNALLY!

We are not through yet. One fact remains. The fact that He will stay as a human. Forever. After he rose from the death, he still had his human body (though it was a glorified human body). He could eat with that body – just like us (Check out Jn. 21:10 and Lk. 24:49). He went to heaven as a man (Acts 1:11). Today he is speaking to God as an advocate for us as a human (I Tim 2:5). The same human Jesus is gonna return someday (Acts 1:11). The man Christ Jesus will judge all humanity – the Word of God tells us (Acts 17:31). So on that fearsome day we cannot go like, "Jesus you never know what it means to be a human – the struggles we had to go through!" Your judge and mine will be a human. The "You-can-never-understand-my-struggles" excuse will never work on that dreadful day!

WHAT TYSON ONCE SAID
If we denied that Jesus was a human we are anti-Christs! The Bible makes no bones about this (Jude 1:3/I Jn 4:1-2). My young peer do you now understand that He understands you. My bosom friend do you now realize that you and I can never really say what Boxer Mike Tyson once said, "I don't have one friend in my entire life!" You can count on Jesus to be an understanding friend! Even if all others walk out of your life you can count on Jesus to stay.

You may be a traitor to Jesus. Yet he will call you his friend (Think of Judas – Math 26:50). You may have told white lies and found your own way. Yet he calls you his pal (Think of Abraham – Isa 41:8). Young buddy you have to choose today if you are going to give this friend a finger. Tell Him to leave you alone, like some did (Mt 8:34). Or invite him to be your best friend ever – a friend who sticks closer than a brother!

LOVELY YET LONELY NICOLE KIDMAN
Sipping coffee, I glanced at the newspaper. My eyes panned the page. My eyes zeroed in on a small news piece beside the bubbly picture of Nicole Kidman, the Hollywood actress in one corner. The article announced, “Lonely Oscar night!” “Sounds interesting!” I thought. I read what was printed below: Actress Nicole Kidman has revealed that she felt big but lonely after winning an Academy award for her role in The Hours in 2003. The 40-year old said she felt very upset that she did not have anyone to celebrate the moment with. “I felt big. It felt lonely and big. You are in a hotel and you’re like OK, well, I’m sitting in this big suite with an Oscar, and I still don’t have a life. What is wrong with me,” Contactmusic.com quoted her saying. “It hit home that I needed to get a life: who do I jump on the bed with, and celebrate with, and order pancakes with. That was painful, not having that person to share it with,” she said (Page 14, The Hindu Vijayawada Edition, September 10, 2007). As soon as I read that several questions boggled my mind and bothered my heart. Here they are: Why would a lovely lady with loads of cash and lots and lots of fans feel so lonely? Why would a pretty, planet-trotting actress be in such acute distress? Why would this Oscar winner who lived with gay abandon feel so abandoned?
I turned to my Bible – God’s roadmap for the journey called life - for the answer. It told me that we become lonely – utterly lonely - when we sin against God. “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you,” Prophet Isaiah writes in the Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit (Isa 59:2). Yes, our sins drive a heart-cutting wedge between us and our Maker and leave us lonely and empty. Our sins eventually will take us to the loneliest place of them all – eternal, ever-burning hell, a place God has marked out for folks who have decided, stubbornly and finally, never to enjoy his company, the Bible warns (Rev 22:15). But the Good news the Bible announces is this: Jesus, God in human flesh and bone, the only sinless person who lived on this earth, experienced languishing loneliness as a punishment for our sins and we don’t have to be lonely any longer (Isaiah 53:5,6). That is why Jesus voluntarily died a cruel and brutal death for you and I on the Cross. The sins of all people of all time were laid upon him while he hung there for six hours one Friday two thousand years ago. God, the Holy Father of Jesus, cannot wink at sin. So when Jesus his Son became the planet’s sin-bearer while he hung bloodied on the Cross, he turned his face away from him and forsook him. Yes indeed, Jesus was truly lonely at that point. That why he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” hanging on the Cross (Math 27:46). That loneliness experience was so heart-crushing yet he went through it for you – the lonely you! Today, if you will repent from your sins and trust in the Alive-again Jesus you will never again be lonely! Jesus says to you now, “I will not leave you (feeling lonely like) orphans… I will come to you!” (John 14:18). The only God who came in search of you when you were still lost and lonely is Jesus, the Bible reveals (Luke 19:10; Rom 5:8). Would you invite this unique Jesus into your life now to discover eternal life and “a friend closer than a brother” (one of the many sweet names for Jesus found in the Bible)? Would you do it NOW?

Will you join me in singing these lines from a famous hymn:

There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus – No not one, no not one!
Jesus knows all about your struggles.
He will guide till the day is done
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus – No not one, no not one

(This article originally appeared in Duke Jeyaraj's book, Goodnews For The Google Generation: The Greatest Goodnews Wrapped Around Most-Talked-About Contemporary Events. Price - Rs.150/-. Courier charges as per location. Duke is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by hearing/reading/watching Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

The ‘SUBWAY’ WAY OF READING THE WAY (THE BIBLE!) IN 120 DAYS FLAT STARTING FROM SEPT 1 AND ENDING ON 31 DEC
Duke Jeyaraj

IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE...

If you are in love with someone, wouldn’t you talk with that person EVERY DAY? If you are in love with Jesus, wouldn’t you want to read his word, EVERY DAY? If you are in love with someone, wouldn’t you want to spend time talking a LOT with that person, EVERY DAY? If it is true that you are in love with Jesus, wouldn’t you want to SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH HIM BY READING 10 CHAPTERS FROM HIS BOOK, EVERY DAY?

ALL OF THE BIBLE....

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful...(II Tim 3:16). Would you like read 'all' Scripture then? God's desire is that we read HIS WORD DAILY copying the wiser kings of Israel and nobler believers of Berea (Dt 17:19; Acts 17:11).

Would you like to read all of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation by reading portions of it DAILY?

tHE PLAN

Since the Bible has 1189 chapters in total (approx 1200 chapters) you will have to read approximately 10 chapters a day to complete all of it in just 120 days (4 months or 16 weeks). We can start on Sept 1 and end on Dec 31st (4 months).

This year we will read through all of the Bible, a little differently. We will read from different sections of the Bible, each day – Sandwich Scripture Reading Method, as I call it. The Subway Way of Reading the Way (one of the many names for the Bible is ‘The Way’), as Duke labels it!

We have 6 different sections in the Bible.
They are:
The Law Books Section - Genesis to Deuteronomy - 5 books - 187 chapters in total
The Old Testament History Books Section - Joshua to Esther - 12 books - 249 chapters in all.
The Poetry Books Section - Job to Song of Songs - 5 books in all - 243 chapters in all.
The Prophetic Books Section - Isaiah to Malachi - 17 books in all – 250 chapters in all.
The New Testament History Books Section - Mathew to Acts - 5 books in all – 117 chapters in all.
The Letters Section - Romans to Revelation - 22 books – 143 chapters in all.
A grand total of 1189 chapters, that includes 929 from the OT and 260 from the NT.

In his writings, Paul quotes from four different sections of the Old Testament to make his points. Obviously, Paul read from different sections of the Bible each day. Jesus too quoted all the four sections of the Bible in his messages. Even Jesus, perhaps, had this holy habit! Except five books of the Old Testament, all the other 34 books of the Old Testament are quoted in the New Testament. The message of the rest of the Old Testament books, not quoted, are alluded to in the New Testament. To cite an example, Ecclesiastes is never quoted in the New Testament. But what is written in Eccl. 2:25 (without God you cannot find enjoyment) is underlined by Jesus in John 10:10 (without a relationship with Jesus, one cannot find true life). Jesus himself quoted 24 different Old Testament books in the New Testament. Check this link for the full list: http://www.bible.ca/b-canon-old-testament-quoted-by-jesus-and-apostles.htm

So, let us enjoy reading from every section of the Bible, every day, and possibly copy Jesus and Paul! It would be a tasty experience - as tasty as eating a six layered sandwich!

DON’T MISS THIS PART!
TO READ THROUGH ALL OF THE BIBLE IN 120 DAYS FLAT WE NEED TO READ 10 CHAPTERS IN TOTAL PER DAY – 2
CHAPTERS FROM EACH OT SECTION AND 1 CHAPTER EACH FROM EACH NT SECTION. SIMPLE! IN THE LAST FEW DAYS OF THESE 120 DAYS, WE WOULD BE READING ONLY FROM THE SECTIONS THAT HAVE MORE CHAPTERS, INSTEAD OF RETURNING TO SECTIONS WE HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED.

VERSION CONFUSION?

The best way would be to buy a Bible version you have not so far used and use the highlighter pen on it. If you highlighted the verse that spoke to you most powerfully from each of the 10 chapters you read, then you would know where you had stopped the previous day. Also, if you kept chewing upon what you read, you will know where you stopped. In Acts 10, we read, Peter was still thinking about the vision he saw earlier that day – a vision from God. The portions/stories/verses of the Bible we read earlier in the day, we too must keep thinking/pondering/meditating about them, as the day wears out.

THE DREADED D WORD: DISCIPLINE!

If you fall behind during the weekdays on your Bible reading, do catch up during the weekends. But discipline yourself to keep pace every day. It is possible! Reading the Bible DAILY is something God expects us to do (Dt 17:19). If you miss a few days, skip those chapters and join in where the rest of the group is reading. And take time in the weekend to catch up. Resist the temptation to skip reading the Bible altogether. Since we are reading 10 chapters of the Bible in a single day, if you had a simpler version of the Bible, the task would be that much more simpler.

SIMPLE VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE: Duke’s pick

Talking about simpler versions of the Bible, here are four Bible versions on top of Duke’s list:
New Living Translation
The Voice from Thomas Nelson Publishers
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language – By Eugene H. Peterson
The Goodnews Bible.

There is no restriction on what version of the Bible you will want to read that day’s portion from.

SCRIPTURE READING - THE 'SMART' WAY!

You could read the Bible online, from your smart phone, from wherever and whatever – not just the tradition Bible made of pages .

An Andriod/Apple I-phone or I-pad/Windows phone all-of-the-Bible Text in one application that can be read EVEN IF YOU NOT NET-CONNECTED/ONLINE, ONCE YOU DOWNLOAD IT, IS THE ESV BIBLE (the English Standard Version Bible). AND ESV, the English Standard Version, is also a fairly simple version to read. The good thing about ESV is, but it still keeps up with the traditions of the KJV in it’s language, sentence-construction style, the version that gives the “Bible feel” the most while using manuscripts that were not previously available to the KJV translators, thereby making it one of the most accurately translated Bible versions, presently available in the planet! You can search for phrases, verses in this application, with great ease. The online link is this: http://www.esvbible.org/esv/browse/

The Bible Scholars, I deeply respect, also have said that the Today’s NIV (TNIV) which is available as part of the free BIBLE application called YOUVERSION (available to both Andriod/Apple users) is a reliable, readable translation to follow. But YOUVERSION can be only used if you are online.

Have a Bible meditation diary and write down what you learn from your readings. Or else post what you learn in your FB wall or Tweet it. Please save a copy of your social media post because you never know when what you post gets lost or deleted.

The ‘SUBWAY’ WAY OF READING THE WAY (THE BIBLE!) IN 120 DAYS FLAT STARTING FROM SEPT 1 AND ENDING ON 31 DEC
Duke Jeyaraj

IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE...

If you are in love with someone, wouldn’t you talk with that person EVERY DAY? If you are in love with Jesus, wouldn’t you want to read his word, EVERY DAY? If you are in love with someone, wouldn’t you want to spend time talking a LOT with that person, EVERY DAY? If it is true that you are in love with Jesus, wouldn’t you want to SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH HIM BY READING 10 CHAPTERS FROM HIS BOOK, EVERY DAY?

ALL OF THE BIBLE....

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful...(II Tim 3:16). Would you like read 'all' Scripture then? God's desire is that we read HIS WORD DAILY copying the wiser kings of Israel and nobler believers of Berea (Dt 17:19; Acts 17:11).

Would you like to read all of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation by reading portions of it DAILY?

tHE PLAN

Since the Bible has 1189 chapters in total (approx 1200 chapters) you will have to read approximately 10 chapters a day to complete all of it in just 120 days (4 months or 16 weeks). We can start on Sept 1 and end on Dec 31st (4 months).

This year we will read through all of the Bible, a little differently. We will read from different sections of the Bible, each day – Sandwich Scripture Reading Method, as I call it. The Subway Way of Reading the Way (one of the many names for the Bible is ‘The Way’), as Duke labels it!

We have 6 different sections in the Bible.
They are:
The Law Books Section - Genesis to Deuteronomy - 5 books - 187 chapters in total
The Old Testament History Books Section - Joshua to Esther - 12 books - 249 chapters in all.
The Poetry Books Section - Job to Song of Songs - 5 books in all - 243 chapters in all.
The Prophetic Books Section - Isaiah to Malachi - 17 books in all – 250 chapters in all.
The New Testament History Books Section - Mathew to Acts - 5 books in all – 117 chapters in all.
The Letters Section - Romans to Revelation - 22 books – 143 chapters in all.
A grand total of 1189 chapters, that includes 929 from the OT and 260 from the NT.

In his writings, Paul quotes from four different sections of the Old Testament to make his points. Obviously, Paul read from different sections of the Bible each day. Jesus too quoted all the four sections of the Bible in his messages. Even Jesus, perhaps, had this holy habit! Except five books of the Old Testament, all the other 34 books of the Old Testament are quoted in the New Testament. The message of the rest of the Old Testament books, not quoted, are alluded to in the New Testament. To cite an example, Ecclesiastes is never quoted in the New Testament. But what is written in Eccl. 2:25 (without God you cannot find enjoyment) is underlined by Jesus in John 10:10 (without a relationship with Jesus, one cannot find true life). Jesus himself quoted 24 different Old Testament books in the New Testament. Check this link for the full list: http://www.bible.ca/b-canon-old-testament-quoted-by-jesus-and-apostles.htm

So, let us enjoy reading from every section of the Bible, every day, and possibly copy Jesus and Paul! It would be a tasty experience - as tasty as eating a six layered sandwich!

DON’T MISS THIS PART!
TO READ THROUGH ALL OF THE BIBLE IN 120 DAYS FLAT WE NEED TO READ 10 CHAPTERS IN TOTAL PER DAY – 2
CHAPTERS FROM EACH OT SECTION AND 1 CHAPTER EACH FROM EACH NT SECTION. SIMPLE! IN THE LAST FEW DAYS OF THESE 120 DAYS, WE WOULD BE READING ONLY FROM THE SECTIONS THAT HAVE MORE CHAPTERS, INSTEAD OF RETURNING TO SECTIONS WE HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED.

VERSION CONFUSION?

The best way would be to buy a Bible version you have not so far used and use the highlighter pen on it. If you highlighted the verse that spoke to you most powerfully from each of the 10 chapters you read, then you would know where you had stopped the previous day. Also, if you kept chewing upon what you read, you will know where you stopped. In Acts 10, we read, Peter was still thinking about the vision he saw earlier that day – a vision from God. The portions/stories/verses of the Bible we read earlier in the day, we too must keep thinking/pondering/meditating about them, as the day wears out.

THE DREADED D WORD: DISCIPLINE!

If you fall behind during the weekdays on your Bible reading, do catch up during the weekends. But discipline yourself to keep pace every day. It is possible! Reading the Bible DAILY is something God expects us to do (Dt 17:19). If you miss a few days, skip those chapters and join in where the rest of the group is reading. And take time in the weekend to catch up. Resist the temptation to skip reading the Bible altogether. Since we are reading 10 chapters of the Bible in a single day, if you had a simpler version of the Bible, the task would be that much more simpler.

SIMPLE VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE: Duke’s pick

Talking about simpler versions of the Bible, here are four Bible versions on top of Duke’s list:
New Living Translation
The Voice from Thomas Nelson Publishers
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language – By Eugene H. Peterson
The Goodnews Bible.

There is no restriction on what version of the Bible you will want to read that day’s portion from.

SCRIPTURE READING - THE 'SMART' WAY!

You could read the Bible online, from your smart phone, from wherever and whatever – not just the tradition Bible made of pages .

An Andriod/Apple I-phone or I-pad/Windows phone all-of-the-Bible Text in one application that can be read EVEN IF YOU NOT NET-CONNECTED/ONLINE, ONCE YOU DOWNLOAD IT, IS THE ESV BIBLE (the English Standard Version Bible). AND ESV, the English Standard Version, is also a fairly simple version to read. The good thing about ESV is, but it still keeps up with the traditions of the KJV in it’s language, sentence-construction style, the version that gives the “Bible feel” the most while using manuscripts that were not previously available to the KJV translators, thereby making it one of the most accurately translated Bible versions, presently available in the planet! You can search for phrases, verses in this application, with great ease. The online link is this: http://www.esvbible.org/esv/browse/

The Bible Scholars, I deeply respect, also have said that the Today’s NIV (TNIV) which is available as part of the free BIBLE application called YOUVERSION (available to both Andriod/Apple users) is a reliable, readable translation to follow. But YOUVERSION can be only used if you are online.

Have a Bible meditation diary and write down what you learn from your readings. Or else post what you learn in your FB wall or Tweet it. Please save a copy of your social media post because you never know when what you post gets lost or deleted.

The ‘SUBWAY’ WAY OF READING THE WAY (THE BIBLE!) IN 120 DAYS FLAT STARTING FROM SEPT 1 AND ENDING ON 31 DEC
Duke Jeyaraj

IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE...

If you are in love with someone, wouldn’t you talk with that person EVERY DAY? If you are in love with Jesus, wouldn’t you want to read his word, EVERY DAY? If you are in love with someone, wouldn’t you want to spend time talking a LOT with that person, EVERY DAY? If it is true that you are in love with Jesus, wouldn’t you want to SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH HIM BY READING 10 CHAPTERS FROM HIS BOOK, EVERY DAY?

ALL OF THE BIBLE....

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful...(II Tim 3:16). Would you like read 'all' Scripture then? God's desire is that we read HIS WORD DAILY copying the wiser kings of Israel and nobler believers of Berea (Dt 17:19; Acts 17:11).

Would you like to read all of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation by reading portions of it DAILY?

tHE PLAN

Since the Bible has 1189 chapters in total (approx 1200 chapters) you will have to read approximately 10 chapters a day to complete all of it in just 120 days (4 months or 16 weeks). We can start on Sept 1 and end on Dec 31st (4 months).

This year we will read through all of the Bible, a little differently. We will read from different sections of the Bible, each day – Sandwich Scripture Reading Method, as I call it. The Subway Way of Reading the Way (one of the many names for the Bible is ‘The Way’), as Duke labels it!

We have 6 different sections in the Bible.
They are:
The Law Books Section - Genesis to Deuteronomy - 5 books - 187 chapters in total
The Old Testament History Books Section - Joshua to Esther - 12 books - 249 chapters in all.
The Poetry Books Section - Job to Song of Songs - 5 books in all - 243 chapters in all.
The Prophetic Books Section - Isaiah to Malachi - 17 books in all – 250 chapters in all.
The New Testament History Books Section - Mathew to Acts - 5 books in all – 117 chapters in all.
The Letters Section - Romans to Revelation - 22 books – 143 chapters in all.
A grand total of 1189 chapters, that includes 929 from the OT and 260 from the NT.

In his writings, Paul quotes from four different sections of the Old Testament to make his points. Obviously, Paul read from different sections of the Bible each day. Jesus too quoted all the four sections of the Bible in his messages. Even Jesus, perhaps, had this holy habit! Except five books of the Old Testament, all the other 34 books of the Old Testament are quoted in the New Testament. The message of the rest of the Old Testament books, not quoted, are alluded to in the New Testament. To cite an example, Ecclesiastes is never quoted in the New Testament. But what is written in Eccl. 2:25 (without God you cannot find enjoyment) is underlined by Jesus in John 10:10 (without a relationship with Jesus, one cannot find true life). Jesus himself quoted 24 different Old Testament books in the New Testament. Check this link for the full list: http://www.bible.ca/b-canon-old-testament-quoted-by-jesus-and-apostles.htm

So, let us enjoy reading from every section of the Bible, every day, and possibly copy Jesus and Paul! It would be a tasty experience - as tasty as eating a six layered sandwich!

DON’T MISS THIS PART!
TO READ THROUGH ALL OF THE BIBLE IN 120 DAYS FLAT WE NEED TO READ 10 CHAPTERS IN TOTAL PER DAY – 2
CHAPTERS FROM EACH OT SECTION AND 1 CHAPTER EACH FROM EACH NT SECTION. SIMPLE! IN THE LAST FEW DAYS OF THESE 120 DAYS, WE WOULD BE READING ONLY FROM THE SECTIONS THAT HAVE MORE CHAPTERS, INSTEAD OF RETURNING TO SECTIONS WE HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED.

VERSION CONFUSION?

The best way would be to buy a Bible version you have not so far used and use the highlighter pen on it. If you highlighted the verse that spoke to you most powerfully from each of the 10 chapters you read, then you would know where you had stopped the previous day. Also, if you kept chewing upon what you read, you will know where you stopped. In Acts 10, we read, Peter was still thinking about the vision he saw earlier that day – a vision from God. The portions/stories/verses of the Bible we read earlier in the day, we too must keep thinking/pondering/meditating about them, as the day wears out.

THE DREADED D WORD: DISCIPLINE!

If you fall behind during the weekdays on your Bible reading, do catch up during the weekends. But discipline yourself to keep pace every day. It is possible! Reading the Bible DAILY is something God expects us to do (Dt 17:19). If you miss a few days, skip those chapters and join in where the rest of the group is reading. And take time in the weekend to catch up. Resist the temptation to skip reading the Bible altogether. Since we are reading 10 chapters of the Bible in a single day, if you had a simpler version of the Bible, the task would be that much more simpler.

SIMPLE VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE: Duke’s pick

Talking about simpler versions of the Bible, here are four Bible versions on top of Duke’s list:
New Living Translation
The Voice from Thomas Nelson Publishers
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language – By Eugene H. Peterson
The Goodnews Bible.

There is no restriction on what version of the Bible you will want to read that day’s portion from.

SCRIPTURE READING - THE 'SMART' WAY!

You could read the Bible online, from your smart phone, from wherever and whatever – not just the tradition Bible made of pages .

An Andriod/Apple I-phone or I-pad/Windows phone all-of-the-Bible Text in one application that can be read EVEN IF YOU NOT NET-CONNECTED/ONLINE, ONCE YOU DOWNLOAD IT, IS THE ESV BIBLE (the English Standard Version Bible). AND ESV, the English Standard Version, is also a fairly simple version to read. The good thing about ESV is, but it still keeps up with the traditions of the KJV in it’s language, sentence-construction style, the version that gives the “Bible feel” the most while using manuscripts that were not previously available to the KJV translators, thereby making it one of the most accurately translated Bible versions, presently available in the planet! You can search for phrases, verses in this application, with great ease. The online link is this: http://www.esvbible.org/esv/browse/

The Bible Scholars, I deeply respect, also have said that the Today’s NIV (TNIV) which is available as part of the free BIBLE application called YOUVERSION (available to both Andriod/Apple users) is a reliable, readable translation to follow. But YOUVERSION can be only used if you are online.

Have a Bible meditation diary and write down what you learn from your readings. Or else post what you learn in your FB wall or Tweet it. Please save a copy of your social media post because you never know when what you post gets lost or deleted.

FANATICAL ABOUT JEWISH FESTIVALS? SWOON OVER BLOOD MOONS?
Duke Jeyaraj

World over, there is an increase of interest among certain sections of believers about Jewish feasts. Several groups of believers are going bananas over Jewish feasts and festivals. Does the series of Blood Moons signal the soon coming of Jesus? These are questions to which we need to find biblical answers. Let us use the acronym JEWISH to get the answer;
J-ESUS. Since Jesus is the fulfilment of all feasts, we do not have celebrate these feasts. For example Jesus is presented as “Our Passover!” (I Cor. 5:7). While the Old Testament saints celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, we New Testament saints celebrate Christ who “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14). We could go on and on.

E-ND. The applicability of the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament have ended; that is New Testament believers are not obligated to still follow them. Otherwise, why would Paul be upset with the believers of the Galatian church who “observe special days and months and seasons and years!” (Gal. 4:10)? Can following Jewish rites like circumcision save us? Absolutely not. Paul calls as “garbage” or “waste” such thinking which “mutilators of the flesh” (those who insisted that New Testament believers MUST follow Jewish laws and customs) put forth (Phil. 3:1-8). We must take this strong-worded warning of Paul seriously!
WARMER. When we study the Blood Moons mentioned in the Bible in Joel 2, Acts 2 and Revelation 6 we find that the moons talked about in these passages are unusually, dramatically and spectacularly warmer and brighter than the normal, occurring-every-once-in-a-while Blood Moon that we get to see in our time. Just as an unusually bright star signalled the birth of Jesus, an unusually blazingly bright red moon, suddenly and dramatically darkening Sun (sun turns black) and other dramatic cosmic changes would occur in the last days when Jesus returns (see Rev. 6:13).
I-GNORANCE. The Biblical teaching could not be clearer that NO ONE KNOWS THE TIME OR DATE OF JESUS’ RETURN TO THE EARTH EXCEPT THE FATHER (Matt. 24:36). When the disciples asked Jesus a “when” question concerning events of the last days he promptly told them “it is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:6-7). There is speculation that that the “blood moon” that falls on a Jewish feast day on September 27-28, 2015 could mark an end-time event like Rapture/Second Coming of Jesus. Nathan Busenitz explains why this speculation took off: “Some have suggested that these tetrads (a series of four Blood Moons that occurs together in a relatively short span of time), when they correspond to Jewish feast days, mark major events in the eschatological timeline, especially with regard to the nation of Israel. For example, the nation of Israel was reconstituted on May 14, 1948 just prior to the tetrad of 1949–50. And the city of Jerusalem was reunited by Israeli forces in 1967, during the tetrad of 1967–68.”The simple truth is we do not know when the rapture or Second Coming will take place. Believers will be ignorant of these dates, according to Paul who wrote, “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (I Thess. 5:1-2). It could take place earlier than September 27-28, 2015 or on September 27-28, 2015 or later than September 27-28, 2015. We simply do not know and CANNOT know. This is the Bible teaching. Why speculate and make ourselves fools before a watching world?

S-WAP. Of late, there is has been a hyper-Israel focus by many Bible Teachers. This is uncalled for. We have failed to notice that there has been a swap – the Israel of the Old Testament is the church of the New Testament. David J. Reimer writing for the excellent Study Bible, The ESV Study Bible put it this way: "The metaphor of the vine for Israel is common in the Old Testament (e.g., Ps. 80:6-16; Jer. 2:21; Hos. 10:1), which explains Jesus' claim in John 15:1("I am the true vine") to embody the people of God." The message of Jesus is clear: the people of God are the "new Israel". Jesus takes "Vine is Israel in OT" imagery to directly imply, "Vine is God's people of all cultures and nations in NT" when he mouthed in the Gospels, "Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits" (Matt. 21:43). The phrase "taken away" in the verse I just quoted implies that geographical Israel cannot claim "special status" with God in this New Testament time and age! Amos 9:11-12 talks about the restoration of the kingdom of David – Israel. Apostle James applied the same Scripture to the New Testament church involved in the work of evangelism among the Gentiles. According to him: the church was the “new Israel” (Acts 15:13-21). New Testament believers part of the church are now the “kingdom of priests”/ “royal priesthood”/”holy nation” (which Israel originally was according to Exodus 19:6, Deuteronomy 7:6-7 and Amos 3:2) who proclaim the Gospel to those still in darkness calling them to walk into the wonderful light (I Peter 2:9). Did you catch how Apostle Peter swapped for church believers what Moses and Amos reserved for people of Israel? If you are still in doubt about this hear Apostle Paul say it bluntly and directly: Now if you are of Christ, then you are Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:29). So, what’s the implication? We should be church-focused and not Israel-focussed. The history of Israel can help serve as a warning for backslidden church believers (see I Cor. 10; Rom. 15:4). As pointed out, the feasts of the Old Testament points to Christ. But beyond that, any unhealthy pre-occupation with them can be distracting to believers of today.

H-EART. If in your heart you have the liberty to celebrate a Jewish festival you have the liberty to still do it. This Apostle Paul teaches. Paul telling us: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks” (Rom. 14:5-6). But make sure that you are not trusting in that celebration for your salvation as we are saved only by grace through faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9).

Trust this acronym J-E-W-I-S-H gave us a balanced, biblical understanding of Jewish Festivals and Blood Moons. Let us stay with-in Scriptural boundaries.

(Duke is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by hearing/reading/watching Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

FANATICAL ABOUT JEWISH FESTIVALS? SWOON OVER BLOOD MOONS?
Duke Jeyaraj

World over, there is an increase of interest among certain sections of believers about Jewish feasts. Several groups of believers are going bananas over Jewish feasts and festivals. Does the series of Blood Moons signal the soon coming of Jesus? These are questions to which we need to find biblical answers. Let us use the acronym JEWISH to get the answer;
J-ESUS. Since Jesus is the fulfilment of all feasts, we do not have celebrate these feasts. For example Jesus is presented as “Our Passover!” (I Cor. 5:7). While the Old Testament saints celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, we New Testament saints celebrate Christ who “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14). We could go on and on.

E-ND. The applicability of the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament have ended; that is New Testament believers are not obligated to still follow them. Otherwise, why would Paul be upset with the believers of the Galatian church who “observe special days and months and seasons and years!” (Gal. 4:10)? Can following Jewish rites like circumcision save us? Absolutely not. Paul calls as “garbage” or “waste” such thinking which “mutilators of the flesh” (those who insisted that New Testament believers MUST follow Jewish laws and customs) put forth (Phil. 3:1-8). We must take this strong-worded warning of Paul seriously!
WARMER. When we study the Blood Moons mentioned in the Bible in Joel 2, Acts 2 and Revelation 6 we find that the moons talked about in these passages are unusually, dramatically and spectacularly warmer and brighter than the normal, occurring-every-once-in-a-while Blood Moon that we get to see in our time. Just as an unusually bright star signalled the birth of Jesus, an unusually blazingly bright red moon, suddenly and dramatically darkening Sun (sun turns black) and other dramatic cosmic changes would occur in the last days when Jesus returns (see Rev. 6:13).
I-GNORANCE. The Biblical teaching could not be clearer that NO ONE KNOWS THE TIME OR DATE OF JESUS’ RETURN TO THE EARTH EXCEPT THE FATHER (Matt. 24:36). When the disciples asked Jesus a “when” question concerning events of the last days he promptly told them “it is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:6-7). There is speculation that that the “blood moon” that falls on a Jewish feast day on September 27-28, 2015 could mark an end-time event like Rapture/Second Coming of Jesus. Nathan Busenitz explains why this speculation took off: “Some have suggested that these tetrads (a series of four Blood Moons that occurs together in a relatively short span of time), when they correspond to Jewish feast days, mark major events in the eschatological timeline, especially with regard to the nation of Israel. For example, the nation of Israel was reconstituted on May 14, 1948 just prior to the tetrad of 1949–50. And the city of Jerusalem was reunited by Israeli forces in 1967, during the tetrad of 1967–68.”The simple truth is we do not know when the rapture or Second Coming will take place. Believers will be ignorant of these dates, according to Paul who wrote, “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (I Thess. 5:1-2). It could take place earlier than September 27-28, 2015 or on September 27-28, 2015 or later than September 27-28, 2015. We simply do not know and CANNOT know. This is the Bible teaching. Why speculate and make ourselves fools before a watching world?

S-WAP. Of late, there is has been a hyper-Israel focus by many Bible Teachers. This is uncalled for. We have failed to notice that there has been a swap – the Israel of the Old Testament is the church of the New Testament. David J. Reimer writing for the excellent Study Bible, The ESV Study Bible put it this way: "The metaphor of the vine for Israel is common in the Old Testament (e.g., Ps. 80:6-16; Jer. 2:21; Hos. 10:1), which explains Jesus' claim in John 15:1("I am the true vine") to embody the people of God." The message of Jesus is clear: the people of God are the "new Israel". Jesus takes "Vine is Israel in OT" imagery to directly imply, "Vine is God's people of all cultures and nations in NT" when he mouthed in the Gospels, "Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits" (Matt. 21:43). The phrase "taken away" in the verse I just quoted implies that geographical Israel cannot claim "special status" with God in this New Testament time and age! Amos 9:11-12 talks about the restoration of the kingdom of David – Israel. Apostle James applied the same Scripture to the New Testament church involved in the work of evangelism among the Gentiles. According to him: the church was the “new Israel” (Acts 15:13-21). New Testament believers part of the church are now the “kingdom of priests”/ “royal priesthood”/”holy nation” (which Israel originally was according to Exodus 19:6, Deuteronomy 7:6-7 and Amos 3:2) who proclaim the Gospel to those still in darkness calling them to walk into the wonderful light (I Peter 2:9). Did you catch how Apostle Peter swapped for church believers what Moses and Amos reserved for people of Israel? If you are still in doubt about this hear Apostle Paul say it bluntly and directly: Now if you are of Christ, then you are Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:29). So, what’s the implication? We should be church-focused and not Israel-focussed. The history of Israel can help serve as a warning for backslidden church believers (see I Cor. 10; Rom. 15:4). As pointed out, the feasts of the Old Testament points to Christ. But beyond that, any unhealthy pre-occupation with them can be distracting to believers of today.

H-EART. If in your heart you have the liberty to celebrate a Jewish festival you have the liberty to still do it. This Apostle Paul teaches. Paul telling us: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks” (Rom. 14:5-6). But make sure that you are not trusting in that celebration for your salvation as we are saved only by grace through faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9).

Trust this acronym J-E-W-I-S-H gave us a balanced, biblical understanding of Jewish Festivals and Blood Moons. Let us stay with-in Scriptural boundaries.

(Duke is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by hearing/reading/watching Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

FANATICAL ABOUT JEWISH FESTIVALS? SWOON OVER BLOOD MOONS?
Duke Jeyaraj

World over, there is an increase of interest among certain sections of believers about Jewish feasts. Several groups of believers are going bananas over Jewish feasts and festivals. Does the series of Blood Moons signal the soon coming of Jesus? These are questions to which we need to find biblical answers. Let us use the acronym JEWISH to get the answer;
J-ESUS. Since Jesus is the fulfilment of all feasts, we do not have celebrate these feasts. For example Jesus is presented as “Our Passover!” (I Cor. 5:7). While the Old Testament saints celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, we New Testament saints celebrate Christ who “tabernacled” among us (John 1:14). We could go on and on.

E-ND. The applicability of the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament have ended; that is New Testament believers are not obligated to still follow them. Otherwise, why would Paul be upset with the believers of the Galatian church who “observe special days and months and seasons and years!” (Gal. 4:10)? Can following Jewish rites like circumcision save us? Absolutely not. Paul calls as “garbage” or “waste” such thinking which “mutilators of the flesh” (those who insisted that New Testament believers MUST follow Jewish laws and customs) put forth (Phil. 3:1-8). We must take this strong-worded warning of Paul seriously!
WARMER. When we study the Blood Moons mentioned in the Bible in Joel 2, Acts 2 and Revelation 6 we find that the moons talked about in these passages are unusually, dramatically and spectacularly warmer and brighter than the normal, occurring-every-once-in-a-while Blood Moon that we get to see in our time. Just as an unusually bright star signalled the birth of Jesus, an unusually blazingly bright red moon, suddenly and dramatically darkening Sun (sun turns black) and other dramatic cosmic changes would occur in the last days when Jesus returns (see Rev. 6:13).
I-GNORANCE. The Biblical teaching could not be clearer that NO ONE KNOWS THE TIME OR DATE OF JESUS’ RETURN TO THE EARTH EXCEPT THE FATHER (Matt. 24:36). When the disciples asked Jesus a “when” question concerning events of the last days he promptly told them “it is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:6-7). There is speculation that that the “blood moon” that falls on a Jewish feast day on September 27-28, 2015 could mark an end-time event like Rapture/Second Coming of Jesus. Nathan Busenitz explains why this speculation took off: “Some have suggested that these tetrads (a series of four Blood Moons that occurs together in a relatively short span of time), when they correspond to Jewish feast days, mark major events in the eschatological timeline, especially with regard to the nation of Israel. For example, the nation of Israel was reconstituted on May 14, 1948 just prior to the tetrad of 1949–50. And the city of Jerusalem was reunited by Israeli forces in 1967, during the tetrad of 1967–68.”The simple truth is we do not know when the rapture or Second Coming will take place. Believers will be ignorant of these dates, according to Paul who wrote, “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (I Thess. 5:1-2). It could take place earlier than September 27-28, 2015 or on September 27-28, 2015 or later than September 27-28, 2015. We simply do not know and CANNOT know. This is the Bible teaching. Why speculate and make ourselves fools before a watching world?

S-WAP. Of late, there is has been a hyper-Israel focus by many Bible Teachers. This is uncalled for. We have failed to notice that there has been a swap – the Israel of the Old Testament is the church of the New Testament. David J. Reimer writing for the excellent Study Bible, The ESV Study Bible put it this way: "The metaphor of the vine for Israel is common in the Old Testament (e.g., Ps. 80:6-16; Jer. 2:21; Hos. 10:1), which explains Jesus' claim in John 15:1("I am the true vine") to embody the people of God." The message of Jesus is clear: the people of God are the "new Israel". Jesus takes "Vine is Israel in OT" imagery to directly imply, "Vine is God's people of all cultures and nations in NT" when he mouthed in the Gospels, "Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits" (Matt. 21:43). The phrase "taken away" in the verse I just quoted implies that geographical Israel cannot claim "special status" with God in this New Testament time and age! Amos 9:11-12 talks about the restoration of the kingdom of David – Israel. Apostle James applied the same Scripture to the New Testament church involved in the work of evangelism among the Gentiles. According to him: the church was the “new Israel” (Acts 15:13-21). New Testament believers part of the church are now the “kingdom of priests”/ “royal priesthood”/”holy nation” (which Israel originally was according to Exodus 19:6, Deuteronomy 7:6-7 and Amos 3:2) who proclaim the Gospel to those still in darkness calling them to walk into the wonderful light (I Peter 2:9). Did you catch how Apostle Peter swapped for church believers what Moses and Amos reserved for people of Israel? If you are still in doubt about this hear Apostle Paul say it bluntly and directly: Now if you are of Christ, then you are Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:29). So, what’s the implication? We should be church-focused and not Israel-focussed. The history of Israel can help serve as a warning for backslidden church believers (see I Cor. 10; Rom. 15:4). As pointed out, the feasts of the Old Testament points to Christ. But beyond that, any unhealthy pre-occupation with them can be distracting to believers of today.

H-EART. If in your heart you have the liberty to celebrate a Jewish festival you have the liberty to still do it. This Apostle Paul teaches. Paul telling us: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks” (Rom. 14:5-6). But make sure that you are not trusting in that celebration for your salvation as we are saved only by grace through faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9).

Trust this acronym J-E-W-I-S-H gave us a balanced, biblical understanding of Jewish Festivals and Blood Moons. Let us stay with-in Scriptural boundaries.

(Duke is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people supported by those blessed by hearing/reading/watching Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke).

BLOOD-MOONS BIBLE LESSONS
Duke Jeyaraj

There are 3 references to the “Blood Moon” in the Bible. Let’s look at each reference and learn practical lessons for us that apply to us here and now instead of dwelling in guesses and speculation:

1. The LESSON ABOUT HOLINESS:

The first BLOOD-MOON BIBLE reference comes in the book of Joel. The prophet writes, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD”(Joel 2:31). What is the “day of the Lord?” Paul gives us a clue in I Thessalonians 5:2 where we read, “For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” A thief would not call up and come. In the same way, the Lord Jesus would not announce His coming and then come. He can come any time now. Since this is so, we must live holy lives. That’s the point that Apostle Peter makes. He writes, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar… Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (II Peter 3:10-11).

2. The LESSON ABOUT THE HARVEST:

The second BLOOD-MOON BIBLE reference comes in the book of Acts. We read Peter’s words, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20). When people had questions about the strange new languages that the 120 disciples started speaking following the coming of the Holy Spirit on them, Apostle Peter quotes from the book of Joel to silence the critics of this experience. He emphatically says, “this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16). He quotes from the book of Joel to teach that the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was foretold by God through the mouth of Joel. He did not stop with that. He goes on to talk about “sun turning to darkness” and “the moon turning to blood” before the coming of the “great and glorious day of the Lord!” The coming on of the Holy Spirit already signaled our entry into the “last days” (see Acts 2:17). Since the end of the Lord and coming of our Lord is around the corner, we need stay filled with the Holy Spirit so that complete all tasks our Master gave to complete before His return. And the most important task of them all is – total evangelism of our planet. The Holy Spirit was given so that we can be “witnesses” to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:18). Shall we move to our harvest fields – that can be the corporate office we work in, the school we study in, the college we go to – filled with the Spirit of God to do the Work of God reaching out to the Lost?! If we faithfully did that till the Rapture, then what Peter refers to just after his BLOOD-MOON reference (found in Acts 2:20) will take place: ‘And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (Acts 2:21).

3. THE LESSON ABOUT HIDING:

The third reference to the BLOOD-MOON in the Bible comes in the book of Revelation. Apostle John writes, “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red…” (Revelation 6:12). In the same chapter, the Scripture records when all of this happens, there would be desperate people would want to be covered by the hills so that they could escape from the wrath of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus (Rev. 6:15-17). But the Good News is this: if we hide, take refuge and get ever-consciously covered by the blood of the One who died for us on that hill called Calvary, and live our lives under the fort of that Blood, we would not need to run to the hills calling on them to hide us, cover us and give refuge for us on that terrible final day when moon will turn into blood and Jesus would judge all the earth (Read Romans 8:1)!

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people that funded by those blessed by Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke)

BLOOD-MOONS BIBLE LESSONS
Duke Jeyaraj

There are 3 references to the “Blood Moon” in the Bible. Let’s look at each reference and learn practical lessons for us that apply to us here and now instead of dwelling in guesses and speculation:

1. The LESSON ABOUT HOLINESS:

The first BLOOD-MOON BIBLE reference comes in the book of Joel. The prophet writes, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD”(Joel 2:31). What is the “day of the Lord?” Paul gives us a clue in I Thessalonians 5:2 where we read, “For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” A thief would not call up and come. In the same way, the Lord Jesus would not announce His coming and then come. He can come any time now. Since this is so, we must live holy lives. That’s the point that Apostle Peter makes. He writes, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar… Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (II Peter 3:10-11).

2. The LESSON ABOUT THE HARVEST:

The second BLOOD-MOON BIBLE reference comes in the book of Acts. We read Peter’s words, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20). When people had questions about the strange new languages that the 120 disciples started speaking following the coming of the Holy Spirit on them, Apostle Peter quotes from the book of Joel to silence the critics of this experience. He emphatically says, “this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16). He quotes from the book of Joel to teach that the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was foretold by God through the mouth of Joel. He did not stop with that. He goes on to talk about “sun turning to darkness” and “the moon turning to blood” before the coming of the “great and glorious day of the Lord!” The coming on of the Holy Spirit already signaled our entry into the “last days” (see Acts 2:17). Since the end of the Lord and coming of our Lord is around the corner, we need stay filled with the Holy Spirit so that complete all tasks our Master gave to complete before His return. And the most important task of them all is – total evangelism of our planet. The Holy Spirit was given so that we can be “witnesses” to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:18). Shall we move to our harvest fields – that can be the corporate office we work in, the school we study in, the college we go to – filled with the Spirit of God to do the Work of God reaching out to the Lost?! If we faithfully did that till the Rapture, then what Peter refers to just after his BLOOD-MOON reference (found in Acts 2:20) will take place: ‘And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (Acts 2:21).

3. THE LESSON ABOUT HIDING:

The third reference to the BLOOD-MOON in the Bible comes in the book of Revelation. Apostle John writes, “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red…” (Revelation 6:12). In the same chapter, the Scripture records when all of this happens, there would be desperate people would want to be covered by the hills so that they could escape from the wrath of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus (Rev. 6:15-17). But the Good News is this: if we hide, take refuge and get ever-consciously covered by the blood of the One who died for us on that hill called Calvary, and live our lives under the fort of that Blood, we would not need to run to the hills calling on them to hide us, cover us and give refuge for us on that terrible final day when moon will turn into blood and Jesus would judge all the earth (Read Romans 8:1)!

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people that funded by those blessed by Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke)

BLOOD-MOONS BIBLE LESSONS
Duke Jeyaraj

There are 3 references to the “Blood Moon” in the Bible. Let’s look at each reference and learn practical lessons for us that apply to us here and now instead of dwelling in guesses and speculation:

1. The LESSON ABOUT HOLINESS:

The first BLOOD-MOON BIBLE reference comes in the book of Joel. The prophet writes, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD”(Joel 2:31). What is the “day of the Lord?” Paul gives us a clue in I Thessalonians 5:2 where we read, “For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” A thief would not call up and come. In the same way, the Lord Jesus would not announce His coming and then come. He can come any time now. Since this is so, we must live holy lives. That’s the point that Apostle Peter makes. He writes, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar… Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (II Peter 3:10-11).

2. The LESSON ABOUT THE HARVEST:

The second BLOOD-MOON BIBLE reference comes in the book of Acts. We read Peter’s words, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20). When people had questions about the strange new languages that the 120 disciples started speaking following the coming of the Holy Spirit on them, Apostle Peter quotes from the book of Joel to silence the critics of this experience. He emphatically says, “this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16). He quotes from the book of Joel to teach that the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was foretold by God through the mouth of Joel. He did not stop with that. He goes on to talk about “sun turning to darkness” and “the moon turning to blood” before the coming of the “great and glorious day of the Lord!” The coming on of the Holy Spirit already signaled our entry into the “last days” (see Acts 2:17). Since the end of the Lord and coming of our Lord is around the corner, we need stay filled with the Holy Spirit so that complete all tasks our Master gave to complete before His return. And the most important task of them all is – total evangelism of our planet. The Holy Spirit was given so that we can be “witnesses” to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:18). Shall we move to our harvest fields – that can be the corporate office we work in, the school we study in, the college we go to – filled with the Spirit of God to do the Work of God reaching out to the Lost?! If we faithfully did that till the Rapture, then what Peter refers to just after his BLOOD-MOON reference (found in Acts 2:20) will take place: ‘And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (Acts 2:21).

3. THE LESSON ABOUT HIDING:

The third reference to the BLOOD-MOON in the Bible comes in the book of Revelation. Apostle John writes, “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red…” (Revelation 6:12). In the same chapter, the Scripture records when all of this happens, there would be desperate people would want to be covered by the hills so that they could escape from the wrath of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus (Rev. 6:15-17). But the Good News is this: if we hide, take refuge and get ever-consciously covered by the blood of the One who died for us on that hill called Calvary, and live our lives under the fort of that Blood, we would not need to run to the hills calling on them to hide us, cover us and give refuge for us on that terrible final day when moon will turn into blood and Jesus would judge all the earth (Read Romans 8:1)!

(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a ministry to presentday people that funded by those blessed by Duke's messages. Find out more by liking www.facebook.com/googleduke)

THE FRUIT OR THE BOOT – FOR THE LORD THIS YEAR?
Dr. Duke Jeyaraj

The owner came to the garden with expectations. High hopes. “Surely fruits will dangle down the fig tree I planted! It has been three years! I just can’t wait to taste the fruits!” He was smacking his lips in anticipation. What did he get to see? Fruits? Hardly. Instead the tree gave him the boot – it was barren. Now he was biting his lips with frustration. The owner became furious. “Chop this fruitless fig tree down,” he ordered the gardener. “Why waste fertilizer and water on it for ANOTHER YEAR?” The gardener would not give up on the tree he had tended tenacious for over three years. He pleaded, “Just give it one more year, Master – just one more year! That is all. I will tend it. Take good care it. And I am sure it will give us fruit in this year of extension! You bet!”

The above-narrated story is a contemporary form of a parable of Jesus (Luke 13:6-9). A story our Master narrated. A yarn our Master spinned to shake us from our yawning! He told this story to drive home a crucial lesson? This lesson: we have got a New Year to live just because of sheer grace. He has marked out a New Year for us just because of his massive mercy. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is true that when he spoke of that fig tree he was speaking of the nation Israel. The prophets of the old often compared Israel to a fig tree-didn’t they (See Hosea 9:10 for an example)? But it also true we, followers of Christ, are the nation that God hoped would bear fruit. That is the reason, we read that he took the Kingdom of God from national Israel and gave it to a “new” Israel (that is actually us, believers, called as a ‘holy nation’ by Peter in 1 Peter 2:9) (Math. 21:13). But we – the new Israel – haven’t done any better than national Israel. We have been neglectful about our duty to give fruit as national Israel! The “Gentile” Israel – us – has been as giving God the boot (instead of the fruit) like the Geographical Israel so often did!

Israel, the fig tree, was blessed have plenty of water and fertilizer year after year. The Law of Moses they received through Moses in generous doses was the “water” the fig tree of Israel was flooded with (Rom. 9:4). The pack of prophets who faithfully proclaimed this law in a practical and powerful way to the people of Israel year after year – well, they were the “fertilizers” so to speak (2 Kings 17:13ff). But they would not simply grow up and bear fruit. They became “ fat”, oh yes! But “faithful” Nah! Look over your shoulder. At the previous years of your existence. Surely you were watered. Certainly you were fertilized. Think of the Bible Studies you sat in. Think of many sermons you heard. Think of the church services you attended. Think of the camps and conferences you took part in. You too became “fat”. But were you “fruitful”? Well that is another story, correct? !

Listen, Jesus (the Gardener in this parable) did not narrate this story to paint his Father in a poor picture. Hear this good: The Father (the Owner in this story) is not an ultra-strict principal out to hound you and dismiss you from his school for the first failure you had without any mercy. He is not like a class teacher who gives you a “you-will-never-make-it-in-life” lecture after your examination flops. His Father is as loving and as gracious as He is. When we interpret a parable we should just look for one lesson from it-that’s the thumb rule of interpreting parables. The Father God gave a similar extension in the life of King Hezekiah, remember ? (Isa 38:1-5). “Through the Lord’s mercies (the Father’s mercies) we are not consumed,” Jeremiah wrote-don’t forget (Lam 3:22). You see, the Father is as understanding as the Son is. The Son – all of us very well know – lives “forever to intercede” for us we read up (Heb 7:25).

The year you and I have to get to exist in, is a year of grace. Sure we are living in the Space age. But it also true we are living in the grace age – an age graciously given us so that we will for a change give our Maker good fruit instead of giving him the boot!

If this one-year extension given us so that we bear “fruit” what sort of fruit should we bear? The fruit of PENITENCE. That is what John the Baptist preached to the Jewish Religions’ big shots (Luke 3:8). They could not hide behind the fact that Abraham was their ancestor without bearing fruit, he warned. In other words what John was getting at was this: “You can’t swap your religious heritage for personal change!” In the New Year that we have entered, we called to produce “fruits of repentance”. That would mean all the tantrum throwing of the past years should be trashed. That would mean all the porn-watching of the past years should be pushed aside. That would mean all the foul-languages that filled your mouth should be flushed away. And when we do that believe me, slowly but surely the “fruit” of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control-will show up in your Christian walk when you carry an attitude of penitence the whole year out!

Why would the Lord mark “plus 1” for us who live in the OnePlus 2 (that talked about ‘flagship’-killer Smartphone released in 2015)? To bear fruit. The fruit of PONDERING. Pondering on his word. Meditating on the Bible, God’s Word in human words. I first picked up this new version of the Bible in the year 2014. I enjoy reading this version. It is called The Voice. Let me quote from Psalm 1:1-3 from that version for you: God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn: when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes, when you avoid sin’s highway, when judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse. For you, the Eternal’s Word is your happiness. It is your focus—from dusk to dawn. You are like a tree, planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry. Your fruit ripens in its time; your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun. No matter what you do, you prosper.” There you have it: when you spend time making God’s Word your focus, dusk to dawn, you are like the tree the fruits of which ripens in its time! The Bible has approximately 1200 chapters. If you read 10 chapters of the Bible every day, you would read the Bible in full in 120 days flat (four months). That is simple math! If that is tough, try reading five chapters a day and you can wrap up reading all the Bible in 8 months. If you read four chapters a day, and five during weekends, you will comfortably complete reading all the Bible in a year. Why not try it out this new year? I found the following challenging lines at satisfactionthroughchrist.com: “Up for a challenge? The Horner system is sort of an osmosis system, the idea being inundation rather than meditation. With it, you’ll read ten chapters per day from ten different books. Over the course of a year, you’ll read through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters 4-5 times each, the Old Testament wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the Old Testament History and Prophetic books about 1 1⁄2 times.”

An extension year for what ? To bear fruit. “Fruit – what do you mean?” Ask the writer of Hebrews. “Therefore by him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name” (Heb.13:15). You have guessed it correct – the fruit of PRAISE. Would you to thank God for at least five blessings you have received from Him each day of the New Year? For the safe ride you had back home. For the food on your table. For the friends and folks you dote over you. If you did that you are bearing “fruit”. And God’s disappointment with you will dry. God’s frustration with you will fizzle out!

Annexure year for what? To produce “fruit”. “What do you mean?” Ask Jesus himself. He told his disciples once remember , ‘Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’ Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for the harvest! And he who receives wages, and gathers FRUIT for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together” (John 4:35:36). The point of Christ was making was this: “One look around you will get to see the likes of the Samaritan Woman-seeking, searching! Truckloads of disappointed and dejected people desperately looking for the Living Water. They will drink from Me-believe Me –if only you go and tell them about Me!” The fruit of PROCLAMATION is what I eagerly expected of us in our gracious-given extra year! That’s the reason God chose us: so that we bear “fruit” (win souls) and that our “fruit” remains (and the souls we win make it all the way to Heaven!) (John 15:16). In this supplementary year God’s grace has supplied to you why not become a serious soul winner? Why not gather with a few of your High School/College Christ-following pals to pray and study his word for a few minutes during your lunch break or after class? Why not stand in the most happening youth hangout in town and pass out contemporary gospel tracts? Why not proclaim Christ through life and lip using every opportunity?

Jesus signs off from this parable with a telling warning: “And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down!” (Luke 13:9). Can you really be “cut” down this year if you give Jesus the boot this year instead of fruit? There is a real possibility, buddy. There is an actual chance for that, my friend. What if you die – be cut down – suddenly this year would you be found giving fruit for the Savior or giving him the boot? If you say, “Well, that will not happen to me – ever,” then you must listen to the story of Ahab. Ahab, year after year, was giving Yahweh the finger. Giving His God the boot. Five prophets at least – the famous Elijah, prophet Obadiah, prophet Micaiah and two unnamed prophets – tried to correct him and coax him on to the way of God. But he stayed stubborn. He was solidly stiff-necked. And you know what – his life was cut off crudely when he least expected it or wanted it. He had boasted to prophet Micaiah that he would return safely from a battle God did not want him to fight. He was cocksure of that because he went to a battle in a disguise and He thought he was well protected by an armor. But a randomly shot arrow hit in the joints between the joints of his armor and he shortly died (1 Kings 22:27, 34, 35). Till his sudden death, mind you, he was giving his Maker the boot.

That is what false prophet Hananiah did too. Wanting to impress the people of Judah he prophesied: “Jeremiah is telling you that this captivity in Babylon will last for 70 long years. Forget it! It is gonna last just for two years. That is all! Take it easy, folks! Deep down in his gut, Prophet Hananiah knew he was just conning the people. He knew he had not heard from God on this subject but was simply bluffing in an attempt to become the favorite prophet of the people at the expense of Jeremiah. He was giving the God who called him to be a prophet the boot – not fruit! This was the New Year promise he received from the Lord: “Your life will end THIS VERY YEAR because you have rebelled against the Lord” (Jer. 27:16)! Two months later, he died – still giving God the finger (v 17). A sad end. A sorry finish. Do you know that for any of us this New Year promise may come true: “Your life will end this VERY YEAR!” (Jer. 27:19). The reason? Our life is unpredictable. Biblically speaking it can end at any time – including this very minute or this year – did any one care to tell you? I care. Our life is comparable to a fleeting fog or a fading flower, the Bible tells us (Job 14:1/ Jas. 4:14). It can be short. It can be cut short! If you told me, “Duke, don’t give some Old Testament mumbo-jumbo!” I will show you the sad lives of post-Cross, in-the-New-Testament narrative, Ananias-Sapphira (Acts 5) and King Herod (Acts 12). The lives of these folks were also cut short when they failed to make the “extra year” added to their lives count – it can be seen that way!

I pray that will not be sad story of any of us this extra year God has gracious given us! Instead, let us wisely use this year to bear fruit – instead of giving Christ the boot – in graciously added New Year!

(The first version of this article was published in Blessing magazine – January 2004. Duke’s children – Dale Nathan, 12 years and Datasha, 8 years – took time in their between Christmas and New Year holidays of 2015 to digitalize it, 11 years after it was first written! Find out more about the author of this article – Dr. Duke Jeyaraj, the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a reader supported ministry – at www.dukev.org).

THE FRUIT OR THE BOOT – FOR THE LORD THIS YEAR?
Dr. Duke Jeyaraj

The owner came to the garden with expectations. High hopes. “Surely fruits will dangle down the fig tree I planted! It has been three years! I just can’t wait to taste the fruits!” He was smacking his lips in anticipation. What did he get to see? Fruits? Hardly. Instead the tree gave him the boot – it was barren. Now he was biting his lips with frustration. The owner became furious. “Chop this fruitless fig tree down,” he ordered the gardener. “Why waste fertilizer and water on it for ANOTHER YEAR?” The gardener would not give up on the tree he had tended tenacious for over three years. He pleaded, “Just give it one more year, Master – just one more year! That is all. I will tend it. Take good care it. And I am sure it will give us fruit in this year of extension! You bet!”

The above-narrated story is a contemporary form of a parable of Jesus (Luke 13:6-9). A story our Master narrated. A yarn our Master spinned to shake us from our yawning! He told this story to drive home a crucial lesson? This lesson: we have got a New Year to live just because of sheer grace. He has marked out a New Year for us just because of his massive mercy. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is true that when he spoke of that fig tree he was speaking of the nation Israel. The prophets of the old often compared Israel to a fig tree-didn’t they (See Hosea 9:10 for an example)? But it also true we, followers of Christ, are the nation that God hoped would bear fruit. That is the reason, we read that he took the Kingdom of God from national Israel and gave it to a “new” Israel (that is actually us, believers, called as a ‘holy nation’ by Peter in 1 Peter 2:9) (Math. 21:13). But we – the new Israel – haven’t done any better than national Israel. We have been neglectful about our duty to give fruit as national Israel! The “Gentile” Israel – us – has been as giving God the boot (instead of the fruit) like the Geographical Israel so often did!

Israel, the fig tree, was blessed have plenty of water and fertilizer year after year. The Law of Moses they received through Moses in generous doses was the “water” the fig tree of Israel was flooded with (Rom. 9:4). The pack of prophets who faithfully proclaimed this law in a practical and powerful way to the people of Israel year after year – well, they were the “fertilizers” so to speak (2 Kings 17:13ff). But they would not simply grow up and bear fruit. They became “ fat”, oh yes! But “faithful” Nah! Look over your shoulder. At the previous years of your existence. Surely you were watered. Certainly you were fertilized. Think of the Bible Studies you sat in. Think of many sermons you heard. Think of the church services you attended. Think of the camps and conferences you took part in. You too became “fat”. But were you “fruitful”? Well that is another story, correct? !

Listen, Jesus (the Gardener in this parable) did not narrate this story to paint his Father in a poor picture. Hear this good: The Father (the Owner in this story) is not an ultra-strict principal out to hound you and dismiss you from his school for the first failure you had without any mercy. He is not like a class teacher who gives you a “you-will-never-make-it-in-life” lecture after your examination flops. His Father is as loving and as gracious as He is. When we interpret a parable we should just look for one lesson from it-that’s the thumb rule of interpreting parables. The Father God gave a similar extension in the life of King Hezekiah, remember ? (Isa 38:1-5). “Through the Lord’s mercies (the Father’s mercies) we are not consumed,” Jeremiah wrote-don’t forget (Lam 3:22). You see, the Father is as understanding as the Son is. The Son – all of us very well know – lives “forever to intercede” for us we read up (Heb 7:25).

The year you and I have to get to exist in, is a year of grace. Sure we are living in the Space age. But it also true we are living in the grace age – an age graciously given us so that we will for a change give our Maker good fruit instead of giving him the boot!

If this one-year extension given us so that we bear “fruit” what sort of fruit should we bear? The fruit of PENITENCE. That is what John the Baptist preached to the Jewish Religions’ big shots (Luke 3:8). They could not hide behind the fact that Abraham was their ancestor without bearing fruit, he warned. In other words what John was getting at was this: “You can’t swap your religious heritage for personal change!” In the New Year that we have entered, we called to produce “fruits of repentance”. That would mean all the tantrum throwing of the past years should be trashed. That would mean all the porn-watching of the past years should be pushed aside. That would mean all the foul-languages that filled your mouth should be flushed away. And when we do that believe me, slowly but surely the “fruit” of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control-will show up in your Christian walk when you carry an attitude of penitence the whole year out!

Why would the Lord mark “plus 1” for us who live in the OnePlus 2 (that talked about ‘flagship’-killer Smartphone released in 2015)? To bear fruit. The fruit of PONDERING. Pondering on his word. Meditating on the Bible, God’s Word in human words. I first picked up this new version of the Bible in the year 2014. I enjoy reading this version. It is called The Voice. Let me quote from Psalm 1:1-3 from that version for you: God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn: when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes, when you avoid sin’s highway, when judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse. For you, the Eternal’s Word is your happiness. It is your focus—from dusk to dawn. You are like a tree, planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry. Your fruit ripens in its time; your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun. No matter what you do, you prosper.” There you have it: when you spend time making God’s Word your focus, dusk to dawn, you are like the tree the fruits of which ripens in its time! The Bible has approximately 1200 chapters. If you read 10 chapters of the Bible every day, you would read the Bible in full in 120 days flat (four months). That is simple math! If that is tough, try reading five chapters a day and you can wrap up reading all the Bible in 8 months. If you read four chapters a day, and five during weekends, you will comfortably complete reading all the Bible in a year. Why not try it out this new year? I found the following challenging lines at satisfactionthroughchrist.com: “Up for a challenge? The Horner system is sort of an osmosis system, the idea being inundation rather than meditation. With it, you’ll read ten chapters per day from ten different books. Over the course of a year, you’ll read through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters 4-5 times each, the Old Testament wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the Old Testament History and Prophetic books about 1 1⁄2 times.”

An extension year for what ? To bear fruit. “Fruit – what do you mean?” Ask the writer of Hebrews. “Therefore by him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name” (Heb.13:15). You have guessed it correct – the fruit of PRAISE. Would you to thank God for at least five blessings you have received from Him each day of the New Year? For the safe ride you had back home. For the food on your table. For the friends and folks you dote over you. If you did that you are bearing “fruit”. And God’s disappointment with you will dry. God’s frustration with you will fizzle out!

Annexure year for what? To produce “fruit”. “What do you mean?” Ask Jesus himself. He told his disciples once remember , ‘Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’ Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for the harvest! And he who receives wages, and gathers FRUIT for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together” (John 4:35:36). The point of Christ was making was this: “One look around you will get to see the likes of the Samaritan Woman-seeking, searching! Truckloads of disappointed and dejected people desperately looking for the Living Water. They will drink from Me-believe Me –if only you go and tell them about Me!” The fruit of PROCLAMATION is what I eagerly expected of us in our gracious-given extra year! That’s the reason God chose us: so that we bear “fruit” (win souls) and that our “fruit” remains (and the souls we win make it all the way to Heaven!) (John 15:16). In this supplementary year God’s grace has supplied to you why not become a serious soul winner? Why not gather with a few of your High School/College Christ-following pals to pray and study his word for a few minutes during your lunch break or after class? Why not stand in the most happening youth hangout in town and pass out contemporary gospel tracts? Why not proclaim Christ through life and lip using every opportunity?

Jesus signs off from this parable with a telling warning: “And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down!” (Luke 13:9). Can you really be “cut” down this year if you give Jesus the boot this year instead of fruit? There is a real possibility, buddy. There is an actual chance for that, my friend. What if you die – be cut down – suddenly this year would you be found giving fruit for the Savior or giving him the boot? If you say, “Well, that will not happen to me – ever,” then you must listen to the story of Ahab. Ahab, year after year, was giving Yahweh the finger. Giving His God the boot. Five prophets at least – the famous Elijah, prophet Obadiah, prophet Micaiah and two unnamed prophets – tried to correct him and coax him on to the way of God. But he stayed stubborn. He was solidly stiff-necked. And you know what – his life was cut off crudely when he least expected it or wanted it. He had boasted to prophet Micaiah that he would return safely from a battle God did not want him to fight. He was cocksure of that because he went to a battle in a disguise and He thought he was well protected by an armor. But a randomly shot arrow hit in the joints between the joints of his armor and he shortly died (1 Kings 22:27, 34, 35). Till his sudden death, mind you, he was giving his Maker the boot.

That is what false prophet Hananiah did too. Wanting to impress the people of Judah he prophesied: “Jeremiah is telling you that this captivity in Babylon will last for 70 long years. Forget it! It is gonna last just for two years. That is all! Take it easy, folks! Deep down in his gut, Prophet Hananiah knew he was just conning the people. He knew he had not heard from God on this subject but was simply bluffing in an attempt to become the favorite prophet of the people at the expense of Jeremiah. He was giving the God who called him to be a prophet the boot – not fruit! This was the New Year promise he received from the Lord: “Your life will end THIS VERY YEAR because you have rebelled against the Lord” (Jer. 27:16)! Two months later, he died – still giving God the finger (v 17). A sad end. A sorry finish. Do you know that for any of us this New Year promise may come true: “Your life will end this VERY YEAR!” (Jer. 27:19). The reason? Our life is unpredictable. Biblically speaking it can end at any time – including this very minute or this year – did any one care to tell you? I care. Our life is comparable to a fleeting fog or a fading flower, the Bible tells us (Job 14:1/ Jas. 4:14). It can be short. It can be cut short! If you told me, “Duke, don’t give some Old Testament mumbo-jumbo!” I will show you the sad lives of post-Cross, in-the-New-Testament narrative, Ananias-Sapphira (Acts 5) and King Herod (Acts 12). The lives of these folks were also cut short when they failed to make the “extra year” added to their lives count – it can be seen that way!

I pray that will not be sad story of any of us this extra year God has gracious given us! Instead, let us wisely use this year to bear fruit – instead of giving Christ the boot – in graciously added New Year!

(The first version of this article was published in Blessing magazine – January 2004. Duke’s children – Dale Nathan, 12 years and Datasha, 8 years – took time in their between Christmas and New Year holidays of 2015 to digitalize it, 11 years after it was first written! Find out more about the author of this article – Dr. Duke Jeyaraj, the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a reader supported ministry – at www.dukev.org).

THE FRUIT OR THE BOOT – FOR THE LORD THIS YEAR?
Dr. Duke Jeyaraj

The owner came to the garden with expectations. High hopes. “Surely fruits will dangle down the fig tree I planted! It has been three years! I just can’t wait to taste the fruits!” He was smacking his lips in anticipation. What did he get to see? Fruits? Hardly. Instead the tree gave him the boot – it was barren. Now he was biting his lips with frustration. The owner became furious. “Chop this fruitless fig tree down,” he ordered the gardener. “Why waste fertilizer and water on it for ANOTHER YEAR?” The gardener would not give up on the tree he had tended tenacious for over three years. He pleaded, “Just give it one more year, Master – just one more year! That is all. I will tend it. Take good care it. And I am sure it will give us fruit in this year of extension! You bet!”

The above-narrated story is a contemporary form of a parable of Jesus (Luke 13:6-9). A story our Master narrated. A yarn our Master spinned to shake us from our yawning! He told this story to drive home a crucial lesson? This lesson: we have got a New Year to live just because of sheer grace. He has marked out a New Year for us just because of his massive mercy. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is true that when he spoke of that fig tree he was speaking of the nation Israel. The prophets of the old often compared Israel to a fig tree-didn’t they (See Hosea 9:10 for an example)? But it also true we, followers of Christ, are the nation that God hoped would bear fruit. That is the reason, we read that he took the Kingdom of God from national Israel and gave it to a “new” Israel (that is actually us, believers, called as a ‘holy nation’ by Peter in 1 Peter 2:9) (Math. 21:13). But we – the new Israel – haven’t done any better than national Israel. We have been neglectful about our duty to give fruit as national Israel! The “Gentile” Israel – us – has been as giving God the boot (instead of the fruit) like the Geographical Israel so often did!

Israel, the fig tree, was blessed have plenty of water and fertilizer year after year. The Law of Moses they received through Moses in generous doses was the “water” the fig tree of Israel was flooded with (Rom. 9:4). The pack of prophets who faithfully proclaimed this law in a practical and powerful way to the people of Israel year after year – well, they were the “fertilizers” so to speak (2 Kings 17:13ff). But they would not simply grow up and bear fruit. They became “ fat”, oh yes! But “faithful” Nah! Look over your shoulder. At the previous years of your existence. Surely you were watered. Certainly you were fertilized. Think of the Bible Studies you sat in. Think of many sermons you heard. Think of the church services you attended. Think of the camps and conferences you took part in. You too became “fat”. But were you “fruitful”? Well that is another story, correct? !

Listen, Jesus (the Gardener in this parable) did not narrate this story to paint his Father in a poor picture. Hear this good: The Father (the Owner in this story) is not an ultra-strict principal out to hound you and dismiss you from his school for the first failure you had without any mercy. He is not like a class teacher who gives you a “you-will-never-make-it-in-life” lecture after your examination flops. His Father is as loving and as gracious as He is. When we interpret a parable we should just look for one lesson from it-that’s the thumb rule of interpreting parables. The Father God gave a similar extension in the life of King Hezekiah, remember ? (Isa 38:1-5). “Through the Lord’s mercies (the Father’s mercies) we are not consumed,” Jeremiah wrote-don’t forget (Lam 3:22). You see, the Father is as understanding as the Son is. The Son – all of us very well know – lives “forever to intercede” for us we read up (Heb 7:25).

The year you and I have to get to exist in, is a year of grace. Sure we are living in the Space age. But it also true we are living in the grace age – an age graciously given us so that we will for a change give our Maker good fruit instead of giving him the boot!

If this one-year extension given us so that we bear “fruit” what sort of fruit should we bear? The fruit of PENITENCE. That is what John the Baptist preached to the Jewish Religions’ big shots (Luke 3:8). They could not hide behind the fact that Abraham was their ancestor without bearing fruit, he warned. In other words what John was getting at was this: “You can’t swap your religious heritage for personal change!” In the New Year that we have entered, we called to produce “fruits of repentance”. That would mean all the tantrum throwing of the past years should be trashed. That would mean all the porn-watching of the past years should be pushed aside. That would mean all the foul-languages that filled your mouth should be flushed away. And when we do that believe me, slowly but surely the “fruit” of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control-will show up in your Christian walk when you carry an attitude of penitence the whole year out!

Why would the Lord mark “plus 1” for us who live in the OnePlus 2 (that talked about ‘flagship’-killer Smartphone released in 2015)? To bear fruit. The fruit of PONDERING. Pondering on his word. Meditating on the Bible, God’s Word in human words. I first picked up this new version of the Bible in the year 2014. I enjoy reading this version. It is called The Voice. Let me quote from Psalm 1:1-3 from that version for you: God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn: when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes, when you avoid sin’s highway, when judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse. For you, the Eternal’s Word is your happiness. It is your focus—from dusk to dawn. You are like a tree, planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry. Your fruit ripens in its time; your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun. No matter what you do, you prosper.” There you have it: when you spend time making God’s Word your focus, dusk to dawn, you are like the tree the fruits of which ripens in its time! The Bible has approximately 1200 chapters. If you read 10 chapters of the Bible every day, you would read the Bible in full in 120 days flat (four months). That is simple math! If that is tough, try reading five chapters a day and you can wrap up reading all the Bible in 8 months. If you read four chapters a day, and five during weekends, you will comfortably complete reading all the Bible in a year. Why not try it out this new year? I found the following challenging lines at satisfactionthroughchrist.com: “Up for a challenge? The Horner system is sort of an osmosis system, the idea being inundation rather than meditation. With it, you’ll read ten chapters per day from ten different books. Over the course of a year, you’ll read through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters 4-5 times each, the Old Testament wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the Old Testament History and Prophetic books about 1 1⁄2 times.”

An extension year for what ? To bear fruit. “Fruit – what do you mean?” Ask the writer of Hebrews. “Therefore by him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name” (Heb.13:15). You have guessed it correct – the fruit of PRAISE. Would you to thank God for at least five blessings you have received from Him each day of the New Year? For the safe ride you had back home. For the food on your table. For the friends and folks you dote over you. If you did that you are bearing “fruit”. And God’s disappointment with you will dry. God’s frustration with you will fizzle out!

Annexure year for what? To produce “fruit”. “What do you mean?” Ask Jesus himself. He told his disciples once remember , ‘Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’ Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for the harvest! And he who receives wages, and gathers FRUIT for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together” (John 4:35:36). The point of Christ was making was this: “One look around you will get to see the likes of the Samaritan Woman-seeking, searching! Truckloads of disappointed and dejected people desperately looking for the Living Water. They will drink from Me-believe Me –if only you go and tell them about Me!” The fruit of PROCLAMATION is what I eagerly expected of us in our gracious-given extra year! That’s the reason God chose us: so that we bear “fruit” (win souls) and that our “fruit” remains (and the souls we win make it all the way to Heaven!) (John 15:16). In this supplementary year God’s grace has supplied to you why not become a serious soul winner? Why not gather with a few of your High School/College Christ-following pals to pray and study his word for a few minutes during your lunch break or after class? Why not stand in the most happening youth hangout in town and pass out contemporary gospel tracts? Why not proclaim Christ through life and lip using every opportunity?

Jesus signs off from this parable with a telling warning: “And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down!” (Luke 13:9). Can you really be “cut” down this year if you give Jesus the boot this year instead of fruit? There is a real possibility, buddy. There is an actual chance for that, my friend. What if you die – be cut down – suddenly this year would you be found giving fruit for the Savior or giving him the boot? If you say, “Well, that will not happen to me – ever,” then you must listen to the story of Ahab. Ahab, year after year, was giving Yahweh the finger. Giving His God the boot. Five prophets at least – the famous Elijah, prophet Obadiah, prophet Micaiah and two unnamed prophets – tried to correct him and coax him on to the way of God. But he stayed stubborn. He was solidly stiff-necked. And you know what – his life was cut off crudely when he least expected it or wanted it. He had boasted to prophet Micaiah that he would return safely from a battle God did not want him to fight. He was cocksure of that because he went to a battle in a disguise and He thought he was well protected by an armor. But a randomly shot arrow hit in the joints between the joints of his armor and he shortly died (1 Kings 22:27, 34, 35). Till his sudden death, mind you, he was giving his Maker the boot.

That is what false prophet Hananiah did too. Wanting to impress the people of Judah he prophesied: “Jeremiah is telling you that this captivity in Babylon will last for 70 long years. Forget it! It is gonna last just for two years. That is all! Take it easy, folks! Deep down in his gut, Prophet Hananiah knew he was just conning the people. He knew he had not heard from God on this subject but was simply bluffing in an attempt to become the favorite prophet of the people at the expense of Jeremiah. He was giving the God who called him to be a prophet the boot – not fruit! This was the New Year promise he received from the Lord: “Your life will end THIS VERY YEAR because you have rebelled against the Lord” (Jer. 27:16)! Two months later, he died – still giving God the finger (v 17). A sad end. A sorry finish. Do you know that for any of us this New Year promise may come true: “Your life will end this VERY YEAR!” (Jer. 27:19). The reason? Our life is unpredictable. Biblically speaking it can end at any time – including this very minute or this year – did any one care to tell you? I care. Our life is comparable to a fleeting fog or a fading flower, the Bible tells us (Job 14:1/ Jas. 4:14). It can be short. It can be cut short! If you told me, “Duke, don’t give some Old Testament mumbo-jumbo!” I will show you the sad lives of post-Cross, in-the-New-Testament narrative, Ananias-Sapphira (Acts 5) and King Herod (Acts 12). The lives of these folks were also cut short when they failed to make the “extra year” added to their lives count – it can be seen that way!

I pray that will not be sad story of any of us this extra year God has gracious given us! Instead, let us wisely use this year to bear fruit – instead of giving Christ the boot – in graciously added New Year!

(The first version of this article was published in Blessing magazine – January 2004. Duke’s children – Dale Nathan, 12 years and Datasha, 8 years – took time in their between Christmas and New Year holidays of 2015 to digitalize it, 11 years after it was first written! Find out more about the author of this article – Dr. Duke Jeyaraj, the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, a reader supported ministry – at www.dukev.org).

© Grabbing De Google Generation 4m Gehenna Mission

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