Spring of Hope

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  There was a pastor who always started his Sunday service with thanksgiving to God. The people were always amazed for no matter what the circumstances were, the preacher could always find something to give thanks for. One December morning, he was late in getting to worship because of excessive snow and ice. As he began the service with prayer, the parishioners were eager to see what the old preacher could come up with to be thankful for on a dismal and frigid morning. He started his prayer like this: "Gracious Lord, we thank you that all days are not like today.” The Bible teaches that we need to be thankful in everything. "Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus". (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not all circumstances that happen to us may be good, but God can use everything that happens to us to work for our good. We generally thank for t...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  In the nineteenth century, communist leaders like Karl Marx introduced the slogan “each according to need” where they used class need analysis as their basic method for understanding society. (in his writing Critique of the Gotha program, published in 1875). Communists and Marxists recognize that fairness has a lot to do with the need of the society. They advocate that the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth should be owned or regulated by the community or the government. There is no privately owned property because they believe individual ownership will result in inequality and suffering. Wealth should be redistributed based on need. Individuals have a sense of entitlement from the society. Capitalism on the other hand encourages private ownership for profit, rather than controlled by the state. Individuals have freedom to choose what to do, and make a profit...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  We all have a sense of fairness that we establish ourselves. When things go against our value of fairness, we feel betrayed and being treated unfairly. One's standard of justice is based on the needs and the environment. The justice system in India is not the same as it is in the US, and is very different from China. So is with the justice system of the kingdom of God. It differs from human sense of justice and fairness in that it is based on grace and mercy. A rich young man came to Jesus to ask what good deeds he must do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus tells him to sell all he has and come follow. Peter picks up on this story and says to Jesus, “We have given up everything? What are we going to get?” Peter still wants a formula. Then Jesus tells the parable of the workers to say that God does not work with a formula. The mathematics of grace is that everyone wins. In s...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  Parables are simple life stories Jesus used to teach about spiritual truths. They raise intense curiosity, promising more for seekers. The interested ones will be inspired and uninterested will walk away uninspired. They are not myths or fables, nor are they doctrines or prophecies. The parable of the 'good samaritan' is the story of love beyond barriers. A Samaritan made his way down to Jericho and encountered a wounded Jew lying alongside the road. Others had hurried by too busy with their own affairs to be interrupted. But the Samaritan, who was hated by the Jews and who would be expected to pass by, “had compassion and stopped and bandaged his wounds, . . set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:33-34) There are three groups in the story: the robbers who look for opportunity to rob others, the priest and the Levite who find a need a...