#thedailywords

[unnikrishna]

Whatever, നീതി ആദ്യം ഊണു കഴിക്കാം! #kerala #malayali #thedailytype #thedailywords #thedailymalayali #typeism #typelove #typography #malayalamlanguage #politicsisright #meanwhileinkerala #politicsisleft

[carlerinle]

Leaven In The Believer Part I

Monday 8th March 2021

1 Cor. 5:6 – “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”

Leaven in Christendom generally  has negative connotations. Today, we will take a look at this important subject to get a proper understanding of how leaven applies to believers. The feast of the Passover, or feast of unleavened bread, is so called because this feast celebrates the night when the angel of death passed over every house that had blood smeared on it (Ex. 12:14-17). This was the feast that Jesus and His disciples celebrated the night He was betrayed (Matt. 26:17-19) and because of this, some churches teach that the Lord’s Supper must be eaten with unleavened bread, since that’s was the menu at the last supper. The reality, however, is that the unleavened bread featured only because it was the feast of the Passover, and because Christ is our Passover, He had to be killed at the Passover. The focus of the Lord’s supper is and must remain Christ’s sacrifice, not on leavened or unleavened bread.

Now, something may be a symbol in the Bible, but it does not mean that it is a symbol every time it appears in the Bible. Sometimes, bread represents the Word of God in the Bible, but sometimes, bread is really just bread. It means that we must understand “bread” contextually whenever we see it in the Bible. In the same way, though leaven is used to represent several things, both positive and negative, in the Bible, neither yeast, nor leavened bread, nor unleavened bread themselves, are good or bad. What is important is that we understand the context of the leaven as it applies to us. Leaven in the Bible has a central principle, which is that something small can affect something big. Let’s look at some of the things that leaven represents in scripture. First, false doctrine (Matt. 16:6-12). Doctrine is the essential meat that believers rely on for spiritual growth. False doctrine is especially harmful to the believer because it creates faith in a falsehood and does not lead to spiritual growth. When false doctrine holds sway over some of your beliefs, they begin to influence more and more of your beliefs until after a while, a person can get caught up in false doctrines. This is why growth is important, so that we are not tossed about by every wind of doctrine.

Second, hypocrisy (Lk. 12:1). Hypocrisy is when actions fall short of words. A gang leader may accuse a member of his gang of being a hypocrite if he fails to kill as he said he would, and people would accuse a pastor of hypocrisy if he fornicated with someone not his spouse. Hypocrisy waters down the strength of a person’s convictions such that over time, the person loses the urgency to live by their beliefs. The more a person lives in hypocrisy, the more their dishonesty becomes ingrained, and at the end, it will lead such a person to loss of faith. It is a cankerworm that eats at the strength of a believer’s convictions, causing him to be most unlike God, whose words always match His actions. Hypocrisy is one of the most unGodly behaviours a believer can indulge in, and is most dangerous because it takes over the mind .

Another thing that leaven depicts in the Bible is sin. In 1 Cor. 5:1-9, Paul writes to the Corinthian church about the practice of fornication and adultery that had become rampant in that church. He told them that such a person who would engage in this kind of activity could easily influence others who thought they could never engage in that kind of activity. Paul’s recommendation, if such a person fails to repent, is for them to remove this person from their midst, and essentially excommunicate him/her. Leaven is like the first cancerous cells that a doctor finds during a routine check. The immediate step to take is to excise the cancerous cells so that they don’t spread and lead to full-blown and terminal cancer.

…to be continued tomorrow. Have a blessed day.

[sketchythiings]

In a way we all retain a little of the soul of sweet Gawain: our voices rise to claim the tests we later leave in shame.   Honour is a concept we are no longer comfortable thinking of; there's too much stress and misery in the meaning of a cast-off glove.   So we keep our words as best we're able - leaving the rest to the time of fables.

“chivalry is dead, they said” (5/120)

today’s poem was inspired by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (14th C.), Anonymous

[nitadances2]

🦶🏾🦶🏾Its Under Your Feet Oct 01, 2020 Today’s Scripture 1 Corinthians 15:27, NIV Amen." #thedailyword #scripture #inspriation #motivation (at DeKalb County, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFziY1NlN8W/?igshid=as3p5pwzoiy

[typebyhandblog]

Day 17 of positive vibes. L❤️vely. You are. #typebyhand #dndlettering #handlettering #makersgonnamake #typegang #photooftheday #lettering #lovely #l❤️vely #sketchbook #challenge #photooftheday #freehand #goodtype #artoftype #typespire #thedailytype #thedailyword #showupeveryday (at Newton, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/BswHbZ6n2fJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cl15f58afaah

[unnikrishna]

Convertible Debentures !! #kerala #malayali #thedailytype #thedailywords #thedailymalayali #typeism #typelove #typography #malayalamlanguage #matrimonyswag #matrimony matters #meanwhileinkerala #malayaliweddingmatters #socialrealism #religiousfreedom #religionfree #religioustolerance #religioustolerance #multiplicity #malayalimultiplicity

[unnikrishna]

... and his bark is heard on the distant hill..... Sancho ! #throwback #vintage #karuvatta #homeguard #love #typeism #typelove #thedailytype #thedailywords #malayali #kerala #typography

[unnikrishna]

Not white, gray, black or red ! but green !! #kerala #malayali #typography #typeism #bftype #malayalam #typespire #typedaily #thedailytype #thedailywords #whitelies #graylies #blacklies #redlies #greenlies #thedailyfluff

[unnikrishna]

Left or right; Fever is constant in Kerala ! and we just wait for rain to start every year ! yeah , history doesn't teach us anything #Hegel #willdurant #georgesantayana #kerala #malayali #typography #typeism # #bftype #malayalam #typespire #typedaily #thedailytype #thedailywords #thedailyfluff

[unnikrishna]

#kerala #malayali #typography #thedailytype #thedailywords #politics #typespire #typelove #typeism #dailyfluff #dailywords #malayalam #malayalees #heymalayalees #enthamalayalees #dailyshit

[unnikrishna]

#may #maybe #maybenot #maynotbe #typeism #typelove #thedailytype #thedailywords #typefun #typography #typelove #typedaily #typespire #thedesigntip @thedailytype @thedesigntip @typotunes #typesocial #typelabour #typeconservative #conservativetype

[carlerinle]

Hunger Or Craving

Monday 3rd April 2021

Jer. 15:16 – “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.”

Some people are very picky about the kind of plate they eat from, as if the vessel influences the taste of the food in any way. They enjoy using the best cutlery, the most comfortable dining table and chairs, etc. For them, the food must be cooked and served just the way they like it. But imagine how a homeless hungry person would eat if offered a meal. Would the kind of plate or spoon be important? No! The one who is actually hungry would care nothing about the peripheral details of the food, as long as it was healthy and nourishing for him. He wouldn’t even mind using his hands to eat, as long as the food is healthy and good for him. A thirsty person rescued from the desert wouldn’t care if the cup of water was plastic or steel, as long as it had water in it.

How does this apply to us as believers? Today, we have people who want the Gospel to be taught in specific ways. They focus on how a preacher preaches, rather than on what the preacher preaches. They focus on the length of the sermon, rather than on its subject. In the Church today, we have people who have no hunger for the Word of God, and as a result, they allow peripheral and inconsequential issues like air-conditioning, seating, ambience, sound, etc. to influence whether or not they will listen to a sermon or not. They are not hungry to know God, or at least not willing to know Him without some comfort. You see, spiritual truth is something that must be sought after, because it doesn’t come from a surface interaction with scripture. You must be willing to go deeper, and many times, going deeper will require letting go of the comforts.

What are the criteria by which you chose your church? Some of the common criteria include a good sound system, wealthy members, projector and devices in use, good ambience, etc. Very few Christians will use truth as the criteria for joining a church. The Church is the pillar and ground of truth (1 Tim. 3:15), and if you are not being fed with truth in your local assembly, chances are that you’re in a social gathering, not a church. What is truth? God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). Jesus said those who hunger and thirst after righteousness would be filled. To hunger and thirst after something is to look for it everywhere, as if your life depends on it. Hunger and thirst are different from cravings; they are needs while cravings are desires. Anything that is food and drink will satisfy hunger and thirst, but cravings are satisfied by something specific. In our focal text, Jeremiah says he found the Word, which means he’d been looking. Once he found them, he ate them voraciously because he recognised that it was the sustenance he needed.

But because the church today is filled with people who are not famished, they have become seeker-sensitive and ultimately futile in helping people grow spiritually. It’s great if your pastor is dapper, has a pretty wife, with the latest sound system, best lighting, and a choir whose talent matches the surrounding. But these and other peripherals do not make for spiritual growth. Short services that have no spiritual weight in your heart are destructive to your spiritual journey. Don’t let the peripherals satisfy only your cravings; keep your heart hungry for God’s truth, and let your spirit seek it out wherever it can be found (Pro. 23:23). Look deeper than the surface, look everywhere you can, and the Holy Spirit will reveal His truth to your spirit, and it will continue to build you up till you are perfected.

Have a blessed day.

[carlerinle]

Faith To The Faithful

Sunday 2nd April 2021

Mk. 11:22 – “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.”

Faith is the vehicle by which we access the grace of God (Eph. 2:8). To be clear, every human is wired to have faith in. We all have the capacity to believe, whether in a cause, a person, an idea, etc. and when we do believe, it inevitably and unavoidably leads to a change in behaviour towards that cause, person, idea, etc. What Jesus says simply is for us to have faith in God, that is, we are to direct this faith capacity we have towards believing in God. You see, there are two levels of faith. While all faith is the result of information received, faith in God takes a leap beyond what we know to believe in what God says about Himself. For example, belief in gravity is based on our knowledge and sensual experience of gravity. That is, we know about gravity and can experience it with our physical senses. Thus, we refuse to jump off a building because we know the outcome.

Faith in God is entirely different. When a person hears the Word of God, and understanding dawns in their hearts, faith in God is born. It is important to stress this, that for faith in God to come, there must be understanding of what is taught. When Jesus says we should have faith in God, what He is saying is that we must believe in the totality of His being, together with His power, His will, and His purposes. It is by faith that we access all the victories that are contained in the Word of God concerning us, and it is by faith that we live out those victories on the earth. Faith is the response of the human spirit to God’s Word, and that response inevitably affects our behaviour in every area of our lives. Faith permeates our entire being such that every step we take, every decision, every choice is based on our faith in God.  

Faith is understanding that God’s power is infinite and believing that He will do the impossible. There is faith for salvation which all believers receive, and there’s faith for healing (Acts 14:9), and faith for whatever else we want God to do. Whatever you see in the Word that produces faith in you is possible. Faith is how we receive justification, and also how we heal the sick, how we multiply our resources, cast out demons, etc. Faith is the belief in God’s ultimate power to do any and everything according to His will. Very closely related to faith is trust. While faith is the belief in who God is and what He can do (Heb. 11:6), trust is the dependence on God that He will always do what’s best for us. Faith and trust keep us in the centre of God’s will because when we believe God for something, trust keeps us believing in Him even if that thing doesn’t happen as we expected.

Whatever God wants to do among men, faith is how we access it. Whether it’s praying for the sick, or for the fruit of the womb, or praying for business success, or any other request, faith is the only way we can receive what we’re asking for. Faith doesn’t make God do what we want, but it is how we receive what God wants. The same way a child has faith in his parents’ ability to provide, not just his needs, but even his desires, the same way we can turn to God to provide whatever we need, trusting that He will do it for us. We must balance our faith with our trust, knowing that God is the ultimate decider, and He will do whatever He has already purposed to do. This means that whenever we bring our requests to God, we do so in submission to His overriding will. Faith doesn’t change God’s mind or make His mind up for Him. Yet, for everything God wants to do, He needs men and women who will have faith in the impossible, faith that will move every obstacle, faith that will bring His purpose to life on this earth. Have faith in God. The entirety of your being is a product of faith, and faith will take you to glory. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

[carlerinle]

Time No Longer!

Saturday 1st May 2021

John 9:4 – “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

The final minutes of a football game are very critical for the teams that are playing the game as each tries to win the game in those last few moments. In chess, players spend a great deal of time and energy on their end-game strategy. As we all know, we are in the end times, and it’s time for us to play the endgame. Jesus said that the fields are ready for harvest (John 4:35) and we’re called to be co-labourers with God in that harvest work. Unlike in sports, this harvest work is no game, because the devil is intent on herding as many souls as he can away from God. This is why we must understand the urgency and intentionality that the work of ministry requires of us now. So many of us don’t understand that souls are indeed perishing every day, that the Church is being besieged by the world, so that many in the Church are not actually in the Church. The devil has been so deliberate about his goals for a long time now, and it would appear that the Church is only playing catch up. What is of comfort to us is that God assures us that none of those who are meant to be saved will be lost.

It does, however, place a responsibility on us to play our part in the ministry of reconciliation that we are all called into. Every single believer, regardless of function in the Body, is called to evangelise about Christ to the world. That is the lowest rung of the ladder in ministry. This whole ministry work relates to both those inside and those outside the church. Ministry is about getting people saved, and then getting saved people matured in their Christianity. A believer who isn’t growing or maturing is not being ministered to and that’s a problem because growth has no neutral position. When it comes to ministry, each of us has our part to play, and it is essential that we each do what is expected of us by God. Some are called to be on the frontlines of ministry, leading a local assembly, teaching the Word to a group of believers, joining the mission fields to spread the Gospel to communities where it is not popularly taught, among many other examples.

For many Christians, however, this is all they consider to be ministry. They consider that ministry is about pastors and everyone who leads a local assembly or a body of believers. But ministry is bigger than the pulpit. Ministry is not limited to function; it is about purpose and that is why it requires more than the pastor to make a ministry. The usher, the chorister, the decorator, the cleaner, the technicians, etc. and every single function that pitches in to make the work easier is part of ministry. Moses was the leader, but he had other support systems around him, and they were called to do it just like him. 1 Cor. 7:20 tells us to stay in the calling that God has called each one of us.

One thing we must all realise is that time is drawing to a close, and it is becoming more and more imperative that each of God’s children express their divine call in the furtherance of the Gospel. Before we know it, time will be up, and if you’ve not been actively involved in ministry work, you will have a different experience than others who have been involved. It’s time now, more than ever before, for you to identify your calling and join the work. You can support God’s work through your money, time, skills, etc., doing whatever you can to make the work flow smoothly. Support your ministers, support the local assembly, get active in a department, fellowship with your brethren. Time is almost up, don’t ignore the work, rather let it flourish through your contributions, whether on or behind the pulpit.

Welcome to May! Have a blessed day.

[carlerinle]

Making Marriage Meaningful Part IV

Monday 12th April 2021

Eph. 5:22,25 – “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”

Speaking of personality, an understanding of personality types is important both for intending and existing marriages. Our personality is a product of several influences including parentage, culture, financial status, social status, religion, etc. When two people come together to start a relationship that is aimed at marriage, it is to be expected that there will be a difference in personalities. In this case, conflict should be expected and prepared for so as not to become terminal. God gives us emotions so that we can tolerate the differences in each other’s personalities. The longer you spend together, the more you begin to understand each other. Approach your relationship with an advance forgiveness so that when mistakes happen, both of you take the lessons and move on. After a while of being together, your personalities will rub off on each other so much that you will be more alike than different.

Love languages are how each person prefers to express and experience love. It is important to find out how your spouse prefers to express and experience love, so that you can make necessary adjustments. It is unwise to stick to what is comfortable for you, making what you consider to be sacrifices, but which are not meaningful to your spouse. In the Bible, God is very expressive of His love for us, and we are also encouraged to be expressive to Him in our thoughts, words and actions. In the same way, you have to find out in what way your spouse values expressions of love, and as much as you can help it, to show love to them in that way. Don’t let this be an area the enemy capitalizes on because you refuse to learn other ways of expressing love. Have a frank discussion with your spouse, ask them what they wish you would do differently, and let them know also what you would like them to do differently. It feels so much better when you are loved by and are loving your spouse the exact way they like to be loved.

On to raising Godly children. God loves for children to come from families because a family unit provides the most holistic care and upbringing the child needs to grow up in the fear of God. Kids are the real reason the devil attacks Christian marriages. You may have thought your marital issues were about you, now you need to rethink it. You are already saved, and the devil would have to do a lot to cause you to abandon the faith. But if he can get your home messed up, maybe, just maybe your kids will not get saved. Maybe your daughter will look for love in the wrong place, maybe your son will get addicted to porn or drugs or alcohol, or all three.  

The devil fights so hard to steal the chances of the next generation getting saved. You have to be aware of his strategies and realise that it’s not all about you. The real target is your kids’ faith. It’s their self-esteem, their peace of mind, their decision-making process. Your marriage is the first and most direct lesson your kids will get on how to be treated by and how to treat their spouse in marriage later on. If your daughter will marry an abuser, that’s on you today. If your son will go on to fulfil purpose, that’s on you today. You determine by your marriage what the fruit of your marriage will look like. All in all, you have the responsibility to prepare adequately for the assignment of marriage. It is the most important decision you’ll ever make, so make it wisely, with the help of the Holy Spirit. God will give you the grace to build a Godly home where righteousness and truth are the foundation, and God is served in truth. He will give you the grace to build with your spouse a haven on earth for your family.

Have a blessed day.

[carlerinle]

Making Marriage Meaningful Part III

Sunday 11th April 2021

Eph. 5:22,25 – “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”

On intimacy, the seal of your marriage is its consummation, that is, your marriage is validated when you are physically intimate with your wife. Intimacy is the lubricant that makes your marriage glide through challenges. Even though the Bible does not describe how often a married couple should have sex, we are instructed not to cheat our spouses, whether through porn, actual physical or emotional infidelity, withholding or even insisting unrealistically on having sex, by not being open and honest about personal sexual challenges, by physical violence, by emotional manipulations, etc. Intimacy goes deeper than the physical, for your spouse is not just a sexual partner. Your spouse is your most intimate relation in the whole world, and you must allow yourselves to become friends with each other. Physical intimacy can be groomed or learned, because you both have time to explore your bodies.

More important, though, is the intimacy of the soul. Here, you know the way your spouse thinks, and is likely to behave. This takes a lot of deliberate openness, and as your spouse becomes your friend, the limits to your unity are eroded. The most important kind of intimacy is spiritual intimacy. When a couple grows spiritually together, it affects every other aspect of their collective and individual lives. Praying together, studying together, learning God together, etc. are things that bring you closer together than any other activity. Intimacy is not a gift of the Spirit. It has to be worked on by both parties. Each spouse must be willing to draw closer to the other for intimacy to be born and sustained. Intimacy with your spouse is like intimacy with the Holy Spirit. You will both be able to discuss things that the devil has lied about. There will be an overarching bond of trust and loyalty that intimacy will produce in the marriage. The kids will sense that their parents like each other, and this will build in them sound self-esteem.

This brings us to unity. God wants husband and wife to become one. Unity means that the home has a singular purpose, plan and pursuit. It means that each spouse knows how they fit into the big picture of the home, and what each brings to the table. It means there is no room for the devil to whisper lies to one person’s mind and such lies are not dissolved in the light of their unity. It helps each person to know their spouse’s peculiar strengths and weaknesses and therefore to make provisions for them. In a united marriage, offence is not likely to stay for long. This unity comes by each being submitted to the Word of God, having no sacred cows and upholding their shared goals above their individual goals.

On home atmosphere, it is likely that growing up, you were not in a position to set the atmosphere in the home, and you were stuck with however your parents chose to run the home. But in marriage, you get to set the tone of how things will work in your home. You determine whether you and your spouse will be friendly and open, whether your children will go hide or run to hug you when you get back from work. You determine whether your kids’ friends are welcome, whether love will be expressive or not. The wrong atmosphere in the home is why husband and wife sleep in separate rooms, why they prefer the beer parlour to their own parlour, and why the kids can’t wait to go back to school. Building the right atmosphere influences whether or not the kids get to meet Jesus early or not, whether or not you’ll be friends with your kids or whether they will seek love outside the home, or whether laughter and love will be the complexion of your home. You determine the atmosphere, so set the right one.

…to be continued tomorrow. Have a blessed day.