LENTEN MESSAGE

SAVING GRACE OF GOD

The Holy Bible says, “The law of the Lord is perfect; it gives new strength.”  (Psalms 19: 7)

Daniel a noble, intelligent and specially blessed young man by God to interpret visions and dreams was appointed during the reign of King Darius to supervise the governors and to manage the king’s interests. His outstanding reliability and honesty was a cause of concern for the other governors and supervisors who would be jealous and look out for ways to corner Daniel; who was trustworthy, pious and consistent in his worship to the true living God three times a day. They decided to trap him through his religion and so requested the king to send a decree that no one would be permitted to worship their god except His Majesty; and whoever violates this law would be thrown into a pit filled with lions.

Daniel respected the king but never compromised with the Law of True Living God. He knelt down at his open window and prayed as always. His enemy’s watchful eyes caught him and they accused Daniel before the king for violating His Majesty’s order. Though the King had empathy towards Daniel; yet he was helpless before his own decree and gave permission to throw Daniel into the pit filled with hungry lions, pronouncing, “Daniel, may your God, whom you serve so loyally rescue you.” The next dawn, the king hurried to the pit and found that Daniel was safe; he was overjoyed when the pious young man answered, “God sent his angel to shut the mouths of lions so that they would not hurt me.  He did this because he knew that I was innocent and because I have not wronged you, your majesty.”

Daniel in the lion's pit well guarded by Sovereign God

Dear readers, is the Lord whom you worship capable to save you? Daniel proved his faithfulness and obedience to his God and His Law and God rewarded His faithful by rescuing him from the mouth of the lions. The Lord our Living God, at Mount Sinai made a covenant not only for our forefathers but also for all those living today. “Worship no God but Me”, God explained, “not to make any images of anything and do not bow down to any idols or worship it.” Daniel was well aware of the dangers that awaited him on his disobedience to the king’s order, yet he was not fearful of the punishment and was ready to die rather than disobey His faithful God. Our existing world is a damaged one- where dangers await every moment; yet we are sluggish towards our approach to God who alone can save us. How ashamed are we at times to utter our faith explicitly!

Dear readers, with a true sense, break off all the deceitful chains and release yourself. Be bold enough to fast from all your idol worship to please your friends, boss or family members, superiors or anyone who follow such acts. Let us pray to God on their behalf for a way to open their inner eyes to the truth. Let us also abstain from sin and its consequences for disobeying the first Law of loving God. We , mankind fast for various purposes. This Lenten fast actually bridges our ways closer to Lord Jesus; to make atonement for our sins. Through fasting and abstinence we ought to refrain from our senseless acts that please just our mortal self and develop a strong will power to fight against it. These will assist to control the confusion in our lives and to articulate boldly with a Yes’ or ‘No’ to the circumstances clearly.

Never be of the opinion that the season of Lent is to cry in pain and suffering of Christ Jesus; instead create a new loving and loyal heart towards Jesus Christ and to others. May this Lenten journey assist us in repairing the broken bricks and cracks of our family relations. For the sake of Christ Jesus who died for you and me, accept your life partner as he or she is because Christ agreed to die for your salvation when you were a sinner. He allowed to wound His soul and body for every human.

Hence, Lent is the observant time to wash His Holy wounds, apply ointment and bandage it. Could you be successful in applying medicine to atleast to one wound of your beloved Saviour? Dear ones, if you abstain from this holy deed who else would adhere to it? We, His beloved are only there for Jesus Christ.

Remembering our Lord Jesus’ quote- that whatever we do for the least; we do it for Him let us see our Lord in each of our family member let us accept them as they are. Blessed are those who cried out with Lord Jesus; Veronica who took courage to wipe the face of the wounded Lord amidst His accusers; Simon of Cyrene who got an opportunity to help Lord Jesus to carry the cross;  Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethia who could do the last rites of Lord Jesus;  His disciple John who stood at the Holy feet of the cross accepting Mother Mary as his own mother, and comforted her. Yes dear loved ones in Christ, we are also highly blessed if you could see Jesus in those who are wounded, bitterly crying, carrying heavy loads and dying spiritually, abandoned parents, children, wives, husbands, etc. You may be one among them if you accept your family unconditionally.  He says to you, “I will send my saving grace to those who observe my command truly.”  Do not falter in His commandment; never bend the Lord’s command nor add to it.  Let it always be a ‘Yes’ to the Lord.

Temptations come to remind that we are humans; it is not a sin. We can overcome it by turning our gaze to Jesus our Master, who overcame all the temptations of the world victoriously and taught us to pray at all times in mind “Lead us not to temptations, but deliver us, O Lord.”

Temptations are like spider, which makes webs in our houses.  If we allow them, they make the webs everywhere and create troubles.  So we need to remove it on a regular basis.  So also if we allow temptations to take place in our heart and fall into it, accordingly we have to suffer the consequences.  But if we overcome it, we promote to more spiritual maturity by avoiding sin.  So do not worry about your fear of temptations, but strive to overcome it by using the above-said methods.

During this Lent let us concentrate on reunion of our  family unity by correcting self; believing that Lord my Saviour died for me, to teach me to accept and love one another.  God gave us this life and relationships to sustain them through Him. Therefore He has the means to maintain those relationships because He generously gave us such a precious gift - ‘Salvation made possible to us’. You can surely trust Him for your present intention.  So do not be worried about the past or future, be still on present, strive for the betterment in union with Christ Jesus.  Let your God be the origin of all creation, the invisible spiritual God always inspires to love Him, yourself and others.  But worship only Him.  One step ahead bring back the abandoned ones from your family – you may have forgotten to have connection with certain people whom God gifted in your life – it can be the hindrance to your health and prosperity, it can also break the chord of your parent –children relation.  Strive to become a transformed person and experience a deeper sense that life is safer and secure with Jesus Christ.  Never be afraid of crowds or trials of daily life, but like Daniel with a strong will power, deep insight foreview the power of the Living Lord, who can rescue from all disasters and adversity. He will rule forever and His Kingdom will never be destroyed.  His power will never come to an end; He is the One who can save and rescue you.  He can perform wonders and miracles in heaven and on earth.  Halleluiah!

Dear readers, fear and respect Him.  He will honour you.  King Darius gave orders to arrest all the men who had accused Daniel and they were thrown together with their wives and children into the pit filled with lions and before they reached the bottom of the pit, the lions pounced on them and broke off all their bones.  The Lord of Daniel says, “My love for you is too strong.”  “Don’t think that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help.”  (Isaiah 59:1)

The kind of fasting the Lord wants is this:  Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.  Share your food with the hungry, open your homes for the homeless poor.  Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear and do not refuse to help your own relatives. Dear devotees of Christ, God do not ask you to buy the Kingdom of God by merely spending your currency.  He does not need your money and great sacrifices.  If you try to put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, to every evil word and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.  He will keep you strong and well to rebuild the ruined walls of your houses.

May the Lord bless you and take care of you. May He be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look on you with favour and give you peace.

With love filled blessings,

Your Sister in Christ

THE BOOK OF SUSANNA

Susanna's Beauty Attracts Two Judges

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim, who was married to Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah. Susanna was a beautiful woman and deeply religious.

Her parents were devout Jews who had brought up their daughter to live according to the Law of Moses. Her husband Joakim was very wealthy. Lovely gardens surrounded his house, and the other Jews often gathered there for meetings, because they all thought so highly of him. Everyone who had a legal case to present would also go to Joakim's house, where two judges held court. These two leaders of the Jewish community had recently been appointed to office. They were the ones about whom the Lord said, "There is wickedness in Babylon; judges are failing to give guidance to the people."

Every day at noon, when all the people left for lunch, Susanna used to take a walk in the gardens. The two judges were so attracted to her that they would wait about and watch for her. They became so obsessed with their desire for her that they lost interest both in prayer and in their responsibility as judges. They each wanted Susanna, but neither told the other how he felt, for each was ashamed to admit his lust. So day after day they watched eagerly to catch sight of her.

One day at noon they said to each other, "It's time for lunch; let's go home."  So they both left and went their separate ways, but soon each one came back for a look at Susanna, and by accident they met each other.  At first each tried to explain what he was doing there, but finally they both confessed their desire for Susanna. They decided to watch for a time when they might find her alone.  So they kept waiting for the right opportunity.

The Judges Try to Seduce Susanna

One day Susanna went into the garden as usual with her two servant girls. No one else was there, except the two judges, who had hidden and were watching Susanna. It was very hot and she decided to take a bath. So she said to her servants, "Bring me some bath oil and some perfume, and lock the gates, so that I won't be disturbed." The servants locked the main gates and went out by the side door to get, what Susanna had asked for. They did not notice the two men.

As soon as the servants had left, the two judges jumped out from their hiding­ place, ran to Susanna, and said to her, "The gates are locked and no one will see us. We are burning to have sex with you, so give us what we want. If you don't, we will go to court and swear that we saw you send your servants away, so that you could be alone with a young man.”  

"There is no way out," Susanna moaned. "If I give in to you, I could be put to death for adultery. If I refuse, you will still have me trapped.  But I would rather be your innocent victim than sin against the Lord."  So she started screaming as loud as she could, and the two judges began shouting accusations, while one of them ran and unlocked the gates.

As soon as the servants in the house heard all the noise, they ran into the gardens through the side door to find out what had happened to Susanna. The judges told their story, and the servants were shocked and ashamed. Such a thing had never been said about Susanna before.

The Judges Testify against Susanna

The next day, when the people assembled at Joakim's house, the two judges arrived, fully determined to carry out their wicked plan to have Susanna put to death. In front of all the people they said, "Send for Joakim's wife Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah." When she was called, she came in with her parents, her children, and all her other relatives.  Susanna was so graceful and beautiful that the two wicked men ordered her veil to be removed, so that they might enjoy looking at her. Her family and everyone else were in tears.

Then the two judges stood up in front of the people, placed their hands on Susanna's head, and began making their accusations against her.  She was crying, but she looked up to heaven because she trusted the Lord. The two men gave the following testimony: "We were walking in the garden when this woman came in with her two servant girls. She locked the main gates and asked the servants to leave. Then a young man who had been hiding in the garden came to her, and they lay down together. We were in a comer of the garden, and when we saw what was happening, we ran over and caught them in the act. We tried to hold on to the man, but he was too strong for us. He ran and opened the gates and got away, but we were able to hold the woman. We asked her who the man was, but she refused to tell us. We swear that our testimony is true." Because the two men were not only leaders in the community but also judges, the people believed their story and condemned Susanna to death.

Daniel Rescues Susanna

Then Susanna cried out in a loud voice, "Eternal God, nothing can be kept secret from you; you know everything before it happens. Here I am about to die, but you know that I am innocent, that these men are lying. Why must I die?"

The Lord heard her prayer and led a young man named Daniel to speak out, just as Susanna was being taken away to her death. He shouted, "I refuse to be a party to her death!"

Everyone turned round to look at him and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Daniel stood up before them and said, "People of Israel, how foolish can you be? Are you going to condemn an Israelite woman to death on this kind of evidence? You haven't even tried to find out the truth.  Reopen the case. The testimony these men gave was a lie."

So all the people hurried back to where the trial had taken place, and the officials said to Daniel, "God has given you wisdom beyond your years, so come and join us and explain to us what you mean."

Daniel said to them, "Separate the two judges, and let me question them one at a time."  Then Daniel called the first judge and said, "You wicked old man, now you will have to answer for all the sins you have committed.  You have been giving unjust sentences. You have condemned the innocent and released the guilty, even though the Lord has said, 'Do not put an innocent person to death.'  Now if you really did see this couple making love, tell me, what tree were they under?"

"Under a small gum-tree," he answered. Daniel said, "Right! That lie will cost you your life. God's angel has already been given orders to chop you in two."

Then the first judge was led away and the second one was brought before Daniel. "You are more like a Canaanite than a Jew," Daniel said to him. "This woman's beauty has warped your judgement, and lust has corrupted your thinking.  You are used to having your way with the women of Israel because they have been afraid of you, but here is a Jewish woman, and she would not give in.  Now, tell me what tree you saw them under."

"Under a large oak-tree," he answered.  Daniel said, "Right! That lie will cost you your life; God's angel is waiting with his sword in his hand, ready to cut you in two. Then we shall be rid of you both."

Then all the people shouted and praised God, who saves those who put their trust in him.  They turned against the two judges because Daniel had proved that they had lied under oath.  The Law of Moses states that people who give false testimony shall receive the same punishment that the accused person would have received. And so the two judges were put to death, and the life of an innocent woman was saved.  Susanna's parents, her husband, and all her relatives praised God because she had been proved innocent of the charges. From that day on, Daniel was held in high regard.

This is the Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God