BELITTLE NOT LITTLE SINS

"Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones" (Psa 137:8,9).

Even a heartless person will find it difficult to dash little ones against a rock. But God Who is most gracious and compassionate, exhorts the saints to do it. It is even surprising to read that the one who does this act shall be happy.

These words were spoken against the daughter of Babylon. Babylon the Great is called 'the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth' (Rev 17:5). If Babylon stands for all immoralities and abominable sins, the daughter of Babylon could stand for the little sins of impurities and defilements.

Happy, and of course, blessed shall he be, who searches out the seemingly insignificant sins in his life and dashes them against the Rock which is Christ i.e. destroys these sins (darkness) by bringing them to Christ (the Light).

"Take us the foxes, the little foxes (little sins), that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes" (S.S. 2:15). These foxes enter through the small holes in the fence and spoil the vines eating up the tender sweet grapes. In other words, these little foxes or sins will spoil our vine, even our good testimony, our joy, peace and grace. When tender grapes are eaten up, fruitfulness is cut off. Once these little foxes come inside the garden they no more remain little but in no time turn into fatted foxes, and hence will not be able to go out through the "little holes" they came through. "No sin is small. No grain of sand is small in the mechanism of a watch," said Jeremy Tailor.

Be "very cruel" to the very little sins in your life and "dash them against the Rock!"

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in 'Morning Manna'

HOW CAN WE RECEIVE JESUS JOYFULLY?

While Zacchaeus was clinging to the sycamore tree, Jesus came down the road, surrounded by a great multitude. The Lord came close to the place where Zacchaeus was. Then He looked up and saw Zacchaeus and said to him: "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house" (Lk 19:5). What a loving gesture!

The beautiful thing we find here is that it was not Zacchaeus who drew near to Jesus, but Jesus Who came near to him. It was not Zacchaeus who saw Jesus first, but it was Jesus Himself Who saw Zacchaeus first. It was not Zacchaeus who spoke to Jesus first, but it was Jesus Who first spoke to Zacchaeus. Dear child of God, is this not true of our spiritual life also? Before we went to Jesus, He came near us. Before we saw Him, He saw us and called us by our name, as Isaiah says: "I have even called thee by thy name."

Zacchaeus' joy knew no bounds! He had only wanted to see Jesus, but Jesus saw him, called him by his name and conferred upon him the privilege of having Him as a guest in his house. Truly, our God is able to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph 3:20).

The first thing Jesus told Zacchaeus was, "Make haste and come down!" Zacchaeus was a rich and important man, and also a chief among the publicans, which means he held a very high office. Jesus wanted him to come down from the pride of his position and possessions. This is the first thing a sinner has to do when the Lord meets him.

"Zacchaeus made haste and came down and received Him joyfully" (Lk 19:6). Dear child of God, if you have not yet received Jesus joyfully, it is because you have not yet come down from your pride. Will you make haste and come down today, and receive Him joyfully?

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in 'Morning Manna'

"BY ANY MEANS SAVE SOME"

"If by any means I... might save some of them" (Rom 11:14).

St Paul's motivation to save souls by any means, made him sacrifice much, and as a result innumerable people got saved. Even after 2000 years his epistles continued to be awesome, and all over the world souls are not only getting saved but are also being transformed. Any sacrifice we make to rescue even one soul from hell-fire is worth the while.

When a child of God was going around distributing tracts, he knocked at the door of a house. After a while, a man opened the door. The Christian offered him a tract. The man of the house angrily snatched the tract and banged the door shut on his face. Anxious to know why the man had been so upset and angry, the Christian went back to the house after a few days. This time, the man had a smile on his face when he opened the door. He invited the Christian in and showed him the fan from which he had hung a rope to commit suicide. He had been in the act of putting his head into the noose that day, when the doorbell had rung. "Anyway, I'm going to hell. Why should I spend all my time in hell wondering who might have rung the bell? Let me see who is standing outside and then proceed with my suicide plan," he had thought, and answered the door. The sight of the man with the tract annoyed him, and he was going to chuck the tract into the wastepaper basket when the words 'YOU ARE SOMEONE SPECIAL' caught his eye. He paused to glance at the contents of the tract. As he read, a light dawned in his heart. He gave his life to the Lord and gave up all his foolish plans.

Dear child of God, do all of you can, by all means and at any cost, to save souls from eternal destruction. Don't go to heaven empty-handed. What a joy it will be to be welcomed at the pearly gates by the souls you led to Christ! What a thrill that give to your spirit all eternity!

"Help us, Lord, to be a lifeline

To a dying world today

Bringing hope to hopeless people

And sharig salvation's way."

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in 'Morning Manna'

ARE YOU CORNERED?

"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord" (Exo 14:10).

They were literally "between the devil and the deep sea." Before them were the boisterous waters of the Red Sea obstructing their forward march, and lo, behind them Pharaoh and his mighty army with their iron chariots and well-trained horses in hot pursuit. On either side, apparently, were lofty mountains.

In their dilemma, their only source of comfort had been the knowledge that the angel of God and the pillar of cloud were before them. Alas, no that refuge too was gone! The angel of God went behind them, and so did the pillar of cloud which signified the presence of God. It seemed as if God had forsaken them in their anguish. We do not know, but it would not be surprising if Moses, in his despair, had cried out, 'My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?'

There are times when we are faced with a similar situation in our journey to heavenly Canaan. We find that all doors are closed to us, and that our God does not answer our prayers or seem to have pity on us. We feel we are forsaken and forgotten by everyone.

However, dear reader, for people of God, the greatest trial often turns out to be an occasion of the greatest deliverance and victory. Though all things seem to be against you, as Jacob once thought, they are in fact in your favour, praise the Lord! Everything is planned by God in His immense love and mercy. In every minute detail, God's intention is to reveal His mighty hand and invincible power.

"Are you standing at 'wits' end corner',

Christian, with troubled brow?

Are you thinking of what is before you

And all you are bearing now?

Does all the world seem against you

And you in the battle alone?

Remember - at 'wits' end corner',

Is just where God's power is shown."

- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in 'Morning Manna'