Shame, scorn and disgrace?


B. A. Manakala
You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace. You see all that my enemies are doing. (Ps 69:19 nlt)

Recently my car broke down during a long trip! It had to be towed to a service centre. After the diagnosis they came up with a list of things that needed urgent attention: the clutchplate, pressure plate and flywheel must be changed! In addition they also gave a list of other things to be done as part of the regular service. Moreover, they recommended another list of problems that may be done now or a little later. I was overwhelmed by seeing the list of repairs they came up with!

Our enemy usually has a lot to offer us. David had shame, scorn and disgrace from his enemies (Ps. 69:19). But we cannot assume that all his offers would always be negative. He may also offer us things that appear to be good and beneficial. The offers at the car service centre sounded to be beneficial to me. But the fact is that they exist for their own benefit too. Our enemy’s schemes would sometimes be very attractive and temporary; and they would only lead to destruction.

How do we put on the whole armour of God so that we can stand against all schemes of our enemy?

The pleasant smile of the devil would be very attractive; but the Lord’s discipline is rather desirous from an eternal perspective!

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see what You offer, rather than being attracted by what is temporary. Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How long will he forgive?

Image
Terror will grip them, terror like they have never known before. God will scatter the bones of your enemies. You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them. Ps 53:5 I bought a pet dog. Despite my long attempts to train it well, it continues to remain harmful for all the visitors! I am hopeless about it now. What would you suggest that I do with the pet? God created you and me with a wonderful purpose (Jer. 29:11). What if we continue to ignore his ways and go our way? God forgives and wants to give eternal life to everyone in the world (Jn. 3:16). When wickedness reached its peak God dealt with it very seriously once by the flood (Gen. 7). He has promised he will never destroy the earth with flood again (Gen. 9:15). Why don’t we turn to Him? Repentance is the only way to get away from God’s anger! Prayer : Lord, help me live my life each day recognising the purpose with which you created me. Amen
Read more

Slippery sliding cliff!

Image
B. A. Manakala Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. (Ps 73:18 nlt) I was walking down a snowy slippery mountain with a heavy backpack. Suddenly I slipped and began to slide down. It was a thrilling experience for me. Though I was quite anxious in between, finally I landed in snow safely. Some of our experiences on sliding cliffs on earth may be thrilling for the moment. But not all of them would end in a safe place. When we are on slippery grounds God is faithful to provide us with a way out (1 Cor 10:13); but if we deliberately choose to miss the way out and continue on, the end may be destruction (Ps 73:18)! God would provide a way out only to those who desire for it; for those who want to carry on in their way of wickedness God would only let them move on in their slippery path, and slide over the cliff (Ps 73:18)! How would I stand on the solid Rock and help those who are on the slippery ground? Only those who stand on a solid ...
Read more

Who is truly wise?

Image
B. A. Manakala God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. Ps 53:2 I get around many of my problems through Google-search. The more complex the issue is, the harder it is to solve. Sometimes, I end up making a mess, though Google handles about 20 petabytes of data. Man is created as a social being (Gen. 2:18). He needs to share, learn and trust, for his survival. Adam couldn ’ t survive without Eve. We need God as well as other people. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight (Is. 5:21). One who constantly seeks God is truly wise (Ps. 53:2)   Prayer: Lord, teach me to seek you all the days of my life. Amen
Read more