Month: March 2023

What Is It That I Smell

2 Corinthians 2:15-16
15 )For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
16) To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?

I was pondering over the above scripture and realised that God uses each one of us to spread the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place.

Authentic Christianity is always emitting a fragrance that is pleasing to God. The fragrance, that results from knowing Jesus Christ personally. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings a sweet fragrance to those who are being saved. It has the aroma of victory.

Christ- filled lives are “ like a lovely perfume” and Our lives are like fragrances.

If our life emits a good scent, like doing good to others, it will last in people’s mind in a good way. But if we stink like trash, it produces negativity in people’s mind.

So, *what if our lives were a fragrance that attracted people to God?*

Remember, we are human vessels identified with its sweet fragrance. When we have been around Christ we begin to smell like Him.

People cannot help but sense the presence of Christ in us.

In Colossians 1:27 Paul says, ”Christ is the hope of Glory.” The fragrance comes from Christ because He alone is the source. We are the means of spreading the knowledge of Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:15 says that “we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”.* Lost sinners see the change in us and they want to know What is that we smell about your life? What makes you different from us? We can only respond, it is Christ in me. We are the perfume Christ has produced.

We are filled with Him. Christ Himself is the sweet aroma which exhales in our character & work. The life of every believer proceeds from God and the saving work of Christ. We are the bearers of the fragrance of Christ. We who understand the sacrifice of Jesus have the opportunity to be the “fragrance of Christ” – a reminder of Him – to others.

The sweet scent of the likeness of Christ can be an irresistible pull towards the Savior. Unfortunately, there is also a fragrance that smells like the flesh and the aroma of death. These are the ones who have rejected Jesus Christ, it is a stench of death because judgement is at hand, and eternal separation from God. “

The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him. “ John 3:36.

Prayer

_{Heavenly Father, Your Word says that there is but one way to be reconciled to You. Apart from receiving Jesus Christ, no person can be saved. I believe this message and it is my desire to proclaim it, even to death itself. I stand on the gospel because it is the fragrance of Christ among those who are being being saved and among those who are perishing. Let our hands perform His bidding. Let our feet run in His ways. Let our eyes see Jesus only. And, let our lips speak forth His praise. Amen}

Sol.Fiona

Prepare ye the way of the Lord.

He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way for the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said”.

John 1:23

When John the Baptist was enquired by the Pharisees and Levites,Who art thou? Are you Christ, he said”no, I am not Christ! Are you prophet? He answered “no”. Finally they asked again Who art thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us What sayest thou of thyself? He answered “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way for the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said”.

His name was divinely given. It was to be “John” (Lk. 1:13), which derives from a Hebrew term signifying “Jehovah is gracious.” John the Baptist was a man filled by Holy Spirit right from birth, separated for God’s kingdom work. He did not live a normal lifestyle as others. The description of John is brief and stark. He was arrayed in a “camel’s hair” garment, secured by a leather belt, and his diet was locusts and wild honey (Mt. 3:4).

He was directly trained by the Holy Spirit to be an Forerunner before Jesus Christ to prepare ye the way of the Lord’s first coming.

John’s mission can be summed up by one word, “preparer.” It was his happy chore to prepare people for the coming Messiah. Both Isaiah and Malachi had announced that he would “prepare” the way for the coming of “Jehovah” — a firm affirmation, incidentally, of the deity of Jesus.

Hence we come to know that John the Baptist had a major role to play. John preached about the coming kingdom and the need to repent. The Palestine in which the prophet’s ministry was launched was firmly in the grip of a grossly pagan force, the Roman empire. Moral corruption had made deep inroads into Judaism as well. Read carefully the second chapter of the book of Romans. It was into this world that John came with his piercing message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2; cf. Mk. 1:4).

This preparing the way of Lord is now the major responsibility of the Church- every Born again believer. This kingdom work has been given to each one of us. Are we preparing the Way of the Lord? As the church awaits Jesus Christ’ second coming.It is the church’s responsibility to prepare the way of the Lord.

As Matthew 28:19,20 says “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you. And see, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”. Amen.

Yes church it is our major responsibility & great role to play As children of God.(Church here represents each individual believer of Christ Jesus.) Making disciples Baptising them in God’s Holy triune Name Teaching them to observe everything must be life’s greatest priority. Praise Jesus. The best testimony given by our Master “Jesus himself. “Among them that are born of women there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist” (Mt. 11:11).

Prayer

Lord all children of God has been blessed with many talents. God’s plan and purpose for each one is unique. Help us Lord to walk according to the will of the Father, so that we maybe used as instruments for the building up Of God’s kingdom.. In Jesus name we ask.Amen” To God be the glory “.

Sol.Celin Portia

Recognise Who Jesus Is

Jesus Christ is the Only Hope for mankind to live forever. For the word says,” There is no one righteous, not even one.” If there is anything most precious in the whole universe, it is the Blood of Jesus Christ .

The holy scripture says in Heb_ 9:22b- “Without the shedding of Blood there’s no forgiveness”. Therefore Jesus said,” l have come to do Thy will By the ‘will’ of God every human soul that believes,is made Holy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ once for all.

He and the Father are then one:-

John 14:9 .When Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father Jesus said to Philip “Don’t you know me Philip,-l have been with you for so long?”Anyone who has seen Me, seen the Father Father.You don’t believe that l am in the Father and the Father is in me?”      Elohim ln Flesh:- Because He was God in the flesh,and the Pharisees knew it. Still Pharisees accused Him of blasphemy and wanted to crucify him.

He ls Elohim:

John 8:58-Jesus said  ,”Before Abraham was ‘I AM. (The Great I Am)

So anybody who has wisdom can understand what the Messiah was  claiming But those  who are foolish, blind and deceived by the evil one ask, “show us in the Bible where Jesus said “l am God”?

For such people Jesus spoke in parables Why? So that those who don’t have eyes  and ears to  decern remain in the dark. .He said my sheep hear my voice. John13:13

Rev.22:13:-

I Am the Alfa and the Omega the Beginning and the End.

*Jesus is the Judge  .

John 5:22:

The Father judges no one but He entrusted all judgement to the* Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father who has sent him.”  He Claims that:

He is the Son of man on earth and in Heaven at the same time. So recognise Who He Is? He has authority to forgive sins of men.

Isiah 42:8:-l  AM  YHWH!  that is My Name !

 l will not give my glory to  another or my praise to graven images

 Deut:4:24.” For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

So worship and focus on Him alone ,the Living Word

He is the Word who lives in us.

Testimony

_{One of my cousins born in the family of pastor,left the living God and got involved in occult activities ; died lonely without children and even without a wife who disliked and turned away from him.}

Prayer

Lord l pray for those who are lukewarm, and without awareness of your coming,l pray earnestly that they wakeup ,leaving wordly things behind and receive you. Amen.

              Sol.Noreen.

Have you ever imagined of having food without salt? Job 6:6 It tastes bland, adding a little salt can enhance the flavour of an unpalatable dish. I assumed that salt was an insignificant ingredient, until I did a study on salt, which is revelatory. I look at it now with great respect. Salt is the oldest, ubiquitous ingredient used for seasoning food.  Salt’s role in flavouring is multidimensional.

It is vitally important to human health. It has been used for 6000 years as a preservative for meat, fish. During Jesus’ days salt was a very expensive commodity that, Roman soldiers were paid “salt money”, this is where we got the word “salary”. It has an influencing power. A grain of salt is very small in size and on contact with moisture it dissolves and disappears but, influences the medium in which it dissolves, its taste is changed. It cuts through the cell wall of fish/meat/ vegetable and brings out the aroma and flavour. It can be added before cooking or after or any time in the food, it has relevance in all seasons and dispensation. There are roughly 40 verses on salt in the Bible.  

Salt is scraped from the Dead Sea, a mixture of various salts, gardeners know Potash is needed for fruits and flowers, salt is used as a fertiliser due to Potash, magnesium bromide, etc. NaCl is for kitchen. Only a small percentage is used in food, rest of it all is used in agriculture.

In Luke 14:34 Jesus is talking about the agricultural usage of salt. Jesus is illustrating from ordinary life, when added to the soil it will fruit and flourish and when thrown on dung it will be a disinfectant and will stop the negative effect in the environment.

Salt can influence anyone but it can’t be influenced. God has chosen, “You As The Salt” so you may not find someone to motivate you. You will strengthen others, motivate others, make others’ lives tasteful. Today is your time to self-motivate in Jesus, Holy Spirit will impart an anointing to be the Salt of the earth.

If the salt loses its saltiness its useless, but if you have God’s grace in you, you will be useful for the land, not just for flavouring but, you will bring about a transformation in families, lives, society and inhibit decadence. You will have authority over situation, circumstances, change nations. James 5:17 Elijah shut the door of heavens for three and half years. You can shake up a place, nations, community. Joseph uplifted the entire nation during famine. David, whenever he fought battles, he extended the boundary of Israel, the financial level changed.

^{If you are the salt, you will fertilize and build others and make them fruitful. You may feel your life is useless but Jesus will make you valuable, the corner stone. Jesus can transform you and your life, change your label, make you a useful vessel. If you check the news, we read and hear unbelievable things, our society is negatively impacted. Jesus is asking you to be the salt, the influencing factor in society to change lives give them an experience of God and His love.}

The world is in decadence irrespective of age and gender. Your life validates of what God says. He wants you to be the preserver of the earth. When Jesus called you, selected you it had two purposes, to save you from eternal damnation and to restore you in all areas of your life. He transforms you inside out that amazes people. I encourage and pray that you be the salt for your family, neighbourhood, and the world in Jesus mighty name!!!

Sol Lalitha Menon

REASONS FOR UNANSWERED PRAYER

We need to discover what the Bible states as reasons for unanswered prayer.
As we meditate and call to mind various parts of Scripture which refer to our topic, we may find such texts as the following all of which indicate why prayer often remains unanswered:
Going through the Scripture references we find the following facts behind unanswered prayer. We deal with the factors which hinder the answer to our prayers.

1. ASKING AMISS – “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:3), What pleasures? – “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15) “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
2. SIN IN THE HEART – “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear”. (Psalm 66:18) Iniquity in the heart is the reason for many unanswered prayers. The writer of the Psalm means, if I had seen iniquity in heart and encouraged it; if I pretended to be what I was not; and if I loved iniquity while I professed to pray and not be sorry for my sin, the Lord would not have heard me. I would have been left without His help and support in my time of trouble. “Beloved if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1 John 3:21-22).
3. DOUBTING GOD’S WORD – “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is double-minded man unstable in his way.” (James 1:6-7) Pray, doubting nothing: a) Pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.If you love me keep my commandments.” (John 14:12-15) b) By the Holy Spirit. “Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Roman 8:26) c) With full understanding of rights and privileges. “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. (1 Corinthians 14:14-15) d) In harmony with the word. “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7) e) In faith, doubting nothing. (James 1:6) f) With praise for answered prayer. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding , will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)
4. VAIN REPETITION – “And when you pray, do not use vain repetition as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. “Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:7-8
5. DISOBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD – “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” (Proverbs 28:9)The man who turns away from truth lest he should get to know, will not receive answer to prayer. There are many reasons, may be refusing to hear truth or to be humble, hardheartedness, wrong motives, parading prayer, unforgiveness, being discouraged, fear and anxiety.
6. INCONSIDERATE BEHAVIOUR IN CONJUGAL RELATIONSHIPS. – “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honour to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7)
   Many prayers are hindered because of the unfaithfulness of husbands and wives. Be just and faithful to your wives as you want them to be to you. Give them no excuse for sin. “Submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the Church; and He is the Saviour of the body” (Ephesians 5:21-23)

Sol.Gerard

HOPE IN CHRIST IN MIDST OF TEARS, FEARS AND DOUBTS

John 20:19-23

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

John chapter 20 is addressing 3 basic issues of human life

John 20: 18 addresses tears

John 20: 19-23 addresses fears

John 20: 24 onwards addresses doubts

We can see Jesus in this chapter in the midst of fears, tears and doubts with the message of hope and also have the same hope in a situation that we face today. It is about the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the hope which takes over  fears, tears and doubts.

 The Book of John is written from Ephesus which starts with the hymn of who Jesus and what he does. The incident written over here was a shocking incident about the death of Jesus and his body being kept in the tomb. The natural response to this incident first is tears. And we know in the midst of tears we serve a God who cries with us; he understands the pain that we go through.

Let us look into this as how Jesus works in the midst of tears, fears and doubts.

God works beyond our expectation in tears

We see in the verses above John 19 Mary Magdalene cries in front of the tomb. She runs to the tomb even when it is dark. Here darkness in John’s gospel is a symbol of doubt. She could not expect anything other than death in that situation, everyone around expected the same natural thing without hope of life beyond death. Mary expected a closed tomb but she found an open one.

We see Jesus coming to her and calling her by name when she is in tears and doubts and she recognised that it is The Lord. It is through his word that you understand that the Lord is speaking to each one of us. Every ordinary situation can be changed into extraordinary by Jesus, for example water to wine, dry bones to a big army in the valley, man at Bethesda.

So do not limit God’s power in our ordinary expectations

God reassures, commissions and empowers amidst our fears

Disciples were in fear and they were behind the doors not knowing what will happen but God does not care of the closed doors. God was with Moses, Abraham, Daniel and many others and he reassures us that he will be with us also

> He reassures His presence

How?

> He stands with us in our fears Mathew 28:20

> He reassures His shalom (peace)

> He shows His scars which proves His identity.

We see a community in fear, which is commissioned and empowered to help others out of the fear. We see God breathed into the nostrils of Adam in the Old Testament and here we see Jesus breathed on the disciples

So, in midst of the fear,

God

Reassures His presence

Commissions

Empowers

God reveals Himself and asks us to trust in Him amidst our doubts.

We can see here in the verse that Thomas was the only person who was doubtful about Jesus. And in that doubt God reveals Himself to Thomas. In Revelations God reveals Himself to John as Alpha and Omega. There is authority over our life in Jesus as He had the last word over our fortune, over our life and over our future. So, we just need to trust and hope in Him in the midst of our doubts.

Heavenly Father, help us to have hope in Christ Jesus in the midst of all the tears, fears and doubts in our daily life.

Amen Hallelujah.

Sol.Shibi Lalu

Jesus visits Mary and Martha

Luke 10:38- 42.

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way ,He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary ,who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said.But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made .She came to Him and asked ,’Lord don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself ?Tell her to help me ! “Martha ,Martha , the Lord answered ,you are worried and upset about many things ,but only one is needed , Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha and Mary both had a heart to serve .

Martha complained to Jesus that her sister should help her in cooking , but Mary was not at all bothered about helping her sister ,she had chosen the best place , and that was to sit at feet of Jesus ,listening intently to His voice ,not getting distracted getting soaked in His presence .

When Martha complained to Jesus ,His answer was she was worried about too many things she need to give priority to Jesus .

Mathew 6: 25

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life what you will eat or drink or about what your body will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes.Look at the birds of the air ,they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who  of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Worry and anxiety cannot help us ,it only increases our problems more .It is only a surrendered life to Jesus that can bring peace in our hearts .

Jesus favoured Mary , for giving Him first place in her life ,  Jesus considered Mary very precious for what she had done to Him.

Mary was a blessed woman in the eyes of Jesus ,she gave her all to Him . No one can take away for what she had chosen .

  ^{Heavenly Father ,thank You for choosing us to be Your beloved sons and daughters , give us the same desire as Mary had for You and the availability to be at Your feet ,listening to Your heavenly voice and obey what You command .Thank and Praise You Lord .}

Sol.Helen Periera

Teach us about miraculous healing, wisdom, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and discernment through the power of the Holy Spirit,

1 Corinthians 12:8-11

By him we are sanctified and are formed in fullness of Christ. He connects us to
the Almighty directly.He is a partner in our prayer .His voice will pierce the soul and causes our hearts to burn. If anyone accepts Yeshua as saviour the Holyspirit begins his work and his work will not stop until the believer win the war against satan.No one can enter the kingdom of God without the help of the Holispirit.we should surrender ourselves and should be submissive to the authority of the Holyspirit. sin will separate us from the Holyspirit. We should not disconnect our association with him for any reason.Let us examine our selves and renew our relationship with him.

Let us confess our sins and forgive others so that we may be forgiven.

Forgiveness and reconciliation are the two main keys for peace and prosperity on earth and for the entry into the kingdom of God.

In my life my misdeeds after baptism separated me from the Holyspirit and Satan brought many obstacles in my careers and businesses and ministries .However our Lord was so gracious to forgive me and now Iam bold enough to fight the Satan and am confident to defeat Satan in any field .This change in me is due to the power of the Holyspirit who leads me in every walk of my life.

^{May the Holyspirit take full control of our life.Amen}

Sol. Subramaniam

Heavenly Treasures

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heavens where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”

Mathew 6:20

I always feel that, if I would have been in any of the European countries, I could have worked till the age of may be 70-80 years and could have helped my son also to settle abroad along with us. This way I could have made a lot of money. While these thoughts were going on in my mind, the Holy Spirit spoke to me that once my worldly life ends on this earth, this money for which we people struggle so much would be left behind and would all be of no use to me. A question came to my mind,” What did I really save for my eternal life and where would I spend my entire life?”

I tried to think about my last moments on this earth.  I feel I would not have anything to take along with me and also nothing to offer God. I pondered, “What did I actually save for my heavenly stay?” When these thoughts came to my mind I became very restless. I started getting the same feeling what a student would get who didn’t study the whole year and now is about to appear for his examination.  Luke 9:25 tells us,  “what good is it for someone to gain the whole world and yet loose or forfeit their very self ?”

Mathew 6:33  says “but seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all these things  will be given to you as well.”

 It means that we will  gain a double profit if we are in Christ. We will collect heavenly treasures and God will provide for all our worldly needs. Hallelujah!

  Luke 5:1-11 tells us that Peter struggled the whole night but could not catch any fish, which was his only source of income, but when he allowed his resources to be used for Christ, listened to Him and obeyed Him,

Christ helped him catch a large haul of fish and his net began breaking. It means that when we surrender ourselves and our resources totally to Christ, we will get blessings in abundance.

 Prayer

  Heavenly Father, we ask for the grace to always  look for Your Holy presence and to seek the kingdom of God. Help us always to  seek Your Heavenly kingdom rather than working day and night for worldly treasures. We ask this blessing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . Amen .

Sol. Vatsala

Living by Faith

Hebrews 11 begins by telling us what faith is: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb 11:1). The “hoped for” things we are sure of, are things God has promised. The “unseen things” we are convinced of, are things God has revealed. So, faith believes what God has revealed and trusts what God has promised.

Now, what does it mean to live by faith? God teaches us by pointing to real-life examples of faith in action. Each of them highlights a distinct aspect of faith.

Look at Abel and can see from his story that faith listens to God. Abel was commended as righteous because of a sacrifice that God accepted. He offered a first-born lamb from the flock. A life was laid down for him.

Abel’s sacrifice of a lamb from the flock points forward to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Offering the lamb was a sign that Abel was trusting in God’s promise. And that promise was fulfilled when Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross. God gave his one and only Son as the sacrifice for our sins.

Abel knew that a life must be laid down because God had revealed it, back in the garden of Eden when He made garments of skins to clothe Adam and Eve.

God had revealed the acceptable sacrifice and faith listens to what God has revealed.

Hebrews 11 paints a picture of what a life of faith looks like. Each story fills out the picture. Today we come to the story of Enoch, where we learn that faith walks with God. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him (Heb 11:5).

The story of Enoch is told back in Genesis 5, where God records the generations from Adam to Noah.

Ten generations are recorded.  We read here about Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.

Two Questions:

1. Why are these names recorded?

If you look at the end of Luke 3, you will see that this is the line of descent into which Jesus Christ was born.

What matters about them is the relationship they have with Jesus. And that of course is the thing that ultimately matters about us all.

Joseph Parker says, “The fifth chapter of Genesis is the beginning of that long series of characters in human history which are extremely uninteresting. Such people as Enosh, Mahalalel, and Jared are respectable plodding quiet men who said goodnight to one another regularly, remarked briefly upon the weather and died.”

^{The most important thing about you – what will matter about you forever is not how many people know your name, or not how many people follow you on social media. It is not a list of great things that you have accomplished. It is the relationship you have with Jesus.}

2. Why did they live so long?

The lifespans of these generations are about ten times as long as our lives today. Adam lived 930 years (Gen 5:5). Seth lived 912 years (Gen 5:8). Enosh lived 905 years (Gen 5:11).

This was God’s provision for multiplying the human population in its earliest generations. After the time of Noah and the flood, human lifespans come down rapidly to what we are used to today.

These first generations lived for many years, but they had one thing in common:

All the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died (Gen 5:5).

All the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died (Gen 5:8).

All the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died (Gen 5:11).

This grim reality runs like a relentless drumbeat throughout the chapter. It is like the sound of a train on the tracks when it gets up to speed, “and he died, and he died, and he died.”

This runs through the whole chapter with one exception. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him (Gen 5:24).

By any standards this is a remarkable story. Suddenly there is a break in the clouds. Light shines into the darkness, and we have reason to hope that the reign of death may not be forever. This story points us to the hope we have in Jesus who broke through the power of death and ascended into heaven.

^{God “rewards those who seek Him” (Heb 11:6). What is the reward? The reward of seeking God is finding Him. God said to Abraham, “Do not be afraid… I am your shield, your very great reward (Gen 15:1 NIV). God is the reward of those who seek Him.}

God invites you to live in the constant, conscious enjoyment of His presence. If you seek Him, you will find Him. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jer 29:13).

SOL.PAULOSE