Food For Life Ministries

As a frequent traveler, I've come to appreciate the abundance of flight options available. The airway travel sector is robust, with numerous airline companies offering their services, ensuring a wide range of choices for travelers.

I began thinking that the airway is just one of the many ways we travel. There are railways and roadways, and again, on roadways, we get to choose from a variety of vehicles.

Each mode of travel we choose has a different timeline, but nevertheless, we reach our destination.

In our limited human capacity, we still have many options to reach a destination.

If we finite human beings can have so many options to help us reach our destination, I can’t fathom the infinite God, who can’t be contained in time and space, has innumerable ways to help us reach our destiny.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I know the plans and thoughts, says the Lord. I love how it is not a singular plan but "plans" that imply many plans. Jesus has many plans and thoughts for us, not against us, plans for peace and well-being, and intends to give us a future and hope.

Thank you, Jesus, for your many plans and thoughts for us, not against us. 

I am reflecting on some thoughts on our wedding anniversary as I look back at life and its experiences.

I wanted to reflect on the plight of suffering and its myths this wedding anniversary.

In Christian life, I have heard people glorifying suffering. Yet, many times, there is self-inflicted suffering. Self-inflicted suffering doesn't bring glory to God.

1 Peter 2:20
But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

Of all the deceptions - self-deception is the worst.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 (The Message)
evil sleight of hand that plays to the gallery of those who hate the truth that could save them. And since they’re so obsessed with evil, God rubs their noses in it—gives them what they want. Since they refuse to trust truth, they’re banished to their chosen world of lies and illusions.

I was intrigued to look for the word “Save” in Hebrew and Greek context.

The word ישועה (yeshu'ah, Strong's #3444) is a noun derived from the verbal root ישע (Y. Sh. Ah, Strong's #3467) which means "relief" in the sense of being rescued from an enemy, trouble or illness. The King James Version translates this word as help, deliverance, health, and welfare, but most frequently as salvation.

Relief - in the sense of being rescued from an enemy, trouble, or illness.

The Greek verb “sozo” means saved, made whole, restored, healed, delivered, preserved. The word salvation in Greek is “soteria” and derived from 'sozo' and 'soter' which means “saviour.”

John 3:19-21
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-11
New International Version
They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

Truth saves us!!

I prayerfully sign off that God gives us the grace, strength, courage, and boldness to love truth and walk in truth, thereby getting saved from disasters, troubles, and perils.

During one of my travels, as I was getting off the flight. I had an opportunity to see a plane take off in my sight as it was sunset time. At some take-off point, I saw how the plane flew above the sun. For a moment, my heart was captivated by that sight. I looked in awe at how man overcame nature and could supersede and take off against the earth's gravity.

I wondered how it must have been for The Wright brothers, Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright. When no one imagined flying in the sky, these brothers dared to think unconventionally. They dared to imagine something that didn’t exist in mankind. They dared to dream. Because they dared unconventionally, today, it’s the norm of conventional travel.

My thoughts went back to Bible times, people in the Bible, how when they had to follow God on an unconventional path, many were blessed. Many generations were blessed because of one man’s leap of an unconventional act.

God speaking to Abraham: Abram’s call

Genesis 12:2

And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you [abundantly],
And make your name great (exalted, distinguished);
And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];

God chose and blessed Abraham to be a blessing to many.

When God wanted to tangibly love people and show the heavenly father’s heart to man, he chose Mary. God chose Mary's womb when he wanted to love the world in the flesh.

Yes, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is highly favored, and God blessed her womb to bless the world.  

Every one of us has a call to answer. Jesus is calling us today to say “Yes” to him, to dream with him, to participate in His dreams for us, to rise above and reach our God-given potential, to walk in our authority with authenticity, to become all that God has called us to be, to live life to the fullest, to experience joy, peace and walk in blessings so we can be blessing to our loved ones and the world.  

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

Let us rest in God’s love for us that God’s got us! We can lie down peacefully in God’s arms, knowing that if we say “Yes” to God and surrender to His love for us, our lives will take off just like people sitting on a flight; they will reach their destination.

I was visiting one of my sisters. After more than 24 hours of coming back home, I suddenly realize my pen drive is missing.

I searched every item, purse, and stuff that I had taken that day with me while visiting my sister. I also searched the home.

The final resort, I thought I will go back to my sister’s place and double-check for my own solace.

So, I went back to my sister’s house, not fully confident about finding it, as I didn’t remember the events surrounding my pen drive. As in, what did I do after I took the pen drive out? Where did I keep it? What happened when I took the pen drive out etc … the memory surrounding the pen drive completely was blacked out. It was as if that portion of the event was completely shut off, I had no recollection of it. I felt like a temporary loss of memory surrounding the pen drive.

Seeing my plight, my husband even offered me a new pen drive. That offer was breaking me down further at the thought of never being able to find it, so I was resorting to just buying a new one. I was breaking down with the thoughts of losing that pen drive forever and never being able to find it.

Out of broken heart, I went to my sister’s place, hoping for a miracle. My sister said, “Mahima, as soon as you told me, I searched the place. It’s not here”. I was just searching around, and after a while, my search turned into cleaning. The maid started cleaning whenever and wherever I lifted the sofas, teapoy table, etc.  

Suddenly as I was lifting one of the armchair sofas, suddenly the maid said – ‘Ma’am, it’s here”

Those words, my God, were magical, supernatural, miraculous. Words fall short of expressing my joy. I basked in glorious moments, completely lost in joy, transported to another realm. It took me some time to come back to normalcy after finding my pen drive.

What I realized after shedding a couple of joyful tears is –

It’s not the pen drive by itself that caused me so much heartbreak.

It’s what I had put inside that pen drive. My precious, priceless, eternal moments, media files, and data.

Even If I bought a new one, I would never get back the data I had put in this pen drive.

The loss of precious, priceless data was hurting me so much.   

Since I use lots of external hard drives and pen drives and if I line up all my pen drives. Each pen drive is so so so so precious because of what’s inside each pen drive.

Even if I have 10 pen drives, losing even one pen drive is so heart-wrenching at the thought of losing precious data that’s inside the pen drive.

At that moment, I had a glimpse of The Parable of The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Son from the heartbeat of Jesus.

(Bible Reference of the Parables of the lost sheep, the lost son, and the lost coin is from Luke Chapter 15)

No wonder, The shepherd left 99 behind to go in search of one lost sheep. The father, even though had 2 sons kept waiting for the prodigal son to come back to the father’s house. The woman, even though had 10 silver coins when she lost one, searched carefully and thoroughly her entire house without giving up until she found it. In all three scenarios, the parable ends with celebration when they find what was once lost.

Isaiah 53:6

We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
    We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.

Hebrews 12:2

Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

You and I were the joy that was before Jesus that He endured the cross for us.

The creator of heaven and earth has so much invested in us that he can’t afford to see us lost forever.

Colossians 1:27

This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. 

Christ in you, the hope of glory!!

Happy Resurrection Day!! Happy Easter!!

May we experience the manifest hope of the glorious resurrected Jesus, our saviour, our redeemer, our rock, our refuge!!

You and I are proof of Jesus' resurrection!!