Not Crushed

Not crushed

2 Corinthians 4:8”…we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing….”

A young kid who is a third grader was given an intro about me as : principal, Founder of a School, Teacher and many things, so he called me on phone with great expectations. His voice revealed his excitement, he asked me, ‘ ..so Founder means you are the owner of the School?’ I said yes, but this little kid knows little about missionary work and evangelization. He saw me as a ‘white-collar worker” in a big chair’ and he was shocked to know that I cook too, he said, ‘but I thought owners maintain the school and the chef does the cooking.” It was a hilarious conversation that I enjoyed, since this kid lives in America, he could not understand about me feeding, teaching and running a free School for the underprivileged kids. Not just kids but even adults don’t understand anyway…..

When a Christian minister visited our Abide School, he asked me ‘where is the kitchen’, that particular day we were cooking with fire wood in the backyard, so I pointed out the backyard where we cooked and said, ‘where we cook is our kitchen.’ Until 2018 we were cooking with fire wood, smoke all over my clothes; however, the pictures I upload of our beautiful Abide School kids don’t show you the smell of smoke, not many of us know the pain and struggle behind the ministry. God expects you to be faithful even if there is lack of water, lack of amenities, lack of facilities, lack of funds, lack of help….whatever, God expects you to face it and overcome it with faith and trust in God. With the minimum that you have, give your maximum potential for God! After you do this, watch Him unfold miracles for you! I am excited to say this, because I have tasted His goodness!

The more broken a person, the more beautiful they get on the inside! Isn’t that wonderful? The epistles of Apostle Paul are so anointed because of the struggles that he went through which were reflected in his writings. God’s training and preparation starts with affliction! You get molded and humbled into a right vessel under His mighty Hands! Romans 5:3,4”……we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope..”

Crushed but not destroyed! Amen.

Daniel walked with poise and dignity, “he went home into his prayer room and gave thanks to God as was his custom”. This is awesome! Just because he was neck deep in trouble, he did not run away from God, but instead he daringly ran towards His Master’s lap. What do we do when in trouble? Do we run to God like Daniel? God watched every bit of his action, attitude and faith and rewarded him according to his faith.

Daniel “knew that the writing was signed,” yet he did not say a word or do anything other than walk into his prayer room. Remarkable attitude! His silence, patience and reticence revealed his faith in ‘his God.’ Nothing could shake him. David says in Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” The true mark of spiritual maturity is to learn to ‘stay quiet”. The Bible says in Proverbs 10:19 “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” We live in a world where the “toughest survive”, the “loudest are lauded” and the ‘aggressive ones are appreciated”. Having worked for many years in public sectors and multinational companies, I have seen how the boisterous ones excel. But listen, God’s blessings are eternal and would surely come on you when you patiently endure the heat like Daniel and wait for God to show up in your life.

The heathen king Darius spotted ‘an excellent spirit” in Daniel and the Bible says that the king “thought of setting him over the whole realm.” Why was Daniel promoted and blessed beyond measure? Because of an ‘excellent spirit’ in him. Because of God in him. A person who walks with God has such a spirit. They have a spiritual nature that causes them to be different. In John 15:5 Jesus described it this way, “Abide in Me and I in you, and you will bear much fruit.” If you are meeting alone with God regularly, then He is able to work on your mind and heart in such a way, that it will change you and make you different. Abiding in Jesus by developing a personal relationship with him alone in private WILL change you. Any real inner strength you have, is developed in your quiet time alone with God, where He teaches you and enables you to grow. It is clear that Daniel is such a man. The strength he received to face the lions came from his prayer closet. Are you listening? The Bible says in Daniel 6:23 “ ..So Daniel was taken out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.”