Mar Thoma Church of Dallas Guest

I greet to you all in the name of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let me thank and praise God for allowing us to enter into a New Year and to experience God's abundant blessing in the month of January. As we all have taken different decisions in the New Year, let us beseech God's grace and mercy to continue to live in that decision. In the month of January we all had good time in the presence of Christ.

Let me note few thoughts for our reflection. The great lent (50 days) begins from. February 19^th Sunday. It is the time to develop greater spiritual discipline; also it is a time of confession and renewal.

In James: 4:9 "Be sorrowful, cry and weep, purify your hearts". In a newspaper report about a woman who had not shed a tear in 18 years. The reason for her dry eyes was physical, not emotional. Doctors said she was a victim of a rare condition called Sjogren's syndrome. For some unknown reasons, antibodies attacked her tear glands as if they were undesirable foreign organisms.

Many people (even Christians) suffer from the symptom called "spiritual dry eyes". They are people who could cry and should cry, but they don't. They need to learn what Jesus meant when He said "Blessed are those who mourn"(Mathew: 5:4).

Often we think tears are a sign of weakness. If this were the case then, why did Jesus cry? (Luke: 19:41, John: 11: 35). Why did James tells Christians to weep over their sins? (James: 4:9). True, people differ in their expression of emotions. Literally shedding tears is not the issue. What is important is the attitude of the heart. The real issue is whether we are really confessed of our wrong doings, and whether we are moved by the sorrow of others. The greatest malady that has befallen the church is that the church suffers from "dry eyes" syndrome. The church has lost the ability of repentance. We can apply artificial tear drops for our physical dry eyes. But how can we be stirred to repentance? Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me (Psalm: 51: 10).

Let us with a repenting mind enter into the days of great Lent.

Wish you all a blessed month of February

In Christ service,

Rev .K.P. Thomas.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”. 1 John 4:10-11

Today, more than ever, sex is a commodity.  Sensuality and exaggerated sexuality shout at us on every corner.  Love is sex, sex is pleasure…pleasure is all that matters.  Like the Christians in Corinth, we have two lifestyles to choose: God’s or the world’s. 

It is important to recognize and reject the world’s pattern of love:

1.     We must understand that all the world’s deceptions flow from the belief that love is primarily for the fulfillment and comfort of self.  The world poisons love by focusing first and foremost in meeting one’s own needs. 

2.    Love is primarily a feeling.  When we make our feelings the most important measure of love, we place ourselves at the center of importance.  If actions don’t communicate love, feelings mean nothing. 

3.    The world tells us love is beyond our control.  This thinking has found its way into our language, e.g. “falling in love”, we’re madly in love with each other”.  Such statements in part remove personal responsibility.  That is, we may think of love as something beyond our control and thus excuse ourselves from having to behave responsibly.

As Josh Harris rightly states, “ ‘The world takes us to a silver screen “this is love”.  God takes us to the foot the cross and cries, “this is love”.  God always defines love by pointing to His Son.  (1 John 4:19; Matt. 16:24)

God’s pattern of love:

1.       Christ taught that love is not for the fulfillment of self but for the glory of God and the good of others.  John 15:13.  True love is selfless.  It gives; it sacrifices; it dies to its own needs.  (if you can’t do this, then you are not ready for marriage).

2.       Christ showed that true love is not measured or governed by feeling.  He went to the cross when every emotion and instinct in His body told him to turn back.  (Mark 14:32).  Christ wants us to have the same attitude.  He did not say, “If you love me, you will feel warm, cascading sensations of religious emotion.”  Instead he told us, “if you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15)  True love always expresses itself in obedience to God and service to others. 

3.       Jesus’ example also shows us that love is under control.  He chose to love us.  He chose to lay down his life for us.  We need to throw out the misconception that love is some strange “force” that tosses us around against our will like leaves in the wind. True love is not in reckless or selfish behavior – we choose these behaviors.  Let us not be enslaved to sinful desires (1 John 2:16) and our passionate lust (I Thess. 4:5)

4.       Love must be sincere (Rom. 12:9)  There is nearly always a hidden agenda in worldly love: What can you do for me? What can I get from you? John 13:35.  We have an incredible responsibility to reflect Christ’s love on earth. 

The wrong mindset today: Many of us have fallen prey to the idea that we can and should pursue romance for its own sake.  In other words, “I’ll become intimate with you because I’m prayerfully considering marriage”.  This attitude is not fair to the other person and is terrible preparation for marriage. 

May God Almighty strengthen to follow His pattern of love in our life and thus lead lives pleasing to Him!

Your brother in Christ,