English Devotions

John Huss (1374 -1415) studied in Prague University and became a priest of the chapel of Bethlehem in Prague. He had a best friend, Jerome who returned from England with the writings of John Wycliffe.

It was Sunday morning. Joy woke up with a burdened and heavy heart. She did not sleep well the previous night. The Lord’s Day had been a day of happy memories for her. For more than 25 years, she and Mark had a good time on Sunday. She used to prepare the breakfast and they used to have the breakfast, sometimes talking, sometimes silently, but always together.

About fifteen years ago I visited a hill station along with my friend. There were no Christians at that time in those hills. My friend took me around the hills. Pointing to a few hills my friend told me. “The Lord has given me a vision and promise that there will be groups of people worshipping God in those mountains

I met a businessman in Chennai recently. He is the owner of a company and deeply involved in missions. He is not only a successful businessman but also a successful soul winner. He has led many people to Christ in the midst of his leadership in his company.

The Word of God is unique in the respect that we can claim the promises of the Bible at the darkest hour of our life. David Livingston returned to his country from Africa. And while talking to the college students he said, “Shall I tell you what sustained me during the hardships and loneliness in my exile?

Last month, I went to Guwahati in Assam to present a paper in a seminar. On the last day of the seminar, there was a shoot-out between the guerrillas and the military in the city and a few soldiers were killed.

In a meeting for the teachers of a missionary training Institution, a preacher asked the question, ‘What is the opposite of contentment?” Nobody answered immediately. The topic selected for discussion for that day was ‘Contentment in life’. After sometime one brother answered.

The early church set music to the Song of Mary found in Luke 1:46 to 55 and used it in their worship. Today, this is also sung in many mainline churches in the Sunday worship service. Do you know the reason? It is mainly because it contains very important elements of worship for a person in the context of fear and anxiety.

Alfred Buxton writes on the outcome of the sacrificial giving of C. T. Studd that he is “a sign to all succeeding generations that it is worthwhile to lose all this world can offer and stake everything on the world to come. He had demonstrated what it means to follow Christ without counting the cost or without looking back.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though itis tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ