Rev J N Manokaran

The Psalmist sings that if God had not been on their side, they would have perished. (Psalm 124:1) He describes it with five poetic metaphors. (Psalm 124:3-7) There are threats, troubles, temptations, and tribulations that await the people of God. Amazingly, God protects His people from the troubles they perceive and many more that they […]

David prays to the Lord, saying: Be Pleased, O Lord, to deliver me. (Psalm 40:13) short and sweet prayer that has spiritual fervor, humility, faith, and expectation for God’s mighty deeds. Using this principle, people could pray for various aspects of life. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: God is gracious to those who

David pretended to be mad among the Philistines and escaped. As he came to the cave of Adullam, many people who were in distress, in debt, and in discontent gathered to David. (I Samuel 22:1-2) What should David do with them? He trained them to become a formidable army. There are some insights into the

There are instances where shoes are thrown at the judges or eggs smashed on their faces. Angry criminals respond when they are convicted and sentenced to jail. However, Amos speaks of a culture of lawlessness and vehement opposition to the truth. It is not individuals who are criminals; the whole nation becomes unjust and insensitive

The Five Foolish Virgins had foolish ideas that led to their foolish unpreparedness and futile efforts. (Matthew 25:1-13) Like those five, many become foolish for a variety of reasons. Trendy: The foolish virgins wanted to be trendy, with modern fashion. Carrying a can of oil would make them ashamed and a target of jokes. Forgetting

One of the sins that Prophet Amos condemns is the violation of a Covenant of Brotherhood. (Amos 1:9) Covenant in the Bible means a partnership sealed by blood, and violation of any party will result in the punishment of death. This covenant is the opposite of having the attitude of Cain – Am I my

David Dhanraj and his wife, Christel Vigila (daughters Blessy and Ancy), were serving the Lord in the city of Chennai. God used them mightily among the underprivileged, marginalised, fatherless, widows, and poor migrants from Odisha. Their service during the COVID-19 times was phenomenal. After being bedridden, Vigila went to be with the Lord, and on

Some people are obsessed with alternatives. Mostly, it is because of curiosity, or misunderstanding the significance of what is available, given, or present. One man narrowly escaped death as he relied on AI in his search for an alternative to salt. Being in the Intensive Care Unit for three weeks, he recovered from bromide poisoning.

Viktor Frankl, in his book Embracing Hope, writes about a person who did the work of a dustman (garbage collector). He was awarded the Order of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany. His job was to collect garbage from homes and take it for disposal. In the rubbish bins, he found toys, broken and

An old man was trying to pick up his luggage to put it on the rack of the train. As he picked up, he experienced a disc slip, with severe pain, and he fell. He grumbled: “I lifted luggage like this hundreds of times, but it never happened like this.” One young man said, “Uncle,