http://tipritv.com/rss/blogs/author/vineet-verghese/ Latest updates from http://tipritv.com Power, pleasure and wealth are three reasons Christian leaders fall even today. God warns us of self-deception which is an area of serious issue because we can try and justify our sinful desires but we are answerable to God, the good and highest judge. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/359/laws-for-the-faithful/ Blog359 Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Oftentimes we go through life without a care just doing our own thing and it is in the difficult moments that we wonder where our help might come from. These trying circumstances give us reason to ask the deeper questions of life in terms of our purpose, the meaning of life, whether morality exits and what our destiny is. Only the Christian faith gives us answers to all four of those questions and based on these answers we have the hope to live. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/358/rituals-and-expectations/ Blog358 Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 God showed special favour to His chosen people and we can see that even today when God's chosen from among the nations are shown the greatest favour of all, freedom from sin - past, present and future! Jesus Himself was the great fulfillment of a willing slave when prophetically in Psalm 40:6 He declared His willingness to be the bond-slave of God the Father. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/341/freedom-from-bondage/ Blog341 Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Money is a necessity. Everyone wants it, few work for it, not all have it. What should our response be to towards money? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/20/the-love-of-money-or-life/ Blog20 Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 We thank God for the great harvest He has given us but in God's sight, when He sows plentifully in our lives, He expects to reap accordingly from us and the question we need to ask ourselves is are we really thankful and do we know what we are thankful for? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/291/a-thankful-heart-of-worship/ Blog291 Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Despite who we are or what we have become, God wants to love us and bestow on us His best. This is such a counter-cultural theology that it is difficult for us to even accept it. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/330/unmerited-favour-freely-available/ Blog330 Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400 In a fast crumbling world where neither politicians nor governments have control, where sin prevails so blatantly that morality has lost face, where the earth trembles because of its misuse by man, one asks is there any hope and the answer is a clear YES but are we willing to accept and receive it? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/305/the-only-and-greatest-security/ Blog305 Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400 The priesthood's inheritance was from God and was God indeed. Their every need would be provided for just as Jesus reminded us in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?” http://tipritv.com/blog/post/361/clarifying-contentious-misconceptions/ Blog361 Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0400 How could Jacob make a conditional covenant with God based on God's provision to him? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/105/jesus-christ---the-ladder-between-heaven-and-earth/ Blog105 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400 If God wanted, I'm certain He could let us live in our own mess and that would be bad enough for us to call on His name in desperation as we seem to be successfully destructing ourselves in our selfishness and greed. Why does God want to judge us as harshly as these revelations reveal? The silence in heaven after the opening of the seventh seal is evidence. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/36/hope-in-ashes/ Blog36 Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0400 Do we serve a just God and is his response fair? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/84/a-god-who-sees---el-roi/ Blog84 Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0400 God regarded Israel as special from among the nations, they had to conduct themselves as special among the nations and that is true of God's expectation of every Christian today. When we start to consider God's word and ways in perspective, we see the beauty of God's mind at work and we are able to praise Him for all that He has accomplished. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/340/a-ritualistic-nation/ Blog340 Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400 Mysticism has always had an appeal to us and is still evident today proved by our interest in watching horror movies or indulging in the occult, astrology, numerology, etc. The real question we need to ask ourselves is what our faith is like in these times when sin abounds all around us in different shapes and forms. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/336/contrast-in-perspectives/ Blog336 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400 We are easily influenced by those we live among and their rituals and culture and this was what God did not want for His chosen people. Take for example accents. Children of one culture easily take on the accent of the land they live in just by hearing and responding. This also effects their way of thinking, their personality, likes, wants, desires, etc. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/333/a-unique-calling/ Blog333 Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500 God is in the restoration business and has far more mercy than we can even begin to understand. His love is so deep and sincere that thousands of years later, He would send His only son Jesus Christ to come and die on a cross at the very hands of the ones He came to love. In all the combined wisdom of the world, we can never fully understand God’s motives but we can celebrate the fact that we have a God who cares so deeply for us personally. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/328/a-god-who-understands-our-weakness/ Blog328 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 As Christians, our lives are made possible only through Christ's leading and Christ is about His father's business, about whom we see evidence in today's chapter again. Non-Christians must never misjudge us as an exclusive club of 'chosen' people who look down on them, rather they need to see us as broken people rescued by a holy and loving God and He wants to do the same for them also. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/326/the-bridge-over-troubled-waters/ Blog326 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Our Christian walk is not a bed of roses from the get-go, instead, it seems like a bed of thorns with all that is thrown our way. It is not because God does not know our hearts, rather, it is because we don't know our own hearts! We need to be constantly corrected about our over-estimation of ourselves. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/325/gods-inverted-economy/ Blog325 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 My first reading of this chapter amounted to simply glossing over the words with the question, is there really anything in this chapter for me? I am often caught in this rut and don't make much of it because I simply look for the next interesting thing to grab my mind. How different am I from the Israelites, who journeyed from slavery in Egypt to freedom in Israel, whom we have often referred to or thought of as hard-hearted, disobedient, self-serving, forgetful…? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/315/forgetting-what-we-should-remember/ Blog315 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Logic and reasoning seems out-of-place in this setting and faith and reliance in God was what was called for to carry out what God had set out for the Israelites as they were entering the promised land. The size of our challenges pale before the might of our God and that is key to our greatest battles over sin. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/324/many-battles-ahead-after-the-greatest-victory/ Blog324 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Let us never fall into the deadly sin of loving our blessings more than the one who blesses us with everything and love Him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/318/the-measure-of-love/ Blog318 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 While we might like to think of progress as simply improving ourselves and making life better, we need to remember that the only way to measure improvement is to have something to measure it against and in this case, it is the past. This is why God reminds the Israelites of their past so that they live a better present and have hope for the future. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/317/required-refreshers-for-redeemed-rebels/ Blog317 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 On re-reflection today, it hit me hard that just like the Israelites pictured in this story, we are an impatient and mystery seeking lot. We want everything NOW and nothing ordinary will suffice because we are dealing with God who is supernatural and therefore the ordinary will never be enough. We want miracles, justice, blessing, joy, peace and prosperity but in exchange do not want to be corrected, lectured, challenged, directed or inspired. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/308/the-heart-of-the-issue/ Blog308 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 God sees it good to deny many things we desire. He may accept our prayers, yet does not grant us the very things we sometimes pray for. Even if God by His providence, denies us our desires, he certainly makes us content without them. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/314/wisdom-beyond-our-intellect/ Blog314 Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 While cultural differences are many across nationalities, the person within is much the same. Everyone has dreams, goals, futures, fortunes, riches, loses, hurt, joys, etc. and the blood that flows within our bodies is red. It then struck me that I am one-sided in my judgment of right from wrong. The list goes on and the definition of good and evil is limited to one's perspective. There certainly is evil in this world and we would like to believe it is not in us but in 'them' but that is our coloured judgment speaking. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/313/the-right-and-ability-to-judge/ Blog313 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 The restrictions our faith places on us are for our own spiritual blessing and and not to find loopholes in God's word to meet our own desires. It is vital that we see the great wisdom in it and follow God's leading to the blessings He has in store for us. Knowing that God loves us so dearly that He sacrificed His own son for our redemption should give us an insight into God's eternal love for us. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/307/submitting-to-wise-counsel/ Blog307 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 The 40 year journey cost many of the Israelites their lives because of their disobedience to God but it also produced much faith in the few that held onto God and waited on His redemptive plan. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/302/idols-and-idolaters--our-response/ Blog302 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 Does not the highway of salvation resemble the simple path to these cities of refuge? The only hurdle is our unbelief in this fortress called Jesus Christ. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/306/tower-of-refuge/ Blog306 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 We pray for God’s intervention in our challenging situations and when God starts to help us out, we bail the moment we think the ‘coast is clear’ and we can take charge of things ourselves. Our stubborn streak is not just a hidden trait but a real problem we face because we are willing to trust ourselves before we can trust anyone else, even GOD! http://tipritv.com/blog/post/301/our-future-hope-or-present-safety/ Blog301 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 When our hope moves from the assurance of spending an eternity with God to living for the moment, we sell our eternal inheritance in God's presence for God's wrath. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/287/passionate-consequences/ Blog287 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Is it not interesting that darkness is the lack of light and only comes into existence when light is put out? Jesus in his later years on earth in human form dealt with evil doers by revealing the darkness in their hearts and they could either respond by receiving His correction or running away from it. Light always reveals things shrouded in darkness and so Jesus' life brings the truth out in our dark world. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/299/casting-light-on-christs-birth/ Blog299 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Light and darkness cannot exist together in the same moment because one is the lack of the other. To understand a righteous God with an unclean mind is impossible because the two are the opposite of each other. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/296/gods-revenge-unleashed/ Blog296 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500 God vowed to love us and went to the extreme extent of sacrificing His own and only son Jesus Christ for us even though we are sinful. This love was beyond any we will ever know and this sacrifice is the greatest we will ever witness but God did it to reconcile us to Himself and His son willingly followed God's instructions. Can our vow really hold such ground? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/295/the-weight-of-a-promise/ Blog295 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500 For any sin offering to be complete according to the law, it had to be done in the tent but this sin offering was performed outside the camp making it insufficient... everyone involved in this ceremony were deemed unclean... We as humans are all passengers bound on a common journey to death... considering Jesus a great teacher and using His morals to determine our lives is not enough to save us... http://tipritv.com/blog/post/279/red-heifer-redemption/ Blog279 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Every moment we 'waste' or don't recognize as from God is an opportunity lost to serve Him. Have we taken for granted the abundance God has blessed us with because it is only when we don't have that we realize what we had? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/292/taken-for-granted/ Blog292 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Moses' great achievements were beyond belief and made possible only because God led his every step. God inspires greatness and provides everything needed not for the glory of those chosen but to bring His will to pass. It is not in us that greatness is born but in Jesus. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/289/true-leadership-modeled/ Blog289 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 This chapter shows us how God sovereignly rules over His creation and works in perfection when we are submitted to Him. Jesus was so simple that little children did not fear coming and sitting on His lap and on the other extreme, all the intelligence of humanity has not been able to explain even the most basic of His creation. Greatness and simplicity all confined in one person, Jesus Christ, and He provided us the bridge to His father through His death and sacrifice. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/288/propriety-and-order---gods-handiwork/ Blog288 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 The donkey could see that which a spiritual man like Balaam could not because he was blinded by the material rewards rather than doing what God had instructed him to do. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/283/greed-blinds/ Blog283 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 We can now begin to appreciate God's workings in the lives of those who trust Him with their all and glory in knowing that even though we may not see God's hand at work physically, He is definitely at work in our lives and in the lives of those connected with us. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/286/diviner-prophecy/ Blog286 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 The lure of riches is what got him to undertake the journey but at the end of this chapter, the only riches we can see in store for Balaam have to be in heaven because he has become the donkey that spoke to King Balak. The questions that begs to be answered here is as a people who have a common family name, Christian, what is the price we are will to pay for our faith in God and why? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/285/witness-at-the-cost-of-life/ Blog285 Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 As humans we certainly have the ability to groan at others when things don't go our way and when we find a solution, we like to take the credit for it, therefore ending in the deep end of the ditch of life... It also reminds us how God is working in our own lives by chiseling away the bad parts in us to prepare us to be like Him. Our few years of preparation is for an eternity of serving God with our all. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/280/exiled-and-blessed/ Blog280 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 How interesting that to be healed, the Israelites had to put their faith in God's ability than God simply taking away the problem. Speaks volumes about how God works in our lives specially in areas of repeated sin... Are you able to see the significance of Christ on the cross just as the Israelites were saved by looking at the bronze serpent set up high? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/282/faith-in-snakes/ Blog282 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Is it not amazing that God has given us in abundance all we need to live and all He asks in return is our first and the best? The best of our resources, abilities, time, thought, words, etc. are all for His glory alone. Are you grateful and giving the first and best of all you have to Jesus Christ, God's only son who gave His life for our redemption? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/278/our-gift-and-inheritance/ Blog278 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The dead pieces of wood used as staff by the leaders of the 12 tribes had nothing in them to bring forth new life. However, God used them to speak His truth and that is a reminder to us that God is more than able to work all things out for His glory. If there was fruit from the dead staff of Aaron whom the people despised, imagine how much fruit there is in us when we submit our broken bodies to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and follow His leading? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/277/the-voice-of-the-dead-staff/ Blog277 Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 What Korah, Dathan and Abiram did was not very different from what Aaron and Miriam did a few chapters ago when they questioned Moses' role as the head of the Israelites. The problem was not so much the exile in the desert as it was the question of power and preference. Everyone wanted to know 'Why Moses and Aaron' and 'Why not me'? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/276/a-speck-in-your-eye/ Blog276 Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Rather than considering the Israelites as a stiff-necked people and judging them, we need to open our eyes and realize they were no different from us today. Rebellion, defiance, self-reliance, etc. are characters that mark all living beings regardless of race, caste or creed and what we see in this story is a reflection of us. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/275/gods-wrath-or-mercy/ Blog275 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The 2009 recession nearly wiped out economies around the world and barely 2 years later, we seem to be getting back to our old ways with a passion for disaster. Lessons that we learn are taught as history to our children but do we really learn anything from them? What hope is there for humanity if we are naturally bound to ruin everything we put our hands to? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/273/the-direction-of-our-lives/ Blog273 Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The challenge we are faced with today is to accept the fact that our eyes only see what our trembling hearts permit and our minds are controlled by our fears but what we really need is to trust God who is in control of all things and obey His leading. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/272/blind-eyes-and-weak-faith/ Blog272 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God sure knows how to shame the wise and the rich and the gospel serves to confound the best by highlighting how majestically God can work through the worst for His glory. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/271/speaking-our-heart/ Blog271 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Only one who has lost race knows the joys of the one who won and in much the same way, lets not permit regret be the guide to our joy but instead let our hearts always be grateful for the blessings God has poured on us http://tipritv.com/blog/post/270/consequence-of-an-ungrateful-heart/ Blog270 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God has given us His holy word to lean on to and use it for our guidance and inspiration. For every situation in our lives, God has provided wisdom and all we need to do is seek Him through it. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/269/blow-his-trumpets-loud/ Blog269 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 There is a time and place for everything as appointed by God and we are called to simply follow Him and enjoy the fruits of faithful obedience. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/268/the-voice-of-wisdom/ Blog268 Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 We in our humanness might consider one role or task mightier than the next but in God's sight nothing is menial because He sent His own son, Jesus Christ, to undergo the most shameful and excruciating death at the hands of His own creation for their own redemption! http://tipritv.com/blog/post/267/lighting-the-worlds-ways/ Blog267 Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Does God deserve more of us, our abilities and resources or is God just another aspect of our daily routines or an inconvenience? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/266/the-joy-of-offering/ Blog266 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Clearly making vows to God is not something one should ever do lightly because God holds us accountable to them just as we can hold God accountable to His words to us. Today's passage about the vow of a Nazirite hopefully reminds you and I about our calling as children of the living God and the blessing Aaron and his sons were called to give is true even today. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/265/a-vow-for-life/ Blog265 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Are you drinking the bitter waters of sin and living with the consequences of your actions or do you want to drink the sweet water of salvation provided exclusively by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and be free of an eternity of suffering? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/261/bitter-consequences/ Blog261 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The specificity of God's calling went down to each man among the millions that were being led in the desert and to each was assigned a specific purpose. The Bible reminds us that God chose us before time began and we are here at this time to reflect His glory to the world. Each of us are called by Him not for our own fame but for His. Are you open to His calling and submitted to His lead? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/260/our-true-calling/ Blog260 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Another record of the seemingly senseless brutality of the Israelites is on display as God instructs them to make atonement for their unintentional sins by sacrificing animals. When Jesus came down and lived among us, He came to be the full and final payment of human sins for all eternity. His blood was the most expensive sacrifice ever because He was God's own and most loved son. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/259/worlds-most-expensive-gift/ Blog259 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God clearly chose the firstborn to redeem the rest of the people and that saved Israel. What about us today who might not be of Jewish descent? Are we not redeemed and do we have no hope? Jesus Christ, the only Son of God is the firstborn of all humanity. Jesus voluntarily gave up His life for us, His shed blood paid for the sins of all humanity and He therefore redeemed us from the depths of hell. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/258/one-for-all-and-all-for-one/ Blog258 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 If all of life operated by a set of conditions, we obviously have the wrong set of conditions because there is much that works against the laws of science and nature... There are many leaders but there are far more foot soldiers and the question we really need to ask ourselves is what God is calling us to be. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/257/partiality-in-gods-eyes/ Blog257 Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The Israelites were a changed people after 400 years of slavery with a new value system, ideologies and a way of life and in 40 years were transformed from slaves to what is to become conquerors. This ragtag bunch of people were suddenly a powerful force under the kingship of God led by God's right-hand man, Moses. While man tries to exercise might and power to control the direction of the world, God uses love evidenced by His only son Jesus Christ's death and resurrection to direct us towards His perfect hope. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/256/god-the-perfect-orchestrator/ Blog256 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 To God, a yes is a yes and a covenant will never be broken. God is never flippant about anything He says and His word has stood the test of time to prove it... you and I can stand on God's word knowing it is true and will not fail us but can God say the same of us? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/255/the-significance-of-our-words/ Blog255 Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Are you as formless clay trying to describe the potter or are you willing to let the potter shape you into something of beauty that magnifies the beauty of the potter? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/254/incomprehensible-love/ Blog254 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Our desire is our own glory and our confidence is in ourselves and our abilities, not in an external power. Submission seems to be our greatest challenge whether it be to authority, those older than us, our spouses, bosses, laws, etc... God recognized the oppression of man and provided a way for us to be freed from slavery to debt. This freedom was but a foreshadow of the permanent freedom God blessed us with through His son Jesus Christ. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/253/jubilee--a-celebration-of-freedom/ Blog253 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Isn't there a terrible contrast between this God who took life for a life and His son Jesus Christ who gave life for a life?... Jesus' life purpose was to take away the burden of sin and the weight of the law away from us and free us to live for God's glory. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/252/contrasting-gods-character/ Blog252 Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Leprous disease is akin to our sinful nature both before we know Christ and more specifically after we have been saved by His grace. It is a condition similar to backsliding and is a state where we lose focus of the cross and slip back into our old sinfulness. Condemnation is not something we can extol upon those who slip because we were once condemned and are now spared by the grace of God. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/232/hope-to-the-hopeless/ Blog232 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God chose to save me from myself and restored me to being His own but I operate in ways that don't always give Him glory. In fact, as I examine my life in the mirror of the Holy Spirit, I see how desperately I have been chiseling away at God's perfect creation to create my own creation. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/219/chiseling-our-own-masterpiece---a-disaster/ Blog219 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400 What is the point of trying so hard to serve God to man when man does not want God? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/24/a-transformed-heart/ Blog24 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 All these festivals seem a bit much to us but that is because we look at God and all things religious as extra-curricular. Religion is for those who are called to its service and the rest of us have our own lives to worry about. Many of us acknowledge God and claim to follow a faith but in reality will never be able to fully testify to this God because it is not really rational, hard to prove and causes social conflict. Is that true for you? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/247/our-true-priorities/ Blog247 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God recognized the challenge a poor man might have to make peace and therefore offered the simple sacrifice of flour in contrast to the rams and sheep for the rich. The quality of the sacrifice was not key but instead the repentant heart of the one who sacrificed was what mattered most to God. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/218/the-greatest-battle-already-won/ Blog218 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God's standards are much higher than ours and His holiness is beyond words. Even the respect given to dignitaries and guests of the state around the world have no comparison to the honor God expects when we come before Him. We as a creation have become so selfish that we no longer respect our maker but instead try to put God on the shelf and give Him limited access into our busyness. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/246/gods-holy-standards/ Blog246 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The Israelites were freed from captivity only to be put through a 40-year journey across the shifting sands of the desert and during this time, God was working in their lives to give them purpose and direction... Unlike the Israelites who had to try to meet God's expectations, we who are transformed by the blood of Jesus are a new creation clothed in righteousness because of His grace to us. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/243/impossibly-high-expectations-of-god/ Blog243 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400 It is an amazing contrast to see the same God who spoke the entire universe into existence now being so personal as to speaking into the lives of His own creation with such specificity... It is a challenge we face even today when we are more willing to put our faith in chance than to wait on God because we feel that we can get an answer in our timeframe versus waiting on God to respond to us. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/242/controlling-destiny-and-failing/ Blog242 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God instructs us to be holy because He is Holy. This is a high calling and seems impossible to the everyday person but this is a calling upon all of us who call ourselves 'Christian'. What is holiness? A simple understanding of holiness is that it is the idea of cutting off or separation and therefore is a call for us to move our focus onto God rather than ourselves. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/237/living-by-gods-standards/ Blog237 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 We were born to live in the glory of God and nakedness was not an issue to Adam and Eve until the fall of man when suddenly we became aware of our nakedness... birds, animals and plants don't look naked to us but in fact we marvel at their beauty and are embarrassed about our own. Is there any hope left for us? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/236/the-greatest-fight-of-all/ Blog236 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 When the Israelites entered Canaan, this ritual only continued with respect to sacrifices. Today the spiritual sacrifices we offer are not place bound. We have no temple or altar that sanctifies the gift but instead the temple of God is in us and through Christ, we offer thanks before we sacrifice and partake of our food and therefore are sanctified. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/235/spared-by-his-blood/ Blog235 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 When we look at our lives today, we seem to be carrying the burden of sins and wish that our sins could be atoned for and we could have a clean slip of life... He is the first goat that was sacrificed and His blood is upon the mercy seat and the altar. It is a picture of Christ dying for us. He is also the second goat that bears the sins of the nation and was sent out into the wilderness. The atonement is complete with His sacrifice and His bearing of our sins. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/234/ritual-atonement-or-permanent-atonement-for-sins/ Blog234 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 When we consider all the above, it seems like they are either medical conditions or normal bodily functions and therefore the question begs to be asked, why would God consider them unclean? Discharges of semen and menstruation were so regarded, not because there was anything inherently wrong with them, but because the two are connected with symbols of life and redemption, blood and seed. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/233/undefiled-by-gods-grace/ Blog233 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Leprosy was a condition of uncleanness and the lepers needed to be cleaned, not healed. Does it not resonate with our sinfulness and how we need to be cleansed of it? Before accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are described as unclean and upon genuine reflection of our lives, we can see clearly how unclean we are before a holy and righteous God. Is there hope for us? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/231/sickness-and-loneliness/ Blog231 Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 This uncleanness in women at conception is not in their physical nature, rather it is in their spiritual nature. This state of impurity is not to be confused with sinfulness or inferiority. On the contrary, it emphasizes, in particular, the great level of holiness inherent in a woman's God-gifted ability to create and nurture a new life within her body, and the great holiness of a husband and wife's union, in general. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/230/the-great-bias-or-misunderstanding/ Blog230 Tue, 24 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God had a clear direction of what was right and not and expected those who were His own to follow His explicit instructions. We are quick to question authority but slow to submit to it and in this case, it is the authority of the one who gives us our very breath and the air to breathe! http://tipritv.com/blog/post/227/a-loving-fathers-heart/ Blog227 Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God does not appreciate any mockery or slipshodness of worship to Him and deals with such offenders with a harsh punishment. Worse still, if the offenders are the ones chosen to serve God from among men, God’s wrath on them would be far worse than for others and therefore was there any hope in human priesthood? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/226/gods-standards-for-his-royal-priesthood/ Blog226 Thu, 19 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The sincere prayers and praises of God's own are more pleasing to God than all the burnt-offerings and sacrifices. Are we filled with the Holy Spirit that drives out the lust of flesh and consumes us with a burning zeal for God or are we consumed by the burning greed of this world that fills us with everything that takes us away from God? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/224/the-fire-that-consumes-self/ Blog224 Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The one aspect we need to always remember is that even though we are called royal and priests, we are to never forget that it was not a calling we deserved but one that God mercifully called us into. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/223/annointed-into-priesthood/ Blog223 Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Two aspects of life that we chose to avoid are guilt and hope. Guilt because of what we have done that has brought hurt to others and ourselves and hope because that is the only future concept that gives purpose to living for today. With the arrival of Jesus Christ, God provided the perfect, total and only solution to mankind that met all of God's requirements and provided us a link back to God, the one we as humans have always sought. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/221/bound-in-blood/ Blog221 Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The Jews were given a clear way of atoning for sin, specifically by sacrifice, a shadow of things to come, whose fulfillment was in Christ, who by offering Himself for the sin of all mankind, put away sin altogether. Is it not amazing how the old testament law and sacrifices parallel to the new covenant gifted to us through Jesus Christ? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/217/the-sacrifice-for-sin/ Blog217 Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God not only provided the Israelites a way to ask for forgiveness but also a way to make peace with God, to feast with God as a token of their friendship. For us non-Jews, the significance is better understood when we see these things through their eyes both culturally and contextually and therefore we must study God's words earnestly. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/216/the-lasting-peace-offering/ Blog216 Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Yeast is directly opposed to the graces of humility, love, and sincerity, which God approves, while the honey keeps men from exercising devotion, and practicing good works. Jesus in his character and sacrifice was totally free from these issues and his suffering life and agonizing death were the very opposite to worldly pleasure. We as His children are called to follow Him and to be like Him. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/213/the-heart-and-taste-of-giving/ Blog213 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 To relate the unacceptable animal sacrifices in today's time, we can contrast our culture of sex, violence and drugs. In today's day and age, promiscuity has no relevance as we as a race are openly shedding every concept of morality and anyone who stands up against it is considered 'old' and not 'keeping with the times'. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/212/animal-sacrifices-vs-failing-morality/ Blog212 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Every element in the tabernacle represents Jesus Christ and His sacrifice represents the final sacrifice that was needed for you and me to find peace with God. The law that was written on stone is now written on the hearts of those who have been washed by the blood of the perfect lamb of God, Jesus Christ. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/208/a-call-to-holiness/ Blog208 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The craftsmen, filled with the Holy Spirit, built everything as per spec, presented it to Moses for final approval and he was pleased because what was before him was what God had instructed him to produce. Christ is the bridge that God made far more perfectly than the tabernacle made by human hands, and through Christ we have the perfect and only hope that nothing else or no one else can ever provide. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/206/gods-perfection-vs-mans-creation/ Blog206 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 I love the clarity and detail in which God described all that He accomplished. Even better was the fact that everything was done with order in mind, there was purpose in each element and a full audit was performed to confirm that the entire process, materials and workmanship was per spec! God clearly is in control, knows the future from the past, directs our lives with meaning and purpose and is fully worthy of our total submission http://tipritv.com/blog/post/205/the-precision-and-perfection-of-god/ Blog205 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The word of God recorded in the Bible is pregnant with meaning and a little bit of research reveals volumes. For instance, the incense represented the prayer of the saints and the sacrifice on the altar represented the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. I hope that you would be inspired to mine into God's word and glorify Him in the beauty of His divinity, nature, character and be filled with joy always. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/204/perfect-worship-of-a-holy-god/ Blog204 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God does not need more to bless more because He created it all. God desires us to love Him totally and therefore blesses us when we love Him more than we love our prized possessions... Keeping the law was easy in public but impossible in private because people can appear holy but that holiness is easily faked whereas in God's presence, He sees our hearts, not just our actions. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/202/word-becomes-flesh/ Blog202 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Some churches are a social organization driven by the need to serve whereas others are a community of people drawn together by God's hand to serve others as an expression of God's love in them... A heart filled with true love is one that gives more than it gets because love is not selfish. Jesus showed us His heart in His life, death and sacrifice and calls us to receive His love so that we can transform the world. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/201/joyful-service-not-a-social-cause/ Blog201 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 God revealed Himself as gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, loving thousands at the same time, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. These are the qualities that define God and we dream of these qualities in our own fathers too. The veil is reflective of how the world perceives spirituality which is at an arm's length. We therefore need to bring before God all our struggles and ask God for His intervention. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/200/veiled-spirituality/ Blog200 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 One of the great realities of God is the fact that He does not go back on His promises. We can hold God to His word but can God hold us to ours? Brokenness is such a reality of our lives that we don't see an issue with being broken. Our sinfulness has grown to a point where we are comfortable in our brokenness and can explain it away as just a yin in the yang of life! What hope is then really there for us or are we just floating blindfolded on the raft of our wisdom? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/199/the-only-certainly-in-life/ Blog199 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 If man were created by God in His image, how then could man be sinful while God be holy? It is because God did not create Gods but created creatures who were to be likened to him in relationship… Aaron’s lie was never missed or ignored but because of his repentance, he was spared the great punishment of God. This is again a reality of how we are a sinful people but are given hope by God through Jesus, His son. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/198/end-of-grace-start-of-judgment/ Blog198 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Pride has served as a great stumbling block to many in their walk and continues to be among the greatest battles we face daily... God used Moses to accomplish the great task of shaming the great Egyptians and freeing the Israelites from 430 years of bondage and slavery, all without an army or wealth or physical strength... God is not in the process of making one man superstars but rather works on using each of His chosen ones to do His work when they are willing and ready. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/197/pride-and-stumbling-blocks/ Blog197 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Not only has God shown an ability to plan to perfection but His provision of skills, material and willingness to the Israelites shows He is a master orchestrator and is beyond brilliant!!! What a privilege that we have in Jesus the totality of all God wanted in a dwelling place and through Jesus alone do we have access to God the father. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/195/jesus---the-sum-total-of-all-gods-demands/ Blog195 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 This calling of Aaron and his lineage was a lasting ordinance from God and it meant that the true high priest would be of Levite descent. Jesus was not of the line of the Levites but was said to be of the line of Judah! How then could He become our great High Priest? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/196/jesus-the-high-priest-but-not-a-levite/ Blog196 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The holy garments certainly distinguished the priests from the Israelites but it was not for that purpose alone. Clearly these garments typify the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the fulfillment of God's high priest just as He was the fulfillment of the long-awaited messiah and the perfect and final sacrifice referred to as the lamb of God. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/185/the-true-high-priest/ Blog185 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 For a God who could speak all creation into existence, getting this complex dwelling place in order was no 'biggie' but instead He allowed the Israelites the opportunity to worship and obey Him through this act of service and provided them the required material for this tabernacle when they were leaving Egypt and when they won the battle against the Amalekites. Today as was back in Mosaic times, God desires our submission, trust and obedience to Him. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/184/the-temple-of-god/ Blog184 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 We often admire science and scientists for all they have learnt and used to create new things. If in the same way we are able to give God credit for our own beings, would we not be blown away by His design? The human body is so complex that after thousands of years, we as a civilization still have not understood it's workings fully and at best we work with what we have understood and can control. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/177/gods-blueprint-for-man/ Blog177 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 For a God who had such great detail in mind for His dwelling place, trusting a nation of people to give freely was not a leap of faith but something God did in the knowledge of what each one was going to give. This was clearly God ordained and directed and as we will later see, panned out exactly as planned and people gave more than needed! http://tipritv.com/blog/post/176/the-tabernacle---all-pomp-or-a-solemn-residence/ Blog176 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Obviously blood is the only basis for reconnecting with God and it was the blood of a clean and pure animal that was used. The blood here represented a sacrifice made to God and sprinkling of the blood on the people was a confirmation of the covenant between man and God. Was there a connection here between Moses, the sacrifice and Jesus? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/175/covenants-blood-sacrifices-and-holiness/ Blog175 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 To the Israelites who lived under slavery for many generations before being freed, they had no clear sense of direction because they were trained to be doers, not askers or thinkers. God clearly explains here that He took them the long route to protect them from enemies, desolation, wild animals and to build them in faith that they will receive their inheritance fully. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/173/the-long-road-to-eternity/ Blog173 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The law became a stumbling block for the Israelites and living under God's authority was impossible because no man fully attained the requirements of the law. The keepers of the law used them to fuel their yearning for power and soon the filthy hand of man was visible in the perfect will of God, thereby causing it to be a hindrance to faith itself! http://tipritv.com/blog/post/172/bound-by-laws/ Blog172 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Power is a ‘high’ that we as humans seem to thrive on and domination has been the hallmark of victors! Though we have progressed so dramatically since Mosaic times, we still combat slavery with over 27 million slaves around the world. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/171/freedom-from-slavery/ Blog171 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500 The Israelites were shaken up by the ferocity of God as revealed by His presence among them on the mountain and they were operating in fear and trembling because of their hard-heartedness. In contrast, Moses spoke with God without their fear because He had a relationship with this same God and was able to hear and operate in this God's leading. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/168/fear-or-righteousness/ Blog168 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Regardless of their heart response to God's blessing, God continued to direct them through clear and specific instructions. There was great love shown but also serious judgment and God had to enforce His authority over man. Mankind could not live up to the requirements of the law as was proven by the Israelites and no sacrifice would be good enough to pay for the sins of the world, let alone each man. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/167/respect-or-love-god/ Blog167 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500 When we compare Moses to Jesus, we can see that there is a vast difference as much as there are similarities. Moses operated in God's wisdom and direction whereas Jesus operated in His own wisdom under God's blessing. No one person is sufficient to cover all aspects of faith but collectively God is to be served and is glorified in our collective service as children of God. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/166/burning-out-for-god/ Blog166 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500 It was easy for the Israelites to celebrate their victory, which seemed to come from the hands of Joshua, but Moses and the elders of Israel knew where their help came from and they commemorated this event through the altar to Jehovahnissi. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/165/three-strikes-and-victory/ Blog165 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Moses reveals what God is about to do in the lives of the Israelites and asks the question, 'Who are we'? Is it not amazing that we are the ones God saves, secures, protects, provides for and yet we are the same ones who question the very God who did all this for us? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/164/cursing-the-gifter/ Blog164 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 These people who walked through walls of sea water parted exclusively for them are now bitter about not having potable water to drink shows us that in our natural human selves, we are momentary in our feelings and expression and situations do not change our character. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/160/momentary-or-lasting-change/ Blog160 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Control is core to our belief that we can manage and sustain all things ourselves but can we really? In all this carnage and jubilation, what we know is that God was in clear control of both sides. God orchestrated all of it for His own glory and what He expects of us is to respond to Him in return. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/159/the-only-and-lasting-hope/ Blog159 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Is that not amazing reassurance that God is in it for the long haul, not just the moment? Is it not evidence that God purposes a life long relationship, not just a passing acquaintance with us? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/158/commemoration-of-redemption/ Blog158 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Over two million people were released from captivity overnight not by the act of man but by the ordination of God, a holy and living God. The passover lamb was instituted 1,440 years before Jesus came into the world and was a reflection of what He would become, the lamb of God, and in His death all mankind could be saved. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/156/the-true-passover/ Blog156 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 The Egyptians suffered a great loss when they ignored God's warning but today all mankind will lose their own lives, not just their firstborn if they do not heed to God's warning. The freedom Moses sought for the Israelites is not unlike the freedom God seeks for all mankind from the grip of Satan. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/155/death-or-life-eternal/ Blog155 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Through this we learn that God is not blind to our tears and suffering, that He operates on an agenda that He has and not on our terms, He seeks to right wrongs and not place bandages on wounds, He has all authority over all of creation, He uses His power to bring all mankind to see His glory and worship Him and in everything He alone deserves praise. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/154/the-final-days-of-captivity/ Blog154 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Clearly God was showing that only He had the ability to judge, had total control over the elements of nature because He created it Himself and sought His own glory by bringing an awareness of His majesty to the Egyptians. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/152/endurance-in-trying-times/ Blog152 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Mankind is willing to blindly accept that which is not from God and use it to talk into our lives but we are unwilling to let God any room in our lives. Take for example yoga or martial arts! http://tipritv.com/blog/post/150/choices-of-a-hardened-heart/ Blog150 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 God is not a genie in a bottle that we can use as a 'get out of jail' card when in a hard place. Clearly God has an agenda for us and His eyes see beyond our mere situations and His will is to glorify Himself. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/145/gods-way-not-ours/ Blog145 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 It is at moments of our greatest fear when we realize how small and helpless we really are and how desperate we are for help. What we yearn for is a saviour to come and deliver us from our fear and that is what God was doing here in Moses' life. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/144/fear-and-faith/ Blog144 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Not too long after, the Israelites were freed but not before things got a lot worse for them. We certainly have short memories like Moses and are quick to complain but slow to respond. Do you live a life of bearing witness to His name or are you reacting like Moses with amnesia when under persecution? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/143/persecuted-witnesses/ Blog143 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 When God sets us apart for His work, He requires us to step forward 100% and not a finger at a time. He wants us for Himself, not just a part of us or an area of our lives but our entire self. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/142/total-submission-today/ Blog142 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 I like to think of God as a painter with an open canvas and his paints are our choices, actions, relationships, emotions, etc. and God works through these volatile and dynamic elements to bring together the perfect picture He had in mind. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/141/god-the-artist/ Blog141 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Does this bondage of the Israelites not remind us of difficult times in our own lives when there seems to be no hope? These are the salty plains from which we get our greatest opportunity to call on Jesus Christ for His intervention and deliverance and give ourselves up for His glory. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/140/redemption-from-bondage/ Blog140 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 We are going to face trials in this life but when our focus in on glorifying God, our problems fade away and our hearts are full of joy for our maker. We forget not the storms of this life but we see clearly the one who will take us through to be with Him. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/139/the-ultimate-solution/ Blog139 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 In Joseph’s witness, we can see what true forgiveness really means. He did not forget the dungeons of his past but God’s love helped him hold no bitterness against his brothers and God’s goodness helped him to find hope in all things. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/138/true-forgiveness-and-lasting-hope/ Blog138 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 At some point in our lives, we will cease to exist and what matters not is how great we were or how much we were worth but the legacy we leave. The greatest legacy we can leave is the truth about the truth or the truth about Jesus Christ for he is the all-in-all and in Him is a life of fulfillment and purpose beyond any other. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/137/a-lasting-legacy-and-a-blessed-gift/ Blog137 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Lets never take for granted what we know but instead lets lean on God for wisdom and walk in His righteous ways. Our lives are meant to be an offering of praise to our Lord, Jesus Christ who is, was and forever will be! http://tipritv.com/blog/post/136/gods-paradigm-not-ours/ Blog136 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Our attitude towards life is to live each day for what it is worth because we don't know what tomorrow brings. Uncertainty is a certainty of every human's life because at any moment, our lives can cease to exist... Success to a christian therefore is a life lived glorifying God both here on earth and in heaven for eternity and our witness is in living this life of praise regardless of our circumstances. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/135/pitstop-to-eternity/ Blog135 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 God's transformation is not just in our soul but our entire being. When we submit to Him, we need to submit our all and then walk in faith knowing that the one who loves us is able to do far more than we can imagine, has control over everything He created and choses to bless us as His will is done. Are we willing to be a part of His will or will we rebel to be a part of the pits of hell? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/133/shepherding---the-great-or-lowly-occupation/ Blog133 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Are you willing to let go of the reins of your life and hand it over to Jesus Christ who has conquered sin and death for our sakes and offers us salvation through His shed blood? Is Joseph's life about his goodness or God's awesomeness to His faithful children? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/130/transformation-by-love/ Blog130 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 God is not in the business of placing bandages on wounds but instead is in the business of transforming lives because only He has the authority and the power to do so. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/129/is-life-more-than-challenging-situations/ Blog129 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 This is a real reflection of our hearts and response to our sins. When we are confronted by the sins of our youth, we find it hard to remember because we have suppressed our sins with thoughts of our own righteousness. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/128/what-can-buy-freedom/ Blog128 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Are you living with the ghosts of your past actions and the fear of tomorrow are are you saved by the blood of the lamb and looking forward to your future with Jesus Christ for eternity? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/127/sins-bitter-aftertaste/ Blog127 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 In worldly terms, we may not gain sudden riches and honor but in spiritual terms we are rich for the creator of the world now graces us with His loving presence and promises us eternity in His presence, a reward that is beyond any other. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/126/rags-to-riches---a-spiritual-journey/ Blog126 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Are you living out your faith or are circumstances dictating your life? Is God in control of your life or are you holding the reins and directing your life in darkness? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/125/faith-over-circumstances/ Blog125 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Joseph's righteousness could never buy God's favor but God's will can never be displaced by man's unrighteousness. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/124/gods-goodness-or-josephs-righteousness/ Blog124 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 When we consider Jesus and His life, we see nothing of His ancestry in Him. His life, His choices, His purpose are all evidence that He was certainly not of His family and certainly not of this world. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/123/righteousness-from-brokenness/ Blog123 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Our lives are lived by choices we make and without God in our lives, we live for our own selves and that life leads to destruction. With God in the helm of our lives, our future is secured, our present is directed by Him and our choices are steered towards His glory. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/121/roses-in-ashes/ Blog121 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 The children of the world have all their hope in hand and nothing in hope whereas the children of God have all theirs in hope and nothing in hand. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/119/possessions-or-promise/ Blog119 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 We live with the opportunity to serve a faithful and almighty God who has given us the means, the way and has opened the door to Him through His only son, Jesus Christ, who came to save us lost sheep and give us an eternal inheritance that can never be taken away. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/118/serving-the-almighty/ Blog118 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 We know that God has been with Jacob from the beginning but what is hard to understand is why then Jacob suffered so much if God were on his side? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/113/fleeing-from-freedom/ Blog113 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Foolish pleasures lead to seduction, seduction produces anger, anger thirsts for revenge, the thirst of revenge results in treachery, treachery results in murder; and murder is followed by other lawless actions. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/117/the-power-of-sin/ Blog117 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Why did Jacob not simply go back with Esau to his homeland after all these many blessings? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/114/the-mighty-and-good-shepherd/ Blog114 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 When we are sent on a mission by God, we need to faithfully follow and prayerfully talk to God. This is a picture of our spiritual life and this journey marks our daily lives in Christ. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/116/recipe-to-break-strongholds/ Blog116 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 Where was God in Jacob's life and what does He intend to teach us through this passage? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/109/the-lion-of-judah---the-true-bridegroom/ Blog109 Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 How often do we truly acknowledge God's hand in our lives when He delivers us and what is our response? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/106/faith-irrespective-of-deception/ Blog106 Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 In the context of a Holy God, what room is there for deception and what is God speaking to us today? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/103/deception-and-holiness/ Blog103 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why does God permit suffering in the lives of believers when we willingly follow Him? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/99/is-suffering-gain/ Blog99 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 It is hard to imagine that Jesus, the son of God, was born of Abraham's lineage which was full of broken men and women. All of these stories don't show Jesus' ancestry in good light and makes us wonder what God is speaking to us through it? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/97/blessed-be-the-sinners/ Blog97 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 The question I had was why did the head servant ask God to reveal the right woman because of watering the camels and him? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/96/endless-fruit-of-obedience/ Blog96 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why would Abraham not take the gracious offer being made by Ephron and the sons of Heth and what are we to learn from this today? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/95/humility-and-generosity-for-his-glory/ Blog95 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 What is the real point to this story and is God able to speak to us today in the 21st century when human sacrifice is not as prevalent? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/94/obedience-to-death/ Blog94 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 What is God trying to teach us through the joyous birth, the painful separation and the peaceful covenant? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/93/the-everlasting-god/ Blog93 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 The question that comes to my mind when I considered this passage is God's support for Abraham and the purpose of this situation? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/91/sovereign-god-and-praying-men/ Blog91 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why would God permit Lot's wife to become a pillar of salt when He went through so much to save her, Lot and their daughters? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/90/the-salt-of-disobedience/ Blog90 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 The question that lingered in my mind was how Abraham recognized God when he has not previously seen Him and are we expected to feed and comfort God, the one who feeds us? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/87/the-fruit-of-hospitality/ Blog87 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 when we read this chapter, we notice that God has made a demand of Abraham and all the men in his household to be circumcised. This seems rather crude and painful and is that really needed? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/86/a-pure-heart/ Blog86 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why does God delay his responses and what should our response be to Him? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/83/abrams-faith--righteousness/ Blog83 Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why did Melchizedek bring out bread and wine to celebrate and why did Abram refuse the gifts offered? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/82/the-sacrament-and-the-tithe/ Blog82 Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 What is the big issue with choosing rationally and what does God say about it? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/81/the-problem-of-lots/ Blog81 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why was God silent about Abram's lie that Sarai was his sister? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/80/gods-will-or-our-fall/ Blog80 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why did God not destroy the builders of the tower of Babel rather than confusing them and spreading them into the world to create more confusion? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/79/mans-intelligence-and-certain-destruction/ Blog79 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 One question that has been on my mind is why there is only a mention of men, does this mean women have no significance to God and what are we to understand from it? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/74/genealogies-and-women/ Blog74 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Where is God when floods besiege us in different parts of the world? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/72/a-watertight-covenant/ Blog72 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why all the bloodshed when there were only a few of each species remaining and is that required for God to be satisfied? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/70/the-perfect-sacrifice/ Blog70 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Are we to come and submit to the Lord because of our fear of His wrath and what is God speaking to us through this event? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/67/gods-anger-vs-gods-love/ Blog67 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Every passage that we read in the Bible is rife with questions asked by humans of great intelligence and what is God trying to establish by presenting such hard to accept matters? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/66/the-ark-of-eternal-protection/ Blog66 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why would a God reveal these inconsistencies of life and how does He expect us to trust Him with our lives based on these stories? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/65/live-to-900/ Blog65 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Why was God biased towards Abel over Cain when both of them brought their first fruits as an offering to Him? What does God want to teach us today? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/63/heart-of-giving/ Blog63 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Is there anything for us to understand from this fall of man and what is God speaking to us today? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/62/the-fall-of-mankind/ Blog62 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 What is God's purpose in creation and why would a creator give the keys of creation to the ones He created? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/61/the-question-of-choice/ Blog61 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 How plausible is it that all of this occurred in just 6 days (Day 7 is in the next chapter) and what was God's purpose in creating us, if in fact He did? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/58/a-fresh-start/ Blog58 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 What then is the purpose of this book if not for the doom and gloom, pain and suffering and poetic words that make little sense? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/57/the-final-message/ Blog57 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 The questions that comes to mind are why would God want to make all things new and how could there be no more death or pain here when we know that our bodies grow old naturally and die? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/56/new-heaven-and-new-earth/ Blog56 Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 What is God's yardstick for people who are to be judged in the white throned judgment, who are these people and is there hope for us from this gruesome end? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/55/the-great-white-throne-judgment/ Blog55 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 In all the imagery of this prophecy, who is this person who has four names and is even referred to as The Word of God? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/53/word-of-god-revealed/ Blog53 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Who could this great Babylon be and what could her sins be that God is so furious with her? Why is God so furious at this great city and what is He speaking to us this day through this great warning? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/52/saved-or-judged/ Blog52 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 If not for the great harlot and the scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns, what is God calling us to understand this day? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/51/chosen-and-faithful/ Blog51 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 How can the seas, the land and the rivers and streams pour the blood of saints and prophets and what justice is there for God to punish these elements? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/50/sacrificing-self/ Blog50 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Even with Christ now living in me, I suffer loss, I witness suffering, pain and even death and there is little to comfort us. Is there a hope at all? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/49/song-of-moses/ Blog49 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Why would a good and glorious God who loves us to a point of sacrificing His own and only son, Jesus Christ, permit such suffering upon His own creation just because they chose to rebel? Is this not more terrible than the Jewish holocaust itself and is God not the worst murderer of all? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/45/the-greatest-holocaust/ Blog45 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Day by day, the reality of these end times prophecies are getting more intense and scary. The reference to beasts makes the forces of evil look worse than they seem or are they as heinous as their description? What is God saying to us today? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/44/call-to-perseverance/ Blog44 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Why would God send the dragon or Satan to earth to torment us and is there any message from God to us today through this terrible event? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/42/the-great-accusation/ Blog42 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Sometimes I wonder why God uses such complex ways of communicating to us and whether there is anything for us to learn in this day and age from such ancient texts? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/41/gods-yardstick/ Blog41 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 As you might imagine, this journey is getting harder as we dwell into these visions of John. There is much to be understood but it seems like it will be clearly understood only when these things take place but until then, we are to use these revelations from God as a warning for what is to come and what we can hope for as His children born of His spirit. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/40/bitter-sweet-truths/ Blog40 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Do you picture in your mind these horrid times when ugly locusts will swarm the earth to strike humans with painful bites that take 5 months to heal and then horses with fire in their mouth and snakes in their tails will also join the attack of mankind who fail to call on Jesus as their Lord and Savior? All of this sounds more like a mystical movie than reality. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/37/the-final-call/ Blog37 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Today I begin a journey I have dreaded for a long while, a journey across the book of Revelation, a prophetic book written by John when he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos. My dread was that I would not present it the way God would be glorified but knowing that this is a journey that God has set me out to complete, I trust God to provide me the wisdom to understand and pen what His heart is on these visions. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/26/mysteries-of-god/ Blog26 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 As we journey through the book of revelation, we can see an obsession for worship of God and His son Jesus Christ that is beyond our understanding. I cannot imagine what life would be if all I did was worship someone and nothing else mattered to me. What would happen to my family, my responsibilities, my dreams and goals...? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/34/be-counted-in-the-countless/ Blog34 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 As I read today's chapter, I wondered what God was saying to us? What is the purpose of revealing such dark realities of a God who is the epitome of love? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/33/the-end-times/ Blog33 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 In all the might, splendor, power and majesty of heaven, what's a little lamb doing there? Should it not be Jesus? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/31/a-worthy-lamb/ Blog31 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 In today's chapter, is there something that we can learn beyond all this imagery of heaven, the 24 elders, the worship by the 4 creatures and all the riches ever imagined together on one platform? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/29/heavenly-celebrations/ Blog29 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Why does God not simply save us from the trials of life and take us straight to be with Him after we accept Him as our Lord and Savior? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/28/a-joyful-awakening/ Blog28 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 What is the significance of God's message to us today 2,000 years later as most of us do not belong to those seven churches or face those battles? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/27/a-personal-god/ Blog27 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 In our confused and messed up world, what hope is there and where are we headed if our collective wisdom is so flawed? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/23/dont-trip-and-fall/ Blog23 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 Everyone of us are seeking something which we can never find in our own strength and therefore refocus our attention to things we can work towards like careers, wealth, family, friends, status, power, prestige, respect, etc. However hard we try and however successful we are, there never seems to be the satisfaction of having achieved. Which path can lead to satisfaction? Read to find out more. http://tipritv.com/blog/post/18/where-are-you-headed/ Blog18 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 In these uncertain times, how do we know who holds to what belief and what is the truth? http://tipritv.com/blog/post/25/basis-of-our-faith/ Blog25 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400