joyancejames

Author: joyanceshalomjames

  • It’s mine (Is it really mine?)

    “It’s mine” says my little daughter Faith while snatching a toy or hair clip from my hand and sometimes I gently remind her that since she is mine, so whatever she owns is actually mine. As a child she feels entitled to her toys and hair clip and throws a tantrum when she can’t have her way, are we any different than my toddler? We feel entitled to all the blessings, crave things to happen our way, on our time schedules, forgetting that God is sovereign and we are not.

    The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
    Psalms 24:1 NLT
    https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.24.1.NLT

    Let us remind ourselves that things better in the almighty hands that never falter nor fail than our butter fingered hands. A heart that trusts is better than a mind that comprehends. Even the wisest King of Israel, Solomon advised us not to lean on our own understanding but to trust the Lord with all our heart.

    Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?
    Romans 11:33‭-‬34 NLT
    https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.11.33-34.NLT

    We end up wasting a lot of our time and energies and mental peace because we do not realise and acknowledge the sovereignty of God in our lives. Let us remind ourselves that the sheep never search, “pastures near me” on the maps trying to make it’s life easier but trusts the shepherd to lead it to the right pasture.

    The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?
    Proverbs 20:24 NLT
    https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.20.24.NLT

    God bless!

  • Take me deeper vs carry me

    Lessons from Faith’s first day at beach

    Faith with mummy vs daddy at the beach

    Yesterday was Faith’s first day at beach and it taught us a lesson or two. She was so scared to step into the water even after seeing smaller babies rolling in the sands/water. Shalom took her to the edge where the waves just kiss the shore and baby cried her heart out, as if she was afraid for her life. I’d to salvage her first beach experience’s trauma by picking her up and calming her and that decent photo is the evidence of that calmness.

    There are days when He takes us deeper into the waters and days when we see only one set of footprints 👣 on the sand (when He carries us in His arms). The hands that hung the stars are big yet small enough to carry you too.

    We’ve days when we can’t imagine going further or deeper yet God knows when to stop and pick us up. Whether it’s in deeper waters or in His arms may we never forget that it is His presence that matters. He will never forsake us nor leave us.

    ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
    Exodus 19:4 NLT
    https://bible.com/bible/116/exo.19.4.NLT

    Even to your old age I am He, and even to hair white with age will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry and will save you.
    Isaiah 46:4 AMPC
    https://bible.com/bible/8/isa.46.4.AMPC

    God bless.

  • Fix versus love

    We spend a major lot of our lives wishing we could fix our friends, family, spouses, children, neighbours, bosses, co workers and the list is endless, but fixing people isn’t our job description. If we had our way we’d love to see the people around us molded to our likeness, but we forget that all of us are made in God’s likeness inspite of the idiosyncrasies. It is the Holy Spirit’s to convict and change people and we can’t do His work for Him.

    Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
    Romans 12:9‭-‬10‭, ‬17‭-‬19 MSG
    https://bible.com/bible/97/rom.12.9-19.MSG

    Paul has some hard to digest and harder to practise commands for the church. If we learn to discover the beauty in everyone then maybe we’ll stop yearning to fix everyone.

    God bless! 🤠

  • Life update: End of an era

    June 2008 I left home to pursue my undergraduate studies in medicine and now I’m back home, it’s end of July 2022. 14 years away from home, MBBS and MS, wife and a baby. God has blessed and multiplied me.

    After completing MS Orthopedics from CMC Ludhiana, I worked in mission hospitals under EHA. I got an opportunity to work in the following hospitals as an Orthopedic surgeon in the last 3 years: 1. Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital, Robertsganj, UP
    2. Kachhwa Christian Hospital, Mirzapur, UP
    3. Herbertpur Christian Hospital, Herbertpur, Uttrakhand.
    4. Landour Community Hospital, Mussoorie, Uttrakhand
    5. Duncan Hospital, Raxaul, Bihar.
    I was posted primarily in Robertsganj and worked there the maximum, rest were deputation, ranging from a few days to weeks/months.

    Last surgery in Herbertpur Christian Hospital (30.07.2022)

    I have seen first hand the legacy of the medical missionaries and contributed my little bit to their huge contribution towards nation building. I’ve learnt not only to bridge broken bones and crooked limbs but also gained a deeper understanding of the word of God. Last 20 months I’ve been away from Shalom and Faith, but God has been with us and we’ve seen the goodness of God.

    “You have led me through the fire
    In the darkest night
    You are close like no other
    I’ve known You as a Father
    I’ve known You as a Friend
    And I have lived in the goodness of God”. – Goodness of God by Bethel Music

    But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
    1 Peter 2:9 NLT
    ( https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.2.9.NLT ). So here I am testifying the goodness of God, He is a Father who never leaves us nor abandons us.

    What’s next? We’ll find jobs in Ahmedabad, school for Faith, church community where we’ll thrive and flourish. As someone rightly said, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds but I know the One who holds tomorrow”. So even with the uncertainties surrounding me I am certain of the goodness of God and His favour which lasts a lifetime.

    God bless you.

  • The birthday of His bride.

    Shavuot (שבועות) / Pentecost

    Shavuot is the second of the three main harvest festivals (Passover and Feast of Tabernacles are the other two), described in Leviticus 23, also called feast of weeks (shavuot is Hebrew for weeks). Pentecost comes from the Greek and means 50, since it is celebrated 50 days from the feast of first fruits (Resurrection Sunday).

    Passover symbolises the redemption of Israel and Shavuot the abundant provision of God.
    It was on this day that Moses recieved the Law at Mount Sinai (according to rabbinical tradition) and it was on this day the promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled and the church was born.
    While the Jews eagerly counted off 7 weeks from Passover and waited for this festival, the disciples were eagerly waiting for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit by Jesus. In Acts Chapter 2 the disciples were surrounded by a sound of a violent wind, the Hebrew word Ruach for the Holy Spirit and the Greek pneuma for the Holy Spirit both mean wind or breath. God breathed into Adam and He came alive and now He was breathing over and baptizing the disciples with the Holy Spirit.

    The baptism with the Holy Spirit transformed these unsuspecting, unremarkable and mostly underrated Galilean men and women into the most powerful witnesses and birthed the church. Hence, it became the birthday of the church. What originally was an agricultural harvest celebration became a celebration of the harvest of souls.

    Acts 2:5 says there were Jews from every nation gathered in Jerusalem for the feast and 3000 of them responded to the first sermon by Peter and God added to their numbers daily. These thousands of Jews who accepted Yeshua as the Messiah and received the Holy Spirit would then take the gospel back to their homes in their nations. So the great outpouring on the Pentecost not only have birth to the Church but also to evangelism.

    It’s been ~ 2000 years since then and the world continues to wage war against the church but Jesus promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The wind and the fire phenomenon which birthed the church is not a one time event (as erroneously taught by many) but it is for each of us who believe in Jesus.
    Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
    Acts of the Apostles 2:38‭-‬39 NLT

    God bless you.

  • Guest Post: Battle Strategy

    On our Knees, our Stand, our Move
    We all fight battles on a regular basis, whether in our personal front, in our professional, relationship arena or others. But fight we must ,not just to survive but because it’s a fiercely competitive world and only the victors are acknowledged, admired and applauded. The losers, quitters, failures, drop outs are jeered at, mocked, booed out of the arena.
    We should understand clearly –
    1. our opponent, our company/ troop, the Foes and the friends/ allies ;
    2. the battlefield ;
    3. our weapons of offence and defence ;
    4. the target / goal ;
    5. the crown / trophy🏆.
    6. the defender, our Champion who will come to our rescue when the battle is tough, whose roar will silence every shout of the enemy, under whose banner when we stand, the victory is sure.

    The battle is 1st fought on:-

    1. Our Knees. Every soldier bends his knee before his king as he is bestowed his rank, weapon etc.
    So we too daily begin our battle on our knees as we bend them in prayer before the Sovereign King in adoration and HE teaches us the strategy and gives us the Daily Bread, the weapons. Ephesians 6 teaches us how to wear, use and fight. This is possible as we further read, meditate on His Word/ Bible, the Book which has stood all times,centuries, culture, opposition and still stands true.

    2. Our Stand. Then we learn to take our stand in the heat of the battle. He assigns our place.. whether at the front, leading, or in the middle where the battle is the fiercest, or as the rear guard bringing the reinforcements.
    And stand we must against all the attacks, whether it is for justice and truth in a fallen and evil world or to execute the Master’s plan in the face of all opposition.

    3. Our Move. David just didn’t stand on guard in the face of Goliath’s challenge. He made a move – to a place to reinforce his weapons of warfare, a stream to collect his 5 stones, readied his armour, a sling. Then RAN towards Goliath replying boldly to his demeaning challenge. He morally, mentally boosted himself and was not cowed down by Goliath’s towering height, huge sized war weapons or his battle cry and insulting challenge.
    He knew HIS KING who had taught him the battle strategies. Though it all looked so foolish, David fought and brought down the mighty Goliath who had been challenging the Israelite army for the last 40 days.
    And David used Goliath’s own sword to cut off his head which he carried as his trophy.

    We too can do so. The ONE who defeated sin & death is our Champion who leads us in our battles, Lord JESUS CHRIST. For actually every battle is HIS, we just fight as He directs us through His Holy Spirit.
    Victory according to HIS calculations, ways, time is surely ours.
    Seek HIS FACE, listen to HIS VOICE, follow what HE tells us to.
    God Bless.
    Jamie James

    PS: The author is my mom who is a High School Principal and enjoys free lance writing in her free time.

  • Pesach פסח to Good Friday

    Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) was Israel’s redemption story, Jesus died on a passover to write the redemption story for you and me.
    The first Good Friday in a sense was the culmination of all the Passover celebrations for the centuries preceding it.
    In Hebrew it is known as Pesach (which means “to pass over”), because God passed over the Jewish homes when killing the Egyptian firstborn on the very first Passover eve.

    The first Passover, celebrated in Egypt was supposed to be a mirror of the final sacrifice of the sinless Lamb of God, Yeshua on the cross, leading to redemption of not only Israel but for all mankind, those who choose to believe.

    “The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb.”’
    John 1:35‭-‬36 MSG of

    “You must know (recognise) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.”
    1 Peter 1:18‭-‬19 AMPC

    The Passover was meant exclusively for the descendants of Abraham.
    “Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the instructions for the festival of Passover. No outsiders are allowed to eat the Passover meal.”‘
    Exodus 12:43 NLT .
    The final passover with the sacrifice of Jesus removed the exclusivity and welcomed us all at the table.
    “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.”
    Galatians 3:28‭-‬29 NLT

    When Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples the night before the crucifixion, He took the bread and wine and constituted the Lord’s supper and welcomed us to do the same, a Passover meal to commemorate the final sacrifice!
    “He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”’
    Luke 22:19 NLT .

    The original Passover Seder (meal) consisted of roasted lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs, God specially instructed in Exodus 12:46 not to break any bones of the lamb. In Jesus, our passover lamb we see at the cross none of His bones were broken.
    “These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,”’
    John 19:36 NLT .

    The Jews do not include the lamb sacrifice in their passover celebration today, this tradition stopped after the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in AD 70, since Adonai had specifically asked that the sacrifices be made only at the temple in Jerusalem.
    In Jesus our passover lamb, sacrificed for our redemption from the Egypt of our sin and bondage, He abolished the need for repeated blood shed.

    “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
    John 3:16‭-‬17 NLT

    God bless you!

  • Guest Post: God’s faithfulness & man’s response

    When you stop telling the story of God’s faithfulness you start telling yourself the story of fear.

    So every day, check and count the blessings we enjoy because our heavenly Father gives us much more than our daily bread. He meets our every need and we lack no good thing. He is always with us though we cannot see, touch or feel Him.

    The majestic mountains, the rich firmament, the scenic sunrise and sunset,the fresh green leaves, the vibrant blossoming tulips, the chirping of the birds, the flitting butterflies, the playful dolphins, the innocent smile of a baby, the mesmerizing antics of a toddlers, the mind boggling queries of a teenager, the fantastic inventions/ discoveries made by enterprising genius through out the centuries are all testimonies of a caring, sovereign God. He is definitely not an old man with a punishing whip in His hands, playing with us like puppets. But He is very much interested in mankind because He made the 1st man in His Image and breathed life into him and made him responsible for this beautiful earth, His Creation. So we are accountable for the protection and development of the planet, earth. We are supposed to nourish and take care of it and the living creatures on it.
    But greed, hatred, lust for more or what is not ours and desire to control, possess and rule leads to violence, killing and war.

    Man, O man, day of accounting and judgement is not far. Our every unwholesome word, unjust action, time or opportunity wasted will be judged. Let us enjoy what belongs to us and strive to maintain harmonious relations and discharge our responsibilities with integrity. Be bridge builders and peacemakers for its more blessed to give than to receive.

    “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
    Matthew 5:9 MSG

    God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
    Matthew 5:9 NLT

    GOD BLESS.

    PS: Author, Jamie James is a principal in KV SAC Ahmedabad the mother of the legendary Dr Joyance Shalom James.

  • Kingdom vs country

    I am a citizen of my country but I also belong to a Kingdom which crosses international borders and conventional human wisdom and isn’t limited by time.
    My country is temporal but my Kingdom is eternal.
    My country changes it’s ruler (leader) but my Kingdom is reigned by an eternal King who’s reign will never end.

    We live in a broken world with nations fighting and innocents dying but we look forward to the day when the Kingdom will be established in it’s entirety and there will be no more tears.

    We live in a world where the sun sets on many a great dreams but we look forward to the Kingdom come when the glory of the Son (Yeshua) will eclipse the light of the sun.

    Nations will rise and fall and subdue one another but this Kingdom will never end.

    The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
    Psalms 46:6‭-‬7‭, ‬9‭-‬10 NLT

    Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
    Amen.

  • He moved into our neighborhood!

    The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
    John 1:14 MSG

    The first Christmas God moved into our neighborhood and our world changed for the better. Since then He hasn’t left us alone.
    We look forward to a future when this will repeat and the world we see about us will be changed forever. John the apostle after seeing a vision about our final destination writes this in the last book of the Bible:-
    I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”
    Revelation 21:3‭-‬5 MSG

    The first time He moved in like a helpless baby born in an obscure town of Bethlehem, but we look forward to a time when He moves in with all His glory and splendor in the New Jerusalem.
    The first Christmas was a reminder that God is with us, the promise of Immanuel. He promised and gave us the Holy spirit (John 14) which is a guarantee of the future to come.

    In this world we will have troubles, hearts will ache, bones will break, but because of Immanuel, we have a future when He’ll wipe every year and remove every pain and the glory of the Son will obscure the light of the sun.


    God bless and have a blessed Christmas! 