APPROACH QUESTION:
"Who gets the credit for a miracle in your life?"

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what do I learn about Joseph?

1. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.
2. And he gave him the name Jesus.

INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself why do you think it is emphasized, 'But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son?'

Joseph, did not want to take credit for Mary's pregnancy when he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mary's child is born of God and will become Immanuel- God with us. By sacrificing union with his wife for more than 9 months, Joseph was setting an example of all the credit going to God and none of it to himself. It must have been hard for Joseph to be married to his wife Mary but not be with her even after marriage for those 9 months but credit and glory going to the Lord was his priority. That is amazing and awesome to know! Thank you Jesus.

IMPLICATIONS:

I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
I should want all the credit and glory going to the Lord in my life where I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the Lord's doing and not my own. But more than that, I should want others to know that the credit, glory, and honor goes to the Lord and without the Lord's intervention, it would not have happened. The pointing should be upward and not to myself. Since the Lord gets the credit, no matter what is happening in my life, I can be assured and promised beyond a shadow of a doubt, that things will work out for good because of the Lord and His Helping hands in the decisions. Thank you so much Jesus! You should do the same friend. Even though after 22 years of service, losing my job around this season, I am confident that our Lord and Savior has a plan for our life which makes it so exciting.

I ask you now dear friend, in what outcome will you give C.R.E.D.I.T to the Lord?
Dear friend, there will be many outcomes in our lives but not all outcomes are a direct result of the Lord's intervention in our lives. Many times we ruin our own chances for a good outcome and blame it on the Lord because we go our own way. In those times, we cannot ask the Lord to take credit for our bad decision. However, when we seek the Lord and His will in the decisions of our lives, whatever the outcome, the credit should go to the Lord for His praise and glory, not to ourselves. 

This is what happened in my life almost 9 years 3 months 23 days ago when I met my beautiful wife Chandraleela. I had pursued other relationships in the past but none of them worked out even though there were some I so badly wanted to lead to marriage. If they did then I would have credited myself with finding my bride and given the Lord lip service of thanks.

But now, I cannot take any credit for Chandraleela being my wife because in my heart, I believe it was all the Lord's doing in both of our lives. You see after brokenness came in other relationships time after time, I made my criteria for finding a bride for myself to be so hard that I knew only the Lord Jesus could meet it for me. I wanted the credit to go to the Lord so before pursuing a match fully, first I wanted to know everything about the Lord and pursue my relationship with Him so I read through the Bible in 40 days from Genesis - Revelation. While doing that and in prayer, I formulated 36 questions of secondary criteria which were based on the principles in the Word of God to add to the 4 primary criteria. I wanted the Lord to satisfy all 40 responses in my bride to be.

 It was an act of faith on my part after so many disappointments. So, I basically made these criteria to use as a sign from the Lord who my bride would be.

First, my bride would have to be a born-again Christian who would love the Lord Jesus more than me. She had to be beautiful to me on the outside and inside but more on the inside. To find that out, I asked Chandraleela to share her testimony about how she came to the Lord. While we were pursuing a long distance relationship as she worked in Saudi Arabia and I was working in the U.S, I learned so much about her love for the Lord. Even though she had to work a 12 hr shift from 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., she would get up early in the morning at 3:00 a.m. just so that she could spend time with the Lord Jesus Christ before she started her day. Giving Jesus the first part of her day was so important. Being in a Muslim country where outward expression of her faith in Christ could have been dangerous, she also became a witness to many lives she touched there in hospitals, prayer groups, etc.  That alone excited me not to mention the fact that she also came from a genealogy of relatives who practice Hinduism. My experience from my mommy's own life showed me that when others come to Christ from another religion, their love for the Lord and zeal for the Lord is so much more vibrant than those that grow up in a Christian family. There are always exceptions though. Here alone after question 1, I was attracted to her. I knew for her to be born-again, the credit had to go to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus! But this only fulfilled the #1 criteria.

Second, I set an age range for the match that I wanted to pursue.  I wanted my bride to be younger than me. Chandraleela fulfilled that criteria too.

Third, I set a language criteria for the match that I wanted to pursue. She would have to be an Indian fluent in a language that  my mommy was in, even though I was not. That language I set was Telugu.  From experience, I realized how difficult it was for me to find a born-again Indian Telugu girl so I pursued matches regardless of their language background. But now, I made the criteria so specific and hard that I knew only the Lord could meet it for me. When I found out that Chandraleela met that criteria too, I was so thrilled especially finding out that she was fluent in Telugu & Hindi and could speak Malayalam, English, and Arabic understanding Tamil. Thank you Jesus. I still was cautious because of criteria four.

Fourth, I set a location criteria which was very hard to meet in the past so I knew if this criteria was met, it would be from the Lord. There were many matches that loved everything about me but did not want to leave the land of their own to come to a foreign land. So, I asked the Lord to give me a bride who would be willing to leave the land of her own and the love of her cherished family in India to come to a foreign land to be my bride in America where I felt called to do ministry for the Lord on a college campus through Pittsburgh Standard and Oakland International Fellowship. When my precious Chandraleela at the time said, "Wherever the Lord leads me, I will go!", it reminded me of Ruth from the Bible and knew she fulfilled all 4 primary criteria.

But now, I also had 36 secondary criteria that had to be met. Before even going further in the match, I had a stipulation.  I told Chandra that this match will only lead to marriage for me if I am satisfied with all 40 criteria based on our correspondence.  However, at any time if I or she was not satisfied with any response, we would be willing to part our ways even if it came on the 40th question. She had other proposals for an arranged marriage but she was willing to take up the challenge. I thank my Lord for that!

I thank my Lord and Savior that Chandra fulfilled to my satisfaction all 40 criteria I had! So at that point, I knew she was the one for me 99%.

My original intent was to ask 40 questions in 40 days and decide after the 40th day whether I wanted to marry her and she wanted to marry me. But through the help of Pastor Ed, Pastor Paul Bucknell, Pastor Hugo, Edwin, I realized we cannot limit God so narrowly. Of course, if the Lord wanted to He could have let me be married to Chandra in 40 days. In the end, our correspondence came to 248 pages and lasted longer than 40 days.

Taking the advice of the Word of God, I felt it is was not enough for me that I alone approve Chandra to be my bride but the primary confirmation had to come from two persons in my life: My mommy and Pastor Hugo. This was also supplemented by my mentor Edwin and his wife Marie with whom I had countless counsel. Also, my small group at the time Living Acts was very instrumental in my pursuing of Chandra, especially Kristen and Bryan. If this was not enough, the Lord also used Calvin & Elise one day at Joe Mama's in Oakland. I did not take the pursuing of this match lightly.

Both my mommy and Pastor Hugo gave their blessings to me to marry Chandraleela after they went through the 248 page correspondence I gave them. They encouraged me, telling me that Chandra should be the bride for me.

If this was not confirmation enough, after almost 2 1/2 years of pursuing and correspondence while she was finishing her contract in Saudi Arabia, she did the same thing I did. She was not willing to marry me until her mommy, 3 sisters, and brother approved, until her relatives approved, until her pastor approved, and until important people in their lives approved.

Finally, when I reached India after 2 1/2 years of correspondence when Chandra came from Saudi Arabia, I was so nervous. When I met her for the first time face to face, I wanted to marry her but she said, 'I am willing too BUT all those you will meet will have to approve'. I knew that was going to happen and asked Edwin and Marie to pray for me ahead of time after attending Josh and Kristen's wedding. I was not going to miss their wedding for the world.

Will it be my turn next?

It would have been easy for their family to reject the match because I was not fluent in their language of Telugu even though I set a criteria of a language I was not fluent in. Yet, they did not let my lack of language be a stumbling block. Instead, Chandra was asked to translate what I was saying. My mother-in-law to be, Suna, Vidhya, Elisha, and Pravalika, etc all approved the match. By God's grace and His intervention, I passed the first round of testing. They were pleased but it was not over yet.

Now some of them wanted to meet my mommy and I in my mom and dad's place in India. Both Chandra's dad and my dad went to be with the Lord in 2007. By the Lord's grace the final meeting went well too and they agreed for Chandraleela to be my bride and 3 days later we were married on July 30, 2010.  I am pleased to say through Chandra, I can now communicate way better than I ever did in Telugu with my in-laws. 

All the credit goes to the Lord Jesus for joining us together in holy matrimony. I made the criteria so hard that if I got married, I would know the one I married is from the Lord. Thank you Jesus!

I am reminded, "The man who finds a wife finds a blessing from the Lord" (Proverbs 18)

How true that has been in my life!

Not only that but I learned, "A father can give homes and riches but only the Lord can give understanding wife!" (Proverbs 19)

How true that is too!

For me it started with having spent time reading through His Word completely from Genesis to Revelation to understand the Heart of the Lord before I pursue any earthly relationship.

My marriage to Chandra is a result of the Lord's intervention in our lives for His honor and glory. He confirmed the decision to both of us. I thank and praise the Lord.

No marriage is 100% perfect so when times of conflict and hardship come in marriage, I never ever need to second guess if I made a mistake in my bride to be for eternity. For the Lord makes no mistakes and He chose Chandraleela for me and me for Chandraleela. Thank you Jesus.

Now this Christmas season, we are blessed to have two daughters Esther (7Y2M23D) and Evangeline (4Y6M24D) and we are depending on our Lord Jesus to send financial support as we pursue fulltime ministry indirectly as the credit goes to the Lord for donor's help.

Just as Joseph wanted the credit to go to the Lord for Jesus' birth, I want the credit to go to the Lord for my marriage to my sweetheart and our children's birth. Remembering how our marriage came to be always encourages me of the Lord's intervention and hand. How Esther and Evangeline came to be also reminds me of our Lord's intervention.

More than anything, we need to give credit to the Lord for our Salvation because none of us can save ourselves. Only the Lord by His grace and mercy chose to come down to earth as God incarnate to be our 'Immanuel - God with us' to save us and ransom us from the captivity of sin. Thank you so much Jesus. When we turn to the Lord, we are freed and cleansed by His precious cleansing Blood which washes away our sin and makes us right with the Lord. Thank you so much Jesus.

So friend this Christmas season remember Jesus is the reason for the season and if you are tempted to take credit for the good things in your life, just remember they would not be possible if not for the Lord's grace and mercy in our lives. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful to us. Thank you Lord!

May you always remember to give credit to the Lord Jesus Christ for all He has done for you and for all He will do for you! Amen!

"Christ Reveals Emancipation Daily In Truth! (C.R.E.D.I.T)/"In what outcome, will you give C.R.E.D.I.T to the Lord?"

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you so much for the sacrifice that Joseph decided to make by not having union with Mary until you were born. Joseph wanted the credit to go to you, for people to know that you are 'Immanuel - God with us' being born to your mommy by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for being born to save us. Oh Lord thanks so much for the things you do in our lives and how much credit should go to you. Forgive us Lord when we point to ourselves instead of realizing all good things come from you. Lord, when things have been hard thank you for bringing to remembrance your hand in things. It must have been hard for Joseph to take Mary home as his wife but he still did it being obedient to you and I want to do the same. No marriage is perfect so there will be conflict and when conflict arises please be the one to intervene where love will take over for anger, irritation, frustration, etc. I pray for the one who does not know you yet that they would come to know you as their Lord and Personal Savior. Intervene in their lives with the power of the Holy Spirit to transform them this Christmas season. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you for dying for our sin, shedding your precious blood on the cross and coming back to life to save! Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I pray Jesus! Amen!

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