Disappointed over infidelity and betrayal?

 

There is so much of pain and brokenness in this world that it is hard to comprehend the reasons for each pain and suffering that exists. Everyone has a story of their personal brokenness and wish certain things never happened. They are now in captivity of pain, sorrow and loneliness. I hear so many stories of infidelity, betrayal and embezzlement. Many argue that love is just a commodity. You don’t know if it is genuine because it changes its color quickly, sometimes for stupid reasons.

Those who once assumed that if they were sound financially, relationships and love would sustain. They soon found themselves to be wrong. Many who were once victims of relationships believe they probably were too innocent and therefore cheated. Later have made adjustments in life to be shrewd and smart just to find even with these adjustments things have not changed for better. We live in a world where humans are becoming more and more unreliable and unfaithful. Is there someone whom we can trust implicitly?

The absence of genuine unselfish true love is resulting in too many heartless humans trying to use each other for their personal satisfaction. You rarely get to know about true genuine love. The Bible records what Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”. We all wish someone whom we love the most will stand with us when we are in pain and brokenness.

Let me remind you the God who chose to live in the form of man also chose to lay His life down for all of us so that we may find hope in life. He understands your pain and brokenness. Stop walking in the ruins of your past. You may have regrets, but regrets mean you are wiser now than before. Focus on your purpose and future. Most importantly on Him who lay His life for you and holds your future.

It is recorded in the Bible that after Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected some of His disciples were on their way to Emmaus discussing about the crucifixion. They were so disappointed to know the abrupt end of this prophet and God. It is then recorded that Jesus himself came near and began to walk along with them, but they did not recognize Him. Ray Ortlund puts this beautifully, “His friends didn’t discern His presence. His enemies couldn’t prevent his presence. The risen Christ is the only fully free person in the world today. He is near. He is present. And he’s all-in.”  My dear friends, do not give up! You have a hope and a better future.

 

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God vs Professional services!

 

Have you wondered why people treat God as a professional service to visit only when required? Let me clarify, we all need Doctors who we find the need to visit only when we are sick, likewise for any professional services for that matter. On the other hand some professional services relaxes us physically and emotionally, example massage centers for a head, foot or body massage. And there are few (usually the old people) spending their extra time in the religious rituals praying to their gods to keep their families and the little ones safe. At the end of the day we do things either for our personal satisfaction, or as a ritual or to increase our profits or find a way out when we are in crisis.

Today God is downsized to religious institutions, shrines and business centers. Now why do I say business centers? Take away money from a religious institution and it would shut itself down. Let me quote an incident recorded in the Bible. There was this grandeur temple which was built by King Solomon in 957 BCE but suffered plunders and demolitions under various kings, primarily because the expensive stones attracted them all. During the period when Jesus was on the earth, He enters the temple and sees the money changers and people buying and selling inside the temple, which upset Him deeply. He casts all of them out and cried out, “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”. It was indeed strong words, which disappointed the priests and the temple in charge. But it was a reality then, sadly, even now.

The Almighty God and the Creator cannot be an option nor a choice but He is our lifeline. It is not doing the right way (religious practices) that we find a maximum benefit. This may apply to the professional services but not with God. God is all about relationship. A relationship which is not philosophical nor an oxymoron but exemplifying sincere gratitude for the greatest sacrifice He made on the cross of Calvary for our sins. When we accept the gift of salvation, we become a new creation. You can find your purpose for life on this earth and a promise to spend eternity with God. 

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Your rewards as parents - Children's day note!

At the outset, I want to wish all the children a very Happy Children’s Day! Children's day is celebrated in India on 14^th November every year.  The Bible reminds us that ‘every child is a unique gift of God, the fruit of the womb.’. There are many who are childless and desperately longing to have a child. Due to medical complications they are not able to have one. It is time parents seriously raise their precious little children given by God, with utmost love and consciously build the potential God has woven inside each child.

Every child has the best potential and a unique talent to display. It depends on every parent how they help their children unleash them. God has given every parent the responsibility to raise them with all sobriety and blessings of the Almighty. Let me quote few lines from the poem written by the famous Persian Poet, Khalil Gibran:

Your children are not your children. 
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. 
They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you…

You may strive to be like them, 

but seek not to make them like you. 

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. 

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

This poem is a brilliant warning to parents not force children to become like them but encourage children to follow the good example every parent is expected to set for them. Parents! Be like a bow but do not get carried away with developments and stuffing and overwhelming them. It is not necessary that children have to be taught new skills all the time but help them choose what befits them. Most importantly, let us as parents develop their character and strive to shape a good human being.

Let me quote “Hygiene Motivation Theory” by Frederick Herzberg who first introduced the satisfaction/dissatisfaction idea. I am quoting two of them, which say:

1. Be happy and eliminate as many dissatisfied as possible

2. Don't define satisfaction for your kids. You simply can't force natural processes.

Do not force satisfaction by things and commodity. Help them realize the true creator. It is said in the Bible when Children were brought to Jesus, He touched them and blessed them all. Can we as parents also bless our kids and help our kids be known for their integrity, honesty, truthfulness, faithfulness and respect? These are the traits that make them honourable. If you as parents want to see this in your children you first need to model them.

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Sharp Shift!

 

We live in times where all fields of science are having a huge impact on human lives. The progress in the fields of science, health & wellbeing and technology are just mind blowing. You imagine something and it becomes reality. Every invention and progress are based on facts and reality. If there are any new developments it is first scrutinized, analyzed and then finalized to be rolled out to the general public before people can take the best benefit out of it. But is this the case in everything?

It is strange that people who take so much of precaution to believe any claims are the same people who also hold on to blind faith, which is seen in so many cases. Most of the people are inclined towards stories, myths and fables when it come to their religious creed. However, my concern is to see people waste their time on beliefs that are harmful, phony and destructive. Taking advantage of people’s belief in anything so-called spiritual leaders establish stories and incidents, which are untrue and deceive many people of their wealth, dignity and sanctity.

We hear so many stories of such fake gurus in all religions flick people of all their money under the umbrella of spirituality. There are further stories of family members being molested, abused and raped. However highly educated, the chants taking the name of God still makes people fall for deception without realizing it was a bait to loot them. I am referring to the sharp shift from knowledge to blind faith.

Shortly after the terrorist attack on September, 11, 2001 Oprah Winfrey urged people to seek God, “whatever he, she, it, or they mean to you.”. The important thing is that we all seek our own truth with renewed vigor. Greek mythology has so many stories to be told in terms of God, morality, ethics, etc., so do many Indian creeds. If we notice, even after knowing it is a mythology and just a story, people still place their faith on it and live in longingness.

Is there a truth available in terms of who we worship as God, and follow? It is definitely there, but we fail to analyze the truth about God and follow whole heartedly. Whatever we have learned from our tradition we hold on to it, though at times it actually may not make much sense. Jesus while He lived had made some fantastic claims like, “you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free”. He was the only one who could predict His own death and resurrection which came out to be true and a verifiable fact. He did not intend to become a leader of a religion like many Christians claim. He is a savior who made the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary and invited people to enjoy freedom from their sins and guilt and live an abundant life as promised by Him.

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Unforgiving world!

 

We live in a world which is absolutely unforgiving. You begin a thing on a wrong foot, you will be forced to manage the full course with uncertainties. Anything without God, becomes strenuous devastating and less yielding. We all assume and rely on our choices. We assume that our perception and experience of people is good and promising. But what we fail to understand is, that with all our intuitiveness we are still short-sighted. We see for ourselves people and situation no doubt, but we aren't seeing the tomorrow's, behind the people and situation.

The best of people can still be disappointing at some point of time. The one's who pose to be good today sooner or later betray you. Their temporary goodness is a deception to make things happen. Let me quote what the Bible says about human nature and sinfulness. 'No one makes claims justly; no one pleads honestly. They trust in empty and worthless words; they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.  They hatch viper’s eggs and weave spider’s webs. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched. It further adds, that people growl like bears and moan like doves. They hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from them.'

The problem of sin and sinful nature changes the complete picture and forces people to live in guilt, brokenness and disappointment. How can one sanitize evil and the works started from selfish wrong motives? Temples, Churches, Mosques are viewed as sanitizers for our sins and a glue that binds our act together and hold things up. We all know this will give away sooner or later from inside out and find ourselves in the same position yet again.

There is a moral law in every human heart and we all know what is right and wrong. How much does it impact us? Parents play an important role to teach and encourage their children on moral values written by God on every human heart. But when it comes to selfishness, even parents are side tracked by their children.

Is their a way to correct things and make them happen in God's way? Yes, there is! All it takes is to submit your wishes and your deliberations to God who made a sacrifice on the cross of Calvary and is willing to sanitize you if you confess your wrongdoings and accept the gift of salvation.

You were not born only to be like a bush or a tree, just to reproduce and die. You have a destiny. You are a human of intrinsic worth. The Bible says, 'For I know the plans I have for you” — this is the Lord ’s declaration — “plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.' You can make a small prayer to invite this God and be completely transformed into a New You.

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