Give me a word please!

  

If we all have to call out words we most encountered and familiarized this year 2020, then I am sure it would be Corona, infected, sick, mask, vaccination, social-distancing, disappointment, frustrated, death, etc. If I want you to name words that haunted the Corporate sectors, institutions and impacted lives then it would echo in line of work-from-home(WFH), austerity measures, attrition, frugality, retrenchment, job loss, unemployment,  cheated, scam, layoffs, cutback, loss, shutdown, etc.

We all understand that these are not just painful words but life-altering words for many people. I hear people saying that with passing time, things would change for the better. Well, I defer to agree with that because time is not a provider, healer or restorer of life situations. In many cases, time made things worse and it is still irrevocable. How are the people who have been seriously affected going to make it? Definitely it is not going to be easy but let us not forget we all move forward by - Hope. The question will remain, where lies our hope?

Let me emphasize, despite of all challenges we still muster our ability to hope and this hope is usually generated from within. Many kindhearted people, charitable organizations/institutions extended help and support in the time of need. With this as a context, if we have to name a word who witnessed and experienced the good act would name words like relief, sympathy, kindness, gratitude, thankfulness and maybe some more positive experiences. Yes friends, we live by hope to see things change for better. It looks like this era is soon likely to become divided like “Before Corona” and “After Corona”. 

Recently Christmas was celebrated globally. In some way most of the people were part of it, at least in celebration. Christmas demonstrates the incarnation of God in the form of man Jesus who made an immense impact in human history. He was not merely a good man or a moral teacher pointing a way of life like many, but claimed, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”. What makes Him special is the way in which He was born is the fulfillment of prophecies made thousands of years ago of His nature of birth - the virgin birth, the holy life He led, the works He did raising people from dead, eg. story of Lazarus, the way He chose to die and His resurrection. This gives all of us a hope because of His jubilant claim He made “Because I live you will live too.”. He further added, “You will have sufferings in this world. Be courageous, I have conquered the world.”. Can we look for help from this God who is willing to transform us and our situation? 

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Looking for stability !

  

The challenges and crisis of life seem unending but quickly we have come to the end of this year, 2020. Everyone has faced some kind of crisis including kids of all ages. In fact, children are affected in many ways even now. They desperately wish things will be normal soon and they can exercise their full potential. Nations are struggling to maintain stability in all possible manner. We are all hoping to soon find relief. Whom do we actually blame for all that is happening? I am sure, we all have someone to blame other than us. We have made our own research based on what we see, hear and read, most often some are biased and some are untrue. But the fact is we have collectively failed in many ways.  

We all suffer because of someone's selfishness, whether it is a nation, government or people. We become recipients of good and bad decisions. Most of the catastrophes and disasters are manmade. They are the result of our choices. What is left for us right now is our responses. How do we respond to things? Choices of our decisions in the past affect the present and help shape us as who we are. What happens in life, however, is not as important as how we respond. We sometimes have little control over what happens but we can always control our responses. Too often, we get upset and fixated over what we cannot control instead of what we can control.

The rich and the powerful are showing to the world that one can manage life successfully if he has both money and power, which is actually not true. If that's true then many powerful people and nations are in mess and brokenness themselves. Some are also struggling to handle many criminal charges slapped against them. Today, committing the worst crime and being caught for it is no more shameful and regretful. People find ways to walk out free.

We often forget that our lives are open in the eyes of a living God who created us. It is high time we listen to our conscience through which the God of justice speaks to us and also through the Holy scripture. James W. Golli from the book "God Encounters States" says, “God’s word and His eternal laws provide an anchor of stability in the midst of confusing world. Scripture can help us know how to respond to circumstances of life, whether good or bad. Some of God’s laws are eternal and will affect our entire lives depending on whether they are broken or honored.”. Don’t look for a God in the cradle, partying with wine and cakes. You can strip away trees, lights, wreaths, candy, chocolate, gifts, festive music and Santa Claus yet you will find the real reason to celebrate, that is - Jesus is the risen Savior and the coming King.  

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Verge of closing 2020!

 

Every day is a new day and each month is a new month for all of us. However, with December comes the finality of the year. We gather our thoughts and matters of life and bring them to a common table to analyze and know how good things went - better or worse. Generally, people want to think in terms of profit and benefit. There's nothing wrong with such parameters but it is also worth pondering our progress as a better individual.

We live in a world of dilution whether it be commodity or relationships. Things are getting increasingly spurious on which we have very less or no control. People are living in an unsafe environment with every passing day. The claims of human testimonials on accomplishments are both good and bad. We advance in knowledge but we regress in morality. But does it even hurt us anymore? It is good to check on ourselves to make room for personal change as we come to the close of this year 2020.

With Christmas, the greatest celebration around the corner, let's consider to make some amends in our lives in light of this festival. Let me enlighten you that Christmas is absolutely not about Christmas trees, Christmas Cakes, bells, balloons, wines, mistletoes and Santa Claus. All of this is fiction and has no reference in the Christian holy book, The Bible. This tradition, mythology and culture has messed the true essence of Christmas.

The birth of Jesus, His death and crucifixion are the fulfilment of more than 300 prophecies that was recorded in the Bible written by 40 authors over the period of 1,500 years. It displays perfect cohesiveness and it is devoid of any contradiction. The purpose of the birth of Jesus as recorded states, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”  

What makes Christmas so special is not the celebration of a birthday. For that matter there are many great people whose birthdays we celebrate. What makes Christmas so special is the cause for which Jesus was born. He took human form to give us salvation by His birth. The purpose He fulfilled by the way He lived, His death on the cross of Calvary and most importantly His resurrection (rising from the dead) after three days makes the difference. No one in history who claimed to be God was predicted of his birth nor were they resurrected.

You have a choice to accept this salvation by acknowledging His sacrifice and by making a small prayer. Following a God should transform lives, give us meaning and assurance about life after death and make us a better person than just confining to a religion succumbing to rites and rituals.

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So you think you are free?

 

There is a saying that, "There are somethings money just cannot buy, like manners, morals and intelligence". However, we live in a materialistic world running after things that can be bought by money. The more the money, more are the obsessions. People are not content with what they are but want to notch up their existence a bit through drugs, alcohol and sex. We long to fill our emptiness, that void we feel with these "no goods" but once we have crossed the threshold, we feel we have got caught into their tangled web. In all of this the causality is our morality. The Bible says, " Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.” Our Heavenly Creator intended us to be upright. 

Somehow the concept of being upright puts us in the bracket of being a nerd. But is it really? Why is being a child of God or leading a moral life makes us boring? Why is it that if we experiment with evil habits or be addicted to them somehow makes us look like heroes?

Don't these habits make us slaves rather than heroes? As far as my understanding goes once you become a slave to something you are no more a master and there is nothing desirable or dignified about that.

Money has played spoil sport turning men into beasts and sadly has blinded them of this transformation. Today, you observe the wealthy. They have traded their uprightness for filth and shame. From their lifestyle to the way they dress it's all about how shameful and degrading one can be. We have totally lost the essence of why God created us. We have made our lusts our idols and defiled our bodies thinking God is confined to a building.

My dear friends, the Bible says, "And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said:  I will dwell and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.". To rephrase this once again, you are God's temple. Your body belongs to Him. God dwells in you and only He can fill the vacuum, that emptiness you feel even after feeding all your lusts. If God has suggested some boundaries for us to lead a moral life it's because He wants to protect us from harm.

Relinquish your evil habits, be it drugs, alcohol or sex. These are risky ventures that harm you and make you their slave. Be a slave for your Creator. Be sold out for Him and spend your life fulfilling the purpose He brought you into this world. He has called you to have high moral standards, eventually leading to holiness. Be the complete man or woman known for being the child of God.

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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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Irreplaceable!

We all fall in a bracket by getting used to do things that doesn’t always require our emotions and conscience to do what we do. Out of practice and part of a regular schedule we keep doing many things to which a larger extent fetches us a reward and compensation which is as a result of a job or a business, but still there are many activities that remain meaningless and it is done as part of our tradition and upbringing. In that some of the activities includes fulfilling religious rites and rituals too.

Most of the things people do is for temporary sustenance and majority of it to make them happy. The philosophy of existentialism, living for a day and making one secure by wealth is the ultimate goal to a larger extent. People indulge in many things to mitigate the vacuum in their heart not knowing wealth, commodity and relationship do not guarantee any of it permanently.  

Every happiness we work towards in this world is so temporary because life in this world itself is temporary. Let me give you an example, we all have smart phones and sometimes when we get fascinated with a particular sight, we capture it and carefully preserve it and then the excitement of the same sight once excited us is no more a big thrill after a period of time. The excitement gets lost quickly or replaced by another scenery.

One Augustine said in his confession that “all men want to be happy” and do what they do in order to be happy. But not all are happy, because they do not seek happiness in the place where it can be found. The Bible tells us where it can be found. The source of happiness is in God’s presence (not referring to the religious building) and its receptor in man’s heart which is why the Bible again and again demands the heart to be holy and pure as it becomes the abode of God. Every wrongdoing is a sin that can disturb the spiritual balance in human heart.

In one of the beatitudes of Jesus it reads, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”. Forgiveness of sin and salvation cannot be obtained by taking a dip in the river, visiting the religious buildings or going to a confession box as some Christian churches practice. It is just by believing the salvation offered in the cross of Calvary. It is a gift of God. You have the privilege to acknowledge and accept the same.

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What is wrong with the world?

 

Ask any common man and he has something serious to say about the world. Most of the people think there is something wrong with the culture, ethics, morality, virtues, etiquettes, etc.  The common parameter one tends to use is to compare the present times with the past decades and conclude that people now are worse than in their times. Nobody actually has a complete idea as to who or what is the cause for such drastic crumbling of things. But one thing all agree with is that with so much of advancement in knowledge and technology there is this danger of being cheated and losing things is also very high.

Most of the people have a complaint that their children aren’t listening to them anymore and probably children are indulging in too many secret activities, which can be not just be bad but life threatening.  With technology at their fingertips, children are getting into some form of addiction that once was considered to be an adult issue.

Trustworthiness has become a rare commodity. With any dealings we aren’t sure if we are dealt with honestly or are cheated. As we grow smart, the crimes get smarter and all are looking at the problem blaming every other entity other than themselves. Religion teaches us to stop desiring and goes to an extent, suggesting to replace with a positive behavior. These can be great advice and good philosophies but still the root problem wouldn’t actually go.

Many people are trying to put band-aid to festering wounds. Superficial treatment wouldn’t treat the core root issue. Irrespective of any religion we all have the responsibility to be good stewards of this planet. We all are concerned about the condition of our world and more importantly, the people who live here. But as J. Warner states “it is the supernatural transformation of individual lives as a result of hearing the Gospel that eventually changes the nature of each culture and (ultimately) the condition of our planet. The Biblical claims related to salvation are people-focused claims; individuals are the focus of God’s redemptive work.”.

Our broken relationship and the challenges we witness is not with our environment or with one another; it’s with the creator. As we address the real dilemma, all the other ancillary problems will resolve themselves as we come to understand and embrace the purpose of God. The Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is one who seeks God". When each one of us surrender our brokenness and the sin issues we all battle with God, then Christ forgives us and transforms us to be a new person. A transformed group of people make a transformed community.

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You Gotto Wash Your Dirty Laundry – Part 2

"Sin is not hurtful because it forbidden. But its forbidden because its hurtful." Ben Franklin. Money, power, fame and beauty will allure us to live life on the edge, especially the Millennials (born between 1981-1996) and Generation Zs (born between 1997-2012) (New York Disrupted by Mac Pier). It blurs the lines of forbiddances and tempts us to stretch them as far as we could. This is exactly what's happening with the celebrities in the film industry. They stretched the lines too far that it snapped and their ground caved in. Bollywood is in the spotlight for its drug cartel and drug abuse and their is no place to hide. Many more are in the danger of being exposed, scrambling for legal advice. Last blog we saw two lessons that we learnt from their shortcomings. Let's see two more:

The third lesson is to wash your "dirty laundry" in private before it becomes public. You have to remove the drapes some time or the other. It is better you remove than wait for to others rip it open. Sin cannot be concealed endlessly. The Bible says, "For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.". Today, the media trial is merciless and unforgiving. It could care less about the feelings of those involved. There is a conscience that would have warned each person while committing the mistake but they silenced it with pleasure and money. These icons have lost their very credibility that made them icons.

The fourth lesson is use the skills and hard work that God has blessed you with in the right way. I am sure that all those involved in the scandals worked their way up their ladder with hard work and commitment. But was it used to influence people in the positive way? The fury of the fans are understandable because they made icons of these celebrities for their "reel" life portrayal. Deception at the cost of using the public sentiments for their personal survival. Unfortunately, the deception has cheapened their very existence making them worse than those who peddled drugs for them.

Friends, Millennials and Generation Zs, every action of ours has consequences. For the celebrities it is was never about right and wrong. Right and wrong cannot exist apart from the moral giver, i.e. God. A God who embodies truth and justice. It is important we make Him our role model as He is our life giver. Jesus said,".... I have come that so that they may have life and have it in abundance.". Enjoying an abundant life can only be within a moral framework. A framework defined by a true and just God. We can find this only in Jesus. Incidentally, we are prone to sin because we are sinners. The Bible beautifully puts it, "You can't white wash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.". The world is only a temporary existence. We have a future life of eternity. Do not allow the world to play spoil sport for you to lose this joy of living with God in eternity. Tune up you conscience to God and allow Him to rule your heart. Be popular for being known as the child of God. 

Check Part 1

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You Gotto Wash Your Dirty Laundry – Part 1

  

"Sin is sweet in the beginning but bitter in the end" The Talmund. This has come true in the lives of our Bollywood celebrities. Its been a circus since June 2020 with a famous actor's demise. However, these incidents have taught extremely valuable lessons that can shape and mold our Millennials (born between 1981-1996) and Generation Zs (born between 1997-2012) (New York Disrupted by Mac Pier). I have drawn four lessons from these controversies. Let's look at the first two this week:

The first lesson is money, power, beauty and fame are not the ultimate end. Controversies have been racking the film fraternity both in Hollywood and Bollywood. It started with Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, which made the famous #MeToo movement go viral. The sin Harvey Weinstein became famous for is "casting couch". For those of us who are in unfamiliar territory, "Casting Couch" means providing acting jobs, especially for women, in exchange for sex. We were all shocked and shook our heads in regret. But little did we know that we have another scandal breaking up in our own home front. The Bollywood with its drug cartel and drug abuse. Let's draw some common denominators in both these worlds. Both is about money, both is about power, both is about beauty and both is about fame. Today, somehow our Millennials and Generation Zs have got this into their system that their sole aim and goal is to gain these four at all costs. But where does these lead to? Apparently, these very things are the ones that become a deathly trap. The Bible beautifully comprises it in one thought, "But if its money these leaders are after, they'll self destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble.".

The second lesson is that sin does not build relationships, it only tears down. Friends are friends only until everything goes well. The Bible warns, "Don't trust your neighbor, don't confide in your friend.". Its interesting to note that top Bollywood celebrities are going through what Jesus went through in His life - "Betrayal". Only difference is that He was betrayed because He was sinless. Evidently, today each are betraying one another because they used each other for their own selfish ends. Harvey was betrayed by the one woman who was obsessed about him at one point of time in life. It was her final testimony that sealed his fate. 

To be continued....

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Using wrong to correct the wrong!

 

Defensiveness and convincing are two things that we are born with and use them to prove our views are “right.”. We do it in our families, school, work, and social gatherings. If proved wrong, we feel belittled, defeated or humiliated. Sometimes, having proved wrong can upset our entire worldview, leaving us unanchored. Psychologist cites, “the problem is that we all come with the necessary equipment to fall into the “always be right” trap.”. Let us not forget that we all can go wrong at any point of time, we fall into the trap ignorantly or deliberately.

Right and wrong are never relative as most people think. The saying; “one man’s food is another man poison” does not legitimize it. People support the wrong, sanitize it and camouflage it as right for their convenience. Wrong is wrong however one paints it to appear right. People politicize to dilute the truth and use religion to give it a godly angle.

People attempt to use a wrong to rectify a wrong but fail to understand that they end up doing more wrong. They constantly have to strive to accommodate and mitigate the result of all their wrong doings. Their conscience does not bother them as long as their survival remains undisturbed. Sadly, the means and methodologies become irrelevant and constantly battle with the consequences of the many wrongs done in their day to day life.  

Being right is always connected with truth, liberating and helping people to live in freedom, which is why Jesus asserted “truth shall set you free.”. And to know the truth you need to know a God who is full of truth. Jesus claims, “I am the way the truth and the life.”.  If you want to live a liberated life you need to adopt the truth and the source of the truth. Jesus is the full expression of God’s absolute truth.  Peace and joy your soul longs for are the result of doing what is right. Come out of the illusion caused by tradition, meaningless ideologies and theologies. R C Sproul puts it beautifully, “We live in an age of compromise, but if we stand on the bedrock of God’s truth, we will not bend with the winds of relativism and faithlessness.".

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Are you free yet?

 

We are all recipients of pain and suffering in this world. We usually conclude that it has been caused by someone other than us. Somewhere we fail to realize that we all influence the good and bad happening around us. We assume we are roaming free but we are actually bound in shackles.

I want to quote John Lennox, a Northern Irish Mathematician of science. He is Emeritus professor of Mathematics at the university of Oxford and an Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and philosophy of science at Green Templeton College. In his book “Where is God in Coronavirus?” He reveals the sources of pain and suffering this way:

‘Pain and suffering come from two distinct sources. Firstly, there is suffering as a result of natural disasters and diseases, for which humans are not (directly) responsible: earthquakes, tsunamis, cancers, and the Coronavirus. This leads to the problem of pain, or, as it is often called, the problem of natural evil. This terminology is somewhat unfortunate, since the word “evil” has moral connotations and neither earthquakes nor viruses are moral agents. Second there is suffering for which men and women are directly responsible: acts of hate, terror, violence, abuse and murder. That leads to the problem of moral evil.’.

The law of the land and constitution deal with defaulters who intentionally break the law and indulge in crimes. Their evil surpasses limits and as a result are hunted down by law, but what about the many who do not appear on radar of the law, secretly involving in things, which are deemed as vices? Many breaking the moral law fail to notice that the evil they indulged and associated with has accumulated and outgrown the virtues,  forcing them to live in bondage all their lives. Consequently, all are experiencing the effects of it.

Stephen Covey in his book “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” points the inside-out approach which says, "Private victories, precede public victories, that making and keeping promises to ourselves precedes making and keeping promises to others.". Many are observing this day as "Freedom Sunday" and praying a small prayer for people who are in some form of bondage.

The root of evil is inherent in all human beings. Some willfully embrace evil for selfish ends, while some are taken unawares. The Bible talks about the problem of sin and addiction to such vices. It says, “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate… So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me.”. Bible never endorses mass salvation and purification. It is an individual commitment asking God for help to transform oneself and family and live as a dignified human being who pleases God. You can make a commitment today!

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Freedom from the bondage!

 

Millions are trapped under some form of slavery in our country and worldwide. The global slavery index points out that 40.3 million are victims of modern-day slavery. Modern Day Slavery is human trafficking of families (men, women & children) into forced labor, sex and other forms of oppression. 

Human trafficking and bonded labor are serious issues our entire nation is fighting to eradicate. This cruel form of evil has trapped even the innocent children who are clueless of being used as a commodity. It is unfortunate that with the demand being high, the supply makes it very costly because of the risks involved in the crime. This in turn makes it a lucrative business for the tycoons involved. They merchandise people entice many to participate and associate with such evil for the money. In many countries such horrendous crimes are known as organized crime.

News of such heinous crimes have become a common feature that we have become numb, helpless and apathetic. Martin Luther King Jr puts it beautifully, “We all have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”. Our silence is sin. Bible talks about it so strongly. ‘Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward slaughter. If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,” won’t he who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t he who protects your life know? Won’t he who repay a person according to his work?’

It is important we join hands to pray for the lives of the vulnerable who are trapped and hopeless. Also pray that the government will take effective steps and eradicate this cruel form of evil from our society and our country. 20^th September, 2020 (Sunday) is observed as "Freedom Sunday" in Churches and institutions to educate people and children about it and at the same time pray for deliverance of such people.

Let me again quote Martin Luther king Jr who says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”. Evil is contagious and it affects all. God of the Bible is the God of justice and demands our unity to eradicate any form of evil that affects human race. The Bible says, “The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, the wicked does not understand such concern.”. Would you like to say a small prayer for this injustice and submit yourself as an agent of transformation? For further reading on this issue, refer to my previous blogs given below:

How safe are your loved ones-1

How safe are your loved ones-2

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Quest for happiness!

 

Who is willing to believe today, that happiness is the matter of one’s heart? We live in a materialistic world where happiness is tied to commodities and is priced very high. Many think happiness is the absence of unhappiness, which is not, nor is it exactly the opposite of unhappiness. It’s neither jubilation nor ecstatic joy because those are not enduring emotions. They come and go. You receive a gift and you’re thrilled; you’re elated. Few months later, chances are you’ve forgotten the moment entirely.

A quantum mechanical principle, the Pauli Exclusion Principle, states that ‘no two particles can occupy the same space at the same time. Let’s apply the principle to our lives. The book in your hand and your coffee cup, for instance, can’t occupy the same space. Your hat and your shoe can’t occupy the same space. The space will hold one thing or the other, but not both. You can place your hat on top of your shoe and the cup on top of the book, but neither one can occupy the exact same area of space at the same time. Occupying space is what separates matter from light. Matter takes up a volume of space, and no other matter particle can occupy it.’.

Does it tell us something? “The peace in you can’t occupy the same space as the anxiety in you. Happiness can’t share the same space with sadness and fear.  Love can’t share the same space with bitterness. In order for love to operate fully within you, bitterness must step aside. In order for faith to manifest itself fully in you, doubt must fall away. Anxiety must move over for peace to reign in you. In the same way, if you hang on to negative emotions, they will muscle out the good ones” Marie Chapian

We assume the future will be better than the present, things will always be happier tomorrow. It is good to have positive thinking and hope positively, but does positive thinking alone guarantees life?  We cling to hopes that fail us most of the time. We are also taught that health, autonomy, social involvement, fulfilling work, and the quality of our environment are the real sources of happiness. But are they? Unless we hold on to the source of happiness, we are bound to be disappointed quite often. The source of happiness is God himself not using God to find something else beside God. The Bible says, “Happy are the people whose God is the LORD.”. When we find God, we find life and happiness. You will most importantly be blessed with peace which is a rare commodity in today’s world. Jesus says, “..no one will take your joy from you.”. would you like to commit your life and find God who is the source of all happiness?  

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A doubled edged image!

 

I am fascinated by the writings of this man called Solzhenitsyn. Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist, philosopher, historian, short story writer and political prisoner. Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of the Soviet Union and Communism. He helped to raise global awareness of the Soviet Gulag forced-labor camp system. He quite often wrote about the human debaucheries and the evil that dehumanized the society and the country.

Solzhenitsyn cites, “In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface. We are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand-fold in the future.”. Usually we are interested to stand with ones with whom we have a close affinity and, in some sense, which are based on the factors that aligns with our own ideology. If you carefully notice even our standing with political parties or leaders (religious or political) in many cases are biased probably because we share same religion, race and ethnicity. Let us not forget that evil always tries to portray a "noble" cause to destroy human race and throw people into confusion.

Evil and inhumanity has its own dirty color that skillfully blends using good as its face value and divides people at its depth. Today, all you see around is the gross evil in all its form is degrading the individuals and society. But do you notice, where the source is from? It’s the human heart. Bible states that clearly, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else and incurable -who can understand it?” How often we are interested to check the state of our heart? The change of behavior and restraining evil begins with individuals who look for a source who is from outside and bigger than his imagination, God.

Solzhenitsyn again remarks, “It is impossible to expel evil from the world in its entirety, but it is possible to constrict it within each other.”. Every human heart is a place of abode for God. A God who is holy and has an ability to transform you and me into a person who can display a true human nature. What else can be the biggest message than the message of love? Unfortunately, cowards use undue power to limit the powerless and vulnerable for their selfish ends. Jesus chose to die on the cross for the salvation of entire human race. The picture of Love is immensely displayed. If we ask for help, the same God is willing to transform our heart. Every action has its impact. Solzhenitsyn states, “Thus it is that no cruelty whatsoever passes by without impact. Thus, it is that we always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap.”.

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