Christmas- A New Hope!

 

Who do you think gets the most attention during the Christmas season, since there are countless attractions which gets attentions in Christmas story. The so-called attractions are the manger, Christmas tree, star, Santa-Claus, Christmas Cakes and his birthplace. And then there are others too who get importance from the story of Jesus as recorded in the Bible. Some of the characters are Mary, the shepherds, the wise men who followed the star which led them to Jesus's birth place, and not the least is king Herod inquiring the wise men of Jesus's birth. Do you know what is drawing the attention for all of us today? Undoubtedly the spirit of festivity, visiting Churches as part of religious rituals, partying, gifts, Santa Claus dramas, booze and being in high spirits. Sadly, people continue to misunderstand the true meaning of Christmas even today.

The book of John in the Bible which is written around AD 90 opens with these words. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God. He was in the beginning. All things were created through him and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men… The word became flesh and dwelt among us.”.  This passage also talks about the creation story where the Bible records in the first book, that God created the world by his word. And then thousands of years later the author John states, that the word became flesh, referring to Jesus, the God incarnated. The Bible  when referring to the creation story narrates the disobedience of the first man and woman. And as a consequence death came into existence. Paul who authored the book of Romans in the Bible which is written during AD-57-59, twenty-five years after the resurrection of Jesus states, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death though sin, in this way death spread to all people because all sinned.” The Bible declares “the wages of sin is death.”.

We are all victims of sin. But the story with the perfect coherence states, “For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”.  This talks about his sacrifice on the cross of Calvary and the redemption plan for mankind. The God who created the world was God incarnated, based on all the prophecies recorded in Bible. It is recorded that the wise men who reached the place of His birth, met Mary, and many others, but then seeing the child, fell to their knees and worshipped the savior of the world presenting the gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The greatest event of Jesus' virgin birth and his resurrection from the grave after three days as predicted, is not just a unique miracle or an amazing incident, but a story of God's provision for man’s sin. Our righteous works cannot sum up to the great sacrifice He made on the cross. And because of his resurrection we have hope to live eternally with him in Heaven, provided we believe and accept this Savior. By denying the saviour, we are making a choice to spend dark eternity without Him. No church building, Christians shrines are closer to the commitment you can make to accept and follow him. With a small prayer you can receive the savior in your heart. I guarantee you would experience unimaginable Joy in abundance, perfect peace and a hope for the future.

You Can watch the short story in your preferred language  HERE

 

You can watch the full biography Movie in English HERE

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Existing before existence!

 

 

We all come to exist only after our birth. We are identified and recognised as somebody on account of our accomplishment, popularity, power and wealth. No one in history was a born leader, celebrity, influential or even a godman. Most of such significant icons have made their path by means of accomplishment, contribution that gained them popularity. But the story of Christmas is one of the unique events in history where the birth of Jesus was unique and remarkable.

Christmas is the greatest and unique event in human history. The birth of Jesus was predicted by prophets more than 800 years prior to His birth. The place of birth in its specificity and the nature of birth (the virgin birth) are recorded in the Bible. This virgin birth of Jesus that was referred in Puranas, in Hindu literature and in Quran is not the validation alone but the history stands with this event all through His life. He was God incarnated to take away the sins of mankind. No one was born like Him.  The Bible records that the angel visited Mary, announced His name and the purpose which are recorded in the Bible. “She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” And the next verse as recorded by the writer called Matthew says, “See this virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son and they will name him Immanuel which is translated “God is with us”.

Some may say Bible is the Christians book so how is that so important to us. Let me state the fact of this highest selling book in the world. The Bible has been translated in more than 3,350 languages which makes it, the most translated book in the world breaking all records. 5.6 billion people have access to the full Bible in their language. The Bible was written over 1,500 years by 40 authors in 3 languages which are in Hebrew, Aramaic & Greek and they come from 3 Continents which are from Asia, Africa & Europe. Yet it is remarkably coherent.  This is not a religious book pertaining to Christians, but it is the way of life and hope. The birth of Jesus was during King Herod who lived between 72 to 4 BCE. You will find so many details that syncs with historical names and places.

No one lived like Him. He is the only person God incarnated who came to die for the sins of mankind. He predicted His own death and resurrection which is recorded in the Bible when he said, “The son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him and on the third day he will be raised up.”. This next fact is unique because no one was resurrected in human history. So don’t stop with His birth, His death and resurrection are the hope. No one died like Him. The biggest challenge of mankind is that we all will cease to exist one day. But Jesus confidently announced this by saying, “Because I live you will live also.”. How does it happen? He promised that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life. Heaven is real. We have every reason to believe Him and follow Him so that we can be forgiven of our sins and receive salvation. Our efforts to find salvation is futile, He has already paid the big price. Check the accounts of Greatest historian like Josephus (AD 37–c.100, Jewish military leader and historian), Tacitus (AD 56–120, great Roman historian), Pliny the Younger (AD 61–c.112, Roman senator) and so many others. None of them were Christians but vouch the great attributes to this man who is the Saviour of mankind.

  

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Whose month it is anyway? Part 2

 

Speaking about celebrating a religious festival in a particular month, the last edition addressed how it is used more to exercise power and display a sense of majority over actually finding the need of a true living God in human lives. Christmas is not a religious festival nor an event to be celebrated by Christians alone. That is a completely wrong assumption. In that connection the last week edition pointed out verses from Upanishad and Vedas and Puranas about the mention of the Saviour named Jesus and His virgin birth. You may click HERE in case you missed the same.

This week let’s see how Jesus is mentioned in Quran.

A passage in the Quran (Sura Al-Imran 3:42-55)

“42 And when the angels said: O Maryam! Surely Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the world.

43 O Maryam! Keep to obedience to your Lord and humble yourself, and bow down with those who bow.

44 This is of the announcements relating to the unseen which We reveal to you; and you were not with them when they cast their pens (to decide) which of them should have Maryam in his charge, and you were not with them when they contended one with another.

45 When the angels said: O Maryam, surely Allah gives you good news with a Word from Him (of one) whose name is the Messiah, Isa (referred to Jesus) son of Maryam, worthy of regard in this world and the hereafter and of those who are made near (to Allah). . .”

To summarize three things are about Isa (Jesus):

1 Isa is holy. The passage describes Isa as the Word of Allah (Allah is the standard Arabic word for God); he is the Ruhullah (Spirit of God), and he is the Messiah whose name means Savior, He is righteous and born of a virgin.

2 Isa is powerful. He gave sight to the blind, healed lepers and raised the dead, It is a Muslim’s duty to Allah to obey Isa. To know what Isa has told us to do, we must read the Injil (which is the four gospels in the Bible).

3 Isa knows the way to heaven. Allah raised Jesus to himself. Isa is in heaven and knows the way to heaven. Those who follow Isa are above those who disbelieve.

The intention of this article is to encourage you to find the true story of Christmas from the Bible. If all books history, archaeology, sociology, science and world religion point to this Savior Jesus, then probably it’s worth finding the reality. The Christmas event is an amazing story of God finding man in his wretchedness and giving hope of life after death which is conditioned only through Him. It makes sense because He is the only person in the entire human history who rose from the dead. May God Bless you as you complete this month with joy and hope.

 

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Whose Month is it anyway? Part 1

 

We have arrived at the final month of this year 2022. This month is usually celebrated with variety of cakes, chocolates, wines, partying and Santa Claus. Sometimes it projected like this month's celebration belongs only to 31% of the Christians around the world. But is it true? Not at all! It is we who have tagged specific months and days to a religious festival and copyright it. And then, if by any chance two different religious festivals fall on the same day, then it sparks animosity and hatred. This is an added pressure for the law enforcement to maintain national harmony during festivals.

Man is lost in his religious sentiments and religious festivals and yet ignorant of the fact that most of the time he/she has nothing to do with God at all. Religion is marked by its festival. People who belonged to a particular faith come together during their religious festival to boast and exercise power. And off course fun and partying becomes a part.

Christmas is celebrated in this month. It is not a Christian festival but historical event marked in  the Holy Bible, a historical book validated by Archeologist and anthropology and science. This article wants to highlight the story marked in Hindu scriptures too.

The words of God in the Bible which says, “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”. (Isaiah 46:18). References to the Birth of Christ in Hindu scriptures the following quotations speak clearly about Jesus Christ. The second quotation even mentions the name of Jesus.

After creating the sky, waters, and the earth, the supreme spirit of the Lord almighty thought “I created the worlds. Now to provide for and to save these worlds I have to create a savior.” Thinking thus He gave birth to a man from himself. (Ithareya Upanishad 1.1.3). The Puranas explain the Vedic truths in the form of stories. The Bhavishya Purana1 is the ninth in this set of eighteen sacred books. Its third part is entitled Bharath khand, and the second chapter in the third part is entitled Pratisarg. This chapter has thirty-four verses that clearly tell the story of Jesus Christ and His incarnation. The following verses show the main parts.

Verse 31:

Yeesh moorti parapta nitya shuddha shivakari:

Yeesha masih itticha mam nama prathishtatham

Translation:

The revelation of God who is eternal, Holy, Compassionate and giver of salvation; who dwells within our heart is manifested. His name is yeesha Masih [Jesus Christ].

Speaking of this Savior and God incarnate, the sages call Him Purusha shubham (blameless and Holy person), Balwaan raja gaurang shweta vastrakam (sovereign king in a holy person robed in white) Yeesh putra (Son of God ), Kumari garbha sambhavam (one who is born of a virgin), and Satya Varatha Paraayanam (one who is the sustainer of the path of truth).

The birth of Jesus through virgin Mary is one of the fascinating history in entire human mankind. Jesus is unique because He was God incarnate to provide salvation to man. And for that reason, He is referred to in all scriptures. There is no salvation in any other name. Would you like to invite this Jesus in your heart, the Saviour of this world? I assure, you will experience joy, happiness and be filled with hope.

 

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The harsh reality!

 

Our general belief is we all will become old one day and die, although we know this is not necessarily true. Dying young is also a reality - still born, early childhood, adolescents, youth. The reason for death can be many including, ailments, accidents, war, natural catastrophe that snaps life suddenly. George Bernard Shaw puts it beautifully, “Do not try to live forever. You will not succeed.”.

The ones who work in hospitals can narrate incidents where they thought of patients who show remarkable improvement to survive, suddenly pass away. Death is inevitable. And there are cases where doctors give timeframe like few months or days, depending on the medical condition.

I read an article by a person named Tom Elie whose brother was diagnosed with last stage cancer and doctor gives him six months to live. These are the words Tom uses to give him a sense of purpose even at that stage. "You know, people say there's a silver lining to every storm cloud. God has given you a special gift... that of knowing when you're going to die. Many people have no warning of their impending death, no time to say their goodbyes, and no time to say I'm sorry. You have been given a priceless gift."

We are all dying. Yes, it seems morbid, but true. None of us know the final day or hour or year in advance. It made me think deeply. We can just ignore and close this article, but some would choose to stay with me. This is so important.  What if I pretended, I had one year to live? What if I could chart my next six months as though they were my last? What would I do differently? What would I change? Instead of dying with a load of regrets, why not prioritize what is really important, reorganize and strategize how to reach my new found goals.

The Bible says this, "And now abides faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.". This is a beautiful goal to organize things in life. If we could look at those three things, dissect them, learn from them, and try to master them, we would not only be successful, but we would also be fulfilled! You can reach out to Christ for transforming you towards a fulfilled life of purpose and hope. Our destiny is safe in Him alone, because He is the only God who resurrected after death, and promised eternal life. If we believe Him, accept and follow Him as Savior and God, our life in that case, will be different completely.

 

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Unashamed!

Shame is destructive, degrading and destroys people’s hopes and dreams. It makes them vulnerable.  There could be some instance in your life or something you did probably even after long years is still haunting you. You don’t want to talk about it, you wish you could forget it completely, but you notice that it does not easily go away. We have all heard the phrase, “You should be ashamed of yourself!” Whether it is directed at you or another, you instantly know what it means: You should feel awful about yourself.  

If you are struggling personally over something which is making you feel unworthy, useless, and guilty, I want to help you get over the shame and live with hope and dignity. Shame and guilt are the result of sin. Some use this to disrobe people’s dignity to make them feel weak, miserable, inadequate, and dependent on them. Sin uses all tactics to pull down people’s morale and force them to live a life of mediocrity.

In the creation story according to the Bible, talks about the first man Adam and Eve. We usually have a twisted and perverse version of this story portrayed in the movies. We live in an age where anything can be cheapened. Coming back to the original event and story, Bible says, God made man and woman in His image and empowered them to rule and have dominion over this earth. But soon after being tempted to disobey, we see the incident of deception seeping in. Man disobeyed God and therefore they felt guilty and ashamed of their nakedness. The problem of sin begins, and we are still battling with personal and private struggles almost every day.  The first book of the Bible called Genesis, narrates the creation events. My emphasis here is highlighting the problem of shame and guilt.

Shame and guilt are inseparable. Sin is like cancer it will force you to live in regret, lead a miserable life and eventually destroy you. Even if you try visiting all the shrines and any religious places or try to visit all the sacred rivers, guilt and shame are not easily washed away. You need forgiveness and liberation from your sinful condition. 

The good news is that Jesus put your shame on the enemy, and He cancelled all the charges, the accusations, the records of wrong against you by nailing them to the cross. If we really believe this, then we can live unashamed and enjoy freedom. If we choose to live under the voice of shame, we are essentially declaring Jesus’ death was not enough. It’s like saying, “That’s nice, but it’s not true for me. I’m still unforgiven, I’m not worthy, and I need to carry around the shame and guilt of my sin.”   The wonderful news is we can live unashamed when we choose to believe that we belong to God. Reach out to Him in prayer for a transformed courageous living.

 

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Staying long in the familiar zone!

 

Comfortable places breed familiarity. We all love to stay where we are comfortable and where things work in our favor. However, most of the familiar places may not always be healthy and complimenting. Some familiar places do more harm than good, like being a gang member, alcohol addiction, substance usage, porn, gambling and so on.   

Tovares and Safa Grey counsel is worth considering. They say, “don’t sabotage the future God wants to give you by staying with what’s familiar. Dysfunction can feel normal...” That is a brilliant piece of advice, isn’t it? Many are forced to believe that their situations are normal even though it's dysfunctional. Dysfunction becomes the norm over a period.  It is good to analyse and see if all your familiar places are adding to God’s purpose in your life or is it disassociating you from God, reality and relationship? 

It all starts with our heart. The heart by nature, unless it has found the true saviour would lead us and make us comfortable in doing things which can break the moral and purpose for which we are created. Psychologist Diane Langberg states this, “the habits of our hearts and minds shape us over time. As we nurture internal habits, we are choosing again and again to bend our will to them until eventually the day comes when we can no longer choose a different course. Sadly, we automatically obey sins dark demands.”.

If we continue to do what we are doing, we will not only find the same result, but our entire future will be marred and disfigured. It doesn’t matter if you have all the money, power, and fame, still it will have a serious impact in your life. The Bible says, “it is appointed for people to die once- and after this judgement.”. We all will have to face the final judgement; you can’t hire a defence lawyer like we do while on earth.

The Bible emphasizes, “so then, each of us will given an account of himself/herself to God.”. As I use to always say, this is not moral science lesson, but a reality. If you are struggling to come out from your comfortable familiar zone which is ruining you, your family and relationship; don’t lose heart! Release all that looks comfortable and yet sinful in nature. You can confess your shortcomings to Jesus and be free from all your sins and failures. He will exceed your expectations and bless you with life that is worth living and a hope to live forever. Transformation is not based on a formula, but the soul encountering its Saviour

 

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Me, Myself and I!

 

The Modern secular trinity today is, Me, Myself and I. One is compelled to feel that it should only be about himself/herself. Such people fall under the category called Narcissist.  Mayo Clinic while defining this personality disorder states that Narcissistic is one of several types of personality disorders — is a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others.

Elisabeth Corey states, “Narcissists are such hypocrites. They pretend to have morals, standards, feelings and a conscience but they possess none of these. They will lie, insult, cheat, abuse and disrespect you, but in return they will expect fidelity, respect and all your time and energy spent on them. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want, but you are to remain loyal and perfect at all times. This isn’t healthy; its toxic and definitely not love.”.

If this defines you then it is high time you seek help to change your behavior because if unaddressed, it can destroy your relationship with others and much more. We all understand that to a larger extent there are priorities to address i.e., our personal needs, which is absolutely fine. However, Narcissists go farther by manipulating people, exercise power over them and will try to justify themselves with politically correct statements. Even their compassion can be cruel. I think for this reason Jesus while summing up the ten commandments comprised them into these two which says, “Love your Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”

The second commandment which commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves can only be possible when we find the true Lord and Savior. To love Him with all our heart and follow Him ardently. Jesus basically was breaking all the idea of Narcissism. He was selfless and humble, always on the road visiting villages, towns and cities doing good and preaching about repentance which basically means change of heart, and it also implies you turn away from sins and turn to God for eternal life. The ones who are obsessed with “Me, myself and I”, are usually alone and lonely but keep satisfying themselves with the money and power they have. One who follows Christ can never be a narcissist but becomes a selfless human being with love for mankind.

 

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Don't just sound good, Be Good!

 

Have you noticed people who only sound good but not good? We all love to be applauded, appreciated, and adored. The public arena becomes the place to display oneself. Some displays of goodness are devoid of commitment. The wisest king Solomon in one of his proverbs says, ‘Most men will proclaim his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?’  Lies has been accommodated in this world that it is sold like a hot cake. People flaunt lies and fake commitments every day.

There is an innate desire in everyone to be recognized. All efforts are therefore made to project a pleasing image of oneself. In sounding good, people fail to be honest and truthful. We all believe that our true self is hidden in the portrayal of fake goodness. We cannot hide who we are. It is just that people have learnt to accommodate one another with their real and fake character.

Most of the time people commit and pretend to forget when they are unwilling to fulfil. Sometimes they flaunt to be good by making commitments with the underlying motive to exercise power and create dependency. Stay away from such people!

Talking about the nature of Jesus, which is as recorded in the Bible and history, The people were all speaking well of Him and were amazed by the gracious words that came from His mouth…”. It further says, “And when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick.”. All who came to Jesus with sickness - blind by birth, deaf and mute by birth, people with leprosy, were all healed. He raised people from dead too. His compassion manifested in action. He did not just sound good with a discourse on moral philosophy, He was good as a person.

Be good, be kind and be truthful. Jesus talks about the expression of a Loving God is to be demonstrated with loving people honestly. You cannot be good without encountering the Saviour. You cannot find a God in the Church, temple, mosque or in any religious places. You need to put your faith on the living Saviour and as the Bible says, “if you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”. When you encounter a true God, you become good, you don’t just sound good.

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Live your Truth -A popular philosophy!

“Live your truth” is the main reason the world is in such a mess. When every individual starts living their version of truth, there is contradiction, greed, fights, wars, and selfish ends. This is the reality today, where every individual wants others to trust them and trust their version of truth. Facts are replaced by falsehood and hypocrisy. Let me refer to an example of the Judiciary system. We all believe the court of law exists primarily to find the truth in any matter and execute justice in all the cases, though it has never been so easy and simple. When it come to the judicial system, we cannot implicate and confess that we lived our truth because we know for sure it doesn’t work that way at all. We take the liberty to adopt the ideology of “My Truth” to get our way because we are not brought before the court of law.

The matter of truth is becoming more and more debatable today. Even if there is a truth, the question, which truth and whose truth becomes the area of concern. Today, there are many motivational teachings and religious gurus emphasizing this ideology. And added to that philosophy, the icons suggest following your heart. The only challenge here is that heart is deceitful and can mislead a person either to the good or the bad based on one's state of heart. During 1150 -1000 BCE approximately; the Bible records a time period where Judges ruled the land before kings' rule. And there was a big mess in the land primarily due to one big reason, and it is recorded this way, “…every man did what was right in his own eyes.”- Book of Judges

Ideology and philosophies like these are attractive and convincing because it tries to liberate a person from the absolute truth and from being accountable to anyone. Truly our heart can understand the difference between truth and lies. And we are right. The Bible says,’ “I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God.”.  Our heart has the knowledge of good & bad and truth & lies, but it doesn’t have the capacity to follow the true direction the heart points out to. To follow the compass; the heart must identify the true living God; the moral giver who designed the moral framework.

Living our truth will bring confusion, pain, heartache, and restlessness. Jesus is the only Savior who came to the earth and claimed, “I am the way, the truth and the life”. If you make a commitment to follow Him, you are making a commitment to follow the truth which will liberate you and give you peace and Hope. He also claimed, “The Truth will set you free”. Are you disoriented, disorganized and restless? There is hope. Trust Him for help and live a life based on His moral standard. Stop living by your truth.

 

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Humans as demons!

 

India, on Wednesday, woke up to the gruesome news of cannibalism in Kerala, India. It is the case of two women who were killed in Kerala purportedly as part of a “human sacrifice for financial prosperity”. The key accused in the case is a sexual pervert and psychopath who is suspected to have eaten flesh of one of the victims. In the police report it states that the murders were human sacrifices done to appease a goddess.

It’s a spine-chilling incident which shows how degraded humans can turn out to be. In most of the crimes, if you observe, the motive for such heinous crime is invariably to please some god or goddess or in the pretext of superstition and strange religious rituals. And most of such people turn out to be psychopaths. The motives are casually tagged under superstitious belief or religious rituals and in the process, man is eventually losing the dignity of being called a human.

Bible describes man's creation as, “But I find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”. If man is created with a balanced state of mind, then what do you think is the driving force to behave so inhumanly? The fact of the matter is that we are all created by a sovereign God, but from the moment man started to create gods and goddess of his imagination including money, wealth, prosperity, sex, they start becoming our gods. And man starts chasing it wildly and adopts any evil means to satisfy his hunger.

Stop chasing man-made religion and traditional rituals that is so much connected in the name of gods. Sadly, the stories of many such gods are filled with the incidents of polygamy, incest, capturing and making kingdoms.  These have larger impact on human behaviour. This blog is not about where the incident happened or what was the religion of the people who committed the crime, but about the perversity of human nature.

Let me quote about a person called Paul in the Bible, who after encountering Jesus got back his sanity. He says this as recorded in the Bible, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from the body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” The reason He said this is because he found humans are literally struggling to control their weird desires. He says, “but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of the body.”. Well, do we have a solution? Yes, we do! Jesus who turned the Roman and the world history by His resurrection assures us hope in Him and through Him. He transforms our psychic mind and the state of our heart. Can we ask Him to indwell our heart. We can live in our best condition when we decide to follow His footsteps.

Reference:

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/thiruvananthapuram/human-sacrifice-accused-ate-flesh-8204280/

 

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When you want something!

 A statement and life philosophy which looks straightforward, simple and doable says, “When you want something in life, you just gotta reach and grab it!”. This life philosophy may look tempting, yet it has its own challenges for people from different walks of life. Some people can just reach out and grab what they want, whenever they want. But for some, it may not be possible at all because they may find nothing is at their disposal. Some of the factors that can impact or affect this life philosophy are the age factor, the economic factor, power factors, context and situations where one is.

We may use religious philosophies which suggest, to keep a check on our desires and wants, to avoid regrets and disappointments. Unfortunately, life isn't that easy. And that means the philosophy that suggests, to reach and grab if we want something is complex in itself. To a large extent, it cannot operate on its own but needs different components and factors to make it possible. The ‘means’ can be positive or negative. It all depends on what one wants to acquire.

The Bible says. “But a noble person plans noble things; he stands up for noble causes.”. The noble person wants are noble, his/her plans are noble, and most importantly this person ensures not to violate the right of others for what he/she wants and wishes to acquire. What you imagine to have may look so near to you. But it depends what are the means you are going to use to achieve it. Your approaches can be non-violence, genuineness, honesty, to get the things that you want. At the same time some may manipulate, be dishonest to achieve and grab things to gratify themselves.

In the phases of life, the need to complete the education, find a suitable job, have a desired successful career, own a house and a vehicle can all be a need and with dedication, sincerity and hard work, one can achieve in time. But usually the wants are unsatisfying and constantly multiply till one dies. There can be a great vacuum in all the achievements itself. The need of the soul can create a deep hunger to acquire and achieve many things that one imagines and desires, but ultimately it can be satisfied only by Christ the Savior who alters our hunger preferences. Jesus stated this powerful statement which says, “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.”. And that means one will remain in the perfect state of contentment. Without having the Savior in your heart, your life will be incomplete. A simple expression of prayer will transform your life completely.

 

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Emptiness at the top!

 

My eyes caught the statement made by this great icon Marylin Murnoe who said “I feel my whole life has been one big rejection”. Did she mean she was a big failure, bankrupt or My eyes caught the statement made by the great icon, Marylin Murnoe “I feel my whole life has been one big rejection”. Did she mean she was a big failure, bankrupt or struggled to make it to the top? Before trying to find out, let me give you the detail about who she was especially for people who are not familiar with her.

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) was an American actress, singer, and model. Famous for playing comedic "blonde bombshell" characters. She became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2021) by the time of her death in 1962. Long after her death, Monroe remains a major icon of pop culture. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her sixth on their list of the greatest female screen legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood. (Wikipedia)

´She struggled with addiction and mood disorders. Her marriages to retired baseball star Joe DiMaggio and to playwright Arthur Miller were highly publicized but ended in divorce. On August 4, 1962, she died at age 36 from an overdose of barbiturates (drug used to treat multiple issues) at her Los Angeles home. Her death was ruled a probable suicide.’ (Wikipedia)

She was already at the top of the ladder according to the world’s standards. She probably had everything at her disposal yet lived an unfulfilled and unsatisfied life. Jim Carrey the Actor once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.”. These are stars who made it in life and tasted the epitome of success. But it is these very icons that tell us how empty life is despite all the accomplishments, possessions, luxuries, pleasures, and experienced void in their soul. Soul in the body is not a philosophy. Soul connects with God. Our sin problem separates us from the Holy God. All our physical exercise, spiritual meditation and activities cannot comfort it. It has to have the Savior. Jesus who is the God of the universe and God of our soul once asked this poignant question, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”. We will just be empty.  There is hope for mankind because of the sacrifice He made on the cross and His resurrection. The answer to the emptiness is when we confess our sins to Him and feel remorse for all our wrongdoings. By doing this, we experience true forgiveness from all our sins, love overflowing in our hearts and absolute peace in our soul.

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His Masterpiece!

  

The greatest mantra for a satisfied life is to appreciate what you have. However, it is always assumed that self-contentment and appreciating what we have is the result of all the tangibles we possess, which is untrue. Every morning when I wake up and open my eyes, I thank God that He gave another brand-new day to live and to see what approximately 1,60,000 people are not going to see, because that’s the approximate number who ceases to exist each day.

I like to reiterate this fact quite often and I wanted you to hear it again, 108 billion people have lived throughout history and in that 93% are dead. You and I are among the 7% living in this period of time. Isn’t it wonderful and fascinating? Appreciate life! Value enough what you already have to stay in perfect contentment.  Consider the creatures; the animals, the birds, they do not have their food stored for the next day but start fresh each day and make opportunities to find food and live. We are not just mere creatures; we are unique and special. The Bible says, “We are God’s Masterpiece.”.

We have a purpose to live. Purpose is what makes us unique and different from other creatures. We often fail to find our purpose and wallow in regrets. The purpose is not just to satisfy our physical and emotional hunger but learning to appreciate the life God has given to each one of us and spread, love and hope to people. We derive happiness and satisfaction when we help someone who is in need and struggling to make ends meet. This is how it is recorded in the Bible about Jesus while He was on this earth, “He (Jesus) went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil.”.

Jesus was not a spiritual guru who went about talking philosophy of life and pointing out a way other than him, but literally healed people who were born blind, deaf and mute, the lepers who were outcasts, and raised people from the dead, which is recorded in the Bible and validated by History and archaeology. This is literally God’s kingdom and we are privileged to live on this earth for some time. Try to know the true living God whose history endorses resurrection, and trust Him your life to make it promising and enriching. Allow your soul to connect with God the Saviour. We are made with a soul as C. S. Lewis puts brilliantly, “You don’t have a soul, you are a soul, you have a body.”. There is eternal life after death. If there is hope after life, there is hope now too. You  are not lost! Make a small prayer to invite this Him into your heart. You would enjoy a pure sense of satisfaction and hope in life. 

 

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Unexciting deal!

 

Everyone in this world finds a source of happiness that can cater to their joy and comfort in life. Some derive from relationship, some from their job, some from materialism, some from religion, some from commodities, some from parties and having fun. And for some, living a life with lies can be a source of happiness. External factors become more and more important to generate happiness for people. But the challenge is to understand how far it can be satisfying and sustaining. 

The impact may not always be enriching and fulfilling but all of us have to stay associated. Let me introduce a man by the name of David Bennett. One of his recent tweets said this, “As a nineteen-year-old, I met Jesus in a pub in the gay quarter of Sydney Australia as an Atheist. Today, I am walking through the fields of Oxford, doing that for which I was created. He is the pathway to everlasting Joy, and the eternal purpose of our souls.”

David Bennett hails from Sydney, Australia where he studied journalism and then international relations. He moved to Oxford to pursue his studies in theology and train as an apologist from a skeptical, atheist background as an anti-Christian gay activist. David now holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in theology from Oxford, a master’s degree in theology from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and is now completing his doctorate (DPhil) in theology at Oxford. He is the author of "A War of Loves" which describes his story from atheistic gay activism to becoming a follower of Jesus, in which he advocates for a positive moral vision of biblical sexuality and discipleship.

My point here is that the ultimate place of excitement (as per people’s assumptions) like pub, and discotheque can look like a dream come true for some, but still can be an unexciting deal. The soul can still be void and lonely even in the midst of all the exciting happenings. For Bennett, right in the place where he thought he can derive maximum happiness was the exact same place he encountered the truth and the purpose of life. Jesus stated this, "I came so that they may have life and have it in abundance." Nothing can match to the need of the soul. All man-made theories and suggestions including religious and soul calming exercises can still be unsatisfying and meaningless. You need the Savior. The one who can not only transform you, your perspective and your ideology but can fill the need of your soul. Stop looking for Him in places and experiences. Ask Jesus to indwell your heart to experience hope and to enjoy a transformed life, with a divine contentment.

 

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My happiness is my priority!

 

Today the world believes that at the end of the day we must be happy at all costs. The end goal is personal happiness, and the means exists devoid of moral framework. We are constantly reiterated to do what makes us happy. Many are drowning in addiction. Infidelity is rampant. Cheating one another is no more considered adultery as it fulfils the longing of one’s heart. Motivational speakers keep inspiring and emphasizing to live the best life here and be happy.

We all have our own formulas and philosophies of life. We follow icons and gurus who match our philosophy. Soon, our children follow our footsteps and demand that they are given all freedom with no infringement in their space. This has such an impact on children that they fight for their space and live a secret life. Children from high society having greater privilege of facilities in their homes, seclude themselves and keep withdrawing from socializing. When personal happiness at all costs becomes the top goal, soon the family struggles to hold on to family values and stay together.

Personal happiness comes with a huge price of loneliness and depression. Man breaks boundaries to acquire and experience all illegitimate pleasures. Illegitimate pleasures violate the right of another human being. The end outcome can be rape and brutal murder for example. The ones with money and power escape without being convicted. This encourages more crime, more infringements of rights of innocent people, and all of this is done to attain personal happiness.

Religion with set of rules and regulations does not impact the transformation of heart. Even the religious festivals in many cases are a big gala where people go berserk with everything that can make them happy. All starts with the philosophy, “I need to do everything that can make me happy, and I don’t care who is hurt in the process”. Foremost we hurt a living God who is holy. All wrong behaviour is selfish and evil forces one to manage life in one's own terms. In the process people become gods of their own life. We forget we don’t have control over our next breath, yet we dance to the tunes of our selfish mind and evil heart, violating God and people in the process.

True happiness and true peace come from the Lord Jesus Christ who promised to forgive our personal sins and live a guilt free life. When we sin, we first wrong against a living God, and we are consumed by guilt which creates emptiness. Emptiness pushes us to loneliness, and to survive, we substitute happiness. The Bible says that wages of sin is death. We die spiritually and end up in the eternal condemnation to a permanent destination which the Bible calls hell. We pay a huge price here on this earth for all our wrongdoings affecting our eternal destination eventually. You need a Savior to transform you. Just a simple prayer can transform the course of your life and assure eternity with Him. 

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