Dare to Deconstruct?

 

Have you come across people who hold on to traditional and conventional ideologies which have taken them nowhere? They run around in circles never feeling the need to review and make a change. The reason behind is simple. People are so afraid of the truth that they wish to live in the old belief system in which they have become comfortable. The last thing one seriously questions is his/her own belief systems. Have you heard about ‘Moralistic Therapeutic Deism’ (MTD)?  It is the default American religion which says, God simply wants you to live a decent life, not be sad, and he doesn’t intrude on your life. And most of the creed directly or indirectly supports this ideology.

It is time you need to deconstruct the dead belief system. As you deconstruct, you’ll likely encounter the world of religion. You’ll be told that God is a vague mystery, not something we can truly know. You’ll hear that, instead of trying to have all the right answers like those staunch fundamentalists, you should embrace the mystery and strive to touch the divine. Don’t buy that false dichotomy. There is more than enough room in the historic Christian tradition and biblical witness for the mystery of God.

In this life, we see through a dim glass as said in the Bible. We’ll never have all the answers. There are things we will get wrong. And yet God will still love us even if we miss the mark. But don’t let this truth blind you another glorious truth that this mysterious, transcendent God has made Himself known. His heart has always been—from the first page of the Bible to the last—to dwell with His people in never-ending joy. While God is high and above all things, He’s also intimately involved in our lives and our world. And while you’ll never know everything or find answers to every single question, you can still know Him. Not in an impersonal “God is in all things so just be aware of him” kind of way. But as a friend, comforter, co-worker, shepherd, and even Father.

Yes, God is a mystery. But He can also be known. He is known in Jesus. He is known in the pages of Scripture. And when we seek Him with all our heart, we will find him. Everyone’s faith journey is winding and complex. But God is God, and He lays out a path so we can find Him, even when we’ve wandered from what’s familiar. There are more paths than ever before in today’s world—more options for spiritual “enlightenment” or custom faith. But no path leads to true happiness and everlasting life except “Jesus alone” (who claimed “I am the way, the truth and the life...”) which is narrower than we might like, but more satisfying than we can imagine.

 

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Are you a protector?

  

The biggest problem in the world today is when man with all his effort is trying to protect the God in whom He believes. Sadly, incidents of riot, killing one another for this cause has happened in the past and continues to happen around the globe. People are desperate to protect god, religious buildings, monuments, shrines, and religion by all means. Logically, it can be justified because man has erected the religious building, monuments, and shrines hence he thinks it’s his duty to protect the structure. Religious monuments and shrines are considered as the dwelling place of god, therefore religious sentiments overtake the actual faith in God.

It looks like man, (the created being) has allotted a place for god (who is the creator of the universe) and wants him to confine to that particular property. I don’t know how this is making sense but somewhere our passion and our faith on God is misplaced or rather wrongly positioned. The Bible clarifies this when referring to Jesus, “the God who made the world and everything in it -he is Lord of heaven and earth-does not live in shrines made by hands.”. It further claims this, “from one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”. It is so profound when it says, He has determined our appointed times as to what time-period we should appear on this earth and our exact boundaries, in other words where we should inhabit. And therefore, how could we allot a place and name a city after a god. Does this even sound logical?

Jesus never wanted His followers to fight for Him nor make a shrine and make it big. Unlike the many other religious stories, Jesus never waged war, captured kingdom nor commanded His followers to promote Him. It was Constantine after legalizing Christianity in 313 A.D introduced a place of worship and magnified the building and brought in Greek rituals and idol worship. His hidden intentions, as commented by historians, had political connotation. However, Bible strictly condemns idol worship and the worship of shrines. He is a God who indwells human heart. In fact, He condemned the religious leaders of His times by saying this, “woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”. Unlike today’s demands for external purification, Jesus wanted people to cleanse their heart and ensure their sins are forgiven and they are accepted by Him. He is perfect in that sense to forgive us for all the dirty things that exist in our heart and make a dwelling place within our heart. We can make a commitment to accept this offer and be His child forever.

 

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Disappointment or Appointment!

 

Who on earth is not once disappointed? I don’t think there is any human being who can boldly claim not been disappointed at all. Even the Stories of gods and religious leaders in the mythologies and in history show that they were disappointed. For example, Buddha was disappointed over the pain and suffering in this world. He went in search for truth. Take for example the story of Ram (though it may have many version) who had to go through disappointment when his wife was kidnapped made all attempt to bring her back. Disappointment cannot be eliminated till we exist on this earth.

When hopes are dashed with disappointment we are devastated and feel lost. Needless to say, all hopes may not fit into the moral framework but still every individual wants his/her expectation to be fulfilled. What did you long for which you have not received? What are you lately expecting? Who do you put your hope upon? The problem is that we tend to put our hope in our education, skills, people, position, money, political leaders, government and so on. But none of the factors or position can guarantee what we long for. And then we finally use religious places and shrines to have our wishes fulfilled. All for what we want. We want what we want and want all factors including religion to grant our wants.

In order to see your honest noble expectation to be granted you need to encounter a god who was never once disappointed. Yes, there is a story of a person in Human history which is recorded in the Bible. It talks about Jesus who was God incarnated in human form came to this earth to die through a gruesome murder for the remission for the sins of entire mankind. He predicted the nature of his death and prepared his disciples when He narrated how He will be assaulted, tortured and killed. Jesus’ words as recorded states, “…The son of man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the gentiles to be mocked flogged, and crucified and on the third day he will be raised.”. This is the one story where being a God, He could have had a moment to destroy all his enemies like the many stories of god that exist today and established the victory. But his highness depended upon his willful sacrifice for all of us. In his choosing to undergo the pain there was a victory and He said about himself, “on the third day he will be raised.”

Now you know if this person in entire human history had revolutionized not by revolting because He was disappointed what is going to happen to Him, but by his submission and victory through his resurrection therefore,, there is definitely a hope for you. Your disappointment is well calculated one by this sovereign God. All that it needs is to give your problem and trouble unto Him. Your disappointment can be turned to an appointment for fulfilling your purpose in your life. Encounter Him by asking in prayer to help you. As Lysa TerKeurst states,  "What if disappointment is really the exact appointment your soul needs to radically encounter God?"

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When leisure overweighs!

 

Digital world today is readily available to fulfil the deep longings and wishes of individuals, at an affordable price. It is like telling you, “You will never be lonely, coz I am following you like a shadow.”. How true, technically sounding!  We are surrounded heavily with different social networks, OTT platforms that have seeped into our daily busy schedule. True, that you don’t need anyone.

The usual saying goes like this, “thinkers became scientists and philosophers”. Take for example the famous scientists and the people who invented things, they were forced to be alone yet not idle. Probably thinking long, doing manual research and trying things till they came up with the findings and invention that is worthwhile for lifetime. Their leisure was productive and full of findings. Those times were not supported by digital platforms, which is not the case today. We don’t have the privilege of thinking for ourselves at all. Digital world and media are ready with suggestions, even customized suggestions based on what we want.

Today, one can decide to buy based on digital suggestions, choose destinations based on the advertisements and offers, and even to an extent to choose religion based on what is portrayed largely on the digital media world. Gods are made famous through the digital & media world too. Newer gurus and babas are popularized and worshipped as gods. The digital world has made all the work easy for us. Our dependence has profited the digital world more than we can imagine.

Too much of content, too many suggestions and entertainment has burdened humans. Studies reveal Gen Z (between 8-23 yrs) is the least religious-overly entertained generation in history. People of all age groups are restless and tired. In order to beat tiredness, we try to integrate leisure but to only later realize that it is sneakily adding its burden on us and causing pain. Our leisure engagements have an impact on our emotions, feelings, and perspective. With everything at our fingertips, we are living lives with no meaning and purpose. Children and young people are addicted to leisure to the point of shaping their lifestyle.

G.K Chesterton puts it beautifully, “Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain. Meaninglessness come from being weary of pleasure.”. Pleasure heavily depends on leisure and thrives with no moral boundaries. It can stretch so far till it can over-burden a person with too many cares of life. It eventually robs us of our peace and true joy. Joy is the state of the heart, irrespective of external factors. And true joy is the result of a pure and tranquil heart. Jesus words as recorded in the Bible states, “I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice and no one will take away your joy from you.”. These words were uttered just before His crucifixion and resurrection. His peace and joy were never temporary. When we truly trust Him, we are filled with joy, peace and clear focus in life. Your leisure is God-focused all the time. The biggest blessing is that He changes your priorities to do good and worthwhile activities.

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