The “God” Identity in a Leader

 

The recent US elections witnessed the battle between Kamala Haris and Donald Trump. It was a nail-biting race for months which resulted in Donald Trump emerging as the winner. There are many layers to this election and politics is not what I intend to discuss in this blog. However, what I found interesting is the religious identity that played a major role in all this drama. During voting it is said that people from Tamil Nadu, India, offered special prayers for Kamala Haris. There’s little to distinguish the village of Thulasendrapuram from any other rural community except for its connection to Kamala Harris, a woman who was expected to become America’s first leader with South Asian roots. The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame before the god. “Our deity is a very powerful God. If we pray well to him, he will make her victorious,” said M. Natarajan, the temple priest that led the prayers in front of the image of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva. Well, we now know how that ended.

Interestingly, there is one more woman who is now grabbing the news, that is Tulsi Gabbard. The Indian newspaper titles, “Hindu Congresswoman appointed by Donald Trump as US intelligence director” Another news media states, “Meet the Hindu American appointed by Trump as US Director of National Intelligence”. The media is quick to highlight her religious identity rather than all her achievements and hard work that has earned her the position in the first place. Today’s world tends to segregate people based on religion and claims that you are born to be one. However, we are all aware our identity is in God and not religion.

We have one identity, ‘the image of God’. The best thing described in Human creation is when in the first book of Genesis in the Bible records, “so God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.”.  Genesis 1:27. We do not resemble any four-footed beasts or created out of nothing. We stick to these beliefs as we do not want to be known as children of a divine sane God. The Judeo-Christian worldview is the best narration of a perfect image of a human being. The Bible states that we are created in the image of God making us His masterpiece. The religious identity doesn’t add any value to our existence. Our sanity as human and our love for brotherhood, are the ones that make the difference. 

We create divisions using religion to gain mileage for our political advantage. This sentiment disturbs the unity among us. We tend to forget that we are God’s image bearers. We refuse to believe in Jesus Christ as He is a God who offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for forgiveness of our sins and hope for eternity. We are apprehensive to invite Him into our heart as there is a dire need for us to change as a person once we do that. Whereas religion does not require us to change. Religion is okay with our superficiality of rituals and puts us in a spiritual coma. It does nothing to save our soul. 

The mark of true leadership will manifest itself when we have a close relationship with Jesus Christ. He was a true leader who modelled it well for us. He showed us what true sacrifice is, what it is to serve in spirit and in truth and how to be obedient to your calling. The beautiful part of following Him is that we don’t have to go to a religious place to find Him because He longs to live in our hearts and make us His temple but first to become that we need His forgiveness and truly repent of all our sins. Then He is faithful enough to live in this sanctified heart transforming you into a remarkable leader.

 

Source:

HINDUSTAN TIMES

TIMES OF INDIA

 

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THE FOUR

“I’ll do it for you, if you do it for me.”

 

Debre Fileta professional counsellor observes people’s kindness is selfish. The motto is “I’ll do it for you, if you do it for me.”. We do things for others to receive things in return. Apostle Paul in the Bible writes this important piece of advice, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”

Jesus is the best model as mentioned in this verse. He didn’t leverage authority for personal advantage -power, pleasure, control or comfort but took the nature of a servant. Jesus spent His time investing in others. Jesus focused His attention in helping others to the point of giving up His own life. As relationships are transactional, we don’t do anything without return. In business terms it is called ROI (Return of investment). Jesus questioned this attitude by asking, "If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High". Is this even possible? If yes, why should it matter in a world when everything is seen as an advantage? 

One can understand the dilemma if the person is conscious of his/her purpose in the light of God. Jesus states, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”. The concept of transaction is to amass profits, wealth, treasures hoping to live on earth for eternity, which is unfortunately not true. The storehouse and the treasures can be susceptible to danger including life and it profits no one. Jesus gives a higher perspective of life and eternity. 

We are going to live for eternity with Him. This is not our permanent home. Jesus said to a woman whose brother died and was buried for four days (Note: this is a true story and not a myth), “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”. John Piper tweeted, “even though we die, we do not die. Nor will we ever die.”. There is hope in this statement because of what Jesus declared and claimed – that He is the resurrection and life. He brought Lazarus to life after he died and was buried in a cave for four days. Similarly, Jesus too rose from the dead, which we call resurrection. This gives us hope to live forever with Him. Life doesn’t have to be transactional. Instead, it can be forgiving, showing grace and mercy towards one another as Christ loved, giving us a life that is satisfying and enriching. 

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THE FOUR

The Ridiculousness of Ignorance!

Highest form of ignorance is rejecting something before you get to know about it. In this digital age where information is at your fingertips on various subjects, it is overwhelming to master in all areas of study. We have limited or superficial knowledge on a subject but to be specialized and qualified we need to do a systematic study and become certified professional. However, when it comes to religion, we are comfortable in our blissful ignorance and satisfied with hearsay.

The biggest war today is the war of religion where people are fighting against each other for their belief system and culture in utter ignorance. Bertrand Russel pointed out that, “people’s opinions are mainly designed to make them feel comfortable; truth for most people is a secondary consideration.”. People are fanatic enough to fight for their religious truth but never make the effort to know the truth of the other religion. For example, people reject the Bible without really reading it. Their information is from secondhand sources and are convinced that it is false.

Abdu Murray in his book ‘Grand Central Question’ states that only Christian worldview has the best plausible explanation to the life centralized questions, and they are as follows:

1. What explains existence? Or is there a God? 

2. Is there an objective purpose and value to human existence? 

3. What accounts for the human condition? 

4. Is there a better life or a salvation from our present state?

The Bible is the only unique historical book recorded with no errors and contradictions whatsoever. One can find the best explanation to these important life questions and experience salvation. We are wretched in our spiritual condition and with human effort it is merely impossible to reach God. In knowing our condition God has made a provision through His son Jesus. It is ridiculous to reject Him or what is written about Him in the Bible.  Jesus claimed that He is the way, the truth and the life, which He modelled hundred percent in this chaotic world.

The flaw of pantheistic worldview is anything and everything is God making the whole premise on God to fall. G K. Chesterton states, “When a man stops believing in God, he doesn't believe in nothing, he believes in anything”.  There are some gods whose morals are worse than us humans, yet we ignorantly worship them with reverence. This quote beautifully summarizes this reality, ‘you either die a hypocrite or live long enough to see yourself become a hypocrite.’.

A new spirituality has overtaken the world which dictates that with discipline and practice one can achieve Holistic well-being. It is obsessed with good health, mastery of the mind, realization of inner divinity leading to wellness of body, mind and soul. We fail to understand our life is in God’s hands and we need a living Savior to steer the course of our life. You have the answers to life questions in Jesus who is alive and not a dead legend. He came to this earth, died and rose again so that we can truly enjoy a close relationship and renewed fellowship with Him not just in this life but for eternity.

  

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THE FOUR

The Trap of Moral Decline!

 

Technology, politics, education and materialism have all overpromised and underdelivered. These have only worsened the human conditions of anxiety, depression, restlessness, loneliness and suicidal thoughts. People strive to be wealthy, comfortable and in absolute control of their life. Satisfaction becomes relative and keeps pushing the boundary with every satiated desire. When the heart is restless it finds everything legitimate. In the process the person hurts himself and others.  The author of the book of Proverbs in the Bible, King Solomon states, ‘a wicked person desires evil; he has no consideration for his neighbor.’. 

The moral degradation in this modern era is unimaginable. Describing about the culmination of evil in human history, the Bible states, “evil people and imposters will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.”. It says, they will become bad to worse. Deceiving and being deceived becomes part of lifestyle of many. We see people are becoming less human and alarmingly godless. Hannah Arendt puts this beautifully, “The sad truth of the matter is that most evil is done by people who never made up their minds to be or do either evil or good.”.

Those that go with the flow, accommodate whatever comes their way, giving in to their instincts with no moral standard. They end up faltering again and again. The Bible describes about such people, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.”. If we read the verse carefully, it does not say accommodate evil due to ignorance, but it is due to the hardening of their hearts.

Howard Thurman states, “the real target of evil is to corrupt the spirit of man and to give his soul the contagion of inner disintegration.”. It is true that once the spirit of man is corrupted, the person goes from bad to worse. There is little hope for him to come to sanity. Man by nature inclines to do bad unless his heart is conscious and sensitive towards good and evil. This does not however come naturally or by any religious influence, because religion by design exists for its own purpose. We are all imperfect beings and will be facing judgement determining whether we will inherit heaven or hell eternally. But then, God has already made a provision for forgiveness of our sins and has perfected us by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of calvary. The greatest joy one can derive is through the transformed heart and assurance in Him.  You can make a choice to follow Christ and ask for forgiveness from all the sins you have committed and be set free to be good and do good. No wonder Jesus always emphasized on a clean pure heart rather than an approved religious person. He makes all the difference in your faith life, and you can receive Him by faith. 

 

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