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Sunday, March 30, 2025

That One Thought!!

We are inundated with powerful suggestions through the day that our mind tends to cling on to one or more. The more we cling on to the thought it becomes a powerful force overtime. Its bends our will to surrender to it. These powerful thoughts can be triggered by a movie, relationships, money earned by wicked means and so on. How are we dealing with them?

It just takes that one thought which can occupy our empty mind. We try to distract ourselves but once the mind is free, it floods our mind more powerfully that before. It hides in our sub-conscious and keeps nagging us. Our idle mind nourishes it and cherishes it to the point that it becomes a full-grown monster that reveals itself as murder, rape, embezzlement, scam, etc.

The Bible gives a good narration of the state of an idle mind, “woe to those who dream up wickedness and prepare evil plans on their beds! At morning light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.”. It all boils down to the power of that person. Usually, the decision to execute plays out, unless the person makes a firm, conscious decision to avoid acting on his/her thought. Thoughts are powerful and can ruin a person if unattended. Replacing with positive good thoughts or religious chanting does get rid of them, though in the initial period it may look so.

If you are a person who is captive to that one or more of such thoughts and needs to break free, then you would need to address the source of the thought. You cannot avoid circumstances. But you can train you heart to filter and keep you free from any evil ensnaring thought. Jesus diagnosed the problem and stated this, “For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: these are the things which defile the man…”. If you read further Jesus confirmed the daily rituals has no impact on such issue. Today, people practice anything as part of the traditional rituals and use many mental therapies to free from such captivity. It looks promising in the beginning but fails overtime. When you see your heart as a temple where God can live in it then you get an entirely different perspective. The Bible states, that we are the temple of the living God, Christ Jesus who lived, died and was resurrected. The spirit of God wants to abide in our hearts if we keep it holy which is possible when we surrender our thoughts, the battle of our mind and the cry of the heart. He will deliver us from the ensnaring thoughts and help us to live a life of freedom.

Click to read the previous blog HERE

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Sunday, March 23, 2025

When Both Ends Rarely Meet!

The rich and the poor equally struggle to keep the balance and maintain the equilibrium of satisfaction. Any person, on planet earth, if given various options, would choose wealth, and that too in excess. The poor assume about rich and vice versa. Unfortunately, both are wrong in their perception of each other because both are comparing satisfaction based on money and material things. Thus, our thought processes never meet. Usually, all are desperate to make it big and find satisfaction with the money they dream about. I like what actor Jim Carey talks about all who dream to be rich. “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.”. Jim was honest enough to experience and state that there isn’t an answer in making big money and reaching the top.

Rich and poor are struggling to find solution and satisfaction out of money. While the poor struggle to make ends meet, the rich struggle with excessive money and that its the end solution to all the challenges faced. The rich soon finds that he has multiple options to replace and quickly changes anything which doesn’t fit his expectations. He assumes he has the power to try all that his heart desires and eyes want. Everything looks for him as a commodity and since he has the purchasing power the rich assumes he will ultimately make it. The poor on the other hand compares himself with the rich and desperately tries to reach there. The daily struggle of life poses several challenges and threats for which he assumes money to be the only answer to all of life’s problem. Rarely one comprehends that it is not the answer. In this process God and parents are blamed, opportunities are missed and feeling of being lost sets in overtime. The common commodity - money is chased but the most important common factor - God is ultimately ignored.

Too often, when answering questions on people’s life problems, we give them something other than their finances, we give them the best budgeting plans we know of. If they are working through relational discord, we teach them communication techniques. If they are struggling with doubt, we challenge them to just believe promising that all will get better if they do. But we fail to give them Jesus.

What do you think rich, and poor have in common? King Solomon in his observation recorded in the book of proverbs in the Bible states, “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all” (Prov. 22:2). The gist of the proverb is both rich and poor live side by side in this life and are part of the order of God’s creation. The sovereign God of the universe providentially superintends all creation, and nothing escapes His eye. “The earth belongs to the Lord and all that is in it”(Bible). We are tenants on this earth, and stewards of all that God has given us. The maker and creator of this universe knows all our challenges and wants His people to depend on Him. Jesus is the answer to all problems. He is not a mythological figure but a living God who lived among mankind and rose from dead. He promises to come back again that those who believe in Him and accept Him will find all answers here and in the eternity to come.

Click to read the previous blog HERE

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Sunday, March 16, 2025

When it Hurts!

Prosperity, richness, wealth, luxuries may be far-fetched for some of us, but pain is common to all shattering the boundaries of social status, wealth status, caste status, etc. The problem with pain is that its never ending. The solutions to solve it may differ and increases our ability to customize it to our situation when it gets prolonged. All of us are not fully equipped to handle pain perfectly or have the resources to overcome it. Blessings to mitigate pain can come in different ways like having sufficient financial resources, a caring family and friends or having great connections.

Pain is not exclusively physical but also mental and emotional. C S Lewis in his book “The problem of pain” states, “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say, “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.”. Personally, I have gone through a situation which was beyond human help and needed divine intervention. I sought the almighty Jesus Christ to help eliminate this pain that was hurting me a lot. By His grace, He helped me. Right now, the crisis that your facing may be unmanageable. It’s a call that you find your identity in your Creator.

Usually there are three aspects of control in a painful situation. They are a. Direct control, b. Indirect control, and c. No control. We are familiar with the first two but having “No control” is what takes its toll on us. However, we fail to understand that this is the most blessed state where we can learn to totally depend on God and trust Him wholly. I trust on God who has dealt with the greatest problem of human life, i.e. death. I am referring to Jesus who is the only one who conquered death by His resurrection from the grave and known to be the resurrected Savior. My relationship with Him is beyond a religious identity. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is a risen, living God who lives in our hearts making us His temple. This God who adorns this temple has answers to solve the problem of our pain. All He expects is to look to Him for help. Apostle Paul in one of His books in the Bible states confidently, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”. It is this glorious hope that assures us that we are not abandoned in any painful situation, that Jesus is actively helping us through the pain. King David in the Bible acknowledges God in his situation and this is what he had to say which is so relevant. “Lord when you showed your favor, you made me stand like a strong mountain…”

Whatever may be the painful mountain of problem you are facing, my friend, don’t lose heart. Jesus is not an imaginary God or a God of mythical characters but a God of history and redemption for mankind. All you need to do is call upon Him and express your pain. Apostle Paul once again states, “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”. The secret lies in the persistent calling upon God which is called prayer. He is not a God on a photo or statue to be worshipped but a living God as described in the Bible. Would you like to know more about Him?

Click to read the previous blog HERE

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Sunday, March 9, 2025

Imprisoned by thoughts, ensnared by words- What’s the way out?

We assume that we are free and independent but, in reality, we are prisoners of many things, most importantly our thoughts. We do whatever our mind dictates, colluding with our heart. Cognitive psychologists say that the thoughts of an average man in a day range somewhere between 30,000 to 40,000 according to research. With our mind active, more than 60% of our thoughts lean towards the negative. The peace equilibrium loses its balance and people end up depressed, spiraling into darkness.

It is easy to say, “nip your negative and wrongful thoughts right at its bud”. But then, what the good thoughts replace the bad ones? The “good thoughts” are also camouflaged in selfishness, and it is spurious. In the first book of the Bible called ‘Genesis’, it is recorded that God grieved He made man because He was constantly thinking wickedly. The Bible says, “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.". Our society, the media, the environment and everything around us has morally degraded resulting in man’s evil intention and action. This eventually affects the way he speaks. Words are unreliable today. Jesus commented that "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.

The bitterness of the heart is revealed in the words we speak. The premeditated thoughts combined with emotions make us blurt out harsh words resulting in broken families, broken friendships, joblessness, defunct business and so on. King Solomon beautifully comprises the trap of our words this way, “You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth. So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend…”. This shows the dire need to correct our thought process so that our words bring us freedom and life rather that trouble and destruction.

The humility to accept that we have wronged and confessing to a God who is willing to restore everything on our behalf is what is true repentance. Jesus was constantly emphasizing in the gospels recorded in the Bible. The problem of our mind, heart and distorted words is the result of human sinful nature. This needs a true Savior who is holy and powerful to forgive us from all our sins and transform our lives. Instead of seeking Him for help to restore our lives we want to seek Him for, wealth, luxury, power and worldly assets. Your existence here is just a preparation to live in eternity with God. Do you want to accept His offer of salvation and restoration? A simple prayer will change the course of your life.

Click to read the previous blog HERE

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Sunday, March 2, 2025

Losing & Finding!

Life has a funny way of expressing itself. We hide things to keep it safe only to lose it because we forgot where we hid it in the first place. Some suggest the best way to find where we hid something is to buy a replacement. It is usually referred to ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) which is like having a brain and body that never fully integrated so they just do their own things without involving each other. This analogy captures a key aspect of ADHD, which is often described as a disconnect between different brain regions, leading to a lack of coordination between thoughts, actions, and sometimes even physical sensations, making it feel like the mind and body are not fully aligned and operate somewhat independently.

But the beautiful thing about this is the moment when we find the lost precious thing. The joy felt at that very moment is beyond one can explain. Jesus explained this in a parable in the Bible. It goes like this, “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!”. Here is a precious coin that the woman lost but her search for it without giving up hope is what paid off and she found the coin. She calls her friends and rejoices with them over the lost coin.

Sometimes in life we replicate the same thing with truth. Precious truth is hidden, and it calls for diligent effort on our side to find the truth when it comes to relationship with God. Many people are hiding from the truth and from the God of truth. The more we do this we are groping in darkness hoping to find light. We try to worship gods of imagination and myth that the truth becomes hidden from our eyes, eventually getting lost in the process.

Religion blinds us into thinking it can give contentment and joy. If we are true to ourselves, we will acknowledge that with religion, we are lost to frustration, depression, loneliness, panic, fear of tomorrow and towards the longings and yearning of the heart. The core of the matter is finding Jesus Christ who is “the way, the truth and the life”. Having a relationship with Him is finding the precious coin that you have been searching for so long. Jesus stated that He came to seek and save the lost. If you think you are lost in your problems, pain and pleasure you can reach out to Christ. Just ask Him for help and invite Him in your life. I guarantee your life will never be the same.

Click to read the previous blog HERE

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Sunday, February 23, 2025

Best recipe- lasting taste!

Man is ever consuming and insatiable. We desire all that our eyes are fixated at. There is a longingness for contentment and fulfilment but never reaching the point of satisfaction. This is more profound in our sense of food where our belly is always hungry, our taste buds are looking for exquisite food all the time. We ensure that we get our daily calories. We toil in our kitchens for hours to prepare a delicious meal only to finish eating it in minutes. This has become our untiring activity till our death.

Regarding food Jesus states, ‘Do not labor for the food which perishes’. He addresses this to a crowd where He performs a miracle with five loaves and two fishes. He multiplies this to feed five thousand men alone. With their families the number grows to twelve to fifteen thousand. He makes an important observation to them, “Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”.

Is Jesus asking the people to stay hungry and seek God? Of course not. He is encouraging them to seek something more valuable, i.e. to satisfy the hungry soul - ‘but for the food which endures to everlasting life’. Unfortunately, as humans we try to suppress the hunger of the soul by feeding our bellies. We try to shut the cries of our soul by overindulging in food. The Bible further records that for many who do not set their mind on the matters of God and for them “their god is their belly”. The untiring lifetime activity of working for food ultimately does not sustain man for life. Man is still, always hungry and restless.

Do not confuse the need of your soul with physical satisfaction. You need Jesus who satisfies human hunger. The gospel of John records what Jesus claimed, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst". Man is continuing to search God in the work of his hands, and in his creation and believes he has found God. The biggest mistake we make is finding a god for ourselves and personalizing it. Jesus came to the world to seek and save the lost. Those who are lost in the pursuit of happiness, satisfaction and God. You just believe and accept Jesus to find meaning in life and hope for an everlasting life in eternity.

Click to read the previous blog HERE

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Sunday, February 16, 2025

The 10% control!

We humans are control freaks and its more obvious when we have sound financial condition, guaranteed resource flow, commendable social status and good connections with powerful people. Even with less resources we are motivated that one day we will make it big. Positive captions like ‘believe in yourself’, ‘you can do it’, ‘you are more than enough’ assures us that we are in perfect control of our lives. Sometimes our hard work, and favorable situations also ascertain a positive result. Life keeps fluctuating between success and challenge, therefore our control over it is 10% or little more.

As humans we fail to take in the fact that we are dependent on God for our next breath. Bible likens man to a vapor. Kind Solomon who encountered immeasurable success and amassed riches beyond measure states, “I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.”. This exposes our fragility as humans with absolutely no control and that means we need the grace and the favor of God each moment.

King David in his writing recorded in Psalms in Bible says, “the horse is prepared for the battle, but the victory is from the Lord”. We can do all the preparation but ultimately, we need the favor of God for helping us in each endeavor. We are not at the mercy of the 10% chance. We have a living God, an incarnated God who lived among men. He proved the fact that there is no challenge in this world that could destroy humans if they are rooted in the living God, Jesus Christ. The ultimate problem of human lives is death, and Jesus overcame this very thing through His death and resurrection, thereby defeating the power of death too, over us.

You don’t have to struggle with your 90% even if you are powerless. Speak to Jesus Christ who is willing to indwell in your heart. Whatever is your hopeless situation, there is hope in Christ Jesus. Acknowledge Him, receive Him and follow Him all your life. You have a hope to live here in this life and in eternity. Jesus claimed this, "because I live ye shall live also.". Do you want to know this resurrected living God who is in perfect control of your life?

To Read the Last Blog click HERE

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Sunday, February 9, 2025

Becoming Nude to find God!

In recent times people become nude for various reasons and some of them are for religious causes. They believe that physical stripping away of clothes can lead to stripping away of sins, leading us to finding God. That’s an interesting perspective, but have we ever questioned the essence of the act, is that what God wants? I recently read an article that informs the top three naked festivals celebrated in Japan. One of them is the hadaka-matsuri, or “naked festivals,” are among the most eccentric of Japan’s happenings, featuring mainly male participants who cover themselves with nothing, but a loincloth known as a fundoshi. Hadaka-matsuri are intended to cleanse the impurities that a person has accumulated over the previous year and express hopes for peace in the coming year. Well, such acts are not exclusive to Japan. We hear about Naga Sadhus in India who are seen without clothes, their bodies covered in ash in severe cold. The writer in the news article states that the secret behind their ability to withstand extreme cold lies in the power of their spiritual practices, known as Sadhana.

Interestingly, Bible also records an incident about a man who was demon possessed and without clothes. Jesus meets this man from Gerasenes who lived in tombs and bound in chains. He couldn’t be tamed as he often would break the shackles. But the moment he meets Jesus the Bible records the demons within him cried with a loud voice saying, “what do you have to do with me, Jesus son of the most High God, don’t torment me!”. The demons recognized the true God. Jesus immediately commands the unclean spirits to come out of the man. The whole crowd witnessed something very significant which is quoted in the Gospel of Mark 5:16, “They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.” He was nude, lost his sense of dignity and hurt himself. But after meeting God, he was with a right mind fully clothed.

What this story teaches us is what really matters is the baring or stripping our hearts to God where all evil thoughts originate. We as humans do the opposite, we keep our sinful hearts in wraps and are willing to even lose our dignity to appease God with our physical acts. If nudity was important then all gods would be nude. Do you ever see that? Then why would a God who secretly formed you in your mother’s womb safeguarding your dignity would want to see you nude in public to appease Him? We fail to ask ourselves these obvious questions because our heart is not in right alignment with God. We feel we can appease God by being physically nude to cover our sinful heart. Our limited understanding of God’s sovereignty and awesome presence makes us come up with devious ways to dishonor Him.

A mere dipping in water whether hot or cold, being nude is not going to save our souls. We desperately need a God who is willing to accept the filthiness of our heart and has the purity to wash away our sins. We can find this in Jesus Christ who sacrificed Himself on the cross to do this for us. He lived a human life to know our frailties, died an excruciating death on the cross and rose again to be with us. You need this Savior if you are convinced that you are living a lie through your religious obligations. Come close to Him by stripping your heart to Jesus. He is willing to accept you as you are and radically transform who when you give your life to Him.

Source:

Japan Naked Festival

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Sunday, February 2, 2025

Satisfaction - The Real Deal!

Satisfaction is temporary and shifts based on circumstances. Once it has achieved the preferred markers, it keeps moving further or to something different. We pin our satisfaction levels on material things or emotions and in some religious pursuits. It dawns on us at a very late stage in life that none of the mentioned factors can satisfy a human being permanently. Thomas Boston in his writings on ‘Human Nature in its Fourfold State’ cites, “the natural person’s affections are horribly misplaced, making them a spiritual monstrosity. Instead of focusing on heavenly matters, their hearts are fixated on earthly things. They turn their backs to heaven and face hell. God calls out to them, urging them to turn around. They love what they should hate and hate what they should love.”.

Satisfaction is the matter of heart. If your heart is peaceful and quiet, then there is inner satisfaction. Our meditations, mind calming and positive reinforcements are not going to help. The Rolling Stones, a well-known rock band in their prime several decades back, sang a song “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction…”. They tried girls, money, fame–yet their song confesses dissatisfaction with what the world had and has to offer.

Jesus, God in the flesh, said “Blessed (happy) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” What does this mean? It means that true and lasting happiness and satisfaction comes only through a right relationship with God. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness. No matter how much money you make, it will leave you wanting for more. No matter how perfect you try to be, you will be discontent. No matter how much porn you consume, it doesn’t fill the void. Only Jesus guarantees satisfaction. Jesus made a powerful statement and claimed “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”. In this relationship with Christ, your soul is satisfied and eventually your longings are satiated too. Dallas Willard puts it beautifully, “Our soul is like an inner stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every element of our life. When that stream is as it should be (rooted in the vastness of God and his kingdom), we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do.”

Andy Woodall states the opposite of this satisfaction is where many find themselves, like how Jeremiah in the Bible described God’s people, “For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water.”. We forsake God. We creatively, deceptively, and possessively craft our own fantasy path to pleasure and satisfaction only to find out how empty, broken, and riddled with pain and disappointment, that imaginary path is. The pleasure of the moment is then swallowed in the pain of reality. You have a choice, a choice to choose the living Savior who can bring perfect satisfaction. Try to know Him more and find how He can bring peace joy and satisfaction. You can grab an online Bible and read in your preferred language. I suggest you start reading from the gospel of John.

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Sunday, January 26, 2025

“New wine in old wineskins"

“New wine in old wineskins" is a phrase from the Bible that refers to the idea of trying to fit new things into old structures. It can also refer to the idea that new and old are incompatible. During the time of Jesus, the Pharisees (Jewish religious leaders) were the people of the Law who did a lot of good things outwardly, but many were prideful with hardened hearts. They were the religious people who attacked Jesus often and tried to find fault with Him. The Pharisees were threatened by the popularity of Jesus and His teachings which they assumed was against the law, but it wasn’t. Jesus while teaching His disciples said, "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

It is hard to see true, genuine change in people. They deceptively change based on circumstances to gain popularity. They follow ritualistic habits of visiting religious places, practicing strict spiritual discipline with no genuine change of heart. Their hurtful thoughts, behavior and action towards people remain unchanged. Jesus in His time on earth revealed that the Savior of the world is right in their midst and all religious rituals are of no use. He was hated for stating the same. Jesus provides insight by asking us to prioritize having a relationship with Him rather than depending on ritualistic habits which don’t change us. We have everything in Him, and our works will flow out of our love for Him.

It is only relationship with Jesus Christ that will transform our character, impact our behavior, and urge us to forsake our wicked thought processes. Jesus constantly emphasized on repentance. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in actions. It's a turning away from sin and a turning toward God. John in the gospel states this, when it comes to repentance. “Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance…”. True repentance has an impact on our thought process and action and is a total change of direction that comes from the heart and is genuine.

When there is no change, our evil self keeps ruining our desire to become a new creation like adding new wine to old wineskin which alters the fine taste of wine and affects the wineskin. Let go of the scars, shame, dirty habits, harmful relationships and ask Jesus to transform you. When Christ transforms a person then the changes are not temporary. They are permanent and impacts every area of our life. You experience true contentment and don’t find the need to deceptively change for people’s approval. You try to please God always.

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Sunday, January 19, 2025

When longing for Love increases!

Love, the supreme of all emotions is ascribed to God. When it relates to humans it takes different forms and connotations based on our desires. We try to find love everyday through different means. Love fills our hearts and when the heart is deprived of love, it starts looking for in both good and bad places. Momentary love pursuits leave a greater vacuum in the heart.

Author Bruce Marshall once said, “A man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God.”. This statement has always reminded me of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, in which He used her love to introduce her to living water. The Gospel writer in the Bible records this fabulous incident of Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman near the well. Jesus rests near the well after a long trip and wanted a drink from the Samaritan lady who had come to draw water from the well. During the conversation with her, Jesus claims that the water He gives will not make her thirsty again. This is the quote of what Jesus said. “But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again.” Surprised by what Jesus said, she wanted to claim the offer from Jesus hoping that she need not come and draw the water from the well anymore. But Jesus was referring to the longing of her heart. And now comes the interesting part of the story. He asks her to call her husband to which she said that she doesn’t have a husband. Jesus immediately narrates the fact of her life by saying “You have correctly said, I don’t have a husband, for you had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband.”. The lady was stunned at His awareness of the facts of her life and encounters Jesus, the embodiment of love. The conversation she had with Him was satisfying and promising. It is further recorded that she runs to the village to introduce Christ to them and brought the whole village to Him.

People yearn and pursue love in different places only to get stuck in the pit of loneliness. The law of pleasure states, that every time one goes to find pleasure in wrong places, the yearning becomes more but less satisfying. When your heart is empty of love, you don’t find the purpose of living a meaningful life. Man’s purpose is designed by God who is full of love. The Bible tells us that “This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts…”. The destination for love is Jesus. His sacrifice through which we find forgiveness from our sins and hope to live are worth experiencing.

Sinful pleasures are always inviting. We give into them and are later filled with a trail of regrets. Garett puts it so beautifully, ‘Before sin, Satan is the tempter who whispers, “You should do this!” After sin, Satan is the accuser who whispers, “How could you have done this!” Satan kills through temptation and buries with guilt.’. He pushes us into a greater vacuum of desperation and longing. We fail to realize it is God who can bring about a calm in our stormy soul. George MacDonald states, ‘The cry of the deepest in man has always been to see God’ and when this is unfilled the longing for true love increases. Jesus Christ came into this world to assure us of this fact that only He can fill the vacuum and has the power to save us from this toxic cycle of sin. He died on the cross to break the cycle and fill our hearts with love. When you commit to know Him and follow Him your soul is satisfied and rests.

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Sunday, January 12, 2025

Doorless windows and boltless doors!

Now that we have ushered in the New Year, we feel a little relieved that it has finally come and take a break from all the hype it created for the past few days. Some of us may have done our retrospections, made some commitments and taken some crucial decisions. However, one thing that needs to stay strong and consistent are our heart and mind. Now why do I say that? It’s the fullness of the heart that overflows to our mind.

If we look at the world around us, we all agree that its growing darker and wicked by the day. The heinous crimes are only increasing. Some are senseless murders, beautiful lives cut short because someone took it in their hands to finish a person’s life, gruesome rapes as one decided to strip the dignity of a person to satisfy their own carnal desires. If we have a microscopic view of these sins, it boils down to the decision of an individual. Even crimes committed by mobs are a collective decision of individuals. The Bible says, “A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart..”. All evil work starts with the heart, gets its form in the mind and results in evil actions.

When we give into our carnal or wicked thoughts, we are like the homeowner of the house which is well built with doorless windows and boltless doors. The house seems safe but without proper doors for windows, we are open to the strong winds, dust, and pests. Without a bolt for our doors, we expose ourselves to thieves invading our home. We are careful enough to secure our earthly homes, but we fail miserably to follow the same principle when it comes to our heart, mind and soul which are bound for eternal life. The Bible says, “But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.”. We hardly stay alert and careful of what we see with our eyes, what we feed our minds and allow our hearts to desire. Like a house with doorless windows and boltless doors, anything and everything that our eyes see, our mind thinks and fulfills our heart’s desires becomes our necessities.

We fail to understand that we need a point of reference for morality and purity of heart. We need a God who is pure, faultless and faithful. We can find this in Jesus Christ who though lived a life of a human yet overcame temptations and lived sin free. It was not because He was God in human form, but He was in close relationship with the heavenly father all through His earthly life. He filled His mind with the teachings and word of God that filled His heart and refreshed His soul. He understood our weakness to sin and came to earth to save us from it. He went through an excruciating death and rose again so that you and I can live this sin free life. Apostle Paul in one of his letters says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” It is only through knowing Him and having a relationship with Him can we be set free from our sinful thoughts and be filled with peace. Let your desire this new year be to know Him personally and receive new life, as the Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”.

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