Security in Uncertainty!

 

The daunting truth that rules our day-to-day life is fear of losing certainty while being employed and in a secure position. You will notice even a person with a regular source of income is scared that at some point he/she may lose  the same. Insecurity develops not only when one is employed, but even while one is unemployed. In order to hold on to his security, compromises and adjusts himself to the good and the bad things variably.

There is nothing in this world that guarantees a 100% secured job, perfect business plan or great income generation model. All decline at some point of time. The wisest king Solomon states this life philosophy which is recorded in the Bible, "What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.". Human beings are temporal, existing the earth for a very limited period and soon vanish.

There was a  period of time when I was going through serious hardships and crisis. It looked like it is never going to end. All hope of being saved was lost. And during that period of time, I leaned to put my trust on God and experience Him in a newer way. This increased my faith and love for Him. The promises Christ made came true in my difficult moments, especially when my financial commitments were overwhelming. If there is ONE single fact in support of my belief, that would be His resurrection, the validity of scripture that Jesus is resurrected and is alive. And what Jesus claimed became real to me which said, "because I live you will live also.". Historical, genealogical, and geological proofs back up this truth. I recommend “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell if you’d like to see all the evidence compiled in one place.

Hope is something that I did not find when I had a guaranteed employment but found in the lowest point of my life. The Bible states, "Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.". You cannot go unnoticed or you can disappear from His sight. When you trust in the Saviour you remain secure. Remember this, you did not just appear in this earth due to a chemical reaction or coincidence. You have been planned by God to appear in the times that you are currently in. Believe that you are strategically positioned. Accept Him the Lord of your life by commiting your life to Christ.  The providence of God in your life is limitless.

Resources:

THE FOUR

Making a commitment 

 

 

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The Loop of Unfinished Tasks!

 

An article I was reading revealed a fascinating fact of how our mind has the capacity to replay things. Sometimes its those songs that keep playing in loop on our mind that can move us to the point of annoyance and hard to get rid of it from our heads. The reason maybe because they have a catchy tune or rhythm, but the fact is scientific.

 

Dr. Roy Baumeister explains that if you “listen to a randomly chosen song and shut it off halfway through...the song is likely to run through your mind at odd intervals. If you get to the end of the song, the mind checks it off, so to speak. If you stop it in the middle, however, the mind treats the song as unfinished business….And that’s why this kind of ear worm is so often an awful tune rather than a pleasant one. We’re more likely to turn off the bad one in middle of the song, so it’s the one that returns to haunt us.”. 

 

However, neurologists explain that this phenomenon is not restricted only to songs but even with unfinished tasks and unfulfilled commitments in life which nag our mind. Our decisions are often changed with priorities that need our immediate attention. The trivial ones do linger in our minds, but it is those matters of the soul that have a major impact if we fail to address them completely. We may have started on some important life changing decisions but would have abandoned them halfway through. These are the ones that keep repeating in loop in our minds which cause anxiousness and restlessness.

 

I often tell people that life is an indivisible whole and it is holistic. We cannot address it in separate parts. For example, when our connection with God is distorted, it reflects in our physical or socio-economic areas. The world is full of cares. Hence, it becomes even more important to set our relationship with the true living God. When we fail to do this our life will be haphazard where restlessness and pain becomes a normal way of life.

Jesus claimed that He came to give abundant life that provides absolute peace and joy. There is no need to go back and forth and live with regrets. The only solution is to submit one hundred percent of your life to the Savior who has the power to forgive your sins and make you clean. He will help you live a guiltfree life. Total commitment to life is not just visiting a religious place regularly and meeting all the rituals and obligations, but it is between you and God. Finding the truth which Jesus Christ offered is the greatest accomplishment of life. 

Resources:

THE FOUR

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Stop Hurting!

 

We live in a world where on one hand is full of opportunities and on the other hand rampant with failures. Smiley faces hide heartbreaks. Hence, we need to be conscious when we encounter people that we don’t hurt them with our words and actions. This quote is a reminder of this, ‘Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something.’

In the book of Proverbs in the Bible the author states this poignant observation “even in laughter the heart may be sad, and joy may end in grief.”. That’s true of so many people in this world who are hurting, grieving, bereaving and lamenting in disappointment. They wish life can be different and good to them and more importantly fair to them. Philip Yancey in his book ‘Disappointment with God’ states this powerful statement which says, “we tend to think, ‘Life should be fair because God is fair.’ But God is not life. And if I confuse God with the physical reality with life by expecting constant good health for example- then I set myself up for crashing disappointment.”

The best place to find your purpose and meaning in your life is at your lowest point in life. We are tempted to conclude our story with analogies and theories. However, we need to observe that there are many good things happening for our well-being that our eyes fail to see it. One for example is our immune system which protects the body against illness and infection that bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites can cause. It is a collection of reactions and responses that the body makes to damaged cells or infection, which is called the immune response. The sovereignty of God is beyond our comprehension. The Bible reminds this beautiful fact. He is the creator of the universe, and He does what is good. Just because we fail to see His goodness in our context and situation, it does not mean His goodness ceases to exist and has plans to harm us. Please remember His plans are always good.

Don’t give up when things don’t go your way. The Bible says, “all things work together for good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” . If this statement is still difficult to understand, it’s good to look back and see why you are in this situation today. I guarantee, you will find the pattern of the Lord in the direction of your life. Just learn to trust God and be with company who can encourage you through the process or better still someone who has seen God’s hand and leading in their disappointment. D L Moody, a great evangelist advises, “Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you; trust in money, and you may have it taken from you; trust in reputations, some slanderous tongue may blast it; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.”.  Jesus is the only living Savior who went through the extreme suffering on the cross, buried  and raised from death. You have all the reasons to trust Him and cast all your burden on Him. He will surely help you and guide you.

 

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Surely Goodness and mercy shall follow all the days of my life!

 

Blessings, promises and assurances are always music to our ears as humans. In a world which is full of uncertainties, failures and disappointments these words bring hope and happiness. Things usually don’t happen as we anticipate. Therefore, we are taught to plan well, focus, use the right connections, work hard, use the right skill to achieve what we desire. Yet, it still does not guarantee 100% accomplishment.

We use religious quotes to achieve what we desire. For example, there is this famous verse in the Bible which assures us of God’s comfort, provision and supervision. This is memorized by every Christian. It’s the psalm of King David who acknowledges God’s sovereignty and starts by stating, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have what I need.” During tough times Christians bring this verse to remembrance and recite it. But does this really make their crisis vanish automatically? It doesn’t.

We tend to use God as a spare tyre in a vehicle or as a parachute for emergencies, hoping that they will never have to use in their lifetime. We wish to live life in our terms, and brazenly demand that God aligns to it and ensure that He guarantees success. Martin Luther condemns this state of mind as an heresy. “The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has every plagued the mind of man, was the idea that somehow he could make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all-holy God!”  

It is written in the Bible “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” We understand this more on the context of wages we receive for the work we do. But in the spiritual realm the compensation for all the mess we contribute, may not necessarily come in fixed intervals but as the Bible states  we all have to reap what we sowed. Sometimes when we are expecting good we are experiencing disappointment. God has orchestrated the whole thing in such a way that we either demonstrate our fullest commitment and experience His blessings or live in our terms. The psalmist David in the Bible, ‘Surely Goodness and mercy shall follow all the days of my life!’ will happen if we live in His terms. God is a gentleman. He never forces you to accept Him. It’s your choice. C S Lews puts it beautifully, ‘There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will  be done.”. All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek shall find. Those who know it is opened.’

 

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Easter – Death is the Beginning of Life and Hope

 

In general people accept the death and burial of Christ but not His resurrection. Despite the fact of having witnessed many miracles of Jesus for three and a half years, the disciples themselves failed to comprehend His resurrection. Jesus reiterated the nature of His death and resurrection to them many times, yet they couldn’t quite grasp it. They can’t be blamed as an extraordinary event such as the resurrection is beyond laws of human nature, thus hard to believe.

A group of people ensured that His body is safely buried. According to Biblical records, a man named Joseph, a Jewish leader claimed Jesus’s body and placed it in a new tomb cut into a rock. The women prepared spices and perfumes to anoint the body according to the Jewish customs of the burial ritual. They waited as it was a rest day as per Jewish tradition. With all these preparations, no one anticipated the event of resurrection. Therefore, we see the different reactions of people when they faced the reality of the same. Let’s look at the crucial players in this historic event.

Pilate, the governor who was instrumental in crucifying Jesus Christ, did not expect Him to die at all. The Bible states that he was surprised that Jesus was already dead because he heard so much about Jesus’s miracles, including raising people from the dead. So he thought Jesus could save Himself from death.

The Roman Centurion witnessed Jesus giving up His spirit, felt the earth quake, saw the rocks split open and the bodies of saints rising from the tombs. They came out after resurrection, entered the holy city and appeared to many. When he witnessed these supernatural events he was fully convinced that, “surely this man was the son of God.”.

The Pharisees (Jewish spiritual leaders) who approached Pilate said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver (they meant Jesus) was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ They were worried that the disciples will deceptively steal the body and claim Jesus’s resurrection. They made sure with Pilate’s help to heavily guard the tomb. Somewhere deep down, they were sure that Jesus would resurrect as He claimed.

What the Pharisees (Jewish spiritual leaders) anticipated happened. Jesus did rise from the dead, lived for 40 days, had fellowship with His disciples, appeared to 500 more people in different occasions and finally ascended to heaven. The Bible records suddenly two men appeared and said, “men of Galilee why do stand looking upto heaven? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going to heaven.”  The Bible records Jesus’s words as, “Do not let your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe in me.. I am going to prepare a place for you… I will come again and take you to myself so that where I am you may be also.”.

This my friends is the essence of Easter. Because He lives we will live also. This is the hope we all have to trust Him and accept His forgiveness for our sins. When we invite Him into our hearts, we receive a sense of purpose in life and hope for eternity. Make a personal commitment today to follow Him. Get to know about Him by getting hold of a New Testament Bible in your preferred language.

There are also other secular sources like the records of Cornelius Tacitus the greatest Roman Historian or Pliny the Younger who held many different offices in Roman offices and became governor of Bithynia and Pontus, a region in northwest Turkey. And finally, Flavius Josephus Our third non-Christian writer is the Jewish historian. He was born around the year AD 37 or 38 and died sometime after AD 100. Josephus was commander of the Jewish forces in Galilee during their initial rebellion against Rome in AD 66. Every information in the Bible is verifiable and true. May this Easter transform you with hope and blessings.

 

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Good Friday – Celebration of A Helpless God for a Hopeless Humanity

 

Jesus’s death on the cross brings about varied emotions in people. Some sympathise over the cruel death, others condemn the cruel Roman punishment, and some saw a good, helpless man dying on the cross of Calvary mercilessly. They ridiculed and made fun of Him saying, “He saved others,” .., “but he can’t save himself!  That's the awesome story known by a strange name - Good Friday.

Recently there was a film based on real life events on one of the OTT platforms. It spoke about a group of fascists who tried to convince young girls of different religions for a suicide mission in the Middle East countries. During the course of promising and alluring young girls, they used helpless religious stories to manipulate them and join their mission. Some of the ones who fell into the trap were Christians too. This proves that they had no insight into the crucifixion story and its true essence. They are convinced to join this alternate religion by portraying Jesus who couldn’t stop Himself from being crucified on the cross, thus labelling Him as a helpless God.  The same thought process still lingers through the ages.

Its gross misinterpretation of facts. When people watching the crucifixion were mocking and deriding Jesus, they claimed “HE SAVED OTHERS”. What does this mean? This means that His purpose of coming to this earth was to warn people of their sins and He preached the message of repentance, assuring them the Eternal kingdom of God. The Bible records that “he went about doing good” healing the sick, blind, deaf and mute, healed people with leprosy and raised people from death. In the course of His life, these were not just miracles but extraordinary events. He addressed the problem of death. This is the reason the mocking of people makes sense.

However, if the story had ended on the cross where Jesus died and never rose again from death, then the story is just a mythology like all other religious mythologies. But the essence of Christ’s story is His resurrection. Jesus is the only God in entire history who repeatedly claimed, while he was alive on this earth, predicting His nature of death and most importantly that He will rise again from death. But no one ever imagined at that point of time, while He was hanging on the cross that He would in fact rise again and they dared not speak about it.

The great news is the story ended as Jesus predicted. He rose again from death leaving the world dumbfounded. He proved that only He has power over death and the provision for the forgiveness of the sins of mankind. The message is if one believes and accepts Him as saviour, he/she will not only find forgiveness of sins but one’s life is transformed with the assurance of eternity. The comprehensive historical book which is called the Holy Bible talks about Him, about the purpose of human beings and the hope present in Him. It is a life changing book with all the facts and a way to an abundant life and hopeful eternal future.

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The Big Question – Is Trustworthiness Worth Trusting?

 

We wish to be trusted by our loved ones even at times when we fail in this virtue and try to make up to them for the misuse of their trust. Trust is such a precious gift which we can offer and receive from someone else. The wisest King Solomon in the Bible states, “Many a man proclaims about their own loyalty but who can find a trustworthy person?” We all get to hear about people ranting about all their goodness and greatness, but in true sense are there faithful people who can be trusted implicitly?

The trust level seems to have gradation in any relationship. It changes over the period, or during different transactions over a period of time. At some point during the course of any relationship one of the parties takes the liberty to slightly break the trust especially when the person sees a better opportunity for self-advantage. They continue to live with the mistrust until something bigger happens that separates the two parties for good. This happens in any relationship. Most of the time people wish to stay in a relationship knowing it is not completely genuine because the person waits for a new opportunity to put their trust or he/she finds a possibility of profiting from the current relationship. We make business everyday out of everything, whether it is sacred or secular.

We all get offended when someone is not completely trustworthy as we expected. But do we check if we are worthy to be trusted completely, as an individual? Trust has become a buzz word in personal life and business world. We all walk on eggshells hoping that our trust is not broken. But the reality is, we all break trust at some point of time.

Is there someone whom we can trust implicitly? Yes, there is, Jesus the Savior. If you see Him as a religion, He is just a god of the Christians and tucked far away in the so-called holy structures. But it was never meant to be that way. He is God incarnated who is connected to our souls and indwells human beings. You can just connect with Him from wherever you are. During this time of lent season people are lost in the rituals of Good Friday, fasting as they call it in many denominations but yet far from Him in relationship. He is not present in any so called holy facilities and structures, or in a particular month or in the holy schedules and definitely not in the altars set at homes. You can reach out to Him from where we you are. Our sins have separated us from Him and once we confess our sins and failures we find forgiveness from our sins and our soul immediately connects with the Saviour. You can trust this saviour implicitly. He has answers to all and any of our problems in this world because He is the risen Saviour. This is the story of the Passion week and Good Friday.  Speak to Him and read the Holy Bible in your preferred language and you will find a best friend in Him to be trusted at all times.

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