Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Whom we should fear?


In the earlier article we discussed about human body.   Human body is made out of dust and it will return to dust.  But we are afraid of hurting our body.  But, now let us see what Jesus talk about this human body. 

Jesus said (Luke 12:4-5) "My friends, listen to me. Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but can't do any more than that.  I will show you whom you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the One who can kill the body and also has the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him.

If you truly understand these words of Jesus, it will transform you to be a courageous, brave, daring, bold, heroic and  fearless human being.  Many of us are afraid of our life in this world.  That is why we have medical insurance, life insurance etc.  Fear of life prompt us to visit doctor for regular check up.  Fear prompt us to take extra care about our body.  Fear limit us doing extra work.  We experience fear in our every day life.  We fear about our business, fear about our carrier, fear about our relationship (how long it will last) Fear about our society.  we are fear of our colleagues or bosses. fear about our kids, fear of accidents in the road... the list is endless.  And the important thing is that fear limit us from doing what we should do. 

If you understand and take the words of Jesus about your body, you will be the most courageous, brave, daring, bold, heroic and fearless person in this world.  Wouldn't it be awesome!  Great!  Jesus inviting you to be in that higher state of life.  Jesus don't want you to be a fearful person.  He don't want you to be a terrifying person. He don't want you to be a frightening, horrendous and  scary person.  He want you to be a fearless, courageous, brave, daring, bold and heroic person.  And he gave the secret.  The secret is that do not afraid of those who kill the body but cannot do anything more than that. 

Again Jesus tells us one more thing.  To whom we should afraid of?  Be afraid of the one who can kill the body and also has power to throw you into hell. Only God has that power.  Jesus wanted us to know that we should fear only God.  No men, on this earth, has that power.  Man cannot do any harm to you. We must fear God and walk in His ways.  That is what we need to do in our earthly life.

We are formed out of dust, and we will return to dust.  But there is one more thing, our soul, lives in this body.  We should not lose our soul.  One day we have to stand in the presence of God.  Every human being needs to be there for the Judgment. 

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Dust


We all hate dust. Dust causes allergy to some people.  Dust storms are very dangerous which can cause death as the dust may fill our breathing organs.  Dust can cause adverse effect on human health.  We clean our home and electronics equipments and wanted it to be dust free.  Regular dusting is done at our home and other equipments to feel good. 

Road dust, human dust, animal dust, domestic dust, atmospheric dust, construction site dust etc., are some forms of dust we face in our day to day life. 

But we forget one thing that we, human beings, are formed out of dust which we hate.  Bible says: "Then the Lord God formed a man. He made him out of the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person."  We are formed out of dust.  Bible again says that: You were made out of the ground.  And you will return to it. You are dust. So you will return to it."  If you study about human body, scientifically we can prove that it is formed out of dust.

If we examine the status of our body after death, we know it will return to dust.  Our body decay and return to dust or ground.

Another interesting thing bible says that "All the days of your life you will have to work hard to get food from the ground.  You will eat the plants of the field, even though the ground produces thorns and thistles.  You will have to work hard and sweat a lot to produce the food you eat.

The food for the man who has formed out of ground is the plants growing in the ground.  Plants are also growing in the ground. That means plants are a different form of dust.  We eat dust in the form of plants, seeds or fruits to live.  Yes dust of the ground need dust to live.  Very interesting!!

But it is very difficult for us to admit the fact that we are dust.  We want our body clean and beautiful.  We do many thing to improve the appearance of our body.  We ware fine ornaments.  We ware beautiful cloths to improve the appearance of our body.  Some people refuse to ware cloths as they are confident about the beauty of their body parts.

We take care of our body very carefully.  We put oil and creams to shine our skin which is made out of dust.  We try to eat best food to keep us healthy and in good shape.   Excessively feeding sugar or salt or other dust particles (chemicals) may case the sickness in our body.  Equilibrium of dust particles are to be maintained for a healthy life.  The shape of our body depends on the excess of dust or lack of it.  Some of us appear thin at the same others appear fat.  Excess of dust and lack of dust, both are dangerous.

We do exercises to reduce the dust particles in our body.  We invented many equipments for that purpose.  Still many of us failed to keep ourselves in shape.

We consult doctors for replacing this dust.  Doctors give a some specific dust(medicine) to cure the deceases.   Doctors operate this dust and remove infested dusts from the body. 

We take medical insurance and life insurance against this dust.  Isn't it strange!  (Life insurance is good for the relatives/survivors)

We put on gold, silver and  pearl ornaments on this dust to look good. We use perfume to smell good.  We use costly and fragrant soaps to wash this dust.   We use soft cloths and cushions to feel good. Whatever we use, we use it on this dust only for its comfort.

For the comfort of this dust(our body), we invented many things.   We invented air conditioners, we invented vehicles to move around.  For the safety and comfort of these dust, rich people use Rolls Royce, Mercedes-Benz etc.  We look for all the comfort and security for these dust.

But the dust cannot be alive without the spirit.  Bible Says "and the dust returns to the ground it came from,  and the spirit returns to God who gave it."  That means there is a spirit that lives withing this dust that make the body alive.  Otherwise we call it dead body.  Dead body needs refrigeration to keep it in shape.  If there is no refrigeration, it will decay within days.

So the spirit that lives within the body that makes it alive.  When the spirit leaves this body it stops breathing. Death can be defined as the departure of spirit from the body.  It stops its function(breathing, blood circulation, digestion etc.).  It starts to decay.

So, next time when you ask someone "Do you know, who am I?"  Remember that you are dust.  Dust from the ground.  Nothing more than that. 

What makes us active and alive.  Our spirit.  Where is it come from?  It is from God.  And It returns to God.  In a moments time it can depart from this body.  Then whatever you created, amassed or accumulated (material things) will be of no use. 

Bible says that "Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them.

No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—  the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—  so that they should live on forever and not see decay.  For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.  Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. 
   
That is why Solomon says "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say,  “I find no pleasure in them”

There is no value for this dust.  Jesus said:  "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

So the value of a man is in the soul.  How can we take care of our soul.  That is the biggest question we need to discuss in detail. Continue...

Friday, September 2, 2011

Obedience


We all know obedience is the most importance character we need to have in order to lead a spiritual life.

Human race separated from God because of their disobedience. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. God created man and woman in his likeness and image. One of the character of God is free will. Man also was given that character. The free will to obey God or choose to do good or bad. We know, man chose the wrong choice. To brake the commandment of God.

Satan helped him to disobey. We all know who Satan is. He too was the creation of God. But he tried to place his seat above the seat of God. And God removed him from his position and he is now working in this world to deceive the human race. He used to guide people to do wrong and find pleasure in doing wrong. Wherever we look we could see him at work. He wants to destroy us. He wants to destroy our family life. He wants to destroy our career. He wants to destroy our children. He wants to destroy our youngsters. He wants to destroy our society. He wants to destroy our country. He would be happy if we take our life by ourselves. For that he is doing whatever he can. He is at work always. But the good news is that one day God will punish him and destroy him.

Satan cannot directly attack God. So he attack his children. In that way he is trying to defeat God. We know if someone want to attack us, he wont be able to do so. Because we are stronger than him. Then he look for an easy pray to take the revenge. He could attack our children who is less stronger than him. Who cannot resist him. Satan also doing the same thing. He is looking for an easy pray to take revenge. He attacks human being.

How we can escape from his attack and lead a happy, peaceful and prosperous life?

The only way to escape from his attack is to take him with us who is stronger than he. He (God) who is within us is mightier than him(Satan). One of the character we need to have in order to have a good relation with God is obedience. Bible says (Rom 5:19) "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." Yes, Christ Jesus obeyed God and open a way to have fellowship with God which was broken in the Edan Garden.

Obedience is the origin of promises because it pleases God.

Let us look at another man who obeyed God.  What are the result of his obedience?  Bible says (Genesis 22: 15-19)  The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time  and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,  and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Because of Abraham's obedience, human race got a promise.  Look at the sentence  "Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." What a great promise!  It's the result of obedience.   That promise was fulfilled on the cross at Calvary.  Through Jesus we can renew our relationship with God.  Broken fellowship was reinstated through Jesus. 

Obedience make us righteous.


As per Rom 5:19 by the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners and through the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous.  Obedience by Jesus make us righteous.  What we need to do in order to obtain that righteousness? Believe in Jesus.  Obey the word of God. That is it.

In short obedience of Jesus made us righteous.

To obey is better than sacrifice


Prophet Samuel says to King Saul that :   “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

Disobedience is a sin equals to rebellion and arrogance


We know that idolatry or idol worship is the greatest sin in sight of God.  That is why God said it in the first commandment that you should not worship any other God except me.  Here it says disobedience is equal to rebellion or arrogance.
Disobedience = rebellion = arrogance.  So, in the sight of God disobedience is equal to the sin of arrogance and rebellion. 

By disobeying, King Saul lost his kingship.  Adam lost paradise.  We all lose many things in our every day life.  We lost peace of mind.  We lost love.  We lost prosperity.  We lost eternal life.  We lost family life.  We lost wealth.  We lost health. We lost our royal priesthood.  We lost the position as a "Child of God", co-heir-ship  with Christ,   We lost everything, just because of our disobedience.  There is blessings in obedience.  At the same time there is loss in disobedience.

Embracing Free Will: Navigating Temptation and Choice

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