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Monday 12 December 2016

Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - November 2016

We all need a financial breakthrough. We all need money. We all wish we had more money. And some of us go to God for the sake of gaining the money we need. And that is not wrong. Yet there is a better way. It is to seek God first, and desire his righteousness above everything else. When we do that, God promised that everything we need will be given to us. So let those who seek money seek God first.

Don't advise, if your advice is unwelcome. Love from a distance in silence, and say a prayer. And if the people you are concerned about will allow God to move in them, they will be delivered from the trouble you so dread.

"God is our Creator. So he can be angry with us and even destroy us if he wants." This is theoretically sound. However, it hardly speaks well of God, and does not make him worthy of worship. I worship God because he is unbelievably kind and merciful and loving and willing to give offenders a zillion chances for repentance. I also detect a basic flaw in me and in other humans, which cannot be easily remedied. It takes a dying to the old self to produce the new self. And a new self is what God desires for us. He alone can take us through this process of dying and being born again, when we submit to him in loving faith. All in all, love is the finest aspect of God, and this is what tugs at our heartstrings. He needs our love above everything else. And where love is, obedience will follow.

We can read the Bible and sit in churches all our lives. But we may never do what we are ultimately expected to do. We should care about others as we would care about ourselves. We must be willing to forgive at all times without giving in to bitterness and rage. We must learn to be silent in the face of all opposition, and put our trust in God, who alone can fight our unending battles. These things one may not learn from the Bible or the church. One may learn this only from real life experiences that one lives through in communion with God.

The key to our living a life that is pleasing to God does not lie in our understanding the Bible or our acceptance of its doctrines. It lies in our recognition of God's heart which loves and forgives. It lies in our knowing and receiving this love and forgiveness. It lies in our reflecting this love and forgiveness in our own conduct toward others. No reading of the Bible or attending a church can ensure this happening. It comes from a personal determination to be like God when we see God as he really is.

Loving everyone is impossible for the human being. But it is possible with God. And if we are with God, and in God, we can do what God does.

We do know God physically or mentally in the complete sense. All that we have are fragments of knowledge derived from many men, and put together by others who hardly knew them, and these understandings are by no means in agreement in every respect. The God of love does not emerge properly in the Old Testament. What we see more often is a vengeful, jealous lover, who is hardly a model of love. God as a lover emerges in the New Testament, and even there his entire prowess as a lover is merely hinted at. The overtones of divine threat are still heard, as the message of love is spoken. God can be known only imperfectly by reading the Bible. We can know him only in part. And that kind of knowledge cannot inspire confidence in someone who is searching for a many-layered God.

The status of love without God is less serious than the status of God without love. In the latter case, humanity is surely close to doom.

Statistics by themselves don't mean much to me. It is the value of connection and the depth of influence that keep me moving.

Thankfulness is the essence of good living. Thankfulness is also the heart of worship. We cannot live well without feeling gratitude for what we have. We cannot give thanks to anyone but God for all that we have received in this life. And we have received much from God. Let us count our blessings, even those that do not seem like blessings today. And let us not fail to thank God for each and every one of these today and every day.

Today, I am thankful for being an instrument in God's hands. I am grateful for being a voice for God, conveying his merciful love to those who feel alone, confused and miserable in this world. I am happy that I am alive, and able to acknowledge the greatness of God in my life. I am thankful for the people in my life, who support and encourage what I do for God. And I am glad that God has allowed me a place in the hearts of so many of his people. I celebrate these precious blessings today.

Don't be frustrated when you make mistakes. If you have God on your side, your mistakes will lead you to the path that he intends you to take. He will guide you every step of the way, and when you fall, you will be able to rise again in his strength. So walk on, without fear, and without losing your hope. For God will not let you fail eventually.

I have failed hundreds of times. I still go on. It is not failure that stops you. It is an absence of a mad desire to succeed that stops you.

Everything that God made is beautiful. This is the realization that leads to joy. When you don't believe that everything that God made is beautiful, you are on the road to misery.

Keep asking, even if you are not getting what you are asking for. Or simply wait, and expect God to do his best for you. Either way, don't lose hope in God. For with him alone, you will find the best in you.

Sabbath is Saturday (actually begins on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening). That is how

Jesus knew it. Sunday is the day of worship in the Christian tradition. Some may view it as the Sabbath, as they associate it with a day of rest. But there is no such requirement, as far as Sunday is concerned.

I am no stranger to struggle. But it is good to remember that no matter how hard we try, and how patient we may be, it is not by might nor by power but by his spirit. So my prescription for all strugglers is this: try less, believe more. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Don't try out Jesus Christ, as someone tries out a dish. He is not just a god for your crisis. Don't turn to Jesus when you are in trouble, and then turn away from to another god him when you get out of trouble. God is not to be trifled with. Jesus Christ may tolerate this kind of fickleness for a while, but eventually he will not tolerate it.

Some wonder what my religion is. I have not made a secret of my servitude to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am his servant, his voice speaking to his people. He is love. And so I am love as well.

We are told by Jesus to forgive. He taught us to forgive, even as his killers mocked at him, while he was on the cross. Jesus Christ expects us to forgive, even if the one we forgive is without repentance. We need to forgive the offender, even if the offender fails to appreciate our forgiveness.

We can learn from mistakes, as long as we recognize them as mistakes. But even if we learn from them, our knowledge may not translate into desirable action. We can still repeat the same mistake, as long as we are slaves to a certain unhelpful instinct.

We are all dependant on one another. This is the only way we can survive. True independence is impossible. The more we depend on one another the better we will live. Still political independence is another thing. It is important that people live with a national identity, without being subjugated by another nation. Such independence should be priced highly and utilised well.

There is no replacement for you. God has made you like none other. So find out what it is and use it to shine your light in this world. You were made to shine. So find out what will spark your fire.

Health is to seek light, when darkness is more desirable.

To know the distinction between the worthy and the worthless, and to choose to do what is worthy is living well.

When you truly trust God, even a horror is liveable.

To know you have lost is not as important as to know what you have gained while you lost.

Some fights are worth losing. So choose to fight even what you will lose.

Innocence is ignorance. Knowledge is corruption. Wisdom is corruption on medication.

You fix your eyes on tomorrow and gulp the bitterness of today. This is faith.

Can you love a god who is continually awful to you? This is a stern test of faith.

Being at peace with who you are is the beginning of happiness.

To go on when everything is going for you is a task for beginners. To go on when nothing is going for you is a task for masters.

Working with a lot, that's a task for amateurs. Working with little, that's a task for masters.

To love God, you should love people, particularly the worst of them.

If you want to love and not let yourself be bothered by people who don't love you, you have experienced God.

Can you love the one who has thrust a dagger into your heart? If you can, you have the love of God.

Can you accept trouble joyfully? If you can, you have walked with God.

Even a good thing is limited. Know your limits, and the good will remain good.

We talk about the exploitation of workers. We should also talk about how some employees take advantage of their employers. Some employees shirk their responsibilities and deliberately underperform, and collect their salaries in full. This can be best seen in workplaces that assure job security and pension. When an employee is more or less sure that he cannot be dismissed from his job, he is tempted to underperform, for there is no punishment for poor performance. When an employee behaves like this, he is not responding desirably to the generosity of the employer, and when employees generally behave like this in a workplace, that organisation cannot develop and make progress.  

Finally, don't justify your poor performance, by saying, "What can I do?" You can do a lot, if you put your mind to it. Resolve firmly that you will work according to your employer's expectations. Love yourself well to see yourself as a responsible, competent worker, who will always give your best to the job. The way you see yourself determines how you perform in life. Be a giver, and give more than what is expected. Delight your employer by doing more than what is required. Then, he too will be happy to have you in his employment. He will gladly give you your salary, and may even increase it, to reward your sincerity. There will be many more rewards. But the greatest reward will be a clear conscience. You will rest, and enjoy life, knowing that you have done your best.
Be a good worker, with the desire to serve your employer well. Always endeavour to perform to the satisfaction of your employer. Don't bend the rules and try to work on your own terms. Don't justify your wrongs, by saying that you have done your job, when you have not fulfilled your obligations. Don't go late to work, and leave early. You will only rush through your work, and will not be able to do justice to it. You may work like this for a while, making excuses for your reduced performance. But if you let it become the norm, then you will be rebelling against your employer, by violating the agreement that you have with him. If you do that, you will not be fair to him. Your conduct will be more in line with an enemy than with a friend.
Unfairness does not last. You cannot live your entire life, shirking your responsibilities, and being unfair to your employer, who treats you well. When you treat such a person in that offhand manner, there will be consequences. There is a law of fairness in this world. The fair are eventually rewarded, though they may go through many difficulties in life. The unfair finally meet with disgrace, though they may have progressed in life much through underhand practices. Beware of this, and act responsibly. Don't think that no one is watching, and that you are free to do whatever you want. Don't think you can take advantage of a generous employer forever. There is an end to deception and unfairness. Life has a way of making the crooked straight. And life will straighten you out, if you will not change on your own.
Don't take advantage of your employer's kindness. He may be a generous man, willing to overlook your faults. This should not encourage you to take liberties with him, but it should spur you on to a more responsible approach to work. Don't return his kindness with your unkindness. Don't make excuses for your poor working style. You should respect yourself enough to be a person worthy of your employer's kindness. Otherwise, you will be placing yourself in a very unfavourable situation.
Treat the job you have with respect. Not everyone has a job. There are some people who would like to have your job. Perform your duties well, not taking anything lightly. You have agreed to work for a payment. Don't forget that. Do your part, and the employer will do his part. But if you were to work poorly, and your employer still paid you in full, you would have done him a disservice. You would have not been fair to him.
This is how you make history. There is a God who put you here on earth for a little while, so that you may serve a certain purpose. While you enjoy your time on earth, discover your purpose, and work it out to the best of your ability. Your ability will come from God, for he will never call you without enabling you to do what he has called you to do. So, remain connected with God. Learn to hear his voice, and follow it. It won't be easy, and it may take long. But God will be with you, and enable you to succeed. So make your history when the light of God still is shining on you.  

Don't be sad that you did not make history in this world, as you wanted to. There is a greater history to be made in a greater world. There is a greater reward awaiting you from a greater person. Aim for what is greater. And what you've done here, no matter how flawed and failed it may appear to be to mortal eyes, its silent glory is beheld by immortal eyes. 
Don't yearn to be a history maker. But be willing to be made by God to do what he wants you to do. Go where he leads you and do what he tells you to do. Leave the results with him. Serve people humbly and gratefully, for service to humanity is service to God. Don't be sad when there is no response from people. Don't be proud when people respond appreciatively. Powered by God, keep going on, showing gratitude for every moment of time you spend in this world.  

What appears bad may actually be good. What appears dangerous may actually be safe. The villainous face may go along with a heroic heart. The belligerent speaker may have a kind heart. The rude person may actually do thoughtful acts. The arrogant face may belong to a generous heart. So let us watch out, and not be misled by the exterior.
Always take what the experts say with a pinch of salt. They could be wrong, as they were today, as they were yesterday, as they will be always.
I don't think God has anything to do with the election of leaders. Some of the leaders the world has elected clearly demonstrate this truth. Because God has given us the freewill to choose either good or bad, he lets us choose our leaders, and these may be either good or bad. And we always pay for the choices we make.
Be patient with offenders. Bear with their insensitive behaviour for a while. Show them by example what good behaviour is. But if they fail to learn, don't hesitate to show them the door, and when you shut that door, don’t open it again for them.  

Observe well. But respond little. People might think you are not taking notice. The offender might think you don't care. But when the time comes, when enough is enough, act decisively. Separate yourself from the repeat offender, who is undeserving of your patience. There is no need to walk on with a disturber of peace.
Never respond to fools. And there are many in the world. You have a job to do. So do it without paying attention to what fools have to say about you. There are wise people in the world also. Pay attention to them, even if they say something that you don't like. But the wise are usually sensitive in the way they present their observations. Criticism from a fool is usually with little or no tact. Such criticism may be considered for the kernel of truth they might present, but the fool who spoke it may be safely disregarded.
People may wrong you and fall short of expectations. You may be terribly hurt by the pain they have inflicted on you. But you should love yourself enough to move away from that place of pain. When someone has wronged you, the first thing you should do is to forgive this person, and then you should move on with your life. Your life has many layers and is very complex. One incident should not determine your mental health either temporarily or permanently. People will regularly fall short of expectations. So it is wise not to pin your hopes on them. People may also be pleasantly surprising at times. When such surprises come, accept them with gratitude. But when disappointments come, accept them with forgiveness.
Moderation is best. Extreme positions are best avoided. In reality, extreme ideas are more attractive than moderate ones. But do not be fooled by what attracts you. Safety lies in the middle, no matter how boring it might be.
Trust in the love of God. Believe that his love is Jesus Christ. Believe that Jesus saved you from eternal separation from God, which is also called hell. Believe that you will spend eternity with God. And believe also this. You don't have to do anything to earn your place in heaven. All that needed to be done by you was already done for you by Jesus Christ. Now you should only believe in this. Believe that you are a child of God who is under his protection. No one can pluck you out of his hand. Even the sin that you fear the most cannot separate you from God. Just drink deep from his cup of love, and your most scarlet sins will be made white, in his time. 
Those who don't trust in the love of God may trust in the hatred of God. Those who haven't tasted the love of God may remember the wrath of God. As children, we grow up, fearing our parents, at least to a certain degree. But when we grow up, we discard that fear, and relate to our parents as friends in whom we could confide, without the fear of condemnation. This is how it is with God. When we mature in faith, we truly become God's friends. And when we become his friends, we will stop fearing his wrath. No one will fear being destroyed by his friend, no matter how powerful he might be. And God is more faithful than any human friend. The last thing that God will do is to destroy his friend, who trusts in him. 
If we won't trust in the power of God's love, then we will trust more in God’s hatred. God is justice, but his justice was satisfied completely by the death of his Son, Jesus Christ. There is nothing more that God requires from Jesus or from us. So, let us stop thinking that there is something that we must do to satisfy God. It is true that we should please God with our conduct. For that is what all God’s children should attempt to do. And we are all God’s children. But our act of pleasing God is our natural response to his love. Our desirable conduct is a work of his love. Children won't be inspired to please their parents, if their parents don't show them love. We too won't be inspired to please God, if God doesn't show us love. But this is the truth: God loves us, and he clearly demonstrated his love for us through his Son Jesus Christ. And he spoke clearly through his servant, Saint Paul, when he responded to the jailer's question about salvation, that belief in Jesus Christ is all that is required for salvation. Certain branches of Christianity have distorted this message of God, and have made salvation a target that human beings need to strive for through desirable behaviour. This has driven fear into the human heart, and has made it impossible for many to see the love of God, as it really is. 
Ultimately, we all have to trust in God's love, which conquers everything sinful in us. God's love is not like human love, which is often inconstant and based on performance. God loves because his very nature is love. And his love conquers everything. No human sin is greater than his love. God wants all of us to know and receive his love. And when we taste his love, it will transform us and renew us into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. So, what we need to do is to believe in God's love. And we should desire to taste it. And God will surely grant our desire.
Many times I have thrown out the garbage in my life. Many times I have physically flung the undesirable out of my life. And many times they came back to me, and settled comfortably once more in my heart. So, this is my conclusion. There are some things that simply cannot be flung out. God alone decides when it is time to uproot something. Much as I want to be super-spiritual today, God alone determines the rate of my growth. He alone knows why I have to deal with something, which I do not want to deal with. He alone knows what this terrible struggle will bring out in me. I need to trust in his superior wisdom and his flawless fatherhood. Above all, I need to trust in his love, which never fails. 
Only love transforms. Only love, which is not based on performance, and expects nothing in return, transforms the heart. This love comes only from God, and not all human beings know it. Very often God is portrayed like a human being, expressing love only if he is pleased and showing hatred, when he is displeased. But if God is like a human in this respect, this world would not have survived so long. God's love is so great and so paternal, that he is unwilling to let us go. He wants all of us, and he takes no pleasure in losing any of his children. And we are all his children, no matter what we think, do or say, or even believe. This is the kind of love that transforms even the belligerently rebellious heart. 
God's love is not based on your performance. He loves you no matter what you do. He will love you today, even if you sin. Know his love, receive it, and be transformed by it. His love will bring you to the point of perfect harmony with him. 
Women should stand up for themselves. Men should also stand up for women. As long as women ignore their own right to being respected, and allow men to disparage and belittle them, they cannot put an end to misogynistic tendencies displayed publicly by men. And if women allow such men to take on administrative roles, they will only make their problem worse. Women should stick together and fight together this ugliness, which appears to be attractive to some. As long as the repulsive is seen as attractive, there is little hope for its eradication.
From the overflow of the heart a person speaks. No man who disparages women openly should be able to convince others that he has great respect for women. If he succeeds in doing that, it reveals an unfortunate truth: a man's words in one context are deemed less credible than his words in another context. If some people in the world are willing to believe that a man does respect women when it has been revealed that he has belittled them often, then they are either exercising tremendous faith in that man's reformed character, or are completely overlooking his tendency to abuse women. If the latter is the case, then a proper defence of a woman’s right to be treated with dignity cannot take place, as long as perpetrators of abuse against women are not only ignored but also encouraged to hold positions of power in this world. 
Let the men of this world honour women. Women are the mothers of this world. Every woman is a potential mother, a care-giver like none other. A man who fails to respect a woman is no man at all. Such a man should not be considered to be able to do anything significant in this world. Such a man should not be allowed to occupy a position of power in this world. 
God has already touched your life, if you feel the need for God in your life. Blessed are they who need God. And when God places a need for him in you, he will also show you how to fulfil that need. You need to trust God and wait for him to guide you to that place of unity with him. You may need to share in his sufferings to know him better. To be truly united with him, you should ultimately nail your old self to the cross. It is in extreme pain and total abandonment that you will be closest to God.
      

  




  

Friday 28 October 2016

Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - October 2016

"Thank you Jesus" is not a magic utterance you make continually to maximise your blessings. You cannot manipulate God by thanking him excessively. Thanking God is a sincere act. And God likes to be worshipped in truth. So don't thank God just for the sake of getting something from him. Don't think God is moved by your insincere thanksgiving. God may be moved by your sincere criticism of him more than by your insincere gratitude. God honours his honest critics more than his phony flatterers. He revealed this tendency most memorably to his servant Job, who was probably his most vehement critic. Ultimately, he found him right, while he dismissed Job's sanctimonious friends as wrong.

Don't be afraid to be weak with God. But be afraid to be strong without God. Don't ever fall into the trap of thinking that you can handle the difficulties in life on your own. You need God every moment. I need God every moment, perhaps even more than the other person, for I'm more in need of God's strength than many. And this is a blessed position to be in. May all the weak people be reassured today. They shall go ahead of the ones who are strong. They will meet God first.

Some thorns will never be plucked out of the flesh. Some ailments will never be remedied. Some bondages will never find release. There are problems that need to be lived with. And there are people who have learned to live with their problems, Some have found God in this process. Some have discovered his strength, and been replenished by his grace. This is the way things are. Not all problems are solved in a miraculous way. To live without a miracle is the greatest feat in strength.

We should be grateful to God, despite how things are. This is what we should bear in mind: the situation could be a lot worse. So let us be grateful that it is not worse than what it is today. God is faithful. And he has proved his faithfulness in many ways. However, complete deliverance is still elusive. But we will wait. Let those who trust in God be prepared to wait.

Only God can judge me, someone said. I say to you, "Will you let God judge you today? Would you rather not have him forgive you and not judge you for your sins?" Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is described as the judge, did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world. His judgements are tempered with mercy and forgiveness. God knows the human heart and is willing to forgive even its worst excesses. When God, who is perfect, can be so forgiving, why is the imperfect human so reluctant to forgive? Let us consider this question, before we fling our judgemental words on someone today.

It is tough to be alone with God. But there is no better place. Abandon yourself to God, and expect him to help somehow. And encourage others like you, even as you fight the urge to get discouraged.

You are a child of God made by God for God. Can anything be more inspiring than that? Be inspired by who you are, and not by who you think you are.

God works in mysterious ways, says one. God doesn't work at all, says another. God doesn't care, says yet another. And there are others who are convinced that God is dead, or simply deaf to human pleading. God answers prayers, someone says. But he doesn't answer mine, another retorts. God gave me a miracle, announces one. But he gave me none, protests another. Why does God work so inconsistently, if he does work at all? Why does God care in one case, and not in the other? Why does God answer one prayer, and reject another? How can anyone believe in such a capricious person, who is simply not worth the risk of believing in? Or is this really the case? Why do people continue to believe in God? Why do they keep hoping in such an unpredictable helper? This is what keeps my scepticism at bay, most of the time.  

Some would look at the predicament of the struggling believer in God, and say, "Why do you have to struggle with this? There is no God at all. Belief in him is a sheer waste of time. If only you would stop believing in him, you will save yourself a lot of unnecessary mental agony." Their argument is persuasive. God does seem unconcerned and absent on some occasions, especially at times when we would appreciate his divine intervention. He sometimes appears to abandon the one who has put his trust in him. Even Jesus Christ felt this abandonment on the cross, and echoed the words of David in Psalm 22. Mother Teresa, who was recently canonized, also felt the absence of God very keenly in her life. She struggled all through her life, trying to believe in a God who didn't care enough to be present at all times. This is the agony of all those who have gone very far into a life of faith. I have felt this absence of God very keenly in my own life. I have felt the non-working of God more than the working of him. I have also felt the devil gaining an ascendancy over me, when I expected God to take over me, and transform me utterly, in the blink of a godly second. But that miracle has not come so far. And it also seems dreadfully delayed, and the delay seems shamefully indefensible.

The problem in faith lies in failed hope. Some hopes, some expectations, some prayers seem rejected forever. And when God does not work in the way people want him to work, and in fact, works contrarily, and worse, appears not to work at all, it sometimes kills the hope nourished in the mind in a way in which no argument against God can achieve. When a man suffers again and again with weakness, which God can so easily remedy, and when another finds himself powerless in the grip of demonic oppression, which God can utterly release him from, it raises a most troublesome doubt in the mind. Does God not care? Or worse, does God want him to suffer? Does God take pleasure in his suffering? Can God be so cruel? When these thoughts are entertained long enough, that man begins to hate the God he once worshipped, and eventually turns away from him. The God I worship does behave like this sometimes. Still, appearances of apathy are not enough to convince me of God's cruelty or inability. There are enough moments in my life that speak eloquently of a caring, loving God, who seems to dwell in the details. And these moments are strongly reinforced in my memory, whenever I am tempted to walk away from God. 

So, I still nourish hope in God, that he will yet stir, and show himself strong on my behalf. For years I have struggled with an addiction, crying out to him for relief and release. But he has done very little to alleviate the problem. At least, this is how it seems to me. Maybe God spoke to me what he once uttered to Paul the Apostle. "My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in your weakness." Perhaps, along with Paul, I should say, with more assurance, "When I am weak, then I am strong." But such faith is neither easy nor desirable. It makes more sense to give up, and do something practicable. But God, as I know him, does not call us to do what is easy or practicable. Sometimes he calls us to do what is downright impossible. He calls us to meet the end of our strength, so that we may find the beginning of his. So that is why I go on, addicted though I am to the pleasures of this world, my voice still stirs in response to God's inner whisperings. And my mind and my heart combine with my words to produce the salve that many long for. Yes, even I, a fault-ridden creature, can work in the domain of God, and work effectively despite my inner waywardness. This I believe is God being what I did not expect him to be. And may I give him due credit for that.

What is addiction? Does an addiction have a benefit for the addict? If an addiction is formed by a powerful attraction to something, it may have a temporary benefit for the one who experiences it. Those who are addicted to pleasures of the basic kind, experience temporary satisfaction in the exercise of their addictive behaviours. However, addicts of this kind need to ask a searching question. Is it really worthwhile to devote their time and energy to the gratification of impulses that can never be fully satisfied? Does such an exercise guarantee mental and physical health to the addict? And will he under such an influence be able to benefit others in the world? What kind of life would addictive behaviour produce?

Ultimately, time is of the essence. All of us has a certain time allotted for living. We may live only as long as our appointed time, and no longer than that. Our lives may even be cut short by unforeseeable and catastrophic events. When our lives are so frail and limited, we need to make the best possible use of time. How can we achieve this? Can we achieve this by pursuing our personal desires and cravings, which will bring us little more than temporary satisfaction? Or can we achieve this by doing something less appealing, but more beneficial to us and to others in the long run? To answer this one way or the other, we need to find answers to the following questions. Why are we here? What is the purpose of our lives? Should we live only for ourselves or should we also live for others? What is our responsibility to the world and the people who live in it? How could we use the time we have been given to produce maximum benefit for ourselves and others? If we decide to pursue the less appealing, but more beneficial goal, how can we do this consistently? How can we rein in our basic impulses that cry out for instant gratification? An approach like this is how we begin to take care of ourselves in this perilous business called life. 

There are many wonderful things in life. But are you drawn to even some of them? Will you pursue a few of them? Will you devote your time to them so that you may learn from them? Or is your heart drawn to something more compelling, but less useful and constructive to your life in the long run? Judge for yourself what compels your heart. Is it something self-serving aimed at satisfying an urgent craving, without lasting benefit for yourself and for others? Are you spending your time and energy on satisfying basic instincts, which can only be momentarily appeased, or are you denying these impulses in seeking something less stimulating, but more beneficial to you and to others in the long run? Are you aware of the crucial difference between seeking immediate gratification and and working towards a long-lasting benefit? Are you able to deny an overwhelming desire, which will only bring you temporary benefit, in order to pursue a less compelling goal, which will yield lasting benefit for you and others in the long run? This is how you begin to rein in an obsessive impulse, which seeks to dominate your entire being. 

What does your heart respond to? What do you find yourself drawn to? What is foremost in your mind? What is it that you want to do above everything else? There is something that demands all your attention. You need to know what this is. And then you should ask yourself these questions. Should I do this? Is there any lasting benefit in this? Can I help others even as I help myself, when I do this? When you are able to answer these questions satisfactorily, you should then decide, whether you should go ahead and fulfil what you believe is your most urgent desire, or stay away from it, and pursue something less urgent, but more useful, less self-rewarding, but more beneficial to others, less thrilling but more in tune with what you should do, to preserve your physical and mental health and to make the best possible use of the time allotted for your life.

Lord, let us not try to run away from suffering today. Let us face it in your strength, and let us learn from it. Suffering was sent for a purpose, and let that purpose be achieved in us. To share in the glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, we should also share in his sufferings. He warned us while he was a man here on earth that there will be many troubles in our lives, but we should be encouraged by the fact that he conquered the world for all of us. As long as we are in him, we are already more than conquerors. We too have conquered sin and death, as we remain in Christ. Let us not forget this today as we go through what seems like an unbearable pain. Even as we cry out for mercy and deliverance from pain and suffering, let us joyfully participate in what God has called us to experience. Let us briefly suffer to experience an endless joy. Just as Christ endured his terrible cross briefly for an eternal glory, let us also patiently endure our light, momentary troubles. 

The work of God will go on in me, as long as I breathe. For my breath testifies to his living presence within me. For ten years I have spoken with his breath in my voice. What was voiceless became voiced. What was wordless became worded. What was heartless became laden with love. Will a tenth year be any different from these ten years? Not in the essentials I guess. But I have prayed that this tenth year will arrive at a clarity, at least within myself, about the different experiences in the spiritual quest. May it be a year of peaceful resolution. May it be a year when God puts another finishing touch on what is already something to behold.

It is possible to be a believer in God, and to lose that belief, when troubles enter one's life. Especially when personal tragedies occur, it is very difficult to believe in a caring God. In such cases, God nearly always gets the blame, and his seeming indifference puts many people off. That is why some people cannot believe in him anymore.

Some habits are hard to give up, even after you confess them to God. Repentance is a process, and not an instantaneous achievement. The more you know God, the more you renounce what you essentially are. The more you seek God, the more you discard everything not of God. Don't be worried about your lack of performance. Your best performance will not come from you. It will come from the one within you. And when he is ready to perform, you will know.

Let us celebrate beauty unselfishly, giving due acknowledgement to the Creator. Let us not try to acquire it without permission, to derive unauthorised satisfaction from it, just to satisfy our coarse, untamed, self-seeking appetites. This is how we glorify God in whose image we were made. But that image was subsequently disfigured by our willingness to disobey God, in choosing to follow our perverse desires and inclinations, when the greatest rebel tempted us. We chose to listen to him, for our hearts were in tune with him. Our base impulses were akin to his own disfigured self. But we are not doomed to follow in his footsteps forever. We belong to God and he did all that he could to secure us. Let us then not continue to walk away from God towards our ultimate destruction, for that is where our selfishness will lead us eventually.

Someone asked me whether I have a back up plan in my life. My response is this. My plans A, B, C and any other are God, God , God and God. I have no other plan besides putting all my trust in God to deliver me from my many afflictions.

Don't ever try to play with God. Don't ever dream of cheating him. If you are a rogue, be an honest rogue before God. A dishonest saint is worse than an honest rogue.

To appreciate the brightness of the sunlight, you need to experience the darkness of the night. To know the pureness of white, you should have seen the darkness of black.

Anyone who wants to know God should also be ready to know the devil. For you cannot know God without knowing the devil.

You cannot live for yourself properly without living for others. When you help others, you are ultimately helping yourself.

Today I recognize the student in me, after teaching what I have learned painfully over the years. All teachers should recognize the student in them. And the more they exercise the student in them, the more they become effective teachers.

Let fear not rule our hearts today. Let the thought of "I can't" have no place in my heart and in my mother's heart today. Let us believe that we can. In Christ we can do all things. We are more than conquerors in him, and we will overcome this terrible tribulation. We will both come out strong, even stronger than we were before. Our endurance will be our living testimony to the faith, the Spirit of God has worked in us. May our suffering produce this fruit today and always.

I'll remind you of this once more. If you say you love someone, but do not spend time with that person, you are deceiving yourself. You do not love people like that. You love people by letting them become a part of your life. You love people by becoming a part of their lives. You love them without conditions, and without moral judgement. You love people by not imposing a way of life on them.

You love people by showing them how God transformed you through his love. When you love people like this, you will reveal God to them.

Dare to be around those whom you would naturally avoid. Dare to accept them just as they are. Spend time with them. Love them as God enables you to love them. And let your love transform them. This is the way you reveal Jesus Christ to others.

The best teacher of love is Jesus Christ. If you can love like him, if you can love the marginalised people of the world, if you can keep company with social rejects, and accept them without condescension, then you are a lover like Christ. Anything less is not a Christ-like love.

For Christians to love Christians alone is an impoverished kind of love. To love only those who also believe in Jesus Christ, is a love with limitations.

If you believe that you can love people without being around them, in order to avoid being adversely influenced by them, then that kind of love cannot be love at all. Such love is a delusion.

To love is to give. And the one who loves well gives well. And to give well is to give what is precious. And the greatest love is the one that is willing to give all.

If you can love people without being bothered by their race, culture, religion, socio-economic and educational status, or anything else, which marks them as different from you, then your love is surely the kind that God himself shows.

We will have to do the best with what we have, without counting the cost and without being adversely affected by the response we get. This is the essence of good living.

You are a child of God. And therefore you are in the highest place along with him. Stand tall and feel good. But don't feel proud. We are all children of God. Some of us know it and have accepted it. Others do not know it. There are a few who know it, but have not accepted it yet.

Don't wait to be encouraged by others. Encourage yourself to be who you are. And you are a child of God made in his image, to be like him. To be like God, you should fix your eyes on God, and observe him well. Study him as well as you can. And learn from him how to approach life. Imitate God as a child imitates his father. Take joy in his presence, and look forward to spending time with him. He will be overjoyed to be with you, and he will teach you all that you need to know. With him you cannot be anything but happy and contented. When you have him, you need nothing else.

Let your celebration of a festival not be a suffering for others. The best way to celebrate anything is to take joy in something without causing discomfort to others. Only in that way will the other person be motivated to join in your celebration.

Lord, grant us the faith to believe that whatever we ask for in prayer in Jesus' name will be granted to us. Give us the grace to believe that we have already received what we asked for. Enable us to give you thanks in advance for the request that will be surely granted to us. God, give us the kind of faith, which will not take "no" for an answer. Give us that faith, which will wrestle with you all night, and even risk a life-long injury to receive the blessing, which is meant especially for us. Let us not just be people who pray well, but let us also actively facilitate the result that we expect, in the ways that we have learned from the fathers of our faith.

Lord, grant peaceful sleep to those who are in pain today. Grant them relief from unbearable pain. Grant the gift of sleep to my mother, who is still not able to sleep, for her terrible pain keeps her awake. Sleep is the great cure for many troubles. May those who are suffering today be mercifully given the gift of sleep. I count on your merciful nature. Lord God, healer of mankind, grant the gift of curative sleep to those who are crying out in pain. Some are so distracted by their suffering, that they are not even able to cry out to you. Others are able to cry out to you, but they have not been granted their request. Please Lord, do not delay any further. You are able, and you are good. Let there be no further day. Please hasten to help your people today. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen

What God can do, no man can do. Let no man try to do what God alone can do. Let the wheat and the tares grow together, until the time is ripe for harvest. And even then, God will send his specialists to separate the good from the bad. Let no attempt be made now to separate what God has allowed to grow together.
 
      

    





Friday 23 September 2016

Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - September 2016

Faith is from the beginning to the end a work of God. No human can achieve this. And no human can make another human being believe. All that a human being can do is to express his belief in a God-enabled manner, and hope that the listener may be motivated to believe as well. If the listener, ever believes, then that is also a work of God. So let us not try to persuade anyone to believe in God. Let us convey our belief in God with God-given grace, and let us allow God to do his work through us. Only he is the author and finisher of our faith.
 
I will not persuade anyone to believe in anything. Belief is a personal matter. It cannot be forced. But I will speak about my belief. I will tell people about my faith. And I hope that when I do this, God will work through me, and graciously enable in others a willingness to believe.
 
"If you die today, where will you spend eternity?" This is a question that cannot be answered by anyone. For the power to answer that question accurately is not achievable in human wisdom. Many people answer it based on belief. And belief, by itself cannot guarantee accuracy in answering this question. For many who believe that they belong to God will discover that they do not. This too is revealed by God to dispel foolish confidence. Let us then ask questions, which humans may be able to answer properly.
 
If you want to teach, know this. You need to learn what you want to teach. And you need to keep learning, as you keep teaching. Remember also that you are first a learner, and only then a teacher.
 
"Always be ready. You don't know when the Son of Man will come", someone said. I say, "Always be ready. You don't know when you will die. So before you leave, do what you need to do. And you may die today."
 
Freedom has many definitions. What you believe to be freedom is not freedom at all to someone else. It is best not to be dogmatic about anything. Let a man define his truths, and draw his boundaries.
 
You can't save everyone, who is determined to do something that you believe is wrong. The person, whom you wish to save, must also be convinced that he is about to do something wrong. Otherwise, you are in no position to save him. Let the one who is determined to follow the course of his own heart go where he wants to go. Remember, that the Father of the Prodigal allowed him to go away with his share of the money and do whatever he wanted to do with it. There is a lesson in that for all of us, who are desperate to save others. Sometimes, we need to let another person endure the consequences of his unfortunate actions, so that he may learn the truth the hard way.
 
If you think a man is about to destroy himself, reason with him patiently. But let him know that he is free to do whatever he wants. But he should also remember that there are consequences for every action, and that life is shaped by the choices humans make. Above all, tell him about God, who loves him, no matter what he did, does or will do. And also tell him that God is waiting for him to return, if he chooses to walk away. And finally, say a prayer for him, and ask God to save him from eternal destruction.  

Let a man pursue what he wants to pursue. Don't stand in his way. If you do, he will pursue what he likes with even more determination. God gave us freedom of choice. Let us not stand in God's way or in Man's way. Let a man live his life any way he wants. And let him experience the consequences of his choice. This is an act of love, the kind of love that God has always shown humankind. 
 
It is idealistic to think that everyone will respond favourably to God. But this will never be the case. There are many who will reject God ultimately. Some who eagerly believe at first, will fall away later, and will totally reject God in the end. So, it is best to be realistic, in this work for God. The miraculous does happen. The supernatural inspiration does occur. Revivals do take place. People accept God in large numbers. But equally undeniable is the fact that some people will not be convinced, and will walk away from God. Even when Jesus preached, people walked away from the gathering, for they found his teaching very hard to accept. Notably, in his hometown Jesus met with rejection and could not perform many miracles. And those who walked away from Jesus then, probably never came back. In this job of saving souls, let the God worker be aware of the facts. Only some souls will allow themselves to be saved. Let the workers of God devote themselves to those receptive souls, when other souls turn away.
 
Let love-givers and God workers beware of this. Some will reject love. Some will reject God. And though you may persist for a while with such people with godly patience, some of them will never accept what you want to offer them. You will observe these truths in your ministering to people. Some will come to you, appearing to be interested in what you do. But they will have no peace or love in their hearts. And they may bear with you for a while, and may even appear to appreciate you. You may even have the confidence that you can work with them. But sooner or later, you will realise that they will not accept what you want to offer. It is then that you should remove yourself from their presence, and move on to others, who are receptive to you.
 
There is no place in my life for bitterness and judgement. I do not encourage such qualities in myself, and I do not encourage those qualities in the people who interact with me. As far as possible, I will coexist with such people, if I cannot detach myself from them. But I will not hesitate to effect a detachment of this kind, whenever that is possible.I do not desire a situation where a person can contaminate me and those who are with me, with bitterness and judgmentalis, arising from a heart, which does not know God's love. None of us are so strong, that we can resist an infection of this kind. This world is filled with rancour and cynicism, and people who carry out the work of God, may receive little respect from those who are of a worldly nature. So, it is best to avoid people, who are not only doubters of good intentions, but also vehement denouncers of what they cannot understand or appreciate.
 
There is no use in persisting with a person who does not know the language of love. If the person speaks a language of hatred and bitterness, and is filled with a spirit of judgement, it is best to set that person free. It is best to remove oneself from such a person. He or she cannot receive love, and workers of God, who convey the love of God, should move on to others, who may respond favourably to love.
 
You cannot ask "Where is your love?" to a person who has never experienced it. There are some in this world, who have never known the love of God. There are some who cannot receive the love of God, even if it is offered to them time and again. What do you do with such people? What do I do? I just pray for them, and move on to the next person, hoping that he or she may receive the love of God from me.
 
Above all, the children of God should conduct themselves like God. They should convey the dignity and the propriety that God unfailingly stands for. If we cannot convey in our clothing style, that dignity and propriety, which befit God, then we have failed in honouring our Father and his Son and his Spirit. We have failed the One who saved us from eternal death. And we also fail in shining a light to others, if we behave just like the people of this world. We are called to be the salt of the earth, and a city on a hill. Let us not do so by discarding our clothes in public without sufficient reason and justification.  

We, who recognize the beauty of what God created in us, are eager to display our beauty to the world. But before we go ahead and display the beautiful work of God, we must ask ourselves these questions: "Are people going to respond properly to this display of my body? Am I going to get someone to get unbalanced in his or her thinking, when he or she looks at what I display with honest and worthy intentions? Am I helping people with this revelation of my beauty, or am I potentially harming them? Can this act cause harm even to me?" Such introspection will prevent many undesirable consequences. It is too late sometimes, when people reveal their bodies, and taste the unsavoury fruit of their actions. 
 
There is something in a human being, which triggers in many cases an improper response to a naked human body. Humans often improperly respond to even a partial disclosure of the body. When such is the case, it is best to tread wisely, in the area of clothing. Let the person who wants to display his or her body ask the question: "Why do I want to display my body? Is it to bring glory to God, or to attract attention to myself? Do I wish to arouse desire in others? Is it all right if there are many people who are responding sexually to me? Is this a desirable situation for me and for others? Will any harm come from this?" In this world, it is possible to cause damage to yourself and others, even when you dress properly. Imagine the greater potential for damage, when you are improperly dressed. This is a question worth reflecting on.  
 
Sometimes it is possible to arouse sexual desire in others inadvertently. In such cases, when a human being realises the undesirable consequences of one's clothing style, that person should take necessary steps to eliminate such situations in the future. If you are a child of God, you are not only responsible for how you conduct yourself, but you are also responsible for how you impact others. When you learn that you are having an undesirable effect on others, you have something to think about and pray about., Ask him how to bring about the necessary changes in yourself to have a wholesome impact on others.
 
You may have a beautiful body, which you wish to display. Display your body in such a manner that brings glory to your Creator. But do not display your body to arouse unnecessary and improper desire in others. This is how you honour God and his people. The human body is very beautiful, but God clothed it, so that we may not be undesirably distracted by it. The naked body has the potential to distract people improperly and create situations that can potentially harm the displayer and the observer. It is best that the children of God follow God's pattern for life, and clothe themselves with propriety and dignity. Only this will please God. 
 
Be happy with the body God has given you. Clothe your body with dignity, in a manner that brings glory to God. But when you display your body with the intention to arouse undesirable impulses in others, you are not bringing glory to God, and you are certainly discrediting yourself as a respectable human being. The world may celebrate the improper display of the human body. But the people of God should know better than to make a spectacle of their physical bodies, only for the sake of attracting attention to themselves, and to arouse others needlessly and illicitly. 
 
A child will be a great blessing in my life. God has blessed me in many ways already. But the joy of a child is still missing in my life. If this gift arrives, I believe that my life will have reached a peak. Even as I am painfully aware of what is lacking in my life, I am also sad to note that there are parents in the world, who don't value their children as gifts from God. They see them as a burden, and even try to get rid of them. This is a great folly. A great darkness is revealed when children are rejected by their own parents. Only the light of God can dispel such darkness. And parents of this kind, need to know God and experience his love, in order to appreciate the priceless gifts that their children are. The lack of godliness is the main reason for poor parenting. Even a lack of education and resources may not adversely affect parenting skills as much as a lack of spiritual understanding and a failure to appreciate God’s priceless gifts. Such an inadequacy is what leads to an abusive, irresponsible and unloving parent. 
 
Some people do not value their children. Some people do not even want children, and they get rid of them while they are still in the womb. Some parents even exploit their children and get them to earn money from a young age. Some parents subject their children to physical and sexual abuse. Some other parents abandon their children, who are then forced to live on the streets. Only some of these may find themselves eventually placed in orphanages or foster care, and even fewer may ultimately find people who will adopt them and raise them as their own children. In this world there are people, who are not parents, yet are longing to be parents. Such people will be grateful to raise these unfortunate children. But will they get an opportunity to do so? I believe it may not always be possible, as adoption may not be feasible in all cases. It appears that we live in a meaningless world where pain and suffering occur randomly, and there is no fairness at all in the way rewards are given. Many people seem to have what they do not want, and desire what they do not have. And even children are seen by some parents as unwanted and undesirable. This is a great tragedy, for children are the greatest blessings in life. 
 
Your child is your treasure. He is your gift from God. Treasure him well. Expose him to no harm. Inflict no harm on him. Guard him with all your might. And let him bloom like a flower and be what God intended him to be Still do not fail to be a responsible parent. Show him the way to go forward in life, showing by example what you teach. Be the man that you want your son to be. And then commit him to God, and ask God to take care of him in ways in which a human father can never do.
 
Everyone who loves to give, and gives to love is a child of God. And anyone who loves like that is living in God. And God is living in him.
 
If Christ lives in me, his Spirit lives in me. Can Christ live in me in any other way?
 
You will never know me, nor will I ever know you. And we will never know God fully, as long as we are on this earth. So let us not ask questions that only God can answer.
 
You will never know me, nor will I ever know you. And we will never know God fully, as long as we are on this earth. So let us not ask questions that only God can answer.
 
I support Christ and his work in as many ways as are available to me. I myself do the work of Jesus Christ.
 
When I love I am with Christ and those who love Christ. And that is church.
 
Whether someone goes to a church or a mosque or a temple is of little significance to me. Whether someone knows love and shows it to others, that is more central to me.
 
I don't worry about nomenclature, when love is central to all I am and ought to be. What I am beyond a loving man, is not something I am concerned about. And I view all human beings in a similar way.
 
Love is the name of my church. Love is the place, which I call home. My pastor is Jesus Christ.
 
So, to worship God we should love others, just as they are, without trying to transform them. Only the love of God can transform people. So we should learn to love like God, and let that love do its miraculous work in the people we love. We should not judge others unfairly, and we should always remember our own sins, when we try to point out the sins of others. To worship God, we should be conscious of God's atoning love all the time. We cannot let a sinful conscience separate us from God. For we will sin as long as we live in this world. Let our sins not separate us from God. We should remember that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not only should we know this, but we should also actively receive that love daily by approaching God repentantly. We should also love God back by loving what he loves, with his own kind of love, which he will teach us, as we continue to walk with him.  
 
We do not worship God by reading the Bible studiously. We worship God by enacting the love that the Bible reveals. We need to experience the love of God, and we need to share it with others. We do not worship God by merely attending church. We worship God by loving one another, not only in the worship place, but also outside it. We should particularly focus on loving those who are outside church. The people of God should actively love those who do not know God. We reveal God to others, only by loving them, as God himself loves us. 
 
To love God means to love what God loves. And God loves us all just as we are. We should learn to love like God. And we should learn from God, who will teach us to love, when we welcome him into our hearts. God will come and stay within us, and teach us how to love what we once could not love. He will teach us to love our enemies, and care for those who do not care for us. He will show us how to love, even when we face opposition and rejection. He will enable us to go on loving, even when our love is not returned. This is the kind of love we need to learn, if we want to worship God. 
 
To worship God is to be in love with God. Worship is romance of the highest order. The human being in love with God is what worship essentially is. How can such love be expressed? How can a visible human be in love with an invisible God? To love God in this way is possible only when we love what God loves. And God loves the world. God loves his creations. To love God, we should love what he created. We should love one another. We should love the other person as we love ourselves. And we should love all other forms of life that we see around us. We should love this beautiful earth and take good care of it, just as we take care of our own bodies. When we do all this, we are worshipping God, who is the reason for everything.
 
Today, many people will go to church to worship God. Denominational differences in Christianity may involve different styles of worship. But what is worship essentially? What should worship be? How do I worship God? I try to love God and all that he stands for. Love is the beginning and the end of worship. To worship we must love God with all our hearts and minds. And when we do that, we will desire to be with him always. He will pervade our hearts and minds. Every thought and every feeling will pass through his being. And when people meet us while this is going on, they will see God in us.
 
Jesus Christ went beyond the Bible of his day. He transcended the narrow-minded thinking of the religious experts and the teachers of the law. He revealed God’s love in a manner that was very different from the writers of the scriptures in his day. He showed us how to love what was not loved before. He transcended the limits of biblical thinking. This is what Jesus Christ did. So, let us not make him out to be the Pharisee of this age. 
 
Many people attempt at a biblical Christianity. I attempt at a loving Christianity.
 
To resort to Bible quotations to assert your belief in Christianity is not as commendable as to reveal your heart of love, which is what Jesus Christ is all about.
 
To be Christ is not to be biblical. To be Christ is to transcend the narrow-minded thinking of the religious experts and the teachers of the law. To be Christ is to love what was not loved before. To be Christ is to transcend the limits of human thinking. This is what Jesus Christ was. Let us not make him out to be the Pharisee of this age.
 
Be a human being before you are a Christian or a Hindu or a Muslim or anything. Be a citizen of the world before you are an American or a Briton or a Russian or anything. Let your basics be strong. Then everything else will stand.
 
To be biblical is not my main concern. To be humane and loving and compassionate and sympathetic, these are of greater importance to me.
 
The most troubling questions in life, are in the book of Job, in the Bible. These questions are never answered by God, who clearly presents the case that a human is limited in his understanding, and is therefore incapable of decoding the riddles of life. This is not a satisfactory answer to those with an enquiring mind. But Job was satisfied with that answer and bowed down to God's sovereignty. And this is what all spiritual understanding comes down to. There is a point beyond which no human being is able to pass. If we are satisfied with what we can know, without being obsessed with what we cannot know, we can find rest and peace in this life.  

Any book that says that you should stone a child for being rebellious to his parent, does not know the first thing about parental love. A child is the most precious blessing in the world. Childless parents know this even better than parents with children. No proper parent will ever consider stoning his child for disobedience or rebellion or drunkenness or gluttony. It is the worst kind of human thinking, which has been falsely labelled godly thinking. But this is the way certain parts of the Bible have been presented. But those who read the Bible should take care that they read it in its entirety. And they should pay particular attention to what Jesus Christ said. Let them pay attention to how he describes children and the way we should treat them. Then the Bible will be more acceptable.
 
When someone you love dies early, it is very hard. But you should face the facts eventually. All of us die. Some die sooner than others. Be happy that this person had a few years. Some have had even fewer. Some were aborted even before they were born into this world. This is a terrible life. But it can be beautiful at times.
 
Life can be unpredictable and unfair. Fairly often in life we see the undeserving winning and the deserving losing. We also see the talented dying early and the evil living long lives. The question that is facing every observant person is this: can we give up our hope in life because it is unfair? No, we can't. We just have to go on living, as long as we can, being useful to others, as much as we can. And though no one may appreciate what we are doing, we should keep on doing it.
 
I am now a teacher who will always remain a student. I believe that this is where all teachers should eventually be.
 
You need to speak what you believe to be true and reasonable, even if it is not in the Bible. The Bible does not contain all the truth that there is. It is by no means a total revelation. And those who are limited to it, will be limited in their thinking and understanding.
 
"You will go to hell!" is the least captivating utterance we can say to someone who needs to go to God. The wrath of God is the worst motivation for seeking an eternal life with God. However, people who call themselves followers of Christ attempt to scare people into belief, perhaps even more vehemently than the writers of the Bible had done. The most effective way of showing God to others is by revealing God as who he is. And he is love. God is love, above everything else. His righteous and just requirements were satisfied by Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for all of us. God's anger is over and his justice is now satisfied, all on account of Jesus. Those who live, still fearing God's judgement, and trying to appease God's anger by their own efforts are living misguidedly. What they need to do is to approach the throne of grace boldly, and obtain grace, for that alone can help them live this difficult life. There is no total escape from sin in this world, and all that one can do is to let the Holy Spirit gradually transform our minds, through daily renewal by means of the word of God, which is the truth of God, received from the Holy Scriptures and from God's own personal revelations in our hearts and minds. And the most loving act we can do is to share a gracious God graciously with people, without trying to terrorize them into belief in God, by telling them that they would go to a place called hell, if they fail to believe in God. God does not want terrorized cowards in heaven along with him, but he wants those who seek him lovingly, desiring his goodness, righteousness, justice, love, joy and peace above everything that this world offers.  
 
A sinner or an ex-sinner pointing out sin is a risky act. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones, they say. And there are reminders in the Bible as well: the one with the beam in his eye should not notice the mote in his brother's eye. We should not judge, or we will be judged. We should forgive or we will not be forgiven. Despite such warnings, some Christians still continue to point fingers at people and denounce them as sinners, and even tell them that they will go to hell, in order to get those people to repent. Despite their good intentions, the method they employ in bringing about the desired result is neither effective nor sincere. It is the worst kind of persuasion. We are all sinners, and we are all sailing in the same boat. But we are blessed to have a gracious God, who paid for our sins, and is willing to receive us in his kingdom, if we would accept his gracious pardon after seeking him repentantly. A gracious God should be shared graciously. So, those of us who have tasted the graciousness of God should present him to others, as a gracious father, who is longing to forgive his rebellious son. And just as the father, in the story of the lost son that Jesus told, we should not criticise the rebel, and receive him with judgement, but we should thrown open our arms in unqualified welcome and receive the one who is willing to return to God. Only such a presentation of God will appeal to the one who is already scarred by sins and beaten down in life. Our words should be a soothing balm to aching souls and not be a terrible irritant that drives them away from God. 
 
The people of Jesus Christ should be characterized by love. For Jesus said before his death, "Love one another as I have loved you. For this is how the world will know that you are mine." But very often love is the last thing one would associate with a Christian. Some Christians are often judgemental and holier-than-thou in their approach to others. And they have a tendency for pointing out sin and labelling others sinners. But the truth is that all of us are sinners, and even those Christians who now consider themselves saved were once sinners. And the plain truth is that no Christian, despite being saved, is totally shielded from sin and its effects, as long as he lives in this world. All of us sin till the very end, and so, we are sinners, till we die. Christians should bear this in mind, and deal with others sympathetically and graciously. Only in this way will they truly glorify God. 
 
Run away from a temptation and make it stronger. Stand your ground and even fall into it. You will find it less tempting later.
 
As believers in God, we should trust in the unfailing love of God. And there is a truth that we must never lose sight of. God loves us despite who we are and what we do. He wants us to live a happy, fulfilled life. He wants us to treat others as we would want others to treat us. This is why he came up with rules in the first place. But the rules rarely worked, and ended up condemning the human being and rendering him powerless in sin. But God made a way for us, when there seemed to be no way out of sin. God washed all our guilt away by spilling the blood of his own Son, and he strives to transform us into his Son's likeness, as we yield gradually to his Holy Spirit within us . So today, let us not approach God fearfully and burdened with guilt. Let us boldly approach his throne of grace and obtain grace in our time of need. God wants us to escape from sin. He tells us to sin no more. But we cannot escape from sin in our own strength. It is only when we walk in Christ, guided and empowered by the Spirit of God that we gradually overcome sin. 
 
People often see God as hostile to sexual pleasures. People, who are keen to pursue their sexual desires, often avoid thinking about God. They believe that God is against sexual pleasure and gratification. But they will do well to make a note of this. God is the creator of human beings, and he is also the creator of their sexual drives, which he placed within them. The Bible, seen by many believers, as the record of God's thoughts and deeds, apart from being a book of laws and regulations, presents God as a regulator of sexuality. As the creator of human beings, he is presented as the sole authority over how humans conduct themselves in every way, including sexuality. Every believing human is expected to bow to the authority of God, and heed his voice. And his voice is often heard speaking disapprovingly in the Bible. However, perfect obedience and conformity may never be possible in this life, even with the help of Holy Spirit. The life lived for God is an unending struggle, and there are many failures to be experienced. But those who are determined to be transformed by God, through his Holy Spirit, will rise every time they fall, and aspire to walk on, as long as they can. Their existence is an unending fight, and they will have to war against their fleshly instincts till the very end. And that end is death, which alone can exterminate sin. But this is the good news. Those who run the race for God, and fight the good fight are not alone. God is with them, empowering them, and even fighting for them. They need only to believe. And they should forge ahead, no matter what lies behind them. 
 
Ultimately, the discussion about sexual conduct boils down to this question. Do human beings and God have a similar view of sexuality? The answer is no. Humans, by nature are divergent from God, in every way, even in the way of sexuality. Even in matrimonial heterosexuality, human beings often fail to live up to God's standards. So another question needs to be asked. Should human beings approach sexuality, as God requires them to? If the answer to that is yes, further questions need to be asked. Can human beings reach God's standards? Is such a task even feasible or desirable? God obviously believes so. He enjoined human beings to be perfect, just as he is perfect. So it is the task of believers in Christ, to allow themselves to submit to the working of the Holy Spirit, who will produce in them gradually the character of Jesus Christ. But the Bible is not clear as to whether such a transformation will ever be completed in this earthly life, though there is sufficient indication that we are expected to improve as much as we can, with the help of the Holy Spirit of God. 
 
God's law is perfect, the Bible says. But his perfect law was totally unsuitable for his people. The nation Israel, chosen by God to be a holy people set apart from an unholy world, often transgressed God's laws, and were interminably involved in performing ritual sacrifices to expiate their innumerable sins. God himself realized that his law could not change the human character and predilection for sin. He needed to bring about that change in another way. So he employed his divine Son to do what no human could do. His Son had to pay for the sins of all human beings who ever lived in this world, and he was seen fit to do this, only when he became a man and lived a sinless life on earth, despite being tempted in every way. It is by the shedding of his own blood that every human sin is paid for, once and for all. However, the Son by himself cannot save the people of the world. The Spirit of God should aid him in achieving this. It is the Spirit of God, who was given the unenviable task of changing the human character. But even the Spirit of God cannot change human character, if the human being resists God and his ways. 
 
What does God think of sexuality? He certainly created the sexual instinct, so that human beings could express it. But does he limit the expression of that impulse? Does he regulate it and govern it with laws? From a biblical point of view, the answer is yes. God certainly regulated the sexual conduct of his people Israel. He also expressed his divine preferences to them in an unambiguous manner. It clearly emerges in the Old Testament that God prohibits all sexual acts outside marriage, which he sees as a union between a man and a woman. There is no equivocation anywhere in the Bible regarding divine standards for human sexuality that deviates from matrimonial heterosexuality. All deviance from that norm is unequivocally condemned as illicit and even abominable. Yet, God's laws regarding sexuality and and all other laws concerning other aspects of life were often flouted by his own people. In fact, the law given by God through Moses was an utter failure, and it could not save human beings, but ended up condemning them without the hope of redemption, by any human means.        
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

How do we worship God?

Many people go to church to worship God. Denominational differences in Christianity may involve different styles of worship. But what ...