Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - January 2016, Part 1

When all of us are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God, it is pointless to find out who among us is the greater sinner. It is pointless to point out certain misbehaviours and say that these are not acceptable to God. Nothing about the human being is acceptable to God. The human heart is rotten to the core, and the human body is incapable of being made right. When such is the case, let us not waste our time finding fault with others. There is much in us that is reprehensible in the eyes of God. The best approach to take is one in humility, acknowledging our failures and tolerating the weaknesses of others, which are not more serious than our own shortcomings.

It is not a great thing to be a human being first of all. A human is sin-ridden by nature. Nothing about the human is acceptable to God. Sexuality is just one of the items in a very long list of what makes the human not right with God. The only one who makes us right is Christ. His love overcomes all our sins, and his blood pays for all our transgressions. So let us look at what makes us right instead of pointing out what makes us wrong.

You are a mixture of things. So be grateful for everything that makes you what you are. Be thankful for the black as much as you are for the white. It is the impurity in you that makes the purity stand out.

Don't respond to every provocative statement, even if it is something that you think is helpful. You don't have to prove your love for what you care about. Let your heart convey your deepest feelings, and let your outward language be without useless repetition and needless emphasis.

Be glad about everything that adds to you, even about that little thing that normally escapes your notice. Cultivate the art of gratitude, and the tendency to give thanks for everything that makes you what you are today.

One's performance inside one's family is more important than one's performance outside it.

God is not going to measure us by the size of our wallets but by the size of our hearts for him.

Many people are going through a difficult time in their lives. I too am in a lot of difficulty right now. I have chosen to do a work for God in the last nine years, forsaking many things, including my career and every money-making opportunity to do a work for God. This work has been kept going by God despite hardships of many kinds. I have had the support of family and friends. God has been good. I count on his goodness at all times, and particularly now as I go through many difficulties. I know that God will remain faithful to me. I await his help once again. May God continue to provide not only for me, but for all those who are calling out to him in great need.

God, support your people, who work for you. Help those who have given up many things for you. Help those who serve you full-time, forsaking money-making opportunities in the world. O Lord, come swiftly and help us.

Spiritual poverty is the requirement for spiritual advancement. It is only the spiritually destitute who find a home in God's land.

The more you know your weakness the more you crave strength. The more you are aware of your moral depravity, the more you long for a righteousness outside you.

Great weakness brings about a great humility.

God became our father even before we became his children. And he will remain so without any further help from us.

A life full of trouble inspires in some human beings a desire for a life without troubles. Such a life is available to many who hold a religious belief. This life is in a place called heaven. And it is an unending life overflowing with joy and health and in it there is no place for suffering and pain and death. Heaven is the hope that keeps many seeking God.

Those who will not believe in what they cannot see will not believe in either heaven or God who is said to live there. Heaven is a place that cannot be seen with human eyes. It is a place which we hear about in the Bible, and in other religious books. The truth of heaven can be only perceived as a matter of faith. If people believe in God, they are also likely to believe in heaven. The terrible realities of life on earth make heaven highly desirable to some people, but to some others the same realities make heaven a most unlikely place and a figment of spiritual imagination.

There are heavens and not just one heaven. The first verse of the Bible makes that clear. There could be at least three heavens as far as the Bible is concerned. The first heaven is the earth's atmosphere. The second heaven is what lies beyond earth's atmosphere and includes the stars and the planets. The third heaven is where God himself lives with his angels and other living creatures. The third heaven is what lies beyond what can be visibly seen. It can be reached only through spiritual means, as Paul the Apostle experienced in his life. Not all this is crystal clear in our reading of the Bible. But some believe that these assumptions can be made.

Heaven is described by Jesus as his Father's house. He said that his Father's house has many rooms or mansions. And he said that he would go there to prepare a room for each and every one who believes in him. And he said that he would come back and take his people to their respective mansions later. Jesus mentioned heaven on a few occasions. His disciple John met him in heaven, when a revelation was given to him. Paul the apostle speaks of being caught up to the third heaven. So there is much in support of a place called heaven in the Bible. It is described as a place with pearly gates and a golden street. It is certainly a place out of this world, and nothing like it can ever be seen or even imagined on earth.

Heaven is also the place where people faithful to God expect to go after their death. Those who believe in Jesus Christ hope to enter heaven, on account of their faith in Christ's redemptive death and victorious resurrection. Even those from other faiths believe that there is such a thing as heaven, and hope to enter that place of total happiness and unending life, after their earthly journey is concluded. But they believe that they will get there on their own merit and not because of any redemptive act of any divine figure on their behalf.

Heaven is a place where God lives eternally with his loyal angels and any other living creature loyal to him. It is a place where there is no darkness or evil. And it is a place where there is no injustice and unfairness. It is a place where someone can be totally happy without any regret. This is my most rudimentary description of heaven. A more detailed description of heaven would include other places where spiritually wicked powers dwell, something that emerges from Saint Paul's understanding. It seems to me that Satan and his cohorts are not in hell yet. They are all in heaven still, but probably not in the heaven where God lives.

God's heart is no doctrine. He revealed it clearly in Jesus Christ. And his heart is one of love. His justice, and its requirements were met in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death, and beyond that death nothing more needs to be paid. So let guilty human beings rest. We are all guilty. And our guilt has been erased. We can either believe this and rest or not believe this and fret away till we die.

No one can keep God's commandments. This is the plain truth. We satisfy God's requirements only by being in Christ, who is the only one who could keep God's commandments.

Doctrinal correctness will matter little to God. What will matter and what does matter is the heart that seeks God and cannot live without God. If a man or woman has that heart and nothing else, God will still have him or her.

Don't do anything on your own. Just let God do it for you. It will not be clear to you now. But remember this. Nothing that you do on this earth will ever add to your worthiness before God. Our worthiness does not come from our actions. Our worthiness comes from our placing our trust in God and his Son, the Lord Christ.

Only God makes us righteous, And he does that if we will simply believe in what his Son did for us.

A love of God flows out of a love of all human beings. We cannot love God without loving human beings. We cannot honour God without honouring human beings. We cannot see God without seeing him in each and every one of us.

Phobia of many kinds characterizes the average believer in God. One should learn to worship God without the terror of being doctrinally wrong. God alone is to be worshipped. But God is in all of his saints. All those who are in Christ reflect God and each and every one should be honoured as God himself is honoured.

Mary, Mother of Christ, is the most blessed of women. Generations have called her blessed and they will continue to do so. To approach her and to ask her to intercede for us is not very different from asking another person to pray for us. As such she is a most eminent intercessor. Asking Mary to intercede does not amount to the worship of Mary. God alone is to be worshipped.

This work we do for God is not about success and failure. This is about trusting in God and doing what he inspires.

Be thankful for all your gifts even if they don't satisfy you.

O Lord, thank you for all your benefits in the past year. How much we have received from you! Every day is a blessing. Every moment is a blessing. Every breath is a blessing. Every day of health is a blessing. Every friend we’ve made, every relationship in our lives is a blessing. Every opportunity to speak about your love, every opportunity to share your message is a blessing. And you gave me so many blessings. You gave my family so many blessings during this year. Thank you very much O Lord.

When someone curses you don't curse back. Remain silent and forgiving. Bless that person. Ask God to reveal his great love and mercy to that person. And may he or she be transformed by that love. Every time someone curses us we have the great opportunity to bless. And when we bless the one who cursed us we render impotent the evil effects of the person's curse. For we overcome evil not with evil but with good.

The love of God endures all forms of human coldness. Let us aspire to love like God, without expectation and without letting our love be defined by human response.

Don't worry about what people think about you. They will always find something about you that they do not like. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, calmly assess what others think about you, and see if there is any truth to it. Make changes to suit their expectations if you can or if you are willing. But if you are convinced that you are right in being what you are, then go ahead and be yourself no matter what the cost of that is. It is more important to please oneself than to please others.

A new year is not new until every day of it is new in our eyes.

Cultivating a kind, appreciative heart should be the goal of every person who desires appreciation from others.

We should keep our excitement regarding life going every day, not just on New Year’s Eve or on New Year’s Day but every day. The mark of newness is to feel new even when circumstances appear old. This newness is brought in by God, when we embrace the will of God and seek him. We will then come into the newness which he alone can bring about in a most effective way. Happy New Year to all who desire this God-made newness. May God bless you all.

Is God going to bring in the new in our lives? Or are we going to do it all on our own? Are we going to change ourselves by our own efforts? Do we really believe that we can change without God’s help? A year is only a marker of time. It may matter very little from an eternal perspective. I believe every day is important. Every moment is significant. We should not be excited about the new year. We should be excited about this new moment. We should be excited about every moment. And this excitement should go on every day as long as we live.

We have all seen the passing away of a year and the coming of a new year. What does a new year mean to us? Is it simply a matter of making resolutions and failing to keep them? Is it simply a fresh attitude that lasts for a while and disappears? How excited are we about a new year? What possibilities do we see in this new year? Is anything really going to change in our lives? Or are we only going to imagine the change? Or are we going to effect that change in our own strength? Or are we going to ask God to help us move to a new place and to a new way of thinking and to a new way of living?

Is a new year a new number in the calendar? Is that all? Is that the end of the story as far as a new year is concerned? A new year is not about the number. Some people believe in numbers. Some people swear by numbers. Some people believe that certain numbers are lucky numbers. I don’t believe in numbers. I believe in God. I believe that it is God who keeps us going. It is God who keeps every man and woman going. And it is God that I will trust any day. And I believe that God will guide me to the places where he wants me to go. He will lead me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. And surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. This is my belief and my hope as I step out of this year and move into another.

What pain you have had to bear all these months! And you bear it very well. May God grant you the strength to go through this trouble. It is my prayer that He heals you soon. Do not give up. Keep on believing in a miracle, no matter how long it takes. Do not give up until God grants you the relief that you seek. Give no peace to God. Knock on His door until He opens it and grants you the blessing that you seek. Fight on my friend. God is on your side. He will neither leave you nor forsake you. Just hold on to this promise: "He will be with you in trouble. He will deliver you and honor you. With long life will He satisfy you and show you His salvation."
God bless you with a healthy and happy New Year.

Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - December 2015, Part 2

Children should know the meaning of Christmas, and the way Jesus Christ entered into this world to better understand and appreciate God.

Celebrate what you have. That will take your mind off what you do not have.

We need to remember the blessings of God, and we should make a habit of giving thanks to God. Our faith is directly proportional to our thanksgiving, and it is our faith that enables us to receive from God. So the more we remember the blessings of God, the greater will be our thanksgiving, and the greater will be our receiving. Such a habit will also help us give thanks to God in difficult circumstances, when it is least natural to thank God.

A certain question is being raised. Should Christmas be celebrated? Is it really the time when Jesus Christ was born two thousand years ago? This may well be a serious question to some people. This is what I think. If people celebrate the love of God and Jesus Christ who came to convey that love in concrete terms, then there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas. At least there should be nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas. If it is God’s love that people remember at Christmas, if it is Jesus Christ who is celebrated, then there should be no regret regarding Christmas.

There are more questions that we should ask ourselves as we celebrate Christmas. Do we convey a message to the world when we celebrate Christmas? Do we say something about ourselves when others see us celebrating Christmas? Are we affirming something when we celebrate Christmas? Are we sharing someone when we celebrate Christmas? Christmas should not only be a time of celebration. It should also be a time for reflection. Above all it should be a time for sharing. We share with one another our love for God. We show one another how much God means to us. We particularly show those who do not believe in God how much God means to us. Christmas should be essentially a time for sharing. And we should share Christ during Christmas. And we should share him especially with those who do not know him. We should share him with those who do not believe in him. We should share him with those who are antagonistic to him. We should share him lovingly. We should share Christ as he would share himself with us.

At Christmas time, other questions need to be asked. What does Jesus Christ mean to the people of the world? What does Christ mean to you and me? What did Christ bring into the world? What did he achieve through his life? What did we gain on account of Christ? Christ came into the world to convey the love of God to the people of this world. Christ came into the world to wash away the sins of humankind. Christ came into the world to reconcile God and human beings. So it is important for us to share Jesus Christ with others so that they may know what Christ did for all of us. And all of what Christ did started to happen one night in Bethlehem many years ago. Whether that night happened exactly at this time thousands of years ago is not a crucial question. Are we thankful for this night, are we thankful for Jesus Christ, these are crucial questions.

It was God who chose Mary. God chose her before he told her anything about Jesus because he knew that she was the right choice. Mary worshipped God and cared about God. She was in agreement with God. Though she did not offer her womb to God before she was told about Jesus we can say that in a sense she eventually offered herself to God. Mary is known for her remarkable words of acceptance. She said, "May it be done to me as how God has willed. I'm the servant of the Lord." She offered herself to God because she was honoured to be considered by God. So Mary received the honour of being the mother of Jesus while she was unmarried. Though it was risky for her to carry a child in her womb in an unmarried state, Mary took that risk for the sake of God. So when I see Mary, mother of Jesus, I see a woman of faith and daring, who was willing to be pregnant before her marriage, because she trusted in God. We must learn from Mary and show faith in God even when he seems to lead us to a dangerous path.

Mary phobia is as undesirable as Mary worship. We are never asked to worship Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Nor are we asked to neglect the role of Mary in the story of God. Mary played a major role in the story, and without her readiness to be a servant of God, and submitting her virgin body to the working of God, Jesus Christ may have never entered the world. Even her son recognized the importance of his mother on the cross, and gave her another son to love, and assigned his own disciple the task of taking care of his mother. It is the belief of some that John alone was not given this sonship, and that all disciples like him were given the same role. I don't go as far as that. But I believe that Mary should be honoured as a servant of God. Indeed she is the most blessed of women, for blessed is the fruit of her womb. Honouring her in this way is not worshipping her.

Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, thank you for agreeing to be the handmaiden of God. Thank you for submitting to God's will. If you had not submitted to God's will, we would have never seen Jesus. We would not be where we are today, justified in the eyes of God. Mary, you are an example of daring faith. May we have the courage to believe in God, as you did, and may we submit to him today, as you did. Thank you.

A friend remarked to me earlier this month, “Should I celebrate Christmas? I just heard that it is not the birthday of Jesus Christ. I’m saddened by it. I don’t know whether I should celebrate Christmas or not.” My response to this person is, “Celebrate Jesus Christ every day in your life. We need to celebrate Jesus every day in our lives. And if we choose to do so on the 25th of December, it is not something, which we should be troubled by. We need to celebrate God every day, even on Christmas Day. If we have this attitude, if we choose to celebrate God on a daily basis, if we choose to remember the love of God every day, then Christmas Day is not different from any other day.  

God should be celebrated every day, even on Christmas Day. And there is nothing wrong with that, as far as I am concerned. And I have no problem with celebrating Christmas this year, on the 25th of December. And I recommend the celebration of God on a daily basis. That’s what we need to do. We who have received God’s love graciously, we who are benefited by the grace of God, should celebrate him every day.

If Christmas is special, it is because the whole world celebrates the birth of Jesus on a certain day. So when we join with others in celebrating Christmas, it feels special. Celebrating God on Christmas Day feels special. But in truth, we need to celebrate God every day. And I see Christmas Day as not different from any other day. I see it as just another day to celebrate the goodness of God.

Every day is a good day to give thanks to God. And we should give thanks to him every day for Jesus, and for all the other gifts he has given us. Christmas Day is not a special day to give thanks to God. It is just another day. There is nothing wrong in giving thanks to God, and there is nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, on Christmas Day. Some people may find it uncomfortable to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. But I don’t. I celebrate Jesus every day. So Christmas Day is just another day to celebrate Jesus.

Christmas Day is another day when we can rejoice in what God has done for us. Let us not be concerned with the idea of the appropriateness of observing the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. Let us give thanks to God on Christmas Day, just as we would give thanks to God on any other day. Let there be no hesitation in doing this.

Let those who are grateful for Jesus Christ give thanks to God every day. Let every day be a good day for giving thanks to God. Let no day be an inappropriate day to say “thank you” to God for the great gift of Jesus. Without Jesus there is no access to God. He is the only way to God. He is the only one who can justify us. He is the only one who makes us right before God. So let us give thanks to God every day for Jesus. Let us do so also on Christmas Day. The origin of Christmas Day is debatable. Yet it is another day to give thanks to God. Yet it is another day, when we can say confidently, “We are new creations in Christ. Christ has saved us. He has made us right before God."

Someone said to me this year, “God is displeased by the celebration of Christmas. He is saddened by it. Christmas Day is not really the birthday of Jesus Christ. It is pagan in origin, and therefore it should not be celebrated by those who love God.” I see no harm in remembering the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. Jesus is God’s greatest gift to human beings. And humans have chosen to celebrate this gift on a certain day. And they do it regularly every year. I see no harm in this as long as Christians remember Jesus, and celebrate the love of God, which is expressed in Jesus.

Let us see God during this Christmas. And let us remember that God will surprise us as he did two thousand years ago. We can never ever claim to know him. We just know that he is essentially love. And he expressed his love through Jesus Christ. Let us be grateful for that love. Let us thank God, and let us truly celebrate Christmas by celebrating his love. I wish you all a blessed Christmas.

This is the truth. This is the Truth whom we call the Lord Jesus Christ. When we see him, we see the one who sent him. We don’t know the one who sent him. This world doesn’t know God. But Jesus came into the world to reveal God to us. He is the Christ. He is the Messiah, who came in a way in which no one expected him to come, and who went away in a way in which no one expected him to go. Everything about him was remarkable. This is the Christ that we will remember during this Christmas. He defies our expectations. His love is beyond description. His grace is beyond our belief. He loves us beyond measure. He forgives us of all our sins. This is Jesus. And he represents God. When we see Jesus we see God.

This Christmas I have this message to convey to the world: we have certain expectations of God. We believe that we know God. Those who have studied God and have read about him have this idea that they can work out God. Jesus proved to everyone that God’s mind cannot be worked out. He was an exceptional manifestation, he was a shocking manifestation of God. One of his own disciples asked him at a certain time, “Show us the Father”. And Jesus said, “How can you even ask such a thing? The one who has seen me has seen the Father.”

The message of the Lord Jesus Christ was nothing like the message that was preached by people before him. It was remarkable. He preached forgiveness. He preached loving one's enemies. He preached that people should bless their enemies and pray for their enemies. This is a remarkable message. One doesn’t hear this message in anything that came before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Enjoy this moment. The next will come in due time.

Last year I witnessed another Christmas programme involving children. On that occasion, I was surprised to find a priest who was very appreciative of the children who performed. He was smiling continually and cheering the children on. He even danced with them later, as they played a popular film song. This priest greatly impressed me, and today I cannot help thinking, after being at another kids' Christmas programme, officiated by a rather strict and judgemental priest, that the jolly young priest I saw last year could be more similar to Jesus Christ who lived two thousand years ago than the severe one I saw today.

Today I was at a church to witness a children's Christmas programme. There were very young, earnest children trying to do what they were taught to do. And they did a good job as far as I was concerned. Some others may not have found their singing tuneful or their performance well rehearsed. But I found them genuine and sincere. And I was delighted by just being there to witness them. However the priest, who was in charge of the proceedings, spoke unkindly about some of them. And I couldn't help wondering whether Jesus would have spoken his words or acted like him today. I have always maintained that God looks at the heart and is not moved by outward performance. I believe that our performances will not matter in the end. It's only our hearts and the longing for God contained within them, that will truly make a mark in the eyes of God.

Be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. Let his health flow in your body from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. Say this, "By his stripes I am healed." And believe that you are.

My greatest weakness has led to my greatest strength. And even now the weakness remains, though I have tried to cast it out many times. It still keeps me going towards the only strength that overcomes it bit by bit day by day. It also keeps me humble for I know who I am deep within, and if I have done anything of note, it is because of someone else who stirs within me and rises to the surface every now and then to give expression to something more characteristic of himself than of me.

The thing that you believe that most hinders you may well be the one that spurs you on to something truly good. So accept the undesirable behaviour that keeps you going on the right road.

Try not to make impulsive decisions. The thing that you discard today may well be the one that you need tomorrow.