Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - February 2016, Part 1

We worship God best by loving one another.

Sometimes in life we go through interruptions. Let us learn to continue after an interruption.

The moment we fell we became needy. We became poor. We became incomplete. And we began an endless search for satisfaction, wealth and completion. And we found many things in the world, which promised to be the things we seek. And still none of them truly satisfied. None of them truly enriched our souls. None of them truly completed us. But the search has not stopped despite the findings being the same over and over again.

Let's not rehearse before God. Let's do it live. Let's do it plainly. Let's do it honestly.

There should be no methodology as far as prayer is concerned. Say it simply. Say it clearly. Say it honestly.

God is a giver. In love he gives what people need. In love he also does not give what people do not need. Knowing this and accepting this will prevent many headaches.

Time is an indicator of closeness. The more close you are to someone the more time you spend with that person. So if you want to know how much you mean to another person, you should consider the time that person spends with you.

Every creation of God gives out an aroma. Whether it is wonderful or not is in the way we respond to it. I always try to smell the wonderful. It is not easy.

God is love. So smile and be happy. Such observations barely skim the surface of the truth. That God is love is a truth that still does not bring a smile to many faces. Those people who are not smiling may well be those who have not experienced the love of God personally in their lives. Or they may be people who know that love and also the pain that comes along with it. God's love is not without pain. And receiving it may not happen without a feeling of being lost. It is the lost and the wandering who get to taste the love of God. Others may experience it and feel that there is nothing special about it. The story of the Prodigal Son illustrates these truths. The teller of the story himself was known as the Man of Sorrows and not as the Man of Joys. His most victorious words, "It is finished!" were not uttered with a smile, but before a final agonising gasp in a terribly agonising death.

Don't invest too much in a smile. A smile may or may not indicate an inner happiness. But happiness need not manifest as a smile. Happiness is the confidence that all is well despite all being not well. Happiness is knowing that God is in control when everything is out of control. Happiness is moving on even when everything is standing in our way. Such a happiness is an inward strength and may not always be manifested in the creasing of a face into a smile. The happiest among us are also the ones who have walked hand-in-hand with the greatest despair.

Are all these billions of people who hear about Christ hear about the same Christ? Do they know that God loves them despite what they have done? Do they still feel condemned? Are they still in fear of God's terrible judgement against sinners? Do they still feel like sinners, as they are struggling to overcome sin in their own strength? More than rejoicing in how Christianity has spread so far those who care about Christ and the truth of God's love should consider the above questions seriously. The strength of Christianity is not in its numbers, but in its grasp of the essential truths of God. That God is love and his love is Christ and Christ has finished his work of salvation, and by placing our belief in Christ, we accept his salvation free of cost - these are the core truths of the Christian faith, which we should not only know but also live by as our guiding principles.

If you are lost and wondering whether God cares, make a note of this. God loves you and cares for you. He has not stopped loving you and caring for you. He will never stop doing that, no matter what you do. For his love and care are not based on your actions. His love will go on, however you may behave. You may turn away from God today and live a self-defeated, rebellious life. But God will still love you and care for you. The sad thing is you will not know this love of God and experience his care until you turn back to him. He is waiting for you, his lost son or daughter. If you would turn back to him, you will find him with a smile and outstretched arms. But would you go to him, no matter how ashamed and unworthy you feel inside? You should. For all who went to him before were ashamed and unworthy.

My weaknesses don't charm me, but they calm me enough to view others with weaknesses with a sympathy that I would like others to show me when I am weak.

Happiness is not a vacant smile. It is a pregnant gaze.

Happiness is what you dare to feel despite a sadness gnawing at the sides of your mind.

Happiness is a state of mind, not a state of the face.

It is best to be humble. It is best to be aware of one's inadequacy. It is best to know one's shortcomings. Let this blessing be mine always.

It is not a bad thing when others seem to have more than you. The realization has an unmistakeably humbling effect.

To see God we must seek God. And we must search for him everywhere till we find him in each and every one of us.

To see God we must seek God. And we must search for him everywhere till we find him in each and every one of us.

To receive the blessings of God even more, learn to honour him more, and seek him first. And make a habit of thanking God for every thing in your life.

Honour God more than you honour anybody else in this world. Seek God first. Look to him first when you are in need. Know that he alone can supply your need. And you will be well.

Don't fall into the trap of dwelling on your failures. Dwell on your successes. Dwell on all the good that you have done with the help of God. Your life is in God's hands. And he is working in you. You may not feel changed in the deepest places. But God knows what he is doing in you. And no matter how rocky your ride is, believe that God is in the driver's seat. And he is well in control. Just believe. And smile today.

There is no mystery as far as God's intentions are concerned. God is good and wants to do good. He may not do it the way we expect him to. Sometimes he exceeds our expectations. At other times he falls well below them. Sometimes he does things that are inexplicably troublesome. The mystery that people speak of when they think of God lies mainly in their own minds and their preconceived notions of God. God may not be like what we think him to be. If he were identical to our imagination, then there is little mystery about him. Yet we cannot say he is predictable. We often don't know what he is about to do. But we hang on to the eternal truths, believing in their essence, without knowing how these truths express themselves in our lives.

It is after seeing Jesus we find God appealing. Before Jesus God seemed like a jilted lover bent on revenge. After Jesus, God seems like a lover who would go to any length to save his sweetheart. It is in Jesus God reached out to all. Before Jesus, God was only the God of the Jews. After Jesus, God became the God of all people.

The highest love is the one that embraces all by forgiving all.

Those who know by heart the words of God and still cannot accept someone who is unlike them, are they being biblical? Those who attend churches and display the various behaviours of a typical Christian, and yet fail to keep their word, are they being biblical? Those who say that God won't accept this and that, and thus marginalise and belittle people, are they being biblical? There are some biblical people of this kind in the world.

What is unbiblical? Can love of a universal kind be unbiblical? Can loving one's fellow men regardless of religion, caste and creed be unbiblical? Can loving one's children regardless of their philosophies and sexual orientation be unbiblical? Can the love of a Christian parent for his non-Christian child be unbiblical? Can the love of a Christian wife for her non- Christian husband be unbiblical? There is a lot that the Bible does not clearly spell out. But if God is love, then what sort of love is he? Is he a discriminatory love that is essentially limited? Is he a divisive love that puts people in neat, incompatible compartments? Some people of God think so. I don't think so.

Surely our God is one who hides himself. He does not hide primarily because he likes to play hide and seek. He may well enjoy that game. He hides because he wants us to seek him. The more he hides the more desperate we are to seek him. The greatest seekers of God are those who have experienced a hidden God to the maximum.

Pray to God and wait for your answer. Wait as long as it takes.

Don't look for expensive solutions. If you are in trouble, pray. Pray to God and believe that he will solve your problem.

Stay loyal to God. He is not easy to find. But he is always near you and will never leave you. And he will take care of you every time.

We give because we have received. We give because we need to receive.

Let our love for good unite us. And good is what is good to us, without being bad to someone else. If we seek this good, then we will be united.

To be addicted to God you need God's help. To desire the addiction, and then to have it, is purely a blessing from God.

Let your addiction to God be first. Then all other addictions will fall into place.