Sayings Of Samuel Godfrey George , March 2016, Part 1

"It is not a sickness that will lead to death", said Jesus about his friend Lazarus. Still Lazarus died. Yet it was not a death that was to be final. Jesus did raise him from death a few days later. So Lazarus did not die the first time. He died later, as all humans do. And that death will be ended later permanently. The statement of Jesus has a deeper level of meaning. He referred to the human condition, which can be described as a sickness. Yet it is a sickness that will not end in death. By death, he meant spiritual death. Because of the redemptive work that he was about to do, the moral sickness of human beings will not end in spiritual death, for a spiritual rebirth will take place on account of Christ's atonement for human sins and his subsequent victory over death. This spiritual rebirth will pave the way for the resurrection of all human beings after their physical death. This is a promise that we find repetitively in the New Testament, and also in the Old Testament, when Job declares in the middle of his suffering, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God". So the sickness that will not lead to death, is the seemingly hopeless human condition, which will be transformed into a state of eternal life by the power of God.

Sin drove me to God. Once sin became visible as sin, the road to God appeared along with it. And the strength to walk the road was directly proportional to the enormity of my sin.

When in trouble I observe myself and learn from all my fears.

God does not expect us to cut off our hands or gouge out our eyes, whenever we employ them in sin. When Jesus Christ spoke of physical dismemberment of this kind, he was graphically highlighting the terribleness of sin. Sin is highly detrimental to the human being. Its effects are cancerous in nature. It spreads in many ways and consumes our whole being. But to think that it is only the hand or the eye that sins is simplistic. It is in the heart that sin is born. It is in the mind that sin is allowed to play. If sin begins anywhere, it comes from a place deep inside of a human. So let us just say this. Sin is terrible. It's consequences are many. It's pollution is thorough. But Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all our sins. So as long as we confess our sins and accept God's forgiveness, we can rest assured that we are saved from the penalty for sin, which is eternal separation from God. Having done that, let us then not be worried about the consequences of sin anymore.

God's love has nothing in it to scare us, so we should not respond to it with fear.

No surprise lurks under the cover. Peel away the cloth covering and the body underneath is unsurprising. What God made then He still makes. The human body is not unlimited in its appeal. Once you have seen it in its many shapes, sizes and colours, there is nothing more to see. Once you have experienced its many textures and smells there is nothing more to experience. Those who seek to unlock the delights of the human body should soon curtail their efforts. For there is nothing, truly nothing in a human body worthy of a life-long, all-consuming devotion.

The wealth one amasses weighs one down. Beyond a point wealth turns into a burden. With wealth comes the responsibility for its management. It is impossible to manage wealth for wealth finds a way to manage its possessor. Money masters the money lover and makes him endlessly desire it. In this slavery there is no joy with or without money. For no amount of money is enough, so it is always less than enough. The desire intensifies to madness. The madness culminates in total darkness.

The love for power is an endless pain. Will a little control be enough? The one who has learned to control will not want to relinquish control. He who unleashes power will not want to relent. The power seeker is doomed to never find rest. The more he acquires the more he finds lacking. What he lacks he will seek at any cost. He shall walk on hearts and snuff out lives. He shall pay the bloodiest price to climb the ladder of power.

I let people in not because I trust them. I trust God who sends them to me. I know he is always in control of everything that happens in my life. If people misbehave God will be in control of that misbehaviour as well. And he will let me serve him without being ruffled by such conduct.

I don't need the admiration of the devil. The rebuke of God will do for me.

God is with you. He responds to every call. That is all that matters.

Everything happens for a reason, especially the bad things.

Casting my cares on God means that I stop worrying about what I entrusted to him.

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

Today I remember women who are married to drunken men. I ask God to protect these women from their brawling, violent husbands. May these women find strength to live their lives bravely in the face of domestic discord and endless turmoil. May God grant them the will to go on. May God hear their prayers and save their husbands from self-destruction. May God help these women to take care of their children in difficult circumstances.

 

Those who trust in God should allow God's will to be done. They should let God make something right, even when they are motivated to correct the situation themselves. They should place their burden before God and wait expectantly for him to take care of it. And they should wait as long as it takes.

I welcome back everyone who ran away from me, just like God welcomed me when I ran away from him.

Where there is honesty, there is no need to conceal.

 

Controlling emotions is a sign of strength. But denying the pain is certainly counter-productive.

 

This world is big and its people are diverse. There are many things that divide us. It is not right to stay in one place, and to have one frame of mind, and to have one approach of the heart, and then try to bring together the pieces that don't fit.

 

There is something to learn from everything, and there is something to be gained by going everywhere. I don't want to stay in my pond always.

 

I look at what is beautiful and what unites rather than divides. I seek the middle position.

 

I avoid sensationalism of all kinds. I avoid extreme positions and irreconcilable differences. I want to look at what is beautiful and rejoice in that. I want to look at what unites people and not at what tears them apart. I want to do whatever I can to bind people together in love.

 

In loving people one will have to learn to deal with indifference and rejection. When you want to love people, you will try to know them. And you will find out that some people don't want to be known by you, and don't want anything to do with you. If you accept this and respect their choice, and move on to someone else who accepts your love, you have indeed learned an important lesson in the art of loving.

 

God will not be what we want him to be. We want God to be kind to us all the time. We want him to smile at us always, no matter what we do. We want him to pet us, and let us do the things we like. We want God to be the father who never denies a gift to us. We want God to look the other way when we do something wrong. We want God to stay out of our way while we do the things that matter most to us. But God will not be like that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - February 2016, Part 2

Let us not turn our worship of God into wheedling and coaxing techniques. Let us not approach him with insincere praise just to get him to listen to our requests. Let us not think that God will respond to such flattery, and grant us our needs, just because we have made the right noises. If we approach God like this, we cannot call it worship. It is an insult to God who prizes true and genuine prayer. Let us speak to God as we would expect someone to speak to us. Let us be truthful and say what is exactly on our minds, even if it does not seem like praise or worship. God will be more pleased by our painful honesty than by our pleasing dishonesty.

Let us not try to manipulate God with praying techniques. Let us not think that God is moved by a false spiritual attitude that tries to coax him into giving. No one likes a flatterer, least of all God. Let us go to God with a genuine heart. Let us speak to him what is innermost in our minds. Let us spare our false hallelujahs and talk plainly to him. Let us confess our many sins, and our constant need of his grace. And then let us ask for his help without flattery and insincere sentiment.

If God made Man crooked and then demanded that he be straight, then it is not fair. But if God made Man right but Man destroyed himself through disobedience, and lost his connection with God, then it is fair on God's part to try to restore a disfigured creation. It is right on his part to look for the lost, which is what he does. God is good. He is a responsible creator. He wants to save a lost humanity and restore it to its original glory.

Please be neat in the way you work. Don't take care of one thing and leave out the other. Make it right also. Will you not eventually make everything right? Let me have some evidence of your work. Let me know that you will do what I have asked you to do. Let me not doubt that you are doing something, for you appear absent and even unconcerned many times. Is it because you are tired or have too much to do for so many people that you give me so little attention? Then again I wonder: are these impressions true? Are you really pressed for time? Are you really not methodical in your work? Am I right in thinking that you will disappoint more than please? Why do I not rejoice when I hear your promises? Why do I wish to avoid thinking about them? O please let me believe in you. It is so hard right now.

Be happy where you are. That's the secret of happiness.

God's people are those who find happiness in the most unhappy situations. They are the ones who smile when there is no reason to smile. They are the ones who offer hope to others when their own hearts are breaking.

Be strong and face the trouble in your life. Don't be a coward and try to run away. No one conquers anything by running away.

I didn't say tolerate people who do wrong. I said let God handle them. Let us not try to do what only God can and should do.

Other people may fight with us. But we don't have to fight with them. Let us not give them the pleasure of a satisfying fight.

Help those who have hurt you by saying nothing negative to them. Encourage them to do the good that they can, and if you cannot do so at least remain silent, so that you may not incite them to do wrong.

Bring out the best in others, even those whom you don't like and who have hurt you. Don't stand in their way of doing something good.

Don't let your mind be upset. And don't let your heart be troubled. Life is difficult. You don't have to make it more difficult by being upset and troubled. Don't give in to the urge to feel sorry for yourself. But be strong in the Lord, and accept trouble as his gift to you. God never sends anything without the intention to help you become a stronger and better person. Trust in him today and try to smile.

Leave it to God. Don't try to do what God alone can do. If some trouble has come into your life, it has not come without God allowing it. So God is aware of what is going on in your life. Turn to him in your suffering. Tell him about it. And wait for him to respond and give you the strength to continue in this situation. But please do not act on your own, and do something without the approval of God.

We only reap what we sow. And if we have reaped what we do not like, let us examine what we sow. And let us not deny that we have not received according to what we gave. We can begin to sow carefully even now.

Don't try to save your little things. Hold on to what is important. And what is important is God, and you can never lose him. Set your mind on heavenly things, and you will not worry when you lose your earthly belongings.

Don't feel sad about your disability. Thank God for what you are still able to do. Recognize your strengths, and exercise them as well as you can. Give joy to others, even as you struggle with your pain. Let the pain not take over the joy you can still have and share with others.

There is no point in talking about what cannot be repaired. Let it alone. Focus on the good in your life, and be happy about it. That is the way we give thanks to God for life.

Find joy from within your heart. Don't expect it from other people. They may not rise to your expectations.

God is here and alive. He is waiting for us to acknowledge him. Yet many of us are too busy for him. And even when we notice him, he does not impress us. He seems far too limited and restricted in his functions. He will not work until we go to him. He will not transform us until we submit to him. He will not usually effect an instant makeover, for his divine hands make all things beautiful in his time, and this means that it will take a very long time, a period much longer than many humans are willing to endure. Frustration is inherent in such a set up. Failure is more likely than success, given divine restraint and human impatience. This is the sad way the life of faith appears to me. This is probably why faith has limited appeal to the world. Faith of this kind has little appeal for those who are keen on guaranteed remedies and instant miracles. They are simply not ready for the disappointment and the heartbreak that faith often includes.

Will some people ever change? I have prayed for them. Will prayers be answered the way we expect them to be? Sometimes prayers are heartbreaking experiences. Hopes are dashed to pieces, and the worst answer is received. How can one pray on, especially for those who seem incorrigible? They seem so hardened in their behaviour that they don't even care about what is wrong with them. They seem impervious to polite correction. Their behaviour appears to get worse. And those who promised to change are still unchanged. The leopard surely cannot change its spots. And God appears impotent in the task of changing certain people. Still it is not right to throw in the towel. The testimonies of others, and the stories of their miraculous transformations keep one going and praying. These relatively rare occurrences keep one hoping for a repeat. But it is a process fraught with failure and frustration. It is simply not easy to pray for change, when such change is rarely forthcoming.

"You are God and you know best. So I go through the seemingly endless troubles in my life knowing that you are working out something that I cannot see. I put my trust in your peerless workmanship. Still there are times like now when I feel hope draining away. Lord, are you really in charge? Are you really doing something here? Nothing seems to change. Everything appears to get worse. Is this the worst of your test? Or does it get even worse?" The questions go on for a while. And then I say to myself. "Don't lose hope. God is in control." But it is a very strange kind of control. It is not control as humans exercise it. It is a totally different kind. And it is frightening to go through. For God appears absent. Or even impotent. Yes these are the unmistakeable impressions. Nevertheless I shut out the doubts and throw out the fears. This is the way God usually leads his people. And I am one of them. And I need to walk on without turning back.

Love the people God has sent to you. Love the life he has called you to live. Love what you are and what you have been given. Turn away from your own unfulfilled desires, and stop looking for what will never come.

Welcome the one who knocks on your door, even if he seems inappropriate or undesirable. Don't turn away from him to wait for the one who may never come. Accept the people who come to you and do your best for them, as though these are the very ones you were waiting for.

From great carnality great spirituality may arise. Both are often found together. The deeply spiritual may also be greatly carnal. And the flames of their spirituality are fuelled by the unlimited fuel of their carnality. After satiating the fleshly lusts, there arises a great hunger for spiritual food.

A great love for light may emerge only from a long stay in the darkness. A great love for God may emerge only from a life of deep sinfulness. It is the one who is forgiven more who loves more. It is the one who has sinned more who seeks righteousness more.

I've put my heart and soul into this. The rest is up to you O Lord.

Jesus said, "Don't be afraid. Just believe." We need to believe this every day.

In this life let us not aim at giving as much as we have received. We can never give as much as we have received, for we have received from God, and he cannot be outdone in giving.

We cannot outdo God in giving. What we give to God is a mere fraction of what we have received from him.

The lack of money is a big motivation for seeking God in this world. Everywhere I look I see promises of the monetary and material gifts that God is ready to bestow on those who show the tiniest faith. I myself sought God for material comforts and earthly well-being. But after a few years of losing steadily all that I valued and possessed, I have come to the realization that what God wants to give to me is not identical to what I want from God. I am now experiencing the unseemly aspects of the faithful life, and my situation is declining steadily. Still I hope that I will not hit rock bottom before I learn a thing or two about the dark and moist places that I sought in fleshly lust. Yes my spiritual madness blossomed in the midst of a fleshly madness. A spirit seeking life emerged from a flesh-desiring mire of filth. And after I learn that, I hope that there is another place to go to.

"Be prosperous. God wants you to be prosperous. Seek the abundant and over-flowing life. Declare and it will happen." This sounds wonderful to every desperate, impoverished creature in this world. And when we see those who say it, and notice their bright smiles and even brighter clothes, and when we take in their exaggeratedly opulent settings, we believe in their message, and seek the lush life. Still what resemblance does such a life bear to the one that Jesus Christ lived? Did he not carry a cross and ask us to carry one? Did he not tell us to sell all our belongings and give the money to the poor and follow him? What does the prosperous life have to do with Christ? Little.

My present precarious condition may have been brought about by unwise, ungodly choices in life. Yet in this darkness, I am not totally groping. There is a strand of light, and I am still holding on to it. Even in this darkness, I speak of glowing light and I am given the privilege of speaking it out loud to the passers-by.

It is better to be poor and needy in this world. It is better to live a life of difficulty and strife. It is better to taste large amounts of pain. For in such unpleasant and hostile circumstances human beings emerge from darkness to light, from unbelievers to God-seekers, and from worldly despair to unworldly hope.

It is not a good thing to be an employer or a master. It is better to be an employee and a servant. And God kindly makes us both.

Acknowledge God and you are well, though you may be poor and needy. Deny God and you are dead, though you may be alive and physically well and financially stable.

All human effort is God-enabled, for humans are the works of God. All energy within a human comes from God. Yet when humans exert energy without acknowledging God as the source of their energy, their energy is reduced in worth. But there is a greater energy and a greater capability that exists outside humans inside God, who is the giver of all ability. Such energy adds to the human, and makes him superhuman, and God-enabled.

The fruit of your trying is more satisfying but less wonderful than the fruit that came free.

All help is inconvenient. When help is convenient, it cannot be help.

Stop trying and you'll do well.

It is dishonest people who have a problem with being frank. Honesty always seeks openness.