Once upon a time the crowd went in one direction and Noah went in a different one. At another point in history Lot followed a certain path and the crowd decided they would go another way. We know their fate.
There is so much activity today, good ones, bad ones, movement forwards and movement backwards, upwards and downwards.
There is love, compassion, caring, sharing; consideration for thy neighbour; and forgiveness,
and there also is lust, avarice, covetousness, hatred for one another, slander, envy, jealousy and gossip.
We tend to go with the band wagon. But is this really in our interest?
Do we say that we are so weak, that we cannot help it, but go with the crowd?
Even when we perceive clearly that the crowd is heading the wrong way?
Or do we use the Power that is so freely available to us from God, to overcome all temptations?
What direction have we decided to follow?
That of the majority or the minority?
That pointing towards damnation in Hell or the bliss of Heaven?
The people of Noah's time had a choice, and so also did those of Lot's time.
You too have a choice.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Departed this Womb.
The baby was happy in the womb. It had been there for some time now and it enjoyed every moment of it. It praised the one who made this possible; the one who gave it nourishment; the one who gave it life!
Then it began to notice changes on itself and on its surroundings. The changes were becoming more pronounced with each passing day. What did this mean? It wondered! Was it going to be made to leave this womb? Was it going to face birth? Fear gripped it. It wouldn't want to leave this place for anything.
It had no idea of the other side. Was there life there? If it was to go to the other side, definitely its life cord would be cut. How then would it still have life?
It was in anguish! The pain was unbearable. Why would it exit this womb just like that?
It didn't make sense. What was the point in experiencing life in the womb if it was all going to end up in birth?
Life was meaningless he moaned. The baby no longer had the wish to praise the one who had given it nourishment and protection all this while. Maybe there really was no one responsible for its well being! Maybe everything was just chance! Some big accident! There really could be no one. If there was, where was such a one now that it really mattered?
It waited for the hour to come.
And then it did! The baby cried as it arrived, born into the light. It coughed and it gasped for air, but when it finally opened its eyes, it was face to face with the one who had always giving it nourishment and protection.
Oh what a beautiful being...Its Mother.
Life in the womb had a meaning afterall...preparation for a NEW life; a BETTER life!
But so does life on earth also have a meaning.
Why should we be afraid of death?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Christians or Muslims, who will make Heaven? Neither if...
This question has become imperative at this time because of the battles raging between both groups. The answer to it lies in having a proper understanding of why we are on earth; it lies in having the True knowledge of the God whom we serve and in knowing His Will.
It is just because of ignorance in these matters that there is so much enmity between members of the different religious groups.
We cannot see God; cannot touch Him, but we can see and interact with our fellow men. In loving God we must also love our neighbour whom we see; we must love all that God has created. There is no other way. It is God’s Will that we create a Paradise out of our temporary home, the earth, and this cannot be achieved with hate, or spite, and definitely not by murder.
Judging from the way the world is presently, one can only conclude thus;
MAN DOES NOT BELIEVE IN THE LIVING GOD; NEITHER DOES HE SERVE HIM!
Instead, he has created his own god. A god whom he can manipulate; a god who is satisfied with man so long as he claims to believe in him! A god who needs man to fight for him! A weak god!
However, behind this god created and worshiped by man stands the real Enemy; the one who presented this picture of a weak god to man in the first place; the one who wants his destruction- SATAN the devil.
He fanned our vanities and weaknesses, giving us a picture of a weak and changing god! He said man was created weak and that it was impossible for him to live without sin. Therefore he said, what was important for any man, was to believe in this god, to pray for forgiveness from sins every now and then and most importantly, to draw members to his religious group.
So man was given exactly what he wanted! He was told that he can live the way he likes and still be in the good books of his god, so long as he believes…and he swallowed this lie hook, line and sinker.
Unfortunately this seed was planted in many religious groups. Now man thinks he can eat his cake and have it.
Each religious group believes it is the only one accepted by God and actually looks down on and detests others. There is so much argument and counter argument. So much is quoted from Holy works.
Sadly the main issue of worship is overlooked. Man leaves the very important aspects of his relationship with his Creator and pursues the shadow. He is more interested in the externals-in the claims of being a believer.
He is unable to WALK his TALK. He stubbornly refuses to see that a True relationship with God is manifested in the kind of relationship he has with his fellow men. If he loves God and truly worships Him, he would love his neighbour as himself. And if he loves his neighbour as himself, he would not sin against him. Surely this can’t be so difficult.
But no! He considers it much too hard…and follows the easy way; the devils way, irrespective of his religion; he worships himself; his flesh; and Satan is happy.
Slowly but steadily the master of lies is leading all to Eternal Damnation. Like sheep being led to the slaughter house, man is gradually being guided to his doom.
BUT ONLY BY HIS OWN CHOICE!
Man cannot be forced to Hell by the devil. Satan can only lure him. If he succumbs to his enticements and thus walks the road to Hell, it is only because he wants to and not because he is compelled to. Satan knew that if he dangled a juicy enough carrot before man, he would follow him. And so as a master of guile he did just that.
So while the clock ticks away, man continues to trifle away his time.
Eternal bliss in Heaven is locked to all, whether Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist etc, except to those who earnestly seek to understand why they are on earth; who seek to know The Almighty God, to understand His Will and to humbly apply themselves to it.
When a man applies himself sincerely to seeking God, he would find Him. He would find Him because it is the Will of God that he does. He has been given all the helps that he needs. He only needs to start. It has nothing to do with the name of his place of worship. Neither does it have anything to do with the claims that he makes. Wherever he is, if he seeks, he would find.
For God, The Father Almighty has said so.
As for Jesus, there is nothing more to say, He is the Son of God. Whoever is unable to absorb this now may do so later in his life.
If he cannot come to this recognition before his time of schooling is up, he would not make it to Eternal Bliss in Heaven.
May the Lord bless you.
It is just because of ignorance in these matters that there is so much enmity between members of the different religious groups.
We cannot see God; cannot touch Him, but we can see and interact with our fellow men. In loving God we must also love our neighbour whom we see; we must love all that God has created. There is no other way. It is God’s Will that we create a Paradise out of our temporary home, the earth, and this cannot be achieved with hate, or spite, and definitely not by murder.
Judging from the way the world is presently, one can only conclude thus;
MAN DOES NOT BELIEVE IN THE LIVING GOD; NEITHER DOES HE SERVE HIM!
Instead, he has created his own god. A god whom he can manipulate; a god who is satisfied with man so long as he claims to believe in him! A god who needs man to fight for him! A weak god!
However, behind this god created and worshiped by man stands the real Enemy; the one who presented this picture of a weak god to man in the first place; the one who wants his destruction- SATAN the devil.
He fanned our vanities and weaknesses, giving us a picture of a weak and changing god! He said man was created weak and that it was impossible for him to live without sin. Therefore he said, what was important for any man, was to believe in this god, to pray for forgiveness from sins every now and then and most importantly, to draw members to his religious group.
So man was given exactly what he wanted! He was told that he can live the way he likes and still be in the good books of his god, so long as he believes…and he swallowed this lie hook, line and sinker.
Unfortunately this seed was planted in many religious groups. Now man thinks he can eat his cake and have it.
Each religious group believes it is the only one accepted by God and actually looks down on and detests others. There is so much argument and counter argument. So much is quoted from Holy works.
Sadly the main issue of worship is overlooked. Man leaves the very important aspects of his relationship with his Creator and pursues the shadow. He is more interested in the externals-in the claims of being a believer.
He is unable to WALK his TALK. He stubbornly refuses to see that a True relationship with God is manifested in the kind of relationship he has with his fellow men. If he loves God and truly worships Him, he would love his neighbour as himself. And if he loves his neighbour as himself, he would not sin against him. Surely this can’t be so difficult.
But no! He considers it much too hard…and follows the easy way; the devils way, irrespective of his religion; he worships himself; his flesh; and Satan is happy.
Slowly but steadily the master of lies is leading all to Eternal Damnation. Like sheep being led to the slaughter house, man is gradually being guided to his doom.
BUT ONLY BY HIS OWN CHOICE!
Man cannot be forced to Hell by the devil. Satan can only lure him. If he succumbs to his enticements and thus walks the road to Hell, it is only because he wants to and not because he is compelled to. Satan knew that if he dangled a juicy enough carrot before man, he would follow him. And so as a master of guile he did just that.
So while the clock ticks away, man continues to trifle away his time.
Eternal bliss in Heaven is locked to all, whether Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist etc, except to those who earnestly seek to understand why they are on earth; who seek to know The Almighty God, to understand His Will and to humbly apply themselves to it.
When a man applies himself sincerely to seeking God, he would find Him. He would find Him because it is the Will of God that he does. He has been given all the helps that he needs. He only needs to start. It has nothing to do with the name of his place of worship. Neither does it have anything to do with the claims that he makes. Wherever he is, if he seeks, he would find.
For God, The Father Almighty has said so.
As for Jesus, there is nothing more to say, He is the Son of God. Whoever is unable to absorb this now may do so later in his life.
If he cannot come to this recognition before his time of schooling is up, he would not make it to Eternal Bliss in Heaven.
May the Lord bless you.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Why was Christ crucified?
He was crucified to stop Him from saving mankind.
From the history concerning the devil or Satan, we know that through temptation he had always used man to attack those who showed loyalty to God. All through the bible, right from the beginning we see how he set his agents against those who refused to bow down to or worship one idol or the other.
In the time of Christ we see what happened to John the Baptist (Mark 6:19-29); we also see the fate of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60) and many others. What was their crime? They were spreading enlightenment about God and His Will. They were revealing aspects of the Truth to their fellow human beings. They were talking about the Son of God, Jesus and His kingdom.
These activities were against the wish of the devil whose desire is to lead all astray so that together with him, man would eventually suffer eternal damnation.
It was all the more reason he attacked the Son of God Who came from the Truth and Himself is the Truth. Christ was more dangerous than all the others combined. And Satan wasted no time in trying to destroy the mission of the Son of God. Right from the period of the birth of Jesus the devil pursued Him using every available agent of darkness; King Herod, the Pharisees, the Scribes; they all served their purposes as his tools.
In John 8:37-38 Jesus said,
“I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are trying to kill me, because you will not accept my teaching. I talk about what my Father has shown me, but you do what your father has told you.”
In John 8:42-44 He also said,
“I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own authority, but He sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my message. You are the children of your father the Devil, and you want to follow your father’s desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer and has never been on the side of Truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies. But I tell the Truth, and that is why you do not believe me.”
It should be clear whose bidding the Jewish Authorities, the Pharisees and the scribes were following. They were being directed by Satan the Devil. Did God therefore join hands with the devil in order to achieve the purpose of murdering His Son?
Christ tried to give a clear picture when He gave the ‘Parable of the Tenants’ in the Vineyard in Matthew 21: 35-39.
“When the time came to gather the grapes he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his share of the harvest. The tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another and stoned another. Again the man sent more slaves, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all he sent his son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the owner’s son. Come on, let’s kill him, and we will get his property!’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.”
Satan succeeded in cutting short the mission of Christ; he succeeded in cutting short the earthly life of Jesus. But he did not win with that. He actually lost. He lost because he could not stop the truth from being told. Despite the murder of the Son of God; despite the persecutions and killings of His followers, the message of the Messiah continued to spread; from province to province, nation to nation…And people are still being saved.
Satan knows this. He knows that he lost the battle. But he also knows something else! He knows that the war has not ended. It rages on! Rev 12:12 tells us “…how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage…”
And so he roams the earth, looking for whom to devour.
And the one formally called Lucifer—“the shinning one”, but now referred to as Satan the devil, is a master of cunning; of deceit; of treachery; of lies. He uses so many methods to lure man away from the right path. One of which is the distortion of the messages of Truth brought by so many servants of God and also by the Son of God Himself.
How else will man drop his guard if he is not told that the Almighty God is mysterious and that because He loves man so much He sent His Son Jesus to the earth to be murdered by them so that their sins might be forgiven? How else will he continue to indulge in sin if he is not told that we are saved by grace, and not by works?
Satan tells man that it is impossible to live without sin; that we can continue to live in sin so long as we believe in the death of the son of God and accept Him as our Lord and personal Saviour.
While Christ said “not those who call me Lord, but those who keep the Will of my Father who sent me,” Satan on the other hand says “as long as you call Him Lord, the Will of His Father is not so important.”
Here on earth, another is king. Satan! And he was enthroned by mankind. So far he has had a good time. Mankind is in confusion. The religions of the earth which are supposed to unite into one with the singular purpose of leading man back home, to Gods Kingdom are busy attacking one another, each one claiming to be the one true religion even while indulging in everything against the will of God such as hatred, suspicion, Avarice etc.
Christ was crucified because He brought The Message of Truth: He brought a Message that would show us the way back Home. Through this Message which teaches HOW and WHY man should ADAPT HIS LIFE to the Will of His Father, He brought Salvation.
If Man heeds the message of Jesus and changes his ways he would be saved. But if he refuses to adjust his life to it; if he refuses to start a new life, he would not make it back home to Heaven, despite the crucifiction of the Son of God.
The Son of God, Jesus was not crucified to save mankind; rather He was murdered because He wanted to save mankind.
From the history concerning the devil or Satan, we know that through temptation he had always used man to attack those who showed loyalty to God. All through the bible, right from the beginning we see how he set his agents against those who refused to bow down to or worship one idol or the other.
In the time of Christ we see what happened to John the Baptist (Mark 6:19-29); we also see the fate of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60) and many others. What was their crime? They were spreading enlightenment about God and His Will. They were revealing aspects of the Truth to their fellow human beings. They were talking about the Son of God, Jesus and His kingdom.
These activities were against the wish of the devil whose desire is to lead all astray so that together with him, man would eventually suffer eternal damnation.
It was all the more reason he attacked the Son of God Who came from the Truth and Himself is the Truth. Christ was more dangerous than all the others combined. And Satan wasted no time in trying to destroy the mission of the Son of God. Right from the period of the birth of Jesus the devil pursued Him using every available agent of darkness; King Herod, the Pharisees, the Scribes; they all served their purposes as his tools.
In John 8:37-38 Jesus said,
“I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are trying to kill me, because you will not accept my teaching. I talk about what my Father has shown me, but you do what your father has told you.”
In John 8:42-44 He also said,
“I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own authority, but He sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my message. You are the children of your father the Devil, and you want to follow your father’s desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer and has never been on the side of Truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies. But I tell the Truth, and that is why you do not believe me.”
It should be clear whose bidding the Jewish Authorities, the Pharisees and the scribes were following. They were being directed by Satan the Devil. Did God therefore join hands with the devil in order to achieve the purpose of murdering His Son?
Christ tried to give a clear picture when He gave the ‘Parable of the Tenants’ in the Vineyard in Matthew 21: 35-39.
“When the time came to gather the grapes he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his share of the harvest. The tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another and stoned another. Again the man sent more slaves, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all he sent his son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the owner’s son. Come on, let’s kill him, and we will get his property!’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.”
Satan succeeded in cutting short the mission of Christ; he succeeded in cutting short the earthly life of Jesus. But he did not win with that. He actually lost. He lost because he could not stop the truth from being told. Despite the murder of the Son of God; despite the persecutions and killings of His followers, the message of the Messiah continued to spread; from province to province, nation to nation…And people are still being saved.
Satan knows this. He knows that he lost the battle. But he also knows something else! He knows that the war has not ended. It rages on! Rev 12:12 tells us “…how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage…”
And so he roams the earth, looking for whom to devour.
And the one formally called Lucifer—“the shinning one”, but now referred to as Satan the devil, is a master of cunning; of deceit; of treachery; of lies. He uses so many methods to lure man away from the right path. One of which is the distortion of the messages of Truth brought by so many servants of God and also by the Son of God Himself.
How else will man drop his guard if he is not told that the Almighty God is mysterious and that because He loves man so much He sent His Son Jesus to the earth to be murdered by them so that their sins might be forgiven? How else will he continue to indulge in sin if he is not told that we are saved by grace, and not by works?
Satan tells man that it is impossible to live without sin; that we can continue to live in sin so long as we believe in the death of the son of God and accept Him as our Lord and personal Saviour.
While Christ said “not those who call me Lord, but those who keep the Will of my Father who sent me,” Satan on the other hand says “as long as you call Him Lord, the Will of His Father is not so important.”
Here on earth, another is king. Satan! And he was enthroned by mankind. So far he has had a good time. Mankind is in confusion. The religions of the earth which are supposed to unite into one with the singular purpose of leading man back home, to Gods Kingdom are busy attacking one another, each one claiming to be the one true religion even while indulging in everything against the will of God such as hatred, suspicion, Avarice etc.
Christ was crucified because He brought The Message of Truth: He brought a Message that would show us the way back Home. Through this Message which teaches HOW and WHY man should ADAPT HIS LIFE to the Will of His Father, He brought Salvation.
If Man heeds the message of Jesus and changes his ways he would be saved. But if he refuses to adjust his life to it; if he refuses to start a new life, he would not make it back home to Heaven, despite the crucifiction of the Son of God.
The Son of God, Jesus was not crucified to save mankind; rather He was murdered because He wanted to save mankind.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
faith of a child; III
This was fowarded to me via email recently from a christian friend of mine with the instruction to share it with friends so I thought I should post it here for many who are yet to receive it.
................................
An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his Class on the Problem Science has with GOD, The ALMIGHTY.
He asks one of his New Christian Students to stand and-
Professor: You are a Christian, aren't you, son?
Student: Yes, sir.
Professor: So you believe in GOD?
Student: Absolutely, sir
Professor: Is GOD Good?
Student: Sure
Professor: Is GOD ALL POWERFUL?
Student: Yes
Professor: My Brother died of Cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn't. How is this GOD good then?
(Student is silent)
Professor: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again. Young Fella! Is GOD Good?
Student: Yes.
Professor: Is Satan good?
Student: No
Professor: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From…GOD
Professor: That's right! Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student: Yes
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Professor: So who created evil?
(Student does not answer)
Professor: There is Sickness; Immorality; Hatred; Ugliness. All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir
Professor: So, who created them?
(Student has no answer)
Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you. Tell me son! Have you ever Seen GOD?
Student: No, sir
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student: No, Sir
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor: Yet you still believe in HIM?
Student: Yes
Professor: According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor: Yes. Faith. And that is the Problem Science has
Student: Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor: Yes
Student: No sir. There isn't
(The Lecture Theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events)
Student: Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat, a Little Heat or No Heat. But we don't have anything called Cold. We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as Cold. Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat. We cannot Measure Cold. Heat is Energy. Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it
(There is Pin - Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre)
Student: What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?
Student: You're wrong again sir, Darkness is the Absence of Something. You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light, but if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it? In reality, Darkness isn't. If it is, you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, Young Man?
Student: Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality. You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD. You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought. It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never been seen, much less fully understood either. To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing. Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going)
Student: Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and cannot even prove that this Process is an on - Going Endeavor, are you not Teaching your Opinion, sir? You're not a Scientist but a Preacher?
(The Class is in Uproar)
Student: Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain?
(The Class breaks out into Laughter)
Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have No Brain, sir. With all due respect sir, how then do we Trust your Lectures?
(The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable)
Professor: I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.
Student: That is it sir, the Link between Man and GOD is FAITH. That is all that Keeps Things Moving and Alive.
The FAITH of a child
That student was Albert Einstein
Monday, June 21, 2010
“The soul that sinneth shall die,” should not be taken in the physical sense.
A friend on mine on face book recently insisted that a man must be punished if possible by death if he was guilty of breaking the laws of God so I had to make this little post.
An adulterer was brought to Jesus by a group of people. They were led by some teachers and executors of the law. For her sin, she was to be stoned to death according to their law. But before then, they wanted to test Jesus.
Would Christ because of his preaching about love ask that she be set free, and thus go against the law? Or would he ask that she be put to death and thus make nonsense of his stance on love and forgiveness?
He did neither! Instead He asked that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone. One by one they began to leave. Eventually none was left.
Why? BECAUSE NOT ONE WAS WITHOUT SIN!
Why then did they think they had the right to take the life of a FELLOW SINNER on account of her sin?
With His action, Jesus wanted not to change the law but to clarify it.
The carrying out of justice on the Laws of God is done by God not man. When it is said that “the soul that sinneth shall die,” the death referred to is not physical death. Both those that live good lives according to God's will as well as and those that do not, would experience physical death. It therefore cannot be punishment for going against the Laws of God.
Taking the life of a man for sinning against the laws of God can only shorten his life on earth, and not punish him according to the law. The grace of God which permits the sinner to learn of the ways of God and make a change on his life is taken away from him by people who themselves are sinners and yet by still being alive, enjoy this grace which comes from God alone. Do they have more right to life?
The Justice of God is PERFECT and FINAL. No one can escape it. It does not depend on being caught first by his fellow man to be guilty of offending the Law. Whether done in hiding or in the open; whether seen by his fellow man or not; the one who engages in sin is GUILTY. If he has not adapted to a new life as willed by his Creator by the time he dies and leaves this world, then he shall surely DIE.
He would then not be permitted to have Eternal LIFE in Paradise. By his own choice he would have chosen DEATH. He would have chosen Damnation for Eternity.
That is why the gift of being allowed to live and learn is given to man. He is permitted to make mistakes but to learn from the mistakes; to fall but to stand up again. The grace of God is lavished on him that he may eventually become that man that is willed by The Almighty. The Grace is given to all equally.
We are permitted to make our own earthly laws which help to ensure a happy co-existence. It is important to draw these laws from the laws of God. But we must be careful how we interpret these laws, lest in trying to serve God, we might just be serving another who already has the stamp of death upon him.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Why was Christ born?
Take a look at this scenario.
A lady returns home from work very late. Her car broke down on her way back and she had to have it towed to the mechanics for repairs before finally heading for home. She resides with her husband, three kids and a nanny but her husband is not always around since he works with an oil firm offshore.
On this particular night he is on duty at work. She reaches her home to find it is on fire. There is a crowd outside and her nanny is at the side of the building crying. She looks around for her children but doesn’t find them. She is told they are still inside. In sheer apprehension she crashes in through a side door and begins to look for them. She can hear her baby who is barely a year old, crying and following his voice eventually finds him in his pram in the parlour.
There is smoke coming from the rooms so she leaves him in the parlour and rushes off to the children’s room to get the girls, hoping to bring them to the parlour also, so she can set off outside at the same time with all three of the kids. But she is prevented from doing so. The ceiling caves in at the passage way separating the rooms from the parlour. She can’t go back to the parlour through this passage. She has to get the girls out fast through the back door and then go back in, for the baby some other way.
But as she steps outside, with arms clasped tightly around both girls held to her chest, she hears a loud noise. She quickly drops the girls with some of the neighbours and rushes to the front of the house to find that the roof in front has collapsed. The entire building is now engulfed in flames and her baby is still inside. She can still hear him crying and can’t bear to think of what might be happening to him right now.
Despite all the attempts to restrain her she breaks away from the neighbours and crashes into the building through the front door. She makes her way through the flames heading for the parlour. Her clothes catch fire, but that’s the least of her worries right now. She has to get to the baby! She finds him in the pram where she left him. Luckily the fire hasn’t reached him. Her clothes are burning but she still ignores it. She has to move fast. She picks up the baby, pulls down a curtain, and rushes off to the kitchen where she soaks the curtain in water. Then she pours some water on her burning clothes, wraps the wet curtain around the baby, makes her way to a side window through the flames that has now engulfed the entire building, and crashes out.
Her baby is unharmed and the girls are safe.
She is rushed off to hospital in severe pains, but doesn’t make it.
She dies on the way.
Strange, but it seems she had a smile in her face when she died.
If the tabloids carry the story, some of the possible captions would be;
*Woman dies to save children
*Lady sacrifices her life for her children’s
*Woman dies that her children may live
*Woman pays supreme sacrifice; dies for her children
Now the question is did she want to die? Was suicide the reason she entered the fire? Was she happy because she was dying at last?
On the other hand, was she happy because she had successfully saved the lives of her children and it didn’t matter if it cost her, her own life?
This question is very pertinent.
The children need to understand that the reason their mother entered the fire was not to die but to save them from a certain danger.
They must see that because of her love for them, she was prepared to lose her own life in order to save them from this danger.
They must know this danger.
If they cannot appreciate the real reason for her entering the fire; if they must place more emphasis on her death rather than on the danger from which she was trying to save them, then they would not be in the best frame of mind to avoid courting the danger in the future. In order words, the threat of the danger will for ever be present. Even after the great sacrifice of their mother.
So why was Christ born?
It is said that He came to die for our sins.
Is this true? Did He really come for that purpose? Did He come to be abused, flogged, stabbed and finally murdered to please God, his father in order for our sins to be forgiven?
Let’s put it this way. If as a sinner, I had offended God by killing my fellow man, would He require that I beat up His Son and finally murder Him in order to be forgiven for murder?
Is this thought or opinion not blasphemy?
Who tempted the Pharisees and the Scribes? Who tempted Judas?
Was it God?
…Or Satan, the devil!
If indeed God had wanted His Son to be killed He would either have needed to tempt man Himself, relied on the devil to do it for Him, or probably have worked hand in hand with the devil to achieve it. It also means that all those who helped to make it possible would be blessed. Why then should Judas who made the death of Jesus possible not be a Saint? Why is the name "Judas" not being happily given by parents to children? After all he did make it possible for man to be saved.
But God couldn’t have worked with the devil; He couldn’t have wanted His Son to be murdered.
And that is why in speaking about the betrayal of Judas, Jesus says in Matt 26:24, “How terrible for that man who betrays the Son of Man; it would have been better for that man if had had never been born!”
And in Luke 23:28 He told the women to weep, but not for Him, rather for themselves and their children. He actually told them to weep.
Again we see in Matt 27:45&51, that the whole country was covered in darkness for three hours as he suffered on the cross; the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom as He breathed His last. The earth shook and the rocks split apart. Surely, these signs cannot mean that the death of Jesus was pleasing to His Father.
In Matthew 21:33-39 the Son of God gave a clear picture of the evil that was about to happen. See 37 “Last of all he sent his son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ He said.” And 38 “This is the owner’s son. Let us kill him and we will get his property!”
Indeed God sent His Son to save mankind
He did this because He saw the path we were treading and where it was leading. He saw how far we had sunk. There was so much evil and it was spreading rapidly. Those who were supposed to guide us were themselves lost. The works of the prophets were no longer understood. There could have been only one outcome…Hell.
So as an act of emergency and out of His Grace, He sent His Son to save us from Satan; from self destruction and from death. The coming of Jesus was prophesied but the prophecy was misunderstood. The Jews had expected a king that would deliver them from hands of the Romans. An earthly king! But when he offered no resistance to his arrest and crucifixion, when He allowed Himself to be insulted, flogged and finally murdered, with no help whatsoever from God, He either had to be a fake or a Messiah sent to die for mankind. He was neither!
The mission of the Son of God was not a physical or earthly one. It was a Spiritual one! Yes, He was a Messiah, but not one sent to establish an earthly kingdom neither was He a Messiah sent to die. Rather he was here to point the way to a Spiritual Kingdom. A kingdom where He reigns as king; where all activity is in harmony with the will of God His Father!
In John 18:37 Christ said “I was born and came into this world for this ONE purpose, to speak about the Truth. Whoever belongs to the Truth listens to me.”
Let us not be deceived! Christ came to show us His Father; He came to tell us about His kingdom; to warn us against sin and by so doing to save us from eternal damnation. He came to show us the road we must follow; the kind of lives we must live. He came to ask us to live a new life, to be born again.
And He also came to tell us that, “unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
A lady returns home from work very late. Her car broke down on her way back and she had to have it towed to the mechanics for repairs before finally heading for home. She resides with her husband, three kids and a nanny but her husband is not always around since he works with an oil firm offshore.
On this particular night he is on duty at work. She reaches her home to find it is on fire. There is a crowd outside and her nanny is at the side of the building crying. She looks around for her children but doesn’t find them. She is told they are still inside. In sheer apprehension she crashes in through a side door and begins to look for them. She can hear her baby who is barely a year old, crying and following his voice eventually finds him in his pram in the parlour.
There is smoke coming from the rooms so she leaves him in the parlour and rushes off to the children’s room to get the girls, hoping to bring them to the parlour also, so she can set off outside at the same time with all three of the kids. But she is prevented from doing so. The ceiling caves in at the passage way separating the rooms from the parlour. She can’t go back to the parlour through this passage. She has to get the girls out fast through the back door and then go back in, for the baby some other way.
But as she steps outside, with arms clasped tightly around both girls held to her chest, she hears a loud noise. She quickly drops the girls with some of the neighbours and rushes to the front of the house to find that the roof in front has collapsed. The entire building is now engulfed in flames and her baby is still inside. She can still hear him crying and can’t bear to think of what might be happening to him right now.
Despite all the attempts to restrain her she breaks away from the neighbours and crashes into the building through the front door. She makes her way through the flames heading for the parlour. Her clothes catch fire, but that’s the least of her worries right now. She has to get to the baby! She finds him in the pram where she left him. Luckily the fire hasn’t reached him. Her clothes are burning but she still ignores it. She has to move fast. She picks up the baby, pulls down a curtain, and rushes off to the kitchen where she soaks the curtain in water. Then she pours some water on her burning clothes, wraps the wet curtain around the baby, makes her way to a side window through the flames that has now engulfed the entire building, and crashes out.
Her baby is unharmed and the girls are safe.
She is rushed off to hospital in severe pains, but doesn’t make it.
She dies on the way.
Strange, but it seems she had a smile in her face when she died.
If the tabloids carry the story, some of the possible captions would be;
*Woman dies to save children
*Lady sacrifices her life for her children’s
*Woman dies that her children may live
*Woman pays supreme sacrifice; dies for her children
Now the question is did she want to die? Was suicide the reason she entered the fire? Was she happy because she was dying at last?
On the other hand, was she happy because she had successfully saved the lives of her children and it didn’t matter if it cost her, her own life?
This question is very pertinent.
The children need to understand that the reason their mother entered the fire was not to die but to save them from a certain danger.
They must see that because of her love for them, she was prepared to lose her own life in order to save them from this danger.
They must know this danger.
If they cannot appreciate the real reason for her entering the fire; if they must place more emphasis on her death rather than on the danger from which she was trying to save them, then they would not be in the best frame of mind to avoid courting the danger in the future. In order words, the threat of the danger will for ever be present. Even after the great sacrifice of their mother.
So why was Christ born?
It is said that He came to die for our sins.
Is this true? Did He really come for that purpose? Did He come to be abused, flogged, stabbed and finally murdered to please God, his father in order for our sins to be forgiven?
Let’s put it this way. If as a sinner, I had offended God by killing my fellow man, would He require that I beat up His Son and finally murder Him in order to be forgiven for murder?
Is this thought or opinion not blasphemy?
Who tempted the Pharisees and the Scribes? Who tempted Judas?
Was it God?
…Or Satan, the devil!
If indeed God had wanted His Son to be killed He would either have needed to tempt man Himself, relied on the devil to do it for Him, or probably have worked hand in hand with the devil to achieve it. It also means that all those who helped to make it possible would be blessed. Why then should Judas who made the death of Jesus possible not be a Saint? Why is the name "Judas" not being happily given by parents to children? After all he did make it possible for man to be saved.
But God couldn’t have worked with the devil; He couldn’t have wanted His Son to be murdered.
And that is why in speaking about the betrayal of Judas, Jesus says in Matt 26:24, “How terrible for that man who betrays the Son of Man; it would have been better for that man if had had never been born!”
And in Luke 23:28 He told the women to weep, but not for Him, rather for themselves and their children. He actually told them to weep.
Again we see in Matt 27:45&51, that the whole country was covered in darkness for three hours as he suffered on the cross; the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom as He breathed His last. The earth shook and the rocks split apart. Surely, these signs cannot mean that the death of Jesus was pleasing to His Father.
In Matthew 21:33-39 the Son of God gave a clear picture of the evil that was about to happen. See 37 “Last of all he sent his son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ He said.” And 38 “This is the owner’s son. Let us kill him and we will get his property!”
Indeed God sent His Son to save mankind
He did this because He saw the path we were treading and where it was leading. He saw how far we had sunk. There was so much evil and it was spreading rapidly. Those who were supposed to guide us were themselves lost. The works of the prophets were no longer understood. There could have been only one outcome…Hell.
So as an act of emergency and out of His Grace, He sent His Son to save us from Satan; from self destruction and from death. The coming of Jesus was prophesied but the prophecy was misunderstood. The Jews had expected a king that would deliver them from hands of the Romans. An earthly king! But when he offered no resistance to his arrest and crucifixion, when He allowed Himself to be insulted, flogged and finally murdered, with no help whatsoever from God, He either had to be a fake or a Messiah sent to die for mankind. He was neither!
The mission of the Son of God was not a physical or earthly one. It was a Spiritual one! Yes, He was a Messiah, but not one sent to establish an earthly kingdom neither was He a Messiah sent to die. Rather he was here to point the way to a Spiritual Kingdom. A kingdom where He reigns as king; where all activity is in harmony with the will of God His Father!
In John 18:37 Christ said “I was born and came into this world for this ONE purpose, to speak about the Truth. Whoever belongs to the Truth listens to me.”
Let us not be deceived! Christ came to show us His Father; He came to tell us about His kingdom; to warn us against sin and by so doing to save us from eternal damnation. He came to show us the road we must follow; the kind of lives we must live. He came to ask us to live a new life, to be born again.
And He also came to tell us that, “unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
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