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Tuesday 14 February 2012

A Gift beyond Description


If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. The infant Jesus is our living, breathing sign of the immeasurable love.that God has had for all of us from the very beginning. Christmas is the living promise that we are never ever alone.  

No matter where we are in life, no matter in what condition we find ourselves, no matter how far we might 
stray away, or how unfaithful we are, God, the supreme lover, will pursue us in love for eternity! It’s a love
 that never stops shining. Christmas is the beginning of a classic love story with all the right Ingredients: 
 infatuation, pursuit, risks and relationship...A joyous celebration cannot be found at that Mall or a party or even under a tree.  The main focus of Christmas must be sought carefully and diligently.  He is found at   a lowly stable in Bethlehem.

The foundation of Christmas goes back much further. It starts in the first book of the Bible—Genesis. The initial reference to the birth of Jesus is in Genesis 3:15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The prediction of the Virgin Birth (seed of a woman) of Jesus came immediately after Adam and Eve sinned. Though they were sentenced to die, God in His mercy gave a promise of redemption through the one who would be born of a virgin—Jesus Christ.

Back in Genesis, the bad news of Adam’s sin was punishable by death ( Genesis 2:17. Romans 6:23 Confirms that the wages of sin is death. Adam and Eve sinned, so something had to die to cover that sin. 
This is why God killed animals to cover Adam and Eve’s sin (Genesis 3:21). Although we don’t know what animals were sacrificed, we have often pictured it as a lamb as a foreshadowing of the Gospel. Jesus, the Lamb of God, was the final sacrifice to cover peoples” sins on the Cross.

Historically, Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Theologically, Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation of God in Jesus, the self-revelation of God to the world in human form for the reconciliation of humanity to Himself. Traditionally Christmas a time of wonder and joy, of generosity and peace that brings family and friends together in celebration and we observe the holy traditions that make the season captivating. Usually we are so preoccupied with the celebration that we forget the celebrant. But the Celebrant is more important than the celebration because the Celebrant is the cause for the celebration. Jesus is the center of Christmas and He is the reason for the season.

The Christmas story begin in the little town of Bethlehem in Israel over 2,000 years ago, a baby was born whose life was destined to affect countless millions. The origin and purpose of Christmas is presented beautifully in the Biblical account of Gospel of Luke.  In those days the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This meant that families had to register in their historical tribal town rather than where they lived. So Joseph and the very pregnant Mary would have had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, as this was town that Joseph's family, originally came from - a journey of about 112 kilometers. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Lord Jesus came to a stable, and was laid in a manger. His mother had only the straw for a bed.

The world knew not of His birth. Work went on as usual. Cathedral bells failed to toll; bands were silent; no royal choruses burst forth in song. Only the music of Heaven was heard. In fact, God had to arrange a welcome for Himself, and legions of angels circled the skies and heralded His birth. “Out in the fields, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds who were tending their flocks of sheep by night. The angel announced that the Savior had been born in the town of David. Suddenly a great host of heavenly beings appeared with the angels and began singing praises to God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

The birth of Jesus in a little town of Bethlehem forever changed the history of the world. This was not an ordinary birth! The remarkable signal and subsequent proceedings were the evidence that Jesus Christ is the most unique personality ever lived in all history. The Old Testament prophets predicted his coming.  The Angel Gabriel announced His arrival. The Angelic host sang a chorus for Him.  The brightest star marked His presence.  The Wise men came to worship Him. The Shepherds came to honor Him.  The Priests knew from the Scripture that He was coming. Jerusalem was troubled at His coming.  Simeon, the just and wise man in the Jerusalem temple took Jesus in his arms and blessed God and said “Lord….my eyes have seen your salvation…which you have prepared before the face of all people. Rulers like Herod the king learned of His birth and became fearful and afraid. Anger filled their hearts. Murder was conspired and executed. Fearful of losing their power, they sought his death by every possible means. Demons trembled. Satan became enraged. All hell was allied against Him. But God was watching and He lived in spite of all.

Jesus was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed upon the land. The rulers were arrogant and unrighteous. The people were materialistic, indolent and heedless. Purity was forgotten. Morality was neglected. They were intent upon worshipping affluence than adoring God. Those conditions of darkness; impurity and materialism that prevailed before the coming of Christ signify the inner state of man’s heart .There has no fear of God or hunger for spiritual life. People were immersed in the pursuit of the material things. If this state of things must cease and if we must enter into a new life of spiritual aspiration, purity and devotion, then the Christ-spirit must take its birth within our heart. That is the real Christmas when the Divine constituent begins to express itself in the heart of the man. From then onward, light begins to shine where darkness was before. Ignorance gives place to the beginning of wisdom. Impurity is replaced by purity. Hatred ceases and love begins to blossom forth.

Jesus is the central figure of all history and was the greatest missionary of all time. In fact, He left heaven and His exalted position there to come down to earth on the greatest mission trip of all time. His mission was to redeem the earth and save mankind from the fatal results of Adams fall. He stayed long enough to finish the work of redemption. However, His coming into the world was not the beginning of Jesus. He was the word that was in the beginning. He came from eternity. He always was and is eternal God. He came from glory, the glory that was before the world ever was (John 17:5). He temporarily laid aside His glory and took a body, through the Virgin Mary, to live in long enough to die for the sins of the world.

Napoleon Bonaparte said "I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius upon force. Jesus Christ founded His Empire on love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him." 

Throughout history, the influence Jesus had on the lives of people has never been surpassed. No other great leader has inspired so many positive changes in the lives of his followers. People who encounter the risen Christ are totally transformed. Their outlook on life is altered forever. Staying true to their faith, they do not hesitate to face hardship, persecution and even death. Many devote their lives to serving others, minimizing their own needs and desires.”

The true meaning of Christmas is God came to be with us in a way that totally identified Himself with us, as human beings. Jesus birth was the incarnation of God on earth, opening the door to new hope and eternal life. Nobody has changed the world the way Jesus has.He was not a man who became God, which is impossible, but God who became a man. So why did Jesus come to earth as God in human form? Was it to give us the ultimate teachings ever? No. Though they were the greatest teachings ever given, He came here for more than that. Did Jesus come to set the perfect example of how a man or woman should live? He came to do that and much more. Did Jesus walk this earth merely to do miracles and heal people? While He always reached out to people in need, that was not His primary purpose..C. S. Lewis said it well: "The Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God." God became a man so that you might become God's child. Now that is true Christmas and something worth celebrating.

Right at the heart of Christmas laid the central purpose of God - which made all the difference in the world.. Christmas stands for the presence of God with us (Immanuel) to meet the pressures of life as they come to us day by day. When our hopes crush, & dreams collapse, the Grace and Love of Jesus is designed to relieve and to bring hope to us. And the result  is life everlasting, peace instead of restlessness, acceptance rather than guilt, love in place of lust or hate, power to replace weakness, joy for mourning, beauty for ashes, hope for despair, courage in place of cowardice, and cleansing from all dirt and filth of spirit. Hence Jesus Christ is worshipped by countless millions and untold multitudes are looking forward to the time when he will come again according Hs promise. He is the mightiest of all the mighty, the savior of the world and God incarnate. He worked a transformation in the lives of people. He gave a new and a spiritual turn to the lives of man. There came a change upon the land. People started upon a new way of life. Thus a new era dawned for the world.

Jesus said Let your light shine before men  that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, the one in the heavens” (Matt. 6:16).  . Christmas is a time to appreciate what God has done for us in Christ, time for thanksgiving and remembering God’s goodness.  Christmas is a time for hope, peace and reconciliation. In John gospel 3:16, a Christmas message and it has something to do with the manifestation of the greatest love and the greatest gift the world ever seen. God is giving his only Son to the world. Christmas becomes more meaningful when we give than when we expect to receive. 


Remember, It Is the Lord’s birthday we are celebrating. The true spirit of Christmas is Christ-spirit must take its birth within our heart. That is the real Christmas when we  accept Christ as our personal savior and Lord and  dedication to serve those in need, to giving hope to those in despair, and to spreading Love, peace, joy and message of hope  in the world.  Jesus is the light of the world and he is our living, breathing sign of the immeasurable love that God has had for all of us from the very beginning.  It’s a love that never stops shining. May the Blessings of our Lord Jesus with His Peace, the Beauty of Hope, the Spirit of Love, the Comfort of Faith, be your gifts always and in all your ways.





The story behind Valentine’s Day?


The story behind Valentine’s Day?
There is a lot of debate and disagreement among scholars about the origins of Valentine’s Day. We’ll probably never be able to sort out all of the cultural and religious threads in order to reconstruct a complete and coherent story. The origins of Valentine’s Day lie too far in the past to be sure about everything. Despite this, there are a number of assumptions we can make which are reasonably sound. According to tradition, on this day, February 14, 269, a young man named Valentine was executed in Rome for his faith. Hence Valentine's Day was first established by Pope Gelasius in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the church calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul V1. To gain a better understanding of the religious background of Valentine’s Day, we have to dig deeper.
According to one story, Roman emperor Claudius II imposed a ban on marriages because too many young men were escaping the draft by getting married (only single men had to enter the army). St Valentine’s ignored the ban and performed secret marriages. He was caught, of course, which meant that he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. While awaiting execution, young lovers visited him with notes about how much better love is than war — the first “valentines.”

I happened to read another story about St. Valentine that really caught my attention and I want to pass it on to my readers. St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D. At that time the Roman Emperor was imprisoning Christians for not worshipping the Roman gods. During this persecution Valentine was arrested. Some write that he was arrested because he was performing Christian marriages, but others say it was for helping Christians escape prison. During the trial they asked Valentine what he thought of the Roman gods Jupiter and Mercury. Valentine said they were false gods and that the God that Jesus called Father was the only true God. So the Romans threw him in prison for insulting the gods.

While in prison Valentine continued to share the love of Jesus to everyone in prison. Even He witnessed to the guards. One of the guards was a good man who had adopted a blind girl. He asked Valentine if his God could help his daughter. Valentine prayed and the girl was given her sight. The guard and his whole family, 46 people, believed in Jesus and were baptized. Because these people had come to know Jesus, Valentine praised God right there in his prison cell. When the emperor heard about this he was furious that Valentine was still making converts even in prison, so he had Valentine beheaded.

Valentine knew that he might get caught in his activities. He knew that if he told the court the truth about the Roman gods that he would be thrown in prison. And he knew that if he continued to witness to Christ in the prison he would make his captors angry. But he continued, because he loved the Lord Jesus more than his life and his fellow humans. He was willing to risk his life to free the prisoners and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who needed to hear it.

 Bible Says: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends."(John 15:13) God showed us this love by coming in Christ to die for our sins. This is the kind of love that Valentine's Day is really about. God is love and the source of true love. God loved us enough to die for us.

The love of Christ in its sweetness, its fullness, its greatness, its faithfulness, passes all human comprehension. His matchless and unparalleled love towards us is so vast and boundless and its depths immeasurable. Love of Christ is indeed measureless and fathomless; none can attain unto it. Before we can have any right idea of the love of Jesus, we must understand his previous glory in its height of majesty, and his incarnation upon the earth in all its depths of shame. But who describe the majesty of Christ?


When he was enthroned in the highest heavens he was very God of very God; by him were the heavens made, and all the hosts thereof. His own almighty arm upheld the spheres; the praises of cherubim and seraphim perpetually surrounded him; the full chorus of the hallelujahs of the universe unceasingly flowed to the foot of his throne: He reign supreme above all his creatures, God over all, blessed forever. Who can tell his height of glory then? And who, on the other hand, can tell how low he descended?


To be a man was something, to be a man of sorrows was far more; to bleed, and die, and suffer, these were much for him who was the Son of God; but to suffer such unparalleled agony--to endure a death of shame and desertion by his Father, this is a depth of condescending love which the most inspired mind must utterly fail to fathom. This is the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.(John 3:16)For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Let this Agape Love fill our hearts with adoring gratitude, and lead us to practical manifestations of its power.


John, the apostle of love, tells us in his first epistle by way of a warning: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15 -16).

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Education has the power to change everything.



Education has the power to change everything.

This column is to present a distinctive and comprehensive body of knowledge focusing on the relationships between the concepts and correlation of Love and Truth, in education in the light of the Holy Scripture. In essence all the religions of the world, while they may differ in other respects, united in declaration that nothing lives in this world but Love and Truth. Academic excellence is an allocation of education consists of Information or knowledge, understanding, or comprehension, wisdom or application, which includes values, principles, aptitude, attitude and altitude, all together constitutes holistic education. Innovative and stimulating work, thought-provoking debate around the analysis, construction, deployment, discourses, research and theory are some of the work exploring forms of presentation and representation in educational practice.
Everything begins with our right and correct concept of education. What happens if we choose to create a better life and better world but we are born into an adverse situation where you don’t have the privilege to gain a higher level of education?  What does it mean to unleash the power of education in an adverse circumstance? It all begins with what we expect from education. Education goes beyond schooling and it is rooted in the family. Education empowers people and it is the true wealth of the community. Education is hope for the future and destiny. We can shape our destiny with the Winding Spring Process of Education. This fulfills our humanity by refining our human nature. Life is a process of living, loving, and learning and finally leaving a legacy. Education is a vital part of the process for the individual aspiration for a comprehensive and meaningful- life. Therefore real education transforms the human heart and the transformed heart transforms the family, community and the world.

Some People are fortunate to acquire best education by the virtue of their circumstances. But others in adverse situation known as underprivileged but if we understand the education correctly every situation we have and the wealth of experience we encounter itself is unique form of education. Sometimes we wonder why some people are powerful, dominate and wealthy and others are poor and oppressed? Why are some people well off and others drown in poverty? How does some people seem to get all the breaks and others can get a fair shake? We ask ourselves these questions? If we study closely then we realize the truth and true value of education. If we can wake up and rise up from our situation or pick up a book and read and ask question and learn all that we can about life’s principles, laws, dogma and standards, then we can change our circumstances. By Nature we are lazy and will do anything to avoid stretching our minds for searching, studying and analyzing. If it’s not easily available on our reach or on TV or on computer we avoid it. Most people want knowledge spoon-fed to them and will not take steps to work for the information that can change their lives.

Maybe it began in family or school. Having to read “boring” textbooks and listen to a teacher drone on and on about a topic that you will never have to see again in real life may be the culprit. Or maybe it’s the easy access to stuff, mobile phone, iPod; I phone, television and internet where entertainment is more fun than searching, seeking and scrutiny. Unfortunately this mindset leaves the individual woefully unprepared for life, and left behind when it comes to good fortune. Instead of getting deployed or starting a great business, life is spent slaving away as a grocery store clerk or fast food worker as an employ. Jealousy and bitterness sets in against those who have while they have-not. It seems that the haves get all the breaks but that is the case for a very small percentage of people. The rest of the haves get where they are because they take the time to study, search, read, and do hard work to create their ideal life.

Education does not mean you have to go back to school, colleges and suffer through theory classes, it simply means be proactive and innovative, do your best, pick up a book and read. It means you take a course that interest you and will help you advance. It means that you become curious about the world and stop waiting for someone to hand it to you. It means be a learner and a student, at all times.


Everyone has the opportunity to be educated &succeed in life. We may not always get a degree or certificate for our labor, but we get something far more valuable with bright future and hope. The more we gain knowledge the more powerful we are to change our world. There is no excuse for not being the best. With our education, determination, and ambition we can reach our goals. True education will help us that Instead of being a person who whines and complains about what we don’t have, we begin to explore a way to get a better life, build a strong family, and establish a refine community and Brand Nation. “The greatness of a nation and its education progress can be judged by the behavior and life style of its people.” Now is the time to change our life, regain the power we have given away because we are waiting for someone else to fix things for us, and get what we know we deserve. So what are you waiting for? Mahatma Gandhi rightly said “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I recall a humorous tale about a young boy who approached his father and asked, “Dad, why does the wind blow?” to which the father responded, "I don't know, son." "Dad, where do the clouds come from?" "I'm not sure, son." "Dad, what makes a rainbow?" "No idea, son." "Dad, do you mind me asking you all these questions." Not at all sons, if you don’t ask question, how else are you going to learn?” The father was honest to admit his ignorance but encouraged his son to keep asking question. But a parent with education is a legacy for their children. "Research shows that children of educated parents are healthier, perform better academically, and are more likely to attend higher studies themselves than children of those with lower educational background.


You cannot give someone what you don’t have yourselves and you can’t teach someone what you don’t know yourselves. Sincerity is the foundation of our humanity. Sincere inquiry leads to successful investigation. Successful investigation adds value to our knowledge. New knowledge tests our reasoning and improves our minds. We must anticipate education leading to a better society and a better world. Self-transformation leads to world transformation. As Socrates rightly said, “Virtue is knowledge.” Learning is the beginning of action. Action is the completion of learning. Education shapes your world view. Your world view shapes education. Education is the key to the Good Life. This is the power of education.  Education must be rooted in the right soil. For the kids it can be a good home. For the grown up children it can be noble teachers and fine institutions .For the mature it can be a sincere heart to grasp everything they come across daily life. Edward Everett said "Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army." "Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."."Education is a companion which no misfortune can depress, no crime can destroy, no enemy can alienate, no despotism can enslave.


Scriptural Insight


Bible is the prominent, predominant and preeminent classic manual and constitution for our life and Education. One of the marvels of the Holy Bible is that it uses language that communicates with people of the most primitive and limited understanding, while at the same time it still has significance, and inexhaustible meaning, to the most scholarly and intellectual of men. It addresses itself with equal simplicity to all classes of mankind. No other book that I know of has that distinction.
For example Bible begins with one of the most profound statements ever made in the hearing of men. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) It gathers up in ten English words (seven in Hebrew) the answers to the four fundamental questions which every person faces when he really begins to think seriously about his life and the universe in which he lives. This verse also begins with the greatest observable fact known to man: the existence of the universe, the heavens and the earth, (Genesis 1:1); and it links to that the greatest fact made known by revelation: the existence of a God who creates. There is thus brought together in this simple verse at the beginning of the Bible the recognition of the two great sources of human Education: Nature, which is discoverable by the five senses of our physical life; and Revelation, which is discoverable only by a mind and heart illuminated and taught by the Spirit of God. These things "are spiritually discerned," says the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Both of these sources of knowledge are from God, and each of them is a means of knowing something about God. The scientist who studies nature is searching ultimately for God. One great Christian Scientist declared, "I am thinking the thoughts of God after him." That is an excellent way to describe what science basically is doing. Also, those who seek to understand the Bible, to grasp its great themes and to understand the depths that are revealed there, are likewise in search of God. Nature is designed to teach us certain facts about God, but revelation is designed to lead us to the God about whom nature speaks. Thus the two are complementary.  They are not contradictory in any sense, but complete one another.
The Bible completely avoids the utter ridiculousness of some of the early myths about creation and origin, found in other religions. In this creation account there is nothing that needs to be laid aside as man's knowledge increases. Later, the Bible takes these two words, the heavens and the earth, and expands both, disclosing a remarkable knowledge of nature which anticipates by many, many centuries the discoveries of modern science. That is another proof that this book is not of man. It comes through man, but from God.
It was the Bible that first said that the number of the stars is beyond computation. It declares that God "stretched forth the heavens" (Isaiah 51:13) into limitless expanse which can never be measured, and filled it with stars which are as numerous as the sands upon the seashore, (Genesis 22:17). Yet to a primitive observer looking into the heavens, the visible stars are not uncountable. They are a vast number but they do not seem impossible to count. But the Bible flatly states that the number of the stars can be compared, literally, to the number of the grains of sand upon the seashore. Modern science has now established this to be true. Man cannot possibly begin to assess the number of the stars.
It was also the Bible that said the earth is hung upon nothing (Job 26:7). In that poetic way it describes the mysterious force of gravity which no one even yet understands but which keeps the earth suspended in its relationship to the sun and the other planets. The earth literally hangs upon nothing. It was the Bible that said that "things which are seen are made of things which do not appear," thus predating by many centuries the discoveries of modern science which finally recognized that all matter is made up of invisible energy, and that matter and energy are interchangeable.
The supreme concern within God's heart in giving us the Bible has been, through the centuries that we might understand what goes on in the human spirit, affecting everything we do. He has deliberately made the physical to correspond to the spiritual in such a way as to illustrate to us what is going on within.
Dr. F. A. Filby, said “The material world is designed to produce parallels -- parables -- of the spiritual. There is indeed a spiritual law operating in the natural world, and God put us on a planet where light is separated from darkness for our spiritual education as well as for our physical needs. There is a spiritual, as well as a physical reason, for the pattern of creation and he who divorces science from true religion will never be able to come to a real understanding of the world.”
A wisest and richest king ever lived-in History, said in Proverbs 23:12 “Apply your heart to discipline (Education) and your ears to words of knowledge.” In another words Listen to instruction and do your best to learn. Why Education is Vital? Because, proverbs 24:3 he said “by wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches”. In the same Book he also affirmed in (25:2) “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” And “For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding”. (Proverbs 2:6)
One of the keys to success in life is a persistent and continual pursuit of knowledge for self- development. Passion for knowledge will drives everyone to extend and expose to new initiatives and create a new environment. The desire to keep growing in knowledge, understating, wisdom, Truth, Love, Faith and moral values &principles will inspire us to stretch beyond our fears and self-imposed boundaries. Hence education and relationships are essential in real, lasting, life-changing experience and authentic life. The Bible speaks about another word for, "education” the words, "truth" and "love." How truth and love relate to each other?  Paul said the goal of education is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith 1Timothy 1:5. Education is not the goal, love is. Education is the means. It is subordinate. Truth serves love. Education serves relationships - mainly the relationship between us and God, but also between believers and believers, and between us and nonbelievers. The "purpose" of all education is to know the truth and love.
“And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up to love and helpful deeds and noble activities, " (Hebrews 10:24). The aim of our "considering one another" is that we stir up love. The truth of doctrine and truth of people-watching unite to aim at love. Love aims at truth."Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth" (1 Corinthians 13:6). Love is glad when truth is spoken. Therefore love aims at truth. It supports truth.
Paul wrote "Out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you" (2 Corinthians 2:4). Here is an example of how love aims at truth. Paul is filled with love and it compels him to write a letter that was hard, and caused sorrow in him and in the Corinthians. But it needed to be said. So love said it. Love speaks the truth personally and doctrinally. Love shapes how to speak the truth.
"Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). There is an unloving way to speak the truth. That kind of truth-speaking we should repudiate. But there is a way to speak the truth in love, and that we should seek.  It is about what is the most helpful thing to say when everything is considered. Sometimes what would have been a hard word to one group is a needed act of love to another group, and not a wrong to the group addressed. But in general, love shapes truth into words and ways that are patient and gentle (2 Timothy 2:24-25). Truth shapes how to show love.
This is how we know that we love God's children: it is by loving God and obeying his commands. for our love for God means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not too hard for us (1 John 5:2-3). It is not always obvious which acts demonstrate love. So John tells us some truth will help us know if our acts reflect agape love.

One truth test for our love is whether we are keeping the commandments of God toward people. In other words, love cannot be cut loose from the truth of God's will. Truth shapes how to show love. Love is the basis of all that God asks of us. Jesus says, "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12). This teaching goes hand in hand with what Jesus urges later in Luke 10:27, that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.
We want to be appreciated, loved, treated with dignity, and esteemed. This, then, is the way we ought to treat others. The double benefit is that when we treat others that way, they begin to treat us the same and our relationships are characterized by depth, meaning and true education.
Love is the fundamental factor of all meaningful relationships. Love is an action -- the action of selflessness, of esteeming others above ourselves. All interpersonal problems could be solved with a faithful, mutual expression of love. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone acted in love. No war. No divorce. No AIDS. No murder. No rape. No tears. No sin.
Though Jesus knew that sin presently prevents perfect love, He held believers to a high standard of showing His love in this world: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
The more you know the more powerful you are to change your world. There is no excuse for not being the best you possible. Now is the time to change your life, regain the power you have given away because you are waiting for someone else to fix things for you, and get what you know you deserve. So what are you waiting for?
Education is empowerment in many ways. It has the power to eradicate ignorance, poverty, and make individuals become independent because of their career choices. In life's supermarket, we are encouraged to take education seriously because it affords us to be self-reliant.
This is the basic understanding of education. But what is the power of education? Before fallen man was able to organize his mind to form various levels of civilizations, he was nurtured by earth. Nature weaned him in the recesses of her caves. His mind was disorganized, and his ways were wild as the beast of the fields. For thousands of years, he was dissatisfied with his condition. Man the pupil learned the ways of nature. His instincts were impeccable; his understanding of the senses given to him was his only hope for survival. He then understood the power of education. Though nomadic and fickle in thought, he withstood harsh winters and unsteady storms. His resilience was embedded into his identity. His passion to survive marked his identity. Fate and Providence etched into his mind a longing hope to excel higher above all the creatures in the fields.



His mind explored new horizons, forging new paths for generations to come. This is the power of education. For us to survive as a top species; we have to return to the basics of living. We have isolated ourselves and our thoughts from true wisdom. Today's man depends solely on self-only. It's not until we are faced with dilemma and calamity, then we realize our true inner potential.

 There is only one book that gives us a reliable answer to all questions of Human heart.  All we need to know about universe, revealed in the pages of Bible. In Genesis chapter one is a very simple narrative of the creation of the world; Simple, yet majestic in its beauty & profound in its depth. Creation alone can speak to our intelligence an imperishable language, never changing, because it remains within the bounds of eternal truth & of what is absolutely noble& beautiful. What a greatness of miracle  contained in every ray of light, every drop of dew, every pebble of the brook, every fragment of rock, every blade of grass; what a Magnificent of order & law there is revealed in every natural process– the motion of earth, the sun, & stars,  the flow of tides, the rush of the breeze, the braiding of the rainbow on the cloud, the change of seasons, the springing, growth, blossoming,& fruit-bearing of flower,& shrub,& tree! These are the works of God, the laws of God, the daily miracles of God. In all of them wisdom is seen; wisdom as profound as it is perfect, as incomprehensible as it is glorious, as magnificent in its minuteness as in its vastness, in the grain of sand as in the mighty mountain, in the blush of the unnoticed desert-flower as in the splendor of a new-lighted star. In all this there is wisdom; yet all these are but parts– mere fragments; ONLY in Christ Jesus, the incarnate Word– is the mighty whole contained. Jesus is "the Wisdom of God." In the works of creation God has displayed portions of his wisdom– but in Christ he has summed up & put forth THE WHOLE of it; so that it can be said of this Christ, He is the wisdom of God. In 1 Corinthians chapter one we see: 1) The Preeminence of God’s Wisdom (1:18) 2) The Permanence of God’s Wisdom (1:19–20) 3) The Power of God’s Wisdom (1:21-25) 4) The Paradox of God’s Wisdom (1:26-28) and finally: 5) The Purpose of God’s Wisdom ( 1:29-31).“but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”(1 Corinthians.1:24.)


Hence it is that the knowledge of Christ not only transcends all other knowledge– but includes them all; the study of this wondrous embodiment of all that is in God is not only superior to– but actually embraces, all other studies. "In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” It is of this Wisdom that the "wise man" speaks in the Proverbs so frequently. "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." Sometimes the name given is the "Wisdom of God;" sometimes it is the "Word of God." You cannot think of a question or life circumstance about which God’s Word is silent. The Bible is thus the one complete &fully sufficient testimony of the God who created us, containing within its pages everything that he has determined that we could need to be pleasing to Him. Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end. Let the Wisdom of God fill our memory, rule our heart and guide our feet.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Life and Times


“My times are in your hands.” Psalm 31:15.

Life and Times are very unique gifts from our God .when Adam violated God’s word he activated death and we lost our life & glory and become slave to sin and the limitations of time, death and space.As we all know, sooner or later, every single one of us is going to die and cross over to the other side. God send His son to restore us back to everlasting life. Therefore the greatest gift God ever given to mankind is Jesus. C. S. Lewis said it well: "The Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God." The death of the body, some day, is strangely linked, in a way that we do not fully comprehend, with the death which is at work in our inner lives, right now. That is, inner death is what we experience in a thousand ways - sometimes as loneliness, bitterness, emptiness, despair, depression of spirit, and sometimes it is malice and resentment and violence. 

Whatever it may be, it is not what God intended for man. It is an enemy which has seized man and lives with him and haunts him in everything he does. When our hopes crush, & dreams collapse, the Grace and Love of Jesus is designed to relieve and to bring hope to us. Jesus defeated the death and demons by his risen power. And the result is everlasting life and peace instead of condemnation and restlessness, acceptance rather than guilt, love in place of lust or hate, power to replace weakness, joy for mourning, beauty for ashes, hope for despair, courage in place of cowardice, and cleansing from all dirt and filth of spirit. Bible says “blessed are the dead...who die in the Lord.” Jesus is our life and will be our life forever. He is indispensable and He is all-sufficing. He is our joy unspeakable and full of glory. Without every other we may live, but without Him we cannot.

Look up, the day of glory is soon to break upon us with its gladness and rapture, “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:17). Then shall the last tear have dimmed our eyes, and we shall see each other clothed in the unfading, incorruptible beauty of the Lord.”Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2) “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones...” (Ps. 116:15)”God himself will be with them and be their God and He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more Death” (Rev.21:4)

Another wonderful gift from God is Time. Time is past, present and history. All sorrows in the world are compensated with time, as they rightly say time is the best healer. Time waits for no man and time once lost cannot be re-created so it is pretty much important for everyone to make the best use of time to get the best of time in the present as well as in the future.
What we do today, determines where we will stand tomorrow and the person who makes the best use of time today gets the best of life in the future. Time has created kings as well as beggars. Riches turn into rags and rags to riches over a matter of time. Every work that we do requires time and time cannot be negotiated or replaced. The best use of time will most likely give you the best in life. Some things in life are beyond our control and we need to make up for things before things run out of time.
Time management involves carefully analyzing how we currently spend every minute of our day and then determining ways we can make better use of those minutes. This often includes eliminating many or all of the time wasters that each of us must contend with on a daily basis. It also involves learning to set priorities.
Most people in the world are driven by wrong priorities that occupy and control their entire lives. Psychologist Abraham Maslow, who after studying the motivations of human behavior, concluded that all human behavior is driven by the same basic “hierarchy of needs”: water, food, clothes, housing, protection, security, preservation, self-actualization, and significance. However, Jesus affirmed God’s number-one priority for all human on the planet He said “…Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:25,33).If our priorities are correct, we preserve and protect our life. When we establish our priority according to God’s purpose then our success is guaranteed. Correct priority simplifies our life. Failure to establish correct priority causes us to waste our time & energy.
Every second we have in life is a gift from God. Has it ever occurred to you that for you to cease living, God would not have to take your life? All God would have to do is stop giving you time. “Your time is in His hands.” You are a steward of the time He has given you. We have 86,400 seconds in a day no more, no less. Our responsibility today is evaluate the day. How do we redeem our 86,400 seconds each day to the glory of God? Are you lagging behind God or running ahead of Him?
Let it be our prayer as we enter in to 2012 “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. Let it be our resolution this year, I will seek His kingdom rather than possessions, Godliness rather than selfishness. I will seek to please God more than respectable before men; I will meditate God’s word daily, think quietly, talk gently, and act honestly. I will listen to Godly advice, Nature and birds, babes and saints, with an open heart. I will bear all things cheerfully, do all things bravely await occasions and hurry never. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Wisdom

“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs.4:7).

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs.9:10).

There is only one book that gives us a reliable answer to all questions of Human heart. All we need to know about universe, revealed in the pages of Bible.

In Genesis chapter one is a very simple narrative of the creation of the world; Simple, yet majestic in its beauty & profound in its depth.Creation alone can speak to our intelligence an imperishable language, never changing, because it remains within the bounds of eternal truth & of what is absolutely noble& beautiful. What a greatness of miracle contained in every ray of light, every drop of dew, every pebble of the brook, every fragment of rock, every blade of grass; what a Magnificent of order & law there is revealed in every natural process– the motion of earth, the sun, & stars, the flow of tides, the rush of the breeze, the braiding of the rainbow on the cloud, the change of seasons, the springing, growth, blossoming,& fruit-bearing of flower,& shrub,& tree! These are the works of God, the laws of God, the daily miracles of God. In all of them wisdom is seen; wisdom as profound as it is perfect, as incomprehensible as it is glorious, as magnificent in its minuteness as in its vastness, in the grain of sand as in the mighty mountain, in the blush of the unnoticed desert-flower as in the splendor of a new-lighted star. In all this there is wisdom; yet all these are but parts– mere fragments; ONLY in Christ Jesus, the incarnate Word– is the mighty whole contained. Jesus is "the Wisdom of God." In the works of creation God has displayed portions of his wisdom– but in Christ he has summed up & put forth THE WHOLE of it; so that it can be said of this Christ, He is the wisdom of God.

In 1 Corinthians chapter one we see: In Jesus 1) The Preeminence of God’s Wisdom (1:18) 2) The Permanence of God’s Wisdom (1:19–20) 3) The Power of God’s Wisdom (1:21-25) 4) The Paradox of God’s Wisdom (1:26-28) and finally: 5) The Purpose of God’s Wisdom (1:29-31). “But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”(1 Corinthians.1:24.)

Hence the knowledge of Christ not only transcends all other knowledge– but includes them all; the study of this wondrous embodiment of all that is in God is not only superior to– but actually embraces, all other studies. "In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” It is of this Wisdom that the "wise man" speaks in the Proverbs so frequently. "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." Sometimes the name given is the "Wisdom of God;" sometimes it is the "Word of God." You cannot think of a question or life circumstance about which God’s Word is silent. The Bible is thus the one complete &fully sufficient testimony of the God who created us, containing within its pages everything that he has determined that we could need to be pleasing to Him. Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end. Let the Wisdom of God fill our memory, rule our heart and guide our feet.