Trust In God

Three words weakness,prayer,forgiveness remind us that without God's help we cannot go forward in life.We asked for help from the Lord,who is our strength.In our weakness,we can do nothing without your help.These words express our awareness that we are weak.This weakness that we all have,after the wound of original sin:we are weak,we slide in to sins,we cannot go further without the Lord's help.Weakness leads us to ask the Lord for help,since,as recited in the collect prayer,in our weakness,we can do nothing without your help.

2 Cor.12:9 But he said to me,"My grace is sufficient for you,for power is made perfect in weakness," So,I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness,so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. We cannot take a step in Christian life without the Lord's help,because we are weak.Remember,that father who,after the transfiguration,brings his son Jesus to heal him.And Jesus says that all is possible for those who have faith.If one have faith,make it grow.

Ps.34:17-20 " When the righteous cry for help,the Lord hears,and rescues them from all their troubles.The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,and saves the crushed in spirit.Many are the afflictions of the righteous,but the Lord rescues them from them all.He keeps all their bones;not one of them will be broken." We all have faith,and we all want to move forward in the Christian life. But if we are not conscious of our weakness we will all end up defeated.

Prayer is the way in which we communicate with God,and he wants to get to know us better.The Apostles asked Jesus:"teach us to pray as John did with his disciples." He teaches the disciples how to pray and advises them not to be like pagans who waste words.

"They think that they will be heard for their many words." "Do not be like them,for your father knows what you need before you ask him." 1Jn.5:14 "And this is the boldness we have in him,that if we ask anything according to his will,he hears us.2 Chr.7:14 " If my people who are called by my name humble themselves,pray,seek my face,and turn from their wicked ways,then I will hear from heaven,and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Rom.8:15-17 " For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,but you have received a spirit of adoption.When we cry,"Abba! Father! it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,and if children,then heirs,heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-if,in fact,we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." 

God's forgiveness stands out as a theme throughout the Old Testament.Mt.6:14-15 "For if you forgive others their trespasses,your heavenly Father will also forgive you;but if you do not forgive others,neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." We  remembers Jesus words from the cross."Father,forgive them."  The First Apologize is the Bravest.The First to forgive is the strongest.And the first to forget is the happiest.Rom.4:7-8 "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven,and whose sins are covered;blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin." 

In the Eucharistic celebration,He too makes himself weak for us,He become body and blood:there is the strength.He prays for us. And He forgives us:Let us learn from Him the strength of trust in God,the strength of prayer and the strength of forgiveness.

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The Will Of God.

What is the will of God,what is Good and acceptable and perfect. The new life in Christ.Rom.12:1 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,by the mercies of God,to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,holy and acceptable to God,which is your worship." The aim of all human life in God's eyes is that Christ would be made to look as valuable as he is.Worship means using our minds and hearts and bodies to express the worth of God and all he is for us in Jesus.There is a way to live-a way to love-that does that.There is a way to do your job that expresses the true value of God.If you can't find it,that mean you should change your job.

Those who believe in Christ Jesus are already blood-bought new creatures in Christ.If any one is in Christ,he is a new creation. 2 Cor.5:17 "So if any one is in Christ,there is a new creation:everything old has passed away see everything has become new!

God's will for our lives has reason and purpose.It is through scripture,where we can find meaning and principles discerning God's will 1Thess.5:18 " Give thanks in all circumstances;for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." What in short,is the will of God?.To answer this question we need to step back and ask ourselves;What are we talking to God about?Of God,as of any person we come in contact with,each of us makes our own image and starting from this image we tend to relate to him.This image of God is internalized from the ideas we have learned about him,the emotions gathered from the various religious experience we have lived through, from habits,and the ways we have acted to express our faith.

However,we can decide to journey to interiorize the true image of God and to live in such a way by only doing His will.That is the way of conversion.Man would have to study and know the rules so as not to make any mistakes that would ruin the proper functioning.In this sense,every event of nature that escapes man's control is interpreted as an expression of a preconceived plan of God which would have been foreseen even as catastrophic and calamitous events.

God continues to intervene in guiding events,and the affairs of humankind as well as nature according to a simple principle:every effect has its direct cause,and this cause is only God.this concept of God is summarized in the adage:"Not a single hair will not falls without His knowledge." Mt.10:29-30"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted." This vision reduces the ambit of man's freedom to its lowest,so the will of God is understood as an unpredictable.God becomes the one who rewards or punishes people according to their behaviour: sin is thus a sure source of condemnation and damnation,and to get to heaven there is instead need to sweat to subdue oneself and this has its own merits.

God is a good and merciful Father who wishes to interact with adult children.One who has established a relationship of trust and confidence with God,perceives him as a loving presence that takes care of him and allows him to make free and responsible choices.He understands slowly that the will of God is not a pre-established programme to which one must conform.

The will of God is his constant and tireless presence in the events of history,even when suffering and fear,sin and death seem to mark the passage of an inevitable separation from him.Use these bible verses to gain a better understanding. Jer.29:11"For surely I know the plans I have for you,says the Lord,plans for your welfare and not for harm,to give you a future with hope." 1 Pet.2:15 "For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish."

Whatever happens in our day today life,like birth,death,marriages,friendship,pain in life,stress,man made disasters,natural disasters,personal crises, etc.think that all happening is with His knowledge and will of God.

In other words,God want all of us to be happy and to do this He makes us gradually capable of free and responsible choices illumined by reason,discerning what is good by the thrust of a heart passionate for the kingdom.

Categories: Bible Thoughts Good Thoughts happiness Our God Perfection

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Is Happiness A Momentary Thing Or Is It Everlasting?

Momentary happiness lasting only for a moment.Everything we need to be happy is easy to obtain.Happiness is not entirely related to a feeling of a precise moment.Instead, it's more closely related to the overall life we live,as well as the life we hope to have in the future.If you quit alcohol,you might still want a drink some times.And if you into the craving,you might enjoy it at the time-but will you still feel good afterwards.No,real happiness is much better measured through meaning and fulfillment.It's something to work for.No matter how you define. Success,momentary happiness should have some role in it,happiness has also been thought of as having a larger,almost spiritual quality that goes beyond both momentary feelings and reflective thought.

Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God,but though both happiness and joy can bring us to laughter,there's an important distinction between them-a difference I experienced many years ago when my mother died.Obviously I was not happy about my mom's passing,but I was calmed and encouraged by the joy I had knowing she was experiencing a new closeness to God in eternity.The thought of that glorious reality continues to give me joy. 

The Bible uses the words happy and happiness about 30 times,while joy and rejoice appear more than 300 times.In the Old Testament,is covered a wide range of human experiences: sex,marriage,the birth of children,harvest,victory and drinking wine. Song.1:4 "Draw me after you,let us make haste.The king has brought me into his chambers.We will exult and rejoice in you;we will extol your love more than wine;rightly do they love you." Ps.104:15 " And wine to gladden the human heart,oil to make the face shine,and bread to strengthen the human heart." As we read the New Testament,we see the word joy is more than an emotion;it is a characteristic of a Christian,part of the fruit produced by the inner working of the Holy Spirit. Lk.2:10 "But the angel said to them,"Do not be afraid,for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people." 

The Bible guides us to happiness through God's word. Ps.144:15 " Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall;Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.Real faith leads to Everlasting Happiness.The Bible guides us to happiness through God's word. Ps.144:15 "Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall;Happy are the people whose God is the Lord."

Happiness is the one thing that every one is looking for,irrespective of what we are doing.What relationships we have established, what we are trying to achieve,and so on.Are we looking for happiness in the right places.We do it through different means:it could be through possessions,property,relationships,achievements etc.If you ask someone what they want in life,they often say,success. Why they want success is primarily because it makes them happy.Again,you ask someone what they get out of a relationship.The response is often happiness.So,finally everyone is looking for that one thing:happiness.

Happiness should be permanent.If happiness is something that every one like,if it's something that ones desire,and it comes naturally to him.then it won't be dependent on anything else outside.If it is dependent on something then it can never be constant.

Can one find happiness without desires and dependency? We have this long-held belief that happiness is derived from the outside. So,the dependency is on the act being performed in the right manner.Children is conditioned to believe that if their parents feel happy,then they will feel happy,and if their parents are not happy,then,how can the children be happy. 

Everlasting secret of the happy man's happiness is the following.

1.Repentance-the happy man has repented of his sin. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to change of action. 

2.Faith-The man is now happy because he has turned from sin to God, to Christ,to the will,the word and the way of the Lord.He is     also a man of faith.

3.Obedience-His delight is in the law of God almighty, therefore he is a man of obedience,and faith plus obedience brings true happiness, say its everlasting.

Categories: Bible Thoughts Good Thoughts happiness Our God

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Conscience Is The Light Of Soul.

Conscience is a moral sense of right and wrong.For example his guilty conscience was troubling him all the time.In other words conscience is the light of the soul that burns within the chambers of our psychological heart.We hear a lot about conscience,but what exactly does it mean? The general concept of conscience an be found in almost every human culture,but it has a unique and distinctive meaning for Christians.

The term Conscience is not found in the Old Testament.Perhaps the closest Old Testament term to conscience is heart. 1 Sam.24:5 "Afterward David was stricken to the heart because he had cut off a corner of Saul's cloak." In the New Testament conscience is used 31 times,mostly by Paul.The key passage in Rom.2:14-15 "When Gentiles,who do not possess the law,do instinctively what the law requires,these,through not having the law,are a law to themselves.They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts,to which their own conscience also bears witness;and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them."  Scripture teaches that humans,made in the image of God,have an innate sense of right and wrong,a moral monitor that either approves or accuses.

It protests whenever anything unrighteous is done or thought of.Conscience is truth transferred through our genetic stock.It is also a ledger where our offences are recorded.Conscience threatens,promises,rewards and punishes,keeping all under its control.If conscience stings once,it is an admonition,and twice,it is condemnation.

Conscience is an internal rational capacity that bears witness to our value system.It is a trustworthy guide only when it is informed and ruled by God.It is to be subordinated to,and informed by,the revealed word of God.To willfully act against conscience is always a sin,it can be suppressed by sin.

What does the Bible say about conscience.Heb.10:22 "Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith,with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." 1Tim.1:5 "But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart,a good conscience,and sincere faith." 1Pet.3:16 " Yet do it with gentleness and reverence.Keep your conscience clear,so that,when you are maligned,those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame." 

Rom.9:1 "I am speaking the truth in Christ-I am not lying;my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit."

Spiritual leaders have evolved morals,codes and teachings of righteousness.Songs and prayers have been written and composed. But the possible annihilation of conscience by corruption is frightening.Religion has not been effective in evoking conscience.Can our conscience be redeemed. 

Corruption is an assault on consciousness.It has become a way of life,affecting all aspects of living;it is not restricted to the pecuniary .It takes other forms too.Immoral ways of people in high positions have taken the sense of guilt away from lesser mortals.

A virtuous man alone can hear the soul's inner voice clearly.In a wicked man,this faculty is dead.The sensitive nature of his conscience have been destroyed by corruption.Hence,he is unable to discriminate right from wrong.This applies also to organisations,business enterprises,institutions and governments.Is it not wise to have a clean conscience and enjoy freedom from anxiety and worry.

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Why Is Oxygen So Important To Us.

Bible also given references to the 'breath' (Oxygen) as being necessary for life.Ps.104:29-30 " When you hide your face,they are dismayed; When you take away their breath,they die and return to their dust.When you send forth your spirit,they are created;and you renew the face of the ground." 

We all know that we cannot live without oxygen and that it enables life for almost all living organisms on our planet.But do we really understand why is so important to us and which body functions it support.God created man from the mud.Gen.2:7 "Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground ,and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;and the man became a living being."

We are breathing oxygen from the air,Which contains approximately 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen.In average, human inhales and exhales around 16 times a minute in order to get enough oxygen makes up 65 percent of human body and is responsible for 90 percent of body's energy.People can live about a month without food,a week without water and just few minutes without oxygen.

Oxygen is essential for us.It's required for respiration.So without oxygen,body cells and the heart muscle will die to lack of respiration.Carbon dioxide is just as important for your health as oxygen and perhaps even more important,because it has to be sufficiently on board in the body before oxygen will be available.  

How we are getting oxygen from nature ie from trees,what they exhale,we inhale,what we exhale,they inhale.Trees keeps our lives going, just like the outer part of our lungs.You cannot ignore your body if you want to live,and in no way is the planet different from this.What you call my body is just a piece of this planet.And the very essence of the spiritual process is about just this.

When we say,spirituality,we are not talking about looking up or looking down.It is about turning inward and knowing the nature of what 'this' is.The first fundamental face of looking inward is always to see that you are naturally very much a part of everything around you.Without that realisation,there is really no spiritual process.That is not the goal of spirituality,that is the fundamental, that who you are,or what you think you are,is just a part of everything else.    

Today,modern physics is establishing that the whole of existence is just one energy.Scientific evidence is establishing that every particle in your body is in constant communication with the whole cosmic space.The spiritual process is about enhancing one's perception and bringing this into one's experience.Anyway,what is the a dry scientific fact that doesn't change anybody's life.

A tree is not a project for you;a tree is your life.It is an outside part and invitable thing of of yourself.It breathes for you every day.It is more than your lungs;your lungs cannot do anything without trees.We need to make people understand this in very simple ways. 

In other words trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen,they give us oxygen,store carbon,improving air quality, climate amelioration,conserving water,preserving soil,and supporting wildlife.During the process of photosynthesis,trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breath.With a great caution preserve trees nurture it, in a priority basis so that our life saving (like a drugs) trees withstand always.

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Attachment And Detachment In Life

Attachment-a feeling of love or emotionally close to or strong connection to someone or something.Detachment- a feeling of not being emotionally involved.Attachment and detachment both are important.They give us experience and knowledge and we grow and evolve.Our evolution is guided by different kinds of process.We are learning,growing and progressing all the while.

Being able to connect with someone emotionally is never a bad thing.As a human,it's in your nature.However, there is a limit to when that emotional attachment is healthy and when it's harmful and unhealthy.It's clearly mention in The Bible Gal.5:19-24 says "Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels,dissensions,  factions,envy,drunkenness,carousing,and things like these.I am warning you,as I warned you before:those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.By contrast,the fruit of the spirit is love,joy,peace,patience,kindness,

generosity,faithfulness,gentleness and self- control.There is no law against such things.And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

Have you ever felt attachment with the sky,earth,the sun or moon,trees and plants.We feel attachment with material things,in relationships,both of which are of mental,vital and physical nature.Attachment means that you get connected with something because of its attraction.Your senses give you information which creates some attraction and with it some contact is established. You start feeling a harmonious pressure when the information given by your senses is reinforced with your contact with something and you get attached to that.It is a pressure of feelings. 

The same pressure transforms into detachment sometimes,and then you start feeling different kind of pressures.With pressure, layers of ignorance break a little bit and then we become more aware,more conscious.So,give different kinds of names to pressures. When it is harmonious,you call it attachment.When it is not harmonious,you call it detachment.When you get attached to your breath,you always want to listen to your breath,want to feel your breath,this attachment can give you enlightenment.

All life is attachment.When your attachment with something becomes hundred percent,it immediately becomes detachment. Suppose you are very attached to sweets.One day you will start eating sweets for breakfast,lunch and dinner,and then the hundred percent attachment will detach you.You will not even like to think about sweets after that.

The idea of all these lessons is that we should not live with attachments and detachments, but we should learn to live with con-sciousness.Our senses,mind,body,emotions,mental,vital and physical natures are like children.When you want to educate them, you put yourself into a kind of discipline to force your senses to follow this discipline.They refuse it,they don't want it,they revolt,

and you slowly convince them with love,anger,anything.You train them,teach them and educate them.This process is dedication.

Suppose you want to eat sweets but you want to avoid it.You try not to eat sweet.The sweets is there for one month,but you are making an effort not to eat it.That is dedication.When you make an effort-with certain intentions,with full clarity,full understanding-to become stronger than the things that affect you,this process is call dedication.

In everyone's life, we are too attached to our family,father,mother,brother,sister etc.so on.It is certain that one day or other we have to leave in this world,we become a memory and detached from all.Even often we can see diverse often. One way or other directly or indirectly, attachment and detachment is a part and parcel of every once life.

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Why God Burden Me Alone With So Much?

Sorrow and trouble come alike to all mankind.There is no respect of persons;the rich have there share as well as the poor.How true are the statement Job.5:7 "But human beings are born to trouble just as sparks fly upward." and 14:11 "As waters fail from a lake, and a river wastes away and dries up."

It's a narrated story.In a village a young boy was playing by the river's side.Suddenly,he heard a cry for help,save me,please save me! A Gharial (crocodile) was caught in a net and it cried out of help.The boy hesitated:What if the Gharial ate him up? But he crocodile pleaded with him and said, "I promise you that I won't devour you.Please save me. Moved the boy began to cut the net that had trapped the crocodile.No sooner was its head free from the net than the crocodile grabbed the boy's leg in its jaws.

Now it was the boy's turn to cry.How unfair you are,he shouted.The crocodile said,what to do? such is the way of world.Such is life, and continued.The boy was not worried about dying;he couldn't accept crocodile's ingratitude.While his leg was slowly sliding into the jaws of crocodile,the boy looked at the birds on a nearby tree and asked:Is the crocodile uttering the truth? Is life unjust? Are not words honoured?".

The birds replied,We take such care to build safe nests on the tops of trees to protect our eggs.Yet,snakes come and swallow them. The crocodile is right.Then the boy saw a donkey grazing on the banks of the lake and repeated his question.When I was young my master loaded soiled linen on my back and extracted maximum amount of work from me.Now that I am old and feeble, he has abandoned me.Such is indeed the way of the world.There is injustice and unfairness and such is life,said the donkey.The boy, still not convinced,noticed a rabbit and repeated his question.The rabbit said,No no I cannot accept what the crocodile is saying.It is utter nonsense,hearing this,the crocodile become angry and wanted to argue with the rabbit,even while holding the boy's leg in its strong jaws.The rabbit protested,saying that as the crocodile's mouth was choked with the boy's leg,it was not able to decipher what the crocodile was trying to say.The crocodile laughed heartily at this and said,I am not a fool! If I let go,the boy would run away.

Now you are really stupid,said the rabbit.Have you forgotten how strong your tail is.Even if he runs,you can smash him with just one mighty lash of your tail.

The crocodile fell for this and and releasing the boy,continued its argument and the boy took to his heels.Only when it tried to raise its tail,did the crocodile realise that it was still entangled in the net.The crocodile glared at the rabbit.The rabbit smiled sweetly, saying,Now do you understand?such is life!

In short while,the young boy returned with the villagers. A dog that came along spotted the rabbit and started chasing it.The boy screamed at the dog.This rabbit saved my life,don't attack him.Alas,before the boy could intervene,the dog had chased and killed the rabbit in a jiffy.

The following bible verse given strength to overcome all undue circumstance, which we face on our day today life.Isa.41:13 "For I,the Lord your God,hold your right hand;it is I who say to you, "Do not fear,I will help you." Ps.55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord,and he will sustain you;he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Matt.6:25 "Therefore I tell you,do not worry about your life,what you will eat or what you will drink,or about your body,what you will wear.Is not life more than food,and the body more than 

clothing." Matt.11:28-30 " Come to me,all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,and I will give you rest.Take my Yoke upon you, and learn from me;for I am gentle and humble in heart,and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy,and my burden is light." 

God saved the boy through a rabbit,at the same time rabbit sacrifice his life for him,its a natural phenomenon.unfairness is a part and parcel of life.Such is the way of life.Can we teach ourselves not to be victims of unfairness and face it with the understanding that life's mysteries cannot be fully understood.

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Is Unfairness a Part And Parcel Of Life?

The Bible has lot to say on the subject of unfairness/injustice.All know that God is in favour of justice;and He is against injustice, even in the most basic terms.Prov.20:23 "Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,and false scales are not good." Ps.89:14 "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;steadfast love and faithfulness go before you." God does not approve partiality.

The Bible's story of Joseph resonates with everyone life.Jacob had twelve sons,but he used to love his son Joseph who was second to the youngest,the most. When Joseph was seventeen,Jacob presented him a coat.The coat was woven with many colours and had long sleeves.This was the kind of coat that only a privileged and an eldest son might own.When the other brothers saw the special affection that Joseph was getting from his father,they began to feel jealous of him.

Joseph would have wonderful and strange dreams and he could also interpret their meanings.One day,he told his brothers about his latest dream,"Last night,I dreamt that we were tying up sheaves of wheat that we had harvested.My sheaf stood up straight and tall,whereas your sheaves bowed down to mine."

Joseph again dreamt that the sun,the moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to him.When he told his father about his dream,Jacob scolded him saying,"Do you really think that one day,I,your mother and your brothers will bow down in front of you?" When the brothers came to know about this,they burst into anger and started plotting against Joseph that how could they get rid of him.

His jealous brothers sold him into slavery.He landed in the Egyptian Potiphar's household,where his master entrusted him to manage the entire estate.But the lies of Potiphar's wife sent him to jail.In prison,Joseph successfully interpreted the cupbearer's dreams,and then was forgotten by the very man he helped. Finally,he interpreted the Pharaoh's dream and become the second most important man in Egypt.Finally Jacob and the whole family came to live in Egypt.The family was reunited after a long time.

God seemed far from Joseph for about 20 years.Joseph brothers feared his revenge for selling him into slavery,but he said to them Gen.50:20"Even though you intended to do harm to me,God intended it for good,in order to preserve a numerous people,as he is doing today." 

What the bible teaches and promises- is that God loves us and wants the best for us,even when he seems hidden and removed.If this is true,why isn't God more evident in our lives.Perhaps,like Joseph,we have to struggle and persevere and continue to believe in order to realise the blessings God has in store for us.Even though Joseph's brother's done unfairness to him God saved him and lifted him in a high position.He travelled through the country in his chariot and everywhere he went people bowed to him to show respect.

Categories: Bible Thoughts Good Thoughts happiness Perfection

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Love your Neighbour As Yourself

This is a version of Golden Rule-Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.Jesus taught that you should love God with all your heart,soul,strength,and mind;and that you should love your neighbour as yourself. Mk.12:31" You shall love your neighbour as yourself.There is no other commandment greater than these." First found in the Old Testament.Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate this commandment.

A man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho.On the way,he was attacked by a gang of robbers.They took away all his belongings,  beat him up and left him there to die.After some time,a priest and a Levite,a servant at the temple both came along the way.When they saw the man bleeding and dying,they were afraid and hurried on their way.

Later,a Samaritan passed the way.When he saw the injured man,he went to him,bandaged his wounds and covered him with his own  cloth.Then he put the man on his donkey and took him to an inn.He hired a room there and looked after him.The next day,the samaritan gave the inn owner two silver coins and said,"Take care of this man.He is injured.If you spend more than what I have given to you,I will repay on my way back.After telling this story,Jesus asked,"What do you think,which of these three was a good neighbour to the injured man?"  "The Samaritan was kind to injured man,"the lawyer replied. That's right,said Jesus, "Then go and be a good neighbour like him."

Loving your neighbour is the first and best choice among the three choices you have with regard to that person next door.The first choice is love.The second is hate and the third is indifference.Let us examine each choice,beginning with the third choice.Perhaps, you don't want to love your neighbour,because he is not good,but you don't want to hate him because you are a good person and you avoid negative emotions.So you are indifferent to your neighbour.But indifference or apathy is a cold emotion.Apathy is as negative as hatred.The line between hatred and apathy is very fine.If you meet your neighbour on the street and you ignore him,it's hardly a good and decent thing to do.

The second choice,hatred,will harm you as much as it hurts your neighbour,which leaves you with the first and the best choice-To love your neighbour. Honestly,loving an irksome neighbour is not as hard as it seems.It simply means respecting the person and thinking of his needs and desires as much as you would your own.

You won't be able to love yourself until you first love your neighbour.Whether we like it or not,a major part of our life will always centre on that of our neighbour's.Ask yourself some questions and you will see from the answers how important your neighbour is for your own peace and happiness.

Lev.19:17-18 " You shall not hate in your heart any one of your kin;you shall reprove your neighbour,or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people,but you shall love your neighbour as yourself:I am the Lord." These verses clearly says the importance of love your neighbour and love one another.

And you can't just stop at loving your immediate neighbour.You have got to love your neighbour's neighbour,too,and your, circle of love gets wider subsuming differences of community,state,nation,continents-encompassing the whole universe and beyond.Your heart is so big and so full of love,that its capacity to love is infinite;it's Divine.Love gives you joy and power and victory and hate brings in sorrow and powerlessness and defeat.

Different religions propound love of your neighbour as an important part of their teaching.But you don't have to be religious person to love your neighbour ,because love of your neighbour is a superb human emotion,not necessarily tied to any creed or religion.

Hindus believe that one should never do to others what would pain oneself;Islam says not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.The sikh faith asks you to treat others as you would like to be treated.the nature is only good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self is a precept of the Zoroastrian faith.Buddhists say,hurt not others with that which pains yourself.And Confucius said:Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.

Categories: Bible Thoughts Devotional Good Health Good Thoughts happiness

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Oneness

Oneness-Holding to the oneness of God-The quality of being one,Singleness,Uniqueness. The oneness of all suffering people. Divine consciousness pervading all living beings is none other than God. The God's permeates not only human beings but also birds, beasts and animals.So,God's consciousness cannot be limited to a particular time and place;it permeates the entire universe.There is only one sign of Divinity,that is,Consciousness.In whichever form this divine consciousness permeates,it will assume that form:it may be a dog,crow,crane,human being.

Blessings from above,therefore,can be described as Divine Consciousness that pervades all human beings,even insects,birds and animals.All that you witness in this objective world is a manifestation of God.It pervades all the three worlds: Earth,space and nether regions.It exists in all the three periods of time:past,present and future.

The fundamental faith of the Christian church is in the one true and living God.Deut.6:4-8 "Hear,O Israel:The Lord is our God,the Lord alone.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,and with all your soul,and with all your might.Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away,when you lie down and when you rise.Bind them as a sign on your hand,fix them as an emblem on your forehead."

Orthodox Christian worship the Father,Son,and Holy spirit-The Holy Trinity,the one God.The Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son was incompatible with Orthodox theology.The Trinity related to man.Since man is made in the image of God,man also has three natures.Both man and woman have three parts:body,soul,and spirit.God the son is comparable to the body since the Son is God incarnate.God the Father is comparable to the soul,or mind,since he was the mind that created everything.The Holy Spirit is  comparable to man's Spirit.As the body of man is the temple of our spirit,the body of Jesus Christ is the temple to the Holy Spirit which proceeds from the Father through the Son.2 Cor.4:6 For it is the God who said,"Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

God is always an embodiment of peace.He is always pleasant.One has to realise Divinity by cultivating love for God.The underlying unity between the different names and forms should never be forgotten.It is only human beings who have differences and negativities.Divinity is a positive whole.The principle of oneness symbolise the need for all to coverage,united,in a spirit of cosmic consciousness that reflects evolution to a higher plane. 

Honesty,sincerity,reliability,dependability,responsibility etc.are beautiful words to learn but to bring into practice is difficult for mischievous people of principle exist for building up strong homes,state and the nation of our own,oneness/uniqueness is essential to achieve it. 

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Is Desires Come True?

The word "desire" covers a wide range of human wants,emotions,and carvings.It can describe natural desires,which include hunger for food,sexual longings,and desire for God.It can also describe unnatural desires or carvings,which include such things as greed and lust. On a few occasions desires as ascribed to God.Most of the time they are ascribed to man,and these desires come under the scrutiny of God.In other words desires,a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. The desire if we connected to society one can say,there is a strong desire for peace among the people.

We are under a delusory idea that thought is an idle,impotent happening,merely within ourselves.In fact,thought has godly powers. As each thought sweeps across the mind,its secret potency rises up in front of us as an agent willing and ready to manifest that thought as a reality around us.

Bible verses about longing for God.Ps.119:20 "My soul is consumed with longing for your ordinances at all times.Isa.26:9 "My soul yearns for you in the night,my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.For when your judgments are in the earth,the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

The adorable spirit of thought,the genie of mind,rises up in front of us it were,with each desire that whistles through our mental plane.With the ending of the thought,the genie,with faithful anxiety and sincerity,turns upon his heels to sail forth to execute the order given by man's conscious mind.

Bible verse about spiritual hunger.1 Pet.2:2 "Like newborn infants,long for the pure,spiritual milk,so that by it you may grow into salvation".Ps.81:10 "I am the Lord your God,who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

But the spirit could take the first step to rush out on his errand,another thought wave of desire has risen up in the inner world calling the genie back to take more orders;and at the command of the mind it revolves round its heels again to face its master.

Does God truly give you the desires of your heart?.Ps.37:5-7 clearly says,"Commit your way to the Lord;trust in him,and he will act.He will make your vindication shine like the light,and justice of your cause like the noonday. Be still before the Lord,and wait patiently for him;do not fret over those who prosper in their way,over those who carry out evil devices."

The creature of all-might,and all-power is made,under our own confusing commands and contradictory orders,to stand and whirl like a top,each half of the circle representing a definite command given and the other half showing a definite but vain attempt made by the spirit at its execution.But the desire power does not allow it any chance at all to fulfil itself.

If a single-pointed mind can wish for anything to the exclusion of any of its contending thoughts or desires,it shall at once be fulfilled.

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Blissfulness

The word Bliss means-Perfect happiness,great joy,pleasure,delight,happiness,heaven,paradise or reach a state of perfect happiness. Blissfulness is a state of extreme happiness.

Happiness,wisdom and creativity are characteristics of the absolute state of being,which is pure consciousness.This absolute bliss consciousness is the veritable source of man,and there need be neither dullness nor apathy in the life of any individual man,for he is born of wisdom.Only so long as he is unaware of,and separated from,this fountain of wisdom can he find himself in ignorance and confusion.

Lk.1:25 "This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favourably on me and too away the disgrace I have endured among my people." Zacharias was a priest in the city of Judaea.It was his job to take care of the temple of God.One day,while he was in temple,he had a vision.He saw an angel of the Lord standing in front of him.

"Don't be afraid Zacharias",the angel said."God has heard your prayers.He knows how much you crave for a child.Your wife Elizabeth, will give birth to a son whom you must call John.He will be filled with God's holy spirit and will go as God's messenger, preparing the way for the Lord.When he grow up,he will teach people to repent and stop sinning.Many will listen to him and change their ways." 

But Zacharias was an old man.His wife Elizabeth,was old too.He doubted that his wife could have any children.He asked the angel,

"How can I believe you? My wife and I are both old.How can we give birth to a child at this age? "I am Gabriel," the angel told him."I have been with God.God has sent me to tell you this good news.Since you don't believe me,you will not be able to speak till your son is born."

The angel said these words and disappeared. Zacharias when tried to utter a word,he found unable to do so.He thought that angel must be telling the truth.When Zacharias finally stepped out of the temple,the people asked him why he had been inside for so long.But Zacharias couldn't tell them.For,just like the angel had told him,he could not utter a word.

Zacharias went home,and some time later,his wife was very happy to discover that they were going to have a baby.This was the blissful situation for Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth.

A man shivers in the cold of the corridor simply because he is not enjoying the warmth of the living room.there is no reason for man to be dull and uncreative. He has tremendous potentialities for creation.He is born to enjoy,not to suffer.He is able to experience joy and consciousness in all their abundance.This is why we dare to say that life is bliss and man is born to enjoy.

Misery,pain,happiness,all these are part of our daily experiences.But blissfulness is happiness of a higher order;it is permanent and enduring and does not have the transient quality of all ordinary happiness.Blissfulness is a real gift and everlasting happiness from God Almighty.

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Social Life

Social life is the part of a person's time spent doing enjoyable things with others.Life style is a composite of motivations,needs,and wants and is influenced by factors such a culture,family,reference groups,and social class.

Personal life is the course of an individual's life,especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity.

To be able to lead a respectable life in society,there is a necessary condition.And that is,you must become someone who is beneficial to others, a giver or at least a 'no-problem person' as far as others are concerned. Other than these two options,there is no other way for you to lead a respectable life in society.Those who think that there is a third way only go on to create trouble in society and for themselves,too.

Social beings-living or disposed to live in companionship with others or in a community,rather than isolated life.Human beings are social animals,and the tenor of our social life is one of the most important influences on our mental health.

Social life is always based on the principle of give-and take.If you are contributing positively to society will regard you with respect.  And if you think you are not in a position to contribute anything to society,at least you can become a non-problem person for others.

Spiritual life,as something that is often experienced as a source of inspiration in life and it can encompass belief in 'immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world'.

Give and take is a mechanism inherent to all personal relationships-you cannot expect to receive something if you don't offer on your own turn.Once the balance between give and take is broken,difficulties arise and partners feel they are not getting too much from their relationship.

If you become a giver as far as others are concerned,you are helping society progress.Even if you simply become a no-problem person,you are still playing a social role,by not placing any obstacle in the progress of society.In the former case,you are directly helping society to progress.In the latter case,you are doing this indirectly. 

The real social life of the Christian is enjoyed within the community of his brethren in Christ,and here,as in all the phases of his life,his first consideration is not to be that of pleasing others,but doing the will of God.This,indeed,is the true basis of fellowship in Christ.In a community in which each one is zealously endeavoring to God's will there is bound to be a common tie that binds,for as the apostle says,Jas. 2:1-4 " My brothers and sisters,do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?.For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly,and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in,and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here,please, "while to the one who is poor you say," Stand there ," or,"Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselves,and become judges with evil thoughts?.

How to live a the Christian Life. One of the most notable discourses was between Jesus and Nicodemus that he must be born again. Jn.3:3 Jesus answered him,"very truly,I tell you,no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Salvation is the beginning step in living Christian life. Jn.14:6 Jesus said to him,"I am the way,and the truth,and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me."  

Those who are neither givers nor 'non-problem' people only become a burden on society.Although,these people may not be criminals,in terms of the etiquette of human life,they are.The courts of this world will not sentence them to punishment,in the court of nature,they will be considered guilty of an enormous moral crime. 

For mental happiness-minimise expectations,ego, pride and negative thoughts.For Spiritual happiness-recognise your soul as a separate entity from the body.Do not live in the past.Free yourself of memories and experiences.Do not worry about the future. But,plan for it.Help all living beings without any expectations.Meditate regularly and surrender to the supreme soul. 'Be happy always' condition your mind to be happy in any condition.

Categories: Bible Thoughts Good Health Good Thoughts happiness health Perfection

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How One Can Control Anxiety

Anxiety-An uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry about something that is happening or might happen in the future.For example: Children normally feel a lot of anxiety about their examinations.In other words a feeling of worry or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.

Synonymous of anxiety:

Worry,concern,apprehension,consternations,uneasiness,unease,fear,disquiet,agitation,anger,tension,stress, misgiving etc.

Technology was supposed to make modern life easier,but even with theses conveniences,people still suffer from anxiety.They are anxious about their health,finance,relationships,safety and their work.To calm themselves,many turn to drugs or alcohol,but in attempting to feel good,the side effects impact their health and wellness and the lives of those around them.Can one deal with anxiety through a natural method that does not have harmful side effects for oneself or our loved ones.

Life often presents us with stressful situations and it is easy to allow ourselves to succumb to fear,worry and anxiety,but thanks be to God.He is our ultimate source of peace,hope,strength,courage and joy.We can trust Him to supply all of our needs and calm our anxious hearts with His Spirit of peace,joy,hope,and love.Bible verses and scriptural promises will encourage your heart and help you to experience the true peace of Christ,which surpasses all.

Phil.4:6 "Do not worry about anything,but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,let your requests be made known to God." Isa.41:10 " Do not fear,for I am with you,do not be afraid,for I am your God;I will strengthen you,I will help you,I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." 1 Pet.5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him,because he cares for you."

Doctors and medical practitioners are promoting the benefits of meditation to relieve stress and anxiety.By sitting in meditation,we can calm the body and the mind.We can slow our brain waves to state of physical and mental calmness,we have more control over our reactions towards life's stressors.We can make a better decisions.We can react more calmly to others,alleviating the tension in our relationships. 

Matt.11:28-30 "Come to me,all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you,and learn from me;for I am gentle and humble in heart,and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy,and my burden is light." Jn.14:27 "Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you.I do not give to you as the world gives.Do not let your hearts be troubled,and do not let them be afraid." Col.3:15 "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,to which indeed you were called in the one body.And be thankful." All bible verse clearly shows how God comfort you while you are on your own tensions and anxiety.

Another benefit of meditation is we can find a place of calm and peace within us.A gently flowing of stream of love,light and enjoy bubbles within us at all times.When we sit in stillness in meditation,we can drink from that spring of light and joy that washes away our anxiety.Once we connect to a place of happiness and peace within us,we experience a reduction in our anxiety.Through meditation we can deal better with the stresses of life.It also helps us replace anxiety with joy and peace.

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Blessed With Nature

The basic interest in nature focused on God as creator and on heaven and earth as his creation.All the animals,plants,rocks, weather,the sea and mountains etc are nature's gift given to human beings by God itself.

Genesis makes it that there is a creation order established by God.Gen.1:27 says God said,"Let there be light";and there was light.God separated the light from the darkness.God called the light Day,and the darkness he called the Night.And there was evening and there was morning.Like God made the dome,He called the dome Sky.And made Sea and Land,living creatures, birds,cattle,wild animals,cattle of every kind,fish of the sea .Finally God created humankind in his image.It is clear from these verses that various plants and animals have inherent characteristics that make them distinct from one another.It is also clear that God views these distinctions as "good".

We have a tendency to grumble over a lot of things we do not possess and for the many things we cannot do.We never realise how we are losing every single second of the precious life that has been bestowed upon us by the power above. In the journey we go through,we take for granted a lot of things that we possess and a lot of other things that are present in our surroundings.

Gen.1:28-30 "God blessed them,and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply,and fill the earth and subdue it;and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living things that moves upon the earth." 29 God said,"See,I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth,and every tree with seed in its fruit;you shall have them for food.30 And to every beast of the earth,and to every bird of the air,and to everything that creeps on the earth,everything that has the breath of life,I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.

The first and the foremost is this life that we have;never realise how blessed we are to have a human life.We could have born like any other species leading a life in filth or any other adverse environment. The second is the situation we are born in. It could have been a place where even today,people do not have the basic amenities,proper sanitation,food,medical facilities and a lot of other essentials.

2 Cor.9:8 "And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance,so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work." Jer.17:7-8 "Blessed are those who Trust in the Lord,whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water,sending out its roots by the stream."

Nature is the most beautiful and attractive surrounding around us which make us happy and provide us natural environment to live healthy.  

The third most important element that we tend to forget is the abundance that nature is showering on us,natural light,air, greenery variety of beautiful flowers,attractive birds,animals,blue sky,land,running rivers,sea,forests,mountains,valleys,hills and many more things,that it is giving us for free.Our God has created a beautiful nature for the healthy living of us.All the things we use for our living are the assets of nature which we should not spoil and damage.The absence of even one of these will make our life difficult. The fourth element is our ability to lead a healthy life without any physical disability,because we never realise how even the smallest flaw in our physical condition could make living so difficult.

We never visualise the fact that without these physical attributes,we would have missed out on so much that we have been bequeathed with.So,never take for granted all that nature has given us,be thankful and show your gratitude towards the Almighty with each passing of our breath and nature,because all are a gift of God.

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