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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More