The First Christmas

The Christmas we celebrate today is mostly about the Christmas tree, Santa Clause & gifts. It’s very different from the 1st Christmas, about 2000 years ago - but there are a few things we have preserved as tradition. Let’s take a walk back into history, and try to imagine how it was! :)

The Birth of Jesus

You might be familiar with this story.

Mary was engaged to Joseph, and they never had sex. Suddenly, she found that she was pregnant, through the Holy Spirit. Joseph was a good man. He didn’t want to disgrace Mary publicly, but he planned to divorce her quietly.

But when he was sleeping, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream & said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

So, when Joseph woke up, he decided to take Mary as his wife. But he did not have sex with her, until she gave birth. (Matthew 1:19-25)

During that time, Ceaser Augustus made it compulsory that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. So, everyone had to go back to their own hometown to register. Joseph belonged to the line of David, so he had to go to Bethlehem (the town of David). Joseph took Mary (who was expecting) to Bethlehem, to register themselves.

When they reached Bethelehem, the place was full. There were no rooms available in any of the motels or inns. But it was time for Mary to give birth!

She gave birth to a son, wrapped him in cloths & placed him in a manger ( a container to keep food & water for cows & horses to eat). Joseph named the baby, "Jesus," just as the Lord told him in his dream.

The First Carol

During Christmas, Christians like to sing carols (songs about Jesus’ birth).You might have seen a team of choir, singing from house to house, in the malls or in public places. (Carolling is one of my favourite things about Christmas! I love going from house to house, singing carols like “Silent Night,” “Gloria,” “O Holy Night” etc.)

Do you know where this idea of singing from house to house came from? Let’s have a look. (Luke 2:1-14)

When Mary gave birth to Jesus, there were shepherds living in the fields nearby. They were awake – watching their sheep at night.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, & the glory of the Lord shone brightly around them. They were so afraid, but the angel said to them, “"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

This is the first Christmas carol / choir team that happened! Carols are to announce the birth of Christ, with great singing & joy!

The First Visit

When the angels left & went back to heaven, the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem & check out what the Lord told them.

Just as the angels said, they found Mary, Joseph & the baby, lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2: 15-20)

The First Gifts

During Christmas, we have gift exchanges & everyone loves presents! The first presents given during Christmas, were not to each other, but to baby Jesus! It was gold, myrrh & frankincense.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense (a type of incense), and myrrh (sweet smelling perfume).

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.(Matthew 2:1-12 )

So there you have it - the story of our very FIRST CHRISTMAS…when the Child was born :)

Isaiah 9:6

6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,[a] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.div>

The Gift

What is your first thought when someone makes a mistake? Do you think of all the bad things about them? Do you judge them according to all your past experiences, and people’s characters you have seen in your life?

Or are you able to see the person as a unique individual, with different needs? Are you able to identify that need, and do the right thing to help the person?

Most of the problems we face in daily life, stems from one reason – SELFISHNESS. We can become very selfish at times. When we feel down, we tend to think of how people hurt ME in the past. Then, we’ll think, “How can they treat ME like this? All this time, they are looking down on me."

We will EXPECT them to treat US the RIGTH WAY.

The problem is, the other people also operate on a very SELFISH level. They will think, ‘’What did I do now? I think this person is finding fault with me."

One of the biggest problem with us as humans – we always think of the WORST, as our first reaction!

Why can’t we think, “I forgive him, for the way he hurt me in the past. I won’t hold it in my heart.”
Why can’t we think, “I may have made a mistake in the past. No harm for me to apologize now. I don’t think she has bad intentions. I don’t need to get upset.”

Why won’t we think, “It’s not about me. I want to make him /her happy.”

Well, you know what? This proves one thing – we are natural sinners. Our FIRST reaction is not LOVE. It’s SELF. That’s why we need Jesus in our life!

And it only shows one thing – there is only one JESUS in the whole world. He’s the ONLY one who can LOVE PERFECTLY. He’s the only one who will IMMEDIATELY say,“Come into my arms. I forgive you. I still love you” – when you make your biggest mistakes! There will NEVER be another person like Jesus, in the whole world!

When we are down at our lowest point, He will NEVER think the worst things. Even if we mess up, He will say, “You belong to me. I know you are better than this. Come to me, I’ll wipe away your tears. I’ll be gentle with you…try again, you can do it! I'm with you...”
Jesus thinks the BEST about US. He doesn’t judge us according to the world standards & humans.

Sometimes, we go about our daily life, expecting people to LOVE us like JESUS! But hey, wake up! That’s probably never going to happen! There’s only ONE Jesus!

You cannot expect people to LOVE you like JESUS. But you can learn to LOVE like Him!

As Christmas approaches, I am filled with gratitude towards God, who gave us the GREATEST GIFT of LOVE. He gave us JESUS CHRIST – the icon of PERFECT LOVE.

The greatest happiness we can have in our life is knowing we are LOVED by Him.

This is His Christmas gift to us.

-JJ-

The Birthday

Imagine your birthday is coming up. Your friends are all preparing a blast for your big day. The day is approaching & everyone is really busy.

But busy with what? Busy with THEMSELVES. They are busy buying new clothes for themselves. They order a cake according to their own taste, which is something you don’t like. They buy presents for themselves & each other (for gift exchange), but not a single gift for you. No one cares one bit about you!

Finally, the day arrives. It seems that they even forgot to invite you for the function! But the banner on the entrance says it’s your birthday. So, you just walk in anyway. The people seem to be a little embarrassed about you being there. Someone notices you, and ushers you in, for courtesy sake. Those who pass by wish you a very ‘Happy Birthday!’ for formality.

You sit & wait as the party goes on. Everyone is dressed to kill. You appear dressed down for the occasion. They’re drinking & dancing to their heart’s fill. Even the cake doesn’t have your name on it.

You’ve done so much for these people. That guy Bob over there - you saved him from drowing in the river last year! That girl Sally on your left - you gave her your car when she lost her job! That boy Johnny in front - you adopted him as your child when he was begging on the streets. That girl Janet over there - you saved her from the prostitution ring & gave her a new life. That man, Kenny - you forgave him even after he backstabbed you. Those colleagues in front - you've been nothing but nice to them! And to think that you even sponsored the food & money for the whole celebration!

Yet, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is about you. Nobody appreciates you. You get up & silently leave. No one even notices that you’ve left. Yet, the party goes on the whole night – celebrating YOUR birthday!

How would you feel if people did that to you, for your birthday?

Hurt? Angry? Upset? Insulted? Would you cry? Would you feel like burning the whole place down & just walking off?

Well, you know what? We do that to one person, every single year, yet he is so patient with us.

Every year, the whole world is excited about Christmas, whether or not we call ourselves Christians. We decorate the tree. The kids wait to see Santa Clause. We buy presents for each other. We shop for new clothes. We organize big dinners & parties. People get drunk & dance like there’s no tomorrow on Christmas eve. Many even continue to have a ‘one-night stand’ after losing control with partners who are not their husband / wife.

And what’s the occasion? CHRISTMAS!

For goodness sake, do we even know what is Christmas to Christians?

Christmas is the day we symbolically celebrate God’s gift to mankind. It’s the day we thank God for sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be born in this earth. Jesus came to live a holy life, & die to pay for OUR sins.

We are supposed to be celebrating Jesus’ birthday!

But does it look like we do? Does our celebration have anything to do with Christ? Do we teach the kids that Christmas is about Christ? (not Santa Claus).

Do we obey His rules of holiness as we live, & when we celebrate. Or are we sinning instead?

Do we take Christmas as a day to think back just how much the Lord loves us? Do we appreciate God's gift to us?

At the end of the day, we have made Christmas, a celebration for our OWN SELF. It’s a commercialized event where the stores are only interested in selling us things. We are only interested about buying ourselves things. We want to eat, drink & party! We love Santa Clause.

It has nothing to do with Jesus Christ or God anymore. We are having a celebration, where we don’t even want to invite the Birthday Boy for the occasion!

How have we treated God? Do we thank God for Christ? What is our gift to Him?

Are you willing to give Him your life, by obeying His Word?

This is something for us to seriously think about, this Christmas...

The Only Way Out of Karma

Many of us believe in the concept of retribution or karma; If you do bad (sin), bad things will happen to you. If you do good (righteousness), good will return to you.

How good can you really be? Can you count your sins?

Here’s a story of a man who believed in karma.(I’m NOT implying women are any better. Just change ‘innocent little boy” to ‘innocent little girl” and you get the same story!)

He’s an innocent little boy growing up in a small town. When he is 5, he learns how to lie. He is naughty, but lies that he didn’t do something when he actually did it. When he is 7, he steals his classmate’s eraser. At the age of 9, he discovers pornography. He spends all his free time during childhood, teenage years and adulthood watching the scenes of thousands of naked women (how many people’s daughters & sisters!). He think this is OK, because everyone else is doing it. But actually this is sin. Can u even count how many scenes he watched in his lifetime? Can you count the number of times he had sex in his mind, with people who were not his wife. The number of his sins - uncountable!

Then when he is 16, he puts into practice what he has learnt from all the blue videos. He steals a girl’s virginity, while he willingly throws his away. Here, another sin. Not just sexual sin, but also STEALING (stealing the first night experience of marriage and body from each other’s true husband / wife.) This teenager doesn’t stop there. He grows up and has a few other girlfriends – and he has sex with each one of them. How many people’s daughter, sister, future wife of someone! How many future husbands and fathers & sons did he steal from? How many times they had sex?Uncountable!

Sex becomes the ‘god’ in his life! He loves having sex, with no regards to the ways of the Lord.

He becomes a young adult and starts working. He is still not married. He continues his fling of affairs. He sits together with a group of friends, and they sexually lust after every sexy woman who passes by. He admires their bodies, and imagines himself undressing someone’s sister / wife / daughter’s clothes. He thinks this is ok, and does it to fit in with the group, and make the guys happy. Again, uncountable sins!

One day, he decides to get engaged. He stays in a relationship for a couple of years, and then easily calls it off. If he were an innocent man who did not sleep with her, then it wouldn’t be too much of a sin. But he’s been living with her like he was her husband. Yet, in one moment, he loses his feelings for her and ends it all. Can you count his sins?

Then he gets married to a different girl. He doesn’t confess anything about his past to her, because he assumes the whole world is like him, anyway. Here, already a sin – a lie! When he makes love to her, he makes his wife get a taste of all the women he has slept with in his life. He doesn’t even have the basic repentance to ask her to forgive him for giving away his body away, so many times, to so many girls on his way! Here, only adding to his already uncountable sins!

Soon enough, he tries to have a child. He tries so hard for many years, but his seeds just don’t seem to hit the target. When his wife finally gets pregnant, she is faced with a miscarriage. Then he thinks God is unfair. “I’ve never done any ‘major sin’ like rape or murder. I don’t even smoke! I’ve been nice and honest in many ways. I don’t hurt anyone. My good karma should bless me! How can this happen to me?” But he doesn’t realize, he has been splashing his life producing sperms very cheaply, for SIN – for uncountable times in his life! He’s been STEALING in so many ways!

Eventually, he has a child. His wife is busy caring for the baby. Business keeps him busy and he has to hang out late. He lies every time he is late, even for innocent things because LYING has become his second nature. Again, adding to his sins. Worse still, he starts to have affairs with other women as he is influenced by his friends, and learns different lying techniques from the men who share at the table. Can you count his sins?

Later in life, some guy sleeps with his daughter at a very young age. She gets pregnant and aborts the child without his knowing. After some years, she gets engaged and the guy calls it off, after having a great deal of sex with her, which causes her great hurt. She gets married to a different man, but he has affairs and divorces her. His son, on the other hand, gets married but his wife swindles away all his money, leaving him with almost a nervous breakdown. His wife is so heartbroken by all that has happened. This man feels the pain of being a father.

This man blames God again, saying God is unfair. “My daughter is such a sweet girl. How could you let this happen to her? My son really loved his wife – how could You let his wife do that to him? My wife is a good woman, why do you let her suffer?I pray every morning to your statue! I don’t believe in God anymore!”

It’s really funny to think that this is a man who believes in karma! Yet, he never realizes the sins he has done to someone’s daughter, wife, sister, child, husband, father, son etc. – in his whole life! According to his own beliefs, he is being paid back for everything he has done – in different ways. Only thing, he has also made his wife and children pay for it. Obviously, it won’t end there.

The vicious cycle continues, from one generation to the other. This is karma, isn’t it? It’s true – what goes around, comes around. It’s a law in the 10 Commandments, where the sins of a man (or woman) is carried into the future generations. This happens because we FAIL TO FOLLOW God's Commandments!

In fact, many things that are happening in our lives (or have already happened) are the result of the sins of our ancestors (parents, grandparents, greatgrandparents etc) – their unconfessed and unforgiven sins.

What we do in our own lives will affect our children and the generations that comes after.

It's true, each of us make individual choices and decisions, which bring its own consequences. But like it or not, there is an unexplainable force which repays whatever we do; influencing the time, place, people we meet and what we do.

Can this ever be stopped?

This man can only stop his ‘karma’ from continuing to the next generation if he gets rid of ALL his sins. Can he do that by himself? Can he wash away any one of his bad deeds? NO! Not at all! He can’t even remember or count all of the bad things he did in his life!

Is there a way to end this vicious cycle?

The Bible says, there is only ONE WAY to get out of the trap. Through the MEDIATOR who cancels our sins so we can walk away as a FREE MAN!

That is to BELIEVE IN JESUS – to believe that He died to pay for our sins and ask Him to forgive us. It’s the ONLY WAY to remove ALL our wrongdoings from our records.

The moment this man says this prayer with his mouth, and believes in His heart, his sins are TOTALLY FORGIVEN! :


Father,

I now believe that Jesus Christ is Your only begotten Son, that He came down to our earth in the flesh and died on the cross to take away all of my sins and the sins of this world. I believe that Jesus Christ then rose from the dead on the third day to give all of us eternal life.


Lord Jesus,

I now confess to You all of the wrong and sinful things I have ever done in my life. I ask that You please forgive Me and wash away all of my sins by the blood that You have personally shed for me on the cross. I am now ready to accept You as my personal Lord and Savior. I now ask that You come into my life and live with Me for all of eternity.

Father, Jesus – I now believe that I am truly saved and born again.


Thank you Jesus.”


In one moment, every single bad thing he has done in his life is REMOVED from the record.


He becomes BRAND NEW! Yesterday a sinner, today a saint!


This is the day he breaks the evil cycle of ‘karma’ in his life. He starts a NEW LIFE, following God’s rules, which will bring the blessing of the Lord upon his family & future generations!


This is the moment, he gives his whole life to Jesus. This is when, he is proud to say, “I am a Christian,” because he finally realizes, Jesus is the only way out.


The Lord said in Exodus 20: 3-6 (10 Commandments):

3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.


I Timothy 2: 5

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,


Jesus said in John 5:24

24 “I tell you the truth, those who LISTEN to my message and BELIEVE in God who sent ME have eternal life. They will NEVER be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

-JJ-

The Religion of the Early Indians

As I continue reading the book “Christianity in Hinduism,” I am gaining more understanding about the origin of my race. Let me share.

The book says, history proves that Dravidians (also known as Tamilians) were the first people of the Indian soil. The famous people of India who wrote great books were Dravidians. Kalidasa, the famous poet, was a Dravidian. Veda Vyasa, who compiled the nomadic songs as the 4 Vedas, compiled the Upanisads and wrote the Mahabharata which contains the Bhagavad Gita - was a Dravidian. These books were written in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit language was created by the Dravidians, to pass these teachings to commoners. Purana’s were further written by Dravidians to explain the concept of God.

In the beginning, there was no term for religions. The terms “Hinduism” & “Christianity” were given by Europeans when they came into power centuries later. Since the Europeans called themselves Christians, once they came into power, they classified those along the Sindhu river as Hindus. The terms Muslim, Buddhism, Sikhism etc. also came about in a similar manner, according to geographical area and the people there. The Europeans did this for political & administrative purposes. But in fact, these people were already believing in the same Supreme God. If the European Christians considered the “Supreme God” as part of European Christianity, this meant that the Dravidians practiced Early Indian Christianity, which they already believed before the Europeans came in. Yet, the Europeans called it "Hinduism" based on the geographical area, because they could not understand it, when it was dressed in a different language & culture.

Only difference, European “Christians” called this Supreme God as ‘The Lord” or “Yahweh” – based on the Old Testament of the Jews. And the early Indians called Him Siva/Brahma, as compiled in the Sanskrit language.

“European Christians” acknowledged that Jesus Christ was the Lord (the Supreme God) who came into the world in human flesh – after Jesus was born in a place that was politically controlled by Rome (a European country). That’s why people think that “Christianity” is an European religion. But the truth is, Christianity didn’t come from Europe . The gospel of Jesus Christ came from the Jews.

The concept of God in the Bhagavad Gita, Brahma Sutra, other early India writings & the Bible is very similar. The Lord refers to Himself as “I AM” in the Bible, and in Dravidian books, as “Aham Brahmasmi.”

According to this book, these were the original thoughts of the Dravidians. The Dravidians explained this concept in many of their writings.

The Dravidians believed in the concept of Sin (that sin came through a fruit & we shouldn’t eat of it). They explained the concept of Avatar, where God comes down to earth as one of us to save us from sins. They believed in a God without form, a God with form, & a God with semi-form. They believed that these three gods were ONE. (That’s why there are statues of one god with three heads – representing this Triune concept of 3 gods as one).In other words, they believed in the concept of Trinity. They believed that god will lose all his glory, come to earth as a human and sacrifice himself to wash away human’s sins. They believed in Eternal Life (life after death, achieved through the suffering & sacrifice of the One)

This is the exact concept of the Bible. Sin came into the world when Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit. The concept of Trinity ; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), & God the Holy Spirit – 3 but ONE. God came down to earth as a sacrifice, to wash away human sins. Eternal life achieved by believing in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said He is "I AM."This same God is the Lord, who came to the world in human flesh, as Jesus Christ.

This concept is explained in the Bhagavad Gita & Brahma Sutra as well. The early Dravidian writings show Brahma as the Supreme God, who is explained in the Bible as “I AM” (the Lord). But all these early Dravidian concepts of God were twisted and manipulated by the foreigners who invaded the land.

Many foreigners conquered the Dravidians for more than 157 years, and made them slaves. The Aryans were the only ones without religion or faith in God, who conquered the Dravidians. The Aryans made the Dravidians become slaves, and controlled them. The Aryans came up with the Varnashrama Dharma concept (caste system) under the disguise of religion. ’ Varna ’ means colour, and the caste system was originally based on skin-colour. The Aryans had a white complexion, while the non-Aryans had darker skin colour. The Aryans used the term “Hinduism” to camouflage the original Dravidian concept of worship & religion, to practice Varnashrama Dharma. The Aryans used the caste system to make the Dravidians become slaves.

Adisankara, the famous Aryan, misinterpreted the verse “Aham Brahmasmi” into “I am God.” He said that Brahmins alone can claim they are gods. This is totally against the teachings of the original Dravidian religious literature. The Bhagavad Gita & Brahma Sutra say that the Supreme God is incomparable & no one can claim he is god. By introducing this misinterpreted concept, the Aryan Brahmins degraded the Dravidians to become slaves. Dravidians who went against the Aryan teachings were reduced to the level of ‘untouchables.’

This is what the Aryans did, according to the book. There was a conspiracy going on. They degraded the Dravidian religious philosophy by giving it a coating of sex. The Puranas which were originally written to explain the concept of God, were twisted to give readers sexual feelings. The sculptures & figures were kept around worshipping places, but the Aryans purposely gave it a sexual look to corrupt the people’s minds. This didn’t just happen in sculptures & art. The women who dedicated their lives for holy purpose as ‘servants of God’ (Thevaaradiyaal) were lured and forced into prostitution. Music & dances were meant for noble purposes but it was used to introduce sexual immorality. The temple was meant to be a place of holiness, but prostitutes were made to stay around the temple, and worshippers were influenced to indulge in sexual activities.

According to the book, the Aryans also systematically degraded the original Dravidians through other ways. In the media & stories, the characters of evil doers or bad people were represented by Dravidians, and those of noble roles were played by the Brahmins. This same thing was represented in the arts and sculptures. The Dravidians were also suppressed through politics. Eventually, people were made to think that the Brahmins were of a noble & superior level. Psychologically, the Dravidians were made to believe that their own race & skin colour was inferior by birth, and that the Brahmins were superior by birth.

The Dravidians were originally very loving people, living together as one big family; but the caste concept created conflicts among the Dravidian race itself, as some considered themselves superior to the other.

Based on this book, the original religion practiced by the Dravidians was named “Hinduism” along those times. But the term "Hinduism" doesn't exist in any original religious text of the Dravidians. When the Aryans came into power in India , they used the term “Hinduism” for political purposes by manipulating the teachings of the Dravidians. So, the original religious literature of the Dravidians, which was also called “Hinduism,” lost its true meanings. People were not given the chance to learn the writtings of the Dravidians. Instead, the Aryans, wrote great volumes about the caste concept, and taught it as religion.

The way I see it, in the beginning, humans had no term to call ‘religion’. They worshipped the Supreme God, They worshipped the God who created them. The Jews worshipped Him as Jehovah, the Muslims worshipped Him as Allah. The Hindus worshipped Him as Brahma / Siva. The Christians called Him, “The Lord” or “Yahweh.”

Then, the Europeans came in and gave different parts of the world, different labels for religions & beliefs. Along the way, foreign influences came in from different countries and corrupted teachings of “God” to gain political power.

But, Abraham from the place called “ Ur ” seems to play a very huge rule in the religions that worship a Creator. That’s why Abraham is called the ‘common father’ to these faiths.

In these faiths, some are still waiting for a Messiah to come one day. Some say we need to continue performing sacrifices to be saved. ‘Christians’ say, He already came.

“Christians” as we call ourselves today, believe Jesus is the Promised One, the Messiah, the Supreme God, the Lord – who already came to earth as a human to die for our sins – the One who will return again as King from heaven to judge the earth.

It’s important to note; when Jesus came to earth, He didn’t come to create religion. He didn’t come to create the “Christian” religion. The term “Christianity’’ was given by those in power, years later. Jesus came to fulfill the prophecy revealed centuries ago, in the Word. He confirmed the teachings that were already written. He came to redeem mankind from darkness. He came to wash our sins away because humans are sinners. He came to earth to become the Ultimate Sacrifice, once and for all – God in human flesh. All He asked us to do is to BELIEVE.

During the time of Abraham & the Dravidians (Tamilians), we must remember that the Bible had not been compiled yet. The inspired Word of God was passed down through word of mouth. Jesus was only born centuries later.

I feel so grateful that I can see the whole picture – now that a complete, compiled Bible is available in my hand. Added with findings of history, I believe I have come to know HIS STORY from my ancestors, being an Indian myself.

-JJ-

The Men in the Bible Spoke Tamil?

Recentely, I had been thinking about, “How come I am a Christian, being an Indian? How did my parents, grandparents & forefathers become Christians? How did Christianity reach Indians, in the first place?”

I came back to my hometown. While I was placing my watch on the bookshelf, as if planned by Providence, my eyes caught sight of an old book arranged together with my collection. I haven’t seen it before and I asked my mom where it came from. She couldn’t remember, but she must have placed it there while rearranging things in the house.

I immediately picked it up. The title was “Christianity in Hinduism” by Prof. D. M. Deivanayagam M.A., PhD & Dr. D. Devaka M.A., PhD.

The authors have made some remarkable historical discoveries about the Bible, in Hinduism & India - saying Abraham actually spoke Tamil! Allow me to share.

Abraham (Ibrahim) is the common father of Islam, Christianity, Judaism & the Israelite religion. Abraham is the father of the 2 sons – Isaac (Ishak) & Ishamael (Ismail) whose descendants are still at war with each other in the Middle East today.

The Bible says that Abraham was from a place called ‘Ur,’ the capital of the Sumerian kings. (Genesis 11:31). In Tamil, ‘Ur’ is a word for village.

The Bible says that when the Great Flood happened, 8 people from the family of Noah (Abraham’s forefather) survived because they were in the Ark. They multiplied and spread their language towards other areas after the Ark landed on Mount Ararat.

In the Old Testament, Genesis 11:1 in the Bible says that the whole world had one language and one speech during that time. The people travelled from the East to other places & lived there.

This book explored – What is the language of the East?

Historically, in the East, there was a civilization known as the Indus Valley civilization, belonging to the Dravidians, also known as Tamilians. It has been found that the Dravidian language was actually a very primitive form of Tamil! Even the old day ethnic Iranians in the villages spoke this language.

Research also proves that Sumerians moved into Babylon from the East, and there is evidence that Tamilians lived in Babylon.

Teakwood found in a place called ‘Ur’ shows that trade relationship existed between South India & Sumeria before 4000 B.C.

Hinduism is the term given to the religion that existed along the Indus, so a lot of its history dates back to the Dravidian / Tamilian way of life – and influences that have entered into the area.

There is a lot of historical evidence showing the correlation between worship in the Indus valley & the Bible.

Ashoka’s inscriptions in Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus) tell us about the Greek, Romans, Jews & Syrians who traded with India. The Tamil Sankam literature (about 3rd c. B.C – 3rd. C.A.D) reveals that these foreigners settled in Pondichery. (Ashoka is the great Indian Emperor who ruled almost all of India during his reign, who also helped Buddhism become a world religion)

It’s very interesting to note that before 2nd c. A.D, the languages that are seen in the inscriptions in India during Ashoka’s period are Tamil, Greek, Aramaic and a few others, but not Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the language used to write the Hindu Vedas, and it’s only seen after this period.

In the Bible, Abraham is a man who worshipped the Lord and spoke the language of the East. These historical findings point to him speaking the earliest form of Tamil. This also means that Christianity existed in India, even BEFORE the Europeans brought Christianity to Indian soil!

In the New Testament, Matthew 2:1 in the Bible says, “Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem” to visit Jesus Christ when He was born. The birth & location of Christ was predicted hundreds of years before he was born, in the Old Testament. This means that people in the East had knowledge of the Old Testament & were anticipating this birth of the Savior; so they travelled to Jerusalem to visit the child. So, it is highly possible, that either of the wise men, or all of them who visited Christ, were from India!

This explains how Christianity spread from Judea to India.(The term Christianity came about after the birth of Christ. Before Christ was born in human flesh, He was worshiped as the Lord, of Abraham), Judea was controlled by the Romans & Greek during that time. That’s why the Christian Jews wrote their Books in Greek, instead of their own language. Evidence reveals that trade relationship existed between Judea & India, and this is how Christianity further spread to India. This makes it really probably that Abraham in the Bible spoke the earliest form of Tamil.

Being an Indian, these new findings that I’ve read intrigue me to delve further into the history of India, Hinduism & its link with the Bible. The Bible mentions many countries that exist today – India, Rome, Egypt, Babylon etc., even the lost city of Atlantis. Research show that Sumerians moved into Babylon from the East & there is evidence that Tamilians have also lived in Babylon.

There seems to be a HUGE link between all these countries, Babylon, India & the Bible. (The Bible indicates that religions originate from Babylon & modern researchers agree with it). And we know that Tamil is among the oldest languages in the world.

The world is a big jigsaw puzzle with a lot of missing pieces. That makes it difficult for us to understand the whole story.

But HISTORY is HIS STORY. Finding our origin will explain where we came from, save us from lies & lead us to the source of TRUTH – the Author & Finisher of the Story.

A famous man once said, “There are only 2 types of people in the world: 1) Those who search for the truth, & 2) those who justify their own behavior.”

I choose to search for the TRUTH, which is revealing itself to me, the more I seek. Jesus has never disappointed me. He is only making things clearer to me.

Till all the missing pieces are pieced together, I am still amazed to think of the possibility that the people in the Bible actually spoke Tamil!

-JJ-

The Blood

Have you ever seriously thought about the importance of blood in your life?

I continue to be amazed at how a full blood test can reveal what’s in a person’s body – from arthritis, rheumatism, cholesterol level, kidney functions, cancer to AIDS. Our blood can reveal whether we are in the pink of health, or if we are counting our days. Truly, modern science proves that the Bible (which was written more than 2000 years ago) contains high scientific standard.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood…” the Bible says in Leveticus 17:11

Throughout the centuries, extensive research has been conducted about blood since the discovery of the blood circulation system in the human body. We are alive and breathing today because of blood circulation. The blood is pumped by the heart, and it’s interesting to note, that’s it’s possible for a machine to perform the heart’s job. Yet, if the blood cannot reach the different organs of our bodies, we die. Even we start to lose blood for a prolonged time (especially women, when having period), we feel extremely tired. If we lose large amounts of blood, we die. If the blood is infected by incurable viruses that destroy our life-essential organs, we cannot live. Each cell in our blood has its own function and correct amount to protect and preserve our lives. So, it is true when the Bible says our LIFE is in the blood.

In order for us to continue living, our blood needs to be cleansed. When a dying person needs to be saved, modern science allows the blood of a healthy person (of the same blood group) to be transfused to the dying person. Contaminated blood cannot be saved by itself. It needs cleansing.

Remember, in the process of blood transfusion, the BLOOD must be transfused, or GIVEN to the sickly person. Then, the blood must be ACCEPTED by dying person, in order for him or her to be SAVED.

A lot of people ask, “Why did Jesus have to die in the first place? Why did he have to shed his blood? Why do we need to ACCEPT that his blood paid for our sins? If he really already shed his blood for all of us, why does it matter whether we BELIEVE and ACCEPT JESUS, or if we do what we like (as long as we try to be good)?”

The profound spiritual answer to these questions can be illustrated by modern science in blood transfusion.

Jesus said in Matthew 26:28,

For this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people.

It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.

God gave us Jesus to die for our sins because He is the ONLY 100% CLEAN & PURE blood in this world. He is the ONLY SINLESS PERSON, because He is GOD! It is also because of this; Jesus says His blood heals our diseases. Human blood is contaminated with sin, spiritually, and with diseases physically. Diseases are a direct result of sin, since the creation of humankind in the Garden of Eden. It’s the power of His blood that heals us.

ALL of us need a ‘blood transfusion’. It’s the ONLY WAY for our sins to be forgiven, to avoid the punishment in Hell.

God has already GIVEN us the BLOOD of Jesus.We just need to ACCEPT it. We ACCEPT by BELIEVING.

The Bible says in Romans 3:23,

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.

There is NO EXCEPTION for anyone to say he or she does good things, and doesn’t need the blood of Christ.

The way I see it, JESUS is NOT religion. He is the DIFFERENCE between of LIFE & DEATH, here on earth and in eternity.

He is THE BLOOD.

Have you BELIEVED & ACCEPTED His BLOOD?

-JJ-

The Blood is Alive!

I was very curious about the research into the lost Ark of Covenant, after writing my post about “The Golden Calf & the 10 Commandments,” so started to search more about it on Google.

Many articles showed that the Ark of Covenant has actually already been found in 1982, by Ron Wyatt, the Biblical archeologist. Amazingly, he claims to have found it hidden in a cave, right under the Cross where Jesus Christ was crucified!

What find most remarkable is that Ron Wyatt’s said he found a sample of dried human BLOOD, on the Ark of Covenant!

Ron took it back for a test, and it turned out to be the blood of a male. BUT, there were only 24 chromosome in the white blood cells! (we normal humans have 46 chromosomes : 24 from our mother, and 24 from our father) Jesus only had 24 chromosomes from his mother! And He had a Y chromosome, which had to come from another source which was NOT HUMAN!

Of course, we Bible believers have no doubt at all that it came from God, the Father! The Bible already said that Jesus was born through virgin birth, NOT through a sexual relationship between a male & female.

If Ron’s discovery is true, that means every thing the Bible says is TRUE!

The Lord said that His blood will be shed to pay for human sins. His blood would fall on the Mercy Seat.The Ark of Covenant represents the Mercy Seat (the 10 Commandments are in it!) It is the same commandments that we humans have failed to obey since the beginning. Blood dripping onto the Ark is really His blood paying the price for our sins!

The Bible says that the Roman soldiers pierced the side of Jesus' body when He was on the Cross, and His blood flowed down. After Jesus died, the was a terrible earthquake and the rocks split. They had no idea that the rock beneath would crack and His blood would flow down - directly to the Ark of Covenant, and fulfill what was WRITTEN thousands of years ago!

As I watched the video clip of Ron Wyatt, I literally had goosebumps as I heard him speak! (you can watch it at: http://anchorstone.com/content/view/135/55/ )

Ron said, the man who was testing the blood sample asked him, “Whose blood is this? This blood is alive!”

I believe it is THE BLOOD of the only SINLESS MAN in the world – Jesus Christ, the Lord & Saviour.

His BLOOD is still ALIVE today – cleansing us from all sins!

-JJ-



For more info, read:

http://www.biblediscoveries.com/content/view/27/41/

The Golden Calf & the 10 Commandments

If you want to know about human impatience, ungratefulness & stubbornness, just read about our ancestors, the people of Israel, in Exodus 32 & Deuteronomy 9 & 10.

We all know about the 10 Commandments that God gave to the prophet Moses. God literally wrote the 10 Commandments with His finger on the tablets of stone, thousands of years ago (the handwriting on those stones are similar to the advanced laser technology of today, as discovered by archeologist).

Yet, many of us don’t know what happened, when the 10 Commandments were given to Moses.

Let’s take a walk back into history.

Imagine you are one of people of Israel, in the desert. Imagine, your leader, the prophet Moses, tells you he’s going up the mountain to fast and pray.

What would you be doing while waiting for your leader to return?

Take note, just some time before that, the people of Israel suffered as slaves in Egypt! They prayed and asked to Lord to save them, out of Egypt. Then, the Lord sent Moses to come and lead them. They had received miracles after miracles from the Lord. They saw a stick turn into a snake. They saw water turn into blood. They saw the Lord part the sea before their very eyes and they managed to escape from Pharoah in Egypt, with Moses as their leader. When they didn’t have food to eat, the Lord sent food from heaven.

The people of Israel experienced the Lord’s great power, literally! They knew that the Lord always answered their prayers and that He spoke to Moses. Yet, they couldn’t wait for their leader to come down from the mountain.

Here’s what the Israelites did, while Moses was away.

They said, “We don’t know what happened to that fellow Moses. Wives, daughters and sons – take off all your gold earrings! We’ll make a god for ourselves!”

They melted all the gold they had to make a statue of a young cow! They made a Golden Calf to worship it as God!

When the golden statue was complete, they said, “This is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt!”

Can you even believe this was happening?

And Moses’ assistant, Aaron, announced the next day as a festival to God! Everyone woke up early and sacrificed burnt offerings; they ate and drank well while enjoying great celebrations.

During that moment, the Lord was giving Moses the 10 Commandments, up on the mountain, after he fasted and prayed for 40 days.

Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down from here at once, because the people you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt!”

Can you imagine your leader, who had not eaten for 40 days and 40 nights, coming down from the mountain, carrying 2 stone tablets (with the handwriting of God)?

What does Moses see?

He sees his dear assistant, Aaron, leading the pact into worshipping a Golden Cow as God!

Moses became terribly angry with the people because they were so impatient and stubborn – they had sinned against the Lord! They were worshipping a golden cow, as God! They had reduced the greatness of the Almighty God into a statue, formed and shaped with human hands! What an insult to the Lord!

Immediately, Moses threw the 2 stone tablets (containing the 10 Commandments) out of his hands, breaking them into pieces in front of their eyes! (some parts of these broken stones have been discovered by archeologists, and science reveals the modern laser technology on the stones dated thousands of years back!)

The Lord burned with anger towards the people of Israel! The Lord had LOVED THEM, and had done SO MUCH for them. Yet, they were so stubborn, impatient and disobedient.

The Lord told Moses,”Let Me destroy Aaron & all these people!”

But Moses begged the Lord not to kill Aaron and the people of Israel. Again, Moses fasted and prayed for 40 days, asking the Lord to forgive all their sins.

The Lord listened to Moses’ prayer, and spared their lives. The Lord was gracious enough to tell Moses to prepare 2 more stone tablets. Once again, the Lord wrote the same 10 Commandments (which was broken when Moses threw them in front of the Golden Calf) on the 2 new stone tablets. The Lord gave them a SECOND CHANCE!

The Lord also asked Moses to make a wooden chest to keep the 10 Commandments. This box was called the Ark of Covenant. ’Covenant‘ means contract or agreement. And the stone tablets are in that Ark till today (many archeologists are still searching for it).

There was a special way to carry the Ark of Covenant so that it won’t be touched, and only a selected tribe was allowed to carry it. Even if people accidentally touched the Ark of Covenant, they died! So great and holy was the handwriting of the Lord! (perhaps that’s why it’s so hard to discover the Ark and the 10 Commandments stone tablets till today).

The people had to carry the Ark wherever they went, and it brought blessings to the land. Then the Lord asked Moses to tell the people to follow all the Commandments, so that they will be blessed. The Lord warned them not to create any statue to worship as God, or worship anything else besides the Lord.

What do you think of the 10 Commandments?

Can you see how serious it is? To the extent that the Lord wrote it twice! So important that it had to be placed in a special chest, carried in a special way, by selected people – to bring blessings.

What do you think of the Golden Calf?

If you were one of the Israelites, would YOU have been melting your gold jewellery to create the golden statue of a cow, or would you have TRUSTED & OBEYED the Lord who brought you that far?

-JJ-

A Father’s Love

Jesus told this story in Luke 15: 11-31:

“Dad, give me my share of your wealth. I can’t wait till you die. I want it now!” the young boy demanded from his rich father.

The father was very disappointed, but he still loved his son. He divided his estate and gave the younger son his share of the wealth. The older son, on the other hand, was a sensible boy who continued to stay faithfully with his father.

The younger son took all the money and travelled to a far away country to enjoy himself. He lavished himself with prostitutes and wine, together with his friends. He literally wasted the fortune that his father spent years to build.

After wasting all his money, he realized that his friends didn’t want to help him when he had nothing. Famine struck the land. He didn’t have anything at all! Finally, he had to work and take care of pigs!

One day, while he was feeding the pigs, he realized that he didn’t even have the pigs' food to eat! He thought to himself, “Even the servants in my father’s house had enough food to eat!”

That’s when the younger son came to his senses. He went back to his father’s house with shame. With a repentant heart, he went to see his father.

He said wholeheartedly, “Father, I have sinned against God and you. I am not fit to be called your son. Please, I beg you, just take me as one of your lowest servants…”

Yet, before he could finish the speech he memorized in his heart, his father told the servant to bring the best clothes and a ring – to wash him clean and dress him up. He asked the servants to prepare a feast. The father hugged him and was so happy his son came home!

When the older son saw this, he became very upset.

He said, “Dad, all this while I have been a very good son to you. I never disobeyed anything you said. I never wasted any of your money.Yet, this boy comes back after wasting all your money on prostitutes, but you are preparing a celebration for him. You never did anything like this for me, in my whole life!”

But the father replied to the older son, “My dear son, your brother was lost, but now he is found. He was dead, but now he is alive. We should celebrate! All this while you were with me. EVERYTHING that I have, IS ALREADY YOURS!”

This is a father’s love towards his children – both the good ones, and the ones who have messed up.

God is our heavenly Father. Even if we purposely go away from him, He still loves us. He is NOT waiting to punish us. Instead, He still loves us and blesses us. That’s why you see a lot of good things happening to very bad people. Even if we have sinned like the bad son, God is waiting for us to come home. God is so happy when our heart is really changed and we truly regret our mistakes! When we return, He doesn’t treat us like servants. Instead, He accepts us with a CELEBRATION!

That’s why we can go to Heaven in one moment, when we confess our sins to God, change our ways and follow Jesus! Heaven is our Home with God, our Father!

If you are like the good son, you should have the Father’s heart. Everything that God has promised already belongs to you. You have enjoyed the pleasure of being together with our Father. There is nothing to regret or feel jealous towards the bad son.

If you have sinned a lot in your whole life, and in the end, you come back to God after wasting your life with money, sex & wine – God accepts and loves you. IT PROVES HOW MUCH GOD LOVES YOU.

If you have been faithfully obeying God’s commandments and trying to avoid sin, your whole life – remember God already LOVES you so much and is very pleased with you. IT PROVES HOW MUCH YOU LOVE GOD.

JESUS IS OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. HE LOVES US ALL.

Do you LOVE Him?

-JJ-

Can Love be Selfish?

When Amma, the guru from India , hugged the thousands who lined up, many said they experienced a kind of peace they could not explain. This is the way Amma showed love to them, and people were willing to queue up for hours for that one moment of experience. When people asked her, how she was able to hug everyone, she took the credit saying love flowed from herself – it was her inborn nature.

If you believe in the powers of meditation & ‘shaktipat’ (power transferred from guru to another person), you might see it as a spiritual act. If you look at it from a pure humanitarian perspective, you will see a simple woman from a poor background, showing love.

Either way, people seem to find it really impressive.

It made me think about the way we love people. Do we give every stranger we see, a ‘feel good’ moment?

The more I thought about it, I realize, we already do! Think about your day, the moment you wake up. If you’re single, you’ll find that you will be greeting your colleagues and clients with nice words. You will be hugging strangers. You will say a lot of nice things to people on your way. It’s part of your job. You make others feel good, and you get the benefit. People will say good things about you to your boss, or enjoy doing business with you. Words about your goodness will spread around. There’s something in it for you, that’s why you do it.

In life, we show love to others, but 90% of the time, it is to benefit our own SELF.

Think back – why do you do something? Is it really for LOVE, or is it because you want it to benefit your SELF?

For example, some people do many good things, because they want to cancel off the bad things they have done in their life. They are hoping to improve their own ‘karma’. They think that performing good works will take them a step closer to achieving their goal. What is the motive? SELF.

Some are terrified of being born again into this world as a mosquito or a worm. They believe, they need to do more good things to have a good life as a better animal or a human being in their next life. What is the motive? SELF.

Others are afraid to go to hell, so they think they need to do a lot of good works to earn themselves a better place in the life after death. They become very religious & sacrifice their whole life, doing charity to others. But again, what is the motive? SELF.

Some people give a lot of donations & do plenty of social work - they don’t like to keep it secret. They like the name they get – the label & attention as a ‘good person.’ When people give them compliments, they are more than happy to take all the credit for themselves. The motive is clear – SELF.

Some people achieve great success in life. They are great leaders and do a lot of good for mankind. At the end of the day, they think “I did it my way!” – Again, the motive is SELF.

People adopt a pet to take care of it. Yes, it’s a good thing. But the real reason they do it is because the pet makes them feel warm & loved. They like the benefit of having a pet; an eager puppy licking their face when they come back from a long day at work. See – even the reason for loving their pet is SELF.

Husbands & wives say they love each other. But really, many people love because the other person benefits them in some way or another (gives them happiness, company, sex, children, maybe money etc.) You see, the reason for love is again, SELF.

When your motive is SELF, it is easy to do a lot of good things in the name of Love to others. You want to get something in return (whether you realize it, or not). If it doesn’t benefit you, or you find it irritating, you will stop loving.

Doesn’t it show that we humans are very SELFISH by nature? Even when we love, it’s SELFISH.

The REAL TEST of LOVE comes in the scenarios below:


1) Imagine someone stabbed you behind your back. The person talked a lot of lies and bad things about you, to people you know. Your friend ruined your image and caused you a lot of hurt. There’s nothing you can do about it, and your heart holds a strong revenge.

2) Imagine you are a girl (or boy), who was molested or raped as a child. You suffered in silence for many years. That incident created a scar in your life, and destroyed your self-esteem & trust towards others.


3) Imagine you help someone to have a better life because of mistakes they have made. You help silently & no one knows. You are paying for someone else’s mistakes & you have to sacrifice many things so that the other person can have a better life.


Which would be easier for you?

1) To hug 1000 strangers?

2) Or to look at the ONE PERSON (your enemy / the one who hurt you/ the one who’s mistakes you are paying for) in the eye, give a warm hug & say with a sincere heart, “What you did was wrong, but I truly LOVE & FORGIVE you!”

If your focus is YOUR SELF, you will find it easier to hug 1000 strangers than to LOVE 1 enemy sincerely. “Why should I love my enemy. He hurt ME – he doesn’t deserve love,” is what a SELFISH heart would say.

The kind of LOVE I find TRULY IMPRESSIVE can be found in Jesus Christ.

1) He left his throne in heaven to come to earth as human – to pay the price & die a very painful death for humans’ sins. He didn’t have to do it, but he chose to - because it was the only way to save us. He had nothing to gain, & everything to lose. The motive was to LOVE US, NOT himself.

2) When He was being tortured & killed on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.” He wanted his enemies to be forgiven! Again, the motive was LOVE, NOT self.

3) When questioned about his miracles, he always pointed back to the Father in Heaven. He never went around ‘performing,’ to get credit. His purpose was LOVE, NOT self.

4) Even when he performed miracles (healed the lepers, made the blind see etc.), he told them to be silent about it. His reason was LOVE, NOT self.

5) His encounter with people changed their lives. He didn’t make everyone just feel good for one moment. He met a woman who had an affair with more than 5 men, & told her about her sin, because He wanted her to change. In that moment, she experienced something she never felt before. It changed her life. Telling people about their sins won’t bring popularity, yet Jesus did it. His motive was LOVE, NOT self.

I find it very difficult to understand, how come people are not equally impressed by the SELFLESS LOVE shown by this man.

Perhaps, people just want a ‘feel good’ moment & an ‘out of this world’ experience. Maybe, they don’t like to be reminded of their sins. They don’t like to be told about ‘right & wrong,’ because then, they would feel like a sinner & need to ask God’s forgiveness. They are enjoying life their own way, & don’t like change. They just want someone or something, to give a blast of ‘happiness’ into the lifestyle of their own choice. They always want something just for SELF. Even when they love, it is for SELF.

But Jesus OFFENDED the world, because of LOVE. He knew that our sins will take us to Hell. He knew that Hell is a place of terrible torture & suffering. Jesus knew that even if we did 1,000,000 good things in the world, even if we sacrificed our life to save 100 people, even if we quit our jobs to go and join a mission to help the slums; it will never be enough to save us from our sins. Our own good actions cannot save us & grant us a place in heaven. In the end, we will die as a sinner, if our sins are not forgiven & we don’t change from our evil ways.

Did you know – that focusing on SELF instead of GOD, is already a SIN (violation of the 1st Commandment in Exodus 20:3). Even if we have done 1,000,000 good things in the world, but our motive is SELF – then EVERY THING we have done in our life, is SIN!

Jesus came to tell us He is the only one who can forgive our sins & let us go to Heaven. He came to tell us that He really loves us – to the extent of dying for us. He came to die for a world that did not bother about sin, heaven or hell. Even after He died for us, the world does not believe Him. Yet, He loves us much…even though we killed him. Truly, we don’t deserve His love.


We tend to live purely for our SELF…even when we love, we love SELFISHLY…But, Jesus is not selfish…He really LOVES you & me…We truly need His forgiveness... we need to turn away from our sinful ways…

-JJ-

To Him Who Has More

Do you admire great men & women you see on the television? Singers like Micheal Jackson, or famous actors from Hollywood or Bollywood? Maybe even great world leaders like John F. Kennedy, from history?

There are many famous figures I admire, for the changes they have made to the world & lives, and the contributions they have made society.

Sometimes, I think, “Wow! What a great destiny this man had in his life! The whole world knows & admires him! How many people can achieve this greatness in their lifetime?”

But then again, it’s I realize, it’s a VERY HUGE RESPONSIBILITY to hold that position of ‘greatness’ – and many men & women have failed in the end.

When God allows you to climb higher & play greater roles, He gives you more CHOICES.

If you are an average 9-5 office employee, you will find that live an average life; a simple family life where one wife & a few children is already a financial challenge. You are contented with a simple life, being faithful to your wife.

But look at the lives of rich businessman or influential leaders. God has blessed them with more privileges. They have more money. They attract women everywhere you go. They can financially afford affairs; to spend lavish gifts on many women, who repay them with their bodies.

You see, God gives people more CHOICES, the HIGHER WE REACH. But WHAT DO WE DO with the MORE THAT WE HAVE?

Do men remain as faithful husbands to their wife? Do they see their position as God’s blessing? Do they make time for God? Do they do things the ‘clean’ way’? Do they discuss their plans with God in prayer? Do they think they achieved it all by themselves, or are they thankful to God & follow the Laws of the Bible?

Many great leaders had the CHOICE to live a life obeying God’s Laws. They had the CHOICE to be GREAT EXAMPLES for God, and influence a lot of people through their righteous lifestyle. But they chose SIN instead.

Most of the great leaders we admire achieved greatness in the eyes of the world. We think that they are so great & surely deserve a place in heaven! But they FAILED terribly in the eyes of God.

Even famous celebrities & stars. They have reached a level where the world totally adores them. Crowds scream & cry just to see their favourite singer pass by! God has allowed them to be in a position to influence the minds of thousands of fans!

But what do they do with this INFLUENCING POWER?

They sing songs which promote sexual immorality, and even twist Jesus’ words from the Bible. They dress in ways that corrupt young minds. They take drugs & consume alcohol, which is copied by their fans. They sell their soul to the Devil in exchange for fame & lasting popularity. They take all the glory to their SELF, and never channel it back to God. They let the youngsters treat them as if they are ‘god’!

They have the ‘power’ to influence youngsters to follow the right path, but they FAIL to do it.

The world admires them for their looks, voices, skills, popularity & fortune. But is God impressed by all this? I don’t think so.

Today, you and I may be average people. The whole world doesn’t know us, and in a way, that’s a good thing. Maybe we long for greater things, & want to go higher - which is right in itself.

But the question is : Can we FULFILL God’s standards, with the MORE THAT HE GIVES US? Can we HANDLE THE CHOICES , when we have MORE?

Take a look at your own life, currently. Count all your knowledge, skills & talents. Determine the amount of influence you have (how popular are you, how many people know you, how many people listen when you talk, how many people follow you).

Whether you realize it or not, you have the POWER to INFLUENCE people & change lives. Do you INFLUENCE people towards the RIGHT PATH, by the way you live?

If you are a global leader, you can influence the whole world. If you are a political leader, you can influence the whole country. If you are a celebrity, you can influence tens of thousands of youngsters.

If you are a leader in your organization, you can influence your colleagues & staff. If you have a family, you have the power to influence your family. If you have friends, you knowingly or unknowingly influence them.

This influencing POWER you possess, reveals itself in the WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE. It can be seen in the CHOICES YOU MAKE. It is heard in the WORDS YOU SPEAK. It is seen in the ACTIONS YOU DO. It comes from the THINGS YOU SEE & READ. It originates from the THOUGHTS YOU THINK in your heart.

You have the CHOICE to LIVE HOW YOU WANT.

How do you CHOOSE to live? Does the way you live, make God happy?

In the world’s standards today, good works, financial achievement & popularity is classified as SUCCESS – even if SIN is the way of life!

But according to God’s standards, He looks into our HEARTS & judges according to His Laws.

God is NOT going to ask us: HOW WELL DID YOU ENJOY YOUR LIFE?

I believe Jesus IS going to ask: WHAT DID YOU DO WITH EVERYTHING I GAVE YOU? Did you obey My Laws? Did you use all you power, talents, skills etc, to show the world that I AM God? Were you THANKFUL TO ME? Did you prefer SIN or did you LOVE ME?

One day when we die or meet God face to face, He will judge us according to WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.

If we have MORE, the REQUIREMENT to fulfill is MORE! Remember that.



Luke 12:48 says:

But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

The Most Valuable Thing in Your Life

I attended a discussion group recently, and feel that what I learnt is worth sharing.

The group leader (a young pastor) began by posing this question: What is the most valuable thing in your life, at this moment?

A man answered, “My iPad.” Others said, “Health.” Some said, “Money.” The sweetest answer came from a lady who said, “My husband.” Then her husband (a pastor as well) sweetly pushed his chair closer to his wife and lay his head on her shoulder, while she lovingly stroked his face.

The leader asked, “How do you treat the most precious thing in your life?”

People answered, “Take care of it, protect it, love it, cherish it, spend time with it, maintain it” and a whole list more.

Then we turned to Matthew 13:44-46 –The Story of the Hidden Treasure & The Pearl .

This is a story told by Jesus to his disciples.

Matthew 13:44-46

44 “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had & bought that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

46 When he found one of great value, he went away & sold everything he had & bought it.

In this story, the man who found the treasure found the most important thing in his life – to the extent, he went & sold everything he had, just to buy & own that treasure!

One of the group members said, “Why did the man hide the treasure? This is not good! Why didn’t he just take it & go?”

A lady shared her thoughts using a modern day example. She said: “Imagine you are walking in an abandoned piece of land. Suddenly, you accidentally find some gold in that field. You are alone there. You continue digging the ground. The more you dig, the more treasures you find! Now, you know that land is worth a fortune because it has hidden treasures!

But the problem is, you don’t own the land. If you take the treasure, you are considered trespassing or stealing. If you inform the owner, he will keep all the treasure. If you continue digging & people know about it, some others will go and buy the land.

Now, YOU found that treasure. You know it’s not just that little bit. There is a whole lot more hidden, & you want it ALL! You know its worth much more than anything you own. So, what do you do?

You hide it back, because you want it so badly. And you want to legally own it ALL, not steal just a little bit of it. You call up the owner & enquire about the price. It’s expensive & you need to sell all the property you have, to afford it. So, you go back & sell EVERYTHING, and then you look for that land’s owner again.

The owner then thinks, “After all, this land has been lying here for many years, without attracting buyers. It’s not even a strategic location. Finally this fellow is giving me the price I want, for that worthless piece of land!”

So, the owner happily sells it to you, because he doesn’t know its hidden value. He thinks he got a good deal, but you know you got a GREATER DEAL! Now, the treasure is ALL YOURS!”

It’s the same with the expert merchant who travels around the world, looking for fine pearls. While searching in the shops, he spots a really valuable pearl. He knows it’s more valuable than the expensive price it’s selling for, because he’s an expert in this field. When he finds it, he quickly sells his other belongings and buys this one pearl! The shop owner doesn’t realize its value, but the merchant does. That’s why he’s willing to sell everything he has, to buy that ONE pearl!

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is like that, Jesus said

But, what exactly is the Kingdom of Heaven ?

Is it a place high up in the skies, or can we find it on earth? Well, it is the home of the Lord, but we can also find it here today.

A Kingdom means a state having a King as its head. A Kingdom consists of a King & people. For Christians, Jesus Christ is the King. Right now, He is the King of Heaven. Soon, He will return as King of both Heaven & Earth.

If Jesus is the King, then we Christians are the people or citizens of this Kingdom. Where do we find this Kingdom? The answer is simple – CHURCH.

Those of us who truly believe Jesus are like the man who found the treasure hidden in the field, and the merchant who found the fine pearl.

We have found the true treasure, the most valuable thing in life: JESUS CHRIST.

That’s why we love the Kingdom of Heaven . We give up other ‘pleasures’ to make Jesus our priority. When the world thinks Church & the Bible is boring, or that we are stupid – we don’t care! We still love to come to church & study the Bible!

Even if we are so busy with daily life & work, we make God our priority. We make sure we cancel all our other plans to attend Church & study the Bible. We would rather spend time with God, than drink & dance in pubs & clubs, or talk rubbish with friends.

The Church is one place where we unite as a Kingdom, & worship Christ, our King.

The Church is NOT a building with statues, or where people dress with fine robes.

Each one of us IS already the church. The Bible says our body is the Temple & Christ lives inside of us. When we come together in a house, open air by the beach, in a village, inside the jungle or in a building, to worship the Lord & study the Bible - we are uniting as the Kingdom of Heaven . We just enjoy worshipping our King & studying His Word.

Why? Because we have found the treasure!

Those who don’t know Christ are like the original owners of the field & fine pearl. They didn’t know its true value! That’s why they willingly sold it for money. If only they knew its true worth, they would have never let it go.

But we know its true value. That’s why we are willing to give up EVERYTHING to get that ONE treasure!

Eric Liddell, the Olympics gold medalist of his time, willingly gave up his career as a world-class sportsman to become a pastor (a missionary to China )! The world will think he lost his valuable career – but Eric knew he found his true treasure!

The earthly mindset tells you that your career, money & sex are the most important things in life. You must enjoy whatever you can, because life ends once you die. You must achieve greatness for yourself.

Health, money, our iPad, our family, our career etc. are very important in our daily life. It’s true – we cannot survive without these in the world today. We need these. But at the end of the day, we know that we have found the Kingdom of Heaven – our most valuable treasure!

Reach for Higher Standards

I remember reading about the experience of John C. Maxwell, the acclaimed pastor and leadership guru, where he shared about discipline and standards. When he was a child, his parents gave him some household chores to do. They warned him way in advance, that if he didn’t complete it by the weekend, he won’t get to go swimming with the family. But as a child, he took it very lightly and didn’t do the housework. When the weekend came, he thought his parents would take him along – but they didn’t! Everyone else went out for some fun, but he had to stay at home alone and do housework. He whined, begged and cried - but they still left him behind!

His parents loved him very much, and wanted him to be a disciplined person. They didn’t lower their standards to make him happy. They wanted him to reach the higher level. They gave him a second chance to it, and this time he finished the job in time. Then, his parents took him for the next family outing. John said that incident taught him a very good lesson about reaching standards, which has made him who he is today.

A lot of times in life, we have high expectations of others. These expectations are positive and attainable. They require effort and discipline to reach. We have these expectations because of love. When parents love their children, they expect the kids to excel in school. When a husband loves his wife, he expects her to be the best in everything she does. When a wife loves her husband, she also expects the same of him.

Imagine someone is teaching you to drive. Every time you reach a busy road, you cry and say you can’t do it anymore. What will happen to you if your teacher looks into your pitiful eyes and says, “Never mind…no need to learn anymore…” You’ll never learn! Your teacher will push you till you reach that higher standard, if he really cares.

Do we realize:

If we want the people we love to reach a certain level of expectations - we need to keep the standards high! We’ve got to be a little hard, firm to say ‘No’ if we must, push them when they slow down, gently pick them up when they fall, and wait patiently for them to reach the higher level. It takes time, but we’ve got to do it, if we really LOVE them.

If you are expecting honesty, don’t settle for lies and silence.
If you are expecting commitment, don’t accept it when a person simply comes and goes.
If you are expecting discipline, don’t say ‘Never mind’ when they are playing the fool.
If you are expecting love, don’t say it’s OK when there is selfishness.

A lot of times, we mistakenly lower our standards because we feel sorry that it’s too high for them to reach. We think that we need to give in because we love them. This is one of the biggest lies the Devil can throw into your mind! If you lower your standards, it only means this:

1) You don’t love others (you don’t care about improving their lives)
2) You look down on them ( you think they can never reach a higher level )
3) You look down on yourself (you think YOU can never reach and help others achieve greater heights)
4) You don’t respect God (you don’t believe God made you for greater things)

Just think about John C Maxwell’s parents in his childhood incident. I am sure it didn’t make them happy to leave their darling little boy behind on a family outing! Yet, they did it because they loved him. They knew that if they lowered their standards, their son will never become a better person. They were raising him to reach the next level!

LOVE raises you to a higher level – to a place that you never thought you could reach! If you fall, it will pick you up, get you back on your feet, and push you to climb that peak. It will never bring you down! LOVE is a POWERFUL FORCE.



Do you know why? It’s because GOD is LOVE. The Bible says it in I John 4:8.

We can learn this from the Man Himself. God LOVES us, but He maintained His criteria. He said that the repayment of sin is DEATH. He didn’t take back His Word to say, “Never mind, I know it’s difficult for you…I’ll remove the ‘death’ part.” No! He NEVER said that!


GOD PAID the price of sin with the DEATH of His only beloved Son (JESUS), so that anyone who believes in Him, will not die but have eternal life. (John 3:16).

God didn’t lower the standards! He PAID the price because He LOVED us. His requirement: BELIEVING & ACCEPTING that Jesus took the punishment on our behalf, is the only way for us to avoid the punishment of DEATH (eternity in hell). Hell is still there!

God gives us Commandments to follow. True, He loves us, and the rules are not easy to keep. He tells us to love God more than anything else in the world. He tells us to put Him first in everything, love others and love ourself. It’s not easy, but just look at what happens when you try to follow:

1) Love God

(Put God FIRST in everything : You read the Bible & pray 1st thing in the morning, think about Him the whole day, and before you sleep, you go to church every week, you give 10% of your salary back to God)

Benefits:


-You develop excellent time management; if you have time for God, you will have time for everything else that’s important. Your priorities are right.
-Your mind is fed with good things - you are happy when you think good thoughts.
-You become a better thinker and leader by learning from great people in the Book
-You become a good listener (by listening to sermons and others)
-You become a good speaker (by sharing in Bible studies and talking about good things that you learn)
-You improve your language skills (the Bible is an excellent piece of literature)
-You plan your finances better and you have more than enough after you give your dues to God
-You don’t become greedy because you learn not be too attached to money
-You can enjoy the material things of the world without becoming materialistic
-You won’t be mastered by anything in this world except God
-You will not be afraid of anything when you have the Lord’s power within you.


2) Love Others

Benefits:

-You become a nice person, because God’s character is reflected on you
-You are forgiving when people make mistakes because that’s how God loves you
-You are kind to your enemies because you know it was the Devil behind their evil deeds
-You don’t have a temper because you are too busy loving
-You are not easily bullied because you’re training to be strong to love them
-You are blessed when you give and help others
-You develop better relationship skills when you mix with people with an attitude of love
-God sends others to love and help you back in the same way when you are in need.

3) Love Yourself

Benefits:

-You care for yourself without being selfish
-You take care of your physical appearance because you are thankful God gave you good looks
-You exercise and play sports because God gave you an able body
-You travel and enjoy good pleasure because God gave you this world to live in.
-You develop a stronger character to stand firm for God, against the Devil’s techniques.
-You perform with excellent leadership skills at work.
-You become a good husband, wife, father, mother, child, daughter, sister, citizen, employee, boss, leader etc.
-You become good at whatever you do.

And, through it all, you avoid sin because you LOVE GOD, and you know GOD LOVES YOU.

You become a COMPLETE person when you obey God’s high standards in the Bible.

What would happen to us if God lowered the standards, so there is no right or wrong?

We’ll be womanizing, drinking, sleeping around with pre-marital sex and extra-marital affairs, becoming biological parents before marrying, smoking, taking drugs, killing, raping, stealing, making our own gods, believing that we are gods, being scared of everything, getting angry with a terrible temper, fighting for revenge and causing unrest, becoming selfish and greedy, failing to love – making the world a terrible place! (like it isn’t already, as people only do what they like!)

And the WORST part - we’ll be thinking that all this SIN is OKAY!

This is what happens when there is no standard to follow, or if the standards are lowered.

We NEED HIGH STANDARDS to reach higher.
We NEED to KEEP HIGH STANDARDS to help others reach higher.

Along the way, we fall and make mistakes. But God keeps pushing us forward to reach that goal – because He LOVES us.
When we see others fall and make mistakes, we should help them get up and move forward, just like God does to us.


An athlete runs to finish the race. He trains himself to reach that goal. The finishing line doesn’t come nearer towards him out of pity. He reaches it – with the unseen help of God.

Maintain HIGHER STANDARDS.
If you love yourself and others, DON’T lower it.
LOVE like Jesus.
GOD is LOVE.

Reach for HIGHER STANDARDS, because YOU are LOVED.

-JJ-

Do Not Be Mastered by Anything!

Sometimes, when something negative enters into your mind, it’s impossible to shake it off! The thoughts grip the walls of your brains, with strong resilience. If only good thoughts were that way! Instead, they are ideas that cause you hurt, confusion, distrust, and feelings of betrayal.
As a human, questions will keep boggling your mind. You will never rest until they are answered. But the thing about God is, He expects you to do the total opposite of what you would naturally do. That is not easy!

“I am not mastered by anything” – Johnny English reminded himself in the movie, when he realized that his drink was poisoned with chemicals of mind control. The drink was forcing him to do things he didn’t want to do. Yet, he fought against it, because he didn’t want to allow his mind to control him!

The hardest thing to train is NOT your disobedient pet, your stubborn child, your selfish husband or your complaining wife. Neither is it your most difficult employee.

The most difficult thing to control is YOURSELF – your thoughts, words, emotions and feelings.

We are controlled by the ideas the world puts into our mind. It keeps us in bondage, it robs our joy, it wastes our time– it diverts our focus off Christ!

But God tells us to be joined with Him in Spirit, to fight the strategies of the evil one!
How does God teach us to do it?

1) Prayer
2) Fasting
3) Praise
4) Meditating on the Word

Prayer is not easy when your mind is troubled. You have a million things to say to God, but at the end of the day, you just sit and wonder whether everything you heard is true. But that’s exactly why prayer is so important! When you tell it to God, you let it off your chest! You give Him the problems and TRUST Him to take full control. If people are out to cheat you, God knows how to ‘revenge’ – you don’t have to crack your head on what to do! ‘Vengeance is Mine,’ says the Lord. If people are lying to you, God knows how to arrange circumstances to show you the truth! If someone is taking advantage of you, God knows how to get them out of your life. If God has a mission for you to send a message to change them, He knows how to use you! Live for Christ, and tell Him everything in prayer! Just trust Him!

Fasting – this is a tough one for me! I am a small eater, and that’s exactly why it’s so difficult. Since I eat little, when I don’t eat, I lose weight drastically. But then again, fasting doesn’t have to be only from food. I can fast from other things (but even that is hard). I hardly do anything ‘bad’ or extremely pleasurable, to fast from. Now, the only thing I can think of to fast from, is telephone calls! I make a lot of calls because I am alone and need human contact. I’ll try fasting from this! The idea of fasting is to deny yourself of something you really like or want, and replace it with God (reading His word, singing His praises, thinking of Him etc.) It’s a form of detox! (When you fast from food, you cleanse both your body and mind – but I’m not up to this yet, at the moment.) The most important thing about fasting – it trains you not to be mastered by your desires, habits, emotions, feelings and thoughts! It forces you to go against the norm, with the power of God.

Praise – man, this is not simple when your heart is a tempest! Having to sing, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” when you’re feeling really down is not easy. But this is exactly what God wants us to do! After you praise, you will find your burdens lifted away – it’s true! When I am alone in my room, sometimes my concentration fails me to praise God with 100% positive attitude, but I always make it a point to go to church. There, the drum beats, electric guitar and piano just sets me into the mood, and the presence of all the other people of God stirs me on. I always go back feeling full of joy from the Lord –like a recharged battery! Waiting for church on Sunday, while I discipline myself to sing praises with my guitar, and in my heart the whole day! The evil one will distract, but praising God is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you, once you start!

Meditating on God’s Word – this is a little easier for me, since I like to read, and write. I have no problems reading the Bible, in the morning and night, and on the internet. Yet, thinking of it the whole day, to fight the evil thoughts, is a real challenge. People’s words, unpleasant memories and situations tend to push their way into my head, like a virus fighting the antibiotics. Still, God’s Word, plans and purposes will prevail!

Do not be mastered by anything, except God!

I Corinthians 6:12

"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything.

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

ETERNITY IN YOUR HEART

Why do married men have affairs?

Why do single men cheat around?

Why do men have great sex with their partners for years, yet never get married?

Why are women willing to freely give their bodies away?

Why are couples not willing to commit to marriage?

Why do people indulge in pornography?

Why do people consume alcohol to their hearts' fill?

Why do teens take drugs to forget their problems?

Why do people smoke to release tension?

Why do people work so hard for money like it’s the only thing that matters in the world?

Why do some appear to be ‘religious’ and but spend their whole life in sin?

Why do people get addicted to sports but neglect God?

The ‘why’s’ can go on and on, but the answer is simple. It’s because they are searching for happiness and satisfaction!

They think they will find it in an invigorating sexual affair, the erotic scenes of a blue movie, the intoxicating drinks or the mind relaxing chemicals. They assume they need to give sex to keep their man / woman. They feel they need to drink to conform to peer pressure. They work so hard to collect expensive accessories to show off and cover their insecurities. They do something ‘religious’ to convince themselves that there is some goodness in them. They work their muscles and release their frustrations to avoid sharing with God.

Yet, they never find what they are looking for.

Then, what is the true key to happiness and satisfaction?

The answer is GOD!

I realize that he has planted eternity in human heart. There is a hole in our heart that ONLY God can fill. God made us that way!

It’s a LOVE that gives you joy no matter what happens. Even if your wallet is empty, or you partner leaves you – GOD keeps you strong, and you will never need to compromise your values. You will never need to indulge in a sexual affair, take drugs, alcohol or smoke just to find happiness & fulfillment. God will arrange your priorities and pick you up even when the world smashes you down, and brings you to your knees!

Humans will lie to you, sexual feelings will fade, the stimulating scenes of porn movies are as fleeting as a screensaver, and alcohol leads you to foolish senses. The smoke of a cigarette damages your lungs and drugs ruin you. Work keeps you busy to forget your problems for the moment. Money can buy you many things, but you cannot deny your lack of fulfillment within.

People go to all the wrong places to find that happiness because they cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

Just let go of your ego. Stop pretending to be proud of all your sins. Deep down in your heart, you know that what you did was wrong. You were never fully satisfied.

Just leave it down at the feet of Jesus. He forgives you. He sacrificed his life for you! JESUS LOVES YOU!

Fill the eternity in your heart. Receive the LOVE!

Ecclesiastes 3:11
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

1 Peter 5-6
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.

I John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Who to Trust?

I found Johnny English extremely charming in the action-packed movie ‘Johnny English Reborn’. Played by Rowan Atkinson, more glamorized as Mr. Bean, Johny English was an extremely fascinating character – hilarious, witty and intriguing at the same time. There was a side to him that you’ll never see in Mr. Bean; the brilliance and fearlessness of a secret agent in a completely unexpected and comical way. I could not help but find him totally attractive.

“You are not young anymore, but with age comes wisdom,” the Master said to Johnny English. I really liked that line.

Johnny was unable to compete in terms of physical strength and agility against the younger enemies, yet he outsmarted them through the simplest ways ; taking the lift instead of scaling down the building, riding the crane instead of jumping across high structures, and hiding behind instead of directly fighting. (Everyone in the cinema clapped hands and cheered whenever Johnny English did something smart!)

Yet, even with all that wisdom, he was still deceived by lies. He trusted a colleague that he deeply admired. Though he was desperately warned by his assistant against this evil man, Johnny English refused to believe. He trusted the bad guy and even handed him an important piece of evidence from his investigation. Little did he expect the blame to be thrown upon his shoulders in the end. He never thought that the culprit would be from within the very organization set up to investigate the case.

Have you ever wondered who you should trust?

Who is the one who really cares?

Could the lies come from someone you least expected?

Who is the one with an ulterior motive in mind?

How do you know what to believe?

Can you believe your own judgement?

Johny English was hunted and chased for his life by the very people he was trying to save. His own judgement failed him. He fell many times, but in the end, he survived; though he died, he was reborn. The bad guy, on the other hand, was blown up to his immediate death.

I am not that young anymore, but my age has yet to give me a huge amount of wisdom. Even if it does, I know it will never be enough.

At the end of the day, I realize that it doesn’t matter whether we really know what to believe, at a particular point of time.

If we place our COMPLETE TRUST in the Lord instead of man, we already are reborn in our spirit. Even if we fall and make mistakes many times, we will rise again.

Proverbs 24:16
For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.