Samuel Boppuri

HOW TO COPE WITH SUFFERING?

2011-05-06T11:57:00.000+05:30

HOW TO COPE WITH SUFFERING?

1) I would like to deal with you with the issue called ‘suffering’ and start my article with three questions and in response to those questions I shall try to answer them systematically and pray that the Lord will speak to you.

2) There was ‘Tsunami’ in Japan a couple of months ago, many people died and many were left without homes, and many families were devastated, and many children lost their parents.

3) People suffer almost regularly and Christians suffer too. Every family has to go through it and every individual has to go through it. No one is exempted from this. Not even the richest and those whom we call ‘celebrities’ are exempted from this. Nothing stops people from suffering. Their money and property pales into utter insignificance as they suffer.

4) In the midst of all the suffering, what does the Bible speak to us? Does it answer our questions? Let us praise God that the Bible still speaks and answers our inner most questions and satisfies us with the most refreshing answers.

5) Following are the questions. A) Why do people suffer in general? B) Why do Christians or believers suffer in this world? C) Where is God when suffering takes place?

6) The first question is ‘why do people suffer in general’? Suffering primarily entered into this world as a matter of consequence due to rebellion against God. In the book of Genesis, chapter 3, from verse 14 onwards, after Adam and Eve sinned against God by eating the forbidden fruit, God cursed the ‘serpent’. And God also punished Adam and Eve. For the first time in their life, they realised that suffering was very painful. Eve had to bring forth her children, in a very painful manner (Gen 3:16). And she had to be subordinate to her husband throughout her life. And for Adam, he had to work ever so harder, to get food, to keep his family going. It’s a matter of sweat and blood ( Gen 3:17). And lastly, they both were to die. Not only they would die but also all those who would come from them, the whole humanity has to die. And for the first time in their life, they saw their beloved son ‘Abel’ dying. Who killed him? His own brother. That would have added even greater pain to them. But why did all this happen? If we go back and analyse, it all happened due to a sin committed by Adam and Eve. Would they have not committed it, had they known the seriousness of sin? I don’t know. Whatever our analysis may be, ‘sin’ entered into this world. Along with sin, it also brought forth suffering into this world. Adam and eve never thought that by eating a fruit, they would suffer to the maximum extent. The issue is not so much that they ate the fruit or not but the issue is they trespassed God’s law or commandment. Isn’t it a great lesson for us friends? Every time we commit a sin, we must remind ourselves that it brings suffering to us. Remember, whether it is a small sin or a big sin, it is going to bring forth suffering and that is for sure. In answering the question, ‘Why do people suffer in general?’ They suffer because they are in the world. And the world is full of suffering. The most tragic thing is, people don’t pursue the reason for suffering. They do not see the hand of God who can ease suffering permanently.

7) Now is the second question, ‘Why do believers suffer’? It’s sad that we need to replace the word ‘Christians’ with ‘believers’ because of the fact that all ‘Christians’ are not believers. During the three and half years of earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, the Lord spoke at length about ‘suffering’ one needs to endure in this world. If you look at Matt 10:18, Matt 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, and Luke 14:27 summarises that “..anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Here the ‘cross’ is a symbol of suffering. And the Lord tells it plainly that one cannot expect a life devoid of suffering and in the book of John 16:33, He says “ In this world, you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” And the Lord compares the life of a believer with a narrow road. Here the narrow road stands for ‘suffering’ one has to endure in this world. The Bible is full of passage which comfort when we go suffer. Being Christians, we are not to be surprised, when we are hit by some problem, be it a health problem or a financial problem or a psychological problem. As long as you are spiritually healthy in the Lord, we can face any problem.

8) Lastly, in answering to the third question, ‘where is God when suffering takes place? In the Old Testament, ‘Job’ was a holy man, but he was the one who suffered beyond any measure. His children were killed, he lost all that he had and reduced to nothing. His wife started accusing God and encouraged Job to curse. Then Job expresses his opinion that “God knows what is happening.” Friend, when suffering takes place, God is in control. It is not an accident when some calamity takes place somewhere. Or It is not that He doesn't know or doesn’t care. But people complain where God is when they are suffering. And it is because God is silent during their suffering, people jump to conclusion that God doesn’t exist or doesn’t care. One thing we have to understand is, God’s silence doesn’t prove his non-existence. In the famous evangelistic tract ‘ where was God on September the 11^th ?’ written by the evangelist ‘Dr. John Blanchard’, poses this weighty question to all those who question God’s existence when something terrible happens. He says where are you when the suffering takes place in the world? Or where are you when you are suffering individually? Where do you stand in relationship with God when suffering is ripping through your life?

9) People often complain that their ‘suffering’ is not fair. I don’t know whether your suffering is fair or not. At times God punishes His children due to their rebellious nature. It is in order to subdue their sinful nature, God punishes them. But suffering is not always linked with sinful behaviour. At times ‘suffering’ comes from nowhere. And it is not without a reason. That is the lesson we have to learn. It has a reason, a meaning and a purpose and that purpose is revealed in Rom 8: 28. Before I conclude, I want you to think about if the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is a fair one? I want you to think about if giving up of God’s only beloved Son to be killed on behalf of rebellious and sinful people a fair one? The fact is no. It’s not fair for the Lord to die on the cross for people like us. And the fact is, even if it was not fair, he still bore our sins and endured unimaginable suffering on the cross which is far more painful than any individual has ever suffered on the earth. So my friend, take courage in the Lord and He gives the strength to go though suffering even in the future. Amen.

Why people die?

2011-03-21T18:52:00.000+05:30

Hebrews 9:27.

“And as it is appointed unto men to die, but after this judgement.”

Have you ever thought about why people die? Every time I attend a funeral service, I am hit by this inescapable truth that I too will be in that box one day. On one hand, thoughts like what will happen to ‘ME’, once I depart can be heavy at times. On the other hand, thoughts like how glad I will be when I see the face of my maker encourage me to keep me going. Will I be able to hear, speak, and feel in the same way as I do when I am alive? Although human mind cannot comprehend things beyond tangible facts, but the Bible challenges them head on. In fact the Bible is almost a book of impossibilities for a sceptic or for an anti-Christian. Nevertheless, somewhere down the line, one needs undergo a through self- examination just to check if his claims are true in the light of opposite facts before ruling out the Bible as a tale told by some scribes!!

People die every day. According to statistics, about 150000 people are dying every day, almost 6250 every hour. And almost above 100 people are dying every second.

People die due to various reasons (age factor, sickness, stress, financial breakdown, Academic failure, Relational Failure...) Just like ‘time’, nobody seem to stopping us from dying. Here in this world, not only people are dying, but also animals, birds, insects..The Bible says the whole creation groans (laments, cries, moans) in pain (Rom 8:22). So it is not just about Man but also his surroundings.

Death causes pain, and the possibility of not seeing that particular person physically causes more pain. (But if we put our trust in God, we will see each other in heaven.)

The Bible says people die due to sin. (Rom 6:23). ‘Sin’?? Is that it? What is it? What it is it that is causing people to die?

How sin entered into this world?

1) We were created in the image and likeness of God to worship and to enjoy His company. ( Gen 3:8 a, Gen 1:27, Psalm 14:4)

2) But God commanded not to do something (that is not to eat the fruit of life). But Adam and Eve ate it. But Adam and Eve by listening to Serpent’s advice, they did exactly the opposite to what God ordered.

3) ‘Doing exactly opposite or not responding to what God says is ‘sin’. Now, before this question ‘why God allowed this to happen or why God did that or why God did this’ comes to our mind, we need to accept the reality. And ‘Sin’ is real, when ‘sin’ is real what God had told in His book (The Bible) is also real. If you think it is a myth, what is the explanation do you give about your sinful life? Yes, we are all sinners due to the first sin committed by Adam and Eve (Rom 5:12). And this nature has been passed onto us since the beginning. That is why there is no one without sin (Rom 3:23).

What happens when we die in our sins unforgiven, unpardoned. Because there is a ‘Judgement’ awaits right after our death. Those who trust in Christ in this world will not be condemned (Rom 8:1). But ‘eternal punishment’ waits for those who reject Christ (Luke 12:9, John 12:48, Heb 12:25).

Man, a Spiritual Being

2011-03-13T07:40:00.000+05:30

“But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” Matt 4:4

This was a question answered by the Lord Jesus when he was tempted by Satan. When the Lord fasted for forty days and nights, he was hungry and that was when the enemy found him and tried to tempt him by asking him to turn the stones into bread. The issue is whether or not God could turn the stones into bread which He could easily do but the issue is whether Jesus should worship the enemy which He could not do. When the enemy tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread, this was his answer “man shall not live by bread alone.....”

What do we need to live?

For a man to live peacefully and healthily, a lot of factors need to be taken into consideration. But there is a difference between Needs and Desires.

Man’s Needs – 1) Material or Physical Needs.

Man need basic needs such as food, water, clothing, shelter, a job, (although the Man is not satisfied with what he has, he needs certain basic things!!)......

2) Emotional Needs

Man likes to share. He needs a family, friends and benefactors...

3) Spiritual Needs

Man’s spirituality is natural (Rom 1: 19) and it is inbuilt (Proverbs 20: 27).

In addition to these needs, if a man were to enjoy these, he must be not only healthy but also need to be protected.

Man’s Problem

Although Man’s spiritual needs are to be met primarily or more than other needs, he does not see the need as to why they must be met. (Rom 1:18-21). In this regard, many wise men became fools (Rom 1:22; 1 Cor1: 18) by rejecting their inner urge to worship God. As opposed to the notion “man is a spiritual animal”, man has become a’ pragmatic animal’ to such an extent that he doesn’t see the need for God. What happens to all our possessions once we are gone forever (Luke 9:25)?

Solution: If we have God, we have everything. But if we deny God or do not see the need for our spirituality which can be given by God alone, we will have nothing and it is even worse (eternal punishment awaits).

Spiritual Gifts

2011-01-30T19:48:00.000+05:30

The Spiritual Gifts

The Observations:

1) Pursue love is the first spiritual advice the apostle Paul gives.

2) Desire Spiritual gifts.- what are spiritual gifts? And what are they meant for?

a)(1 Cor 12:28) Gifts are distributed according to the Spirit’s choice (1 Cor 12:11),

b) gifts are manifestation of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:7) in which we must give glory to God in all cases. We always need to focus on praising God alone and give credit to Him alone.

c) Spiritual gifts are for the common good of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 12:7).

Tongues:

1 Cor 12: 4,7, 28,30-31.

The Background: After the Lord Jesus returned to be with His Father, the church was at an infant stage , with a very few leaders, without the Bible (the revelation was not completed yet by then), had absolutely no support from the government (in fact the government was trying to suppress), one would have thought that that would have been the end of the church. But it only survived but thrived, progressed and spread across the globe.

How?

a) The Lord empowered the apostles with gifts, powerful gifts ( Heb 2:3-4).

b) Their message was authenticated by signs, wonders and miracles to avoid false teachers and heresy. There were signs, wonders and miracles existed in the early church to spread the truth.

Etymology:

a) The Greek word for tongues is glossa which means’ language’, a known and speakable language.

b) On the day of Pentecost, the apostles preached in different known languages to spread the truth, it was a gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4-12).

c) There are four things that we have to look at to examine the gift of tongues in the light of the Scriptures

1) Presence of tongues in the New Testament.

2) Purpose of tongues in the New Testament.

3) Principles of tongues in terms of their usage in the New Testament.

4) Permanence of tongues.

To be continued...

Godliness & Contentment

2011-01-09T07:39:00.000+05:30

9/1/2011.

Godliness & Contentment

1 Tim 6: 6,7 “Now that godliness with contentment is great gain, For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain nothing out. “

As we look at this verse, we realise that these following two things 1) Godliness and 2) Contentment seem to be such a rarity. But what is godliness and what is contentment?

Godliness:

How can man become godly or holy? The Bible says man is naturally ungodly and unholy (Gen 6:5, Matt 15:19). And it is impossible for man to become Godly unless God changes him and it is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:8). It is therefore, impossible for man to change his heart & mind & his ways. When an ungodly person became godly, how does it happen?!! It is the gift of God by His Grace (Eph 2:8, Rom 3:24).

There are sequence of things that have to take place if one has to become Godly. It doesn’t happen as we wish or think but it only happens when God does. But what is Godliness? Godliness is the process of getting our lives moulded according to the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, getting our lives transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit as we seek to follow in the footsteps of our Lord day by day. As we look at Godliness, we also look at the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ (Gal 5:22 ) and ‘love’ that stems out ( 1 Cor 13) of having fellowship with God. All the changes in a Godly man’s life are the result of God’s power manifesting in his life. Those changes are automatic results of having a constant fellowship with God. But if anyone wants only ‘changes’, they cannot become godly but if they are godly the changes are obvious (Matt 7:16). Godliness is a gift of God (2 Pet 1:3,4). Are you godly?

Contentment:

In this day and age of consumerism, contentment is such a rarity!! As somebody says desire is a never ending circle. Man is encouraged to feed on discontentment through advertisement, through media etc. People are in such mad rush of having things!! But the Bible promises that God gives ‘contentment’. But ‘contentment’ will not be given in separation but it has to be coupled with ‘Godliness’. There is no contentment without Godliness. So when can we be content? When we are Godly.

We have brought nothing into this world.

Have we? And we will take nothing out of this world. So what remains with us? Nothing but Godliness and contentment which are gifts of God.

The Deception of Sin

2011-01-02T07:31:00.000+05:30

- We are living in a world which is full of temptations, allurements, trials and tribulations.

- If we were to ask this question to ourselves, ‘Why are we being tempted?’ or ‘what is the reason behind the temptation?’, how would you answer that?

- Let us first of all look at what temptation is. Temptation is some kind of force that propels one to break God’s commandments.

- Where does temptation come from? Or What is the source? There are two sources. 1) Satan 2) Our Heart. Therefore, we must understand temptation comes from within and without (inside and outside). Therefore we have an enemy that we have to battle against from within and without (outside). It is understandable that Satan is our enemy but it is shocking to know that our heart (flesh) is also our enemy (Matt 15: 19; Gen 6:5).

- Satan: Besides leading people astray, one of the main jobs of Satan is to throw temptations at us all the time (Gen 3:1-6, Matt 4:1-1, Rev 12:9). Unless we are heavily guarded, we cannot withstand Satan’s force.

- How does temptation lead us astray? This is what described ever so clearly here. When we are hit by a temptation, you wonder where it’s come from. The origin of temptation can either be Satan or our heart. It comes from nowhere apart from there. Therefore, definitely God is not the author of temptation.

- What temptation does to us? The reason why we are tempted is because we are carried away in our own thoughts. That is where danger lies, we cannot be carried away, and we must put some restraints on. What can be the best restraint than the word of God that is right there in our hearts? If we don’t do that, 1) we will be drawn away by our desires 2) Enticed 3) the desire is conceived 4) Gives birth to sin 5) Sin, when fully grown, gives birth to death. This is a Chain reaction. We must understand Sin doesn’t happen all of sudden!! This is what we call the ‘Deception of Sin’. Every sin we have given birth to will have brought forth death. We all know what ‘physical death’ is like. What about the kind of ‘Spiritual death’ that is brings forth every time we sin? We will be dead in sins and trespasses, the more we sin, the more we will become dead or insensitive to the spiritual activities. The story doesn’t end there, the more we sin, the more we gather God’s wrath to punish us later on.

- How come we don’t sense all that is happening within us? We have all become insensitive to sin, which means that we are used to living sinful lives some much that we do not sense all that is happening within our lives.

- What is the remedy? 1) Continuous Fellowship with God.

- 2) Kill the thought. ( sow a seed and reap a habit).

- 3) Ask for forgiveness.

- 4) Keep a clean heart.

Perfect Gift

2010-12-19T07:34:00.000+05:30

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

For God so loved the world.

1) Why should God love the world?

God loved the world because He created it (Gen 2:3). He has special interest to know, see and get involved with the world. It is not compulsory for Him. It wouldn’t have made any difference to His being whether or not he created the world. He would have been there, just like he was there before the creation because He is infinite and timeless.

2) He loved the world, what kind of love is this?

a) His love is evident right from the time He created the world by the way He showed mercy on Adam & Eve (Gen 3). God could have destroyed the moment when they committed sin against Him. Instead He provided their descendants a way to come back to His Kingdom, even though they were driven out of His garden, through faith in His Son.

b) He provided them the skin coats when Adam & Eve were naked. (Gen 3:21)

c) Out of His love God chose Abraham and blessed His descendants like the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea. (Gen 12)

d) He loved the ‘primary reason’ for the world to be created, the man. After all, what is world, without man?

e) Because He loved the world, He gave His only begotten son.

He gave His only begotten son

1) He gave His son to the world

What kind of Son is He?

a) He is begotten not created (John 10:30); He is eternal precious, holy, absolutely just, righteous, sinless, spotless, pure (1 Tim 1:17, Psalm 86:8, Matt 5:48, and Rom 11:33).....

b) He is God (John 10:30).

What necessitated God to give His son? Although there is nothing that necessitates that God should do anything for people, He sent His son because people fell in sin, which is beyond our comprehension.

Although it is extremely painful for God the Father to send him to the world to be punished, He gave Him away so that

Whoever will believe in Him will not perish .You and I may not be punished eternally in hell. How do we escape punishment? We escape the punishment because he bore the punishment on our behalf on the Calvary. By trusting in Him, we will not ‘perished’

But have everlasting life

What better gift do you want than ‘Everlasting life’ this Christmas? RBC, Vinukonda.

Divinely Love

2010-12-12T08:03:00.001+05:30

12/12/2010.
Divinely Love (1 Corinthians 13).
If you look at 1 Corinthians 13, ‘Love’ (agape in Greek) is more than a ‘feeling’; more than an ‘action or doing’. In this chapter the Apostle Paul explains what love does to you when you posses it rather than what love is. “In order to act, one must have”.
The Bible says “God is love” (1 John 4:8), if one were to act or live in Godly manner, He would need to have God inside his heart. And if one were to act or live in loving manner, he would need to have ‘God’ not ‘love’!!
Therefore, it is highly important to know that one must have God. In other words one must understand and must be in constant relationship with God through faith & repentance. Then what happens is what the Apostle says in this chapter.
Let us first see what Divine love does not.
1) Love does not make you envious or Jealous.
2) Love does not make you boastful or proud.
3) Love does not make you to be puffed up or arrogant
4) Love does not seek its own (recognition).
5) Love does not make you provoked (irritated.)
6) Love does not make you think evil about others.
7) Love does not make you rejoice over iniquity or Love does not make guiltless when you sin.
Now, let us see what Divine Love does to us when we have it:
1) Love makes us rejoice in truth or the Word.
2) Love enables us to bear all things, even upheavals
3) Love makes us believe in all spiritual things.
4) Love makes us hopeful for all things
5) Love enables us to endure all things.
6) Love makes us suffer long and makes kind.
Therefore, we understand that ‘love’ is not just a fleeting feeling or not even being good; it’s more than giving others a helping hand. It is all about possessing the Lord Jesus Christ (the epitome of love) in your heart, do you have him?
Reformed Baptist Church, VNK.

“Therefore brethren flee from Idolatry.”

2010-10-03T08:09:00.000+05:30

‘Idolatry’ has been a problem since the beginning of Adam & Eve’s fall. According to popular belief ‘polytheism’ evolved to become ‘Monotheism’, but the Bible challenges that right in the beginning that ‘God’ created everything. And therefore, it starts with ‘God’ in the Bible. It is interesting to notice that all the nations surrounded ‘

Israel

’ were ‘Idolaters’. ‘Israel’ was called to worship the true God when everybody was lost in ‘Idolatry’. Has ‘Israel’ lived up to God’s expectations? No. Time and again ‘Israel’ failed to keep God’s commandments which in turn had to pay the price. Should this not become a lesson for us as well?

The very first commandment given to Israelites was ’I am the Lord your God ….,you shall have no other gods before me…shall not make any image or any likeness of anything ….in heaven above…in the earth ..or in the water…..for I the Lord your God is a jealous God..” (Exo 20:2-5)

Having heard, seen and witnessed God’s commandments and His miraculous power, people kept humiliating him by the acts their ‘Idolatry’. (Romans 1: 21- 25).

Coming back to 1^st Corinthians 10:14;

The Apostle reminds them that ’Idolatry’ is dangerous. Many mighty had fallen thinking that they were God’s own children.

What does ‘idolatry’ does to a person?

1) It turned the ‘Israelites’ to commit several sins like

a) Adultery & fornication b) tempting their leader and murmuring against God (1 Cor 10:6-10).

b) And the reward for doing this was ‘DEATH’. (1 Cor 10:8,Rom 6:23)

And the Apostle reminds the Corinthians not to feel secured or self-confident.

Keeping the dangers that are there by committing the sin of ‘Idolatry’, the Apostle warns the Corinthians to be extra careful.

What is an Idol? An ‘Idol’ is an object of worship; when something or somebody becomes the object of worship, it becomes an ‘Idol’. So it is not just linked with ‘Images’.

What is there right in the centre of your heart becomes your object of worship.

Resisting Temptations and enduring trials (1 Cor10: 13)

2010-09-19T20:27:00.000+05:30

1st Corinthians 10: 13 20/9/2010.

“ No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man: God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to, but with temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

First of all , let us know what temptation is?

Temptation (noun) or enticement means an attraction towards evil things or sinful things. But in this context, it is more appropriate to understand the word as ‘test’ or ‘trial’.

What does temptation do in lives?

It overtakes us; it takes us into its control. Once we succumbed to it, we will become slaves to it. It is sort of a circle that we cannot come out easily.

Life is full of temptations. ‘Temptation’ is not only linked with ‘seduction’ (which is common nowadays) but also means various things.

For ex: you are tempted to be angry, you are tempted to feel like taking revenge, you are tempted to feel jealousy etc.

Now, where does ‘temptation’ come from?

First of all, God is neither the author of evil nor temptation. (James 1: 13)

Our heart is the ultimate source of temptation (Jeremiah 17:9, Mark 7: 21)

So we are ultimately responsible when we are tempted, it is our fault; the problem lies within us not with God.

Ex: If we were to assume our heart a television & some ‘temptation’ the remote control, the TV would get switched on immediately when we switch on the ‘remote’. There is an undeniable connection lies in here. It’s not that all that is in this world is bad but it all depends on how we look at things; our ‘point of view’. Sadly, the fact is most of the time, the way we view things in things in things in this world tarnished with sin inside our hearts.

James says ‘temptation’ will turn into ‘sin’ and ‘sin’ will eventually bring forth ‘death’. (James 1:15, Rom 6: 23).

What about tests or trials?

In this context, ‘temptation’ can also mean ‘test and trials’ and that God will not send trials beyond our capacity.

Trials are meant to grow in God spiritually. Suffering is necessary in Christian’s life but it should be God-given not self-inflicted. (James 1: 12)

What is God’s promise?

God will neither tempt us nor will send trials which are beyond our capacity. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

He provides the way to escape.

There is a crown of life for one who endures trials and temptations. (James 1:12)

What is our duty?

We must resist ‘temptation’ and endure ‘trails’.

Let us not be overconfident but may ‘confidence’ in Christ grow day by day.

Let us beware that life is not without temptations or trials.

Father's love on a Prodigal Son like me!! (Luke 15: 11-23)

2009-08-20T07:55:00.001+05:30

The Son made his way out of his father's beautiful country into an unkonown one. There, he spent all that he got in "loose living" (RSV), which means he led an exciting and thrilling and adventurous life which was perfectly acceptable with the world. By the way, how many of you think that 'sinful life' is not exciting? Exactly the opposite is the truth, sinful life is always exciting which people always look forward to. It is 'exciting', but it is 'transcinet' just like 'vapour', it is there for a moment and vanishes within no time. But the problem occurs when we do not have strength to resist the so called 'transcinet temptation'. Instead of resisting it, we embrace it because we do not have the strength to fight against it. Eventually the so called 'Transcient Temptation' becomes a 'Permanant Temptation'; unless God gives the strength, we cannot leave it just because it is too sweet to leave. In addition to that, our guilt piles up!! May God be our help to resist the tempatation and to deliver us from evil. The reason for this is because, we have run away from the 'Father', had we been with the him, he would have come to our rescue, now, who is going to bother? who will come to our aid? The fact is no one. Frankly speaking, why should anybody spend a second for you when you never had time for anybody in the past? People always do 'tit for tat' but priase God that He never doest that. Remember, Father didn't leave the son, it was his own decision to go away.

The son lost all that he got, and remained there all alone! What a tragedy, all alone by himself!! But that's a good one as God orchestrates all things well in advance. It was God's plan that he should be alone. It is good to be alone. Not many knows what it means to be alone with God. We live in a nation where lonliness is out of question with small houses crammed with people, even though it is not an excuse to be with God, but it is a fact, where there is a will, there is a way. Now, my friend, take a minute and reflect on your life; where are you standing in the light of God? Get away from people and pray to God to be reconciled!! I will come back to the story in my next post, God willing.

Father's Love on a Prodigal Son like me!!(Luke 15:11-23)

2009-07-30T00:12:00.001+05:30

Why should ever Father have showed such love upon me (should I call it love or wisdom, I don't know) by giving me my share in his property was the point where I left in my previous post. How could he do that knowing the kind of person I am? But the father remained silent and let his son do whatever he wanted. The son came, asked and got what he wanted and vanished; he didn't have time to think what a turmoil the father would have gone through; it must have been very hard for the father to see his son going away; away from his vicinity, far away from his love and affection. This is where we need to pause for a while and think; we must not turn our backs to God regardless of the innumerable oppurtunites we are given to seek Him and to reconcile with Him. When we do, the chances are very slim to remain within God's reach because He will let us go wherever we want and do whatever we want. King pharaoh and the king Saul are classic examples where people denied God, having seen His might. Al though God doesn't act like this with all His children but some hard- hearted, unfeelingful, unrepentant children will have to face 'abandonment' forever. What we can understand if we rundown through this story is that if we get away from God, we might forever lose Him as well!!?? This has to be true from human perspective and the reason for that simply because we do not know whom God will restore, al though God's children will never be lost !! And therefore, the summary is 'do not ever think or attempt to run away from Him simply because it is too dangerous; you might as well never come back!! To our astonishment, this is not the case in this story. Father was always waiting for his son to come back because he knew he would return home at some stage. Now, where are you my friend? are you with the Father within His vicinity or away from Him, seeking those transient wordly pleassures?? Have you ever pondered upon the fact that He would actually wait for you to come to Him? This is a staggering thought to end with; none other than God himself is waiting for you to come is in deed a staggering thought, isn't it? I shall come back to this ever- fascinating story in my next post..but you take a time to think about life- changing truths, will you?!!

Father's Love!

2009-07-27T22:35:00.000+05:30

Every time I read this parable of 'Prodigal Son', my heart melts. This is a fascinating story narrated by the Lord Jesus Christ himself; a story of love and affection and kindness. Millions of sermons might have been preached on that very subject but none could have possibly posessed the Lord's unique art of preaching with the aim to reach out to people from all walks of life. And this story is also a living example of the relevance of God's word for modern times!!

Coming back to the point, when the son came to his father and asked for his portion of property; very surprisingly, the father gave consent to let him have his share in it. Generally, it is very unlikely that a father would have agreed to his son's suggestion of taking half or some of his father's property away with him. Well, certainely, this is not what we see regularly in India. Fathers demand respect in here, and rightly so, having cared for their children right from the beginning, they deserve respect from them. But fathers, in general, like to think that they are the bosses! and they dream of their children becoming bosses at some stage when they are grown up.'How much have you earned?', 'how much is your son earning?' are the kind of stereo type questions go round and round in all classes and sections of the society. When people are obsessed with money, how can anyone expect to lose it just like that! A normal reply, when a son comes to his father for his share of property, would be 'how dare you come to ask that?!', ' what right do you have?'. But the father we are talking about must be completely differrent from the fathers of the world. The question is, why did he give his son, when didn't have to and especially when he knew the fact that he was a pleasure seeking person? You think about it, I will continue it in my next post, God willing.

A Living Sacrifice unto God (Rom 12:1).

2009-07-17T06:11:00.006+05:30

We need to present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God. Our bodies need to be 'living' but at the same time, they need to be 'sacrificing' as well. How do you reconcile with this seemingly apparent 'contradiction'?. I think the best way to understand this is by turning our minds to the 'burning bush' where God spoke to Moses (Ex 3:1-3); 'Moses' was awe- struck when he saw the 'bush' was burning but not being 'consumed'. Even a kid can say when somebody asks him 'what happens when you lit a bush on fire or a plant for that matter?'; he says without any hesitation that 'it will be burnt!!'. Here, to our astonishment, the 'bush' is burning but it is not 'burnt'. 'What!! is it burning properly?' somebody yells. Moses would have thought 'The one who set fire to it was none other than God himself, so surely it was burning'. Do we see the analogy here; 'burning' represents the sacrificial part. The object of sacrifice always needs to experience the pain and suffering. Turn your minds for a minute on that 'Lamb' which had to go though the painful experience of being killed before the alter in the Old Testament. For the object of 'sacrifice'; death is what assured; it is certain. It will die in a minute or so after it was slaughtered. But the 'bush' wasn't being consumed.

I think, this is what it means when the Apostle said ' present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God..'. We need to be dead to sin but live for God (Rom 6:5 to 11). We formerly used our bodies as a medium though which all the sinful activity took place. Our bodies were the objects of death. And we were slaves of sin and Satan (Eph 2:1 to 3). But now, having been redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ, we no longer present our bodies to sin or Satan but to God alone. A living sacrifice? What sacrifice can we offer when the ultimate 'sacrifice' was already paid, that is why all that we do is termed as 'our reasonable service'(KJV) or 'our spiritual worship' (RSV). Do you live for 'Christ' from now on?

Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice..(Rom 12:1)

2009-07-15T12:51:00.000+05:30

What did the Apostle Paul mean when he said "present your bodies a living sacrifice ....unto God"?; as I was grappling to understand what it exactly means; my mind some how turned to the sacrifices of the old testament. The pictures of the sacrifice surely should have been very graphic. When Adam and Eve crossed the God given boundaries by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree, they stood naked and guilty which means God had every right to do whatever he wanted do with them as they brought disharmony into the God's world. Here we understand that by crossing the God given borders, we not only bring disharmony into our world (our homes, families..etc) but also bring devastation on us. So 'sin' generates multiple consequences. When Adam and Eve stood naked and guilty; God, instead of wiping them off; he chose to provide a way by giving them skin-coats. Surely God must have killed an animal to cover the naked bodies of Adam and Eve. And they must have been the witnessed to the animal killing. If they were to be covered; the killing should have taken place. Here the animal was killed for somebody else's trespass. Surely the couple would have understood the seriousness of their act against God's will (read Genesis ch 3); a part of God's creation was sacrificed. God decided to give the humans a second chance instead of imposing penalty directly on them. This is where we see God as a God of Grace and Mercy.

The very meaning of 'sacrifice' tells that something or someone dies on somebody's behalf or something valuble is given up in order that one may live or be happy. What is this 'living sacrifice' then? When we offer sacrifice, that will die. But when we offer ourselves, we must die too. But the Apostle is asking us to be 'living sacrifices'. How can you answer this 'apparent contradiction'? ..I shall try to glean some more thoughts in my next post, God willing, only with His help.

I can't 'change' myself!!

2009-07-09T13:39:00.004+05:30

I wrote in my previous blog that we all wish to be changed at some point. We keep looking at others thinking that if only we are like them; how nice that would be! What I have learnt in my life is that I can't change myself. I just can't give up something which I hold very dear to myself; in most cases it is 'sinfulness'. I say to myself that what profit is there if I give up on this ? Am I going to be happy if I give 'it' up? The Gospel promises that we are going to be very happy if only we trust God not by giving up 'sin'!! How easy!! When we trust God; He enables us to give 'sin' up for the sake of being holy as He is holy. It is interesting that God doesn't allow us to trust in Him with out giving up on 'sin'. He gives us hope and strength to leave 'sin' away but it is not the first step we must take when we come to Christ. We must come to Him as we are.

How the above said is connected with the subject 'change'? Well, the fact is there are not many people who would like to change their lives. They are pretty much happy with the way they are. In other words they haven't got bored with their lifestyles. The reason for this is 'sin'. And 'sin' is the most exciting and adventurous phenomena in the world. So to change ourselves by giving up 'sin' is going to be very tough and look very foolish from world's point of view. Though there aren't many who wish to be changed; there are a few; who are fed up with their sinful lives; who think they are exhausted; who think their lives are not worthy to be continued; who think they cannot get over their past; who think they have done irreparable damage to themselves and also to others....It is those people who will a see a pair of hands 'welcoming' them not to an earthly kingdom but to a heavenly one for it is Jesus who said 'come unto me, all ye heavy laiden, I will give thee rest' (Mat 11:28).

So are trying to to change yourself? I promise you cannot. Though you might argue with me by saying 'Impossible is nothing';but the reality remains the same as we remain unchanged. It is not superficial change we are talking about; it has got be a 'complete' change which includes all dimensions in human body and soul. It only happens when we come to Christ as we are and ask for 'forgiveness'.

Have you ever felt the need to be 'changed'?

2009-07-07T11:58:00.004+05:30

'Change' is something we all have to welcome at some point in our lives whether
we like it or not. Even the older people,nowadays, are adapting themselves to modern ways and to all the technological advancement. It is not a matter of being fashionable but it is a need now; otherwise; how can folk keep in touch with their people on the other side of the globe except via Internet? I think I have just slipped aside from the point I would like to write a bit elaborately; instead of telling you about the need to be changed; I was all in praise for the 'Modern Technology'.

How often I felt like saying to myself 'if only I am like that faithful pastor who serves Christ in that remote village..'. We often tend to look at people and compare ourselves with their personality, attitude, accomplishments, credentials...and we are over the moon when we think we outran them and suddenly we are gloomy and deeply dejected because we think that they outran us. It all depends how we look at things. I believe both the things are bad. As Dr Peter Masters says " we swing like a pendulum swings to one extreme or the other". It is very important to get things right and to put the things in the right perspective; we need to have a balanced mind. The thing is, even though it is not always good to compare ourselves with others; we can compare ourselves with others in spiritual matters. Even the Apostle Paul encourages his fellow believers to be like him or to imitate him as he imitates Christ.

We get bored when we keep doing things we always do. That's why we shout, at some point, 'give me a break buddy!!'; we tend to unwind ourselves as we driver along, or by listening to some music or by doing some 'excercise'..but the reality is that we bump into 'boredom' once again and alas even the 'remedy' for 'boredom' becomes 'boring' as well. This is all a part of trying very hard to 'change' ourselves. But can we change ourselves? Does it happen to us? Or is it just a distant mirage which never appears to be true? I hope to discuss this with those who have some serious intentions to experience 'change' in their lives in my next post.

Sharing the Gospel with the Chenchus!

2009-06-30T08:51:00.003+05:30

‘Chenchus’ are one of the most backward tribes in ‘Andhara Pradesh’. They live in far off jungles under thatched roofs. They still hunt; the flora and fauna is their greatest asset. They like to call themselves the 'Sons of Jungle'. If a chechu's arrow flies, I can guarantee you that it won't miss the target; the arrows are thrust with a mighty force that it is driven right through; most of the time, animals become prey due to his hunger but occasionally humans too due to his uncontrolled anger. unlike ‘Banjaras’ (which is also a tribe) who have made considerable progress in utilizing Government’s services. But ‘Chenchus’ do not like to come out of their Tribal shell, as it were, to see the outer world. As a result of that, they are prone to get all the diseases and whatever they earn,they like to spend on ‘drinking’.

The Lord called Pastor. Ruben to serve amongst ‘Chencus’ nearly 10 years ago. Previously he used to be an evangelist in his village only. Now his ministry is extended to several other hamlets including ‘Chenchugudem’ . We were able to build a church with the help of 'Metropolitan Tabernacle'; London for these people for which they praise God. Nearly 20 to 30 attend on regular basis. If they are off to jungles, only 15 to 20 (mostly ladies) will remain. Pastor Ruben is planning to offer food for free for as many as many attend the church on Sunday, as this will enable them to come for something to eat both physical and spiritual food. Please pray for these tribal people that they may not become a prey to their carnal desires as we have to do the same for us.

I Love 20-20!!!

2009-06-06T12:09:00.004+05:30

How I cherish the memories of India winning the 20-20 world cup 2007 in South Africa. No Bollywood script writer would have written such a thrilling final between the arch rivals India & Pakistan. What more would have any cricket lover expected than a nail-biting finish to the slam bang 20-20 world cup in 2007. India entered the previous world cup as 'Under Dogs' not having any high hopes but ended up wining the world cup as they cruised to win one match after another though it was truly a battle right through to the end. Now, they enter this world cup as 'Defending Champions' with having high pressure of performing well right through out the tournament.

Yesterday, Netherlands beat England which sent shock waves to the Cricketing Fraternity. This is what 20 20 is all about. It gives minnows a chance to be World Champions as opposed the 50 50 matches where it is the reign of 'Kangaroos' most of the time. 20 20 is all about set backs and scintillating victories; set backs to the so called Giants and victories to the babes in Cricket.

I must admit that Cricket is a fantastic game but all in all it is too lengthy. Giving respect to the game it has always been, the X- Generation doesn't have patience nor time to appreciate its class. It's all about providing entertainment to the crowds. After all every game is for crowds without them there is no game at all. How I remember skipping the classes in the school just to play and watch this game, though I don't advice any kid to emulate what I did in my childhood, I cannot take away the beauty and charm this game has always possessed, and of course 20 20 added more beauty to it. India being one of the 'Common Wealth' countries, it inherited the Game from its Masters. Who would have ever expected that 'Cricket' would have one day become such an important part of life in the Sub- Continent; even to the extent that it would beat its Masters at some point.

I must confess that though one must not love anything or anyone more than Jesus; it has always have been challenging for me to put Cricket aside even today. May nothing become ever more precious than loving & serving Jesus Christ our Lord but He has also given us some thing to enjoy within its own limits. Enjoy watching 20 20 world cup in England!!

Who am I??

2009-06-05T07:22:00.007+05:30

In the film 'Bourne Ultimatum' Jason Bourne; the hero forgets who he was; and the through out the film it was his mission to find out who he was and that too from the most complex clues.

Even when I was a child; this question used to pop in my mind very often. Especially when I wore new cloths or new shoes. I first used to look at the cloths that I wore and get fascinated by them and then the next thought would be like 'these cloths on what??!!' or ' are these shoes for my foot; oh gosh!!'. I used to look at my hands and used to look at them on and on trying to figure out what they actually were; the material it was made from; but I couldn't find an answer why those hands are linked to me or my mind?? and why am I saying to myself these are my hands; 'what is this so called feeling of being connected with 'me or my self'; what is this thing called 'me' or in other words 'what am I' or 'Who am I?'.

I think it is a serious question to ask ourselves, though it is a childlike one. Who are we? One might reply we are humans; of course we are; but when I ask who you are; don't just say you are a human; of course you are but think deep about who you are and how blessed you are to be born as a human and how different you are from other creatures and finally realise that you are created in the image and the likeness of God and you have a living soul. This soul is not mind as you would think but it is more than that. Just ponder on these thoughts and give me a reply when you can. I will be looking forward to that.

Don't harden your heart

2009-06-03T05:32:00.006+05:30

What is heart? Is it a bodily part or the source of all emoti -

onal feelings? what does it mean when you say 'I am touched' or 'it's mind boggling'?!! Apart from being a bodily organ, it is the source of all emotional feelings; good and bad.

It is a warning to those who trust in the Lord that we must not harden our hearts which means that we must not give up the spiritual habits regardless of our feelings. The spiritual habits are just like bad habits or good habits that we nurture or enjoy. The only difference I have noticed between nurturing a bad habit and a good one is that it is easy to get swept away by the bad one; it pulls you off to its side and the effort from your side to be consistent may be minimal but to nurture a good one; one needs to be consistent and it is a hard work in a sense until you do it automatically without any extra burden or effort. And the spiritual habits are only two. One is to read the Word and the other is to pray to God. Not that our reading and praying is so beautiful that the Lord should answer our prayers but it is with the help from Him do we do these things; this is when we will easily get swept into the fold of keeping our spiritual habits with joy. But when you stop doing these things just because you are tired or had a bad day at office or a spat with a guy or a sin that you shouldn't have committed or your love is broken and the list goes on..When we stop praying and reading the Word; the very life to spirituality gets chocked; our hearts will get slowly hardened. It is a process and it doesn't happen over a night but the process continues and we cannot stop it until we throw ourselves at the feet of Christ. This is when preaching becomes boring, praying becomes the most undesired action. How is your heart to day? Is it hard or soft enough to cry to God?

Welcome to my town-Vinukonda!!

2009-01-28T20:19:00.003+05:30

If you were to expect some pattern looking at the traffic in a town like 'Vinukonda' , I promise you, you would go mad. The truth is that there is no traffic pattern as such. Everybody drives as they like. I wonder what could be the reason behind it!!? Before we dig deep into it, one needs to ask why people should ever need a 'system' for anything or any purpose. What is promised in the absence of a proper system is 'chaos'. But wait a minute, why should people need rules?? Having heard what Protagonists of Post Modern Movement say that man is matured enough to control himself, I'm confused to see why he needs a rule to be controlled?

In the West, to appears as though all is neat and quiet. Everybody seem to follow the law with keener interest which is very much commendable as opposed to the system in India. However I am bewildered to see how people can be outrageously hypocritical when it comes to their person lives. They say they are born for freedom and ready to die for it; no interference is tolerated. Here rules are marginalised and rationalised. Objectively they follow rules but subjectively they do not like rules. Isn't there an apparent antithesis clearly visible? People are chaotic anywhere in the world. They are unable to control themselves. They need a guide to guide them.

It was Vinod dham, the designer of Pentium Chip once said in an interview that " it was the traffic pattern in India makes people even more competitive as every driver tries to create a space when there isn't much available." May be that is true to an extent. The point is we all need rules; whether they are subjective or objective. And remember, it is the source which ultimately matters. What source do you have to guide you? And what set of rules do you follow? Make the Word of God as your map and let God guide you to see through the unknown future.

Welcome to Vinukonda- My Town !!!

2009-01-15T07:37:00.004+05:30

What you see in the picture is a Cinema Theatre. We have as many as 6 cinema theatres even in a relatively small town like 'Vinukonda'. People are truly crazy about movies in here. They worship heroes as if they are gods!! They form different associations for different popular heroes as if they are forming charitable associations doing some charity!!?? and the clash between the fans is an obvious fight. Every time a new cinema of a popular hero is released; something hazardous is bound to happen.

Probably, you have heard they say 'India is a land of Snake Charmers', but it is now a land of 2C's; if one 'C' stands for 'Cricket'; the other is for 'Cinema'. Nobody knows when the 'Hindi Film Industry' started to earn its name as 'Bollywood'; a replica to 'Hollywood' in the West. The only difference between the 'Hollywood' and the 'Bollywood' is that there are no songs in the Hollywood movies where are there plenty in the 'Bollywood'. Even our Telugu Cinema industry is also called as 'Tollywood'. Again nobody knows who termed it? The most tragic part is that, though people are getting entertained; often the cinema does nothing but cashes in human weakness for sin and promiscuousness and encourages to break all God's commandments. Gone are the days when the people wanted to put across some social message out to the public; now is the time for 'Nonstop Entertainment'. The story line swings according to the mood of the public. Many a youngster head for 'Hyderabad' or 'Mumbai' with the hope of becoming heroes and heroins, leaving their family and friends behind. Instead of becoming heroes and heroins, they become maniacs and prostitues. Before they realise that life is far more precious than being a hero in cinema, they are on the verge of eternity. It is all started off with having great expectations of their own; to become popular in the tinsel town; to earn millons of rupees; a shortcut to success and fame. And the tragedy hits when they terminate their lives abruptly, having seen their dreams shattered and hopes broken into peices. How sad we are! if only people know the truth, they could have avoided all this.

Should Christians watch cinemas? It's a debate. Remember, our 'Conscience' is the Police Man who is inside kept by the Lord. He presses the panic button every time we trespass the Lord's commandment, but do we wake up the call? It is not just a matter related to 'Cinema' but everything that we do needs to be watched through the eyes of God. We must question ourselves if what we do is pure, moral, and acceptable to God? Can you thank the Lord, having watched it or done it? or is it to gratify your lusts? Please read 1 Cor 10: 14- 33 and Publish your comments; we shall discuss.

Welcome to Vinukonda- My Town!!

2009-01-14T00:45:00.004+05:30

Before I talk about my town; I wish you all a very happy New Year as our happiness lies in the Lord than it is in the world or in us. I have been running around all these days doing some good as well as some bad. One of the bad things I did was that I haven’t been able to write anything on the blog for quite some time.

The monument which is in 'red' stands for what the communists fought for. It was resurrected in the name of those communists who died fighting for their cause. My town Vinukonda has got a quite a bit of communism attached to it since many years. Though my state ‘Andhra Pradesh’ has never been ruled by the Communists; there are a few in India like ‘West Bengal’ and ‘Kerala. It is noteworthy that the development in communist ruled states is very marginal; though ‘Kerala’ seemed have made quite a bit of progress.

Though I see this monument as I ride past it on my motorbike everyday; it doesn’t speak to me anything. May be I am deaf to what it says or it is just not something I am interested in. There were times when I seriously thought why communism dwindled all across the globe except in Cuba and China. The greatest downfall would be the fall of the USSR when it couldn’t go on any further with the rampant corruption amongst the top rank Officials and Military Generals. The motto might have been good. Whatever insists on ‘Equality’ is good. But have they stuck to it? Did they make sure that their good mottoes implemented to the fullest extent? May be 'No'. Hang on a minute!! Where on earth does ‘equality’ exist? No where. Not even ‘Democracy’ has dealt with the problem effectively. What is amusing in ‘democracy’ is that if all want something; you must give it to them by all means whether it is right or wrong. How then, do you differentiate it from the struggle for existence theory where only the strong can survive?

I believe ‘Communism’ has its roots in the Bible; though a hard- core ‘communist’ wouldn’t agree with what I say because he denies the very existence of God; I heard someone saying that Jesus was a revolutionist; may be it was true in a sense; but it is only a half truth. One cannot ignore the reasons why He became a revolutionist. The Bible has ample evidence of people sharing what they had n equal measures before the Apostles when they distributed the food equally between the haves and have-nots (Acts4:32-37). Think about how your neighbour feels when he laments in abject poverty, do you flaunt with your smugness showcasing all that you have? Probably, this has been the very reason all the revolts broke out all the across the Globe down through the centuries. Are you walking in humility as Christ did. May be it is ever more difficult in the wake of the new age 'materialism'. But the Word remains the same from generations to generations and we have to obey what it says. Let us be content with what we have and on one hand and share what we have on the other.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T08:41:00.003+05:30

To day is the day when Christians all around the globe celebrate the Lord's arrival into the world. Probably, to day is the day which has given license for all kinds of immoral activities to be taken place all around the world too. Probably there is more booze and unending partying on Christmas day than ever!! What a sad reality it is. Again my good old friend 'Donald' says "Christmas is without Christ" here. This is the exact reason why the 'Reformers' rejected the idea of celebrating Christmas. However, we do not deny the glorious entry of the Lord into this world; of course not as an emperor; but as a meek, humbled human being to redeem us from sin. There is no point to celebrate Christmas if we do not know the purpose behind it. We do not just have to make up the Lord's birth as an occasion to unwind all our worldliness. One must understand the purpose behind the Lord's coming, the Lord's crucifixion and the Lord's ascension into Heaven. So it is not only Merry Christmas but Good Friday as well as Easter. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and I thank you all for watching this blog and I sincerely hope that I'm not wasting your time. HAPPY CHRISTMAS BUDDIES!!!

WELCOME TO VINUKONDA - My Town!!

2008-12-17T15:46:00.005+05:30

The picture was taken when I was out to shoot something for my blog; and somehow I intrigued with this one; not that it was intriguing in and it self but somehow my mind glued to it; but the truth is no where is it better written than it is at the Railway Station. It was actually taken at the Railway Station; probably some of you might have got it already. Does anybody know why it has got the combination of yellow and black? Some say it was started off by the 'British' when they were ruling the country; and it continues even after the 'independence'. Probably, it is the best combination to be used in the 'Railway Realms'. It is in 'Telugu' on top and in 'Hindi' in the middle and of course it is in 'English' on the board. Don't get me wrong as though I am trying to explain it to you who knows what is what; I also have to bear in mind about friends whose knowledge is not wide enough on India.

Vinukonda' is just like any other normal town in Andhra Pradesh India; probably a bit different to the ones in northern India. It has got about 52,519 people living in it. Does it constitute a huge city in some other country? I don't know. But, here in India 'population' is not taken into consideration to make small places turn into cities. people can be anywhere. Be it in a city or in a village; one thing you cannot miss is that 'people'. You find people everywhere and 'Vinukonda' is no exception. I shall continue to up load pictures of 'Vinukonda' for the coming few days. Just to give you the picture of what it is like being in here. So see you soon.

CHRISTMAS MANIA

2008-12-12T22:11:00.003+05:30

As Christmas is fast approaching, shops are decorated, streets are busy with folk buying various things ranging from a needle to a brand new Ferrari. May be this year, this isn't the same story as markets haven been hit by the recession up and down the globe, though people do have insatiable desire to buy things. In fact, this is the season, when a lot of 'shopping' goes all around the world, one wonders if the credit cards become slimmer and thinner for their on-going swiping!!! Though the economists advise us not to over use the credit cards, people seem to have not bothered too much about it; who cares the endless flying white ribbon; though it is a result of an unnecessary purchase.

I think, it all begins with the problem of 'covetousness' and people are not content with what they have. One needs to draw a clear line between what he wants and needs. It is no wonder that folk do get muddled up for this very reason and the result is often pretty chaotic. It's kind of funny or should I say it is 'ironic' that I use this expression 'pretty chaotic'!!; though both the words are antithetical in nature; the 'English' language it self is such a thing; not that it is pretty chaotic but can be very confusing. May be, you need to borrow paradoxical elements to express one particular thing in an expressive manner. Anyway, 'Christmas' season is something when a lot of activity is anticipated. Some are good and some are bad. Often the 'spendthrifts' end up bankrupt at the end of the season which could have been avoided if enough care had been taken. One spends so much money on his fantasies and dreams because he thinks that money belongs to him. The thing is the money we have is not our own, but it belongs to God and it needs to be spent carefully in a God glorifying manner.

As my Friend said, 'Samuel, here in my country, 'Christmas' is without 'Christ'.'; which it is just a 'MAS'?? Is that true in your country too, is that true in your place too? Is that true with you too? Think and reflect. Perhaps, this is the best season to come back to Christ to celebrate real Christmas, as Saviour was born to save sinners..

Practical steps to avoid sin by Ralph Venning

2008-12-09T08:02:00.007+05:30

The following are the advices taken from 'Sinfulness of Sin' by Ralph Venning; a non-conformist, earned his MA from 'Cambridge University' and lived in the 17th century in England. These are the practical things we must have in our mind to protect us from

evil nature of sinfulness within(inside) and with out(out side).

1.Pray to God that past sins are forgiven and see to it that there may be no future sins

2.Obey the instruction of God in the Scripture (Psalm 119:11)

3. Begin each day with thoughts of God and of good things.

4. Act quickly to hate and rebuke wrong things.

5. Keep a strict control on what you watch with your eyes.

6. Keep yourself busy in doing good things.

7. Set your affections on Godly things and godly behaviour.

8. God has told us how we ought to talk to speak (Ephesians 4:29, 5:4)

9. Talking much about religion does not make us a Christian (James 1:26)

10. Sinful words are evidence of sinful hearts (Psalm 12:1-2)

11. Evil words corrupt other people (James 3:5-6)

12. Our words are either our glory or our shame (Proverbs 10:20)

13. Idle words will have to be accounted for (Matthew 12:36-37).

One must keep these things always in his mind to avoid the unnecessary take- over by 'sin' in our lives. One must also remember this is an 'on going battle' and we, beleivers in 'Christ' must master the art of battling against the enemy, sin and the world. Having fought the battle with in and with out; against the enemy, sin and the world, we ultimately depend on His Grace to survive spiritually and the 'victory' belongs to Him.

INDIA IS BURNING...

2008-12-01T16:33:00.002+05:30

For the last three days, Mumbai; the financial capital of India bowed its head to the unprecedented and well co-ordinated attacks by the heavily drugged and misguided maniacs who opened fire in all directions indiscriminately. It is horrendous to know that their mission was to take 5000 lives and get away unscathed. The death toll already reached up to 183 and the injured were nearly more than 280. Remember, most of the injured will inevitably be near to death. And the nation has already lost a few good men; the unsung heroes of the country who fought against the enemy to redeem the hostages. In addition to incalculable human loss, the hallmark symbols of India's prestige, pride and progress; Hotel Taj and Trident were severely damaged.

When I visited Mumbai; along with my cousin in 2000; I was awe- struck looking at the elegant gigantic structure embellished incredibly; I, then, came to know it was the so called 'Taj' hotel. Though I live far away from Mumbai, I could imagine how a normal 'Mumbaiwallah' would have reacted to see this long -standing monument being burnt and bombarded by endless rain of bullets. Will it be ever like what once it was? Whether it will be like what was once it was or not, I do not know. But one thing can be taken for granted that 'Mumbai' has changed for good and it in turn has changed the course of nation.

The Common man lost his credibility in the government; which ever it is; as it fails to safeguard his safety time and again. He is terribly up set to see the politicians hurling coarse comments against each other; their indecency reached its peak. Though the common man is paying millions of rupees as Tax to the government, his 'safety' is the last thing that will be ever on a politician's mind. One wonders if the nation is a democracy or a politician's theocracy where he is god!?? Time has come to answer the so called unanswerable. Whether we are politicians or just common men, we need to examine ourselves if we are true to our nation in all that we do. As long as we encourage selfish motives of our own and corruption, we will never find 'India' to be a safer place. Before we fight out the enemy outside, one needs to fight the enemy 'within'. Everybody knows who the real culprit is. It may be the dirty politician, or it may be 'me' or it may be 'you'. Unless one gives up his selfish motives to serve the country, we cannot aspire to see our nation progressing for we do not want to have an imbalanced growth; the unbridgeable gap between the urban and the rural. We might resurrect another 'Taj', but we can never restore human life once it is lost. So, let us start working within; cleaning up the garbage to build a better country; where life is more precious; not only the 'life' but the 'soul' too for it is better to be devastated in life than to be in eternity .
Let me end this post with this verse " Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:28, 29)"

Repentance and Trust in Christ is the only Remedy.

2008-11-27T06:51:00.000+05:30

'Sin' is an inescapable fact which underlies within and without (outside) us; as I wrote in my previous post. By default we are sinners; it is there in the world and besides that the 'enticer' is on a prowl to do the hoodwink to snatch us away from God's fold. Before melancholy creeps in one's mind and heart that life is in this world is pointless, we are shown a way to repent and turn to Christ in faith.

What is this 'repentance' is all about? In original Greek, Repentance (metanoia) means change of mind about something or someone and hence change in attitude. Biblical meaning also involves sorrow and grief over sin (2 Cor 7:9,10); it is clearly seen in the parable of 'Prodigal Son' ( Luke 15: 11-21). And it also means to shun away from sinful life. In addition to that one must run for Christ in faith that He alone can save him from the bondage of sin as He paid the unpayable debt on the Cross. (Acts 3:19). We must make our ultimate goal in our lives to hate evil and sin. To compromise with sin is to invite disaster into one's life. It reminds me of a story; " there was a camel standing out in the desert right next its master's tent; the wind was blowing all the time; the camel started begging its master 'Master! could you please let my head in in your tent for it is very windy outside; the master lets its head in'; after a while; the master was outside the tent counting the sand whilst the camel was dozing off inside the tent." Beware of sinfulness mates, it can strike us ever more harder, if we are too welcoming to it.

Is it necessary to repent and can we still be forgiven without repentance? Is forgiveness necessary at all? I don't know how to respond to answer these questions for mind is blank; my heart aches and my mouth is dumb- stuck.

Sin is serious!..

2008-11-25T14:58:00.000+05:30

You might be wondering how on earth is this picture related to the topic 'sin' ?!; even I don't know how it makes sense; but I must somehow grab hold of a picture every time I post an article which is quite a task really!! when I am run out of pictures, I take the easy path of downloading the stuff from the Internet. Since 'sin' is an 'abstract' (a noun as well as a verb) concept; it is not a person or a thing to be shown; so I preferred to show a 'Modern Art' picture. And therefore, do not read too much into it.

To address the issue like 'sin', one needs to know what 'sin' exactly is. People may well have thousand and one opinions about it. Are those opinions trust worthy? May be some of them truly are!!But at the end of the day, they just remain as 'opinions' which may not prove anything substantially. We tend to turn to a 'Dictionary'; every time we come across a new word; as we know that is the perfect source. For me the 'source' is important. Where is it coming from is a very basic question one needs to look for. For me the 'Bible' is the ultimate source and a believer's map, in this world of confusion and chaos. So, let us listen to what the Bible says on 'sin'.

'Sin' means to think and act against the God's law; to break God's commandments. Everyone who sins breaks the law (1 John 3:4). When we fail to meet God's standard of holiness, we sin. To break a single commandment means breaking all His commandments (James 2:10). It is like pelting a stone at glass; it is only a single stone but the whole glass is damaged and the cracks are an unavoidable sight. There are sins of commission and sins of omission. Consciously committing an act against God's law is sin, at the same time, consciously omitting God's law is also a sin. Just a bad thought is as criminal as an act in God's sight ( Matt 5:28; Mark 7: 20, 21 & 22). The more we sin; the more guilty we are; the guilt piles. Give me a break, one might yell!! but that's a fact. You know it for yourself, why asking somebody else for it? 'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) and therefore you are inexcusable on man! (Rom 2:1). Having read this, can you still say that you are perfect, and 'sinless'?! if you can, as I said earlier; I don't know how to respond for my mind is blank; my heart aches and my mouth is dumb- stuck!!

Sin is serious!...

2008-11-21T22:58:00.001+05:30

What is this thing called 'sin'? why am I unable to react as I ought to? Why do I loose my self control time and again? Why do I get angry? Why am I frustrated? Why am I enslaved to bad when I actually know what good is? How many times questions like these have flooded your mind? I don't know about your predicament, but the more I look into myself the more I discover evil nature within me. I know something is seriously wrong within me. Besides that I am unable to get myself out from this pathetic situation. I am unable to stop myself from sinning and to make matters even worse, my guilt is piling up every time I commit sin. Oh! what a wretched man that I am; who can save me from this body of death? (Rom 7: 24). No one else but Jesus Christ alone! These words echo through my head and heart; as they did in the Apostle Paul's.

By the way, are you convinced that this world is full of sin and you are a part of it? Do you think that something is terribly wrong with the human race? I cannot and do not have to argue with those who think that this world is getting better and better and human race is inherently good. I think they are simply denying the fact. We know that world is not a better place to live but what about your heart? Is it a better place? What a tragedy it is if you live in a terrible place in addition to having a terrible heart. We must be convinced if such a thing called 'sin' exists before we address this issue. If it does, we must look into what exactly this is and how we can protect ourselves from it. If anyone thinks, it doesn't, I don't know how to respond, my mind is blank, my heart aches and my mouth is dumb- stuck!! I shall write what 'sin' is in my next post God willing..

Sin is serious!..

2008-11-21T07:28:00.000+05:30

This was the book published by the 'Grace Publications' , which was a simplified version of Ralph Venning's 'A Treatise on Sin'; first published in 1669. This simplified version was prepared by John Appleby and Peter King. I must tell that they have done an excellent job and it is my plan to publish my thoughts on this subject for a few up coming days, as I also seriously think that 'Sin is Serious'!

I have a Friend in Scotland whose name is 'Donald Morrison'. He is an evangelist and it is his lifetime passion and full time job to evangelise the unconverted. I think he's been doing it for the last 10 years or so, hey Donald! correct me if I am wrong. I also had the privilege to meet him and share the Gospel to the folk in the streets of London for which I am thankful to God. I remember him telling me an incident when he was preaching at a street corner that an elderly lady came up to him and complained to him that his preaching was completely rubbish and had no base. The reason for that was he was simply inviting sinners to come to Christ. She was deeply offended as she would have thought people were inherently good and nice.

People might be good and nice but it doesn't mean that people are sinless. We constantly here people say 'nobody is perfect' which is a very popular expression. But people never bothered that it is the 'sinfulness' within them is the root-cause for their 'imperfect lives'. And God demands nothing less than an absolute perfection just like He is perfect beyond our imagination. Does it make any sense when somebody calls you a sinner or does it hurt you or does it sound awful? If it makes sense you are on the right path and you have a hope in Christ alone. We shall further discuss how and why 'sin' entered into the world and destroyed our lives. It is highly important to understand before we value the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Are you running away from God?

2008-11-17T23:01:00.000+05:30

Running is one of the best exercises 'Doctors' advice to keep folk to be fit. Nowadays, people are completely taken over by 'fitness mania'; which is good in a sense, but people do it just to prolong their lives not that they can have eternal bliss, which is a shame really!! The problem is, being physically healthy doesn't mean that one is spiritually the same. Too much running can damage your knees as well, they say. By all means, one needs to be fit but that is not the end.

As I was reading Psalm 139, the King David pointed me to God with a deep sense of urgency that no one can get away from His presence. Where can we possibly hide ourselves from God's presence? He is omnipresent. You go into the skies; may be to the utter most part of the universe; even there you cannot ignore His presence; you take a deep plunge into the sea; even there you cannot help but praise God down below the sea. If you have wings, as it were, to fly to the further most part of the world, even there you cannot get away from God. At last, David acknowledges that he cannot flee from His presence (Psalm 139:7). God looks at us, He looks at our hearts, our intentions (good & bad), He knows our life history. He even even knows us even before we were formed in our mother's womb which means even before our parents met, Ah! this is staggering, how can God know even before I was a tiny speck in my mother's womb? How foolish, then, it is run away from Him when we can actually meet up with Him? Are you not tired that you've been keep hiding yourself and your sins from God?

My advice to you is that you better don't run away from God; but face up with the reality instead of ignoring it as if it doesn't exist. And the reality is that we are sinners; 'sin' is dangerous; unless we kill 'sin', sin kills us. Now run and run and run; you may say to me 'this guy is crazy, having said not to run, why is he now telling that one should run? this is rubbish..' But my friend, I am telling you to run to 'Christ' for 'forgiveness' for He says 'Come unto me ye heavy laiden, I will give you rest', the eternal bliss..... in Him. So, Are you running?

When life spills blood ...

2008-11-09T22:30:00.000+05:30

I left off writing at the 'Unsafe world' we live in in my previous post. History tells that when 'Vivekananda'; a prominent Indian philosopher , went to 'Chicago' to address a huge gathering, he, apparently, started with words like 'my brothers and sisters...', an expression, then, alien to 'Americans', which was followed by a huge round of applause. It was many years ago, but the repercussions of the applause is still heard to day, when lectures are given on India's 'incredible culture'. Our History books picture our country as a nation which posses amazing heritage and culture. Sometimes, it makes me sick to listening to the stereo types and I say to myself ' not exactly you see..'. Honestly, I don't undermine my culture and traditions but there are some hard questions one needs to face before we clap ceaselessly. Is this the nation which conceived the so called despicable 'Caste System'? Is this the nation which practiced customs like 'burring a widow alive (satisahagamana)'? Is this the nation which practiced 'child marriages'? Is this the nation which killed innocent Christians?

My mind blows up when I look at my country as a secular state. In certain states with in the country, endless killings take place on regular basis, just in the name of religion. Many poor, helpless, tribal Christians are being killed entirely for wrong reasons. What has 'secularism' offered to the victims? Nothing but promised more killings upon the failure to compromise and if one chooses to follow a religion of his choice. It is still a mystery for me when I think of a murderer, I say to myself 'how can a man kill another?'; when he too feels the pain; when he too has the same 'red' blood; when he too dies? How can the murderer bear the pain of 'guilt'? and that too when he does it multiple times. But the Bible condemn; not just killings; even a bad thought is just as bad as killing someone and it leaves no space for psychological nor emotional comfort unless one is forgiven by Christ.

Talking about the so called 'national integrity'; it is washed out and 'unity in diversity' is a myth. How on earth, can you expect one to love his country when his countrymen kill him and molest his sister? How can anyone expect to applause the great culture; when 'innocent lives' are being lost? How can you be ever loyal to your country? But, for the Christian, it is a different story altogether. He submits to his higher authority in spite of persecution, not because he likes that naturally but because the Lord tells. By being submissive to the Lord, he is submissive to the nation. Christians have always been the best citizens where ever they lived down through the centuries. Are you a good citizen?

When life spills blood..

2008-11-06T05:15:00.000+05:30

My country boasts of its 'Unity in Diversity' and we were brainwashed, of course for good reasons, about the so called 'National Integrity' right from our elementary schooling. Even the 'Pledge' starts with 'My brothers and sisters of India...', our national anthem; penned by the world acclaimed poet 'Sir Rabindranath Tagore'; gives you a picture of a united India. The very term 'Sub- Continent' explains how varied we are as we have everything to constitute a continent. Our nation was built on the very foundation of 'National Unification' which drove the 'British' away from the land. 'Unity' was such an inspiration to fight against even the impregnable enemy. But I feel both bewilderment and frustration, as we as a country, have not been able to get our basics right even after the sixty years of Independence.

In these sixty years of journey, we have made politics a 'mockery', and the 'Constitution' is a tool for exploitation; rule has no meaning, and it is executed to the fullest degree when a big man has to do something with it. To unfold a newspaper is a terrifying feeling only to find out that some folk died somewhere. Accidents are a common sight and killing is an easy choice,Panic and fear grip everywhere. This will only take me to inevitable conclusion that we live in a unsafe world. Look what we done to ourselves. Even if God gives a million years to be changed, we won't. I shall continue to write for a few up coming days on this subject. To be continued....

I know not how to play 'Piano'.

2008-11-02T23:03:00.000+05:30

'Rhythm' has always been an inexplicable and intergal part of music even from the earliest days of human history. Each culture is proud of their own genre of music. If 'Scottish Pipes' have their charm; 'Sitar' and 'Tabla' have their own too. And endless types of drums find their roots in Africa.

Even in rurual Andhra pradhesh, the 'Drum' has earned a distinct recognition for its simplicity of accebility and playability. It requires no professionalism to play it. Its roots traces back to many generations down through the centuries. When there were no modern gadgets to produce 'rhythm', people opted for it. If a drum has to be made, there needs to have been a killing of a goat taken place. Having soaked the skin for several days, it is dried out, before it is scrwed down to be expanded. No wonder, it is associated with the 'outcastes', as the 'bloodshed' is inevitable!! Who is more audacious as well as adamant than a 'Dalit' to be involved with the humiliating act of killing an animal to make a drum just to tap his foot?!!He made the drum centuries ago to find solace and comfort to forget all the pain he had to carry in and outside of his life. He brought back smile on those whose lives were filled with tragic stories of exploitation and victimisation.

When the 'Missionaries' shared them the Gospel, they also encouraged them to worship the Lord indigenously which made the 'drum' to be the integral part of the worhsip services in the villages. When one is unaware of the intricacies of modern or classical music; will it not be good enough to sing praises unto the Lord, when the drum does its duty?

Eyes of Repentance

2008-10-28T23:24:00.000+05:30

Oh Father! I lost my way;I am all alone myself.

I could feel the warmth of my tears; I was toiling with my burden of sin; heavy memories hit me hard; grief and pain cut my heart into two. I had no hope; my life was an open tomb; the high way leads to hell; I had no hope.

I, then, heard a voice coming across from distance, a faint one, but a familiar one; breaking the barriers of sin and darkness; It is coming nearer and nearer; I dared not to turn around but I had to; as you know; I had no hope.

I, then, turned around, Oh! it was you my Father; it was you.

Oh Father! I acknowledge my sin; for it is always before you;

I wounded your heart by doing things I shouldn't and by not doing things

I must.

Oh Father! how foolish I have been when my education became absolute ignorance;

when I am uneducated about the most basic education; I was unaware

of the depth of my Father's love; when I didn't see the Divine Messiah hung on the Cross;

My eyes over flowed not with honey; but with tears of Repentance.

Oh Father! when I saw Christ on the cross;

when I saw the one who helps became helpless;

when I saw the once- out stretched arms being

folded harshly;

when I saw Him punished for my punishment;

when I saw His blood gushed out; the currents took

away the stains of my sin; the hardness of my heart

faded away, slowly but surely.

Life never waited for me, nor did time; I didn't know where I was heading; but I do now; I do.

At last, 'time' said 'Good Bye' to me; I slept but only to wake up;

When I woke up; I heard the same familiar voice is coming across from distance; just to find out; it was 'Christ;, and it was in 'Heaven'.

YOUR HAIR COUNTS TOO

2008-10-25T12:01:00.001+05:30

Perhaps, I am reading too much into what I see just to accompany what I write. But I can't help it really! Any way, has it ever occured to you that you cannot count your hair? The more one cuts it off, the more it grows, unless you are bald headed !!!! As strange as it may seem to be, even human body carries imprints of 'eternity', if only one cares to think about it. Not only is the 'creation' it self a pointer to 'eternity' but also your body with its intricacy of design and incalcuble nature of cells. The more one digs deep into the archives of knwoledge, the more Godly we should be। But the end result is quite the opposite. By the way, what is eternity has in store for you? Eternity can be endless bliss or it can be endless trauma. When it is going to be 'endlessness' we are concerned about, why, then, should we not try every effort to make it a blissful experience? Will we be rather foolish to spoil our blissful eternity with God just because we are unwilling or unready to give up our selfish ideas. Only God alone is big enough to explain about the enormity of the unlimited nature of eternity. This is going to be my last post on eternity as I feel that I am so limited to write about the unlimited.

TWO ONGOING PARALLEL LINES

2008-10-22T20:48:00.002+05:30

I cannot resist to tell you about my childhood memories, as a child, it would be always exciting to travel on train, though it is still exciting, but there is something charming about childlike attitude. To get a window seat was like saying 'yeah!!', though the opportunity was scarce. When you do get a chance, as rarely as it was, you would look out and would be lost into oblivion. Though you cannot get to see the track on which your train is running, when you do get off it, and see the train get you past, and once it becomes a tiny dot, your eyes turn on to the 'track'. You turn to ask your dad 'daddy! where does this track end up at?', your dad says ' at the station', immediate question hurls at him, 'where is the station?', before your dad gets angry, you tend to swallow the 'unanswerable'. You have grown up now, jumped into the world, accomplished so much materially, but have you sought after the answer seriously as you did? Where does the track end up at? We better be children, seeking for serious answers rather than being grown ups chasing after foolish things. Where does the track lead to? These parallel lines going on and on, where will they end up at? At the station, at the Kingdom, at God. You and I created to enjoy better things, to enjoy 'eternity'. Are you prepared for it?...to be continued.

ENDLESS GREEN GRASS

2008-10-21T22:59:00.000+05:30

Paddy fields…endless green grass sticking out to be cut off, thankfully it is very much unlike the humans. Even in November, folks work hard in the fields, they look above to see the fields turn muddy when the soil becomes more conducive to cultivate. Folks look above to be drenched in rain and they are merry men when clouds unfold to sprinkle rain on earth and they thank the clouds or at best they thank the sky. Why can't they look beyond the sky to see if anyone is there to thank him. Oh! one cannot see with physical eyes the invisible, you may say, it is a fact or is it? I cannot show the one beyond the sky in physical terms, but if only one has the eyes of faith, God can be seen. Nature points out to God, but one needs to have the 'Eyes of Faith' to see Him. Do you have it? Coming back to point, it is endlessness I am concerned about, I am amazed to witness how 'eternity' can be seen, of course, with the eyes of faith, just around me, above me, beside me and beneath me. Thank you Lord.

ETERNITY CONTINUES...

2008-10-21T22:26:00.000+05:30

Somebody commented that I should add more pictures to my blog and I said I will do. This afternoon I went out in search of quality pictures that will be meaningful to what I have been writing . I found these endless 'stones' laid on both sides of the railway track, never did I try to count them as they were innumenrable. For a few moments, I became an 'observer', trying to focus on 'nature' if it was telling something to me or pointing to something bigger than what it is. I looked around, and I found these stones, though they were stones, I found them fascinating. Stones...endless stoness, it is endlessness I am concerend about.I shall be in search to see 'eternity' in the world just around me.

ETERNITY

2008-10-20T01:45:00.000+05:30

What do stars speak to you? Why the particles of sand are countless? Have you ever counted the blades of grass in a cricket ground? As a child, I used to be thrilled by looking at the enormity of the endless sea and wondered if there was any land on the other side? My little mind couldn't capture the truth that there was in deed a land on the other side for I could only see blue water even in the horizon. What do these common things speak to you? For me they speak about 'Eternity'. Though I am not a Philosopher; not a scientist; not even an intellectual; I am an ordinary person saved by the 'Grace of God'. And I believe man is here on earth to observe what he sees to look beyond what he cannot. And man's life in this world is more than what he sees, touches, and feels and therefore he cannot stuck to the so called room of 'what he sees, touches and feels'. He needs to look up to God for He alone can take him to that unseen land beyond that ocean, beyond the sky, and even beyond your life, Trust in Christ for He shall give you the gift of 'Eternal Life'. To be continued......