God is waiting to love you !!!!

Hosea 6:6 - "I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me."

Psalms 51:17 - "My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart."

Luke 18:14 - "For everyone who makes himself great will be humbled and everyone who humbles himself will be made great."

I think these three phrases can sum up the whole meaning of the bible. God is waiting to love you !!!

He is not expecting anything big from you, he just expects you to repent at your sins. In the Gospel of Luke it is mentioned about the 2 people who went to pray. One was praising god for making him a good man unlike others, and the other was down on his knees, repenting for his sins, crying out to god to forgive him.

God does not want boastful sacrifices and untimely praises. He really values your humbled heart which repents before god.

I remember when I was in school, we were small kids and were asked to go for a confession at least once a year. We were sitting in line inside church and an student from a much bigger class walked in. He was in tears. He knelt down in church and cried before he went into confession. I remember thinking ... He must have sinned a lot ... im happy that im not that much of a sinner ... but I realize now, god's love reached him much faster than it did for me on that day ....

My life is full of experiences ... this next one is the most important one of all ...

I had it so wrong for such a long time in my life. I was into charities, contributing money ... lots of money to orphanages ... Singing songs for god, praising his name in my song ... I was really happy and proud of myself. I got so many words of praise from all those around me. I knew I was on the right track, i knew god was happy with me and it made me really happy to hear what people had to say about my work. Every time someone approached me and told me that they really liked one of my songs or that they really appreciated what I did, it just made me happier and happier ... and the work that sums it all up would be, I was proud to be in the good books of god.

Or so I thought ....

An event happened which shook my life. It tore apart everything that I held close. I lost my job, position, money and i became a looser in front of everyone. But I clung onto god ... Deep down, i knew, that whatever happened, had its reason and that the solution would only be found in god. In my journey in seek of this answer, I got closer and closer to god. As I grew closer, I realized the error of my ways ... He started showing me my sin, one step at a time ... each time I repented, he showed me some more sin which I had not even realized. I had nothing else to do but to offer him my humble heart and my broken spirit ... and just then, the healing began.

God showed me that all that happened in my life was to bring me closer to him. The path that I was on, was taking me away from him and he could not stand to be away from me. He called me from a distance, but I did not look back. So he shook up my world so that I would realize what was wrong in my world and turn back.

All that it took for me to receive his love was my broken heart ... all that it took for his love to heal me was surrendering my whole life to his hands ... And the love that he gave me, and the path that he set me on, is far greater than what I though was great in life.

Slow down for a bit my brothers and sisters ... do you actually have god in your hearts ? or is it a show that you are putting on to show others that god is with you ? ... Do you repent ? ( We are sinners and forever will be ... we sin every day ... so why then do we not repent every day ? ) ... Do you feel your heart breaking when you have realized that you have sinned ? .... This is what its all about. Are you ready ? Because God is Waiting !!!

God Bless You All !!!!

The Love of God ...

Psalms 95:7

"He is our God: we are the people he cares for, the flock for which he provides. Listen today to what he says,"

Jeremiah 7:23

"But I did command them to obey me, so that I would be their God and they would be my people. And I told them to live as I had commanded them, so that things would go well for them."

Luke 11:17

"Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long; a family divided against itself falls apart."

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What an awesome god we have .... can you feel his love ? He wants us to listen to him not to command us, but to love us ... He is waiting for us to turn to him ... not to rule over us, but so that we may find peace in our lives ... Its just like a loving father who cares for his children ... God loves us so much that all he wants to do is to love us ... but the question is, do you accept his love ?

Lets focus on the scripture taken from the Gospel of Luke, does it make sense to you ? Its plain and simple common sense to me. Everywhere we go, we have people with different opinions. ( They have to be that way because god created us unique ) ... Even in our families, children often do not follow the parent's line of thinking ... in our offices, the most difficult thing to do is to bring different people into the same agreeing platform. Have you seen the problem here ? Even for a country to be peaceful, everyone must walk down that one path.

Often problems arise when we try to enforce our way of thinking in people that surround us. In our families, work places, society, how often do we feel that everyone else is wrong and that I am right ? ... Definitely, there would have been moments when you were correct. But even then, does that give us the right to enforce someone with a different opinion ? ... Do we actually value diversity amidst ourselves ?

In my own life, I have fallen out of the rat race. I was once working in a leading company in a good position which I lost due to an issue which came up. Since then, my life has changed and my opinion of a successful career has changed. I believe that anyone can be successful in anything that they want to do ... as long as they are passionate about it. Therefore, I decided to follow my passion in life ... Music as my career. Obviously people didn't approve due to its uncertainty. But I have tremendous faith in God who guides me. I have never gone hungry and god has never allowed me or my family to be humiliated. Therefore, I strongly believe that he will not let me down ... but there is a part for me to play as well. I always ask for his opinion on my decisions and I'm always conscious about the will of God in my life. And I always give priority in my life to him. I am happier in my life than I had ever been, happier in what I do and guess what ? ... When it pays, its not that bad either ...

This whole scenario was difficult for my family to accept. But I never argued with them because i knew that they all love me so much that they are worried for my future. I stated my argument but i never confronted. When they were lecturing me, I listened ... tears came to my eyes realising each time, how much they love me. And I thanked god for their love. And I prayed to him asking him to show his preference for me in my life. I told him, "God, if this is not what you want me to do, please let me know ... " ... it took time, but god slowly started lifting me up on his shoulders. And today, he is carrying me through this problem which has become a very peaceful discussion ....

Just let him take control. Ask him for his will to shine over yours. Accept whatever that works out as his will in your life. Lets face it, his plan is better for us ( even though we didnt see it at first ) and his plan works out better than our plan. We just need to let go of things that we hold on to. Let go of our egos and opinions because you never know when god will direct you in a different path. If you remain stubborn in your thoughts and ways, you will loose sight and the beauty of walking in the path that god has chosen for you.

Listen today to what he says. He asks us to live as he commands us, so that things would go well for us ... What a god !!!

Praise be to God and Blessed be this day to you my brothers and sisters !!!!!

The Love of a Father ... Mortal & Divine

Today's scripture does not need any introduction. It is the ever so popular fable of "The Lost Son".

We all know the story of the son who spent all of his inheritance on living in luxury, only to realize the error of his ways. Faced with utter embarrassment and forced even to feed on food for the pigs, he decides to come back to his father asking for forgiveness in order to live in his house as a servant. But the father welcomes him with open arms ... but most of all, he rejoices upon the return of the son who defied him.

This story is so close to me that tears form in my eyes every time i read it. I see so much in my life story in the story of the Lost Son ... I was the lost son ..... I had it all but the faults of my way made me loose it all ... I embarrassed my family but ultimately had nowhere else to go ... My father supported me at my time of need and he never even asked me why ... I was embarrassed and he knew it ... his love and affection made me realise my faults in life ... he is my role model and my inspiration ... If I can be one tenth the father that he is, to my son or daughter ... that will be truly a great achievement.

I dreamt of luxury when my parents were living a moderate life ... my father is such a down to earth guy ... his entire life was a life of sacrifice which provided for me and my brother to achieve our dreams .... both of us had the best possible education and the freedom to do what we wanted in life ... our dreams became his dreams ... and our achievements, his happiest moments in life ... I still remember the first day that I got paid for my new job ... I brought home some small gifts .. he was so happy that day ... and that same happiness, I turned into tears the day that I lost that job due to my own faults ... but his love did not change. I feel and realize his love more now than ever ...

How about you ? ... I'm sure there are many more stories that each of us can say about our parents ... the love that they have given us and how they have given up their own dreams to make our dreams a reality ... but we are such selfish people ... our focus is only on our dreams ... its always about us ... its always "What about me?" ... but the love never fades away ... the love remains forever ....

If our mortal parents love us so much, how much do you think our divine father loves us ? ... Every time we defy him and go against his will, it hurts him ... but he waits patiently for us to return to give us all his love ...... Every time we ignore his existence and put our faith in the world, it hurts him ... but he waits for us to return back to him ... his love is never ending and never changing !!!

All that we need to realise is that if ever we feel less loved in our lives, just take a moment to think ... it is not everyone else or god that has turned away from us, but us who have turned away from those that love us. Just open up and say ... "Father God , I am sorry ... I love you and I need you in my life .... Please hold my hand !"

Praise be to God my brothers and sisters, have a blessed day !!!

Who do you put your faith in ? ... Man or God ?

Lets get straight down to business !

In Jeremiah 17:5-13 The Lord says ...

"I will condemn the person who turns away from me and puts his trust in man, in the strength of mortal man. He is like a bush in the dessert, which grows in the dry wilderness, on salty ground where nothing grows. Nothing good ever happens to him.

But I will bless the person who puts his trust in me. He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending out roots to the water. It is not afraid when hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green. It has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit."

Pretty heavy words .... if we can start this day with an atom of what is said here, our lives will be that much richer.

How often do we believe the word of man above the word of god ? How often do we resort to mortal thinking ? mortal beliefs ? ... Its like the person who offered you your first drink ... He would have made you feel cool about drinking ... he would have made you feel comfortable about it. Do you honestly think its the correct thing to do ? ... Your conscience would have spoken up at that point ... but did you listen ? ... The same thing applies for smoking, adultery so on and so forth ....

How often do we put our faith in god ? ... Let alone faith, how often do we even bother to listen to that voice that comes from within ? ... That faint sound which comes from your heart ... from the Holy Spirit which is deep inside of you ? ... That voice which defies your own reasoning ... Which defies what the society holds true ... Which defies what your colleagues and peers find as accepting. ... Listen up ... its the voice of god who loves you, and he is trying to save you.

When ever we have a problem in life ... do we run to god first ? or do we run to someone else ? ... My personal experience, I had a financial crisis in life. I was in debt ... and i ran to my friends, people i knew, for assistance. They helped me ... But, i grew deeper and deeper in debt ... I was so blind to the fact of it that my faith was all in my ability to find means of surviving ... It didnt even occur to me that god only has the solution until i fell flat on my behind .... I had to change my way of living ... i had to undergo some serious changes in my lifestyle and my attitude about living. God opened my eyes ...

Are you blind as well ? ... Do you seek a solution that makes you happy but which digs your hole deeper and deeper each day ? ... Do you seek god's help so that you can solve whatever thats troubling you ... and find peace in that matter ?

All it takes is a prayer. Let god take control. Put your faith in God ... Let the Holy Spirit guide you ... and most importantly, let Jesus hold your hand !!!

Praise be to god ... and Blessed be your day my brothers and sisters !!!!!

To be a servant of god is to be the master of your life ...

We never want to bow down to anyone do we ? ... Do we ever let go of our opinion, our position or simply our pride in any argument ?

Most issues that arise from relationships is due to the fact that no one wishes to surrender to another. What most people forget is that the relationship is more valuable than proving whether you are right or wrong in an argument.

Let it be your parents, brothers / sisters, girlfriend / boyfriend or even a colleague. Sometimes, you've got to walk away for the sake of the relationship.

Its not accepting defeat ... its called surrendering ... and it starts from within. If we can't surrender our egos, how are we suppposed to surrender our will to that of our God ? Once you start living life the way that god planned for you ( not your plan mind you ) ... You will slowly realise that god's plan is actually the best one for you.

Lets face it ... He knows what he is supposed to be doing. Creating this world that we live in ... creation of a human being , the most complicated creation to date ... the giving of life ... science hasn't even scratched the surface of how miraculous this world is.

So ... god created us ... we all believe that he is the wisest of all ... then why on earth do we think that we can live this life on our own ? ... How do we even try to understand or let alone solve the problems / challenges that are thrown at us every single day ? ... Its a simple truth that we have forgotten ... but the fact of it is that if you turn to god .. if you let the spirit guide you ... if you ask Jesus to hold your hand through this journey of life ... its going to be that much better. Problems will no longer be problems ... but even if they exist, you will still be able to hold your head high.

Today's scripture says ... "If one of you wants to be great, he must be the servant of the rest: and if one of you wants to be first, he must be your slave-Like the son of man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people" ... The whole point of this is to be humble. We always want to be the best, the greatest, to be better than the rest .... but thats not what its all about ... its about being humaine ... about caring for one another ... taking the time to help someone ... If god took the time to send his own son to save us from sin ... A son who was executed in the most brutal way possible so that our sins would be paid in full .... we as a generation who has received such grace are a bunch of ungrateful followers ...

I have been caught up with the temptations of the world ... my life has been spent in search of luxury most of my years ... but one incident which shook my life, saved me ... brought me back to the arms of Jesus ... He turned my world upside down just to say that he needs me ... and to show that i need him in my life ...

Do you want Jesus in your life ? ... He is already there with you ... just accept him with a smile !!!

God Bless You All !!! ... Have a Blessed Day !

Too Busy for Jesus ....

How fast do you think our life is moving ? ... Everything is so fast and instant now. Starting from communication upto food, everything needs to be done in the blink of an eye. But even then, our lives are so much busier than ever ... we work twice as long as our parents used to, but seem to get only half the things done.

Have you ever noticed that ? .... No matter how high tech we are, we still find ourselves with no time for anything ? ( Let alone God ) ... Isn't it supposed to be the other way around ? ... With the development of technology, arn't we supposed to have more time on our hands ? ... Shouldn't we be able to do more ? ... Where has our free time gone ? ... TV, Internet, Mobile Phones !!!! ... These are the mediums which have taken up most of our time. Each of us spend most of our time in front of the TV or the Computer every single day. And we wonder where time has gone.

Our parents never had these things. They had time for their work, studies, household work as well as for god. Our lives are just too busy and just too fast to even notice whats going on. Before we know it, we will be 50, about to retire ... wondering where on earth did my life go.

The saddest part of all this is that in general people have forgotten to be happy. Most of us are miserable most of our day. We dont like our jobs, we dont like our responsibilities in life and most of us are dealing with some sort of issue.

Have you ever felt that the solution for these problems could be within your own selves ? ... Have you ever realised that maybe, just maybe, the problem is not with the world but with myself ? ... What most people don't realize is that the solutions to all our problems are just the turn of a page away. The daily scriptures can answer any doubt in your mind ... If only you open upto it !!!

Try this exercise if you can ... Once you get up every morning, say good morning to the holy spirit ... ( The Holy Spirit is always with you ... believe that ) ... Ask him to be with you throughout the day ... to guide you and to shield you ... most importantly, to tell you what you should do. Then, read the bible quotation for the day ... let it sink in and then start your day.

Throughout your day, god will speak to you in many ways. The spirit will guide you in situations which you can not even imagine. And at the end of the day ... you will feel content. A feeling which you might not have felt in a while.

But, when you do feel it, dont be shy to open your mouth and say .... "Praise Be to God !!!!" ... for it is him who has touched you today !!! Slow down your life and try to experience every moment ... those moments are not coming back ... and if you believe, in god's eyes, you will see the beauty of life as you have never seen before.

Take Care my brothers and sisters ... May God Bless You All !!!!

Why Jesus ?

Actually, the question should be why not Jesus ? .... Has there ever been anyone who sacrifised so much for us ? ... Has there ever been anyone who has cared and looked after us like he does ? ... Have you ever found peace and happiness in this world like you do at his feet ? ... If you answered no to any of these questions, then there is someone that you haven't been introduced to as yet ... His name is Jesus ... and I love him !!!!

My life as a Catholic has been pretty much traditional. Going to church every Sunday, attending Sunday school, saying prayers before i sleep every night ... even when i grew up, my religion was more of a practice until one time in my life when i got myself into some serious trouble!

I will elaborate on that as we progress ... but as for today, let me give an introduction to my blog ... what i intend to do ... this blog is intended to share with you, my experience in god. My walk with the spirit and how Jesus holds my hand every step of my life ... Please feel free to comment ... to share what you feel and to share your experience with god.

In today's scripture, Jesus says ... "Whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great." ... this is not about making ourselves small as in thinking of ourselves as not worthy ... this is also not about being larger than life. This is about the fact that Jesus loves us irrespective of our status, position or power. However, if we do try to portray ourselves as more than who we actually are, we will be cut down to size on the day of his return ... if we consider ourselves below our own standards, we will be raised upto where we should be.

Its all about being true to ourselves. Realising who we are and about accepting it. In god's eyes, it does not make a difference. Then why is it that we try so hard to make our lives show more than what we truly are ? ... Why do we strive so hard to portray an image of ourselves which is not truly who we are ? ... Today's society has made it a point to make each of us become people whom we are not ... it has made each of us ashamed of who we really are.

The best example for this is facebook. A wonderful invention which can be used to build bridges over distance and be in touch with your friends and loved ones ... but its sad to see what has happened to it now. How many of us actually have your own proper picture on your profile ? ... How many of us actually have the correct information about ourselves on our profiles ? ... How many of us try to make ourselves look or sound "cool", and actually end up giving a wrong picture of who we are ?

I tell you ... In the eyes of god, we all are same ... and most of all ... he sees us for who we really are ... and he loves us for who we really are.

Have a blessed day my brothers and sisters ... May the spirit be with you at all times. God Bless !!!