What do you need?

Part 5

A five part series dissecting the last moments of Jesus and its relevance on our lives

Given a choice between the two, would you like your needs satisfied or your wants fulfilled?

What is  your greatest need?
A new car? New home? More money? Promotion? High paying Job / Profits from business? Lots of clothes?

If you find yourself nodding to any of these, don't be surprised. So did a billion others too. Strangely, not many people would actually prioritize God in their lists of needs.

In my concluding part of the five part Series on what Jesus Christ really wanted to tell us without telling us, I am going to explore how we can have a New Beginning in Him.

In the cloak of darkness, we are said, Nicodemus visited Jesus. Now, we all know how Jewish leaders hated Jesus. He was a rival that threatened their very existence. Convinced in some way that Jesus does hold the key to eternity and salvation, he appears to have come to meet him out of personal admiration of the divine authority that Jesus possessed. Curious as he was, he wanted Jesus to teach him the way to salvation. Cryptic in His answer, yet poignant, Jesus told him that he must be reborn to be able to see the Kingdom.

At a time when Pharisees are hard pressed to be critical of His teachings and His followers, Nicodemus was confused by His answer. To many Jews at that time and many people in today's society, being born in the 'right' family, is all that mattered. Too many Christians think that being born as a Christian and attending Masses are enough to reach salvation.
Just as Nicodemus figured that by the virtue of his physical birth and his religious status as the leader of Pharisees that he is destined for the kingdom of Heaven, too many Christians think by elaborate prayers and measured tithes, they've booked their 60x40 in the Kingdom of Heaven.

O you, of little faiths! How far from the truth are you?

Reading on, we can also picture the shock and disbelief in the face of Nicodemus as he is asked to do the impossible task of being reborn. Jesus explains how a person must be born of the water and the spirit to be considered eligible to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Perhaps Nicodemus came to Jesus with an agenda to trap Him or to prove Him wrong. Yet maybe, he might have come with a need to be validated.
But Jesus's answer stumps him. Nicodemus struggles with the answers but goes back a changed person. From a haughty and proud Pharisee, he becomes a humble believer.

To all who come to Jesus, there is good news.
The Bible is replete with stories of people who has a need. We all have unending lists of needs. But are we really satisfying our Spiritual needs too?
There's healing available for everyone.

There's healing for everyone..
Faith is all that is required. Learning to exercise faith in Jesus and the willingness to humble yourself is the only thing that can save you.

The problem with religion is that people are constantly trying to complicate things. Followers are led to believe that they must go through a series of rituals to be saved. Jesus tried to simplify Godly living by showing us that He can do it even as a human being. Its doable!

'Here I am, Lord, Use me as you will'
Salvation is yours, the moment you confess this with your heart.

God is Now Here

Part 4

A five part series dissecting the last moments of Jesus and its relevance on our lives

Growing up, I've read countless stories of how God is omnipotent and omnipresent.
He truly is. But why is there still a lot of doubt and disbelief in this world?

What is it about us that we constantly doubt His presence and His plans for us?
I go through indescribable pain every time a family member is about to depart after a long visit.
I go through a phase that borders on Melancholia. But all the sorrow is soon overcome when they come back. I am glad that we are reunited.

2000 years ago, the mother and disciples of our dear Lord had to go through the same indescribable pain when Christ was crucified.
Of course our Lord hates to see us upset. He would give Himself as ransom if that is the only thing that could make you smile, in a heartbeat.
But are we really grateful for all that He has done and will do in our lives?

When He was crucified, the Jews thought they had eliminated Him.
Little faith and perhaps even lesser knowledge of The Word.
Surely as He promised, He rose again from the dead. And is everywhere now.
In your life and mine. Working on mundane issues like your promotion, a new dress or a hike in your salary. Name it, pray for it, He is listening to you.

I've heard people complain about how God has abandoned them.
They mourn about how God (aka fate) is cruel towards them.
They lament about God is not doing anything good in their lives.

While some of those who complain do so just to gather sympathy, most are truly ungrateful and ignorant about the way He works in our lives.
He has a place and a plan for you. One that is unique and made only for you. He may not want to show you what the future is, but just because you don't see it, it doesn't mean it isn't there. He waits for you to let His plan unravel.

Seeing is Believing. In times when we loose all sight of hope, we throw our arms up in despair and cry.
How could you forget how God saved your life?
Maybe, nothing will happen the way you want. But His plans and His thoughts for you are way above any that you could possibly have. I've seen people who've rebelled against God, but have since struggled to get everything they didnt need. And I've seen people who've found it easier to rely on God only because it was the most easiest choice. But I'm yet see a person who trusts in Him because it is the only way to live.

'Life is difficult and can be unforgiving'. Not once did the Bible try and sell Christianity as a bed of Roses, but it is indeed comforting to know that He will pull you up even when least expected.
Scripture shows that He is omnipatient and loves taking in new recruits.

He is coming back, soon. But until then, trust Him to have a plan that will knock the socks off your feet.

Not so tough now, are you?

Part 3

A five part series dissecting the last moments of Jesus and its relevance on our lives

A phrase that has been immortalized in Hollywood movies, how many times have we thought  we were strong enough to not stray away from the path of God, but have failed. Miserably.

Very similar to how Peter denied Christ.

The most famous denial in Christianity is something that has fascinated me every time I've read about the last few hours of Christ and his Passion.

As a child, I've wondered how someone could say something and not stick by it. I've wondered how Peter could deny our Lord so easily and to complete strangers at the speed at which he did.

But of course, Sunday School teachers won't ever tell us why he did deny Jesus or what Peter really went through post his denial. Most people that I've spoken to could not really explain why.

But the answer is there in our midst.

When Peter proclaimed his undying love for Christ and his wish to follow Christ unto death, Christ's response to him is quite different from how we would respond to, if someone said the same to us.

Very long ago, a girlfriend told me that she would never leave me and declared her undying devotion and unabated love until death does us apart. Great! I thought. But her 'unabated and devotion' to me lasted only for 2 years when she found another person to shower her 'undying love' to.

If only I knew then what I know now, I would have told her to measure her words and to use it only if she meant it truly. 

But of course we all mean what we say when we say it. Specially when we are in love. And I am not even talking about romantic love. It would be our love for our parents, our teachers, colleagues, friends or even movie actors. But just as the seasons change, our love fades and our words are just as easily dead.

Christ's words might have cut Peter like not before, but I dont think he would have thought much of His rebuttal. Peter continued about his motions of following Jesus, unaware that he was witnessing Creation's most incredible event. Like a deer caught between the headlights, Peter was 'caught' by various people, who where not even important or threatening, but caught at a point where he was witnessing a huge travesty of justice, he simply caved in. 

Jesus, looks at him. Not with disgust, hatred or anger. But with a look that has compassion.

Like a bad case of deja vu, his deep despair and anguish of having let his Lord down, is something that we have all experienced, most surely more than once.

As a stronger believer in Christ, I can now identify myself with Peter. I have disowned him many times, only to realise how foolish I am. I have resisted walking in His path even when I promised not to stray.

Having promised our utter obedience to our Lord Christ, how many times have we faltered and 'given in' to a temptation?

How many times have you thought you were strong enough to beat a habit, but caved in at the first instance?

How many times have you felt invincible but fallen to the gutters of sin?

Peter, however, went on to become one of Christianity's greatest disciple, preaching, practicing and living a life like his Master even to his death.

What is important is not how much you've denied Him in the past, but how much you are ready to let go of yourself for Him right now. 

I've realised that being 'born again' mustn't just be a tag that sets you apart but an experience where you realise that you will fall. How you pick yourself up, dust off and walk with a clearer picture is what will save you.

Part 2 here

Part 1 here

Changed!

Part 2

A five part series dissecting the last moments of Jesus and its relevance on our lives

We've all been in the presence of great men and women. I've personally spoken with men who are extremely charismatic. So charismatic that they can sell any idea to you just by their power of persuasion. But how many of them have been able to change your life for the best? And how many of them can you term life changing?

There were tons of publicity material, banners and posters announcing the visit of a certain member of the royalty to our city. There was lots of fanfare and excitement that the royal chose to visit our city. But they come, they spoke, they charmed the crowds and then as quick as they came, they left. Nothing changed. Life just went on.

But Christ in His final moments of passion, continued to win the souls of sinners. I've often wondered if Malcus who experienced the miracle of healing at the Gethsemane would've become a stronger testimony to Jesus than most of us have been. Would he have gone with the realization that He was the Messiah? Simon of Cyrene, visiting Jerusalem, after his short journey with Christ went back a changed person. He later becomes a disciple when he returns to Cyrene, Libya.

Many mortals profess to be the 'Change' that we yearn for. We've seeked for the change and satisfaction that this world promises. Fleeting promise of peace. But we still have a gaping hole inside us that gnaws at our conscience. Something is just not right.

We need God. He needs us too.
As friends, partners and children, all that He asks is our devotion and undying love. Surely, we can give Him that.

I realize that I've mentioned this before and probably will testify this for ever.
I remember the intense feeling of peace and tranquility that I felt when I first invited God into my soul.
It was a fateful day. An awful week. Nothing gave me more peace than knowing that no matter how wicked, how evil, how polluted and how sin-laden I was, God forgave me. You may not like to admit all the sinful thoughts or deeds that you've done, but He knows you more than you would be willing to reveal. He knows exactly who you had sex with, exactly which girl you were lusting after, exactly how many times you've masturbated and about all the times you've watched porn. He knows you've cheated at exam, with your girl friend and lied to your parents. And the good news is you have a chance of being transformed. You can be changed. All you need to do is believe and trust in Jesus.

Unlike when a celebrity, a royalty or a godman who visits your town and leaves you unchanged, a moment with Christ is all it takes to transform. To change.

Given a chance where the Queen of England would want to visit your home, wouldn't you spruce up your home and yourself to make it fit for royalty?
Come, here is your chance. Jesus is waiting. The King of kings wants to visit your soul today, this moment. Are you ready?

Part 1 here

for my sins.. He got the Kiss

Part 1 

A five part series dissecting the last moments of Jesus and its relevance on our lives

Today, as the planet mourns the passion and death of Jesus, do we really understand what He went through?
Watching the Mel Gibson movie 'Passion of the Christ', I am moved and painfully reminded about the kind of trauma and death that He went through.

Christians around the world declare their undying love and confess that Jesus died for them. Their sins.
But do we really know what those sins were?
Are we really confessing our undying allegiance to Him or are we just as cocky as Peter was, until he denies Jesus three times before the cock crows?
Are we pagans who pay lip service?

Dissecting His passion, Jesus knew that he was sent for the sole purpose of dying for the sins of all humanity. His destiny to be the sacrificial lamp was defined right at the dawn of the humanity, when man fell into sin.
Born of the virgin Mary, He became Flesh of our flesh, Heart of our hearts.
A King born to the lowest strata of the Jewish society, His childhood and life on earth shows him how he was the model son to his earthly parents. Parents who nurtured Him. Never arrogant that He was God, He loved His mom and adored his earthly father just as much as He did His heavenly Father. How many of us can boast of being as humble as He was, fully God and fully human.

The movie revolves around the final hours of Christ Jesus.
It shows us the trauma that He went through, completely aware that He has to be persecuted, tried and crucified, He is pained. He wishes that this does not happen to Him, but obedient even to death, He wants His Father's will to happen. Betrayed by a kiss, to die a death that He wanted to save all of us from.
How many of us would let down his/her own life so that someone else would be saved? How many would do this willingly? Not many, I presume.

There are a dozen plots in this beautifully made movie, devoid of any of the corny dialogues and drama that most contemporary blockbusters are known by, this movie gets beneath the skin of its viewer every time they watch it. Some are moved to watch it again and again, and some are too wimped up to see the gory details of how He suffered for our sins.

Starting with his final moments of earthly freedom at the garden of Gethsemane, He sheds tears of blood traumatized by the enormity of his task ahead. Satan, the quintessential smooth talker tries to talk Him out of His purpose, but Jesus rises to quell all temptation and any thought of backing down. Looking through the six odd minutes at the garden, we see how staunch His resolve is. It looks just too easy to our eyes that have seen a million corny movies where the protagonist is shown to have the resolve to defeat all of earth.
But are we really strong enough to squish smooth talking satan in our lives?

Every Sunday, Christians confess, profess and sing their allegiance to Christ. They partake in the Holy Communion and after the service, they gather to gossip about what they did the past 6 days. Not that I discourage socializing but is gossiping, fellowship? On the way back, they curse at the next motorist who cuts them off. Throughout the service their minds wander, making a mental note of what they will need to do after mass and/or looking at that fashionably dressed 'uncle/aunty'. All in a vain attempt to please God by being physically present, we think that our mere presence will please Him.

Pastors encourage this by not correcting the wayward congregation, for fear that they may withdraw their membership and thereby a steady source of income. Theft is common in some churches. So much so that a church that I go to, reminds their members to carry their bags, valuables and other mentionables with them to the altar, lest they be stolen when you return 4 minutes later.

We falter when our egos are bruised. I've lost way too many friends who've stopped talking to me since their egos have been bruised.
We fall for the false pretension that our wealth will see us through the dry spells of our life.
Coveting for your neighbor's car, spouse, children, wealth, peace and every possible thing that you can think of. We are suckers to our neighbor's lives.
We are even jealous of those who work hard to earn every penny. We want all the good things in their life without any of the bad things.
We want our bosses to recognize us for every bit of good work we do, but not punish us if we goof up.
We are indignant at the co worker who works hard to get ahead and stay ahead. But we won't go the extra mile to work smartly ourselves.
We expect our co workers to stand in awe of us every time we are at work, but make a goof up and you don't want to be made an example.
We want our children to be the best in everything they do. Because you were not. We even want our children to be like the neighbor's children.
We want our parents to be an ATM, spewing out money with no expectation of accountability.

I could go on.. but the point here is, are we really ready to be obedient to His will and patient to His purpose?
Are you?