Centre your mind on them

These days if you take social media/newspapers, we ought to see a lot of bad news. People like sharing all the bad things happening around the world. If we think we are not going to look at these things, people share it right in to your inbox in whatsapp. What does sharing such sad news give people, nothing but fear of living in this world. I came across this passage today where Paul is addressing Philippians. Finally, [b]believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure andwholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. Imagine our social media posts/ news papers are filled with all the things mentioned above, how happy all of us would be. Lets take a moment and think about the verse.....

Shalom

Against such things there is no law

1. sexual immorality, 

2. impurity,

3. sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), 

4. idolatry, 

5. sorcery, 

6. hostility, 

7. strife, 

8. jealousy, 

9. fits of anger, 

10. disputes, 

11. dissensions, 

12. factions [that promote heresies], 

13. envy, 

14. drunkenness, 

15. riotous behavior, and 

16. other things like these

These are called "the works of the flesh". The law is given so that the man doesn't practice any on this sinful nature. Does that mean since we have law we wont be exercising any of this? To begin with can any man follow the complete law and not fall in to doing any of the above? I have tried and failed many times and I am sure many others have too. 

1. love [unselfish concern for others], 
2. joy, 
3. [inner] peace, 
4. patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], 
5. kindness, 
6. goodness, 
7. faithfulness, 
8. gentleness, 
9. self-control

These are called "The fruits of the Spirit". These are not something you have to work for, these are fruits which will bear in you if you are in the Spirit. All you need to do is walk in the Spirit and you will have all the fruits of the Spirit. We don't have to try and try and try, we just walk in the Spirit and it will set us free and Paul goes on to say "against such things there is no law"

Galatians 5:19-23

By Faith

Faith... This has been a topic which I have been wrestling for the past few days. I wanted to know that faith is, how it works and what is the importance of faith. With all this questions in mind I read the faith chapter (Hebrews 11), which gave me a brief idea of faith but I was surprised to see some one's name in the list of Faith warriors. Paul list a number of people in the list including Abel, Abraham, Moses, Enoch in this chapter. Well I have read about their faith in the old testament so that seemed normal to me but I was surprised when I read verse 11, Paul says "By faith even Sarah herself received the ability to conceive [a child], even [when she was long] past the normal age for it, because she considered Him who had given her the promise to be reliable and true [to His word]." Now here is someone who laughed at God when He gave Abraham the promise. Yet she became one in the list because she trusted God later on and put her complete faith in Him. 

So its not about how you start, its about how you finish. There might be times when we are lacking the faith in God, there might be times when we think why our breakthrough is not coming. At the beginning of Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable and ends it with a question "However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the Earth?". Its clear that Jesus expects us to have a persistent faith and I am going to have exactly that. Just keep on believing, build your faith like Sarah did and you will be commented like how Sarah is commented in verse 11. 

Back where I Belong

It has been ages since I have written something here. Interestingly I cannot even find my previous posts. Nevertheless I am so happy to be writing again. Lot of questions/thoughts are running through my mind and I wish to scribble it here. May be someone can add on to that thoughts or someone might find it useful. There is a reason for that long break, that break is in the past now. I don't like to remember it because of many bad things which happened, but I will remember it because it has shown me how good it is now. Thats all for now, will be back soon.

The credit for the title of this post goes to the song :)
https://youtu.be/4mNd9uIqjp0