Unity..this Christmas and always.

Sita Ram devotees and welcome to another blog post. I would like to take this opportunity to bring a message of hope and love to all this Christmas. There are a few versus from the good book that I have chosen to read for you.

The first is taken from Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

My friends, we all came to worship because we know that there is a God! A God that loves us and a God that is very compassionate to us all. For every decision that we make in our lives, God knows the outcome. It is for us to develop a relationship with God so that we can be guided in this perilous world. God wants us to prosper and be hopeful of a future. We must learn to be responsible in this world and must learn to be considerate to each other. The times we live in however, is not hopeful of a bright future as our eyes could see. There are a lot of corruption, war and bitterness in the world.

My friends the book of Mark 13:8 says as follows

 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

As we all can see, these things have come into play but we take for granted that it is human beings that is responsible for the war, darkness and hatred upon the land. We must see that it is our own doing that is destroying ourselves and loved ones in the process. We come to service in religious institutions, hear the messages of God but do we really take it in and for how long? These times, we tend to remember when someone do us wrong longer than when they did us good. We must try as children of God to reverse such thinking. What is the use of listening to the word of God and not putting it into practice for a lifetime, if we are hoping to be close to God? God wants us to be more like him in our minds, in our way of thinking. I agree, its not that easy but he is here to guide us.

Philippians 2:2 says

then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Let us take a look at Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character".

We all must learn to be like God. We must be in his way of thinking, to discipline ourselves. This, I believe is our true purpose here. In order to that, it is very important who we choose for company. Remember the old saying “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch?” we must try to stay positive and by keeping good company is one way in doing so. Training your mind to recognize people for who they are will help you to know just who your friends are. Always observe people and their personality.

Isaiah 18:5 says

For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms

         And the flower becomes a ripening grape,

         Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives

         And remove and cut away the spreading branches.

Similarly my friends, so to must we snip off the negative qualities in our lives. Trim off the spreading negative branches. Get rid of bad company. Learn to sift the good from the bad. Keep the positive close, the word of God we must practice so it will bear fruit and we will make his joy complete.

I quote from the book of the book of Romans 12: 9

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Let us now take a look at the book of Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This passage my friends has a great meaning. It defines how we should be and live. What God did for us through Christ. Christ himself called us his friends, his brothers! Have we considered how great God thinks of us? If we consider these words, then we can learn to be compassionate to each other just as God has been to us. Remember, our body is a temple of God so it means that he is always with us. Let us have faith in him.

The book of Hebrews 11:1 says this about faith

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

My friends the book of Deuteronomy 20:4 says

For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.

The lord God is a just God. Do what is right and good shall follow so to do what is wrong and bad shall follow. No one wish to live in pain and suffering, that is why we are here. Let us now do what is good and let us be victorious in God’s name. Let us do right and be protected from our enemies. Let us all try to live in peace.

Ephesians 4:31-32 says

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

And Ephesians 4: 1-3 says this

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 

 My friends, it is indeed an honor to know God and to serve him in every way. Let us not take our time with him for granted and be conscious of his presence.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember the teachings of Christ. Listen to what the book of John says in 14:21-24

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

With this message, we learn that, to obey God commands is to love him. Let us respect and carry out his commands so that we in turn will be better spirits and will be covered by his grace. As we come to the end of today’s message, I would like to leave you with the book of John 15:9-17 which says

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Sita Ram and do have a happy, safe and holy Christmas season and may God be with you in the coming new year......