Do you love?

Do you believe in God? For the most of us the answer would be ‘yes’. Do we all love God the same way? You would agree that we don’t. Just like we have priorities in the way we love our friends, our love for God differs according to how much we know Him and trust Him. It even fluctuates for us, from time to time, quite contrary to God’s unchanging love.
Let’s look at how a few people expressed their love for God. Reading the Bible passage in Luke 23:47-56, you will be able to observe how different people reacted to the same incident.
What incident? You will know if you read a few verses before this passage. It talks about the crucifixion of Jesus. Just then, Jesus had just breathed His last, and here’s how each of them reacted. Did all of them do the same thing? Definitely not. Let’s first observe the first guy’s reaction. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” He saw all the amazing things that had happened. Darkness came over the whole land, the sun stopped shining, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Miraculous indeed! Seeing all this, the centurion knew that Jesus was righteous, and he praised God. This is probably similar to how most of us started our journey with Jesus. We saw the righteousness and miracle-working power of God, and we were drawn to Him. And we praise God for Who He is. It’s a great thing to do. But sadly, for some, life stops with just that.
Moving on to the next group of people, we read “When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.” This group had come there to see what was going on. A sad scene! Jesus Who was expected to become ruler over them is now dead and gone – that’s probably what they thought. They did not know that Jesus would come back to life in another couple of days. How did they react? They beat their breasts and then, they went away. This can be likened to some who hear about the death of Jesus on the cross, or see videos that depict the crucifixion of Jesus. They weep and then go back to live their way. For them, Jesus matters only for some time. They know that Jesus loves them. Their response – grieving and then leaving.
What did the others do? But all those who knew him, including the women who followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. This group made sure they saw all that was happening to Jesus. They were watching the whole thing, but kept a safe distance in a way that would not affect them. This, I think, is like the majority of us, who listen – not just hear – everything about Jesus, but keep Him at a distance in our lives. We want to know all we can about Jesus. But when it comes to taking a bold step forward, it becomes difficult. We are comfortable staying with the rest of our group and just knowing that Jesus loves us anyway.
As we read this passage, we have to remember that almost all of Jesus’ inner twelve disciples had deserted Him. One had committed suicide. So, who was with Jesus? Read on to know the answer. Now, there was a man named Joseph, and a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. This man was a member of the Council, but he is referred to by name, unlike the others. The others in this passage are referred to as a group, because they acted as a group. But this one man did something that none in his group did. In fact, he differed in faith and conviction from the other Council members. And the important thing is that he proved His love for God in spite of his buddies, his superiors and those who opposed him. What would the others say about what Joseph did? He cared not. His love for God did not allow him to stand in a corner and weep away. Among all the others, this guy seems to have been physically closest to Jesus.
Yet another group here. It was the Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. Probably, this was just appropriate for what women in a society like theirs could have done. They spent their time in preparing spices and perfumes. Also, they made sure that they obeyed the Sabbath commandment. When I read Luke 24:1, it seems to me like these women were waiting for the Sabbath to end, so that they could rush to the tomb where Jesus was buried. (A little about the Sabbath here. For the Jews, Sabbath was the day of rest, when they would not work.) Will they be able to open the tomb? (The entrance to the tomb was closed with a very large stone, and there were soldiers guarding it.) They had no clue. But they just wanted to express their love for God in whatever way that they could.
Now, just think of what you would have done in a situation like that? If Jesus was crucified today, or if you had lived back then, our response would have been something like one of these people. How much we live for God is a measure of how much we love Him. Are we comfortably acting in groups, or do we prove our love for God, even though it means disagreeing with our pals?

Why am I here?

Young Reena had just finished with her painting. “It looks awesome,” she told herself. She carefully took it with both her hands and rushed to her parents. “Daddy, see what I have painted.” Her parents did admire the daughter’s painting. Soon, this painting started inviting more attention, as Reena showed it to friends and relatives. Each time someone appreciated her painting, Reena would feel excited about it. With every compliment, Reena seemed to like her painting even more. Well, this is the kind of feeling you would have had when you made your first boat, or drew your first picture (you would now call it ‘scribble’).

It must have been the same feeling that God had after He created us. The Bible says in Genesis 1:31 that “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” How joyful God must have been after making man in His own image. But why did this great, big and holy God take time to create you and me? Going back to Reena’s painting, why did she spend so many days, or even months doing that painting? So that it would give her joy and pleasure. Not just her, but also the others who see it. Same with us. God created us so that we would please Him and love Him. We read in the Bible that “all things were created by Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16) Each time God looks at us, we want Him to say “Wow! Look at my child, the very work of My Hands. It is good.” Yeah, that’s why He made us.

Prasanna’s life is about pleasing parents. For another friend, “life would be meaningless if not for her husband”! For most others, life is just about themselves. Any of these purposes would only end in frustration. Rick Warren, the author of The Purpose Driven Life puts it like this: “You discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ.” Sure enough, life is getting nowhere if Christ has no place in it. But, we certainly differ from Reena’s painting. The poor painting has no other choice but to delight people. But, God has given us the freedom to choose. The only way to live a life of purpose is to begin a relationship with Jesus. How? Just tell Jesus that you want Him to lead your life (and mean it).

Life does not stop with saying “Hi” to the Holy One. You need to go on. Like what? You’ve got to live a life that pleases Jesus. This means a complete change in motives. When you clean your room, it’s not because mom wants it cleaned, but so that you will please God. You study, not for grades, but for God.

When you start doing this, check out what Psalm 91:9, 10 promises. “If you make the Most High your dwelling – even the Lord, who is my refuge – then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.” Let’s move on to Psalm 91:14 ““Because he loves me”, says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for He acknowledges my name.”” You feel secured, don’t you? The Lord Himself will protect us. Though there is trouble all around, we rest in our Refuge. When you have learned to live your purpose, you would gladly join King David in declaring, “You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7) What does God protect from? Everything – danger, trouble, sin, devil, sinful influence of the world, to name just a few. Every time you catch yourself thinking there is nowhere to go and no one to trust, remember, the Maker is just a whisper away.

This is my story...

Proud, argumentative, disobedient, talkative, quarrelsome – These were some of my labels when I was in school. Contrast these labels with the award I was given when I graduated from college – ‘Best outgoing student with Exemplary Behaviour’. Sounds totally discrepant? Not because any of those labels were incorrect. Certainly, I have become a completely different person. How did I change? Well, that’s a story.

I was born in a Christian family to an engineer and a dietician, which my parents were. As a child, I remember talking to the Lord, and listening to Him. I related to God as my dear Father. Later, our family moved to a village where God called my parents for full-time ministry. No electricity, no proper roof for the house. Through it all, the One Who called remained faithful. Even in Dharmapuri, the most backward district in Tamil Nadu, God helped me to study in a good school.

After Class 5, I slowly started moving away from the Lord. This loving Father I had known all along suddenly became irrelevant to me. Without a relationship with Jesus, I could only sin. I chose to move away from my Source of strength. And the result? My life was full of fights, quarrels, arguments, and the list could go on. I felt unloved. My marks started going down the drain. I even failed in one subject when I was in Class 6. I have helped classmates write love letters. Whenever I argued against my parents or disobeyed them, I would be punished. Good for nothing. Not to forget, I was regular in Bible reading, prayer and in attending church. But, I didn’t relate to God through all these. I hated myself, because I could not get better, with the best of my efforts. I will be good today, I would decide. And the next moment, I would end up feeling guilty for doing something wrong. Most nights, I would go to bed weeping feeling bad about myself. But, my Maker had not given up on me.

One such night, when I was in Class 7, I was weeping as usual. Looking back, I realised how far I had gone from the God who loved me. Jesus loves me, He died for my sin – I knew it all. But I had not lived it. That night, I started confessing my sins to Jesus. I asked Jesus to wash away my sins, and I began to trust the power of the blood Jesus shed for me on the cross. I asked Him to forgive me and take control of my life. I hated the way I had been living.

Then, life started changing. There was a U-turn in my behaviour. From Class 8, I stood first in class. Two years later, I was baptised by my dad, who is now a pastor. God started using this ‘good for nothing’ person. God filled me with gifts and talents, so that I could do His work.

I started leading worship in church when I was in Class 9. Not because I had great voice. In fact, my voice was bad. I was given a lot of suggestions. My dad suggested that I pray about it and practice regularly, like another worship leader did. I liked the idea, but I lacked the discipline to practice regularly. At one point, God reminded me that I hadn’t surrendered my voice to Him, yet. I used to listen to harmless secular songs, occasionally. As I surrendered my voice to God, I made a commitment that I would sing only to glorify God. I stopped listening to secular songs. Now and then, I would be tempted to listen to secular songs. After all, they do no harm. But, God helps me overcome such temptations. Then, something amazing happened. My voice improved! But, by then God had taught me that worship is not about the quality of my voice, but about my relationship with the Lord. I no longer care how well I sing, or how well I play the guitar. Worship is all about God, not about me.

After Class 12, I had to decide which college and which course I should choose. My friends and teachers thought I was really crazy to choose Visual Communication. Their reason – you have marks ‘good enough’ for engineering. Neither I nor my parents wanted my marks to decide the field I should choose. I decided on Visual Communication because I wanted to be a writer. I joined Bishop Appasamy College, Coimbatore, and I was excited about the course, the college, and all that I was learning. But, it took me more than two years to feel comfortable in my class. I enjoyed everything else in college, except my class. I felt left out, because my classmates thought I was too outdated, and I didn’t know how to have ‘fun’.

When I finished college, I was confident of getting a job as a journalist, because I had freelanced as a reporter with The Hindu for two years. But, God had different plans. I joined Cognizant as an instructional designer in August 2008. I had absolutely no plans of joining an IT company. When I first stepped into Cognizant, I had so many fears. How will I even survive in such a competitive world? How will I cope up with people who are much more intelligent and smarter than me? I finished my training and I was one of the first to be allotted to projects. My turn for the personal feedback session came. Among other things, my trainer said, “Your core values are good, and I believe that is because of your religious belief.” Well, it is because of the One who has chosen me. I got an e-mail the other day, saying I have topped the overall training performance in my batch. Something I expected the least! Looking back, the only thing I can see is God’s grace. I really don’t deserve anything.

I spend a lot of time chatting with my parents, sister and friends. We talk about God and we share all that God has been doing in each of our lives. That has certainly built me up, as we learn from each other what God has been teaching. This is one thing I like about my church – the one my dad pastors – the weekly time of testimony, where we share about all that God spoke to us in the past week. There have been confessions, words of encouragement, instruction and edification. I praise God for all that He has taught me and the people He has brought into my life. To put it in a nutshell, He is still working on me.