Everyone asks this question once, what is the aim of your life? For some its money, professional success, societal fame, international fame, etc. These are necessary for man I admit. But to reach them, man keeps running in circles without looking where he/she is going. Man turns back to look where he has come only when they have traveled ahead too far. By then you are stuck in the middle, unable to move forward or backward. Those who win the race are happy in their victory, but those who lose become slaves to addiction like alcohol and drugs to drown their misery. Then it becomes impossible to escape from the clutches of these addictions. Where does man go for mental peace, satisfaction and contentment? There is only one way; the way of God.
Some people do not have any aim/goal in life. They like to splurge and live a luxurious life. I read a befitting story about such people a long time back. In America there is a lake Erie that meets into Niagara waterfalls. One day a vulture found a body floating in the lake. It sat on the dead body and forgetting itself, dug its claws into the body to eat the flesh. Just when the body reached the tip of the falls did the vulture realize that it was about to fall. It made desperate attempts to fly. But by then the claws had dug deep into the dead body and were not coming loose. The vulture died falling into the waterfall along with the dead body it was feasting on. Those who become too engrossed and involved in the material world and the worldly desires, often fall into the waterfall of bad habits and addiction and die. Try to escape before the fall.
All who are born have to die one day. But does everything end with death? No, the Bible says. Matthew 16:27, 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done, says that the Son of God will come down with His angels, and judge each one according to his/her deeds. God has given full freedom to chose what we like. But what we should chose should be done diligently; this world or the heavenly abode above? Jesus is true to His words and He will come again. That day if you want your name to be among the selected let us see what needs to be done.
John 3:3, 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”, we read unless we are transformed we cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven. Similarly, John 3: 15-21, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. It says that all those who believe in Jesus should do good deeds or else they will be tried before the Heavenly Father. Romans 10: 9 , 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It says that you need to proclaim Him as Lord and you will be saved. But remember that it is not mere words but needs actions as well. Let us see how
- Live a pure life: The book of Ecclesiastes says that there is a time for everything. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
But there is no lesson on living pure life which means that one needs to have pure thoughts and live a pure life always. In Galatians 5:16-17, 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Hence we see that we either follow the flesh or the spirit.
Then we read in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. So dear brothers and sister be mindful of your thoughts and actions because what you say or do is to the sacred temple of the Lord.
1 John 3: 3-10, 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
2. Love each other: 1 John 4:7-12,7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. The Lord teaches us to love each other and to see His image in each other. This was His commandment:John 13:34, 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Jesus does not ask us to name our neighbors, But he asks us how is our relationship with them. He does not ask us how big is our house, rather He asks how many people can seek refuge in our house. Jesus narrates to tale of the good Samaritan and teaches us who is a true friend in Luke 10: 30-37.
In conclusion read, Matthews 5: 7,7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Be merciful to each other, to find mercy with Lord.
3. Follow His commandments: Solomon is known as the wisest among the wise. In Ecclesiastes 12:1, 12 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
We read that if we lead a sinful life in our youth we cannot expect to reach Heaven. Yet again He says in Romans, 13: 8-10, 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Can you follow this??
A Christian is a pilgrim on earth and his pilgrimage is seeking Heaven. Moses led the Israelites, Jesus leads us. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the light of the world. In 1 Timothy 4: 7, 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
In conclusion to it all, follow,
Ecclesiastes 12:13, 13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
Jehovah Roi 