The day God tore the veil

I have always been a little next to reluctant on whether I want to celebrate Christmas or not. This year, however, I have decided I want to celebrate Christmas not as many people would but quietly in my heart. I would remember the significance of the day on which Christ was born into our world (whether that day falls on 25th December or not). Upon remembering this day, I think of God's awesome ways in dealing with his creation of humanity. With this post let me tell you about the things of Christmas that strike me the most.

God's ways are not compatible with the way of the world. Whereas the world roots for the strong, God favors the weak. This is best summed up by Mary's magnificat:

He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53 NIV)

The world's idea of royalty is elevation above the common, God's idea is very different - in fact it is the complete opposite of man's. Even though Mary and Joseph belonged to the lineages of Abraham and king David they were poor and handicapped by their social status as commoners. Sure they did have kings and queens as their ancestors, but they also had Rahab (a prostitute), Bathsheba (an adulteress who sinned with David) and Ruth (a Moabite whose race was born from incest by Lot and his daughter). Still they were chosen to be parents of the Son of God.

Mary was a virgin and the virgin birth of Christ symbolized the concept of 'Last Adam'. Just as the 'birth' of Adam was not of natural means so was the birth of Jesus. Even more striking is this - the first Adam was God creating life, the last Adam was God entering life. The prophet Isaiah said,

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14 NIV)

Immanuel means 'God with us'. The idea of God penetrating the veil of space and time and actually dwelling among us is mind boggling. Mary, Joseph, the wise men and all who were present at the time of Christ's birth knew this and this was their reason for bowing down to the child.

Before Christ, a vast gulf existed between humanity and God. Man's efforts to bridge that gap comprised of religion, and like most of man's efforts it failed. God, however, chose to bridge that gap himself and this was done through the person of Jesus Christ - the Son of God.

In the temple of Solomon, there was a veil that existed between man and the inner sanctuary - The Holy of Holies. The veil is a symbol of a wall that existed between creation and the Creator. It was torn apart on the day of the crucifixion of Christ, thus completing the bridge between God and man. In order to connect with humanity God became a human being. He emptied himself of all the glories of the divine and became humble - a nobody.

...he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:7 NIV)

And through the likeness of a servant he became our brother. As the Hebrew writer says,

So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2:11 NLT)

What must have Mary felt as she held the infant Christ in the palm of her hands? Here was the creator of all things - fragile in the hands of creation. I made you and yet I am here in your hands. Today, can we be bold enough to do good things to our friends and neighbors and yet lay humble before them?

True humility cannot come unless we like Christ have emptied ourselves. True humility, which is to think of everyone better than ourselves, cannot come until we allow Christ to take the reins as he himself says,

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29 NIV)

For more about my thoughts on Jesus Christ read my book 'The Man from Galilee'.

Christ or religion?

"No...No... I don't need religion. Religion has often been the source of the world's troubles. That's the last thing I'd need!"

I often hear these words when someone shares the gospel with an atheist or agnostic. Do we Christians preach a 'religion' when we share the gospel? I for one would certainly not preach a religion to any person. I came out of a religious system, and It would not be right to burden someone with what I myself was not able to bear. However the most important question for a Christian in this issue remains: "Did Christ preach a religion?"

Religion often consist of rituals and traditions. When we look back on Christ's earthly life do we see him teaching his disciples to adhere to any sort of ritual? We know for sure that Christ was heavily opposed to the traditions and superstitions of his day. On many instances, Christ was furious at those teaching traditions as God's commandments. One such incident was when Jesus and his disciples ate with unwashed hands in the presence of the Pharisees.

"Why do you break our tradition of washing the hands before eating?" The self-righteous Pharisees questioned Jesus. Jesus' reply wasn't exactly polite (see Matt. 15:3-9). Later he explained to Peter,

“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” (Matthew 15:17-20 NIV)

What we can know for sure is that Christ wasn't interested in bringing a new religion for the masses. He wasn't interested in styling himself as some sort of rule-maker or anything like that. He was interested in the transformation of human lives. He was interested in the changing of human hearts, and bringing about a new creation not born of corrupt human ideals but of God.

Jesus also said,

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3 NIV)

What does a child know about religion? When I was a child all I knew was that my dad was my hero and I wanted to be like him. It was when I started growing up that I found out about religion. And with religion came walls of enmity between me, a Hindu, and my friends, Muslims and other non-Hindus. It took a loving and compassionate Christ to tear down these walls built by religion.

So what did Christ preach if he didn't preach religion? Quite simple, he preached the love and compassion of God - the good news. He urged all to enter into an undying relationship of love with God. "Remain in me," said Christ, "and I will remain in you." He demonstrated his own love for us on the cross, by dying for us.

Unconditional love

I once had a pet dog - a companion I would rather say. Her name was 'Dolly' and she lived with us for about ten years (the picture on the left is the only one I have of her). She died in September this year, it was a heartbreaking experience for me. When I reflect back on the time spent with Dolly, I realize the wonderful things I learned from God through her.

So why am I writing a blog post about a dog on a website that is supposed to be about Christian messages? And, you may wonder, why should I be so heartbroken about the loss of a mere animal? The answer to the latter is: only pet owners will know the grief of losing an animal. The answer to the former: my dog was a creation of God, and like many things, sent to me to teach me about God's virtues.

God's virtues in a dog! Yes. When I came home from work, the person most excited to see me was my dog. Seeing Dolly wagging her tail was the most familiar sight to me each and every day of my life. Why was she so excited, so happy to see me everyday? You see... Dolly didn't care with whom I argued with, whom I insulted, whom I cursed or what tensions went through my mind, she only cared that I was back home with her. Does this attitude seem familiar to you?

I often got mad at my dog, I regret that deeply. I got mad and hit my dog sometimes. She would yelp and cower in a corner when I got mad. And when I cooled down, I realized what a rotten human being I was. I looked at Dolly in forgiveness and immediately she came to me wagging her tail. Dolly didn't care if I hit her, or if I was a rotten human being, she only cared that I was friends with her again.

That, my dearest friend, is called unconditional love. I'm sure you've experienced it through someone at least once in your life.

When Christ was being crucified on the cross, the whole of humanity was responsible. It is our sins - our inability to blend with God's ways - that drove Jesus to the cross. But Christ saw past all that and.... He loved us. He loved us so much that He died for us.

Paul says,
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)

When Christ was being tormented on the cross, he begged God,
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34 NIV)

The virtues of Christ Jesus are seen in many of God's creations (for more about this read my book 'The Man from Galilee', chapter entitled 'Elements'). And one of the virtues of Jesus is unconditional love which I learned from Dolly.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV)

As I move on in life, I realize that I have many things to learn. I thank God that He has given me the opportunity to learn about one of his most vivid attributes.

Malala's stunning words

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani student who champions the cause of education for girls in tribal Pakistan. She is just sixteen years old; at 14 she was shot in the head by the Taliban. Still carrying the scars of that incident, Malala continues her fight against Taliban oppression of women.

Recently, she spoke in an interview with Jon Stewart. She was faced with the question, 'What would you do if you came face to face with your enemies again?' Her reply stunned the interviewer.

Her reply was (emphasis mine):

I started thinking about that, and I used to think that the Talib would come, and he would just kill me. But then I said 'if he comes, what would you do Malala?' then I would reply to myself, 'Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.' But then I said 'if you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education.' Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that 'I even want education for your children as well,' and I will tell him, 'that's what I want to tell you, now do what you want.'

Although she is not a Christian, Malala spoke volumes of the truth of Christ's message of compassion and not giving 'an eye for an eye'.

Jesus says,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." (Matthew 5:38-39 NIV)

The apostle Paul says,

On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." (Romans 12:20 NIV)

In a world filled with cruelty and oppression, a sixteen year old Muslim girl terrifies a warring faction with words of peace and compassion reminiscent of Christ Jesus. How ironic!

My 5 favorite songs: Number 1

Finally, here's number 1:

1. 'More Love, More Power' by Eden's Bridge

The Celtic genre of music is one of my favorites, and Eden's Bridge is one Celtic band I highly admire. With a combination of the most ethereal voice in Sarah Lacy, and bagpipes and flutes, this timeless song is made even more powerful. The soul's thirst for Jesus Christ is unquenchable, and this song rightfully reflects that.

My 5 favorite songs: Number 2

2. '40' by U2

In 1982, four Dubliners were told by their pastor that they couldn't be rockstars and Christians at the same time. In their 1983 album 'War', the Irish rock group U2 sang about religious violence in Ireland, nuclear disarmament and the Polish solidarity movement. With the last song of the album '40' they rightly bring their plead for peace to the Lord. U2 adapted this song from Psalm 40, hence the name '40'. The chorus of the song is a yearning for the Lord to hasten his return and bring peace to His creation:

How long to sing this song
How long to sing this song
How long, how long, how long
How long to sing this song

My 5 favorite songs: Number 3

3. 'Jesus Was A Carpenter' by Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash is an iconic name in the country music genre, but before he became iconic he was first and foremost a gospel singer. Cash's mother instilled in him the gift of music and faith from a very early age. As Cash battled his own personal demons of addiction once he became famous, he never forgot his roots.
'Jesus was a Carpenter' is my favorite song from Johnny Cash. This song asks us the question, 'How would we treat Jesus today if we saw or met Him?' Knowing that He is so different from what men often make Him out to be, would we even allow Him into our homes?

My 5 favorite songs: Number 4

Yesterday, I began a series of posts that shared my personal favorite songs. Today I share with you my number four favorite song.

4. 'Kadosh' by Karen Davis



Messianic tunes have always been a favorite listen of mine, and this song 'Kadosh' (holy in Hebrew) sung straight out of the book of Revelation by Karen Davis is very special.

Stay tuned for number 3...

My 5 favorite songs: Number 5

Music is a form of art, but as an art it is often neglected in Church. Many Christians believe music should only be used to evangelize, that is not true according to Scripture. King David used songs as prayers of anguish, plead and joy. Paul tells us to speak to one another in songs (Ephesians 5:19). Jesus sang with his disciples (Matthew 26:30). To God, music is more than just a tool for evangelizing, music is a mode of communication. We pray in songs, we contemplate in songs and we speak in songs.

Starting with this post, I'll share my five personal favorite songs that touched my life spiritually. These are songs that are reflective, haunting and spiritually engaging.

Let me know whether you think I have good taste ;)

5. 'Revelator' by Josh Garrels


Josh Garrels is one of the many alternatives for those who are fed up with cliché-ridden contemporary worship songs. This song is from the 2011 album 'Love & War & The Sea In Between'. Here, Garrels beautifully renders the visions of apostle John into a haunting melody.

You can visit Josh’s website on joshgarrels.com

The question of evil

This great evil. Where does it come from? How'd it steal into the world? What seed, what root did it grow from? Who's doin' this? Who's killin' us? Robbing us of life and light. Mockin' us with the sight of what we might've known. Does our ruin benefit the earth? Does it help the grass to grow, the sun to shine?
- Private Witt in 'The Thin Red Line'

'Why does God allow evil to exist?' This is a question asked by believers and non-believers alike. Scriptures make it clear that Satan, 'the accuser' in Hebrew, exists and that this fallen angel stands opposed to God. Satan has made it his duty to thwart God's plans and attack humanity - God's most precious creation. Satan's work of evil can be seen around us - in popular culture and everyday news. His work can be seen in atrocities by mankind - i.e. the holocaust, racism, terrorist killings, etc. People with less awareness celebrate his mockery and those with selfish ambitions use his ways to inflict harm on others.

To the believer, Satan is a constant cause for discouragement, depression and bitterness. The simplest things such as happiness and solidarity are broken by anger and gossip. Satan makes his most desperate attempts on the believer, continually attacking him/her. As a result, the believer starts questioning God's ways and finally denies the Creator.

Why does God allow Satan to attack us?

God never intended Satan to attack us. It is humanity who allowed Satan to come into our lives. When Adam and Eve broke God's commandment they paved the way for Satan to tempt us into doing evil.

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In a real sense, it is humanity's fault for opening the door to satanic attack. Therefore, we cannot blame God that we are vulnerable to satanic attack. In fact, when Satan attacked Job through the loss of his family, wealth, and health, he didn't blame God. Notice Job 1:21-22, "And he (Job) said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." (Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/God-allow-Satan-attack.html)

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If this is so, then we are doomed?

Not at all! God saw that mankind could not make it on its own. God's ways are superior to our's. He uses the ways of Satan against Satan. Job was a righteous man and God was glad in him. God boasted of Job to Satan. Satan said, 'take away all that he has and he will curse you'. Notice Satan's subtlety here in challenging God, he thinks he cannot lose. God accepts Satan's challenge and takes away all of Job's possessions, striking him with intense loss and sorrow. But Job doesn't curse God and as a reward God bestows him with far more possessions and happiness than he had before.

God later penetrates into his own creation as Christ Jesus. Jesus is to be the salvation for mankind and a bridge between Creator and creation. Satan is horrified at God's plan and attacks Jesus immediately. First Satan tries to tempt Jesus into abandoning his plan, this ends in utter failure. Then Satan uses the Sanhedrin and Roman governance to crucify Jesus, this seemingly succeeds. But God uses Satan's own plan against him, the crucifixion turns into resurrection!

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As believers experience the attacks of Satan, they can take to heart the truth of Romans 8:28, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God..." Therefore, the assumption is that we will experience "good" things and "bad" things, but "all" of these things can be made to be "good" as God works them out. So even the attacks of Satan can be considered "good" as God uses them in our lives to conform us to Christ, His Son (see Romans 8:29). Attacks from Satan, along with all other tribulations will cause believers to love God more, resist Satan more, practice patience, resist temptation, and grow stronger in our faith in many other ways. Praise God for His abundant protection from Satan most of the time, as well as be thankful for God's plan to make the occasional attacks of Satan "work together for good" for you! (Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/God-allow-Satan-attack.html)

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Evil does exist. However, evil has no dominion over God. Rather, it is God, revealed in the mighty person of Jesus Christ, who has power over evil. God has proven numerous times that evil does not have the final say.

...the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4 NIV)

Remember the words of Christ Jesus when you think evil has surrounded you and there is no way out.

"Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." (Matthew 14:27 NASB)

eBook: The Man from Galilee

Greetings,

The writing of 'The Man from Galilee' began last year around September. I'm glad to declare that it’s finally completed and ready for download. The book itself was written through some of the toughest and testing moments of my life, I hope the reader benefits greatly from it.

Without delving into anymore details, I present my first ever book 'The Man from Galilee' as a downloadable PDF eBook. To download or read it simply click on the book cover at the right-hand side of the blog (above the blog archives section).

I’m eagerly expecting your reviews.

Yours,
Surit Dasgupta

Struck Down, but not Destroyed

The following article is written by Sheila Scott. Sheila is a dear friend of mine, she has been through some of the most testing moments in her life. What she writes below is very encouraging for those going through tough times. I pray that this article will be a blessing in the midst of the storm for many.
Sheila can be reached via email at scottblessed44 [at] gmail [dot] com.

"We are hard- pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
2 Corinthians 4: 8-9

Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, or even months when it felt like everything and everyone was against you? Have you had your mind, body, and spirit all broken at once?

Well over 2000 years ago Jesus our Christ, stood nailed to a cross, arrested because He had been betrayed, broken because He had been beaten, and abandoned because He had been forsaken. But was He destroyed? Absolutely not! The final victory was and IS, HIS! When He died and shed His precious blood on that cross, the victory was also ours. Salvation became possible for all who believes. No longer does Satan have any power over us, because he was defeated on the cross. Our victory was signed, sealed and delivered when our Lord Jesus rose from His grave three days later!

So although we do have days when we are betrayed by friends or family; although we do have weeks when we are beaten up mentally and physically by this world’s pressures and problems; although we are forsaken by those we love the most, we can be victorious. Jesus overcame and so can we.

We have our beloved helper, the HOLY SPIRIT who dwells within us to give us strength; we have our Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent Abba Father who loves us without condition to pray to and ask for and receive guidance. How can we lose? We can't!! Remember, we already have the victory!!! We only need to tap into the resources God has given us.

So my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, we get struck down, but we are not destroyed! Jesus made it possible for us to be healed. Our body, our minds and hearts will be mended. We are a truly blessed people; we are well taken care of, and most importantly, WE ARE LOVED!!!

RECOMMENDED READING:
JOHN 13: 18-30
LUKE 22: 63-65
MARK 15: 33-34
MATTHEW 28: 1-8
JOHN 14: 15-18
PSALM 32: 8, JOHN 16: 13
1 CORINTHIANS 15: 57
ISAIAH 53: 5
JOHN 3: 16

A preview of my upcoming book

Greetings,

I'm almost done with my book. Though it will take up a couple more months for revision, I'll try my best to get it out as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, for those of you eager to know how it reads, here's a sneak peak. I've uploaded the first two chapters, they can be viewed or downloaded by clicking here.

Thanks to those of you who've been following this blog and please continue to keep me in your prayers. Love you and God bless you.

Surit

The Companionship of Jesus

Greetings,

Please pardon me for being a bit late but a Happy New Year to you nevertheless. May the year 2013 be full of glad tidings from our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm mid-way through writing my book so please keep it in your prayers. Meanwhile here's a wonderful devotional I found out about the companion of Jesus. It's written by A.S. Gumbart.

Among the Dutch the rose was sometimes cultivated by planting an inferior rose close to a rose of superior quality. The rose of inferior quality was carefully watched and its anthers removed so as to avoid self-pollenization; the object being that it should be pollenized by the superior rose. Gradually the rose thus treated took upon itself the characteristics of the superior life of its companion.


This is indeed a beautiful illustration of the blessing that comes to the life that knows the companionship of Jesus. If our lives are pollenized, as it were, by His righteousness; if His life-transforming truth is received into the heart, and self be sacrificed to make room for the incoming of His superior life, it cannot be other than that gradually the life loses its own inferior characteristics and develops the characteristics of the blessed life of Him who is Himself the Rose of Sharon. O Lord, let my life receive the pollen of divine righteousness, that more and more I may become like my blessed Master.