Obey – The Word Literature Ministry

God’s Love

The basic needs of human beings are food, clothing and shelter. In this current era, emotional needs also play a pivotal role in the development of a person. Although not formally listed down, social acceptance, respect and love can be considered as vital needs in the upbringing of each individual. Love is important for mental and psychological well-being, which also has an impact on physical health. Love is the language which has no boundaries and is understood across the globe irrespective of race, colour, gender and religion. So, there is no wonder why God chose everlasting love as his language to talk to his children. The ancient Greeks defined three basic forms of love : The love exhibited by God is Agape. God created us and we are his children. He loves us unconditionally. The love of God is not based on what we do or how good we are. HE loves us because of who HE is and not for what we are. There is nothing that we can do to neither gain his love, nor to lose his love. The only question is whether this love is accepted. It is due to this love that Jesus came down to this earth and sacrificed himself on the cross for our sins. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 God does not want us to perish, but death entered the world through sin. Sin entered the world when the desire to be like God was injected into man – the consequence of taking advice from the wrong person. Ever since, anyone born into this world has a sinful nature. It is this nature that makes a person commit sin. In ancient times, animals were sacrificed when someone did anything wrong. But the blood of animals could not atone for the sinful nature of man. The merciful God had compassion and he sent his son to be the sacrifice for our sins. As per the holy scriptures, this was a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10:14). He died on the cross not only for the sins that we committed, but also for the ones that we will commit when we live in this sinful world. How was it possible for him to be a perfect sacrifice? It’s because he did not commit any sin, since he was not born from a man. Hence, he didn’t have a sinful nature. But, Jesus became sin or rather he was made sin for us. It was this sin that was taken to the cross. There is no sin that can outweigh God’s love. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 It was not only the sins of human beings, but also the sinful nature that was crucified. In other words, accepting that he died on the cross for our sins is a rejection of the sinful nature. This means that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, accepting him as Lord and saviour will be able to have everlasting life through him. Accepting him into your life is a step forward after becoming a good friend of God. It is still not too late to accept his love. In this selfish world, we love only people who are useful for us or do good to us. The affection or care that is demonstrated to someone is based on their behaviour towards us. This is not true love. Jesus said “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28). This is Godly love, and Jesus demonstrated it during his mortal life. He was hated for his good deeds, he was mistreated, spitted upon, betrayed by his disciples, abandoned by his loved ones. Still he was not resented by their behaviour, but interceded for them even on the cross. He wanted the wrong deeds of the people who hurt him to be forgiven. This is the love that was demonstrated by Jesus. He died for us when we were sinners and hated him. He has left a perfect example for us to follow. We should love one another as he showed us. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Let us take some time and ponder on the wonderful blessings that God has given in our lives. Let us thank him for all the love that he has shown us. Although he loves us, he never forces himself upon us. We have the free will to either choose his love or to be in darkness. This is the reason why in the garden of Eden, there were both the trees of life and death. It was left to Adam and Eve to choose between those. Some doubt why God created the tree of death; if it did not exist in the first place, Adam & Eve would not have eaten it. It is because God does not force us to obey him, but obedience is what he wants for his children. The absence of light causes darkness, hence darkness does not need to be explicitly invited anywhere. In the same way, evil is always present where God is not present. God loves you, nobody has to be embarrassed to present oneself into his presence. HE is our loving father, good friend, our caretaker, a strong tower during hurricanes and HE is above all our needs. HE is waiting to fellowship with us, and if we open the doors of our heart he will dwell within us. It is our choice to accept or reject his love. God is waiting. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the

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God is waiting

Leave a Comment / Ideal Living / Sebastian Neduveli

The Holy Bible presents the holy God as a good father who is loving and merciful. Jesus addresses God as Father. Jesus is the only person in history and scripture who fully obeyed, accepted and honoured God as Father. Jesus repeatedly makes it clear that he was sent by the Father and that God the Father is the source of power for all his activities. In the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus repeats the word Father six times in his prayer. Jesus said: “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (John 11:27). It is human nature to seek to persecute those who oppose them, those they dislike, and to rejoice in their downfall. The nature of God the Father is so different. God is so much higher than human nature. Jesus presented a God who ‘makes the sun shine on the wicked’. If you love those who love you, what will be the reward for you? – Jesus asked. The law in the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18) asks you to love your neighbour. But Jesus taught us to love our enemies. No other teacher has ever taught us to love even our enemies so deeply. God loves his great creation, man, more than anything else. God hates no man; never forsakes. God the Father loves with all his heart even those who disobey Him and turn their backs on Him! When Jesus revealed this divine love through his own life, those who prided themselves as the elite of society turned against Jesus, to the extent of crucifixion. But even on the cross, Jesus addressed God as Father. Jesus approached those who criticized him for being loving and friendly with sinners, by telling parables that reveal meanings. Jesus told them parables, taken from familiar situations and related to nature. In the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we see the joy of the return of the son who was thought to be lost. This is a parable that has found its place in the world literature under the name “The Prodigal son.” This parable has been considered as one of the great stories of the world classics. It depicts the relationship between God and man in a paternal relationship. It is also a historical story of a man who is alienated from God. In the Gospel of Luke, there is a journey that begins at 9:51 and ends at 19:46. This is the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. During this journey, we meet Jesus as the Saviour of sinners and those rejected by society. It was during this journey that Jesus presented the parable of the prodigal son to the community. As an introduction to this, Jesus tells two more parables. The first is the parable of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine in search of one missing sheep among a hundred sheep. The second is the parable of a woman who, after losing one of her ten silver coins, lit a lamp and sweeps the whole house. The man searching for the lost sheep and the woman searching for the lost coin symbolize the Father, Mother, and Guardian God who lovingly seeks out the sinner who strays from Him. “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12-14 It is after these two parables that Jesus presents the parable of the prodigal son, the most well-known in the world. This parable has twenty one verses and three characters. The youngest son who divides all his property and leaves home away from his father, the eldest son who is although hardworking, but also selfish and jealous. The third character is the compassionate and loving father who embraces and happily accepts the return of the youngest son, without showing any resentment. The main protagonist in this parable is the father who shows immense love, mercy and affection to his two children. The parable begins as follows: A man had two sons. The youngest of them said to his father: Father, give me my due share in the property; And he divided it for them. A family consisting of two sons and a father who live by hard work. It is normal to think that there was nothing lacking in the house. But the younger son is not satisfied with that. The younger son found it difficult to live within the confines of the house under his father’s control. It is difficult for many people to live under the divine rule like this. According to Old Testament Jewish law, when property was divided, the eldest son would receive a double share. That is, when the property is divided between two sons, the elder son gets two-thirds and the younger son gets one-third. The property thus obtained should be transferred only after the death of the father. In prodigal Son’s parable the younger son is hastily trying to take over his father’s property. He prefers to live his own life without wanting to be with his father and family members. The father, on the other hand, divided the property without expressing any objection. Perhaps many advices might have been shared. Everything we have belongs to God the Father. All gifts, physical, financial, mental and spiritual, are from God on high. The father divided the property without disturbing the younger son. Here we see a dignified father. Father respects individual freedom. God has given us the freedom to accept good and evil. We have the individual freedom to choose

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Become a good friend of God

Leave a Comment / Ideal Living / Sebastian Neduveli

I love God, I worship HIM – this is what those who claim to know about God say. If so, what is the relationship with God, that they claim to have found? Have you known God personally? Most people approach God like walking into a store or supermarket with a shopping list. They submit their needs to God. There would be necessary and unnecessary things in it. That is their prayer. God knows us best. Even our thoughts are clear to God. But to know about God who is our good benefactor, we neither have desire nor time. Many people have the image of a God who gets mesmerized and is obsessed with flowers, garlands, bundles of notes and gold coins, and does anything for them. God, who is the owner of all the wealth of this world, does not look at the things or the hands of the devotee who approaches Him. They are only a measure of what one gives back from what HE gives. God cares only whether the doors of the heart of the devotee, who approaches Him, are open for Him. He will see if a seat has been prepared for him, in a heart prepared for him. He needs a devotee, who comes with gifts, not gifts. God cares more about the giver, than the gift. God wants him whole. Let us surrender ourselves to God. That is the greatest gift to God. The Holy Bible, in the New Testament, tells about the great gift of love, that God gave to the world. It is said that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. God showed His love by handing Jesus over to the cross and giving that sacrificial blood to mankind. Jesus is the person who taught us how to live in this world and how to love God and man. Jesus continues to this day as a guiding light that has never been extinguished for two thousand years. Jesus is always our role model. Who was this Jesus who split time in two, divided history into AD and BC? The Bible says that when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son into the world (Galatians 4:4). When Jesus grew up, he showed the world a lifestyle different from what the world had seen. Jesus taught the world about a new system of life based on divine laws. Jesus taught about life in God’s kingdom according to God’s system of governing, how to experience God’s closeness, how to receive God’s blessings, how to live beyond financial bondage, how to get healing from God, how to break the bonds of demonic bondage. Jesus gave hope to the underprivileged and oppressed. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Luke 4:18, 19 Jesus, who was born as a Jew, revealed to the world how to be saved by putting aside religions. The birth of Jesus reminds us of God, the great star that still gives light to the world today. Prophet, guru, sage, philosopher, financial advisor, miracle worker – although Jesus embodies these personas, Jesus is more than that. There were ups and downs in the life of Jesus too, like people call good times and bad times. Jesus is one of the most persecuted people in history without committing any crime. But neither time nor this world could weaken the mind of Jesus. That life was always full of hope. God and the time gifted Jesus with resurrection. It is this resurrection that draws many to Jesus. If God is with us, no time, no man, no devil can weaken or destroy us. For that, we must become completely under divine protection. Throughout our lives, God is trying to bring us to Himself. Often we just don’t know it. It is because our desires and God’s desires do not match, that we face difficulties. God deals with each person in a different way. It might not be others’ experience that we have. If you look for the circumstances and experiences of getting closer to God, they will all be different. God has always been the embodiment of the most transcendental personality. Be it a beggar, a millionaire, a child, a woman, a man, God can handle them in their own circumstances. Jesus chose 12 people as his main disciples. They all lived together, slept together and died together. But they were all different characters. It may seem difficult for a common man to understand that Judas was one of them. Judas carried the money box of Jesus and his companions. It was the eye on that money box that brought Judas down and led him to suicide. Peter was fickle and angry. At first, Peter was also a coward who denied Jesus, even in front of a woman. Thomas looked for reasons behind every incident. John, on the other hand, was loving and a gentle person. We may all be different personalities. But God the Father can guide us in any situation if we surrender ourselves. So we should not try to imitate others. Let us surrender ourselves to God. Then God himself will take control of us. None of us are perfect. We are the owners of imperfect personality. God is fully convinced about this better than us. God will work in our weakness. If we rely on God, we will see that He stands as a crutch in our weakness. Loyalty and love are important to approach God. Who are we? What do we love? So why don’t we love God the most who paved the way for our beloved relationships and is always with us in all things? Faithfulness is also needed with love. Faithfulness is necessary for a warm husband-wife

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Fast and be victorious

Leave a Comment / Fasting, Prayer / Sebastian Neduveli

When we go through a spiritual fast, we not only get closer to God, but also become stronger mentally and physically. But trying hard fasting without God may not achieve the goal; It will only result in failure. What if fasting aimed at a good cause backfires? It can also happen. The Holy Bible makes it clear that a person can achieve the full purpose of fasting only by following the divine laws. Fasting has been practiced by people of all religions since ancient times. The purpose behind this was to grow spiritually. As time has changed, fasting has also been modified in the modern era! An increasing number of people are practicing fasting in a gradual manner with the goal of maintaining physical beauty, restoring beauty, and warding off disease. Those who fast to improve their beauty are mostly young women trying to become a slim beauty. The health of most of them will deteriorate later. People who ends up sick due to lack of any restrictions on diet are often prescribed to fast. But fasting without proper care and knowledge can only harm the body. “Anorexia nervosa” is a disease that affects such people. People with this disease would have no interest in food. They feel aversion to food. It is a disease that puts their lives at risk by not eating. By practicing fasting for beauty, it leads to a state where not only the beauty but the body itself is destroyed. The Holy Bible makes it clear that fasting leads to a return to God for those who are suffering from God’s punishments due to their uncontrolled life. Consecrate a fast,Call a sacred assembly;Gather the eldersAnd all the inhabitants of the landInto the house of the Lord your God,And cry out to the Lord. Joel 1:14 Why did God ask the people of Israel to announce a fast through the prophet Joel? “Swarm after swarm, of locusts, settled on the crops; what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured” (Joel 1:4). In ancient times, people depended on an economy based on agricultural crops. Even in our country these days, farmers commit suicide when their crops fail and they run into debt. This is happening in the situation where banks, irrigation facilities, chemical fertilizers etc. are available. It would be good to remember how fearfully people used to farm in ancient times when there was no such facility. Natural disasters, destruction of agricultural crops, etc. are depicted in the Bible as God’s wrath. Natural calamities such as droughts, floods, etc. used to destroy the farmlands and then the people moved towards famine, poverty and eventual deaths. It was during such a time of divine wrath that the prophet Joel asked the people to enter into the presence of God through fasting. It was as if an army had come on the attack, as grasshoppers, locusts, caterpillars and green worms attacked the agricultural crops and wreaked havoc in the country. The fields were destroyed and the trees in the fields were gone. “Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished.” (Joel 1:11,12). Not only in our country, but in many parts of the world, when people forget God, natural disasters, famine, murders, suicides etc. are on the rise. This has to be considered as God’s warning. When God asked the people to come to Him for a dwelling through prophet Joel, they obeyed. Look at God’s answer to this: The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea and his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, and his foul odour will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.”Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvellous things!Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit;The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God;For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. Joel 2:19-25 In this way, people and countries prepare for fasting to remove God’s wrath; Fasting is also a remedy that God prepares to come to Him when we are moving towards destruction with a sinful life forgetting God. Nations also declare fasting. The America of old was not the America of today. Fasting and prayer were an early source of power in America. Americans today are the descendants of the British who left England when a false, spiritually destroying form of worship was forced upon them. In 1620, when the church was devalued the Puritans left England in 102 boats to Holland. But even there they were not satisfied. When they saw that the sinful life there would lead their children astray, they prayed before God with tears in their eyes. They came from Holland to America after the divine message they received while fasting and praying. On the dollar, the currency of the United States, there is a note that says ‘In God we trust’. Although they got spiritual freedom in America, they had to face adversity even then. All that time they fasted and prayed. They declared a fast day on June 1, 1774 when the British blockaded the port of Boston. Early presidents of the United States have issued proclamations

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Jesus’ treatment

2 Comments / Healing, Health / Sebastian Neduveli

Jesus thought that suffering and sickness should not exist in a world under divine control. Sickness is not part of God’s purpose. Suffering and sickness are contrary to God’s purpose. So Jesus healed everyone who came to him with sickness. Jesus also healed some of those who did not approach him. The purpose behind this was only to reveal the divine power and the coming of the divine kingdom to the world. The spirit of Jesus who was crucified and resurrected lives on today. Jesus said do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but those who kill the soul. In this situation we need to find divine power through divine healing. Once we understand the divine power, we will fear God more and love Him more. Salvation of the soul comes to us through complete submission to God. Note the record of Jesus’ public ministry in Matthew’s Gospel: Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Matthew 4:23,24 It is recorded in many passages in the Gospels that many demon-possessed and sick people were brought to Jesus and Jesus healed them. This shows that healing is part of God’s plans. Even when the lame walked, the blind received sight, and the sick were restored to health, God was felt to be working. Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. (Luke 13:10-13). Here, where it says diseased spirit, it means plague. The sick person is not looking for Jesus, but Jesus is approaching the sick person and healing them. Recovery was quick. When God wants to deliver a demon-possessed person from the bondage of the devil, it just has to happen in some way. Plagues work on humans by observing one’s relationship with God. The devil can make someone sick, afflicted, or enslaved depending on how close that person is to God. Therefore, the relationship with God should be improved for self-healing. In the Gospel of Matthew chapters 8 and 9, we see many healings. The healing of the leper, the healing of the centurion’s child, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, the healing of the demon-possessed in the land of Gadara, the healing of the paralytic, the healing of the daughter of Jairus, the healing of the two blind men and the demon-possessed are recorded in these two chapters. The world-famous Sermon on the Mount is recorded in chapters 5, 6, and 7 before that. We can believe that these healings have come to those who have repented after listening to the Sermon on the Mount and the goodness of God has penetrated into their minds. Look at the events after the Sermon on the Mount: “When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” (Mathew 8:1-3). This is the beginning of a series of healings. The Sermon on the Mount is the mission of bringing the human mind closer to God. The Sermon on the Mount has influenced many people, including Mahatma Gandhi. Do as many good deeds as possible. Don’t waste any opportunity to do good and stay away from mistakes. Pray to God whenever you have time. If you feel that the actions you are doing are wrong, confess it to God and make amends. Thank God for every good thing He gives us. Then God will be pleased. That will bring happiness to our hearts. The waves of that happiness will also enter the body. Afflictions have no place in a person who is happy with the experience of God. He will have to run away. If any disease comes, do not transfer it from the body to the mind. Don’t pretend that you are sick. For that, the mind needs to be healthy. If the mind wants to be healthy, the mind must be fearless. To be fearless one needs divine presence in the mind. The divine presence in the mind will also reflect in the body. If this is the case then “permanent diseases” will not grip the mind and body. Stay in touch with God at all times by praying continuously. Be careful never to carry the fear of disease with you. When one is filled with fear of disease, his thoughts and attention goes to the disease. This fear of a person is enough to make him sick. Many people are living with ‘imaginary diseases’. It will spread from imagination, to the mind and then to the body. As soon as the thought of sickness enters the mind, confess the word of God, “I am healed by His wounds.” Thus expel the ‘soul of disease’ from the body. The Holy Bible says: Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. Psalm 37:27

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