धन्य हो त्यो मानिस जसले आफ्ना दिन गन्न जानेको हुन्छ!

आजको दिनसँगै सन् २०१८ले हामीलाई सदाको लागि बिदा दिनलागेको छ।  हिजो जस्तै लाग्छ २०१७लाई बिदा दिएको।  वर्षेनि संसारका ठूलाठूला सहरहरूमा नयाँ वर्षलाई स्वागत गर्न अरबौं रुपियाँ खर्च गरेर कालो आकाशमा रङ्गीचङ्गी पटाकाहरू पड्काएर उज्यालो पारिन्छ जो पूर्वीय देशहरूमा आज पनि सुरू भैसकेको छ।  जब भोलिको बिहानी आउनेछ तब फेरी जीवनचक्र आफ्नै गतिमा अघि बढ्ने छ र थाहै नपाई अर्को वर्षलाई स्वागत गर्नुपर्ने दिन टुपलुक्‍क आइपुग्‍नेछ।

समयको नदी आफ्नै गतिमा बगिरहन्छ तर त्यो समयको एउटा कालखण्डमा जन्मेका हामी एक दिन यो भौतिक संसारबाट अस्तित्वहीन हुनपुग्छौं।  बाइबलले भन्छ कि हामी जन्मेको ठाउँले समेत हामीलाई बिर्सन्छ (भजनसंग्रह १०३.१६)।  हाम्रो घमण्ड, रवाफ र फुइँ पनि माटो या आगोमा बिलाउछ।

तापनि, यो झणभङ्गुर चोलामा रहँदा सम्म धेरैले संसारलाई आफ्नो वशमा राख्‍न खोजे तर समयको सामु सबैले घुडाँ टेके।  प्राचीन ज्ञानी पुरूष अय्यूबले भनेका थिए “मानिस संसारमा नाङ्गै आउँछ र नाङ्गै जान्छ” (१.२१)।  अलेक्ज्यान्डर महानले पनि आफ्नो अकाल मृत्युमा अय्यूबको भनाइलाई स्वीकारेको परम्परागत विश्वास छ।

हामी यो धर्तिमा केही समयको लागि मात्रै छौं भन्ने धुर्वसत्यलाई जान्दा जान्दै पनि हाम्रो जीवन जिउने शैलीले यसलाई काटेको हुन्छ।  लाग्छ कि संसारमा भएका सम्पूर्ण मानिसहरू मरेर गए पनि “म” बाँची नै रहनेछु।  यो “म” यति स्वार्थी छ कि आफू बाँच्नको लागि सारा संसारलाई मार्न पनि ऊ पछि पर्दैन।  यस्तो प्रवृतिको मानिसले अर्काको इच्छा र अस्तित्वलाई स्वीकार गर्दैन।  ऊ आफैसँग प्रेममा फसेको हुन्छ र ठान्छ कि संसार उसैको वरिपरि घुमिरहेको छ।  ग्रिक भाषामा यस्तो मानिसलाई “नारसिसिस्ट” भनिन्छ।  नारसिसिस्टले अरूको सफलतालाई हेर्न सक्दैन, अरूको मान-सम्मान गर्न सक्दैन।  बाइबलीय विचारमा यस्तो चरित्र पहिलो पटक स्वर्गीय प्राणि लुसिफरमा देखापरेको विश्वास गरिन्छ जसलाई बाइबलले प्राचिन सर्प वा शैतान भन्छ। 

शैतानकै धोकामा परेर मानवजातिमा पनि यस्तो चरित्रको प्रत्यारोपण भयो र आज संसार स्वार्थले भरिएको छ।  व्यक्ति देखि राष्ट्रसम्म आफ्नो स्वार्थबिना कुनै काम कार्बाहीको सम्झौता हुन सक्दैन।  आमा-बाबु र छोराछोरी, लोग्ने-स्वास्नी र मित्रहरुमा पनि स्वार्थ नै प्रेरणाको श्रोत बनेको देखिन्छ।

यो “म” वा स्वार्थको चङ्गुलबाट उम्कनको लागि बाइबलका एउटा माहापुरूष मोशाले यसरी प्रार्थना गरेका छन् “हाम्रा दिनहरू गन्न हामीलाई सिकाउनुहोस् र हामीले बुद्धिको हृदय प्राप्‍त गर्न सकौं” (भजनसंग्रह ९०.१२)।  जब हामी आफ्नो अस्थाई अवस्थालाई स्वीकार गर्दछौं तब जीवनका बाँकि दिनहरूमा पाप, अधर्म, वैरभाव, दुष्मनि जस्ता घृणित कार्यहरू गर्नुको सट्टा असल र प्रेमका कार्यहरू गर्दै जीवनलाई सुखमय बनाउँदछौं।  यसरी आफ्ना दिनहरू गन्न जान्ने मानिस जीवनभरि रमाएर गीत गाउदै जीवन बिताउनेछ भनेर मोशाले घोषणा गर्नुहुन्छ।

ख्रीष्टियन जीवन गीत गाउदै बिताउने जीवन हो।  तर कतिपय यस्ता कम्जोर विश्वासीहरू हामी देख्छौं जसको जीवनमा कुनै गीत हुँदैन।  उनीहरूको परिवारमा शान्ति र स्वाद हुँदैन।  मण्डलीमा उनीहरू समस्या र गनगनका श्रोत बन्दछन्।  मित्रहरू पनि उनीहरूबाट आफूलाई टाढै राख्छन्।  यस्तो हुनुमा धेरै कारणहरू हुनसक्छन्।  एउटा प्रमुख कारण यसै संसारका कुरामा मन लगाउनु हो।  संसार र शरीरका कुरामा लागेको मनले हामीलाई कहिल्यै शान्ति र आनन्द दिन सक्दैन; यस्ता मानिससँग गाउने खुसीको कुनै गीत नै हुँदैन।  तर पवित्र आत्मामा लागेको मनमा शान्ति र आनन्द हुन्छ; उनीहरूसँग नयाँ गीत हुन्छ।  आज नै संसार छोडेर जानु परेको खण्डमा पनि पवित्र आत्मामा लागेको मन शान्ति र आनन्दले भरिएको हुन्छ।  “म”को चङ्गुलबाट यस्ता मानिसले मुक्ति पाएका हुन्छन्।  परमेश्वर र अरू मानिससँग सुमधुर सम्बन्ध कायम गर्दै आफ्नो जीवनमा मात्रै नभएर उनीहरूका चारैतिर रहेका मानिसको जीवनमा पनि नयाँ गीत ल्याउन उनीहरू सफल हुन्छन्।  उनीहरूले छोडेर जाँदा त्यो रिक्त स्थानलाई भर्न कठिन हुन्छ।  यस्ता मानिसहरूलाई लामो समयसम्म उनीहरू जन्मेको ठाउँले पनि सम्झी नै रहन्छ।

आशा छ मेरा पाठकहरूले आफ्ना दिनहरू गन्न जानेका छन्।  स्वर्गका कुरामा मन लगाएका छन् र जीवनमा गीत गाउदै आनन्दले भरिएर जीवन बिताइरहेका छन्।  जसरी २०१८मा गीत गाएर जीवन बिताउनुभएको थियो, त्यसरी नै २०१९मा पनि अझ आनन्दका गीतहरू गाउँदै आफ्नो जीवनमा मात्रै नभएर आफ्ना चारैतिर भएका सम्पूर्ण मानिसको जीवनमा पनि त्यो आनन्दको गीतको धुनलाई गुञ्जानुहुनेछ!  

संसारमा रहँदा हाम्रो आयुका सिमित दिनहरूलाई गन्न जानेको खण्डमा यसले हामीलाई अनन्तका दिनहरूलाई अझ आनन्दित बनाउन मदत गर्नेछ।

Merry Christmas & Precious Memories

Sitting by the desk and pondering over certain points of my sermon for tomorrow, memories flooded my mind from the past.  In my starting days as a minister of the gospel, I had to prepare my sermons for the believers who were going through severe state persecution in Nepal.  After some years, the Lord brought relief from that persecution but life was not easy.  Purpose of preaching then was to bring hope in the hearts of people; incidentally, the first church we pioneered named it Hope.

Many years later, I found myself preaching to Nepalese migrant workers in Korea.  There I had to give them hope and identity as a people of God.  If not, a migrant worker begins to define one’s life in terms of servitude and slavery.

Again after a decade, I found myself preaching to a diverse group of expatriates residing in Korea for various purposes.  International students, professors, teachers, scientists, company employees and executives made that group an amazing breed to minister to.  I as a country boy from a remote part of Nepal had to ramp-up my feeble mind to match the demand of the hour.  By God’s amazing grace, during those six years, we were able to minister to so many wonderful friends from across the world.

Now at present, I find myself ministering in a North Indian context where Christianity has been severely diluted.  Though the gospel had come here over two hundred years earlier, its impact in society is nearly non-existent.  Syncretic approach has nullified the power of the gospel and the uniqueness of Christ is defaced.  Corrupt mission practices have left Christians not as assets but liabilities for the kingdom of God.  In a time and place like this, I miss my earlier assignment from the Lord.

As I think about my earlier assignment from the Lord, I am thinking of those brothers and sisters that I have left behind and or have gone around the world.  Wherever you may be, I want you to know that there are times I still remember you in my prayers.  Sadly I do not have contact with most; only a handful of you remain in my social media circle.

As the year comes to an end and Christmas is around the corner, it is my prayer that the Lord will be your Emmanuel as he has been your Ebenezer!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2019!

When streets full of garbage appear normal to the eye

20 years ago, I moved to South Korea and from then on, much of my time was spent there.  I owe my education and my son’s education to Korea.  I owe my extended international ministry experience to Korea.  In fact, the most productive decades of my life were spent there.  Life had begun to tempt me to settle for good.  But God’s call to preach the gospel in South Asia never gave me rest in that beautiful and peaceful nation.

 

It is now three years since we said goodbye to Korea.  From such a clean, comfortable and safe environment, suddenly we found ourselves struggling to navigate through the dirt, dust, danger and difficulty of life in Nepal and India.  Such a reverse culture-shock was not what we had expected.

However, the reverse culture-shock is not my point in this article.  Rather, it is the realization that in these three short years, we have become accustomed to our environment.  Stinking piles of garbage in streets do not look strange.  Swarms of flies covering meat shops, unhygienic food stalls, unorganized traffic, crossing the road from wherever we want, power outage for days, and things like these have become normal parts of our life; they don’t appear any stranger.  Even the wish for improving them is slowly disappearing.  How soon, our mind has made peace with our surroundings!  Indeed, man can become prisoner of his environment.  

Human mind is a remarkable thing.  It is so powerful; it can think the unthinkable and imagine the impossible.  But at the same time, it is so weak; it can be forced to accept black as white and white as black, it can become devoid of independent thinking.  In societies where traditions and tyrannies reign, free thinking becomes a crime and soon people begin to follow their traditions without giving a second thought.  The proverbial frog in the pan cannot imagine a jump giving it a better chance at life.

Prior to the declaration of independence, many Americans were debating the idea of independence from or reconciliation with the UK.  There seemed to be some support for reconciliation.  But for free thinkers like Thomas Paine, the idea of subjugating oneself to a foreign power was absurd, stupidity and out of common sense.  On 14^th of February 1776, he published a pamphlet titled “Common Sense” in which he gave a passionate and well-reasoned plea for independence.  Knowing fully well how old habits die hard, in the very beginning of that pamphlet he stated his apprehensions saying; “a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom.  But tumult soon subsides.  Time makes more converts than reason.”

Paine imagined a country like no other on earth and urged his American compatriots to go for independence and on July 4^th the same year, his dreams were realized.  Fortunately, Paine did not have to wait for a long time for time to make converts; there were enough Americans with reason to see the reasonableness of a nation that he imagined.

 

People against the idea of independence, he called them; men of corrupt intent who cannot be trusted, weak men who cannot see, prejudiced men who will not see, and moderate men who cannot challenge the traditional way of thinking that says “European world is better.”  In other words, these men could not imagine something better than what they had at hand.

Paine admitted the America of his time was way behind Europe but he also predicted that in a short span of time, an independent America can   become the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth.  In less than a century of her independence, America proved him right.

With their immense potentials to become advanced societies, India and Nepal are bound to remain prisoners of traditions and invisible tyrannies ruling these nations for thousands of years if there are no men like Paine.  In the name of traditions, free thinkers are shunned and persecuted.  Superstitions are never questioned.  Rulers and politicians enrich themselves.  Public is given a heavy dose of religion so that the rulers can exploit them.

 

Thus, an average Nepalese or Indian cannot imagine of living in a society where free thinking is respected; where streets are clean, amenities are accessible, government works for the people, paperwork can be done without bribing, and where police protect the public.  Rather in societies like ours, deterioration is normal, development is abnormal. 

Human mind is remarkable; it can adapt to live in any place and condition.  It can become violently resistant to change, even reason becomes impotent.  Thus, when Paine said “time makes better converts than reason”, could he be possibly talking about our societies in South Asia?  The American, European, Chinese, and even African societies have demonstrated their capacity to accept change for the better.  Indian subcontinent on the other hand has resisted change for a very long time that now even the wrong can be right and right can be wrong in the name of traditions and customs.    

परदेशीनुको पिडा

गीतकार शेर बिष्टको रचना परदेशीको पिडामा आधारित ठाडि भाकाले मेरो मन छोयो।  जन्म सुदुर-पश्चिमको डोटी जिल्लामा भयो।  बाल्यकाल निकै दु:खदायी भएको कारण सानै उमेरमा मैले मेरो जन्म थलो छोड्ने निर्णय गरेँ र आज सम्म परदेशी कै रुपमा जीवन बिताई रहेको छुँ।  त्यसकारण म परदेशीनुमा देशसँग मेरो कुनै गुनासो छैन।  तर मुटुमा ढुङ्गा राखेर विदेशी भुमिमा दु:ख गरिरहेका लाखौं नेपाली मित्रका भावनालाई यो गितले समेटेको छ।  उहाँहरूको दु:ख देख्दा मेरो पनि मन रुन्छ।

आशा छ मेरा पाठक मित्रले डोटेली भाषाको पनि यो गीतबाट स्वाद पाउनुहुनेछ। https://youtu.be/Z0CbkahoCr0

प्रेमी:

लाग्या की जून होइजाउ पूर्णिमा की रात होइजाउ

नदुख्न्या मन होइजाउ साथ दिन्या करम होइजाउ

प्रेमीका:

कै कि खोजि जान्छै रनबन डुलन्या चरी

किन दु:ख दिन्छै गरीबलाई पापी दैब

प्रेमी:

जन लागोस् बाग बाखरी चराउने बन

परदेशीन्या भाग कर्ममा लेखेको रैछ

प्रेमीका:

बाज जान्या बेला डाँडी न्याउलो बासी जालो

खाना खान्या बेला गह भरी आँसु आउना

प्रेमी:

मन भरीका व्यथा आँखा भरी आँसु हुना

सुखारीलाई केथा दुखारीको दुखी कर्म

प्रेमीका:

साइका काला केश हर घडि झलझली आउना

बाज रन्या देश उडी आउन्या मन लागन्छ

प्रेमी:

भगवान बुझलो दुखारीको दुखी कर्म

बाइरी मन उजालो भित्रि मन दुखेको देख्यै

प्रेमीका:

कसो मन हुन्छ बिगत सम्झि फर्के पछि

आँखा आँसु चुन्छ बाजलाई सम्झेका बेला

दुबै:

बाइरी मन उज्यालो भित्रि मन दुखेको दुख्यै

आँखा आँसु चुन्छ बाजलाई सम्झेका बेला

परिवारसँग बसेर आफ्नै देशमा जीवन यापन गर्न नपाउनु जस्तो पिडा सायद अर्को छैन होला।  हो, आज विश्वव्यापीकरणले मानिसलाई एक ठाउँबाट अर्को ठाउँमा जान, काम गर्न र बस्न सजिलो बनाइदिएको छ।  तर त्यो रहरले गर्नु र करले गर्नुमा धेरै फरक छ।  यदि आफ्नै देशमा रोजगार मिल्थ्यो भने लाखौं नेपाली मित्रहरू पक्कै पनि विदेशीने थिएनन्।

अर्काको देशमा अर्काकै देश विकासको लागि पसिना बगाउनु एउटा पिडा छ भने यता घरमा पारिवारक पिडा अर्कै छ।  आमा-बाबु, श्रीमान-श्रीमती, छोरा-छोरी, आफन्त र सङ्गी-साथीहरूबाट रहरले नभएर करले बिछोडिनु परेको छ।  यो बिछोडले हाम्रो मानसिक र भावनात्मक जीवनमा धेरै ठूलो असर गरिरहेको छ जसको कारण हाम्रा परिवारहरू टुक्रिरहेका छन्।  छोराछोरीहरू बाटो बिराई रहेका छन्।  रहरलाग्दो जवानीलाई एक अर्काको पर्खाइमा श्रीमान श्रीमतीहरू खेर फालिरहेका छन।

बाइबलीय द ृष्टिकोणबाट हेर्दा पनि प्रवासमा जानुलाई एउटा हारेको जीवनसँग दाँजिएको छ।  हुनत यहूदी जातिलाई परमेश्वरले आफ्नो योजनाको लागि छान्नुभयो तर संसारमा सबै भन्दा बढी प्रवासमा जीवन विताउनेहरूमा तिनीहरू नै पर्दछन्। ई‍‌. पू. १५००तिर इज्राएल देशको स्थापना भयो।  तर ई. पू. ७२२बाट आज सम्म यिनीहरू संसारका कुनै न कुनै देशमा प्रवासी भएर बसीरहेका छन्।  झण्डै दुई हजार वर्ष सम्म यिनीहरूको देश नै थिएन।  सन् १९४८मा आजको आधुनिक इज्राएल देशको स्थापना भए पछि संसारका कुना काप्चाबाट यहूदीहरू इज्राएल फर्किरहेका छन्।

यहूदीहरू यसरी प्रवासीनुको कारण यिनीहरूको देश चलाउने राजा र प्रशासकहरूकै दुष्टता थियो।  जनताहरू त निर्दोष थिए तर देश चलाउनेहरू नै दुष्ट भएपछि त्यसको दण्ड सम्पूर्ण मानिसमा पर्‍यो।  आज नेपाल जस्तो विकासका सम्भावनाले भरिएको र विश्वकै सुन्दर देशका जनताहरू प्रवासीनुमा पनि देशका राजा र नेताहरूकै दुष्टताको कारण हो भन्दा फरक पर्दैन।  जब घरमुली दुष्ट हुन्छ तब परिवारले दु:ख पाउँछ।  शाहावंसीय राजाहरूले मुलबासीहरूलाई दु:ख दिए र लाखौं निर्दोषीको रगत बगाए।  राणाहरूले पनि नेपालीको पसिना र रगतमा मोज गरे।  पञ्चायतकालमा फेरी त्यो दु:ख स्वतन्त्रताका योद्दाहरूमा पर्‍यो।  माओको नाममा हजारौं नेपालीको रगत बगाएर नेताहरू गद्दीमा पुगे।  यो ऐतिहाँसिक दुष्टताको असर आज निर्दोष नेपालीले भोगिरहनु परेको छ।

ई.पू. ६००तिर इज्राएलीहरूलाई जब बाबिलोनको प्रवासमा लगियो, त्यतिबेलाका उनीहरूका गीतहरूले पनि आज नेपालका यी दु:खी भाकाहरूसँग मेल खाएको देखिन्छ।  ती मध्य एउटा गीतलाई बाइबलको पुस्तक भजनसंग्रहको १३७ खण्डमा यसरी उल्लेख गरिएको छ;

“1बेबिलोनका नदीहरूका किनारमा बसेर, सियोनको स्मरण गर्दा हामी रोयौं।

2 त्यहाँका बैँसका रूखहरूमा हामीले आफ्‍ना वीणाहरू झुण्‍ड्यायौं।

3किनकि हामीलाई कैद गरेर लानेहरूले त्यहाँ हामीलाई गीत गाउन लाए,

र हामीलाई सास्ती दिनेहरूले हामीबाट आनन्‍दका गीतको माग गरे।

तिनीहरूले भने, “हाम्रा निम्ति सियोनका गीतमध्‍ये एउटा गीत गाओ।”

4बिरानो देशमा परमप्रभुका गीत हामी कसरी गाउन सक्‍छौं?

5हे यरूशलेम, मैले तँलाई बिर्सेको भए, मेरो दाहिने हातले आफ्‍नो सीप भुलोस्‌।

6मैले तँलाई नसम्‍झेको भए, यदि मैले यरूशलेमलाई मेरो सर्वश्रेष्‍ठ आनन्‍द नठानेको भए, मेरो जिब्रो तालुमा टाँसिजाओस्‌।”

आफ्नो देश सबैलाई प्यारो लाग्छ। तर दुष्ट शासकहरूको कारण यो सुखबाट हामी विमुख हुनुपरेको छ।  आशा गरौं एक दिन हाम्रो देशमा पनि असल शासक र शासन प्रणाली आउनेछ र इज्राएली जस्तै हामीहरू पनि संसारका बिभिन्न स्थानबाट स्वदेश फर्कन सक्नेछौं।

गीतको भिडियो को लागि यहाँ थिच्नुहोस् -

https://youtu.be/Z0CbkahoCr0

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

First copies of my book

My book was still in the press. We were preparing for its launch in a few days in Kathmandu. Sister Khem Kumari Garbuja from UK asked if we could make it available earlier than expected because a brother was leaving for UK. It so happened, the press delivered on time. We sent our very first copies to her before the formal launch. How glad I am to see the church family rejoicing for it!

I come from one of the most remote districts in Nepal. I remember myself wondering about the possible world on the other side of those mountains. I was sixteen when I first got in a bus to explore the world outside. It was a terrifying experience as if the bus was making a literal descent. The rest is history.

35 years ago, in divine providence, I had known something about Jesus Christ through a book while living in my world behind those mountains. But did not know who he really was. I inquired in the village, but no one knew about him. I thought to myself, "what a great loss for humanity to not to know such an amazing person." Desire to make him known began to grow in my heart right there in those hamlets along the banks of a huge mountain river.

By the time I was 19, I had entered into full time pastoral ministry. However, I wanted to reach out to more people so that I could tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ I came to know behind those mountains.

Sadly I also found out, many Christian ministers don't simply want to preach the gospel; they want to make profit out of it. So, I chose a lonely path in Nepal. It was a difficult decision. I did not face opposition from Hindu friends, but many Christian pastors and missionaries haunted me down in every turn.

Then came the world of Internet. I began to blog about my faith in Jesus Christ and the need to preach the gospel and not sell it. Then came the world of social media and soon, my voice found a platform which many pastors and missionaries in Nepal had tried to shut.

From 2006, my audio and video messages went across the world where many Nepalese diaspora are living and working. Within Nepal, my voice began to fall in the ears of many believers even though some pastors warned their believers not to listen.

It was in this context that I felt to put my life in a book so that the precious friends who hear my voice would also know the kind of man behind that voice. Of course this book is not so much about my life but what Christ has done in my life. This is also a book for non-Christian friends to try and see who this Jesus really is.

After 35 years, my desire to make Jesus known to many Nepalese friends has come true. Now, I am working on to make this book into English for a wider audience. Please keep me in your prayers so that this desire to make Christ known would continue to grow and I would keep finding new ways to do so.

I thank God for friends like you who pray for me! I give you my word; I keep you all in my prayers. Some of you I know by name, some by face and others only in the spirit. But we are a family, a large family and there will come a time when we shall know face to face.

Until that day comes, let us surrender our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and continue to share the gospel to those who would listen.

Don't allow others do the thinking for you

Life happens.  It does.  It has its own course of action; its own direction.  It does not wait for anyone.  It moves on.  Almost like rudderless ship in the ocean, its direction is determined by every gale and gust of wind.  Such a ship will either sink or run aground; never to be able to sail again.

As a Pastor, I get to see how people live their lives.  Some have clear direction while others allow the circumstances to toss them around.  Some are determined to make something out of their lives while others are bent on doing the things that will destroy them.  Some have wishful aspirations while others wait for good things to happen.  Very few seem to have a guiding vision and a purpose.  While it’s pleasure to be with the people who know what they are doing and where they are going, but not so pleasurable to be in the company of those who allow life to be like the rudderless ship.

Socrates is often quoted of saying; “if you get a bad wife, you will be a philosopher.”  I am not sure what he would say about the woman who gets a bad husband.  Possibly the same.  The point is; suffering makes a person to think.  But to think or not to think is a choice we all can make.  More often than not, we do not want to think.  Thinking is hard.  It is easy to do manual labor than to use our brain to think.  The prodigal son was wrecking his life until the day he started to think.  The Bible says “he came to his senses” and his life was never the same again.

Even as believers, when we do not use our brain to think, we allow others to dictate our beliefs and shape our behaviors.  Our beliefs and behaviors will in turn determine the kind of life we live.  We shall become what we think.

The Bible reveals God as ‘Logos’.  Logos is thought.  Creation came into existence because of Logos.  This Logos became a living person in Jesus Christ who changed the very thought pattern of the world.  As Christians, we are to have the mind of Christ; the very Logos that created the universe. 

New Testament has a lot to say about how we are to think and how our thinking affects our living.  But for some reasons, theologians, preachers and teachers of the Bible focus so much on the actions and not on thinking.  “Don’t do, don’t see, don’t touch, don’t eat, don’t drink, and don’t go”; so many ‘don’ts’ focus on the actions.  Very seldom do we hear pastors teaching us on why we do the things we do and how to change the behaviors we hate.  Psychologists tell us that thoughts precede actions.  If we can change our thoughts, we can change our lives said the famed psychologist William James.  James’ statement has been proven to be true by countless people around the world for a long time now.  People have seen dramatic change in the quality of their lives after they deliberately decided to change their negative thinking into a positive one.

  

For Christians, the Bible is the fountain of such revelation where we are commanded, persuaded, and even entreated to change our mind from negative to positive, from earthly to heavenly, from fleshly to spiritual, and from natural to supernatural.  Yet, we do not heed.  The non-Christian psychologists and motivational speakers on the other hand have taken these treasures from the Bible and applied them to their lives and are enjoying tremendous benefits.

Unless we come to our senses the way Prodigal son came to his, we will continue to reap the consequences of our non-biblical thinking.  But if we stop and ponder on who God is and what he has done for us, life will not be the same again.  We will not sit with the pigs any longer.  We will get up from that stinky sty and run toward the father who has prepared for us the garment of glory, ring of authority and shoes of awesome responsibility that belong to the son of a father who owns everything.  A life of honor and sufficiency is for those who can change their mind from misery and poverty.  Unless you change your negative thinking into positive, you won’t see positive changes coming into your circumstances or your character.  

Don't allow others to think for you.  Pick up the Bible and align your thinking with the thinking of God and a beautiful life will be yours to enjoy!