Rest in Peace, Dear 2019!

Dear year 2019,

You came into my life.  Now you are leaving.  You promised a lot.  You demanded a lot.  You took a lot too. So, as happy as I was to welcome you, I am not sad to bid you a goodbye.  In fact, I am glad you are leaving.  You are leaving never to return again. 

Hindu Brahmin Performing Christian Funeral Rites in Nagaland

The phrase “life is a journey” is often used as a metaphor to describe our transient stay on earth.  As for me, it is not just a metaphor but an inseparable fact of life.  This journey started from the day I was born.  Astrologers concluded that my birth meant the death of my father.  The only escape from this impending doom was for me to be out of his sight forever.  There was no way for father to leave the family as he already had three daughters to look after.  Thus, I was let loose from the family to wander the face of the earth to avoid my father’s sight.  Until the age of 16, I stumbled through this journey from place to place, often at the mercy of people; some good and some really evil.

Baptizing a young man after he was technically declared dead

1 Samuel 2:12 and 8:1-3 are some of the saddest verses in the Bible for parents who wish to see their children walk in the ways of the Lord.

Eli the priest and Samuel the priest, prophet, and judge saw what no godly parents would like to see. 

When children walk away from God, it’s the parents who bear the brunt of guilt and regrets. Egotistical pastors use them as examples of bad parenting. Self-righteous Christians gossip about them. Jealous neighbors and enemies gloat over their sadness and sorrow. 

Amazing Grace makes our life Amazing!

19 Videos explaining the book of Romans in Nepali

बिरामी पर्दाका विचारहरू

आज खराब स्वास्थ्यको कारण साप्ताहिक सेवामा जान सकिएन।  जीवनमा विरलै यसरी आराधना सेवामा अनुपस्थित भएको छु।  बिहानको १० बज्यो, बाहिर  टन्टलापुर घाम लागेकोछ।  श्रीमतीले नास्ता बनाएर टेबुलमा राखेर चर्च गएको पनि दुई घण्टा भैसक्यो तर खाने मन पटक्क छैन।  हामी बसेको टोलमा रहेको चर्चको आराधनामा गाएका भजनहरूको मधुरो आवाजले मन निकै खल्बलिरहेकोछ।  बिस्तरामा जता फर्के पनि चित्त नबुझ्दा छेउमै रहेको ल्यापटप तानी यो मनमा उठेका छालहरूलाई शान्त पार्ने प्रयास गर्दैछु।  तर कताबाट सुरू गर्ने थाहै छैन। 

माइन्ड योर ओन बिजनेस!

जीवन छोटो छ भनेर हामीलाई कसैले भनी रहनु नपर्ने हो।  आफैले दिन गन्न जान्नुपर्ने हो।  तर हामी मध्य धेरैले आफ्ना दिन गन्न जानेका हुँदैनौ या गन्न चहाँदैनौ पनि।  लाग्छ कि मृत्युको बारेमा सोचेन भने सायद त्यो हामीबाट टाढै रहनेछ।   बाइबल भन्छ कि आफ्ना दिन गन्न नजान्ने व्यक्ति मुर्ख वा निर्बुद्धी हो।

त्यो व्यक्तिले आफ्ना दिन गन्न जान्दैन जसको जीवनमा उद्देस्य हुँदैन।  उद्देस्यहीनताले समय गएको थाहा पाउँदैन।  आज भोलि भरे भन्दै कित ऊ बुढ्यौलीको दास बन्न पुग्छ कि अकालै मर्छ।

Are You Happy?

German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer said that things like happiness, peace, pleasure, and satisfaction in life are time-bound and temporary because once the desired objective is fulfilled, we long for something else to satisfy our longing.  Schopenhauer, a naturalist, saw the futility of seeking happiness in material things.

The repeated experience of dissatisfaction (or the emptiness that comes after achieving the desired objective) eventually leads to addiction of one kind or the other. Most alcoholic and drug addicts start picking up such habits when they are relatively young and ambitious about life in this world. When life happens, all they are left with is the temporary deception of the substance promising them a lasting happiness.

But if we are willing to pause for a while and think about life; all is not lost.  As believers in a God who created us in his own image, there is hope for a lasting satisfaction, joy and peace. God spoke to his people through prophet Isaiah promising them a lasting peace and fulfilment in life if only they would listen to his words.

He said; "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea" (Isaiah 48:17-18).

God knows what is best for us.

God knows which way is for us.

God wants to give a life full of peace; peace like a river.

God wants to give us a right kind of life; righteousness like the waves of the sea. Whatever we do turns out to be right and thus comes this never ending peace.

Unfortunately, we don't like God telling us what is best for us. We want to go on our own ways seeking peace and right things for us.

If we could honestly evaluate how we are living, we would simply trust God and receive the best from him. Even when we don't know which way to go, God would direct our path to the right direction and we would arrive at the best destination prepared for us in advance by this loving God who cares for us so much that he gave his only begotten son to die for our sins.

Paul said, "if God did not spare his son, how much more will he give us all things" (Rom. 8:32)!

So, beloved, stop trying to be happy in the world and listen to what God has said in his word. Follow his instructions and he will always fulfill his promises.

Your Decision Determines Your Destiny

Today I randomly chose a movie in Netflix with the title "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind." After the movie was over did I realize it was based upon the real life of William Kamkwamba.

William grew up in a rural farming community in Malawi. In the year 2000, when he was 13, famine hit Malawi and he saw the helplessness in his father's face as starvation began to take its toll. Then and there, William decided to be different from the rest of his community. He decided not to be a farmer like his father who depended in the mercy of the weather.

जे सोच्छौं त्यस्तै बन्छौं

७० देखि १२० वर्षसम्म यो संसारमा मानिस बाँच्न सक्ने सम्भावना बाइबलले देखाएको छ।  कपाल फुलेर ढकमक्क भै आफ्ना वर्षहरू सकेर यो संसारबाट बिदा हुनु बाइबलीय भाषामा आशिषमय जीवनको एक पक्ष ठानिएको छ।  तर लामो आयुले मात्रै पनि मानिसको जीवन आशिषमय थियो भन्न सकिदैन कारण उसले बिताएका ती वर्षहरूमा उसको जीवनको गुणस्तर कस्तो थियो भन्ने कुराले बढी महत्व राख्दछ।

At times, I have no answers in life

John was probably in his 90s.  He had seen so many changes come and go in his lifetime.  Political, religious, and social world he grew up had vanished.  His band of brothers, the apostles, all had died and gone.  Church was facing serious persecution from the outside and false teaching from within.   

सफलता नै उत्तम बदला हो।

बेला बेलामा आफूप्रति दश जना दाजुहरूले गरेको व्यवहार देखेर योसेफलाई ताजुब लाग्थ्यो।  सायद म कान्छो भएकै कारण उनीहरूले यस्तो गरेको होला भन्दै दाजुहरूको निर्दयी व्यवहारलाई उनले खासै गम्भीरतापूर्वक लिएनन्। 

धन्य हुन् ती चर्चहरू जसका पास्टर सिमोन कुरेनि जस्ताछन्!

आज त्यो ठाउँलाई लिबिया भनिन्छ तर सिमोनको पालामा त्यसलाई कुरेनि भनिन्थ्यो।  अफ्रिकाको उत्तरी भागमा अवस्थित यो देशले भूमध्यसागरलाई छोएको छ।  प्राचीन समयबाटै यसका समुद्री तटवर्ती सहरहरूमा अफ्रिका, यूरोप र एसिया महादेशका मानिसहरूको आवत-जावत बाक्लै हुन्थ्यो।  रोमी साम्राज्यको उदय पछि उत्तरी अफ्रिकी मुलुकहरू सबै रोमका उपनिवेश बने।  रोमी शासनकै समयमा यहूदीया बाट प्रवासी भै आएका झण्डै एक लाख यहूदीहरू पनि कुरेनिमा बसोबास गर्दथे।     

From Pastor Bhojraj Bhatta: Asian Quest for West

This is my old post from 2014.

From Pastor Bhojraj Bhatta: Asian Quest for West: I was invited to speak in a conference in Manchester, New Hampshire.  Had a wonderful time with friends there and also in Boston where I...

Biblical Principles in Beating Poverty

1)   Know and Believe God’s Promises: Find out all the promises of God in the Bible relating to financial provision and believe them.  Write them down and memorize them.  Post them on your wall, refrigerator, and make those promises your computer screen savers.  Do whatever it takes to remember those promises.

Spiritual Pride Rejects Prosperity

Dear friends,

This is to encourage you to keep on believing in the goodness of God. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" said Jesus (Matt. 21:22).  Believing comes before praying.  So many times, we stop praying because we lose faith.  We lose faith because we doubt God’s Word.  We doubt God’s Word because the answer to our prayer does not come in our timing and according to our wishes.  It is for this reason Jesus said “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matt. 25:35).