It is Christmas & New Year time again

Illuminations, costly presents, Greeting cards, celebrations, Carroll music, New Dresses, roasted turkey & costly food and lot of alcohol too.
It is Christmas & New Year Celebrations!
Eat Drink and Be Merry – the Epicurean Philosophy-
Consumerism rules Christmas & New Year.

But, What is the real Christmas?

For Christendom, Christmas has become like a child playing with the colorful carton pack after throwing away the costly present that came inside it, the virtues and meanings are lost.

Go back in history, more than 2500 years back, Prophet Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”


Before Jesus’ birth an angel told Joseph, the husband of Mary:
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”
At the birth of Jesus Christ which signifies Christmas, the angel of the Lord declared:
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger”

And the Heavenly host then sang the Christmas song:
” Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”


So Jesus’ birth means birth of a savior and good tidings and joy and peace to ALL people.
His name means - He shall save his people from their sins.

Christmas is when the purpose of Jesus’ birth is accomplished in individual’s life.
Bible says “Wages of Sin is (Eternal) Death”

What is Sin & Who is a Sinner?

“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one”
When God looks at man, there is none righteous, all are but sinners!
All human beings are condemned for their sins by a righteous God.

But the Love of God is that Jesus died on behalf of the sinners on the cross of Calvary fulfilling the message on his birth –“For he shall save his people from their sins”
Sins of those who believe in Jesus’ death are forgiven by God, because Jesus suffered the punishment on behalf. Jesus was alltogether sinless. Roman Governor Pilate pronouned "I find no guilt in this Man", still he gave Jesus for crucification. And Jesus did not react, He himslef took the cross and walked to mount calavary, because he was born to suffer this death.
In fact his suffering was in the hand of God for the penitence of the whole world.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son Jesus, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”

Path of Salvation is through faith in Jesus and not by human efforts. Salvation is indeed given free through faith.

If the purpose of Jesus’ birth and death is accomplished in an individual’s life, it will be peace, joy & glad tidings and that is Christmas.

May Joy & Peace rule your heart for ever

Roman Persecution of Christians

The Diocletianic Persecution (or Great Persecution) was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. In 303, Emperor Diocletian and his colleagues Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rights and demanding they comply with traditional religious practices. Later edicts targeted the clergy and demanded universal sacrifice, ordering all inhabitants to sacrifice to the gods. The persecution varied in intensity across the empire—weakest in Gaul and Britain, where only the first edict was applied, and strongest in the Eastern provinces. Persecutionary laws were nullified by different emperors at different times, but Constantine and Licinius's Edict of Milan (313) has traditionally marked the end of the persecution.

Christians had always been subject to local discrimination in the empire, but early emperors were reluctant to issue general laws against the sect. It was not until the 250s, under the reigns of Decius and Valerian, that such laws were passed. Under this legislation, Christians were compelled to sacrifice to pagan gods or face imprisonment and execution. After Gallienus's accession in 260, these laws went into abeyance. Diocletian's assumption of power in 284 did not mark an immediate reversal of imperial inattention to Christianity, but it did herald a gradual shift in official attitudes toward religious minorities. In the first fifteen years of his rule, Diocletian purged the army of Christians, condemned Manicheans to death, and surrounded himself with public opponents of Christianity. Diocletian's preference for activist government, combined with his self-image as a restorer of past Roman glory, forebode the most pervasive persecution in Roman history. In the winter of 302, Galerius urged Diocletian to begin a general persecution of the Christians. Diocletian was wary, and asked the oracle of Apollo for guidance. The oracle's reply was read as an endorsement of Galerius's position, and a general persecution was called on February 24, 303.

Persecutionary policies varied in intensity across the empire. Where Galerius and Diocletian were avid persecutors, Constantius was unenthusiastic. Later persecutionary edicts, including the calls for universal sacrifice, were not applied in his domain. His son, Constantine, on taking the imperial office in 306, restored Christians to full legal equality and returned property confiscated during the persecution. In Italy in 306, the usurper Maxentius ousted Maximian's successor Severus, promising full religious toleration. Galerius ended the persecution in the East in 311, but it was resumed in Egypt, Palestine, and Asia Minor by his successor, Maximinus. Constantine and Licinius, Severus's successor, signed the "Edict of Milan" in 313, which offered more comprehensive acceptance of Christianity than Galerius's edict had provided. Licinius ousted Maximinus in 313, bringing an end to persecution in the East.
The persecution failed to check the rise of the church. By 324, Constantine was sole ruler of the empire, and Christianity had become his favored religion. Although the persecution resulted in the deaths of—according to one modern estimate—3,000 Christians, and the torture, imprisonment, or dislocation of many more, most Christians avoided punishment. The persecution did, however, cause many churches to split between those who had complied with imperial authority (the traditores), and those who had remained "pure". Certain schisms, like those of the Donatists in North Africa and the Meliteans in Egypt, persisted long after the persecutions. The Donatists would not be reconciled to the Catholic Church until after 411. In the centuries that followed, some Christians created a "cult of the martyrs", and exaggerated the barbarousness of the persecutionary era. These accounts were criticized during the Enlightenment and after, most notably by Edward Gibbon. Modern historians have tended to downplay the scale and depth of the Diocletianic persecution.

(obliged to Wikepedia.org)

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time
William MacDonald

“…them that honor me I will honor…” (1 Sam. 2:30)

One of the many ways in which we can honor the Lord is by standing true to divine principles and by steadfastly refusing to compromise.

During his early years Adam Clarke worked for a silk merchant. One day his boss showed him how he should stretch the silk when measuring it out for a customer. Adam said, “Sir, your silk may stretch but my conscience won’t.” Years later God honored that honest clerk by enabling him to write the Bible commentary that bears his name.

Eric Liddell was scheduled to run in the 100 meters event in the Olympic Games. But when he found that the heats for this event were scheduled for Sunday, he told the manager that he wouldn’t run. He felt that by dishonoring the Lord’s Day, he would be dishonoring the Lord Himself. A great storm of criticism broke. He was accused of being a spoilsport, of letting his country down, of being a straightlaced religious fanatic. But he would not go back on his decision.

When he noticed that the heats for the 220 meters were scheduled for a weekday, he asked his manager for permission to run, even if that wasn’t his distance. He won the first heat, the second heat, then the semi-finals. On the day of the finals, as he strode to the starting place, someone pressed a small piece of paper in his hand. He glanced down and saw the words, “…them that honor me I will honor.” That day he not only won the race but set a new world’s record.

The Lord gave him the greater honor of serving as one of His ambassadors in the Far East. During World War II, he was interned by the Japanese and died in a concentration camp, thus winning the martyr’s crown.

Adam Clarke and Eric Liddell followed in the illustrious line of men like Joseph who honored God by his sterling character and was honored by God by becoming the savior of his people in a time of famine. Men like Moses whose loyalty to his God was honored by his leading the nation of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Men like Daniel whose refusal to compromise brought him a place of distinction in the Persian Kingdom. And—greatest of all—the Lord Jesus who honored His Father as no one else, and has been given the Name above every name.
indbebted to BrethrenVoice at :http://www.brethrenvoice.net/

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time
-William MacDonald

"And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.” (Ez.33:32)

One of the ironies of declaring the word of the Lord is that people are often intrigued with the speaker but not with the message that requires action on their part.

This is true with public preaching. The people admire the preacher. They remember his jokes and his illustrations. They hang on his enunciation. Like the woman who said, “I could almost weep every time my minister says that blessed word ‘Mesopotamia.’” But they are paralyzed as far as obedience is concerned. They are immunized against action. They are anesthetized by the pleasant voice.

This is a familiar syndrome to those who carry on a counseling ministry. There are some people who get a secret satisfaction out of being counseled. They thrive on being the center of attention for that brief hour or so. They enjoy the fellowship of the counselor so much that they become chronic counselees.

Presumably they have come to get advice. But they don’t really want advice. Their minds are already made up. They know what they want to do. If the counselor’s advice agrees with their own desire, then they are fortified. If not, they will reject his advice and continue on in their stubborn way.

King Herod belonged to this class of dilettantes. He used to enjoy listening to John the Baptist (Mk. 6:20) but he was a superficial dabbler. He had no intention of letting the message change his life.

Erwin Lutzer writes, “I’ve discovered that the most frustrating problem in helping those who come for counsel is simply that most people do not want to change. Of course, they are prepared to make minor adjustments - particularly if their behavior is getting them into trouble. But most of them are comfortable with their sin as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. And often they’d prefer to have God keep His activity in their lives to a minimum.”

Some counselors have developed a stratagem to bridge the gap between hearing and doing. They give the counselee a specific assignment - something that he must do before he appears for another session. This tends to eliminate those who are not serious. It prevents wasting time for them both.

It is a serious thing to reach the stage in life where we can hear God’s Word and not be moved by it. We must pray for continued sensitivity to the voice of the Lord and a readiness to perform whatever He says.

Courtesy: http://www.brethrenvoice.net/

ALAS!! Wacko Jacko Gone

The 'King of Pop' ultimately fell to destiny.
The Pop Star who made the World to Rock and Dance with him for a over 25 years had a miserable sad end. The Billionnaire ultimately died as a debtor of 500 million.
His physical condition was pathetic at the end as the report says

Autopsy details suggest that Michael Jackson was a virtual skeleton with only pills in his stomach, while his body was riddled with needle wounds and surgery scars at the time of his death.
Experts reportedly found the singer's hips, thighs, and shoulders bore needle punctures, stemming from alleged injections of narcotic painkillers, given three times a day for years.
A mass of surgery scars was also apparently spotted due to at least 13 cosmetic operations, while investigating the cause of King of Pop's shock death in Los Angeles on June 25.
The autopsy purportedly showed the 'Thriller' hitmaker, once hailed for his fitness, was "severely emaciated" 8st 1oz due to his assumed consumption of just one meagre meal a day.
The 5ft 10in star was also said to have virtually lost all his hair, and was discovered sporting a wig when he died. he 50-year-old bared broken ribs caused from CPR while four needle wounds were also found above or near his heart, according to reports.
The autopsy also reportedly showed yet to be explained bruising on Jackson's knees and on the fronts of both shins, along with cuts on his back.
ALAS !!!
"What it profiteth if a man gain all the World and lose his spirit" - Bible (Mathew 16:26)

Definition for BLOG

I found a new definition for BLOG, its intersting. Read through the Blog and find out yourself
BLOG

Lo, I Come; A body hast Thou prepared for Me

Nearly 2000 years ago, a voice of mysterious import was heard in heaven, from the throne of God!
"Lo, I come." "Sacrifices and offerings Thou wouldest not, but a body Thou prepared Me.... Lo, I come (in the volume of Book it is written of Me), to do Thy will, O God" (Hebrew 10:5-7)
In these words is announced the fulfillment of the purpose of that had been hidden from eternal ages. Christ was about to visit our world, and to come incarnate.
He says "A body Thous prepared for ME"
Had He appeared in the Glory that was His with the Father before the world was, we couldnot have endured the light of his presence.
That we might behold it and not be destroyed, the manifestation of His glory was shrouded.
His divinity was veiled with humanit - the invisible glory in human form in Christ Jesus!

Darkest Hour On Earth

From 8:30 to 9:30 pm local time on Saturday, March 28, hundreds of millions of people around the world will switch off their lights, casting a visual vote for action to curb climate change.
A global initiative of the conservation group WWF, Earth Hour aims to reach one billion people in 1,000 cities around the world, demonstrating the strength of public opinion in favor of keeping the planet cool.
Gala events are planned across the globe to mark the occassion.
In Sydney, every ferry in the harbor will sound its horn at precisely 8:30 pm to herald the start of Earth Hour in Australia, while in Melbourne a people-pedal-powered concert will entertain the crowd at Federation Square.
On the other side of the world, a host of concerts and parties will be staged in cities across Europe, including a "circle of percussion" in Athens, where people will be given percussion instruments to play, led by a conductor, as the lights go out on the Acropolis.
Key landmarks going dark for the event include New York City's Empire State Building and the Broadway theater district, the National Cathedral in Washington, the Las Vegas strip, Niagara Falls, the Eiffel Tower and Elysee Palace in Paris, the London Eye, the Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Table Mountain in Cape Town, Merlion in Singapore, the CN Tower in Toronto, Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the world's tallest constructed building Taipei 101, and the Sydney Opera House.
China will turn off the lights in a signal to the rest of the world of its readiness to address climate change. Organizers have already conducted a rehearsal to ensure that at 8:30 pm the lights will go dark for Earth Hour on the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium, the Water Cube, Ling Long Tower and Pangu Plaza in Beijing.
India will join Earth Hour's global call for action on climate change for the first time. The Government of Delhi is officially supporting Earth Hour and has started appealing to citizens in national newspapers to turn off their lights on March 28.
The effort for conservation is highly applaudable & welcome.
But Have you ever thought, why humanity faces this problem?
Is it because of industrialization, urbanisation, or unthoghtful utilization of scarce resources?
It is none of this!!! Nobody can save this earth from the coming catastrophe!!!
Bible gives the answer to this problem=> Read my Blog

Seventy Days For His People & 70 weeks for World

Prophet Daniel while in Babylon was pained at the state of affairs of Jerusalem and God's people. He was thinking of the prophecy of Jeremiah, that a remnant shall be delivered after 70 years from captivity. Book of chronicles mentions this at the closing.
People of Israel were in palestine for 490 years. But they didnt obey God's commandment and give the due rest (sabath) not only to themselves but also to the land which God gave them(once in seven years for land , and once in a week for people).
So God made the Babylonian King to come and ransack Jerusalem after many warnings through prophets.
Now they are in captivity, and Daniel prays for the restoration of Jerusalem and His people.
God Wonderfully reveals to Daniel his plan about the total restoration of Jews in 70 weeks.
Daniel chapter 9 describes this 70 weeks. It is a wonderful study of the future of the whole world in the days to come.