THE PERFECT BIRTHDAY GIFT!

This perfect birthday gift is one you give to yourself!

A birthday anniversary is a very suitable landmark to give oneself the gift of becoming a HAPPY PERSON at last! But how?

We can achieve peace and happiness by keeping our thoughts pure! Keeping our thoughts pure will naturally lead to true, simple and edifying words. It leads eventually to noble deeds. All these will in turn purify us and our environment visible and invisible so much so that the Love of God will be able reach us undimmed with abundant blessings. By keeping our thoughts pure and exercising the power of silence, we free ourselves from all darkness which is the root cause of all the pressure and burden we feel in body and mind!

Just as we ought to use every Sabbath (our day of rest) to reflect on the past week and draw lessons for the future, each of the birthday anniversaries we are permitted on earth are great opportunities to reflect on the past year and decide that going forward we will only do that which is good. Such an honest decision reinforced by a truly heartfelt prayer is capable of redeeming even our past misdeeds. We would have found our way at last, earnestly shedding off undesirable habits. We become light and we feel bliss. We become healthy in body and soul, freed from the burden caused by our unwholesome attitude of the past.

Is this resolution to be pure at heart not a great gift we can give ourselves? Yes, it is!

May each birthday be for us a milestone on our journey to being born anew!

Take care of your body

Our body is a gift given to us through the Grace of the Almighty. It is to be a tool for expressing in earthly visible form, the abilities and wishes of the otherwise invisible human spirit, our inner core. The purpose of living on earth is to learn the Laws of God and thereby gain maturity. However, to be active here on earth, we require the physical body as a tool. It is therefore our duty to take good care of this tool. We must nourish it with health promoting food, drinks and adequate exercise in order to keep our bodies healthy for as long as we are permitted to be here.

 

Over-indulgence in food and drink need to be avoided. Let us eat only when we are hungry and drink enough water which cleanses the body system.  If we must drink other liquids apart from water, then these must be taken in moderation, and we need not drink any liquid to the point of intoxication. Let us work and make time for rest. Inordinate ambition for earthly goals should not ruin the balance we need for healthy living.

 

Now we come to an especially important aspect. Many think that by depriving their bodies of required nourishment they can become pleasing to God or can influence the Lord to grant their wishes. Some people impose all sorts of torture on their own bodies just so that they can boast later about this in self-satisfaction and in order be considered great in the eyes of men. We should not be under any delusion that we can serve the Almighty by imposing hardships on our body.

 

Although not compulsory, some may find it useful to abstain from food occasionally for some of its health benefits or with the aim of creating for themselves an atmosphere of sobriety and a fertile soil for spiritual reflection and prayers. While fasting may be useful to man, it is neither a service to our Creator nor a negotiating tool which can be employed when approaching Him.  

THE BIGGEST QUESTION FACING BELIEVERS TODAY

There is a question that is directed to all those who believe in the Message of Jesus and who profess to be His followers. A poser that has been overlooked, neglected and probably even forgotten over the centuries. It is serious and will separate the wheat from the chaff! It goes to the root of what you claim you believe. It challenges one and all to really examine what is held today as faith. Is your faith really genuine? Are you really a believer of the Message of Christ or a believer in the doctrines and tenets of your church? Is the Message of Christ which should be the basis of faith still being proclaimed today in the sense in which Christ gave it?

These are not my own questions. Yes. The real question was asked long ago and is to be found in the book of Luke, chapter 18, verse 8 which says: ”Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

Let each solemnly conduct his own self-examination in this regard.

INDOLENCE

One person says he believes in God, but believes in a supreme being who is there as his automated teller machine,(ATM), who always gives him unmerited favors, who is very big and yet always on his side to do whatever he the poor creature wants him to do at any time! Another person sees through the folly and arrogance of the first person and says to himself that there can be no supreme being at all just because he finds the belief of the aforementioned religionist unbelievable.

The two types mentioned above are of are of the same tribe. They belong to the class of the spiritually indolent. The indolent religionist believes the impossible about the Almighty and His Will, while the atheist deny and scorn based on the shaky philosophy of the religionists instead of engaging in his own serious seeking to find the Truth. He demands physical proofs for the Godhead.

Now, all those who believe in things which are not in conformity with the Will of God and who will have their God in the way of their own imaginings are no doubt engaging in the dangerous game of hypocrisy and blasphemy. Their so called worship based on these false beliefs are empty and tantamount to continuously attempting to deceive God with something which does not exist. Theirs is no true faith.

For the outright unbelievers, their scoffing is a sign of a careless indifference to a very serious issue and for the simple reason that they have chosen to remain on the material level only, they paralyse themselves and cannot ascend spiritually.

May we all strive seriously to concern ourselves solely with the Truth which alone brings clarity, sets free, redeems and saves!

ESCHATOLOGY

Eschatology is a study concerned with what are believed to be the final events of history, the ultimate destiny of humanity — commonly referred to as the end of the world. Let us go into some of them.

Baha’i Faith

Some teachings like the Baha’i Faith hold that human time is marked by a series of progressive revelations in which successive messengers or prophets come from God. The coming of each of these messengers is seen as the day of judgment to the adherents of the previous religion, who may choose to accept the new messenger and enter the 'heaven' of belief, or denounce the new messenger and enter the 'hell' of denial.

Islam

Followers of Islam are taught that on judgment day, the works of man will be judged on the scales of Justice and believers whose good works outweighs the bad receives eternal life!

Some of these teachings are useful because when we look carefully there are elements of the truth in them.

Prophecy by Jesus

We obtain clarity about the events of these times from the prophecies of Jesus the Son of God. And so as was recorded in the Bible (Mathew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) when Jesus was asked about the close of the age, He warned the disciples to be careful as many false prophets will come in His name to lead human beings astray. We will hear of wars and rumors of wars and there will be famines and earthquakes. Then a period of great tribulation was predicted such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be! At this same period however is the time when the true teachings of Christ will be preached to the entire world as a testimony to all nations.

We need to note that the End-Time does not mean the end of the world as many often assume, but the end of a great epoch. The Biblical accounts speak of the “close of the age”.  After this close of the age begins a New Time, in which the Kingdom of God is to be established on earth: the Thousand-year kingdom of Peace. The transition from the Old to the New Time is formed by the period of the World Judgment also called the Last or Final Judgment.

Without the World Judgment the New Time cannot begin, because there must first be a thorough cleansing from all evil, so that the foundation for the new Kingdom will be pure and clear.

From all indications and recent severe happenings we can sense that we are at the period that had been foreseen. We stand in the Judgement, the time of reckoning! There is so much to say on this subject but I wish to pause here for now.

ONE OF THE GREATEST PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION EVER SPOKEN!

One of the greatest prayers of intercession ever spoken was uttered by non-other than Jesus of Nazareth from the cross with the words: FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!

One may ask: why did Jesus utter this intercessory prayer? A plea for forgiveness earnestly directed to the Almighty is only relevant where a sin has been committed. Of course the execution of the sinless Son of God was what was happening at the time the prayer was uttered. Since there will be absolutely no need to forgive a deed that is ordained by God, therefore the statement is a prayer to intercede for the shedding of the blood of the Son of God! Being the Personification of Love, Jesus did not wish to hold this crime against the blind and wicked agitators. So He prayed for their forgiveness. We are also beneficiaries of this intercession because this is what has kept this earth and made it available for you and I to still be permitted the experiences of today. That also is a possible reason why the day this prayer was uttered is known as Good Friday.

PRAYER AS TAUGHT BY CHRIST AND OTHER TEACHERS OF MANKIND

Christ gave us an immeasurable lot when it comes to prayer. Just like He taught us to keep our speech simple He made it clear that this commandment applied to prayer as well. Jesus also gave us The Lord’s Prayer. This prayer alone provides everything for the seeker if he pene­trates into it deeply and grasps it aright. The Grail Message makes it clear to us that the Lord’s Prayer is the very essence of Christ’s Message. It says further that the Lord’s Prayer shows man the whole gospel in concentrated form and is the key to heaven for him who knows how to experience it rightly. It can be both a staff and a torch for the advance and ascent of everyone! This is also the reason why we are not meant to rattle it off as if we are rendering a nursery rhyme.

Unlike the usual begging list men are used to, the Lord’s Prayer contains mainly promises man makes to his Creator. These sentences: “Our Father Who art in Heaven!”, “Hallowed be Thy Name”, “Thy Kingdom come”, “Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” – are actual promises to the Almighty which we should not make with levity as such carelessness have dire consequences.

The very first petition “Give us this day our daily bread!”  comes only after the vows.   And the Grail Message gave the true meaning of this petition thus:

“When I have fulfilled what I promised, let Thy Blessing rest upon my earthly work so that, in attending to my physi­cal needs, I may always retain the time to live according to Thy Will!”

Also, see the workings of the Law of Sowing and Reaping in the petition: “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us!” When you pray this way you express your confidence in the law of sowing and reaping ordained by the Will of God. You are agreeing that the forgiveness of your own sins is conditional upon your having previously forgiven all the wrongs inflicted upon you by your fellow-men. 

Jesus also instructed that we avoid the public and pray in privacy. And we find a good example of this in Mohammed the Lord’s servant sent to the people of Arabia who in preparation for his task went to a lonely spot not far from Medina and there he fasted and prayed for seven days.

Under Mohammed’s spiritual leadership, five prayers a day was decreed in order to be able at all times to live in God’s Will and His Holy Presence. Furthermore, when praying the people were to turn their faces towards the East. Mohammed explained: “The Light comes from the East, you see it with the earthly sun. Open yourselves to the Light that would enlighten you, and look towards it.” Even the prescribed ablutions of the body were meant to remind the people that purity of soul is the indispensable condition for fulfilling the Will of God.

There is a lot to be learnt from a prayer sent up by Lao-Tse another servant of God who was sent to the people of China many centuries ago. One day, he perceived with gratitude how he had been guided from above and sought to show appreciation. So moving were the words in which his prayer was cloaked: “Sublime, Almighty God, I no longer wish to be anything myself. Make me into an ever better instrument of Thine, into Thy servant!”

I hope from all the forgoing we have noticed that prayer is not just about asking and begging for only earthly things. Our core as man is spirit. As such we need to pay more attention to spiritual things and this ought to be the priority as we approach the Throne of our Heavenly Father.