Wisdom and Innocence

Several years ago when I first read the verse   " Be ye wise as Serpents and innocent as doves" ( Mathew 10:16)  I was intrigued.
These are the words of Jesus and why is there a reference to the Serpents as being wise.  With time and experience it dawned on me  that  

Wisdom is a state of mind while Innocence is a consequence of action.

There fore while we may possess the knowledge and wisdom on the various disciplines of our vocation  we need to ensure that our  actions should  never make us  feel guilty or be called  guilty.

Hope-Less to Hope

Soon It will be January 1^st and we send out SMS’s emails  and make calls to wish each other a Happy New Year.

Have you at any time  wondered why do we wish  each other?

It is because we  hope that tomorrow  will be better and   be one where we have  peace and joy and happiness.

Have  we wondered what is hope?

The Webster’s Dictionary defines  HOPE as : The wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment. To look forward with confidence and expectation.

Let us quickly  look at two more words

Despair: to be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat

Despondency:  Depression of spirits from loss of hope, courage or confidence.  You have despair and despondency where there is no hope.

We would definitely prefer Hope to Despair. 

People have hope in different things and let me illustrate this through a passage from the Bible.  It is graphically recorded in the Book of Acts  about St. Paul and Silas  another apostle. ( Acts 16:16-34)

“16 One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a young servant woman who had an evil spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God! They announce to you how you can be saved!” 18 She did this for many days, until Paul became so upset that he turned round and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her!” The spirit went out of her that very moment.

19 When her owners realized that their chance of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the authorities in the public square. 20 They brought them before the Roman officials and said, “These men are Jews, and they are causing trouble in our city. 21They are teaching customs that are against our law; we are Roman citizens, and we cannot accept these customs or practise them.” 22 And the crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas.

Then the officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be whipped. 23 After a severe beating, they were thrown into jail, and the jailer was ordered to lock them up tight. 24 Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, which shook the prison to its foundations. At once all the doors opened, and the chains fell off all the prisoners. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped; so he pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, “Don't harm yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for a light, rushed in, and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 30 Then he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your family.” 32 Then they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that very hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; and he and all his family were baptized at once. 34 Then he took Paul and Silas up into his house and gave them some food to eat. He and his family were filled with joy, because they now believed in God.”

Let us look at Three instances of Hope or lack of it from this narrative.

Firstly Paul an Silas  have been imprisoned for  casting out a demon from a young girl. They made her  well in the  Name of Jesus yet they were  imprisoned.  They  were beaten with rods and put in prison.  You know how difficult it would be if we are  given a few punches  but these were beaten with rods. It would be natural for them to cry and  sleep off. Is it not?

In fact we would be most upset for being punished for doing a good act.

What do they do instead. At midnight most or all of us sleep  especially if you are beaten so badly.  Paul and Silas   were praying and singing.  What   was the reason for their singing? How can they pray and sing after such a humiliation?

They had a reason and the reason was their hope in  Jesus.                       

1 Tim 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.

We get our  hope from the  Resurrection of Christ.

Though Paul and Silas were put in the  most  secure of the  Prison they did not fear  their situation due to their hope in Jesus.

This  hope in Christ gave them the courage to drive away the evil spirit, bear the beatings, bear the humiliation of imprisonment. Friend where is you hope today. WE don’t  know how 2011  will turn out.  There will be situations of difficulty for following the God’s will and doing his work. How will we react? 

Secondly people have the Hope on the wrong things

let us look at the masters of the slave girl who was demon possessed.  They  earned a great deal of money through the fortune telling of the  slave girl.  So apparently their  homes were being run  on the  fortune telling of the slave girl.  She was their bread winner.

When Paul drove out the demon  from the girl, they realized  that their hope of making money was lost, so Paul and  Silas were put in prison.

The owners of the girls did not know Jesus. Their hope was a demon possessed girl.  Their livelihood was a demon possessed girl. Don’t we  put our hope on the wrong things? We just  got an SMS to contact  a certain person who will tell us our future.  We have  enough of such examples  of having hope in astrology, rituals, superstition, drugs, power and people.

The news is full of stories where people have been cheated marriages, at jobs, friendships and so on.

My friend if you have  hope in the  wrong things  and hope  in something or someone other than Christ please review and see where the end may be.

Finally  we have  a Situation  of NO Hope.

Consider the Jailor of the prison

He is a  person performing his duties,

He is a responsible person  and he was doing his job well.

He in fact put  Paul and Silas in the inner cell and fastened their feet in stocks.  ( it is another situation that they still were  singing.)\

So here is  a responsible profession doing his duty.  He is very much like you and me. I tend to identify my self with this professional.

There is an earthquake and the  prison was shaken and the  prisoners were free.

This is a normal situation which each of us undergo. 

The  earthquake is nothing but circumstances beyond your control.  We have  minor and major earthquakes in our lives. How do we respond to them? 

In spite of your  best efforts things don’t seem the way you want them to be. How would you respond. 

The jailor was one without hope  He choose to end his life than to face the humiliation and shame of losing the prisoners. In an earlier occasion guards were executed when St. Peter  came out of prison.

Acts 12:18-19

The  jailor being responsible and not wanting to face humiliation chose to die.   Many people perhaps may be in a similar situation as the the jailor.

The jailor was without hope my friends.  

A person without hope chooses  not to live.  

We may not be committing suicide but are we killing part of our selves slowly every day with no hope?

Are we hurting or harming ourselves because  we don’t know what  the  future is ?  are overwhelmed by our circumstance?

The  same earthquake the response of the jailor is to kill himself and the response of Paul is  “ Don’t harm  yourself”

Paul and Silas though in Prison were free because of their hope in Christ

The Jailor who  had the power to imprison others but was  a  prisoner with no Hope.

As we stand at  2011 can  we listen to the voice of Paul say “ don’t harm your self”

And thereafter  ask like the jailor  "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household." Acts 16:30-32

Rom 8:23-25

 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

NIV

In conclusion let us not put our hope in the wrong things

Or not have Hope at all. 

But instead Place our trust  in Jesus 

who is our hope for 2011 and Eternity.

Wish you a very Happy New Year.

Rom 15:13

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

Wisdom is Aspirational

We come to the last of the small creatures- the Lizard.

They are easy to catch and kill, yet are found even in king's palaces!

This is what the Living Bible translation says about the lizards-

They are commonly available but have a royal home.

This is a contradiction of sorts. It is not easy for us to visit the palaces yet the lizards can make their way in.   In our country, there are only specified days in the year when we can go to the Rashtrapati Bhavan or the governors’ residence, whereas  lizards hang out in our homes and also in the kings' palace.

Why are they wise?

They have an ability to climb stone walls. They have a purpose, regardless who catches them they are found to be in the king's palace.

Many of us aspire to visit palaces and given an opportunity, would like to dwell there. You and I have that opportunity to be in the palace of God.

While any can aspire to be  in a King’s Palace, there are  prerequisites to be visiting or living in a King’s palace.

A few years ago  there was an auction of the dresses of the late Princess Diana for a charity. What struck me was the  exquisite quality of the dresses. Being royal they are finely clothed.

One also behaves in a manner which is our Sunday best.  No loose words and profanities are  used.

Let  us  assume that there two prerequisites to be in the King's Palace

• having the right attire and 
• putting on our best behavior. 

So if you and I have an ambition to be in the king's palace we need to be appropriately clothed. We have to be dressed according to the dress code given by the King.  Lets us look at some of the clothes available for us to adorn.

Righteousness

14 All I did was just and honest, for righteousness was my clothing!

  Job 29:14 

The Dictionary defines  Righteousness as  characterized by, proceeding from or in accordance with accepted standards of morality, justice or uprightness;  virtuous.

In a world where the order of the day are scams and scandals the verse “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” gives us direction.   The consequences of  being righteous are definitely positive though the  path may be arduous.

Salvation

16 I will clothe her priests with salvation; her saints shall shout for joy.

  Psalms 132:16

10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, Isaiah 61:10

Salvation  or moksha  (in Hindi) is what we are looking for as humans and it is an attribute of being wise to be clothed in salvation.

Strength from God

1 Wake up, wake up, Jerusalem, and clothe yourselves with strength from God. Put on your beautiful clothes,

  Isaiah 52:1

We usually attempt to do things by ourselves. The perfect way to draw this strength in times of  conflict is to whisper a small prayer. This simple act of submission unleashes the divine powers.

Humility

5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  1 Peter 5:5

Many management gurus have been writing on the potency of humility in making an influence. I have noticed that whenever there is an absence of ego the other listens to your facts and  views.

Compassion

We are encouraged to clothe ourselves with compassion.  Eric Hoffer an American writer said “Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.”

Now coming to behaviour in front of  a King I am not looking at any white book from a palace but lets look at an example. Even the most courageous of us speak softly in front of a policeman. Similarly with a King and in his palace  our speech is to be frugal and we listen attentively. Our gestures are measured  and respectful. These are all attributes of being  wise.

Lizards are wise because of their ability.

Our aim is to be in the king's palace and in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we say "…. Thy kingdom come “ let us prepare our selves to be in his kingdom.

Ants are wise because of the preparation they make.

The Conies are wise because of the protection they enjoy.

Locusts are wise because of the partnership they share.

Lizards are wise because of their ability.

Wisdom is Togetherness!

Locusts have no king; they move together, they are wise. It is difficult for us to comprehend how ordinary locusts can be wise. What is the wisdom of these locusts, let’s understand a few graphic images again from the Bible. 

4, 5 If you refuse, tomorrow I will cover the entire nation with a thick layer of locusts so that you won't even be able to see the ground, and they will finish destroying everything that escaped the hail.

6 They will fill your palace, and the homes of your officials, and all the houses of Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt has there been a plague like this will be!' ".

 Ex 10:4-6 (Living)

 4 After the cutter-locusts finish eating your crops, the swarmer-locusts will take what's left! After them will come the hopper-locusts! And then the stripper-locusts too!   Joel 1:4 (Living)

If you ask a farmer here he will dread the locusts.

If he sees a single locust it is inconsequential but many locusts together are indomitable.

They are wise because they are united. They bring about destruction. So the learning for us is also to be united.

Can we be united?

These wise creatures destroy.  If we are united we can also destroy like the locusts. We can destroy what is evil. The beauty of diversity is best seen in collectivity; individually none of us can experience what we experience as a group.

Unity means a couple of small things, which are not so easy yet not impossible. What are they?

Common purpose- having one goal,

Understanding and communication with one another

Supporting and encouraging each other and finally, taking the responsibility for the work.

We need to come together for common causes more than ever today. We  need to look more at the cause than our own agenda.    

What can we destroy by being united? Yes we can destroy all that is evil and all the ideas which promote hate. This is a partnership effort. While taking the unity of the locusts we can go a step further to build love and compassion in our community.

We get strength from being together and it therefore important that we remain united and overcome evil with good.

Locusts are wise because of the partnership they share.

After the Ants no Anticlimax

How many of us are  familiar with the Coney? Some of you must be aware of them, however for those who don’t know about the conies,  I will take a moment to explain it to you . It is   also  called rock badger. The Coney is a small animal, which has no spines and camouflage or bad smell like the skunk, nor does it have sharp claws or teeth and lastly it does not have poison. It is the most vulnerable of the creatures. It has soft feet and chews cud.

Why are these defenseless animals wise? In today's world where  intelligence is measured by the firepower and nuclear power you possess  yet  here you have these defenceless conies being called wise. They are wise because they make their house in the rocks.

  

18 High in the  mountains live the wild goats and rocks form a refuge for the coneys..  Psalms 104:18 (Living)

When in trouble  the Coney goes to its house  the Rock. It is not easy to attack you when you are  house is a rock. A snake or a mongoose or other predators cannot harm it  in its house.

In times of trouble where do we go?  We generally think we have the power and can do things ourselves. We learn the hard way that were wrong and have no power.

Do we get comfort from rituals, astrology or superstitions?

Do we go to the rock or the sands?

The Bible  tells us who our rock is. 

2  The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
      my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
   He is my shield, the power that saves me,
      and my place of safety. Psalms 18:2 (Living)

²⁴ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Matt 7:24 ( Living)

Where do we build our lives ?  on the Rock or Sands ?

Our foundation should be on the rock. Love Trust and Justice are important stones in this foundation. When you have  foundation on the rock you need not fear in times  of trouble.

The Conies are wise because of the protection they enjoy.

Four Little Creatures one by one!!

In a little village there once lived a boy who was supposed to be dull-witted.  The men of the village used to find great amusement in offering him a choice between a five rupee and a one rupee coin, of which he invariably chose the one rupee coin.  A stranger one-day saw him choose the one rupee rather than five rupee coin, and asked him for the reason.  "Is it because the one rupee is larger?" the stranger asked.  "No" was the response, "not because it is the biggest.  But if I took the five rupee coin, they would soon stop offering it."  

You would agree that the boy was not dull after all but quite wise.

Our elders and  parents usually  drill down the importance of becoming wise. Their obsession can sometimes drive even a sane person  to have doubts about herself/ himself.  My mother however used to make me read the book of  Proverbs  frequently and I found these verses  about  small creatures being exceedingly wise surprised me.  Lets see the verses 

 ²⁴There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
   ²⁵The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
   ²⁶The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
   ²⁷The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
   ²⁸The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

Proverbs 30: 24-28 KJV

It intrigued me to think that an ant, lizard or a locust could be wise.

The word exceedingly is a superlative and I thought we could spend a few moments to understand why these animals are exceedingly wise.

I am sure you would also be curious to know why they are wise.

In fact we all want intelligence and wisdom since we have to contend with work, studies and different situations in life.

In the next few days I shall share a few thoughts about each of these exceedingly wise creatures. 

Let’s take quick journey as to what makes an Ant a wise creature.

Ants

Ants are creatures of small strength yet they store up food in summer. When you have plenty, you don’t really care for tomorrow. Summer is normally a time for holidays. Many of us go of on a holiday and take a break. We normally do not work in summer. The ants however are very hard working during summer. Can you picture that? They are storing up food for the winter. Winter's are generally cold and are unable to do any work. If there is no food we will starve and die.

Let us see what is said further about the ants:

6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy fellow. Learn from their ways and be wise!

7 For though they have no king to make them work,

8 Yet they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.

9 But you--all you do is sleep. When will you wake up?

  Prov 6:6-9 (Living)

The key words are no ruler or king to make them work.

Do you really need your father to take off on you to study hard and work?

Do you need your boss to breathe down your neck and supervise you?

No one tells the ant that it should plan and store its food.

No one need tell us what to do,  we can learn from the Ant.

How do you ensure that the food will last for the winter?

1. You have to create a storage place
2. You have to see that it is secure from rats and thieves
3. You see that it has a proper lock
4. Ensure that there is no moisture or the grains would get spoilt

The granaries of the ants are generally 5 inches in diameter and half an inch high, several of these are interconnected and scattered over two yards in diameter and a foot deep in the soil.

They do not have locks but they must ensure that the grains do not get spoilt. They pluck the seed from the plant often from the portion called the head or radicle this is to prevent the seed from germinating. They next remove the   outer covering or chaff and even put the seed in the sun to dry.

This friend is a simple example of forethought.

People without strength, by diligently working together, rise to positions of great strength.

What do we have to do?  What does Jesus say? What is the foresight we need?

³³ “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. ³⁴ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be..  Luke 12:34 (Living)

Take the example of Noah:

7 Noah was another who trusted God. When he heard God's warning about the future, Noah believed him even though there was then no sign of a flood, and wasting no time, he built the ark and saved his family. Noah's belief in God was in direct contrast to the sin and disbelief of the rest of the world--which refused to obey--and because of his faith he became one of those whom God has accepted.  Heb 11:7 (Living)

It would have sounded really stupid to build a ship on dry ground actually on a hill.

Noah trusted God and he had the foresight to work hard in his summer and then be saved from certain death,

If we want to put away economic strangulation and death we need to work hard.

   

Ants are wise because of the preparation they make.

How can we be wise to use our life and prepare for our salvation? 

                                                                        

Threshold of Eternity

You might be really feeling low with a loved ones Death


Let us look at things optimistically.


What is Death really?


Death is the fulfillment of Life’s purpose.


Death is attaining maturity.


Acknowledgement of Death is in truth acknowledging Eternity.


Can there be Eternity without Physical death?


Eternity the very word should fill you,


Should envelop you with  Hope


Hope undistilled


Hope is what leads us on.


Should we reject something because it is unpleasant,  sad  and painful?


Should we attempt not to face reality?


Growth and learning takes place from experiences which are  unpleasant, sad & painful.


Let us look at Death as the happy culmination of physical life.


Let us view Death as the Threshold Eternity.

I had penned these lines in a letter to my father one evening in January 1986. This is one of my early pictures which I took on the January 26th morning 1986 on an inspiration and a borrowed camera. On developing the  picture I realised it was a summary of my thoughts.