NEED OF GOD
· flTs; je;ij mofpa tho;T…
1. Belief in the Existence of God
Do you believe in the existence of God?
Does God exist for you?
How do you say that He exists? – From everyday happenings
So, we accept that He exists. It is up to each one to identify God.
Story of Barber
Once a man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.” “Why do you say that” asked the customer. “Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick and suffering people? I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.” The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber, “you know, Barbers do not exist.” “How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber, “I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you.” “No” the customer exclaimed, “Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.” “Ah, but barbers do exist! That’s what happens when people do not come to me” claimed the barber. “Exactly!” affirmed the customer. “That’s the point. GOD DOES EXIST! That’s what happens when people do not go to Him and don’t look to Him for help. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”
St. Thomas Aquinas said: “The existence of God, in so far as it is not self-evident to us, can be demonstrated from those of His effects which are known to us.” When we see a chair, we know that the chair did not come into existence by itself, but that a carpenter made it. Everything we see is made by someone. Look at the wonderful universe, with its sun, moon, other planets, the galaxy of star, etc. No human, no state, no nation has made them. There must be someone who made this wonderful universe. We call that maker God Almighty.
2. Give God Due Place in Life
One rich man owned 19 horses when he died. In his last will he had written that upon his death, half the horses he owned should go to his only son; one fourth to the village temple and one fifth to the faithful servant. The village elders could not stop scratching their heads. How can they give half of the 19 horses to the son? You cannot cut up a horse. They puzzled over this dilemma for more than two weeks and then decided to send for a wise man who was living in a neighbouring village.
The wise man came riding on his horse. The villagers told him about the problem. The wise man said he will immediately solve their problem without any delay whatsoever. He had the 19 horses placed in a row standing next to another. Then he added his own horse as the 20th horse. Now he went about giving half of the 20 horses – that is ten horses to the son. One fourth of 20 – that is 5 horses were given to the temple committee. One fifth of 20 – that is 4 horses were given to the faithful servant. 10 + 5 + 4 made 19 horses. The remaining 20th horse was his own which he promptly mounted, spoke a few inspiring words, and rode back home. The villagers were simply dumfounded, full of disbelief and filled with admiration. And the parting words of the wise man were inscribed in their hearts and minds which they greatly cherished and passed on to their succeeding generations till today.
The wise man said: “In our daily lives, in our daily affairs, simply add God’s name and then go about facing the day’s happening. Ever come across problems in life that are seemingly insurmountable, add the God principle and the problems will become lighter and eventually will disappear, in the manner of the ice which, with the addition of the heat principle will turn into water and that will eventually evaporate as steam and disappear.
And how do we add God’s name in our daily lives? Through prayers, filled with true love and devotion with sincerity of purpose and dedication that only total faith can bring about. Meditation is a powerful means of directing the mind God-ward. But without true love and devotion entering into it, it remains like a boat without water. It is not difficult to push a boat that is floating in water, but extremely hard to drag the same boat on dry land. In the same way, if our life’s boat floats on the waters of true love and devotion, we can sail easily in it. The principle of love of God and devotion with total faith makes easy the voyage of our lives.
3. Surrender yourself to God
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it"
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. God takes the dirty, sticky, stinking parts of our lives and he renews and makes us whole and useful. All that is required of us is to hand over ourselves to God with all our weaknesses and failures.
4. Become a God-Bearer to people
It is not enough that we alone experience God. Once we taste the love of God, we should become bearer of God to people. When we begin to find God everywhere then that place becomes heaven. Then, there is no room for pain and suffering and we all become brothers and sisters of one Father and Mother – God.
One afternoon January, 1951, in a small Japanese city, a poorly dressed little girl approached the entrance of the prison and handed a parcel to the superintendent. “Give this to some condemned criminal,” she said and then left. It was a bundle of religious books with a consoling letter which ended, “…in the eyes of God a criminal is His child…” It was signed “From a School girl.”
The superintendent gave it to a man who was condemned to die for the murder of a family of three. The prisoner was deeply moved and wrote the little girl a letter. In it he said, “…I, the most wicked villain, have been afraid of death which I must face in the near future. But now the fear has been lessened… How great is the mercy of God to me, the sinner… May God bless you.”
– Sakuiche Yamada.
This little God-bearer in far away Japan should inspire us helping us to bring hope where fear and despair prevail.
NEED OF PRAYER
· What a friend we have in Jesus - Song
Do you pray to him?
If so, how?
1. You must have faith in God - Story of Tesse.
2. You should feel that he listens to you – Our Father Conversation.
3. Develop simple pious practices
4. Discern his will through prayers – The unforgettable Gift for a Son.
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