We are called to walk
in the narrow way with broad minded but we love to choose to walk in wide way
because of our narrow mindedness.
If we read god’s word and pay
serious attention to Mathew 7:13, then the lord will help us to unfold the
mystery of it. He starts the statement with “Strive to enter through the narrow
way” which innately make us to posit that it is very hard, because our carnal
minds always speaks contrary to the spirit ,as the spirit is opposite to flesh.
We should think broad and walk in a narrow way. Our god is not a god of one
particular nation alone, he is a god of this universe and elsewhere.
We live in a country where people
pay much attention to trivial things and less care to important matters. “They like good looks and not good thoughts”
and love to have a “temporary solution than a permanent solution” and so on. It is
undeniably accepted that the people characters are shaped through their
traditions and religions which acts as the foundation for their innate
response, thinking, working, lifestyle etc… no wonder if a person in India
claims he is an atheist then it is really going to be a challenging life style
for him. Under any circumstances he may have to fell prey to follow their
ancestor’s traditions, cultures through the influence of their parents,
relatives, spouse and sometimes friends & neighbors too. For example if a
person in a family dies, he may have to undergo the rituals before burying or
cremate them. I have never heard about a person who has not followed or
undergone any of the rituals or some sort of sentimental activities before they
bury or cremate it.
We follow customs and principles
according to each family and society convenience levels. Present day
Christendom is likely to be a self-centered life and not Christ centered. We
are much comfortable to follow on our own ways, what our mind says, what our
eyes sees, what our hand intend to do and etc. We strive to achieve whatever it
pleases to our eyes, gets attracted to the worldly concepts, yet we would put a
name plate as Christians and judge ourselves that we are good in his sight. We
are no difference than other religion people, we practice and follow whatever
they also do. Only when we make a difference in virtue it would make others to
puzzle and question you for the difference you are making which would
eventually open up a way for gospel along with the prayer full life.
When the gentile see us they find
no difference in us, starting from lying to Railway TTR about the age of our
children to get rid of the full ticket, when a shop keeper gives an extra
balance unknowingly we fail to return to him, going in a one-way route and in so
many things we lie, leaving it as trivial. Albeit we are claimed to be saved
Christians we fail to repent from our old habits and holding on to the cultural
practices which is meaning less and unhoped life of other religious customs,
which indirectly has a coincidence from other religion. We always don’t ask
question to ourselves why it is necessary to follow certain traditional &
cultural habits.
I have personally witnessed in my life when I
refute to celebrate the urge of my relatives and parents asked to celebrate the
3rd trimester of my wife pregnancy which is the 7th month
(in tamil we call it as seemantham or valakaapu which basically draws its
origin from Hinduism based on the goddess sri Mahalakshmi. ie; when a woman delivers a child, she is considered
the embodiment of the Goddess Lakshmi herself). Am unsure how many of would
know the detailed history of this celebration. we are drawing the origin from
them and changing the pattern according to our convenience but failing to
understand whether it is pleasing to god. Mark7: 8
says we lay aside the commandment of god and holding on to the traditions of
men.
For I do not want you to be
ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under
the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into
Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and
drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that
accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased
with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness – I Corinth
10:1-5. If this verse can be interpreted
to our present day scenario it goes like this;
We all go to church on every Sundays, take part of the communion,
conduct prayer meetings, greeting everyone on the first visit as “praise the
lord” , speak soothingly, yet we will not look pleasing to god if our life
didn’t manifest his character. As the bible says in acts1:8 when the Holy
Spirit come unto you, you shall be witness to all. If no witnessing in practical life then it is not a pleasing life to
god.
We are shaped by our church
teaching but we fail to look into the word of god and test the teaching of the
church though it is obvious that all church teachings are drawn from the word
of god, yet it is very imperative for every believer to test the teaching and
holding on to it, as in last days there will be deceptive teachings, people
will hear to endless stories, false genealogies and so on - says paul to
Timothy.
In the gospel we see the only
begotten son came as a human being(not as a god) and showed as a life of narrow
way, he came, he saw, he lived, he died, and he conquered the death through his
teaching and living. Jesus lived among the jews and yet he didn’t follow the
traditions of the jews which aren’t pleasing to god. It is inevitable to forsake all the traditional cultures and ethos in
this society but it is very imperative to understand which are the one to leave
and can hold on to it.
All we needed to do is live a
life worthy and pleasing to god fully in all aspects and there shouldn’t be a
pinch of fleshy stain in it. Think Broader and walk in a narrow way.
Any questions please write
to me @wilsonpravin@gmail.com or leave a comment. Your views are welcome to shape this world.
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