Have Some Sound Principles To Follow

Mathew 27: 32-44    Click here for online Bible verses

Even the strongest and powerful men have gone through severe tests and trials before they reached their goal in their lives. It is a common law that without going through some bitter experiences, that refine and remould us, no one can reach their dream land and goal. Our dream land or goal needs suitably reformed persons   to inherit them. Since each and every goal needs specific qualities not mere persons. So, when we work towards a specific goal this work will inevitably lead us to go through some sever experience, that might appear as failure, to refine and remould us. Most of the times this severe experiences or failure-like-moments will be at the finishing point of our work. Most people withdraw from this point and stay in their previous situation fearing failure and without qualitative prosperity in them.Some people going back to his shell fearing the criticism from the society or from close friends and family members. These happen because the lack of sound doctrines or principles in their life.

We can check these facts by studying  the life of the great figures in the history. Gandhi, Mother Tressa, Benjamin Franklin, Thomson A Edison, and many.

We can see this principle of transformation in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Many challenged his abilities he performed in the world saying that if that were true why he couldn't save himself and came down from the cross. That was a truth, but his goal was not to stay here on the earth, first thing. Second thing, which was biggest miracle ? Escape from death or resurrect from death ?Third fact, he was not lead by opinions of folks or he was not willing to heed criticism. His goal was higher than that of the men surrounded him. He wanted to reach the eternal life promised by God and teach those who followed him that there is a resurrection and a quite different life is possible after death pain. No one could deviate him from his path since he always had a very perfect and  specific doctrine with him to motivate himself . The fact is that to overcome all the possible critical moments in the life and reach the goal we need a sound doctrine with us to motivate ourselves, and we need utmost faith in it. 

Not With Money and Boasting But With Qualities

Simon the Sorcerer( Acts: 8: 9-23 Click here for online bible scripure)

Simon the sorcerer attracted people by his street magic. His show brought him popularity and he boasted that he was someone great. When Philip came to Samaria and preached, the people followed him. No one can lead people with some street show and magics.Today or tomorrow they will reach out truth.

Don't try to be  great without having a real outlook. Whatever our performance it may be, if don't have a social outlook, people will kick us out. The numbers we performed would be in vain.Without  basic life principles, we cannot succeed in any calling . Now we can see that even strong monarchs and autocrats are in the shadow of death threat.

Here, when the new order came, Simon tactfully changed his stand and decided to follow Philip. Philip was not a performer, but what he preached was a doctrine, he motivated people to follow that doctrine, not him. And when Peter and John did something with holy spirit, Simon lost his control and the real person stayed in him came out. He tried to bribe Apostles to get what they had inherited as their spiritual quality and ability. 

Don't think that with money everything is possible. Money dominates wherever quality and ability fails.  Money cannot make everything. We cannot substitute spiritual qualities with money. Simon convinced that he didn't have such an ability or quality even to follow Philip, then what about became a prominent figure?. So he decided, any way he wanted to become one of the prominent figure among them. Why? The feeling of being inferior among them.That gave birth to bitterness in  his mind and that evil drove him to bribe Apostles.

We cannot become some one great with street magic and shows.Such greatness will disappear like morning mist. We need some qualities and abilities  produced by our life principles. Those who became greats are not with the power of money. With their qualities. Jesus, Gandhi, Benjamin Franklin...................... then recently passed away genius Steve Job all are examples.

 Acts 8: 9-23

9Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into^c the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” 

Your Heart And Your Success

Mathew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
There is a relation between our heart and our treasure. Both are inseparable and go hand in hand. So if we keep our heart along with God, he will be our treasure. If we think something lacks in life," keep heart" for a few minutes along with it while we keep heart along with God. "Keeping heart" is everything. Success is Not hard working or so called genius and all. Genius itself is the product of "keeping heart there". Many great people became so since they kept their heart along with the discipline they selected. Apostles became so because they kept their heart along with Jesus and God's power worked through them. Keep our heart along with God, his amazing power is available to do everything. Heart is the medium and everything. Keep your heart there where do you want to reach. Then what is heart?
The organ that produces passion and emotions like desire, love,faith,enthusiasm,hope.......................

If You Can Control Your Inner World, You Can Control Your Outer World

Mathew 8: 23-27 http://niv.scripturetext.com/matthew/8-23.htm

Who will be able to send his own mind to a cool rest while furious storm and raging waves are working in his surroundings ? Only that one who can take rein of his own mind in his own hands and drive it out from his self.

When one hear this above mentioned statement, he/she might retaliate saying that as a social being every human being has to be influenced by each and every social as well as natural phenomenons and has to react to it

Yes, of course, then what sort should the influence be and what sort should the reaction be?
The furious storm and waves affected the twelve and Jesus in different ways. The twelve were, at that particular moment, like either a boat in a lake without rowers or a hanged long cloth on a cloth lane. They went along the directions of wind swaying in this and that directions. what did they cry to Jesus? "We are going to drown". Storm took them to such a condition and they followed.
Jesus was not influenced by this natural phenomenon as it influenced the twelve. He was influenced by the fearful and anxious call of his disciples-the twelve.The dangerous turbulent natural phenomenon didn't affect him but the psychological or mental phenomenon - fear - of his disciples affected him. He woke up and controlled the nature. Why couldn't the twelve do the same ? They didn't have the rein of their mind in their own hand. But Jesus had it. Only such a person can control situations. The twelve were, at that moment, influenced by negative emotion , fear. So they couldn't influence situation positively. Otherwise the problem generated a negative emotion, fear, in the minds of the twelve. But that was not possible in the mind of Jesus.
His mind was enjoying the peak of peace and cool calm, that is why he slept even in such a turbulent situation. Such a mind is the shrine where the divine power prevails. Look into his mind, what kind of emotion was there at that time? Love! love towards his disciples. Another peculiarity, a calm and peaceful mind carries other positive emotions like love, compassion, kindness, faith, hope........! Miracles are possible only with these emotions or qualities. With these qualities we can build, create, change........ with other emotions like fear, angry, revenge, jealousy ; we can demolish, destruct, block.......... , we cannot do anything good. We know now why the twelve couldn't create a peaceful situation. So now we know how to be influenced and how to react.

Why these destructive emotions come and make nests in our mind? Let us look into this situation. The twelve had fear in their mind. why? They were going to drown. They thought about themselves. When we think about ourselves we will have many negative emotions. So, 'self ' is the problem. A mind without self - self denial - is a spring of all positive emotions. Whenever we forget ourselves, the divine power sleeping in us will rise up and work miraculously. Whenever we have the awareness about our "self", that "self "will have to work along with the negatives and these positive qualities and the following power will sleep very peacefully.