Life A Tribute

LIFE A TRIBUTE

Prof. Dr. Christopher Thomas PhD

Smashwords Edition, Copyright 2012

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Life A Tribute

We have good reasons for Hope

When GOD is our Priority #1

Dedication

This book is dedicated for the

Glory of Almighty God

to

generations of my grandchildren

Stevin, Anjana, Nitin & Ashwin

And, to all our fellow human beings on planet earth; particularly to all those men and women, who are uncertain about their tomorrows, sending out the message that God for us is not an option but a necessary necessity.

Man has his destiny predetermined by his Creator God Almighty, in spite of how you think or act on your own; so we believe. The difference is only that some admit it, live through in life, whereas some disregard and forfeit the blessings.

But, there is an ultimate truth and the truth is consistent and eternal; the truth that God Almighty is the Creator and Sustainer of this entire universe and everything in it, including you and me - less than mere specks in the scheme of creation – nevertheless, incredibly significant specks though.

The following hymn from the Rig-Veda, read in Sanskrit, unveils the desirable path in one’s search towards the ‘Truth’.

It says:

Ekam Sath, Vipra Bahudhaa Vadanthi!

Meaning, Truth is absolute; the wise and scholarly express it in words of many hues’

And

The Holy Bible says:

Now to Him who, by the power that is at work within us, is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, far over the above all that we dare ask, think or imagine, to Him be glory throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Ephesians 3: 20-21.

Author

Foreword

I am honored to have been asked to write a foreword for this exceptional creation on the subject of faith and resultant life associated with our Creator, Almighty God. I believe that the impact of the inside articles will certainly resonate in my spiritual commitments and philanthropic services in abundance and in a permanent manner.

Beyond the realm of religious and political exploitations of humanity at large, there is something private and important as personal choice we wish to retain for ourselves called faith; faith in God as well as faith in others as our responsibility and rights. How do we live with this faith, coping up with the present world scenarios as they are? What are our priorities in life? Do they help us to sustain much needed faith? Have we options?

In realistic life, faith in God undeniably brings peace of mind as it is inviting God’s spirit to live within us. It is not just an act of the mind, but it taps us into the very resources of God so that we will have the power to live in an entirely new way, in an enhanced blueprint of life. People who have great faith in God also may face moments of doubts. The key is, never give up on your faith and to always ask if, over time, our life has been moving closer to or farther away from God, and fine tune it. Also, even during moments of doubt we must invest the effort and discipline to allow our faith to grow.

Fullness of life is rooted in the life-giving source of God. Or in other words, life attains fullness only in perfect relationship with God. It allows every human being to live with complete dignity, justice and equality. Fullness of life restores a life that was perhaps incomplete. God has offered this fullness to each one of us through God’s Kingdom. All of us are invited to join and participate in the Kingdom of God and receive and give life its deserved fullness. Jesus’ message of salvation was loud and clear in this aspect. He came to offer fullness of life to all of us, which was distorted and destroyed by the influence of sin right from the times of Adam.

A life that is hopeful therefore, is a tribute to God, and that cannot be possible unless we destroy the structures of evil that divide human community on the basis of religion, class, caste, race, gender or whatever, and surrender to Him totally, work for Him, and firmly establish His Kingdom on Earth. Then our lives attain fullness and our lives in its fullness transcend all human limitations and all barriers and manifest itself in fullness that is sourced in Jesus Christ. Such is a life hopeful and footed in ultimate liberation from all world ties.

The essence of relationship with others does not lie in external exhibitions, but it signals the deeper reality of life authentically, that is, in God alone there is fullness of life. It implies that a life without God is incomplete and meaningless. It becomes our responsibility then to explore every possibility to maintain this total relationship with God and every individual we interact with in our earthly life. When we establish such a condition, love manifests the extent and totality of our life both externally and internally. This exactly is the sort of relationship people enjoy in the community of God’s children.

We are expected to live a pure and honorable life and to maintain a clear conscience. The best way to maintain purity, honor, and a clear conscience is to live committed to ourselves and others in the community. By establishing such fairly perpetual relationships, our lives become worthy by all scales.

The commitment and true dedication of the author Dr. Christopher Thomas revealed herein has contributed great opportunity for the readers to evaluate their own lives and turn them in reverence to their creator and thus receive Divine Grace in their own lives. I have personally known Christopher for many years now and had several opportunities to interact with him closely. He is a well-read personality in diverse subjects and possesses four Masters Degrees. He is also honored with a Doctorate in Political Science - faculty Human Rights. He had long association and interaction in multinational and multicultural environments abroad making him extensively versatile and well-informed in many societal facets.

Christopher has authored and published several books of International Standards. He is well acclaimed for his wisdom and social outlook. I value his contribution in the pages of this book as a gift to literature and his dedication and call for a pure and upright life on earth. I wish every success in all his future endeavors and present this excellent creation with great pleasure to the readers.

Rev. Fr. John Peter, M S W., M Phil., (PhD)

Director

Mar Gregarios College, Chennai, India.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal

Longfellow - ‘Psalm of Life.’

Preface

God for us in life is not just a choice but a necessity. For those, who dare dispute the very existence of God, judging prejudiced that it is science that holds explanations and the decisive last word on disputed core issues of the intricacies of nature, whether or not they had succeeded so far in proving everything comprehensively on each reality man had been probing so long - inevitably the big questions on the origin of the universe and man’s own evolution into the present being - this book should show the right direction.

For the vast majority of humanity who believe in God, and acknowledge man as God’s creation, according to His will, for His predetermined purposes on earth, this book will provide inspiration.

If some people accept as true that man is created from dust into which God bequeathed His breath of life and made him whole - a living being, to others it can be a different theory. Though, this concept of the soul may differ even from religion to religion, all of them agree on one point that Man is a Creation of Almighty God, and man’s earthly demise is not an extremity in itself, without which even the existence of any religion is meaningless and unworthy.

Atheists and naturalists, who do not recognize the existence of any God, believe life is all but a natural phenomenon no way relevant to any God as external manipulator, and is what had evolved through millions of years through natural process and is constant, founded on the never-changing Principles of Nature. To them this book may serve as an eye-opener.

If man certainly is an evolved beast, then obviously he should possess beastly qualities only. But it is not so. Man has special abilities to love, to care, to share, to serve, to think, to pity and to act on behalf of his Creator. These we can safely term as being godly in nature. These qualities are often inherited from his parents, who had inherited from theirs. Therefore, there is no point in disqualifying man as a beast or even just, a cultured beast.

However, we cannot also totally deny the fact that man does not behave in beastly manner any time though he inherit the workmanship of God created with the intention to be superior to other beings from the very beginning. We should accept the fact that man continues to possess some comparable tendencies of beasts such as, hatred, killer instincts, and cruelty to others, just a few evils to name. You may surely agree that it is certainly disgusting and shameful for the self-boasting civilized man of this millennium to carry out such evil acts today astoundingly and ironically much of them being in the name of disparity in religion and faith alone. These are not rare occurrences among the realm of misguided individuals only, but they do exist in wide proportion within some groups, sects, organizations and nations too. Let us ponder seriously, whether man has indeed evolved from beasts or is an unequivocal Creation of God!

Life, yours and mine, is mysterious and constant journey that has been ongoing from day one of our birth on earth. This journey of life indeed can be rough and thorny for some, delight for some others and a mixture of the two for many. Conditions of our life are either naturally ensuing or self-made by man himself. Obviously in real life, average people go through a sort of life intermingled by enormous amount of hardships and comparatively a smaller share of little pleasures now and then. This is destiny – a condition man has no control over, or say, predetermined by the Creator.

Seldom, we meet people who claim, each moment of their life is enjoyable, pleasant and delightful. If such mental delight does occur, they should be men and women who have placed total faith on their Creator God, and planned their road maps in conformity with His will and carry no burdens on themselves. Naturally, there is no need for concern of uncertainties in their life. Alarmingly those, who did not pin their hopes and trusts in God are always at risk and are likely to have their fears and uncertainties accompanying them right into their future.

Explicit trust placed in God alone will ensure smooth transit for His believers through this world. This is a universal truth; all religions may agree up on. God’s plans for us are always for unblemished end results. Unspecified plans can be frightening, whereas when the plans belong to God, we can be confident that we can expect something fitting marvelous out of it. What we have to do in order to know the plans of God is to surrender ourselves completely in knowing His will and be guided by Him. Always seek God’s will not casually, but truly and passionately. We often find His will instituted in us evidently through circumstances that are beyond our control or even beyond imagination.

For those, who totally have surrendered themselves to God, all their life is times to rejoice in spite of hardships. We live in a world that does not seem to wait on anyone or anything. As such, whatever we have to do now must be done now itself. Our tomorrows would be worth living only if God spearheads them at His will, in proper direction and we accept to follow without questioning. Or else, we would certainly let ourselves lag behind or stray away from those who go ahead with God.

In our ordinary life we witness every creation has a purpose for the Creator. We can compare this to a stage play, where the director – God - assigns each of us a part to play – may be one as king, another as servant, a third one - as peasant, yet another as soldier, anything for that matter – that matches one’s gifted talents. All we have to do is to stage-perform without grudging for anything and leave the outcome to the director. Our part is to act and our responsibility is to act well, as He guides. Until we know what God’s plans are for us and direct all our energies towards that purpose, we cannot claim to have played our part well.

We should also know that until and unless we lead a moral, righteous and gratifying life on earth in the pursuit of excellence in every activity for the ultimate glory of God, then we have not lived a justified life before our Creator. No human can take credit; to Him entirely belong all glory. Therefore, feel the urge to let each day of our life begin with God, walk in His ways and end it up with God so that our lives become pleasant, meaningful, purposeful and hopeful. Let all our motives be in exact perception, let all our ways be righteous and let all our objectives be to His glory. Allow God to guide us at every instant of our lives, at all crossroads of confusions, indecisiveness, or whenever we encounter obstacles. Let our hearts praise the glory of its Lord each moment, throughout life.

Let God be the Head of your family, your by-walker and firm support when you may stumble. Only then we progress in the right direction in life, and become instrumental in development and progress of humanity. With God beside us, we identify and reach effortlessly in the services of those desperate; those who needed care, those lamenting over their beloveds, those who have family or social tribulations, those who are sick and suffering, those who are thrown in darkness due to broken relationships, or wherever we can lend a hand of consolation. As able stewards for God we must take instructions from God at all situations, accomplish His assignments, the way God expect from us as that is our very purposeful mission on earth, thus fulfilling a righteous life on earth and earning eternal rewards as gifts.

God, who is portrayed in the scriptures, is God of Life. Life itself is a gift of God with a Divine purpose. This God being universal, every human has the right to live this life in all its fullness. A new era, a new world order where everyone irrespective of his religion, caste, color or creed is treated as equal human with equal rights to conduct a life in all its fullness is the need of our time and it is slowly emerging before our own eyes. Secular Democracies and International Human Rights are all about the same. As regional institutions, sects, society and individuals, it is our obligation to do things supporting this new world order and to ensure its progress whenever such needs or opportunities emerge. Let us all work for the ultimate benefit of the humanity, especially for those who are exploited, needy, suppressed, ignored and hapless. Let that be our religion contributing a brighter tomorrow for a bright humanity.

A perfect life cannot be possible unless we destroy the structures of evil that divide human community on the basis of caste, class, race, gender and so on. Life in its fullness transcends all human limitations and all barriers and manifests itself in the full life that is sourced in Jesus Christ. Fullness of life in other words is liberation in Christ and continued relation with Him. To attain this fullness, one got to equal himself nearer to God’s personality; that is, love, peace, justice, righteousness, compassion, kindness, intellectuality and creativity.

Our esteemed readers are called upon to have clear understanding that God, of whom we profess here is in the larger, clearer perspective the Almighty God, Creator of the Universe and everything in it and that the author does not mean any particular God from the angle of belief of any particular religion or its faith and teachings and thus does not mean to offend or encourage any existing belief or sectarian views.

The purpose of conception and the exercise of materials in this book is to outline relevant subjects concerned to ordinary people performing ordinary life, the need for their understanding and adhering to fulfilling faith, and look up on God in particular observed from a universal point of view. It also seeks to present a direct bearing on the motives and actions of every individual, no matter which religion or sect one belongs to, by appraising the contemporary trends among most people and to express the need to obey and live a life as acceptable to the Creator, the universal God, and the Almighty God.

Author

By human goodness is meant

Goodness not of the body but the soul

Aristotle (384-322BC)

Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

1. Religion and faith

A. Man and religion

B. Similarities of religions

C. Man and faith

2. Life's priorities

A. God, our source of life's energy

B. My