Sunday, January 19, 2014

Great and provident God

When we deeply contemplate on the world around us, people, friends, and acquaintances, we begin to realize there is a great and provident God who cares for us, so long we endeavor to keep His laws and principles. Certainly God expects us also to do our best in giving quality service to our fellow men and women. In His holy words in the Bible God tells us: “Give and it shall be given unto you. In the measure that you give, so shall it come back to you” (Lk. 6:38). So the proposition in our lives in order to be successful, according to the above text, is to be sincere to ourselves in being of good service to our neighbors and communities, and the Lord will bless us in return. It’s of no use to be selfish and stingy while expecting others to be generous to us. You yourself can observe how in this life those are most successful and popular who are committed to honest service of the neighbor without announcing publicly such services. God who knows all things and desires from the very beginning will always reward any truthful service from the heart.

Freedom from religion

The title we have here is mainly aligned to basic freedom we enjoy in democratic societies or most modern societies. Most nations today show respect for man’s freedom of choice, inclusive of religious tenets. Yes, in a free society we are free to choose what is right, good and just. It is because with the ample space of freedom, people become more developed in various aspects of their potentialities whereas in repressive situations when freedom is unreasonably controlled, development of peoples is tending to stagnation. Hence the respect we have for other people’s religious convictions should constitute a basic element of the concept of freedom, yes, likewise meaning the freedom we ought to have in our quest for the truth. We help one another in our quest for the truth without violating the basic freedom of choice each one is to enjoy in a free society. Freedom to do good, yes, but not the license to do evil. “Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with whatever is truthful, holy, just, pure, lovely, and noble. Be mindful of whatever deserves praise and admiration. Put into practice what you have learned from me, what I passed on to you, what you heard from me or saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9).