"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs, 14:12).
Notices are usually sent around by the authorities to capture a notorious criminal dead or alive. But , in daily life it is a question of being alive or dead as people apparently seem to be alive and yet are in fact dead! This happens because we fail to discern the thoughts, inclinations and tendencies of our hearts that issue forth in wickedness. The prophet Jeremiah (17:9) announced it by saying that our hearts are deceitful above all things. We have instances in the Bible how following what appears to be right leads to death, sometimes of the body and at other times of the soul. King David's sons Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah died for their sins though they were sure of their ways to be right (2 Sam., 13:1-39; 15:1-6; 18: 1-18; 1 Kings, 2:12-25). Samson, Solomon and Rehoboam sold their souls for what they thought to be right and came to great grief (Judges, 16:1-21; 1 Kings, 11:1-13; 12:1-19).
This happens as we do not care to pause and think before we act. In other words, our view of the world prompted by our unruly emotions lead us astray because of lack of reflection. We are guided by the external world and its appearances and attractions forgetting the riches of our internal world. Our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch overpower our mind consisting of our intellect and willpower. These two internal faculties of our mind are equipped to shed light and take decisions on whatever concerns us in life. Although they are in fact more powerful than our five senses, their might and power are overshadowed and weakened by the onrush of the senses. If we neglect to shake off our inertia by means of will power, our intellect becomes dormant and unresponsive. As a result the soul or the living spirit in the human person that is the source of light and love is rendered inactive. Now the field is ready for our senses, that run after appearances without any real substance in them, to play havoc in our life. The person under such a spell unleashed by the senses appears to be alive, though, in fact, is really dead!
The solution to this problem of appearance and reality may be seen in the Book of Revelation, chapter 3."To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die , for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you (Rev. 3: 1-3).
Waking up from slumber is the basic solution needed to put things right by those who appear to be alive and yet are really dead! Such people are actually sleeping though they might think that they are wide awake. How should one correct course to reverse from the present way of life to the one of really being alive? One has to stop everything right now and turn back to oneself to gain real insight from within before returning to the world of things. This is what is meant by repentance when Jesus announced the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. Repentance is not merely being sorry for one's sins and past life, but a total reversal of the present ways of life to be transformed through the new insight and power gained from within ourselves. The realization that we are basically created in the image and likeness of God Himself(Gen. 1:26) and redeemed by Jesus Christ equips us to march ahead empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.
By waking up, we are able to salvage what still remains of life that too is about to die. This is achieved through strengthening what still remains by remembering what we received and heard and holding it fast. It is like a plant that is about to die due to lack of water and is revived when properly watered. What we have to remember is the Word of God that we received and heard and it leads to repentance in the above-mentioned sense. This process begins with first waking up from sleep. The main obstacle in waking up is our belief that we are already awake and are really alive. It is like a dream when there is no doubt about its reality until one wakes up. The warning is that one should urgently wake up before it is too late. The Word of God has given enough warning in advance to the point of saying that we may be taken unawares like a thief coming when we are least prepared to take any action!
Notices are usually sent around by the authorities to capture a notorious criminal dead or alive. But , in daily life it is a question of being alive or dead as people apparently seem to be alive and yet are in fact dead! This happens because we fail to discern the thoughts, inclinations and tendencies of our hearts that issue forth in wickedness. The prophet Jeremiah (17:9) announced it by saying that our hearts are deceitful above all things. We have instances in the Bible how following what appears to be right leads to death, sometimes of the body and at other times of the soul. King David's sons Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah died for their sins though they were sure of their ways to be right (2 Sam., 13:1-39; 15:1-6; 18: 1-18; 1 Kings, 2:12-25). Samson, Solomon and Rehoboam sold their souls for what they thought to be right and came to great grief (Judges, 16:1-21; 1 Kings, 11:1-13; 12:1-19).
This happens as we do not care to pause and think before we act. In other words, our view of the world prompted by our unruly emotions lead us astray because of lack of reflection. We are guided by the external world and its appearances and attractions forgetting the riches of our internal world. Our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch overpower our mind consisting of our intellect and willpower. These two internal faculties of our mind are equipped to shed light and take decisions on whatever concerns us in life. Although they are in fact more powerful than our five senses, their might and power are overshadowed and weakened by the onrush of the senses. If we neglect to shake off our inertia by means of will power, our intellect becomes dormant and unresponsive. As a result the soul or the living spirit in the human person that is the source of light and love is rendered inactive. Now the field is ready for our senses, that run after appearances without any real substance in them, to play havoc in our life. The person under such a spell unleashed by the senses appears to be alive, though, in fact, is really dead!
The solution to this problem of appearance and reality may be seen in the Book of Revelation, chapter 3."To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die , for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you (Rev. 3: 1-3).
Waking up from slumber is the basic solution needed to put things right by those who appear to be alive and yet are really dead! Such people are actually sleeping though they might think that they are wide awake. How should one correct course to reverse from the present way of life to the one of really being alive? One has to stop everything right now and turn back to oneself to gain real insight from within before returning to the world of things. This is what is meant by repentance when Jesus announced the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. Repentance is not merely being sorry for one's sins and past life, but a total reversal of the present ways of life to be transformed through the new insight and power gained from within ourselves. The realization that we are basically created in the image and likeness of God Himself(Gen. 1:26) and redeemed by Jesus Christ equips us to march ahead empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.
By waking up, we are able to salvage what still remains of life that too is about to die. This is achieved through strengthening what still remains by remembering what we received and heard and holding it fast. It is like a plant that is about to die due to lack of water and is revived when properly watered. What we have to remember is the Word of God that we received and heard and it leads to repentance in the above-mentioned sense. This process begins with first waking up from sleep. The main obstacle in waking up is our belief that we are already awake and are really alive. It is like a dream when there is no doubt about its reality until one wakes up. The warning is that one should urgently wake up before it is too late. The Word of God has given enough warning in advance to the point of saying that we may be taken unawares like a thief coming when we are least prepared to take any action!
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