Are We "gods" IN The Making?

One thing that Gnosticism and ancient Greek philosophies have taught us is the doctrine of emanation and cyclical evolution. From the spirit plane, the spirit travels
down to mater to experience material existence. From the densest physical matter, the spirit evolves into mineral, vegetable, animal, human and demigod forms until it is reabsorbed again into the spiritual world to become a god. This is the reason why Greek philosophers insist on humans to know themselves. Greek philosophy and other religions also teach us about the doctrine of dualism, that there are always two opposing forces in creation contending against each other- the good and the evil, heat and cold, light and darkness, the human and the divine, and so on and so forth. Other religions even adore god in his dual nature- both benevolent and destructive. Thus we see in their temples pantheons of all sorts of gods including sinister looking demigods with horns and fangs or with animal representations. Other philosophies outrightly deny the existence of a personal God insisting that the real god is just a force, a light or divine energy from which the whole universe was created. There are spiritual books of all beliefs, some dating back to antiquities, like the Mahabharata and Vedas of Hinduism, the Four Noble Truths and Eight Fold Paths of Buddhism, the Koran of the Muslims, the Egyptian ancient writings like the Egyptian Book of The Dead, the Buddhist scrolls of Tibet including the Tibetan Book of The Dead, the Kabbalah of the ancient Jews, the Torah of Judaism, ancient manuscripts, esoteric writings of the Essene, the Druids, the Parsis, Zen Buddhism, Shintoism, teachings of Confucius and Lao Tsu, the Rosicrucians, Masonry, the Knight Templars, Theosophy, the New Age, etc., etc.

Some say that the gods were actually spacemen who visited the earth in its infancy and has taught primitive men what would be the precursors of modern day amenities as described in the book- Chariots of the gods by Eric Von Dainiken. They explain that these gods built the Pyramids in Egypt and South America, the Stonge Henge, the massive structures at Easter Island, even the unmistakable ancient landing strips in South America and other parts of the world.

Then some believe that God revealed Himself to men through divine revelation and through the person of Jesus Christ. What to believe? Your choice is as good as mine. The Bible says, "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." I will always readily believe the words of God as contained in the Bible. There, I will stand and fall in my beliefs.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Myths, gods, Chariots of the Gods, Eric Von Dainiken, Gnosticism, Greek Philisophies, Emanation, Dualism, Spirit, Mater

Posted by:Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivation

The Myth Of The "Self"

One thing the world view has taught us is to uphold and protect the interest of the self. This world view teaches us that what matters most in this world is the preservation of the interest of the self. Thus, we are taught to strive for the highest achievement of the self. We see people competing and striving hard to elevate one's self. We hear of self esteem, pursuit of happiness, the good of one's self, even the myth that the self is an emerging god. We are told to seek pleasure because that is the goal of the self. People seek recognition and acclaim from others to elevate one's self. We can see this with the efforts of people to establish records of all sorts as attested by the Guinness Book of World Records. People climb the highest mountains, swim the deepest seas, explore the uninhabitable frontiers of the earth, even strive to conquer the whole universe in their efforts to establish the highest achievements in life. All of these in the mad quest to establish the self. But is this what God wants us to do? People who pursue the quest to elevate one's self has denied or at least push God out of the equation of life. To them, what matters most is the human mind, the human experience and the human challenge to conquer the unknown. But God said, "apart from Me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5b).

Silly that mortal man should fall into the trap of Satan. To insist in pursuing the human will, instead of obeying God's will, is the goal of those who project the self as the end-all and be-all of everything. They insist that the self is "the captain of the ship and the master of the soul". But in the end, those who pursued these same goals have perished in defeat, isolation, loneliness and destruction. FOR THE WILL OF GOD REIGN SUPREME OVER ALL OF HIS CREATION SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL TO THE END OF THE AGES.

Tags: Self, Ego, God, Myth, World, World View, gods, Self Esteem, Pursuit of Happiness, Guinness Book of World Records

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

The Portent

These are the signs of the times. There is global warming and the weather of the world becomes very erratic. Strong typhoons, devastating hurricanes, cyclones and massive snowstorms have wrought havoc to many countries causing so much destruction to lives and properties. It's either extreme heat or extreme cold. The polar caps are melting and soon low lying islands will start to submerged in water. We have now seen the beginning of the collapse of the world economy on a scale never seen before. Not even a package of $ 700 billion from Washington could stem the tide of world wide recession and panic selling of stocks and properties. Values of world currencies are on a tailspin. Big and prestigious companies have collapsed or have declared bankruptcies. Governments have to shore up the financial images of big banks or there will be massive bank runs. There are ever present dangers of terrorist attacks that have produced horrible sufferings from innocent civilians and bystanders. There are prevailing presence of so many exotic and dreaded diseases that are incurable and extremely painful to the sufferers. Earthquakes and massive tidal waves or tsunamis have claimed the lives of so many people. There is widespread apostasy in the world where personality cults abound. There is evil and moral degeneration in mainstream society as if sinning and wanton living are the mode of the times.

Are these signs of the times not a portent of things to come?

Tags: Signs of the Times, Portent, Global Warming, Global Financial Crisis, Depression, Recession, Terrorism, Exotic Diseases, Apostasy

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla

Philippines

Inspirational/Motivational

Dial P.R.A.Y.E.R.

Are you at the very bottom of your life and have nowhere else to go? When you call up your most trusted friends and relatives to seek solace and comfort from the heavy burdens on your shoulders, do you always get a busy line or an answer from an answering machine? Do you feel that there is nobody in the world that you could talk to, to whom you can unburden yourself? Why not try God? He is always available 24 hours a day. There is no busy line in His hotline and He is always available to attend to your most pressing needs or your most troublesome burdens. His hotline? Just dial P.R.A.Y.E.R. and you are connected immediately no matter wherever you are or at what time of the day you call up. He loves it when you pour out all the anguish, the pains, and the frustrations of your soul to Him. And He will not be readily judgmental. He will wait for the perfect time when you will see your own faults and repent them all and turn a new leaf in your life by surrendering your life to Him and accepting Him as your Lord and savior. And what does He give you when you do all of these things? Nothing much really. First, He gives you peace of mind and joy in your heart. You will feel as though the pressing load of a heavy rock was lifted up from your chest and you breathe again freely. Secondly, He will take away the hardened scales in your eyes so that you can clearly see the spiritual truths of His words. Then, He will comfort you in everything that you will do and you will be aware of His very presence in your life. Then He gives you eternal life. Then, oh I don't want to be a killjoy. YOU WILL FIND OUT ALL THE GOODIES HE HAS IN STORE FOR YOU WHEN YOU TALK TO HIM IN HIS HOTLINE.

The Eternal Thief

Have you worked out the deal of your life that would have rewarded you with a handsome sum only to see it fizzled out at the last minute? Have you been so happy in your life that you felt as though you were on top of the world only to see yourself in a whirl of problems later on? Have you felt the love and warmth of your family then later on found your family on the verge of a major breakup? Have you been so successful in your work that you could almost attain the highest level of corporate success only to find out that you were unceremoniously eased out of the coveted position because of intrigue? You may feel that fate has handed you a bad deal in these scenarios but is that the real situation?

There may be something else here than just pure luck or a bad day. Somebody, since time immemorial, has stolen all the blessings and happiness of mankind. In fact, he was cast down to earth and he continues to seethe and foam in his malevolent intent to do mayhem and destruction to mankind. The Bible says that "the thief comes but to steal, to kill, and to destroy." He is the eternal thief who steals everything that is good from mankind. His fate has already been sealed. He is doomed to suffer everlasting death and he wants mankind to lose its divine patrimony which is eternal life. He is a master deceiver who masquerades as an angel of light to deceive the nonspiritual and the spiritually puffed up.

But his nemesis is the Holy Spirit. The covering of the blood of Jesus protects us against all his wiles and malevolent intents. He was already vanquished at Calvary. All he could do is to deceive mankind. He is now the lord of the world adored by those who cling to all forms of godlessness and sinful living. Would you let him steal all the blessings intended for you, especially your eternal life with God?

Tags: God, Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, The Devil, Eternal Thief, Godlessness, Blood of Jesus, Eternal death, Eternal Life

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Do You Dare To Be Different?

Do you dare to be different? Do you dare to swim against the current of popular world views? Can you stand for your principles and for what you feel are the right things to do when everybody else is doing the opposite? Can you maintain your scruples and principles amidst the darkness and permissiveness of the world? It is easy to go along with everybody else and be comfortable with the popular and accepted views. It is easy to justify a morally warped principle and way of life when everybody else is doing it. After all, did not the popular maxim says, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." Yes, it is so easy to swim with the popular current of worldly living since almost everybody else is doing it. Anyway, no one gives a hoot as to what we do with our private lives. Or is there really nobody who cares for what we do? But at the end of the day, when the life of our individual candle is snuff out, we will give an accounting for each and every thing we did, said and thought while we were alive in this mundane world. We did not sprout out of nowhere and we will not be extinguished forever like a flame of a burning candle. There is an existence beyond this present life and we will be giving an accounting to our Creator after our mundane lives are over. So to those who live for the day in excessive pleasures and wanton living, disregarding the norms of morality that God has prescribed to the world, there will be judgment that they will never forget for all eternity. They will rue the day that they disregarded the dictates of their conscience and instead live for their own selves in excessive and profligate living. They had their own "rewards" while they were still living.

Tags: Dare To Be Different, Principles, Going Against The Current, Morality, Excessive and Profligate Living, Conscience, Just Rewards

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational

Teach Us To Number Our Days

How do we look at our lives? Do we look at it as one straight line to nothingness, or do we fill it with purposeful living? Have we brought sunshine to the lives of others? Have we put smiles on the faces of those we met? Have we become an instrument of God in bringing peace and harmony to our surroundings? Have we filled the world with love every day of our lives?

The Bible tells us to number our days so that we can be aware that life is but a transient experience. It is not the end all and be all of our existence. One day we are alive and healthy, and the next day we may be gone. Numbering our days makes us also aware of our total dependence on God for everything. Hence, we are grateful for each day, each hour, each minute and each second that we are alive. When we awake each morning, we thank God for another day of life to serve Him and please Him in everything that we do. We join with the whole of creation in giving Him praise and worship because of His glory and greatness. Look at the birds. They never fail to sing and glorify God every morning. The wind, the blades of grasses, the bubbling brook, the majestic mountains, the clear sky and the dawning of the sun- they never fail to give glory to God each day since time immemorial. And so we breathe the fresh air in our lungs and savor God's all encompassing glory and splendor in the morning.
Like dew that refreshes all plants, God gives us His tender mercy and love as we awake each morning. And so we learn to number our days to spend them to please Him and give glory to His name.

Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Number Our Days, Glory of God, Whole of Creation

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Inspirational/Motivational