True greatness can only be achieved in one way

Plagues can alter the course of civilizations, and they have. The Athenians lost a war in 430 BC. Large number of Roman soldiers were killed, including the emperor around 180 AD. A number of others impacted Europe and Africa. Then came the Asian and American ones. A lot had to do with hygiene and cultural practices that allowed plagues or viruses to infect large populations. Man-made? Or, greed? This can also play into man-made conflicts for the purpose of gaining economic power.

Ezekiel 27:27

Your riches, wares, and merchandise, Your mariners and pilots, Your caulkers and merchandisers, All your men of war who are in you, And the entire company which is in your midst, Will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin.

Tyre was a very successful port and with that came success in trading and shipping. It was a very successful business ecosystem and port city that made Tyre a "global economic hub". But they were too reliant on human wisdom and had little to do with God. History may show that Tyre lost important vessels and cargo in those years due to plagues and natural calamities. This may have weakened them to the point that the Babylonians were able to defeat them.

We can control many things and brag about them but there are many many more things we do not control. God is in charge. If we are arrogant and ignore His leading and His ways, we will face downfall. The merchants of Tyre also traded in human lives. I am sure there were more ungodly things done there. And so a great port city was destroyed eventually.

Father, greatness comes from following your ways. Help me be successful using your leading and ways.

Comments

My Journey of Faith

Sreedhar standing to the left of his grandfather in the center Almost 55 years ago a son was born to a Hindu family. The parents were 2nd generation Malaysians raised in a rubber estate near a small town called Sungei Petani in Northern Malaya at that time. This first child was given much love and care by their parents and had the privilege of growing up in 3 different states of Malaysia, most of which was in Petaling Jaya. He was blessed with his first domestic airplane ride when he was 10 years old, and made his first trip by airplane to Bangkok at the age of 11. In the mid 1970's the family moved to a large house in a relatively exclusive neighborhood in Petaling Jaya. This was a result of the favor his father, aged about 35 at that time, had in the workplace,. As a result, this son grew up in a mostly multicultural environment with Indian, Chinese and Malay children. In the process, his perspectives became cosmopolitan and racially neutral. On...

Heavenly courage and capability

Anybody reading this belongs to the military or was in the military? I commend you if you were. Whatever reason you were part of the military, it takes great courage to perform your role. If you are protecting the sovereignty of a country and you go beyond the call of service, your work is beyond anything money can pay. Such a person that acted in this manner was Abram. Genesis 14:14, Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. Abram had 318 men and he was going after 4 kings who just defeated 5 kings. He was rescuing, among others, his nephew Lot and his family. He is acknowledged and blessed by Melchizedek . Genesis 14:18-20, Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High...

"Being Ready" cannot wait

Ready for the end of the world? Ready for death? I am sure many reading this are indifferent to this question. You don't care. But if you care about what you eat each day. You care about who you meet. You care about your health. And perhaps, you even care about people, your community and/or the environment. Then, you are avoiding the question about being ready for the most important event of your life, because you don't know the answer. John writes about this in Revelations. Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. The time is near! In the KJV it says, the time is at hand! The revelation given to John is difficult to completely appreciate because He is sharing God's perspective on time (from eternity to eternity). In the human context, time cannot be stored. If you missed it, you missed it. It is spent. You cannot redeem time. It is...

There is a silver lining

The phrase "silver lining" is used when you want to emphasize the hopeful side of a situation that might seem gloomy on the surface. The origin of the phrase seems to be John Milton's 1634 poem "Comus," which includes the line, "Was I deceived? or did a sable cloud/Turn forth her silver lining on the night?" ( Source ). When you think about it most things is not doom and gloom. There is a positive side that you can pick up on, because God is watching over us. Jeremiah 46:14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; Proclaim in Noph and in Tahpanhes; Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves, For the sword devours all around you.’ Egypt had great military might and was a great civilization with years of history. Yet they were no match for the new Super Power of the day, Babylon. They had hired workers as their soldiers and great expertise in warfare but all this is nothing when God declares that you will be defeated. In times like t...

Be unconventional; it is okay!

In every society and organization there are cultural norms. There are practices that are observed and are deemed normal. Anything else would be unacceptable and may cause the person committing this to be taken out. In a religious context many of these may have no relevance to the practice of the faith. They are just ways to deal with all other aspects of life together. In this regard, Jesus was fairly unconventional. Mark 2:5-7 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus constantly brought up or did things that were never seen before. He forgave sin. He healed the paralytic. He caused a tax collector to join His discipleship group. He had close fellowship with tax collectors and sinners. His disciples did not fast while He was with them. His disciples picked grain in t...

Time to return to an old and faithful relationship

Unfaithfulness or lack of loyalty is prevalent in our society today. But was it any different "back then"? This issue is a perennial one. From ancient times you see switching of loyalties and allegiances to suit the personal agenda of the person. Sometimes this could involve an entire nation. The kings, peoples and nation of Israel were no different. But there is hope. Hosea 3:5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days. Hosea was again asked to do a prophetic illustration. He was to take on a harlot and demonstrate Israel's unfaithfulness. It was sad. Chapter 3 of Hosea goes on to mention that there will be no king and no sacrifices. Therefore, no leader and no forgiveness of sins? But in actual fact the situation is reversed. The people return to God and David their king. It is not talking about the dead David but the J...

Sreedhar's Journey

Search This Blog