Sreedhar's Journey

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 re...

Politics can turn on you very quickly when you have unmet objectives.  It causes people to do things that are bad and sometimes inhumane or vicious.  I have been told that in some countries they even conduct contract killings. In politics people want to see the quick demise of their opponents. Ezekiel 26:3-4 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It is all about Tyre today. No, not your car tire but about the port city of Tyre that was part of the major trade route for West Asia at that time. In fact what is prophesied here came to past and you can see the tremendous ruins of the ancient city when you make a visit to modern day Lebanon. It is a day trip from Beirut, the capital. Tyre, like the nations m...

Sarcasm is an ironic or satirical remark tempered by humor. Mainly, people use it to say the opposite of what's true to make someone look or feel foolish .  That is not very nice.  Any humor at the expense of another is not nice and God takes a strong position against it. Ezekiel 25:17 I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them. The Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites and Philistines were all looking happy for a moment due to Israel's judgement. But God was about to bring judgement on them as well. Don't doubt God's ways of correcting evil and don't celebrate at the issues others are facing if you have issues as well. These nations also did the same wrongs as the people of Israel. They have a rich history from their ancestry and they were without excuse when it came to knowing and worshiping God. But they worshiped other gods.  Are you laughing at other people's misf...

The American Medical Association has noted that stress is the basic cause of more than 60 percent of all human illness and disease.  And so what are you doing about it?  Even with all the amenities and gadgetry around us, life has become complex.  It is time to get a life.  In some forums I have said it is time to "smell the flowers" and not be rushed.  A friend of mine frequently says, "we need to have fun".  When I joined a project in the World Expo in 1986, the lead trainer for the project gave us new middle names, "Flexible".  However, all these can only happen when we are walking and running with God. Ezekiel 24:11 “Then set the pot empty on the coals, That it may become hot and its bronze may burn, That its filthiness may be melted in it, That its scum may be consumed. The meat is cooked in the heat of the cooking pot and this is symbolism of the hard times coming. The scum is left and it is burned in the pot with a hotter fire. And th...

Are you a "worrying" type of person?  I can be but I quickly realize that no amount of worrying can resolve a matter.  Lee Yen and my biggest concern as husband and wife, and parents, is our children.  But, we can be getting it all wrong, and we have.  They are gifts from God, and we need to be responsible stewards of God's gifts to us.  However, God owns them.  Our children are His.  When you have this perspective, there is no more worry.  We know God will take care of them.  We need to just invest into their lives through love, training and prayer.  However, this was not the case with the people of Israel. Ezekiel 23:36-37 The LORD also said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, t...

In the city of Manila there is a place called "Smoky Mountain". This place is continually burning and smoky, not because it is a volcano, but because it is a pile of rubbish that is continually in a state of combustion. It is smelly and difficult to get near, but there are people who ignore all that and scavenge for recyclables in the midst of the garbage, and even live in the edge of it. The rest of us passing through this area may be appalled at this to the point of feeling nauseated. This is how you may feel as you read Chapter 22 in Ezekiel. Ezekiel 22:11-12 One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter. In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says the Lord GOD. Human sacrifice. Making and worship of idols. Sexual perversity.  Social injustices of ...

Ever been to the Weta Workshop in Wellington?  It is an amazing place where physical effects are created to make a movie come to life.  Most of the "props" are make believe.  However, there are some items that are made to scale and with the real stuff.  One of them are some of the swords.  They have a great collection of swords that are made by a master swordsman.  Beautiful to look at, but need care in handling.  It is hard to believe how in ancient times swords were used widely, but they were. Ezekiel 21:14 You therefore, son of man, prophesy, And strike your hands together. The third time let the sword do double damage. It is the sword that slays, The sword that slays the great men, That enters their private chambers. The sword is mentioned throughout this chapter and its referred to in relation to the judgement that is coming on Jerusalem and the Ammonites. Great wrath through the hands of the Babylonians. They also do not follow God and...