Features
3 most important questions – (final)
The three most important questions that must be answered by all men on earth are as follows: (1) What is the meaning of life? (2) What are we on earth for? And (3) What is the meaning of death on earth?
We have so far answered the third and second questions in our previous articles. Today, we will look at the first, which is:
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE ON EARTH?
Scripturally speaking, any time life questions are raised, one personality readily comes to mind; His name is Jesus Christ! No prophet or religious sect can either contest or deny the level of authority Jesus wielded while He walked the surface of the earth. He said: “I am the resurrection, and the LIFE: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live…” – John 11:25.
Obviously, it is justifiable to focus on Jesus Christ alone when discussing life matters, not just because the prophets of old prophesied about His coming before He finally came (Isaiah 9:6), but also because of the things He did and the statements He made, while on earth. In John 11: 43-44, Jesus raised the dead! In John 14:6 Jesus said “…I am the way, the truth, and the LIFE…!” In John 10:10, He said “…I am come that they might have LIFE, and that they might have it more abundantly!” All these can only come from someone who has full authority over life.
In Deuteronomy 8:1, the Scriptures says: “All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live…”. In other words, our life on earth depends on our doing the commandments of God our creator. Hence, some religious sects only believe in an invisible God. That sounds like, men telling God,“stay invisible and we will accept you as God; become visible and you cease to be our God”!
During the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, one of the religious folks, who believed obeying the commandments of the invisible God, is what life on earth is about, said to Jesus: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus’ response was: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 22:36-40. Jesus said, “loving God and our neighbour” is the most important activity needed on this planet earth. This answers our question:
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE ON EARTH?
Loving God and our neighbour, is the meaning of life on earth. (Note: Every man on earth is your neighbour). Loving God and man, is therefore the reason for our living on earth. 1 John 4:16 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
The scripture says “God is love” and “dwelling in love means dwelling in God”. Explaining this with our physical environment, we can say: just as we live in oxygen in the physical, and oxygen is in us to sustain our physical lives, so also spiritually, must we live in God, and God must be in us, to sustain our spiritual lives. Better still: if God is love (according to the above), then we must live in “love” and “love” must be in us, to sustain our spiritual lives. Living in love therefore, is what it takes to enjoy eternal life.
LOVE EXEMPTS US FROM HELL
The next verse to the above scripture says: “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world” – 1 John 4:17.
It is generally believed that, judgment follows death on earth (Heb 9:27). If the scripture says our practice of love, is what will give us boldness in the day of judgment, then it means, if you live your life on earth loving God and man genuinely, judgment shall favour you after death. The end part of that scripture says: “…because as he is, so are we in this world”. Meaning, we behave like God when we love, and that enables Him to gladly welcome us to where He is, after we depart from the earth. ‘Like begets like’. Love, is therefore what exempts us from going to hell after we depart from earth.
CHALLENGE IS YOUR LOVE-TEST
Many today, have relegated love because of the challenges they face or go through in life. Such fellows fail to consider that, challenges usually serve us with the opportunity we need to prove the magnitude of our love. Matthew 24:12 says, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold”. Because challenges shall abound, many will fail the love-test.
Beloved, the difficulties that abound around you, are to prove how far you can go in love. While hanging on the cross in pain, Jesus’ love was tested: one of the robbers on the cross beside Him, pass an annoying comment. He said: “If you are the Son of God, save yourself and us”, but Jesus was not offended. He simply ignored him and rather ministered salvation to the other robber (Luke 23:39-43). Jesus passed His ‘test of love’ even on the cross. Stephen had a similar test: while being stoned to death, Stephen didn’t curse his murderers. He rather prayed for them, saying: “…Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”– Acts 7:60.
Beloved, the meaning of life is to love God and mankind. 1 John 4:20-21 says, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also”. The proof of our love for God is our love for man. Therefore, if we live our lives in quarrels, malice, bitterness, hatred etc., and still attend church, we are liars. The relevance of your church attendance is known by how much you love your neighbour.
Attending church is good, but then, walking in the spirit, does not necessarily mean attending church or making long prayers. It simply means walking in love. Galatians 5:14-16 says, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself.But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.This I say then, WALK IN THE SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh”. So, “walking in the Spirit” means walking in “love”.
Friend, if you live with the mentality of loving every human being you meet on your way, you will realise how amazing life is. Imagine a world in which everyone loves their neighbour; what will you call that world? Heaven! So, love is the answer to all of life issues. Remain blessed!
Dr. Frederick France (Author: Divine Keys devotional)
Blog: pastorfrederickfrance.wordpress.com
Contact: 0208111227 or 0244416603.
Email: pstfrance40@yahoo.com
Features
Emotional distortions: The hidden barriers to mental well-being
Emotional distortions are twisted or irrational thought patterns that can have a profound impact on our mental health and well-being.
These distortions can lead to negative emotions, unhealthy behaviours, and strained relationships.
In this article, we will explore the types, causes, and consequences of emotional distortions, as well as strategies for overcoming them.
Types of Emotional Distortions
1. All-or-Nothing Thinking: Seeing things in absolute terms.
2. Catastrophising: Exaggerating potential consequences.
3. Over generalisation: Making sweeping conclusions based on limited evidence.
4. Mind Reading: Assuming others’ thoughts or intentions.
5. Emotional Reasoning: Believing emotions reflect reality.
6. Should Statements: Imposing unrealistic expectations.
7. Labelling: Assigning negative labels to oneself or others.
8. Personalisation: Taking things too personally.
Causes of emotional distortions
1. Childhood experiences
2. Trauma
3. Stress
4. Social learning
5. Cultural influences
6. Genetic predisposition
Consequences of emotional distortions
1. Anxiety and depression
2. Relationship conflicts
3. Low self-esteem
4. Impaired decision-making
5. Substance abuse
6. Physical health problems
Overcoming emotional distortions
1. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Identifying and challenging distortions.
2. Mindfulness: Practising self-awareness.
3. Self-Reflection: Examining thought patterns.
4. Journaling: Recording and analysing thoughts.
5. Seeking support: Consulting therapists or support groups.
Strategies for Maintaining Mental Well-being
1. Practice self-compassion.
2. Engage in physical activity.
3. Cultivate social connections.
4. Prioritise sleep and nutrition.
5. Seek professional help when needed.
Conclusion
Emotional distortions can have a profound impact on mental health, but they can be overcome. By recognising and challenging these distortions, individuals can develop healthier thought patterns, improve relationships, and enhance overall well-being.
_References_
– Beck, A. T. (1977). Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
– Burns, D. D. (1999). The Feeling Good Handbook.
– American Psychological Association. (2022). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
Features
Where are we rushing to?
Sometimes you wonder what is going on especially the period before Christmas, in terms of the road incidents.
Yesterday, heading towards town, on my way to lay a wreath on my late wife’s grave, on the anniversary of her burial, I saw cars ahead of me suddenly indicating that they want to move into the middle lane from the inner lane.
I then saw, as I inched along, the reason for moving into the middle lane. Apparently an Uber vehicle had hit the side of a Mercedes Benz car and they were arguing and trying to sort things out.
It was apparent that the cause of the incident was due to rushing to get ahead of the Benz. A few moments of patience from both drivers could have avoided that incident.
It just does not make sense that you are in so much of a hurry that you could not let reason prevail for one of you to exercise restraint, to allow the other vehicle to pass and now both of you are wasting precious time on the road, the very thing you were trying to avoid in the first place.
There is another aspect that is related to this rushing that has to be addressed. People are no longer willing to show empathy with others, such that for a driver to pause for another driver to pass to join the traffic or to cross to the other lane is becoming non-existent these days.
We seem to be selfish in most cases which then causes drivers to rush to join the traffic after waiting and waiting without any one giving him or her the opportunity to move to join the traffic. I was tempted to be callous by ignoring vehicles that wanted to cross from my right to join the opposite traffic coming from the Ghana Law School entrance toward Tema Station, earlier this week due to the behaviour of some drivers toward me.
However, I remembered that I was a Christian and a higher standard of empathy is required of me, so I paused for them to cross from the exit point of the filling station to join the traffic going in the opposite direction.
I nearly knocked down two people earlier this week due to their lack of safety I suppose or is it a lack of focus on the streets. I think safety education needs to be intensified because of what happened on Monday.
How on earth would anyone attempt to cross a road, in front of a vehicle when a traffic light has just shown green? It really beats my imagination but that was exactly what happened and how I did not kill her, is attributable only to divine intervention.
Shortly before this incident, I had narrowly avoided hitting another person, who also crossed in front of me when I was about to join a main road with traffic coming from my left side so I was focused on my left side.
A vehicle was ahead of me and so was waiting to move as soon as it moves. The vehicle moved and just as I was about to follow, this young lady just showed up at my right fender and again I would say it was only by divine intervention that she escaped either serious injury or even death.
The level of selfish considerations in the country is becoming alarming by the day and it is something that must be addressed. The normal Ghanaian attitude of tolerance towards each other is now gradually vanishing from our society and is very worrying.
People are becoming much more inward looking and if something is not going to benefit him or her, they are just not interested. There are a few people who still do what is right and they should be commended to continue the good works.
My advice to my fellow Ghanaians is that, let us stop this rushing when we are driving especially as Christmas is approaching so we can save ourselves from avoidable incidents. God bless.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
