PROSE 2: GOSSIP

Many folks live pretentious lives. Jesus called Pharisees and Sadducees hypocrites; now who is a hypocrite? It is a person who imagines being one thing, while being another, pretend to be pious and good, soft spoken, gentle and a peace lover, but is just the opposite within. A person, who pretends to believe certain doctrines, professes the same, while the heart disbelieves them, a person in short who is a scoundrel, and knows it, but who does not intend others to know it: who will deceive others but not himself or herself.

However there is also another category of a hypocrite, a more common one by far, and that is the hypocrite who not only deceives others, but deceives oneself likewise; the hypocrite is astonished that you should think him or her hypocritical. A charlatan is also a person who loves to paint oneself as the best, the most experienced, and methodical, a person with innumerable values embodied in his or her person hood but when it comes to practical living and actual work does nothing at all. The tools used often are twins: backbiting and gossiping. Well in this competitive world full of jealousy, greed and envy, we must be aware of such evils that loom all around! Let us be careful of these twin evil darts that can get hurled at us. It is also important that we don’t use such darts on others and destabilize them. It is always better to be absolutely straightforward even if the risk factor is great.

Backbiting is to speak against someone behind his/her back with an evil heart. This is absolutely wicked in the sight of God. The term backbiting refers to a form of slander that is made not to a person’s face but behind their backs. It is so because the accuser is either shaming, or lacks the moral courage to make the accusations directly to the one they are finding fault with. King David referred to backbiting by means of the Hebrew word ‘Raw gal’ which means spying or tattling. Gossiping helps get an ego boost from the mistakes or embroidered/misrepresented so called errors of others. It makes one feel superior and perfect. Gossip and backbiting are also tools used by a hypocrite to split up friends, working groups and teams, disrupts work in an institution and demolishes marriages, parties and governments. Such is the attributes of humans, animals often are so much better than us. I am sure that just as we tell ourselves – ‘don’t have the animal spirit’ or ‘don’t behave like a wild animal’ animals in turn might be advising their folks not to live like humans or behave like humans !!!

Most of the trouble in the world today is set rolling by the activities of backbiters and backstabbers. They may be faceless and nameless in this planet inhabited by myriad humans, but they are there to destroy peace and harmony. In fact they are one of the most trusted agents of the Devil.

~~ Crystal David John :)

POEM 10: THE CANDLE

The tiny little candle

Shines out in the dark,

Leading the lost through the night

With its small yellow spark.

So too must we, tho’ small

Help others along the way,

Always there to heed their call,

And beside them stay.

Till the end the candle burns

Itself out, with no gripe.

Sincerely lighting the path

With absolutely no hype.

Let us like the candle

Be a light in the dark

Lighted to guide others

Let this be our hallmark.

~~ Crystal David John

PROSE 1: WHITENED SEPULCHERS

It was a sign at the garden show that stated “MAN EATING FISH” To see such a fearsome monster was a chance in a lifetime and naturally everyone crowded to buy the modest entry ticket to enter the room that housed such a ogre!

However inside they did not find the denizen of the deep instead they saw a man eating Cod – fish chips!! Well taken for a ride? Yes of course – with the sign was indeed deceptive. The meaning derived by most, left them a little taken aback when they entered the room.

So who likes to be taken for a ride? Well very often religion does this to us and we swallow it hook line and sinker! Over and over again religious leaders, crazy traditions, weird norms and practices do this to us. We tend to put on the outer garb of religiosity and law abiders but our hearts are impure and adulterated.

Jesus commanded us not to be like Whitened sepulchers. The Jewish custom was that a month before the Passover, graves were whitened with chalk. Such sepulchers were all over and very religiously they were whitened by using chalk. Jesus referring to this taught the scribes and Pharisees that though the sepulchers were whitened yet inside it only contained unclean stuff. In Mathew 23: 27 and 28 the Lord clearly states “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whitened sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.”

God knew the heart of the scribes and Pharisees very well. Jesus told them in v 28 “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”

Christ asked us never to be hypocritical. Taking the allegory from the whitened sepulchers he condemned this attitude of the scribes and Pharisees. The Pharisees were legalists. God gave the law to help us realize our depravity. The law was a mirror that showed the warts of sin but could not remove them. But the legalists had turned it into a system of works, rules, formal procedure, rituals, and traditions to earn righteousness. They were like the blind leading the blind! They had immense influence over the multitude, and were enraged at any doctrine or trend that challenged their security their leadership and their power.

The world today is full of people, leaders, teachers, and trend setters who are like the Pharisees of the years gone by. A case of the blind being led by the blind - The parable as told by Jesus (Luke 6: 39-42). It deals with several important lessons. It also highlights to us the importance of spiritual acumen, concerning what we are doing, which law we are abiding by, where we are going, who we are leading, and who we are following. It is a warning to us to be wary about false teachers and leaders. Let us not be blind leaders or blind followers. Either way we sin. Jesus was not for this, it was a matter of eternity, and thus what emerged was the SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

Institutions and individuals often have so many rules and regulations, so many of them stand out dated, some have no relevance to the changing times, but continue to be carried on under the fake garb of tradition and culture. I am reminded of a quaint story that fits this vain following of rules with no heart to essentially comply with.

Mullah Nasruddin found a diamond by the road side. However according to the law of the country finders become keepers only if they first announced their find in the center of the market place on three separate occasions. If during one such occurrence, there was a claimant to the find, or anyone else to whom it belonged, then it had to be returned.

Now Nasruddin was a religious law abiding man. He could not by any means disregard the law for then his conscience would prick and he would have to do penance to compensate for the sin of disobeying the law! So on three consecutive nights when he was sure that all were fast asleep he went to the center of the market place and then announced in a soft voice “I have found a diamond on the road that leads to the town. Anyone knowing who the owner is should contact me at once.”

One man who was standing at his window saw what Nasruddin was doing and heard him whispering in the dead of the night. When he attempted to find out what nasruddin was saying the latter told him, “I am in no way obliged to tell you. But this much I shall say: Being a religious man, I went out there at night to pronounce certain words in fulfillment of the law!”

It is vital that we reexamine what is important to our lives as Christians. Let us choose wisely between outwardly religious acts and the sincerity and truth we actually should live by. God sees the heart and humans what is on the outside. Let us place our trust in God and not on people. Salvation we obtain only through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and not by obeying laws, traditions, foolish neither acts of reverence and penitence nor is salvation found in any woman or man.

Please Remember
To be properly wicked
You do not have to break the law
Just keep it to the letter!!!

~~Crystal David John

POEM 9: FOR ME

In great agony

At Gethsemane,

A man's painful cry and plea,

Was for me.

In sorrow and pain,

And in utter shame,

A man bore his awful bane

Al for me.

Thorns did pierce his head,

 Blood did mark his tread,

AS to Calv'ry He was led

All for me.

A sword pierced His side

And as His mother cried

On the cross He bled and died

All for me.

He rose from the dead, 

Just as He had said,

Now with the God Head

He pleads for me.

~~ Crystal David John

This poem was published in the LIGHT of LIFE OCTOBER 1993, P. 45 :)

POEM 8: CALVARY

The greatest plan drafted,

Was at Calvary,

When God planned to rescue

All of us from misery.

The greatest love was shown,

There at Calvary,

When Christ was crucified,

For a sinner like me.

The greatest gift given,

Was at Calvary,

Where God sent His Son

To die in agony.

The greatest price was paid,

There at Calvary,

Where Christ gave His life

For all humanity.

The greatest Vict'ry won,

Was at Calvary,

Where Jesus conquered death, 

By dying on the tree

Great lives can start,

There at Calvary

For by God's grace

All sinners are set free.

~~ Crystal David John

POEM 7: DARKNESS

At the beauty of the night,

Just stand and stare.

At the stillness and silence

You'll forget all stress and care.

The darkness has beauty,

With which none can compare,

No wonder God did not state - -

Let the darkness not be there!

~~ Crystal David John 

POEM 6: HOLY SPIRIT

God's Holy Spirit,

You are my precious guide

My true comforter,

Constantly by my side.

Come soon and fill me,

And empty all the dross,

That is within me,

And nail them to the Cross.

Help me to know God,

And understand His ways.

In my strength

I cant gaze upon His face.

~~ Crystal David John