Finding Purpose & Meaning In Life [should I say it is found when I experience 'whatever my eyes desired' (see this website's name) to borrow the lines from a Bible-author (Ecclesiastes 2:10)? Read this blog to discover the answer].

Category: Gripping Sport Magic Moments – Goodnews Wrapped Around It

  • Pathan Brothers and Proverbs Verse That Talks About Jesus Being a friend closer than brother

    Duke Jeyaraj

    Two brothers were in the middle. India was in a muddle. India was losing that game of Cricket. They needed an out of the world performance from the Pathan brothers – Yousuf and Irfan – to beat Sri Lanka in that one-off T20 game on February 10, 2009 at Colombo. It was first Yousuf’s turn to turn on the heat on the Lankan bowlers. He hoisted the Lankan bowlers for sixes after six. When he saw his brother go berserk Irfan wasn’t too far behind. He too started thrashing the Lankan bowlers with impunity. And in the last over, the Pathan brothers stole a nerve-wracking win for India in that electrifying T20 game. “Chasing a stiff target of 172, Irfan (33 not out) and Yusuf (22 not out) scored 59 runs from 25 balls in the tense final moments to steer India home in a pulsating flood-lit contest at the Premadasa Stadium”, reported one website.

    There was an unmistakable camaraderie that was evident between the two brothers when they put up this match-winning partnership in lightning quick-time. They hugged each other tight and celebrated!

    What I saw in that gripping game reminded me of a Bible verse found in the book of Proverbs: “There is a friend closer than a brother!” (Prov 18:24)  Did you know that every book of the Bible talks about Jesus at least in shadow, if not in substance? The book of Proverbs is no different. The title of “a friend closer than a brother” best fits with Jesus.

    Let me explain: Though he was God Eternal, Jesus deliberately got close with humans during his earthly journey. In Lazarus, he had a buddy.  He addressed him as friend (John 11:11). When Lazarus suddenly died, his sisters Martha and Mary were sobbing not knowing that Jesus would raise him from the dead. Jesus, when he reached the scene after four days also wept (John 11:35)! “Jesus wept” is the shortest Bible verse. But it is a long and loud statement that tells us how much Jesus loves us, humans. Isn’t that astounding? Jesus knew He would raise Lazarus up from the dead. Yet He wept.  That day, Jesus’ handkerchief got wet, you bet! Jesus by that gesture showed that He was much closer to Lazarus than his sisters were. Here was a friend closer than his own sisters for Lazarus! 

    How close is Jesus to you? Do you tell Him, “Jesus, don’t come too close to me. You won’t like the thick friends I keep, the books I read, the movies and TV shows I watch, the raunchy songs I listen to on my Ipod?”

    A daily, living, deep relationship with Jesus would give you unalloyed joy – something that no other thing or relationship can give you. Would you run into the one who wants to sweep you into His arms with arms open wide? Would you stick close to this “Friend who sticks closer than a brother” who, for you, on the cross, died?

    (To know more about Jesus, download the ESV Bible App – you can listen or read; Or you could consider visiting a Bible believing church locally).

  • THE HEART-STOPPING FORMULA ONE COMPETITION & THE PRIORITY NUMBER ONE DECISION! – Duke Jeyaraj

    This was going to the final chapter. The end of an epic battle that captured everyone’s attention! What we don’t know, is how this blockbuster ends! So said the commentator! 21 races were done and dusted the season. Two Formula 1 car racers were tied as they headed to Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi for what would be the 2021 season’s last race. It was like a penalty shoot out kind of race. It was like a super over kind of race! It was, as they called it, the winner-takes-it-all 58-laps of rocking racing. For the 36-year-old Briton Lewis Hamilton, winning in Abu Dhabi on December 12, 2021, would have made him the most decorated Formula 1 World Championship winner over-taking Michael Schumacher’s seven-title record! For the Dutchman Max Verstappen, 12 years younger than Hamilton, a win in Abu Dhabi would make him Formula 1 World Champion for the very first time! There were five laps to go for what was dubbed as the inter-generational race to finish! Hamilton had a clear lead of 11 seconds – an eternity in Formula 1 terms as New York Times’s Tariq Panja put it – over the second place Verstappen at this juncture! Verstappen’s dream of winning his first Formula 1 championship was now going a toss! Red Bull team boss Christian Horner quipped: “We need a miracle.” That’s when a miracle happened! Nicholas Latifi had an accident with just five laps of the 58-lap race to go! His Williams car smashed into wall changing completely the context of the race. The safety cars soon arrived. This neutralized the lead Hamilton had over Verstappen more or less. The five lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were asked to unlap themselves. But he did not allow the rest of the field to do the same. Meanwhile Verstappen grabbed the chance to have his car tyres changed as the post-accident mess was being cleared but ‘Hamilton did not stop for new tyres because that would have meant he returned to the track in second place’ – so writes Mikael McKenzie. Now there was going to be an one lap shootout between on-fresh-wheels Verstappen and on-race-worn-out-wheels Hamilton. It was going to be a 16-turn, 5.2km race all the way to the chequered flag! As soon as this final shoot out lap race started Verstappen took the title-winning overtake of Hamilton in turn five. He had to fight a cramp on the throttle controlling right foot in this nerve-wracking final lap.  At the one point in the final lap, at turn 9,  Lewis Hamilton rapidly slicing the distance between him and Max Verstappen and almost made contact seeking furiously to overtake him. But Verstappen held onto the lead and his nerves more importantly somehow and drove home as the winner with Hamilton only behind by 2.256 seconds triggering chaotic celebrations in the Red Bull garage as Claire Cottingham express.co.uk reported! Mercedes, Hamilton’s team were not happy!

     

    Latifi’s accident gave Verstappen a miracle chance of a title win which he grabbed with both hands! But it was not a case of an accident that gives us a miracle chance of salvation. Jesus’ death on the Cross, the place our salvation rests, was no accident. It was planned from eternity past. Jesus, the Bible declares, is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Just as this accident gave Verstappen an opportunity for fitting new tyres onto his Red Bull car, Jesus’ eternity-planned no-accident death on the cross provides us an opportunity to become a “new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17). Verstappen did not wait till the end of the final lap to overtake Hamilton in the final lap – he did it turn five in the 16-turn lap! And we must not procrastinate racing past the adrenaline-rush causing sins, namely porn, sexual passions outside marriage, blurted out foul words in moments of anger, etc., for the Bible says, ‘now is the time of salvation’ and those who refuse to repent store up wrath against themselves for the day of God’s wrath when His righteous judgement will be revealed (2 Cor. 6:2; Rom. 2:5). Then one day when Jesus returns all of heavens will wave chequered flags as we cross over from earth into eternity – either because of our death or because of the any-second Second Coming of Jesus (Heb. 9:27-28). Yes, this Heart-stopping Formula one competition can trigger the priority number one decision in our lives! We can call turning from sin and coming to Jesus as the priority number one decision for what will it profit us eventually, if we shall gain the whole wide world but yet forfeit our soul to eternal damnation (Mark 8:36)!

    (Visit http://www.purposenmeaning.com to read more such articles by Duke Jeyaraj).