Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Why Jesus...?: Separating Light from Darkness
    Why Jesus...?: Separating Light from Darkness
    Why Jesus...?: Separating Light from Darkness
    Ebook140 pages1 hour

    Why Jesus...?: Separating Light from Darkness

    By Ronald Chisholm

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The wisdom, spiritual insights and eternal truths revealed by Christ has not lost its relevance or transformative power in our world today. This journey of discovery has been witnessed by many of the world's greatest intellectuals, saints and scholars. This handbook speaks to how we can practically apply these eternal truths to our lives today, so we can access the spiritual riches that exists within our hearts, through the guidance of the teachings of Christ.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTellwell Talent
    Release dateFeb 1, 2019
    ISBN9780228812050
    Why Jesus...?: Separating Light from Darkness

    Related to Why Jesus...?

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Shaping Our Course Spiritward

      Oct 17, 2019

      A piece in today’s Daily highlights how traditional religious codes such as the Ten Commandments still make a difference in people’s lives. Here’s an article exploring the idea that glimpsing our spiritual origin as God’s children has a healing effec

      3 min read

    • Article

      What Does It Mean To Be Spiritual?

      Apr 11, 2019

      Today’s contributor explores how knowing our true identity as fundamentally spiritual helps us see beyond limitations, rise above fears, and experience our relation to God in a very real way.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Getting to Know God

      Mar 16, 2020

      Getting to Know God
      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘Socially Acceptable’ Sins

      Apr 22, 2022

      In the church today, there are many sins that are seen as ‘socially acceptable’. Are we changing the Bible to fit our culture, or are we changing our culture to fit the Bible? While the sin of worry, for example, may not seem as severe as murder, it

      6 min read

    • Article

      Are We Living In A Post-truth Era?

      Sep 28, 2021

      Sometimes it can seem as if facts take a back seat to opinion or emotion. But getting to know God as infinite, pure Truth itself is a powerful basis for finding clarity, harmony, and mental as well as physical healing.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Purpose Of Living

      Feb 15, 2024

      The Purpose Of Living
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Mother Of All Compassion

      Jun 16, 2022

      The Mother Of All Compassion
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Power That Remains When The Hurricane Leaves

      Sep 9, 2019

      Atlantic communities, particularly the Bahamas, have been left reeling in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. But even when things seem hopeless, nothing can take away God’s limitless love, which arms us with peace, strength, comfort, and inspiration.

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Soul and Addiction

      Jan 9, 2023

      The Soul and Addiction
      9 min read

    • Article

      UNLEASH YOUR Creative Spirit

      Apr 14, 2023

      UNLEASH YOUR Creative Spirit
      4 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Jul 21, 2023

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      6 min read

    • Article

      Knowing In The Unknown

      Jun 13, 2018

      Words PETER WHITE Many people take their spirituality for granted. By spirituality, I am referring to an individual’s experience of the sacred or transcendent that expands their sense of self into a more unified state of awareness. It’s usually assoc

      7 min read

    • Article

      Living With Purpose

      Sep 7, 2021

      Living With Purpose
      3 min read

    • Article

      Bring God’s Light Into Your World

      Apr 22, 2019

      Lately, wherever I go I seem to encounter people who are so unhappy or worried about something. Many are filled with tremendous anxiety and never seem to overcome their problems. It’s as if they are going from one crisis to another. I am not only tal

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Love That Lifts Us From Despair

      Mar 13, 2019

      Even when it seems there’s no end to what’s wrong in the world, God’s limitless love is here, inspiring hope, wisdom, and strength to overcome the bad and to be and do good.

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Practice of No Practice

      Dec 6, 2022

      The Practice of No Practice
      16 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of Forgiveness

      May 18, 2022

      The Art Of Forgiveness
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Importance Of Self-care

      Jun 16, 2023

      In my column last month, I shared about the importance of serving others, looking to Christ as our ultimate example. This month, however, I want to open up about the importance of serving ourselves – an oft-overlooked action in the Christian world th

      2 min read

    • Article

      Transforming Fear Into Hope

      May 23, 2022

      Transforming Fear Into Hope
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of Forgiveness

      May 18, 2022

      The Art Of Forgiveness
      5 min read

    • Article

      Man On Fire

      Nov 19, 2020

      Man On Fire
      4 min read

    • Article

      Beginner’s Mind

      Nov 19, 2019

      ACCORDING TO BUDDHISM, our basic problem is not sin. It’s more like a giant mistake. Because we misunderstand the true nature of ourselves and what we experience, we create poisons that cause ourselves and others endless suffering. These are the many

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Why Jesus...?

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Why Jesus...? - Ronald Chisholm

      WhyJesus_SC_18-11-23.jpg

      table of contents

      Why Choose Faith?

      Out of Darkness into The Light

      The Incarnation

      Adversity

      The Resurrection Changes Everything

      What Is It About Mary?

      Am I Christian?

      What Is Faith?

      Flowers of the Field

      I am

      Porn

      Show Me a Sign

      Dust to Dust

      Fully Human

      Ransom

      Stress

      Hooking Up

      Failure

      Judging Others

      Eat My Body, Drink My Blood

      The Catholic Church

      The Outsider

      Labourers of the Harvest

      From Spectator to Disciple

      Introduction

      ✜

      There are times when anxiety, loneliness or depression can drain our lives of joy. Many of us remember as a child believing strongly in God, without question, and feeling safe as we looked at the world with excitement and joy.

      In our teenage years and beyond, we inevitably suffer disappointment in ourselves, our friends and maybe our parents. We may question the purpose of life and see the concept of God as an abstraction. The happiness and excitement we once felt, can dissipate into a sense of disappointment, despair or emptiness.

      This book is for those troubled times. Its purpose is to extend a lifeline when confused, or frustrated with God, yourself or life. Issues that confront you when seeking more out of life, are discussed. You may be surprised to find articles on pornography, hooking up, anxiety and failure.

      You will discover ones thoughts lead to small choices, which in time becomes a way of life. Our spiritual self rebels when we do not act like the person we are meant to be. When experiencing internal conflict, stress and unhappiness, know you are being called back to your true self by Christ, who asks us to repent and live our life in accordance with our spiritual identities. Christ will guide and reaffirm us along this path of spiritual renewal, if we sincerely lift our heart and seek to learn from Him.

      This book does not need to be read chronologically. Review the table of contents, and turn to a topic that interests you. Keep this handbook in your possession and take it with you when you move out of your parents’ house.

      At the end of this handbook, you will find six-steps for spiritual development that can be practiced throughout your life. Following these step will help bring a sense of fulfillment back into your life, as you become more spiritually centered.

      As you spend time with Christ, you will find him to be a patient and loving instructor. He ardently wants us to discern his pathways and understand his purpose for us, as we grow older in this world and are born spiritually into the next.

      Remember, Christ did not come to save us from life’s difficulties; he came to guide us with love and to support us through the challenges of this world. May you experience the renewal of your spirit in Christ through these meditations.

      Your teacher in faith,

      Ronald R. Chisholm BA, B.ED, LLB

      CHAPTER 1

      ✜

      Why Choose Faith?

      With so many churches standing empty, one has to ask if religion is still relevant. Religious rituals, practices and beliefs seem utterly out of step with the daily reality of life today. We hear of priests molesting kids, pastors stealing money and are turned off by the negative stories in the media. It seems there is no magic in religion. Our internal sense of what is right and true is offended by what we see and hear.

      In trying to determine if religion has any relevance today, it is our innate sense of what is right and true that will guide us to the truth. This innate sense is our internal compass that provides a strong sense of what is right and what is not. Most people, even atheists, are against child labour, or cruelty to animals, or polluting the environment or taking advantage of the vulnerable. Without a moral compass, we would not care about any of these issues. If we were like any other animal, just smarter, our only motive would be self-interest, with no concern for social justice, acts of charity or good deeds.

      This urge to do the right thing is our spiritual gift. Christ came to teach us how to develop this spiritual gift to enable us to evolve past our physical identity into spiritually alive children of God.

      Some people reject faith for science. Science allows us to discover if a fact about our physical world is true or not. But verifying facts about our world does not address how we are to live in the world, nor do facts speak to our inner need for the truth about our own lives. Science does not speak to our spiritual identity, and it is incapable of doing so, as science is limited to measuring our physical world. Science cannot assist with moral decision making as it is ruled by the logic of the strong over the weak.

      Some people focus their efforts on financial success and the comforts it brings. However material possessions have limited and transitory ability to satisfy, and do not touch the inner yearnings of our heart. Anyone who has de-cluttered their life knows how transitory the value of stuff can be.

      Staying busy and achieving our material goals allows us to ignore our spiritual dimension, but the undercurrent that something is missing will not stay submerged for long. Our soul searches for fulfillment, or a sense of joy or a deeper purpose, beyond simply succeeding in a material world. When we experience that nagging sense, and feel that what is right and true is missing, know that Christ is calling you to him.

      Confronting the emptiness is a turning point. Despite our doubts and uncertainties we can mindfully chose to drop our defenses, and make a humble invitation to Christ, telling him we are empty, lost and alone, and asking if he would consider entering our hearts and teach us his ways to grow spirituality.

      Jesus waits to be invited into our hearts, as our God. Our freedom of choice is sacrosanct. It is our nature as humans to be the masters of our own destiny. Christ waits patiently for this turning point, when we recognize him as our God and humbly invite him into our heart.

      Until we open our hearts and invite Christ into our lives with genuine sincerity, the word of God washes over us like waves on the shore. Christ seeks to connect with our hearts and souls, not just engage in an existentialist debate in our mind.

      Faith is a choice. To fully experience Christ, we must move past the debate, and make this leap of faith by acknowledging our inadequacies and weaknesses and ask Christ into our hearts as the one who can redeem us from this world.

      As long as we are preoccupied with debating with God, we leave little room in our hearts to experience Christ. Once we admit our weakness before God, with a humble heart, and seek to cooperate with Christ, we will experience the healing power of Christ’s love. Our choice is not whether to believe, but whether we are able to submit our inner sense of self to a greater God.

      Until we have this intimate, heartfelt discussion with Christ, faith and religion can look like empty rituals, with a stale message. If we sincerely invite Christ into our lives, this leap of faith brings the full promise and challenge of our faith to life. For those who have not experienced a spiritual awakening, a life grounded in faithful cooperation with Christ can seem incomprehensible.

      St Paul, in writing to the Corinthians states, For what this world considers to be wisdom is nonsense in God’s sight. As the scripture says, ‘God traps the wise in their cleverness’

      (1 cor 3:19)

      . Once we are open to the possibility that there is a reality greater than our own thoughts, we too will be prepared to become fools in the eyes of the world, to experience some of the wisdom of Christ.

      CHAPTER 2

      ✜

      Out of Darkness into The Light

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1