All that God wants is love, faith and that you are a pure devotee ― your love for Him is not measured in terms of your riches or position in life, says OSWALD PEREIRA
It is said that faith can move mountains. But what good would we achieve by a feat like moving mountains? Wouldn’t it be better if faith can move the world to love ― and end all manner of injustice and hatred?
Love and faith, in fact, are intertwined with each other. You love a person only if you have faith in her/him. And your faith is strengthened as love grows for that person.
What brings you closer to God — love or faith? A confusing question, it would seem, at first. But when we ponder a bit, we may come to the conclusion that the two are interlinked. For, to love God we need to have faith in Him. And it is our faith in God that builds our love for Him.
To put the question differently, does love inspire faith or does faith inspire love? Sounds like the tricky chicken and egg dilemma. What comes first, faith or love?
Like there can be no egg without a chicken and a chicken without an egg, it may seem that there can be no faith without love and no love without faith.
Christians chant an Act of Faith prayer and an Act of Love prayer as well. The first affirms, “O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine persons.” The second reiterates, “O My God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of all love.”
The two prayers clearly show that faith and love are, indeed, connected and feed on each other, so to say.
The Bhagavad Gita says Bhakti is the love for God and love reinforced by a true knowledge of the glory of God. It surpasses the love for all things worldly.
All that God wants is love, faith and that you are a pure devotee ― your love for Him is not measured in terms of your riches or position in life.
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it,” says Lord Krishna. These divine words further establish the connection between faith or devotion and love (for God).
So, since faith and love are intertwined, let us pray that faith and love join hands and form an A-Team to mow down mountains of hate and anger and build a universe full of hope, justice and love.
(Excerpted from the book How to Create Miracles in Our Daily Life, edited by Oswald Pereira and published by Vitasta Publishing Private Limited)
Oswald Pereira, a senior journalist, has also written eight books, including The Newsroom Mafia, Chaddi Buddies, The Krishna-Christ Connexion, How to Create Miracles in Our Daily Life and Crime Patrol: The Most Thrilling Stories. Oswald is a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and practises Kriya Yoga.
More Stories by Oswald Pereira
Beautiful subject to trade on for hours, days, months…. Oswald jee!
GOD is an entity of LOVE… pure pristine love… blissful love… therefore HE is called Sat-chita-ananda….
To love HIM we have to transform ourselves to the status of mother…
From a mother flows… unconditioned….selfless… nectarine love…. such love is bhakti… such love alone connects a devotee with God….
In Christianity you call faith…
But Trust in my opinion is the right word…
Implicit trust on GOD
Abundant trust on GOD
Indispensable trust on GOD
leads one to Bhakti…. one becomes
A bhakta only after filtering several times one’s surging of love…..
And HE in HIS utter compassion and kindness helps one to refine one’s longing for HIM…
LORD alone makes one undeserving one to deserving through HIS abundant Grace..
Beautiful ? post Oswald ji!
Thank you, Manas Das Jee for adding so much knowledge to the subject.
Yes, it’s an infinite and eternal subject. Yet it’s so simple, pure and blissful.
Beautiful! Faith and love are indeed intertwined and let’s hope they flourish and mow down hatred.
Yes, indeed, Preeta.
Beautifully written dad
Thank you, Kaveri.
Very well written. Love and Faith go hand in hand. We need abundance of both in today’s world.
True Jyotsna. Abundance of love and faith will make the world a better place.
Though in this material people do say that it is only money that matters but we all know thst emotions ( mind) play an important role too. One can be happy and contended and free of worries even if things are not going fine if we have faith in God and feel the love of God being expressed all around us.
Though without even knowing where the source is and how it is working we only we should build faith and love and strengthen faith and love in our heart. Loving all around us unconditionally and having faith in them can help ease tensions. It is not easy to break a bond of love and faith . It is only disillusion which may want us to do so .
A true devotee is like a person who waters the roots of a tree and takes good care with love . An enquirer Is one who is searching for of the roots
(source) which has resulted in the manifestation without being interested in the tree Though both will ultimately come to the same conclusion but a pure devotee gives meaning to the process of manifestation and makes it a wonderful experience ..
Well said, Seema, “A true devotee is like a person who waters the roots of a tree and takes good care with love.”
Good to see your comment and hope to see you writing again for the website, soon.
Beautifully written, interesting viewpoint!!