A testimony to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He is no respecter of a person's lineage, level of education, social status, financial status or anything else with which this world defines an individual. The Bible says that ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is pardon for ALL in the blood of Jesus Christ and ALL are given the privilege of sons & daughters of the Most High God. Through Jesus we are heirs to all the promises in the living Bible.
"How terrible it will be for anyone who causes others to sin. Temptation to do wrong is inevitable, but how terrible it will be for the person who does the tempting." - Matthew 18:7
These are words from the mouth of Jesus Christ as we read in the new testament book of Matthew. These words made me reflect on my life...
As a parent, do my actions reflect love or harshness that will bring my children closer to God or drive them away from God?
Do my actions show that it is out of love for their good or would it drive them away to someone else, something else, to seek the love and approval a child looks for in a parent?
Do they feel threatened or protected? How can I be loving, yet stern so that I can nurture them to grow up to be responsible, caring and God fearing individuals?
As a husband, do my actions make my wife question the love of Christ? Do my words tear her down or build her up? Does she find the love and security a woman looks for in her husband or would it drive her away to find it somewhere else?
In the world I work, is God reflected in my interactions with my co-workers?
Among strangers, will my actions reflect my God?
To my neighbor, will Christ be reflected in me?
LORD, I need your grace to finish this race and see your face in eternity!
One of the most powerful stories I have ever heard on the nature of the human heart is told by Malcolm Muggeridge. Working as a journalist in India, he left his residence one evening to go to a nearby river for a swim. As he entered the water, across the river he saw an Indian woman from the nearby village who had come to have her bath. Muggeridge impulsively felt the allurement of the moment, and temptation stormed into his mind. He had lived with this kind of struggle for years but had somehow fought it off in honor of his commitment to his wife, Kitty. On this occasion, however, he wondered if he could cross the line of marital fidelity. He struggled just for a moment and then swam furiously toward the woman, literally trying to outdistance his conscience. His mind fed him the fantasy that stolen waters would be sweet, and he swam the harder for it. Now he was just two or three feet away from her, and as he emerged from the water, any emotion that may have gripped him paled into insignificance when compared with the devastation that shattered him as he looked at her.
“She was old and hideous...and her skin was wrinkled and, worst of all, she was a leper....This creature grinned at me, showing a toothless mask.” The experience left Muggeridge trembling and muttering under his breath, “What a dirty lecherous woman!” But then the rude shock of it dawned upon him—it was not the woman who was lecherous; it was his own heart.
- Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God
1Peter 5:8-9 - Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
A feeling of emptiness had crept inside of me. I was on my knees one evening not having any motivation to pray or even knowing what to pray for. The year had been one of the biggest challenges in my Christian walk. God commands his people to be holy for He said He is holy. And on my knees I knew I had been failing miserably.
As I was there on my knees not knowing how to pray for holiness, God reminded (a random thought that came into my mind) me of what I’d been doing about my diabetes. How regimented I was becoming about managing it. Monitoring my blood glucose levels at set intervals, documenting it and making the necessary adjustments to my diet to bring it in control or keep it in control.
Earlier this year I had my physical and the results were not pretty. So I'd decided to watch my diet more carefully starting late October, keeping track of my blood glucose levels before and three hours after every meal. This allowed me to see the effect of what I ate. Based on the results I adjusted what I ate and drank. I also started researching about various diets that would help me keep my diabetes in check, yet retain muscle mass. Through trial and error, I was figuring out what worked for me to get the results I desired. In November 2008 I'd decided to trust in God rather than on medicine.
Holiness, I was reminded on my knees, similarly needs the individual to continually check and see where they stand. If something is not right (be truthful to yourself!), make the necessary corrections. Feed on / meditate on God’s word (the Bible) regularly so that you know what’s right and what’s not (Joshua 1:8). Be in communication with God, through prayer, so that your mind is in tune with godly things. Keep at it - check yourself continually. See where you are going off course. Correct your thoughts and desires. Control your passions. God’s word says pray always so that it becomes second nature. And you will be able as Christ to overcome the lust of the eye (covetousness - desiring the riches of the world, material riches), lust of the flesh (the appetite for indulging in all things that excite and inflame sensual pleasures) and human pride (the craving for the grandeur & pomp of life, thirsting for honor & applause).
In the book of Colossians 5:17, apostle Paul reminds us that the two forces, our holiness & our sinful nature, are constantly at battle. Our choices are never free from this conflict. But take heart, for Christ said since he’s overcome the world, we shall too. He’s a man of his word! So, help me God.
For the past several months life's been teaching me who I am and what I am not as a person, and a little more understanding of Christ my savior. Stumbling along on this Christian walk, I feel weighed down with my lack of faithfulness in my relationship with a God to whom I owe it all, and for all that he has done for me, I come up short in my gratitude to him. I am flawed and my testimony is flawed. Though I want to love and follow this Christ with my whole being, I find myself lacking in my daily walk. I find it hard to be faithful to a God whom I have not seen with my eyes, touched with my hands, nor spoken to and heard from in a human voice. Even so, I have felt his presence time and again, have heard his counsel through the Bible, and have been led down life's pathways not knowing where I was headed, only to look back and see with amazement that I have been mysteriously led along a path unchartered, yet to the right destination. In circumstances beyond my ability to control, my experiences have led me to feel the presence of this omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign being who has guided me through all aspects of my life - the good times, the bad times and the ugly times.
What does it mean to really love God. To really love God, Christ says that you have to love him with all your heart, all your mind, all your strength and all your soul. And equally important, Christ says, that you love your neighbor as yourself. This, Christ says, is the first and foremostof God's commands. How does one love God with all of one's heart, all of one's mind, all of one's soul and all of one's strength? How can it be done in our daily walk as we face the daily, hourly challenges that life throws at us? The peaks and valleys of our lives, the carnal desires of our heart, the selfish desires, the lustful pleasures that the body craves - whether it's food, alcohol, drugs, sex, or anything else. The prideful desires for wealth, fame, prestige and adoration. These crowd God out of our hearts.
No matter, this seems to be the normal course for every man's life. Yet we can overcome these, and moment by moment fulfill the first and foremost command in the Bible to truly love God. This is where the three temptations of Christ and why he went through them makes sense. First, the three temptations of Christ - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the heart and man's pride that he overcame with God's word (God's commands in the Bible) and his relationship with Father God, are lessons for us to take to heart. The lessons of prayer, fasting and meditation on God's word. Secondly, how Christ loved his neighbor, not the pharisees and the religious right wingers, but the blind, the deaf, the lame, the cripple, the sick, the lepers, the prostitute, the destitute and the marginalized ones of society, showing them through his love and compassion, his way of life, the pathway to salvation. This is our roadmap on how to truly love God. Daily overcoming the temptations of life and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Loving your neighbor is not just loving your brother/sister at home or in the church, rather how do you show another, someone who doesn't know Christ, the pathway to salvation that you so dearly want for yourself.
I find it encouraging that the man who wrote a good portion of the new testament in the Bible, apostle Paul, cries out to God to help him overcome a thorn in his flesh, that may have affected his christian walk; an infirmity, whatever that may be whether physical or mental the Bible does not say. In 2 Corinthians, chapter 12, we read Paul's writing,
"7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. "
God's answer to Paul's pleas was not by removing the "thorn in the flesh," but to let him know that his grace was sufficient to live with it and conquer it on a daily basis. A promise, that in good times, bad times and ugly times of our lives, God was not going to let go of us, but in our weak moments, his strength, his grace would keep us moving forward. Christ has a personal agenda for each of our lives. As the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-3), he takes a personal responsibility to make sure that we finish this journey of life victoriously. Christ's prayer in the book of John, chapter 17, for his disciples and all future believers is an attestation to this. The only one mentioned to be lost in this chapter was Judas Iscariot. Yet I believe he would have been pardoned if he had asked for God's forgiveness.
Each day in our life we will be faced with the same temptations that Christ faced. Some folks will be strong in dealing with some aspects of these temptations in life, but none is strong in all aspects of these temptations that each of us will face at one point or another in our lives. The hope that we have in Christ is that since he has overcome all temptations, his grace will be sufficient at our time of need. Ask God without any reservations, ask him bluntly (for no sugarcoating of our predicament in life is needed in front of an omniscient God) to help as you face your thorn(s) in the flesh. The bible says that it is very personal to God when it comes to his children, for his glory is what's at stake. It's personal to God when it comes to your life.
We need to be sincere in our asks to God each day, and know that there will be missteps and falls along the way, but you will find a God who keeps every promise he's ever made to mankind. He will keep us standing each day as we put our faith in him to help us with the thorn(s) in our flesh. As you face and overcome the temptations in your life on a daily basis, with God's grace, you will find yourself loving this God with more of your heart, more of your mind, more of your strength and more of your soul; and loving your neighbor as yourself.
May our prayers each day be the prayer of David, "Search me oh God and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts. Point out within me all that displeases you and lead me along the paths of everlasting life." - Psalms 139. And one day we will stand in front of him loving and worshipping him with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength and all our soul; and that neighbor you loved as yourself will be standing beside you. And His grace which is sufficient will make this happen!
As a Christian, the act of suicide, or even assisted death (euthanasia), questions the "sovereignty" of God. It is the culmination of the thought that God is helpless in the individual's life. This action questions and diminishes the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of a sovereign God. The act of suicide (which is an individual and very personal decision) amounts to a denial of the sovereignty of God. This act seems to me the ultimate sin as the individual has denied God for who he is and rejected God's ultimate purpose for his/her life. What recourse is there when life comes to an end? Times of great challenges will come in our lives. The Bible is peppered with characters like you and I, who've had times of great anxieties and fear, where they wanted their lives to end. The bible talks of prophets, powerful men of God who performed great miracles, and yet during times of great disappointments in life or fear, prayed to God to end their lives wishing their suffering would end right away. But God had a plan for them. It is as we journey through our darkest period, the valley of shadow of death (Psalms 23), we experience the sovereign God if you put your trust in him. A God who is all capable in all circumstances. I would encourage you to put your trust in God, Jehovah, to see you through your situation. Read the Bible and pray. And your trust will not be misplaced. In the Bible in 1 Peter 5:7 we read apostle Peter encouraging us to "cast all our anxieties on Christ for he cares for us" and may we draw encouragement from Psalms 121 where the author writes...
1I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Anthony Bourdain’s suicide made me think. Here was someone who in my mind had the life he wanted to live, the way I would want it for myself. A job he loved. He traveled the world. Explored new sights, culture, cuisine & introduced interesting lives from around the world. He had an amazing life! Had more money than one would need! Had style! He was always surrounded by beautiful and famous people. People wanted to be around him! His life seemed free of the day to day pressures that was drowning me. Yet there was that darkest hour, where everything seemed meaningless that he took his own life!
The news of Mr. Bourdain’s suicide reached me at a time when my own mind was asking God why some had everything in life, while I was struggling under the pressures of work and everyday life. Anthony came every Sunday in to my life through his CNN show. I looked forward to his unique story telling style of bringing every day lives of common and uncommon people from around a globe, that I will never get to travel. In his travels, he seemed to fit in with ease in to his surroundings, connect with people of all walks of life. And people seemed to take to him, as I did, for his unassuming mannerisms. Yet there were those dark rooms in the deep of his mind that not even those closest to him knew of, that led him to give up on a life that seemed to have it all. Yes, he had spoken openly of missteps in life, but which one of us haven’t had them. He had moved on, seemingly, gaining wisdom and strength from those missteps and made an amazingly successful career as a world famous chef, writer and TV show personality. I wondered what went wrong. Why did you do it Anthony, my mind questioned, as if he was standing in front of me.
As I sat there, my thoughts wandered to David, the boy, the army commander, the king who faced seemingly insurmountable challenges that would lead any man to madness or if sane, take one’s life just to get away from the demons that chased him day and night. Constantly his life was under threat from Saul. He was paid with accusations, threats and continuous attempts on his life for his unwavering loyalty to his king and family. Yet he writes only of the goodness of God in Psalms 23. The Bible says God has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. David, the hunted dog, had one thing going for him - FAITH in a God who anointed him the king of Israel at a time when his own family and others discounted him as a naive, inexperienced young man. So in his old age, towards the end of his life, when he looked back upon his life's journey, he saw God’s righteous right hand that upheld him in the darkest hours of his life and he said, “The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want...”
I pray that God will give us faith in our darkest hours and know that he's got us covered.
and LORD ( The Great I Am !) you have been my... Courage Hope Strength Strong tower the Cave I hide in Confidence Sight when I can’t see ahead Strength in my weakness Healer Counselor Teacher Master Constant companion Provider Guide Light Wisdom Knowledge Understanding Skill Comforter Encourager Advocate Defender Promoter Peace Blessor !!! His covenant promise has been my refuge... God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie, Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the line of Melchizedek. - Hebrews 6:17-20
Are we Cadaver Christians - presenting a decorated external appearance to the world, but dead and decaying inside, or living daily by the Holy Spirit's power? Apostle Paul advises us in Galatians 5:16-24 that all throughout our life we will continue to face conflicts, but what choices are we going to make. As we make the right choices, Holy Spirit will strengthen us and transform us.
Paul teaches us to live according to our new life [born again] in the Holy Spirit. Then we won't be doing what our sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when we are directed by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer subject to the law [this is not a rejection of the law, rather an emphasis that when we are born again, Christ's Holy Spirit will enable us to live according to the law under his grace and mercy].
When we follow the desires of our sinful nature, our lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in our own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before , that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce these fruits in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law [reaffirming the parenthetical note earlier]. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to this cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:16-24.
Are we alone in this struggle? The man whose heart the Bible says was fashioned after God's own heart, king David, pleads with God, "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep me from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and redeemer." Psalms 19:12-14.
God's not going to abandon us in our daily conflicts and struggles and Paul assures us, in Philippians 1:6 - And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.So let us not be cadaver Christians, but examine ourselves, ask God to help us in this walk to live in the power of his Holy Spirit.
The all-seeing, all-knowing, all powerful God.
Your power is absolute!
Your understanding is beyond my comprehension!
Thank you for you are my ABBA-father.
He frees the prisoners and opens the eyes of the blind!
He is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the refugees back!
Thank you for you are my King and Savior.
I have been fasting and praying since October 20th for a month, that came about from a very personal conversation with a friend who confided in me some specific life challenges. As I fast and pray for her and her family, the process has helped me re-evaluate where I stood with respect to my personal faith and walk with Christ. Sometimes I wonder what all this is about, especially when doubt creeps in, a feeling of loneliness sets in, when I don't have someone in whom I can confide. But such instances have also been a place of strength, which forces me to look back in life, where I came from, how I got to where I am. These instances have also been the times when I have heard the gentle whispers of my God, a reminder of his promises that he has faithfully carried out, that gives me the courage and strength to keep on, and have in me the expectation of God's glory that I will see.
As I have been fasting and praying, I have been reading random sections of the Bible, and the theme I see is evangelism: build God's temple one person at a time. It's not in grand structures that God resides, but individuals. It is not just through ordained ministers or priests or preacher's who have critical acclaim that God works. God works through everyday walk of life people, like ourselves, whom no one knows, if we are willing to allow him to work in us and through us.
Evangelism is the duty of every christian. Each person, regardless of their faith, is the temple of God. God only wishes that the temple is prepared for his glory to descend and transform the individual life. We read this in the book of Ezekiel 33. Here is a God who wants to have a relationship with each one of us, a God who is passionate about you and me.
My desire has been for God to give me opportunities to speak to people about how Christ has transformed my life, and what he has done in my life. During this fast, meditation and prayer, I have also come to realize that I have to defend my faith not just on experiences, but on facts about Christ and the reason for my faith in him. That was the reason for my previous post. Getting back to evangelism, as I read through the random sections of the bible, Psalm 132, where the psalmist talks ofpriests who are the agents of salvation caught my attention. And Psalms 134 reads, "Oh, praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, you who serve as the night watchmen in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift your hands in holiness toward the sanctuary, and praise the LORD. 3 May the LORD, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem." The key was "lift up your hands in holiness."
Do the agents of salvation, the night watchmen in the house of the LORD, lift up their hands towards the LORD's sanctuary in holiness, as prayers for others are lifted to the LORD? Being right with God while conducting his business is a very serious matter. We read in Numbers 3:2-4, "2 The names of Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These sons of Aaron were anointed and ordained (Exodus 29) to minister as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the Lord’s presence in the wilderness of Sinai when they burned before the LORDthe wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded." In Leviticus 10:10, God gives instructions for priestly conduct, "10 You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. 11 And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.” There is a command from God to make a conscious decision to distinguish between right and wrong and do that which is right. Only then do our prayers have results. Only then can we as Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, as we walk in obedience to God's commands, speak in God's name, claim in God's name, and pray in God's name. And miracles will happen. And hearts will be transformed. For the Bible says that God will do what his servants ask for, even if he has not foretold it to them, to prove to the world that they are indeed his servants.
During these random readings, I came across Exodus 30, and Aaron's task to tend to the trimming of the wicks on the lamp stand, morning and evening; and as he trimmed the wicks, God's command was to burn fragrant incense on the incense altar, with specific instruction to not burn just any incense. This was a command to be carried out generation to generation. The lamp stand and the incense altar stood in the proximity of the ark of the covenant, where God met his priests giving instruction for his people.
The trimming of the lamp peeked my curiosity. I came across this in Wikipedia: in the more modern times, the lamp trimmer was a specialist on board ships that involved maintaining oil lamps. The crewman needed to constantly care for the lamps. Trimming the wicks helped draw oil up from the storage reservoir, so that the flame would be clean and bright. The lamp trimmer had to be skilled to trim a wick in such a way that it would burn evenly without hot spots, so that it would not need attention again for sometime. A poorly trimmed wick creates a flame which is dim and smokey. A properly trimmed wick when lit should burn cleanly all the way up to the highest flame it can make. The flame should be at least the width of the wick and even, not ragged.
Evangelism requires us to be the light of God, that others can see. In order for God to act on our efforts to evangelize, we need to make sure that we tend to the wicks, connected to the lamp stands that we are, individually, personally, on a regular basis, morning and evening, continuously, to ensure that the flame is properly casting the light with an intensity that's at its full potential, while our lives are a sweet smelling offering in God's presence. Then, we can proclaim like Elijah, Elisha and Samuel, and God will do mighty works building his temples.
As I pray for my friend, who is not a believer, but who accepted a challenge on October 20th to pray to Jesus Christ for her deliverance, I put my hope in him. As Solomon prayed following the building of the LORD's temple, "And when foreigners hear of you and come from distant lands to worship your great name -- for they will hear of you and of your mighty miracles and your power -- and when they pray towards this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. Then all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They too will know that this Temple I have built honors your name." and God answered, "I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart." (1 Kings 8:41-43; 9:3) I pray for God's love, mercy and grace upon our combined prayers. To God be the all the glory!
11-30-2017 Update: I finished my month long fasting on 11-20-2017. Not one of my prayer requests was answered. Actually, it seems they are worse off than when I started. Since November 21st I have been asking God, WHY? Today, I have the answer from the book of Matthew, and it's true. God taught me something about myself - I had the right purpose, but my heart was not right. Sometimes we think we are doing God's work, helping others, but God uses those experience to teach us more about ourselves. Today, I ask for forgiveness and recommit myself to God's mercy and love - God wants your obedience more than your sacrifices!
It's been more than a year since I posted. It has not been because God has not been active in my life over this time. Every day I experience his hand holding me up, his spirit encouraging and guiding me on, and his prophecies coming true. But, I don't know why I have not posted. Recent conversations with couple of friends with whom I had a chance to share what Christ has done in my life leads me to write this post.
I believe in the Bible and the God of the Bible. I have always supported my faith in the Bible and the God of the Bible through my experiences. I believe the Bible to be God inspired. This was fine for my personal faith enrichment, but how was I going to explain and support this to reason with someone of a different persuasion or just did not believe in the existence of a God. That's where books written by professor John Dickson (The Christ Files: How Historians Know What they know about Jesus; and Life of Jesus: Who He Is and Why He Matters) and Lee Strobel's The Case For Christ,where references to historical facts and attestation by non-christian historians, present and from antiquity, documenting the birth and person of Jesus Christ is crucial. The Bible is a collection of articles by many different authors written over a period of time all pointing to the same theme - a passionate and compassionate God who loves his creation, (wo)man! The Bible has been the most studied, discussed and dissected collection of articles by both folks who believe and do not believe it to be God inspired. Yet they are unanimous in their conclusion to the truth about the person and life of Jesus Christ; that cannot be denied.
Prof. John Dickson, a professor of archeology, who became a believer in Christ, persuaded by the evidence presented through his own research that started out to test the veracity of the Bible and its historical context, wrote, "I remain a devoted theist rather than a common sense deist because I'm convinced that the great mind standing behind the rational order of the universe has entered into human affairs in a concrete way in the life of Jesus." Voddie Bocham, a Christian minister, who did not start out as a Christian, posed this question to an audience: Why I chose to believe in the Bibleand answered it in a most succinct manner... "It is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eye witnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed their writings were divine rather than human in origin."
Apostle Peter, the first disciple of Christ, an eye witness to the life and works of Jesus Christ, writes in 2 Peter 1:16-21,
16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
In conclusion, the historical evidence for the bible, the life and person of Jesus Christ and my personal experience of the promises in the Bible lead me to believe in the Bible and the God of the Bible. In the Bible you will find the answers to all life's questions. I continue to find that to be true. If you sincerely want to find this God, you will find him I am certain. For the Bible says that the God of the Bible is passionate to have a relationship with you.
PS: I want to thank my two friends, Magda and Binu, for the conversations that rekindled the fire in me to get back on my knees and be in the Word in prayer. And as Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15 if someone asks about our hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. Let's build God's temples, one person at a time.
Today staying home with my 13 year old, we read the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, a chapter he picked as it was part of his routine bible reading. For the first time the caption of this blog sank into me as we read this chapter. The verses were,
"And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away." - Hewbrews 10:37-38
The chapter was about Christ's sacrifice for all humanity, and how it takes away our sins and gives us the privilege of being the sons and daughters of God. The chapter also encourages Christians to persevere in their daily walks to live a life that honors this savior and God. The scriptures, in light of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday that was celebrated this past weekend by Christians all over, just seemed to hit the point.
Who are the "Righteous"? The book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verse 25, gives a definition of the "Righteous." It states, "For we are righteous when we obey all the commands of the LORD our God has give us."
Really! Is that at all possible? To obey all the commands of the LORD, at all times! Walk in perfect obedience to God! Recently, another scripture read during our family prayer was an eye opener. In 1 Kings 9:4, we read that God said the following to Solomon, "As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness [righteousness per KJV] as David your father did always obeying my commands and keeping my laws and regulations then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: 'You will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' "
God used David as an example of a person with "integrity" and "godliness." The same David who has had so many short comings in his life before his God! I found that to be incredible! Yet it filled me with so much hope! This God is so full of compassion, mercy, kindness, goodness, and love. The way God looks at us is so very different than those around us. We will not get such treatment from the humanity around us. We are imperfect creatures, always reacting to the situations we find us in; sometimes the worst in us comes out. Yet there is hope in the sacrifice of Christ!
Chapter 10 of Hebrews encourages us to persevere in the face of adversity. Have faith in the promises of God when circumstances are not favorable. When prayers seem unanswered, continue to have faith in an all sufficient, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent God to see our predicament in life; to know what's best for us and act in time to continue to mold us for an eternal life with him.
If God called David a man of integrity and godliness, you and I who have been redeemed through the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary's Cross, how much more will this God consider! Let not setbacks in our life separate us from this God, but with renewed hope hold on to the promises of God and continue in faith. God bless you and keep you and me!
There are days when the little that I know about myself, makes me question if I will finish this race and be able to say as Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7. Then, I tell myself to trust the Lord for the Bible says, "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." - 1 Thessalonians 5:24.
Few days ago during our nightly family prayer, the scripture we read and discussed was from the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 31. In there we read of the death of King Saul. A very ignominious end to a king who was chosen by Jehovah and anointed by his prophet Samuel to rule over the Israelites. The very first king for the people of Israel! We read, under attack from their enemies, the Philistines, Saul was pinned down and wounded severely. Also, his three sons were killed in the intense fighting between the Philistines and Israelites. Wounded severely, with no way to escape, Saul committed suicide by falling on his own sword rather than fall into the hands of his enemies alive. The Philistines cut off his head and mounted his body along with the beheaded bodies of his sons as war trophies outside their city gates.
When we go back to the earlier portions of the book of 1 Samuel, we see the making of the first king of Israel (chapters 8 onward). Appointed and anointed by God, we read of a naive, scared young man turning into a great fearless warrior and leader for the Israelites. One of his greatest victories was against a huge army of Philistines that Saul fought with mere 600 soldiers (the same enemy that gave him his final defeat!). The Lord gave him victory! We read, "Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel's throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction - against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned he was victorious. He did great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them." - 1 Samuel 14:47-48.
Saul became the king at age 30 and ruled the nation of Israel for forty-two years. - 1 Samuel 13:1. As he grew in power and stature, we see the character traits of Saul developing; and they were not pleasing to God. He was selfish, arrogant, lustful, prideful, impatient, petulant, and disobedient to God. How could the chosen one of God have such character flaws ???
God had predicted that the Israelites would ask for an earthly king just like all the other nations around them at time. He had prepared for his people to succeed by establishing guidelines for them to follow when it happened. In Moses' book of Deuteronomy, chapter 17, verses 14-20, we read God telling Moses, "You will soon arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, and you will conquer it and settle there. Then you may begin to think, 'We ought to have a king like the other nations around us.' If this happens, be sure that you select as king the man the LORD your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite, not a foreigner. The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself, and he must never send his people to Egypt to buy horses there, for the LORD has told you, 'You must never return to Egypt.' The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will lead him away from the LORD. And he must not accumulate vast amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself. When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy these laws on a scroll for himself in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of this law. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. This will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel."
What we realize as we read the book of 1 Samuel is that as Saul's fame, stature, and power grew, he failed to acknowledge the LORD for who He is! Meanwhile, his successor, King David, though with some of Saul's same character flaws, was keen on acknowledging God for being God! Where Saul was blatantly disobedient to God and defiant when confronted by Prophet Samuel, David acknowledged his sins and made reparations to God and man. We see the inner working of David's mind and heart as he wrote in Psalms 19:12-13, "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep me from deliberate sins! Don''t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin." In Psalms 139:23-24 we read David's prayer, "Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
It is not so much that we will always be obedient to God's laws and and never fail, rather what matters to God is our free will choices and intentions of our heart.
"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"we read in the book of Matthew 27 and Mark 15, Christ cried out in anguish as he hung on Calvary's cross, which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
I wondered, why was the plea of the Son of God in the final moments of his life not, "My Father, my Father, why have you forsaken me?" Instead, it was "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.?"
Here was the plea of every man in his desperation. Here was the cry of desperation from every man, woman, and child at the lowest point in their lives. Here was my cry when I'd been down and out.
Who was this man hanging on the cross crying out - My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
If only we could see him through the eyes of Prophet and Apostle John as he wrote the book of the Revelations - the fearsome and awesome God in whose presence one day we will stand!
If only we could see through the eyes of Prophet Daniel - a God most adored by hundreds of millions of angels!
If only we could see through the eyes of Prophet Isaiah - a holy God in whose glorious presence the mighty Seraphims covered their faces and feet with their wings as they flew and worshiped him in a loud chorus, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty. The whole earth is filled with his glory!"
If only we could see through the eyes of Prophet Ezekiel - a God who reigns in indescribable majesty and glory!
If one would look with a little care through the lens of the old testament prophets, he was also the ever merciful God, who even today pursues his love - you and I - at any cost even as we have prostituted ourselves to every lustful desire of our evil heart.
Jesus did call out to his father - at the garden of Gethsemane before the trial and suffering began,he cried out "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Mark 14:36) But his Father, God the creator of you and me, rejected his son's plea on behalf of his creation (we) by not taking the cup of suffering away from his son. Rather he let him face the suffering that was our cup to drink, for our sins. His sacrifice was the price paid for you and I to be called the sons and daughters of the most high God.
On Calvary's cross Jesus was not the God who by his God nature somehow lessened his pain and suffering, but endured it all as a man who had lost complete and total control of his situation and had none to turn to for a little solace.
Here was the holy, glorious, awesome, and mighty creator of whom Apostle Paul summarized in the book of Hebrews, chapter 2, "Because God's children are human beings - made of flesh and blood - Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death." Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and life. The one who believes in me will live, though he dies."(John 11:25)
In the book of 1st Chronicles we find the prayer of David, a man whom power, prestige, fame, wealth, countless success on the battlefield and his peoples' adoration for their king did not corrupt when it came to his relationship with his God. In chapter 29 we read that he was a leader who lead by example. Today when our leaders mostly practice "Do as I say, don't do as I do," it is refreshing to see David led by example. Don't get me wrong, David was a man with many shortcomings, but when it came to his relationship with God, he knew exactly who he was and who his God was. David never forgot that he was the forgotten shepherd boy, whom God brought out of obscurity and ignominy, and made him one of the greatest kings of Israel who united the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
Here is his prayer of praise from 1 Chronicles 29:10-20,
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
As I was reading the parable of the three servants in the book of Matthew, chapter 25, from the Bible, this question came to mind - Is a nominal christian life enough?
Parable of the Three Servants:
14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Would living a clean life without committing major crippling sins out of the fear of God be enough for a Christian? Would not that be the same as the servant who was given the one bag of silver (one talent), who buried it out of fear that should he lose it, his master would punish him. For he saw his master as a harsh man who liked to get a return without sweating his own brow. Isn't God, though just, harsh out his justness, for he punishes man for his sin? When we see the outcome for this servant though he had preserved his masters bag of silver, he had not lost a single piece and returned it in kind to his master upon his return, I am afraid a nominal Christian life is not enough. The master had left the shares of silver with the three servants for a very long time. Two of them successfully doubled the shares given them. One kept it intact. The master's response to the one who kept the talent given him intact was that he had ample time to get even a small return, if only the servant had just deposited the silver in a bank. The interest over the long period would have given his master some increase.
Getting through each day as a Christian is not enough. A Christian has to bring some increase for his master, even if it is a nominal increase for the kingdom of God. You may not be a great speaker, nor a great writer; your people skills may be lacking; you may not be much of an influence in your community; you may lack self esteem and lacking in faith. Yet there is something you can do for the kingdom of God in a small way. Jesus Christ came in to this world to pay a very steep price for our freedom from the bondage of sin. He died for us, rose from death and returned to heaven as our high priest, pleading mercy on our behalf. One day he will return to collect the dividends. What have you done with the talent of silver given to you?
While this blog is intended to be a testimony to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, at times I will be posting information that is relevant to a Christian in general. The below two paragraphs are a quote from the full text of a Position Paper published by the General Presbetery of the Assemblies of God Church. My personal belief is that a Christian should never entertain the thought of divorce, should never consider divorcing their spouse, for God hates divorce. Both spouses should work towards resolving their differences and continue in the marriage for the sake of their family. But, what is a person to do if the other person walks out of the marriage? Below is a quote from the text to which a link is provided further down where you can access the complete position paper that outlines the Church's position on Divorce and Remarriage...
Jesus made explicit what was previously implicit, “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6; cf. v.8). Divorce was not a part of God’s original intention for humanity. His purposes in marriage are hindered when the marital covenant is deliberately broken. The divine purpose can only be realized as the husband and wife subject themselves to Christ and each other, as described in Ephesians 5:21-31.
God’s hatred for divorce, however, is not to be interpreted as condemnation of those who themselves are not at fault, but have been divorced and victimized by the ungodly actions of their spouses. The divorce laws and teachings of the Old Testament were designed to add a measure of protection for the innocent, not to heap guilt upon the victims of circumstances over which they had little or no control.
Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people - blind, lame, or paralyzed - lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, "Would you like to get well?" "I can't sir," the sick man said, "for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me." Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk." Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking! - John 5:1-9
There are times when it seems time stands still. The future seems oh so bleak. Nowhere to go, and life's headed in a downward spiral. No one to pull you out. No one to turn to. No one who cares. As you stand and look around, it seems there is always some one getting blessed, it's just not you. The man by the Bethesda pool seemed to be just such a person who saw his life slipping away without any chance of pulling himself into the pool when the angel stirred the water so that he may get his healing. "I can't sir, for I have no one to help me in to the water. While I am trying to get there, someone ALWAYS gets in ahead of me," he answered to Christ's inquiry if the man wanted a healing. Thirty eight years is a long time to be sick, and lying by the side of the pool, he watched others get healed.
I wondered about the physical condition, appearance, odor around this person who had been lying by the pool of Bethesda for a long time. No one to care for him. No one who cared about him. Why did Christ pick him to speak to out of the crowds of sick - blind, lame or paralyzed - who lay there on the porch of the Bethesda pool? No matter what the reason, the fact is, Christ showed pity on him!
After healing the man Jesus told him, "Now you are well; stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you." - John 5:14. In the Old Testament we read God spoke to Moses as he passed in front of him, "I am the LORD, I am the LORD, the merciful and gracious God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness. I show this unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so I do no leave sin unpunished, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations." - Exodus 34:6-7
God calls out to his creation, "Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping and mourning. Don't tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you." - Joel 2:12-13
