Was it the Father's cruelty or man's wickedness...?

Have you ever thought of Christ's death? You know, the way he died, the cruelty that was inflicted upon his body. After all, the prophets had been prophesying over the centuries about the coming of the Messiah and his sacrificial death.  Prophet Isaiah prophesied of what was to happen to the Messiah, the Savior.  We read in Isaiah 52:14, "Many were amazed when they saw him - beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person." Isaiah continued in chapter 53, "3.  He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief.  We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care." "5.  But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed." "7.  He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.  He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.  And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.  8.  From prison and trial they led him away to this death.  9.  He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone.  But he was buried like a criminal…"

In Psalm 22, David prophesied of Christ's anguish when he wrote, vs.11- 19, "Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me.  My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!  Like roaring lions attacking their prey, they come at me with open mouths.  My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.  My heart is like wax, melting within me.  My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.  My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.  You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.  My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me.  They have pierced my hands and feet.  I can count every bone in my body.  My enemies stare at me and gloat.  They divide my clothes among themselves and cast lots for my garments.  O LORD, do not stay away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!"

In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, we read that God's requirement for a sin offering or a burnt offering was for the sacrificial animal to have no defects or blemishes. But by the time Christ had given up his life, he had been slapped around, spat upon, whipped raw, humiliated with a crown of thorns tearing into his skull, his clothes had been ripped off his body. Naked and bruised he was nailed, hands and feet, to a cross. Gasping for air, he hung on that cross on a hill called Golgotha. Crucified between two thieves, he was speared on his side by a roman soldier wanting to make sure if he indeed was dead. Why did he have to be battered so brutally and bruised to the point that he was physically unrecognizable to be the sacrifice he was meant to be? Was God unloading his anger towards man's betrayal and sin? Could a father be so cruel to his son? Or was it man being himself?

All through history we see man's atrocities towards his own kind. History is replete with wickedly cruel events such as during the fascist Nazi Germany under Hitler, Italy under Mussolini, Communism under Stalin and Lenin, Romania under Ceausescu, the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot, that have claimed millions upon millions of fellow humans’ lives.  And it still continues in the violence of ethnic cleansing that are seen in Africa, India and other parts of the world.  

Isaiah says in vs. 10 of chapter 53, "But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have multitude of children, many heirs." God's plan was for the sacrifice to be borne by his son, Jesus Christ, so that we can be counted as his children, his heirs. So, was it the Father’s cruelty or his unfailing love towards mankind that caused him to look away as his son was brutalized? I couldn't have agreed more with a preacher whom I heard say, " In the unguarded moments I know my heart is wicked." God help us!

The Anthem by Planetshakers

Psalms 117

                       

                      1. Praise the LORD, all you nations.

                                                      Praise him, all you people of the earth.

                 2. For he loves us with unfailing love;

                                           the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

                               Praise the LORD!

As the year 2013 comes to a conclusion, the shortest Psalm in the Bible captures in its brevity the vast goodness of the LORD towards my family and I through out this year. The year has gone by in a blur. There were many a challenges both in my professional and personal life through out this year; there were many periods of not knowing what actions to take;  sometimes despair took over. But one thing this year has taught me is, and I agree with Rev. Charles Stanley, that you can win all your battles on your knees in prayer. God continued to prove that his love towards us is unfailing - without error or fault, it's inexhaustible! His faithfulness endures - it lasts, lives on, persists, perseveres - forever!

Between the two verses of Psalm 117, if you look far back in the Bible, you will find the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Ruth, Samuel, Gideon, David, Jehoshaphath, and many, many more.  When life's challenges come knocking on your door, turn to God in prayer with a praise filled attitude and you will always experience his unfailing love and faithfulness. You are very dear to God and the Bible teaches us that he is passionate about his relationship with you. This is why Christ was born, became an eternal sacrifice, and today is our high priest.

Put your faith in Christ and may your 2014 be blessed!

Hillsongs - Like an Avalanche

A Fool



the pride of man's labor in the city that never sleeps

“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” – Jesus was quoted in Luke 12:21

As a Christian, it is not merely enough for me to believe in God – the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit - not just enough to be a good husband, a good father, a hardworking good citizen, enjoying the fruits of my labor; all worthwhile goals, but Christ would say I was a fool if I was not to have a rich relationship with God. Not just "A" relationship, but a "RICH" relationship. What would constitute a rich relationship with God? How does one develop a rich relationship with God? A rich relationship between two persons, at a minimum, I would think is one that has a deep and strong bond between the two. A relationship based on trust, love and an intimate knowledge of the other.

To answer the first question, Christ taught us that his brothers and sisters (his family) are those who listen to God and obey his commands (Matthew 12:46-50). In Luke, we hear him answer a woman who called out to him from the crowd as he spoke, “God bless your mother – the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!” And his answer to her was, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” (Luke 11:27-28). Joshua, who was called to lead the Israelites following the death of Moses, was commanded by God to, “…Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them and you will be successful in everything you do.  Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.” (Joshua 1:7-8)

In answer to the second question, “How does one develop a rich relationship with God?” Christ himself is the example for developing a rich relationship with Father God as we see in the gospels of the New Testament. Not only did he know the word of God, he took time regularly to separate himself from the crowd and his disciples so that he may spend time in prayer to Father God by himself. Tell God his heart’s desires, his needs, his fears, his doubts and in return understand God’s plans for him. Meditating (reading, studying, praying and thinking on what you have read) on the word of God day and night, Joshua, who was tasked to lead the nation of Israel, would understand God’s will for him and his people and lead them in obedience to God’s plan for them. God does not want us to forget any details of his commands and thus err in our obedience to him. 

Being successful in the secular world and enjoying the wealth ensuing from that success is not a sin. It is God who blesses us. It is a sin when the blessings take more importance in our heart and mind over the one who blessed us.  God wants us to make his kingdom the priority of our life and with that he promised to meet all our needs from day to day.  (Luke 12:31).  He wants us to have a rich relationship with him developed through meditating on his word and a personal prayer habit so that our understanding of who he is continues to grow and mature, and when blessings increase in our life, we may not forget our God who blessed us. Christ teaches us that “Where ever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.” (Luke 12:34). This was elaborated through his parable of the “Rich Young Man,” at the conclusion of which he stated that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:16-26)

May God's word be a lamp unto our feet lighting our path ahead of us! God bless you!!

Charles Stanley on Prayer

Let the Dead bury their own Dead

He (Jesus) said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."  Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hands to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Luke 9:59-62 (NIV)

As I read these scripture portions, Christ's statements seemed very harsh, to the point of uncaring for the feelings of others. This did not seem to fit the Lord who taught to "respect your father and mother," and to "love your neighbor as yourself." Was he really telling these individuals whom he called, that they were unfit to serve God because one needed to bury his dead father and the other just wanted to inform his family of his whereabouts so that they wouldn't need to worry about him? Was this the same Lord who taught about compassion and love for others through his parable of the "Good Samaritan" in the following chapter 10 of Luke?  These teachings seemed contradictory.

Further along in chapter 10 of the book of Luke, we come across an incident in the house of Martha and Mary, two sisters.  "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, " Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!"  "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, " you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-41.  I was reminded of Christ's answer to Satan who tempted him following his 40 days of fasting. Satan said to Christ, "If you are the Son of God, change this stone into a loaf of bread." But Jesus told him, "It is written [in Deuteronomy 8:3}: 'Man does not live on bread alone.' " Luke 4:3-4.

Reading through these scripture portions it became more clearer, it was not so much that Jesus was telling these people that caring for your family was not important, but wanted to emphasize what one's priority should be. One's priority should be to (read or) listen to the Word of God and obey it.  God emphasized this through the experience of the three disciples: Peter, James and John, during the "Transfiguration of Christ" and we read in Luke 9:35, "A voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.' "

God sent his Son into a sinful and perishing world so that we may find salvation through him - Christ.  It was the Father God's love towards this perishing world that held back His wrath as man brutalized his son - Jesus Christ - on Calvary's cross, treating him like a common criminal. To God, what is of utmost importance is that the sinful and perishing world would find salvation. When Jesus' disciples came back to him following a day of spreading the gospel and reported to him in amazement that they were able to heal the sick and cast out demons in his (Jesus') name, Jesus replied to them, "But don't rejoice just because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of heaven." Luke 10:20. This is what God wants for you and I, to have the assurance that our names are registered as citizens of heaven. Do you have that assurance?

God wants every single man, woman and child to receive salvation. It was God's love for this world that resulted in the sacrifice of his son - Jesus. His compassion for a perishing world echoes in Jesus' instructions to his disciples as he sent them out, "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few.  Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, and ask him to send out more workers for his fields."  "Go now," he said, "and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Don't take along any money, or a traveler's bag, or even an extra pair of sandals.  And don't stop to greet anyone on the road." Luke 10:2-4.  He implored his disciples to go with a sense of urgency, to go with purpose and not have anything deter them from accomplishing God's ultimate desire - for every single human being to receive salvation!

God bless you!

 Mary did you know 

A Purposeful and Fair God !

In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 21:1-5 we read God's prophet Ezekiel prophesying against Israel of his coming judgement,

"Then this message came to me (Ezekiel) from the LORD: 'Son of man, look toward Jerusalem and prophesy against Israel and her sanctuaries.  Give her this message from the LORD: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheathe my sword to destroy your people - the righteous and the wicked alike. Yes, I will not spare even the righteous! I will make a clean sweep throughout the land from south to north.  All the world will know that I am the LORD.  My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath until its work is finished."

As I read this, it seemed very unfair that the LORD would take out the righteous with the unrighteous. Why LORD, I asked? Aren't you supposed to be fair? As I sat asking these questions, something I had read in the Book of Jeremiah came to mind. In chapter 24, we read of a vision prophet Jeremiah had. We read,

"vs. 1... I (Jeremiah) saw two baskets of figs placed in front of the LORD's Temple in Jerusalem.  One basket was filled with fresh, ripe figs, while the other was filled with figs that were spoiled and could not be eaten.  Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"  I replied, "Figs, some very good and some very bad."  Then the LORD gave me this message:  "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: The good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah to the land of the Babylonians.  I have sent them into captivity for their own good.  I will see that they are well treated, and I will bring them back here again.  I will build them up and not tear them down.  I will  plant them and not uproot them.  I will give them hearts that will recognize me as the LORD.  They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly."

As I was thinking on these scripture portions, the lives of four exiles named Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the book of Daniel came to mind. They were the young men who were exiled into Babylon along with other captives from the land of Israel and Judah. The lives of these young men played out the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel who were prophesying in the land of Israel and Judah. Prophet Jeremiah's ministry was from about 626 B.C to 585 B.C. and Prophet Ezekiel's ministry was from 593 B.C. to 571 B.C.  Young Daniel and his friends exile in Babylon was from 605 B.C. to 536 B.C.

The Book of Daniel captures their exile and life in Babylon. We read in chapter 1 once the exiles were brought over to Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the chief of his palace officials to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah's royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives.  He instructed his chief to select strong, healthy and good-looking young men. Those selected were well versed in every branch of learning, gifted with knowledge and good sense, and the poise needed to serve in the royal palace.  These young men were taught the language and literature of the Babylonians. This select group of young men were assigned a daily ration of the best food and wine from the King's own kitchens. They were to be trained for service in his royal court. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego took a decision to be obedient to God and not defile themselves with the King's food and wine. The remaining chapter and book talks about God's favor upon these young men through great trials and how in the end they were honored in the Babylonian kingdom by the King himself.  Here we see that God sent the righteous into exile with the unrighteous for their own good. How true was Jeremiah's vision for the righteous though Ezekiel's prophesies seemed so harsh to the whole of Israel!

In light of these scripture portions, we see not an unfair God who whimsically punished both the righteous and the unrighteous to gratify his anger, rather a purposeful and fair God.  May God bless you and keep you!

Hillsong - Hosanna



It's all or nothing...

With a ring on my finger which would support a man and his family for a year I confront the poor man "at my door." I know what my duty ultimately is; my problem arises out of my unwillingness --- or my inability, if you like --- to do that duty.  God says: . . . "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away"  (Matthew 5:42) . . . .  But I answer: "God, I cannot do that; thou seest that I cannot do that; and since I cannot, wilt thou not tell me what to do short of that?"  But God does not again reply.  He has nothing more to say.

  - John Knox

The speck in your brother's eye

"Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you.  If you forgive others, you will be forgiven.  If you give, you will receive.  Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over.  Whatever measure you use in giving--large or small--it will be used to measure what is given back to you."

 

This was Jesus' teachings from Luke 6:37-38.

I'd been reading the book of Ezekiel from the Old Testament of the Bible, on and off, for the past couple of months. Ezekiel was called and commissioned by Yahweh during Judah and Israel's exile in Babylon. Prophet Ezekiel's commission was to be the watchman for Israel calling them out for their sins against their God. His commission was to say to them, whether the Israelites listened or not, what God told him to tell them.  We read, "Son of Man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first.  Listen to them carefully for yourself.  Then go to your people in exile and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' Do this whether they listen to you or not." Ezekiel 3:10-11.  "Son of Man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel.  Whenever you receive a message from me, pass it on to the people immediately." Ezekiel 3:17.

Ezekiel prophesied against the Israelites as and when God spoke to him. From chapters 4 through 24 of the Book of Ezekiel, we read several prophesies against Israel, God's chosen people.  The prophecies, time and again warn them of God's coming judgment and punishment for their sins against God. But then from chapter 25 onwards, God told Ezekiel to prophesy against Israel's neighboring kingdoms about God's judgment that was to come upon them. The reasons for God's anger are worthwhile to consider...

A message for Ammon -"Give t he Ammonites this message from the Sovereign LORD! Because you scoffed when my Temple was desecrated, mocked Israel in her desolation, and laughed at Judah as she went away into exile, I will allow nomads from the eastern deserts to overrun your country..." Ezekiel 25:3-5.  "And the Sovereign LORD says: Because you clapped and stamped and cheered with glee at the destruction of my people, I will lift up my fist against you.  I will give you as plunder to many nations. I will cut you off from being a nation and destroy you completely.. Then you will know I am the LORD." Ezekiel 25:6-7.

A message for Moab - "And the Sovereign LORD says: Because the people of Moab have said that Judah is just like all the other nations..." Ezekiel 25:8-11.  Moab marginalized Israel when it was down.

A message for Edom - "And the Sovereign LORD says: The people of Edom have sinned greatly by avenging themselves against the people of Judah..." Ezekiel 25:12-14.  Edom avenged themselves when Israel was weak from God's punishment.

A message for Philistia - "And the Sovereign LORD says: The people of Philistia have acted against Judah out of revenge and long-standing contempt..."  Ezekiel 25:15-17.

A message for Tyre - "Son of man, Tyre has rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, saying, 'Ha! She who controlled the rich trade routes to the east has been broken, and I am the heir! Because she has been destroyed, I will become wealthy!" Ezekiel 26:1-2.  Chapters 26, 27 and 28 go into detail on God's coming judgment against the great trade cities of Tyre and Sidon who were once trade partners of Israel and Judah during the times of David and Solomon. Tyre and Sidon looked to expand their territory at Israel's misfortune, though well deserved.

A message for Egypt - "...for you collapsed like a reed when Israel looked to you for help.  Israel leaned on you, but like a cracked staff, you splintered and stabbed her in the armpit.  When she put her weight on you, you gave way, and her back was thrown out of joint..." Ezekiel 29:6-8.  Chapter 29, 30, 31 and 32 go into more details on reasons for the judgment against Egypt. It took advantage of Israel's misfortune and helped to speed up Israel's destruction.

When we break the law of the land that we live in, the law punishes us for it.  But when it comes to breaking God's commands, it is God who punishes people for their shortcomings, their sins against God. You and I should not presume, it is our God given right to pass judgment on others. Even to Ezekiel, God's appointed watchman over Israel, God warns him to first listen to His (God's) words for himself (Ezekiel), and then to go and point out to the Israelites what God had told Ezekiel. Let us not stand aside in self righteous contempt as our brother or sister  stumbles, for God himself says, "I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people.  I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live.  Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?" Ezekiel 33:10-11. Believers in Christ are the new Israelites! As we correct our brothers and sisters, let us be careful to not let hypocrisy and self righteous contempt creep in to us. Let us examine ourselves to see what "logs" lie in our eyes before pointing to the speck in our brothers and sisters' eyes.  Be careful of what you do to and for others, it will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over.

Let us uphold each other in prayer!

Turn your eyes...