Running My Course

We all come into this world, looking alike, small and pinkie!  We were cuddly and cute and everyone likes to pinch our cheeks and hold us.  Then we grew a little older, probably lost the pinkness, show our personalities, voila, babies begin to look different.

God the Author and Giver of life made each and every one of us, we looked very similar at the beginning of our lives yet we grow up looking and doing things differently. 

I do remember after graduating from school that I did not find a job as quickly as I thought I should have and more over, I was a Christian while in school, I did not have great grades like others in my class who were serving the LORD or those who led lives that were completely without a thought for God in their doings. How angry was I that I was not being rewarded in a fashion and manner of my own choosing! How can the Lord allow it that I should not be as successful as my brethren or even treat me with less 'respect' compared to unbelievers?

How do we deal with situations that tends to make us feel less loved or noticed by God?  How do we deal with seemingly being blessed less than those that are our brethren?  They make so much more money, or are more successful at their careers/jobs than we seemingly are. Do we begin to wonder at the fairness of God's treatment of us?

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" 

 2 Cor 10: 12

Though we are all Christians, we serve the LORD, in our own capacities(our several abilities) and at different places/stations in life.  How we serve Him, albeit towards the same end, is always different because of our different personalities and approaches to life.  God has not promised us that we all will be carbon copies of each other as Christians, without differences and without personalities.

We have all led different lives before we met the Lord, we have been on paths chosen by the Lord for us and those chosen by our self motives, but the Lord is able to use all these to the glory of His name, alone!

The situations and circumstances we go through in life might be similar, but the path we take through these circumstances and situations could be markedly different.  And that would evidently differentiate our experiences. 

Paul said "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" 2 Tim 4:7

He understands that what he went through and experience in life was a set path, personalized especially for him and wasn't in the habit of comparing his estate in life to others'.  More importantly, he understand and knows what was 'his course'.

Have you and I understand what our course in life is?  Would we recognize our course when are faced with it? Or are we busy wishing we were running someone else's course and in the process harboring covetousness,  anger, resentments and ungodly attitudes in our heart and mind?

May we be found doing His will and pleasure at His coming.

Who Dat?

Superbowl 2013 is this weekend and the clash of the two teams at the Superbowl would be in New Orleans.

New Orleans, the home of the New Orleans Saints!

The fans of New Orleans Saints have a way of showing their support by chanting 'who dat?' during their games.  It is said that the saying originated over a century ago between performers and the crowd at traveling minstrels shows around the region and it has became a parlance or common phrase used since then.

Would it be surprising that people said something similar in the days of Jesus? May be not said in the same tone and fashion but nevertheless, said.

'When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?' [Matthew 16:13]

Evidently, people were saying 'who dat?' about Jesus.

The question that Jesus posed to the disciples is interesting.  Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

How often do people confuse us for some other poeple?  It happens now and then to lots of people.  It would appear that those who confuse one person for another do not have a good knowledge and closeness to the individual they couldn't identify.

Being confused about the identity of a third party is one thing, confusion about the identity of oneself is another.

Jesus expressed with clarity that the confusion about His personality is without not within.  He understands and knows His own person, and He was expressive of Himself.

How many times have we allowed the confused imagery and opinions of the world to change our outlook and perception of life? 

As Christians, we need to continue to walk with our heads held high about the fact that we are Christians. 

So when people say to you 'who dat?' don't be shy or timid to say whom you are in Jesus Christ.

'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also the Greek.'  [Romans 1:16]

God Limited

The field of physics is an interesting field, especially for those who are interested in the physical world around them.  I grew up watching programs such as Cosmos anchored by Carl Sagan.  It never cease to amaze me how he paints the pictures of worlds 'unknown' in such vivid colors in my mind, talking about galaxies and suns and stars and, I was enthralled.  I find myself imagining and wanting to visit such wonderful places, I did in my young mind!  The universe is described as elastic, ever expanding and increasing in its capacity, ever changing due to all kind of things happening that we cannot begin to see with our 'naked' eyes.  At least, by the standard of Carl Sagan, I understand what infinity means.

Infinity is a term that defines borders of a boundless entity, because we assume the borders are there, but we cannot tell where they are.   Hence we place a sort of restriction on our thoughts and our understanding of that entity.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines;

Limit as:

• something that bounds, restrains or confines
• the utmost extent 
• a prescribed maximum or minimum amount, quantity, or number

The way we have led our lives as individuals and as a member of a large society could affect what we understand of what is going on around us.  We might end up bringing our baggage of former lives into the new lives afforded us in Christ.

Do we implicitly trust the LORD in all things that concerns us or do we have some areas of our lives that we believe that God is unable to perform as we would do by ourselves or by involving others that we think are more capable than us and are available to us? 

'And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea and Jerusalem: and the power of God was present to heal them' (Luke 5:17)

'Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel' (Psalms 78:41)

From these two passages, what God is able to do and IS available to do is not in question, but what He was 'permitted' to do was constrained by the people involved.  In the first passage, the Pharisees and the doctors of the law were merely there to set the limits on God(by the person of Jesus, would He attempt to do a miracle on a Sabbath, would He dare to?) while in the second passage about the people of Israel, they simply doubted His ability to do.

Which one of these positions are we operating from, or could we be operating from both?  Do we belief in Him enough to know that God has no boundary nor limited as regards what He has ability to do?  Are we making ourselves stumbling block to the faith of others in God?

God is able to do all things, and nothing shall be impossible to God to accomplish. So trust God against your better judgement.  (Luke 1:37)

Extreme Makeover

Television provides a good past-time for many of us and for some, TV is serious business. Whatever our take, there is the good, the bad and the ugly.
Some of the programs on TV can provide us with spiritual parallels.  I have seen a couple of titles such as Flip-this-house and Extreme Home Makeover.
For both of these programs there are reasons behind their actions(flip/makeover) and their final intents are decidedly different.

For each of the homes involved, assuredly there are things that the owner finds to be less than desirable.  Both methods seeks to redefine the homes involved, but there are marked differences in the approaches and what eventually gets done.

Flip this House

• The required job entails working on facades, those things that are easily and physically accessible. 
• Makes the property look beautiful while seeking to spend the least amount of money.                         ( Matthews 23:27)
• The design and architectural details remains virtually the same.
• For the pursuer of flipping the home, ''maximizing the profit'' is the goal. 
• The word house does not connote personal attachment

Extreme Home Makeover

• The property is totally demolished and structure removed, hence putting up a new structure is expensive. (Luke 14:28 -30)
• The old foundation is completely removed and a new one laid (1 Cor. 3:11, Acts 4:11)
• Usually, the new home is designed by a new architect from the ground up. (John 1:1-5, Heb 11: 8-10)
• The intention of those involved is ''giving'' to deserving people without trying to go cheap. (1 Cor 6:20)
• The choice of the word, home, connotes a personal attachment and has a personality with it.

The question is, if we are the property owner, which process would we want our property to undergo?  Our lives are estates that the Lord would love to make over, extremely!  God has made the preparation, He has counted the cost and He declares that we are well worth the efforts and the commitment it takes to make-us-over.  Wont we give our lives over to Him to do what only He can do?

Would we respond like the Psalmist?

''When thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek'' Psalms 27:8

Properly taken care of, but unused.......

When we have items that we cherish or value, we take care of them and we tend to expect some sort of gratification from possessing those items.  But often times, mental or emotional gratification is not always what we seek when we make outlay to purchase our possessions, we intend to make use of them for specific   expectations.

'Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till He come and rain righteousness upon you' (Hosea 10:12)

'For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns'. (Jer 4:3)

• Fallow ground: a land that has undergone plowing and harrowing (well tendered?), and has been left unseeded for a period of time or seasons.

As people that believe in the Lord Jesus, who sits under ministrations, listens to sermons and probably read lots of books and materials on developing our belief in God, are we changed by what we either read or listen to from the word of God?  The word of God plows and harrows our grounds (spirits and souls), but the cultivation and nurturing of what has been planted in there is ours to do.

'For the kingdom is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey' (Matt: 25: 14-15)

Some thoughts;

• The master must have had conversations with his servants in the past, they are not strangers to him.
• He understands their several abilities(capabilities) and personalities.
• He has respect for their endowments(abilities) to commit his goods unto their hands.

If we are live with fallow grounds in our lives, we need to ask ourselves why these grounds are fallow and not engaged in the work of the ministry unto the LORD. 

Otherwise;

• We could be saying that the Lord has not done enough for those areas of our lives to be productive.
• Or, we could also be living in open or secret rebellion.

What are those things that the LORD has been saying to us that we kept procrastinating about? Those things we kept pushing off our plates in order to put other things of our own choosing.  (Roman 8:35 -39)

Let us be found doing what the LORD has commanded us.

'That you (we) might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God'.  (Col 1:10)

Maranatha!

Pride plays tag.....

The playground is a place where, mostly everything seems harmless and filled with loads of fun.  Lots of greenery and usually those things we can relate with.

As Christians, we usually are found in our comfort zones, in places we can relate with and where we feel good at.  How do we recognize when there are slithery creatures that are totally blended-in with the playground environment?

'If you do well, will you not have honor? and if you do wrong, sin is waiting at your door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master' Gen 4: 7 

For Cain, the enemy was at his door and he did not know. Cain was being alerted to danger in his very domain, yet he fell to the same trap he has a forewarning about.  What else can make a man ignore his creator but pride? Cain ignored God, discounted His advice and ended up being tagged/branded a vagabond upon the face of the earth. The same type of warning went out to Israel in the book of Micah.

'He has made clear to you, O man, what is good; and what is desired from you by the Lord; only doing what is right, and loving mercy, and walking without pride before your God.'  Micah 6:8

'Because everything in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world' I Jn2:16.

As Christians, how many of us have fallen to the traps of sin in one shape or form.  The sin of pride does come in to us, subtly and quietly. We see ourselves as the good ones, not the sinners that the LORD is angry with or feel justified to hold others in our contempt because they are not Christians or not living a 'righteous life' like ours. 

• Pride is a fierce desire to promote one's own ideas and convictions to the exclusion of everyone's.
• A proud person is obsessed, gripped and preoccupied with his own view of things/events that they cannot see or hear the view of others(remember Cain in Gen 4:7).

Jesus told a parable (Luke 18:10-13) of two men that went to the place of worship to pray, one was full of self, the other man was full of self assessment and recognition of self-emptiness and strong need for help from God.  Obviously, the Spirit of God was present to speak to both of these men, yet only one heard His voice. The other was filled with pride of self achievements and righteousness to the exclusion of God's insight to his situation.

When pride has a grip on any man, easily, unforgiving spirit will not be far behind in taking up residence. Jesus told another parable in Matt 18: 23-35, where two servants were forgiven their debts by their master, but of the two, one was indebted to the other as well as their master.  The servant to whom his colleague was indebted felt better placed and would not forgive his colleague his debt, but rather exacted his power over him to the extent of imprisonment. 

• A person in the grip of pride has no compassion nor can be compassionate, will not forgive others for their errors, real or imagined.
• Pride destroys (Proverbs 16:18)

There is no one that knows us better than our LORD God!  And He has provided us with the solution in Micah 6:8 on how to deal with these twin evils attempting to play tag in our lives.  

'.....only doing what is right, and loving mercy(compassion), and walking without pride before your God.'  Micah 6:8b




All Bible verses from Bible in Basic English.