Francis Umesiri

2009-05-19T08:16:00.001-07:00

Freedom to Live for a Higher Purpose

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” John 9:1–2 (NIV)

As a young Christian, I was taught that it is important to discover the exact purpose that God has for me. Like most people, I grew up searching for his good will for my life. But it is all too easy to become more enamored in searching for that grand, spectacular purpose that God has for me than it is to actually settle in day by day, living the life that God meant for me to live and enjoy. So, I prayed, labored, and served with the hope that one day, God’s grand purpose would be revealed in my life. It was as though I was building up for the D-day, whatever that means—I don’t know. I was striving to find meaning, to grasp that “something” that will bring me a sense of significance. But it seemed that the more I reached out for this grand purpose, the more elusive it appeared. I had become too occupied with the end of the journey to enjoy the journey itself.

Then, in the spring of 2000, when I was a young pastor serving a local branch of my denomination in a rural town several miles from my home, God visited me. It was not an earthshaking, thunderous visitation. It was a simple but profound encounter with truth. I was reading a book called The Hidden Man and praying, when, suddenly, I realized something that has changed my life in a significant way. As I sat there in my study room, I knew without a doubt that I am intimately connected with God’s purpose for me; that God is delighted in me. He is satisfied in me, right now. The reason he made me is so that he can have me fellowship with him. All I have to do is live this purpose daily and enjoy it.

From that day on, I knew there was a huge difference between purpose and assignment. I stopped striving to find meaning and started living my purpose—being a friend of God. I found a new freedom to be the person God made me to be. In some of the chapters that follow, I discuss this experience and what it meant to me. You see, the search for meaning is important, but the experience of a sense of meaning and significance in your daily life is even more important. The experience of meaning brings freedom to live for a higher purpose each and everyday of your life.

In many ways, I was like the blind man mentioned above. The man was blind from birth. In the land of Israel at the time the man lived, it was a terrible affliction to be blind. To be blind from birth suggested that either the baby was a sinner (you’ve got to be a terrible sinner to be punished from birth), or his parents had committed some really horrible sins in the past for which they were being punished. That was the cultural perception. So, if you were born blind, it was a double jeopardy: not only did your blindness place restrictions on you, but society also placed measured limitations on you.

However, the cure for this two-edged limitation was vision. As soon as this man received his sight, he became a “free” person. The cure of his blindness validated him—he was not a “sinner.” he was free to live his life like a normal person. He could go places he could not have gone before being healed. If you read the rest of the account, you will stand back amazed as you watch the man, who only a few minutes before was the scum of the earth, as he teaches the religious elites of his time the wisdom of God. It is that kind of freedom that comes from insight that I hope you will share both with me and with this nameless blind man. I think the reason his name was not given is so that each of us can fill in our name in the place of his. It is my prayer that somewhere along the way, as you read this book, you will receive an insight that will free you to actually live and enjoy your good purpose in life.

An excerpt from "The Search for Meaning: Living for a Higher Purpose". All rights reserved.

2009-05-19T08:15:00.001-07:00

How to Thrive in a Distressed Economy, Part 1

That we are going through one of the worst economic times in history is no more news. If you haven’t been affected directly by a lay-off, you probably know some dear one who has. The sharp decline in stock prices have resulted in loss of millions of dollars in savings and retirement benefits. For months now, fear and panic have seized the hearts of many.

All around us, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of good news. But as painful and seemingly hopeless as the job loss or economic times have been, there is a basis for us to have hope, to expect a better tomorrow. But in the meantime, how do we cope in such troubled times? For some who have lost their means of livelihood and are rendered homeless after years of diligent work, what can such people do in such precarious times? There is no doubt that some people have faced very dire circumstances, but no matter your situation, here are a few suggestions that could help you out through these tough times.

Cry if you must, but eschew bitterness

It’s ok to cry in times of pain. But it is not helpful to be bitter. The loss of job or life-long savings could engender immense pain and bitterness if not checked. It’s all easy to get into a bitter mode and become offended. The temptation could be to be bitter and offended against God. As absurd as that may sound, it is true that we sometimes get really mad at God. In fact, it seems like the more faithful someone has been as a Christian, the more likely they are to get mad at God if something bad happens to them. Perhaps it is a feeling that God “let us down” when we needed him most. Or maybe, it’s a frustration about a loving God who “can just sit there and watch terrible things happen.” Whatever may be the cause, when bad things happen to believers we tend to get mad at God.

But bitterness - either against God or against the Church, fellow Christians, the government - does not engender the grace of God in tough times. In fact, it robs us of much needed grace. No wonder, we are enjoined: “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” ( Hebrews 12: 15, NLT). Bitterness has the potential to poison your destiny. Avoid it at all cost, no matter the temptation.

Get away with Christ for a while

You say, “Well, you can talk like that because you have no idea what I have gone through.” There is no doubt that your situation may be a very dire one, but then, that is why Jesus invites you personally to come away with him, so you may be refreshed. “Take off” with Christ for a season. Relax a bit in his presence. Refresh, renew, rethink, and reposition. Here is Jesus’ invitation to you: "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matthew 11:28-30, Message).

Get away with Christ and recover your life. Take a moment to reflect and pray. Christ our Lord promised to give you real rest. Yes, that is what you need most now: God-given rest, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. It may not have been your fault that things had gone out of hand, but at least you can recover your life again, in the very hands of Christ. You may not be able to stop the bad news all around, but at least, you can guard your heart and mind with the very peace of Christ. This is the very beginning of recovery.

Yes, I know that when you are feeling beaten and weary, the last thing you want to do is get into all night prayer. Yes, I understand that; because I have personally been there a few times. But notice Jesus did not say, “ Get into prayer and fasting for seven days.” He said, “Get away with me, and I will show you how to rest, and recover your life.” To get away means to be “still and know that He is God.” It means to meditate on God’s love, goodness and faithfulness. It means to stay engaged in God’s presence and in his word until new hope arises in your heart and a new courage is inspired within your soul. Whether or not you are able to pray aloud, he hears you and knows your need. As I end part one of this piece, let me encourage you to “come away with Christ.” Let his presence renew, refresh and reposition you.

2009-05-19T08:14:00.001-07:00

Remember Your Source

For far too long, it seems like we as a people have put too much confidence in the stock market than in God as our financial source. The logic seems to have gone somewhat like this: “Just work hard, save up a bit and invest in a retirement account, and you will be just fine.” So, even when we talk about trusting God for everything, for many of us, our financial future was never really something we had to trust God about – we had it planned out. That is, until recently.

Please understand that it is important for us to save and invest in the future. We have to. We must. But the point is that we must always remember that God alone is our Source and Sustainer. We have a Father in heaven who cares about us, and is passionately in touch with our feelings of infirmity. He knows how bad you are hurting. He knows the loss you have suffered. He is the giver of all good things: “So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light” (James 1: 16-17, MSG). Dear brother, sister, “don’t get thrown off course.” These are trying times, no doubt. But we have a Father in heaven. The word “father” means “source and sustainer.” It means that God is our strength, salvation. In deed, it means that God is all we need, for in him, we find ultimately the full supply of every need: "Yes, indeed—God is my salvation. I trust, I won't be afraid. God—yes God!—is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!" (Isaiah 12: 2, MSG).

Oh, how awesome it will be for us all to sing with Isaiah that “God is in deed my song and my salvation.” God is. It’s not that God will provide strength, joy, finance, new job; but that God is my new job, my promotion, my financial security, my all. What a revelation. What freedom this will bring us. Please take time to meditate on Psalm 27, Psalm 46, and Isaiah 12. Hopefully, you may catch a glimpse of the insight that brought these elders joy and faith unspeakable. Look at Isaiah’s response when he understood that God was his source and sustainer in life: “Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation. And as you do it, you'll say, "Give thanks to God. Call out his name. Ask him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what he's done, spread the news of his great reputation!” (Isaiah 12: 3-4, MSG) Or, this one by David: “The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” (Psalm 27:1, NLT).

These responses show us that we can be hopeful, joyful and prayerful when we understand that God is our Source. Hopeful because God can not fail: “Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?” (Hebrews 13: 5-6) Joyful, because joy is the natural response in knowing that God is there for us, and that he can never fail us. Joy is also our strength, and the instrument of grace that connects us with the Source: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart” (Psalm 37: 4, Amplified Bible). Consequently, we can get into prayer and ask God specifically for what we need now, after all, Jesus said: “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” ( Matthew 7: 11, NLT).

To sum things up, remember that God is your source. Go back to him. Relax in his presence, meditate on him, and bring your petitions directly to him: “Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4: 6-7, MSG). God sure cares for you. He is able and willing to grant you a brand new beginning.

2009-05-19T08:13:00.001-07:00

Look Within

It’s true, when tough times hit, there is a tendency to let pain and tears becloud our sight and dampen our faith. It’s all so easy to think that there is possibly no good thing that could come out of our current trial or loss.

That was exactly what happened to Hagar, Abraham’s maid turned mistress. She had been sent away with Ishmael her son, with only a bottle of water and other supplies. But being in the desert, she soon ran out of water. It was a very dangerous situation. She was thirsty, but she was even more scared and tormented as she watched her son struggle. She couldn’t bear it any more. Death was imminent. As far as she could see, there was no hope. So, in her desperation, she laid the boy under a shade, said her last prayers and went off a little way down the desert to cry – why watch helplessly as her own son dies of thirst?

Hagar: From Tears of Pain to Oasis of Joy

She wept, and waited to die. But all along as she wept, she stood before an oasis of water: “Just then God opened her eyes. She looked. She saw a well of water. She went to it and filled her canteen and gave the boy a long, cool drink” (Genesis 21; 19). Thank God for a merciful God, who can wipe away tears and open our eyes to see. The pains of life are for real. The difficulties and lack that come with a job loss are all too real and painful. We may be tempted to give up, and lay us down to cry. We may think all hope is gone, and submit to the debilitating force of despair. But there is a God in heaven who hears prayers, and listens to our silent cries for help. His first miracle is to ‘open our eyes’ so that we may see ‘the pool of water’ that lies by our side. That way, God saved her life and that of her son.

As I write, I personally struggle too. I just got a mail from a friend who has just been kicked out of home and at a most painful and confused state of her life. What can I say to such a dear one to bring hope? Only God must do a miracle – the miracle of ‘opening her eyes’ to see that all hope is not lost yet; that there is yet a glorious future ahead of her; that while yesterday might have been tough, tomorrow could be a wonderful new day; that there is a way out of such depressing moments even when it doesn’t seem so.

When all else seems lost, look within. There is always ‘a way of escape’ that God plans for us, a potent resource that helps us out of our difficult moments. Moses wondered how he could confront Pharaoh, but God ‘opened his eyes’ to see the rod in his hand as God’s powerful resource (Exodus 4). The apostles of Jesus wondered how in the world they were going to feed five thousand men (not counting women and children) out in the wilderness, until Jesus challenged them to look inwards and identify what they had. They looked inward and identified five loaves of bread and two fishes (John 6). It was very little compared to the need. But that was what they had. In the very hands of Jesus, the little became much, fed them all and still had excess supply left.

No matter what we are going through now, there are still things that you have going for you. Pause. Wipe the tears. Reflect. Identify your resources, talents, gifts, and most of all, the people in your life right now. Hand it all over to Jesus. It’s amazing what he can do with our ‘little’ when it’s given wholly to him. It’s ok to cry, as long as we pause long enough to take stock of what we still have left. Give thanks for what you still have. Of all that we still have left, we do have the love and support of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can be sure of his everlasting support: “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good...So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? (Romans 8: 26-32).

All bible quotations are from the Message Bible paraphrase Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

2009-05-19T08:11:00.001-07:00

Between Good Friday and Easter Morning

Tucked in-between the gloomy hopeless night of Good Friday when the Savior was crucified and the glorious Resurrection Morning of Easter is this quiet almost non-existent Saturday. It’s hardly ever talked about, yet it plays a major role in Christ’s mission and ours too.

When he faced Pilate and the Jews right from the previous night, Jesus still had some of his friends with him. It was a terrible day, but at least, his mom and some of his apostles were there to mourn. It was a sad day: the One they had come to trust as the Savior lies seemly helpless at the hands of Pilate and the Jews. It was a sad day, no doubt, but at least the whole city was shaken. Everyone knew that some one important had gone down. Some rejoiced, others mourned,but they all acknowledged the “demise” of Jesus, the "King of the Jews."

On the other hand, Easter morning marked Heaven’s triumph over man’s folly; the transcendence of grace over bullishness; the victory of life over death. Oh, when they thought all hope was gone, then there arose the crucified Lord, alive and well, and reigning for ever. It was in deed a glorious morning.

But in between was Saturday. It was literally one hell of a period. Didn’t the Bible hint that Christ went down to Hades, and disarmed principalities and powers? Wasn’t it within this period in the “grave” that Jesus took the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1: 18)? Whatever happens, those three days between the time Jesus was crucified and the time he resurrected, were certainly important. Yet, whatever was going on down in Hades or right in Heaven at that time was hidden from Israel and from all of Christ’ disciples.

As far as they were concerned, he was dead. We get a picture of their gloom and despair on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:20 24): "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened. But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn't find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn't see Jesus." ( Message)

Oh, how sad,. They said: "We had our hopes up, but now he had disappointed us. In fact, to make matters worse, we can’t even find his corps." It sounds a lot familiar,doesn't it? Sometimes, we may have gone through a ‘crucifixion’ crisis, after which all hope seems gone. Others may even write us off as these dear disciples almost did. “We thought she had so much potential, but after several years of no growth, we have given up expecting much from her.” Oh, to be sure, people may not quite put it that directly. But their actions and inactions speak loudly about their belief. It may start with close friends gradually withdrawing, until one day, you ‘wake up’ to realize that all your close friends are gone. They have made themselves new friends who they think are more promising. After all, who wants to hand around a “loser”?

But what they don’t understand is that, within those three days of apparent inactivity or decline, heaven and hell were battling it out, and surely but steadily God is winning in your life; setting things right, reforming you, equipping you, anointing you, and increasing you in grace. Oh, yes, there may be tears and intense battles sometimes, but God is still at work in you. Others may have given up on you, but God who sent you out in the first place knows what he has deposited in you. It may take a while, but surely, he will prevail in your life.

In fact, what the disciples on the way to Emmaus did not realize was that the Lord was no more in the grave. He who was dead is now alive and well. The dream that was buried 30 years ago is suddenly being resurrected by the Lord. The destiny that was lying wasted 10 years ago is now being awakened by the Lord himself. Oh, they did not know that they were actually speaking with the very Lord of glory himself. Trials and pain have a way of transforming us that sometimes even our closest friends don’t recognize us any more when it is all over. When God is done with you, some folks who knew you years back may not recognize that it was you.

But meantime, we have to yield to the hand of the Father, and let him have his way fully. Jesus submitted fully to the Father’s will right from the garden of Gethsemane, to Golgotha, to the grave. It seemed as though the Enemy had prevailed, but not so. God had a plan. In submitting to the Father, even within those three horrible days and nights from the crucifixion to the resurrection, Jesus gave the Father full control to execute the entire plan. And boy, was the final outcome so sweet. Christ was “sown” as one Man, but now he has many sons to glory. He was “sown” in weakness, but now reigns in power for ever. He is Lord for ever.

The time in-between may be hard, but they are very important formative times. The times in-between are often lonely times, but they are seasons of unnoticed but required growth. Let this Saturday before Easer Sunday remind you again that no matter what you have gone through these past years, resurrection morning is on the way. You can “be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Romans 8: 28, Message).

2008-01-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

Partisan Politics & The Evengelical Right Wing: Urgent Matters

The evangelicals have always insisted that it is important for Christians to uphold the dignity of all human life, including the right of the unborn baby to live. In political terms, it is called pro-life. They also insist on the Biblical pattern of marriage as being between one woman and one man. I fully agree with them on these two issues. Why? Because I am a Christian who shares those same beliefs based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. But only thus far do I agree with American evangelicals.

During 2004 presidential elections, I paid close attention and watched as Christian evangelicals became immensely political as they supported President Bush because they felt he shared their conviction on those two issues. So, for that year, it was about pro-life, sanctity of marriage and national security. Many innocent Christians were told that if they were really Christians, then they ought to vote for Bush (although it wasn't quite as direct, but usually, the message was clear). I heard a lot of Christian leaders ( that is those who were in what I call the Christian political movement) suggest that if you voted for any person who does not share those three issues in a political way, then you are either not a committed Christian or you have somehow backslidden.

I was troubled by this trend because I know that even Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior, never fought his spiritual battles on the political arena. His kingdom was heavenly, and above all that is earthly. So, he was not partisan at all. In one breath he could rebuke Pilate, but in another he could speak against Herod or even the religious rulers in the temple. He took no sides with any politician. His side was heaven's side. He spent time praying and healing the society of its vice. He encouraged his disciples to pay tax, and obey those in authority. In short, Jesus encouraged participation of the church in civil matters (and that includes electing good leaders), but he never organized his church around a political movement, no matter the moral issues at stake. He knew the hearts of all men too well to entrust divine principles or kingdom matters to any politician.

When I shared some of these thoughts with a few of my close friends, I remember them looking at me as if I had gone crazy. It was almost as though if you cautioned against the evangelicals’ romance with the Republican Party, you were seen either as a democrat or as an unfaithful Christian. Some of us, humbled and frustrated, left it all in the hands of God.

But that was 2004. In 2008, things appear to be a bit different. Although it is early to conclude, it appears that a good number of evangelicals are no more consistent on the issues they raised just a few years ago. Then, it was pro-life and sanctity of marriage. Now, they are not so sure. It is either the economy or national security. In November 2007, Pat Robinson endorsed Rudy Giuliani. Wait a minute, I thought Christians are committed to pro-life and sanctity of marriage? I thought those were the deciding factors in 2004? But the last time I checked, Rudy does not stand for any of those two. What happened to our Christian integrity? What happened to holding on to what the Bible teaches? Pat Robinson says that, this time, national security is more important than pro-life and sanctity of marriage. I shudder at how easily we can change grounds.

And before you tell me that Pat Robinson does not speak for all of us evangelicals, let me double cross you for a moment and remind you that I know that already. Yet you can not deny that when certain of our own leaders have shifting positions on these kinds of issues, we do not only embarrass ourselves we also ridicule our faith in the face of a sneering world. Can God not protect United States if in deed there is a national security threat? Dare any of us try to help God to do that, at the detriment of moral principles we supposedly fought so hard to uphold in the last few years? Since when did Rudy Giuliani become God's choice in protecting America? By the way, as at January 16, 2008, the republicans have already conducted their primaries in about four states, how is it that the candidates whose stand for pro-life and marriage (such as Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson) are not winning full support of the so called evangelicals? Yes, in Iowa, Mike Huckabee won his victory based on that evangelical base, but where are those evangelical leaders who spoke up so well in 2004? Why are they not routing for him or Fred Thompson? Because they are not sure he could win? Since when does moral or christian conviction hinge on the electability of a politician? Why are the evangelical leaders playing politics with moral issues? If you are going to be a leader, why not go all the way and be consistent in your position on these issues?

You see how absurd it is for the church as a body to become involved in PARTISAN POLITICS? I am not suggesting that we get into partisan politics now and support those with pro-life values in politics. I am saying quite the contrary. I am saying that the shifting sand of partisan politics is not fit to hold the everlasting principles that we are called to uphold as Christians. We ought to pray for our government, participate in our civil duties including electing public officials we feel comfortable with, but we ought not to get mired with dirty partisan politics. The church ought to be an umpire in these matters - praying with an unbiased attitude for God's will to be done in our nation. The church ought to be in a position that it can honestly speak against the actions of any government (democratic or republican) without feeling the pangs of guilt or shame. We ought to carry the religious zeal we brought to politics to the doorstep of our own local churches, and teach our people what the Bible says about abortion and gay lifestyle. Why are we more zealous in carrying placards on the street than in teaching it from our pulpit? Why do our leaders spend more time attending political rallies and felicitating with certain politicians than they do with preaching against sin right from their own pulpit?

Something has gone wrong with our priorities. Someone, somewhere, had misled the American church into thinking that they can best 'fight' God's battles by carrying placards, joining the republican party, and getting all bitter and worked up about social issues. Jesus Christ our master did not achieve spiritual change that way, neither did apostle Paul and all the early church fathers when it was said of them that 'they turned the world upside down'. Brothers, sisters, we need to acknowledge our mistakes and repent. Let's fight sin (yes, abortion, homosexuality, crime and racism) in our churches. Let us encourage our members to go out and vote with their conscience, but let us not get so involved with any politician that we loose sight of the Savior.

I do not write as one who is better off or as an enemy in my own house, but as a brother. I also share in the mistakes of the church. After all, I am a part of the body of Christ. I share the values of life and marriage between one man and one woman. I am not in any way a 'liberal'. Like you, I also believe we should get involved in voting. But we went too far during the last two elections. May be, God is giving us an opportunity during this election season to retrace our steps from the bitter arena of partisan politics, and return to being the 'salt' of the earth, and the 'light' of the world. May God bless America.

2008-01-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

Between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton: A Different Kind of Politics

As far back as February 2007, I had suggested on this blog that "the next wave of change the world will know, spiritually a well as politically, may well be led by women and people of minority." Read this article here. Almost a year later, the democratic race has gradually narrowed down to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. While it is never wise to rule out any one in politics (after all, a year ago, Hillary was the top runner nation-wide, but today she shares that position with Obama), yet most people believe that the democratic race is coming down to a choice between Hillary and Obama. And that is what is interesting to me.

We are living in changing times. There is a power shift in the air. Obama and Hillary are proof of that shift. Obama may not even be aware of the import of his 'change' theme, but he is reiterating something that is already in motion. There is a huge change in the political terrain taking place across the globe.

It is interesting that the democrats may present either a woman or black man as their presidential nominee during the next presidential elections. I am glad to be alive to witness a time like this. We ought to be celebrating this time. I am sure that Martin Luther King Jr. would have also rejoiced at this prospect. While it can not be said that we have achieved all that the civil rights movement fought for, it can certainly be said that we are making significant progress. Obama and Hillary are proof of that progress. Hillary may be a white woman and a former first lady, but she is a woman. Obama may have had a white mother, but he is a black man.

The choice between Obama and Hillary is a choice we should make with pride as a nation. Yes, there is race and minority written all over this democratic primaries. But it is not race and minority in a negative sense. Instead, it is a celebration of what is good and great in all of us irrespective of race or gender. As a nation, we are forced to step back and take a good look at these two contestants, and admit that whether you are black or white, male or female, it is the stuff the individual is made of that is more important than their gender or skin color. Hillary and Obama challenges us as a nation to look beyond individual bias or prejudice, and respond to a higher call: that of exercising our democratic rights from a standpoint f dignity and mutual respect for one another. And before you write me off as a left wing, let me remind you that I am neither a democrat nor a republican. I am simply a neutral observer.

Just take a good look at the dynamics of this race and you will appreciate my joy. Hillary Clinton is a white lady, but she and her husband have enjoyed tremendous support among a majority of the black population in this country. In fact, the issue for the Clintons now is how to keep that support base from switching to Obama. On the other hand, Obama is a black man who has had more support among white people than he had had among black people. Look at his victory in Iowa, a traditionally white state, or his strong second-place finish in New Hampshire, if you want proof. Even among women, the support is split between Clinton and Obama almost equally. More women voted for Obama in Iowa, but in New Hampshire, more women voted for Hillary. This is interesting. It seems that the everyday people of this country recognize something that the established institutions may not have come to terms with yet: it is time for positive change. People are reaching across the isle to embrace candidates based on their integrity, policy and ability, in spite of race or gender.

I am not a politician, but I sense like most people, the 'game' of politics is going to be a lot different from now on. The established institutions in both parties had better be ware, otherwise they will lose touch with a majority of American people; and may pay dearly for that. The world is set for change. I guess as a Christian, it is in place to suggest that some of these political changes we see may possibly herald major spiritual and social changes that are coming our way in the near future. Like Morris Cerullo always says, 'every truth is parallel'. Is it possible that our world is in a sort of birth pangs, crying for a new kind of order based on justice and equity? Who are the ones chosen to lead in this hour, politically as well as spiritually? Usually, such people may not always come from the established class. Remember, Jesus Christ our Lord was born of a virgin, in a manger. Abraham Lincoln had a very humble beginning too. After all, it is written that ‘the stone the builders rejected has become a chief corner stone’.

The next time you see Obama and Hillary either on TV or on a campaign trail, celebrate the change they both represent. We should not allow ourselves to be drawn by the media or fanatical supporters of these two into losing sight of the amazing transformation taking place before our eyes. It doesn't matter who you support, Hillary or Obama ( or a republican candidate), we ought to celebrate the emerging change they both represent. It is certainly not going to be politics as usual.

2007-12-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

The Bible On Race and Diversity

I have been a part of the American Church now for a while, and I am loving it. There are some reasons why I am loving being a part of the Body of Christ here in the States. For one, Christians here are largely sincere people. Those who choose to believe in Christ do so faithfully, trustingly. Another reason is the generosity of the body of believers in the country. They have done a lot in helping spread the Word of God to other parts of the world. I count myself blessed to be a part of such giving and sacrificing people of God.

Yet, there are a few things that make me concerned about the Church in the US. Some of these issues include race and racial relations, the church's participation in partisan politics, and the question of homosexuality. To be sure, these issues are in no way peculiar to the American Church. By the way, by 'American church' I mean the entire body of Christ represented by the Christian community in the US. There is technically no such thing as American church or Nigerian church or British church. The phrase is used only in the sense of identifying the christian community in a particular region of the world. One more thing, I am not going into these discussions as one who is a judge, or one whose understanding of Scripture in this area is infallible. Far from it. I love the Christians I have met in this country, and out of love seek to share these concerns with you, brother to brother. In fact, looking back now, I see that the same issues of race or ethnicity largely bedevilled the Nigerian Church from which I came. Isn't it interesting how it is easy not to notice our own faults or mistakes? Often times, it takes an unbiased 'outsider' to see things the way they really are, and point our attention to it.

The Church and Racial Relations
So, let's begin our dialogue with race. Yes, I know, many people are uncomfortable with even the mention of that word. That is the first observation I have made as a stranger, and it may well be wrong. But the impression I have had living and worshipping with Christians is that the first rule about racial relations is 'never talk about race-related issues directly; and if you must talk about it, do it in such a manner that only the enlightened inner cycle actually has a clue about what you talking about.' But talk about it, we must. After all, the Bible we hold dear as God's word to us is full of direct discussions on racial relations, and brotherly fellowship with diverse groups of people.

I have visited all-white churches in communities with whites, blacks and Hispanics. I have also visited all black churches in the same communities. Yet, the American Church acts like race is no issue at all. To be quite frank, the church in American is not alone in carrying on as though racial relations need no improving. I am originally from Nigeria. In that great country, Christianity is going through a huge revival. Yet, ethnicity plagues the nation and the church almost equally. It is still very important even in the church whether you are Ibo, Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani, Itshekiri, or Ibibio, to mention only a few of some of the ethnic affiliations. I hear of some American missionaries talk about tribal divisions among African peoples, and the wars it so easily engenders. They are right, and how sad it is. But the truth is that, right here in US, the nation and the Church are not free of race problems. And the amazing thing is that we either don't see it or we have chosen not to acknowledge it.

Let's Confront It
But we have to agree that perhaps we have a problem, yes, even with race. I have visited a number of churches where people were genuinely warm. I have also visited a number of churches where people are condescending to an annoying degree. And even congratulate themselves that they are so good as to stoop low to talk to someone of a different race, or of a particular race. I have sat back in some churches and observed as the greeters or the host pastor welcomes some people of a different race, almost as a matter of duty. I have also watched as these same persons spontaneously embrace some other people of a different race. Yet we can almost swear with our lives that we are not racial. In fact we feel insulted by the mere suggestion that racial feelings could be at work. May be we are not 'racial'. But perhaps we need to admit that we have a racial problem. That may be a good place to start. After all, even the most 'nonracial' person may well have some racial tendencies.

The Church has got to confront some of these things through teachings from the word of God. Even the early church had problems of race and ethnicity and diversity. They did not know how to deal with it at first, but one thing they did for sure was confront it directly. The nation in which the church was birthed was steeped deep into national pride and exclusivity. They were Jews, all others were gentiles. And let me remind you, 'gentiles' connotes sinful, and somewhat inferior set of people. To say that they were proud of their Jewish heritage is to put it mildly. So, when the Church of Christ was born, there was still a carry-over of this national sentiment and racial pride into the church; to the degree that although they genuinely believed that Jesus Christ is the only salvation for the world, yet they questioned Peter for going to preach to Cornelius, a gentile; and huddled themselves in Jerusalem until persecution sent them out to other places.

Tolerance or Love?
Not to worry, I will go into the history of race and racial problems in the Christian Church soon, but for now, let me conclude that it does not help to deny that we may have a race problem. We have to confront this in order to grow in this area. I wish that some of our 'mighty' preachers preached a little more on racial equality and true fellowship among all peoples in Christ. We have preached and practiced 'tolerance'. Perhaps that is what we don't need. Who wants to be 'tolerated'? We all want to be celebrated. May be, we have confused our tolerance of each other as love for one another. Dictionary online defines 'tolerate' as: "1. to allow the existence, presence, practice, or act of without prohibition or hindrance; permit. 2. to endure without repugnance; put up with: I can tolerate laziness, but not incompetence." Can you tolerate your spouse and congratulate yourself on being a great partner? When did tolerance of one another become a christian benchmark of love and brotherly fellowship?

Brother, sisters, we have a problem with racial relations. Let's begin to examine our hearts and ask God for repentance. In the next posting, we shall continue our discussion on how Paul confronted Peter, yes, on racial hypocrisy. It's in the bible, yet we act like race problems have never been an issue with us.

2007-12-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

Legality Or Respect for Human Life?

It was about Thursday, November 15, 2007, we were faced with the news that a Texas man shot and killed two apparent burglars who were attempting to break into a neighbors house, after a 911 dispatcher severally told him in no unclear terms not to shoot or kill those buglers. I watched as news media tried to downplay the story or make it a matter of legality.

Sad, two men were murdered in cold blood and we talk of legality - whether the books covered it or not. I did not hear most of the news media cover this as human tragedy, or even as a moral issue. From all intents and purposes, the dispatcher's immortal words, 'Property is not worth killing someone over,' was not heeded by the this murderer, and certainly was never noted by the news media who covered the story. What a moral and social dilemma. Two men are callously killed, yet all we talk about was whether Texas law included using deadly force to protect neighbor's property. Click here now to listen to the 911 dispatcher telling this deliberate killer not to shoot.

As I read and watched this news, I felt pain and sadness that our society has degenerated so far. It is politically correct to shout in defence of dogs and animals, and jail some of our finest citizens ( and justifiably so) who mistreat animals, but we look the other way when a man takes the law in his own hands, and kills two men for attempted burglary. Don't get me wrong, burglary is evil, and those who carry it out should be punished by the state. And if a man's life is threatened by burglars, he has a right to defend himself, even if that means the use of deadly force. But for a man to willfully, premeditatively and calculatedly murder two men in a neighbors property after being warned by police not to do it? That ought to raise overwhelming outcry against such blatant waste of human life. But I did not see such outcry. In fact, I imagined, very sadly, if this blood-hungry Texan had killed two dogs attempting to deface or destroy his neighbors property, what outcry we would have witnessed; what holy fervor with which the animal rights movement would have pursued this case; how differently the news media would have reported this case.

That is how far we have steeped ourselves in hypocrisy. The animal rights movement will rather have a human being killed than to have a dog or a cat to be hurt. And before you label me an enemy ( because that is how easy it has become these days to make enemies), I believe that animals should be treated humanely, but I also believe that no Texan law gives a man the right to take away human lives in preference for a neighbors property. The truth which most news media failed to tell us in that story, is the same truth which the 911 dispatcher stated so clearly: 'Property is not worth killing someone over'. This is the principal issue, not legality. It is this moral and philosophical dilemma that so mirrors our failure as a society. We should defend life, all live - whether they are unborn babies, helpless pets,but especially full grown human lives.

Ironically, the same man who failed to allow the agents of government and the law to take care of the burglary will now allow the same legal system to determine if he acted according to law or not. This is the danger we must seek to avert - the subtle message in this act that it is OK to hijack the law of the land, to kill and take human lives in the pretence of defending my neighbors property. Today, it may be two black men we associate with burglary, and in our unspoken thoughts, we may be saying, 'serves them right'. But tomorrow, it may not be two black men that may be involved. It may be a close white friend who is mistaken for a burglar in your neighbor's compound. Next tomorrow, other people will invent other good reasons to circumvent state apparatus for maintaining law and order, and for punishing offenders. We are heading effectively towards anarchy if we fail to say no to people like this blood-thirsty Texan.

No matter what the jury decides in this case, everyone who believes in the collective existence of a nation-state and in the law-enforcement agencies of the nation-state ought to unequivocally condemn this Texan. And I pray that this murderer's heart may condemn him, if by chance he may find repentance, forgiveness and peace which only God, the giver of life, can bestow.

2007-02-20T17:34:00.001-08:00

Power Shift- Women in Focus

February 11, 2007, Harvard University announced Drew G. Faust as the 28th president-elect of the institution (http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/02.15/99-president.html). Professor Faust is a woman, the very first woman to head this 367-year old institution. That announcement got me thinking, "Are we witnessing an important power shift in our world; a power shift that may see more and more women taking leadership positions?

To put things in perspective, Dr. Faust is an eminent scholar who is qualified in every respect for the position. But seen in a historical context, I think her appointment is significant and an indication of a paradigm shift that seem to favor women in leadership. It is even more significant when one recalls that Harvard is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious institution of higher learning in the country today.

If we step out from the impressive, almost intimidating, academic hallways of Harvard, to the proud and ambitious political arena, represented by the Capitol and the White House, we also observe this gradual but consistent shift towards women power. For the first time in American history, a woman, Nancy Pelosi, is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Also, for the first time in American politics, there is a woman, Hillary Clinton, who actually stands a real chance of becoming the president of US, the most powerful nation on earth today, in 2008. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not endorsing Hillary; neither am I saying that she is even sure to win the election for that matter. But it is significant to me that here is a woman who is currently leading all the other democratic presidential contestants in opinion polls. It seems to me that the American people, like the rest of the world, are becoming more disenchanted with men's leadership, and are increasing more apt to consider women leadership for change.

What of the economic scene? In 2006, there were 10 women CEOs out of the Fortune 500 companies, 20 out of Fortune 1000 companies (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/womenceos/).
This year's Forbes 400 richest individuals in America included 51 women (http://www.usatoday.com/money/2004-09-23-forbes-richest-list_x.htm).

Again, I do not see these marginal improvements as a surprise, as though women are somehow incapable of as much achievement as men. No, far from it. I am simply wondering out aloud here, "Is it possible that our society is finally waking up to the reality that men are not always capable of fixing the mess our world is in, and are therefore increasingly leaning on women to play more leading roles than they have done in the past?" Is this a trend we are likely to see increase as we advance through the 21st century? It does seem very probable to me.

It does appear, from Scriptures at least, that when men fail in taking leadership roles, God always found a woman to use. Take the case of Deborah in Judges 4. A whole nation was under siege for 20 years. The men cowered under political correctness, financial greed, and moral ineptitude. Finally, and thank God for that, a woman stood up, backed by God and strengthened by conviction, saved a whole nation from oppression. Remember when Jesus was crucified? His disciples locked themselves up in a room out of fear of being reprimanded by the Jews. That included the mighty and eloquent Peter, the 'favored' James and John. But it was a woman, and bless God for her, who was out at the grave, weeping and wanting to anoint the body of Jesus Christ. Her name was Mary Magdalene. Inspired by love and driven by gratitude, she was courageous enough to risk her life for Jesus. The Lord rewarded her love; she became the very first human to see Christ after he was risen from the dead, and the very first to share the good news: 'He is risen!' Read it up in John 20; it is a moving story.

Where are the women that are being called for this hour? Will they have the courage to serve, the fortitude to bear pain for the common good, secured enough in themselves not to 'prove' anything? I am thinking that the next wave of change the world will know, spiritually a well as politically, may well be led by women and people of minority.

2007-02-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

2007-01-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

The Call to Glorify God

We have stated that the primary purpose of human beings is to enjoy God and to glorify him. We have also spent a considerable amount of time explaining what it means to ‘enjoy’ God. But in this post, we are going to discuss what it means to glorify God. Perhaps, this post is the longest one I have written thus far, but it will be worth every bit of your time.

So, what does it mean to glorify God? It is a call to pleasure God deliberately. Purposeful and intentional life of praise and honor to God, that’s what it is all about. To understand this even more, let’s go back and meet Adam way back in Eden. How did he glorify God? Looking at the amazing life this man and his wife lived before the great Fall, it is possible to see that Adam lived a life of intentional praise and honor to God.

Surrender In Worship
Here is the very first thing he did which pleasured God very much: he was available for fellowship with Deity, with God himself. This is enjoying God and the wonders of his person. This is the greatest we can do to glorify him. The deliberate pursuit for the Divine Presence comes with deliberate worship; a heart joyfully bowed and yielded to the will of the Almighty God. Our supreme call is a call to fellowship with God, and as we fellowship, worship Him who is the maker of the universe.

He can do without our worship, but he chooses to have it. In fact, he demands our worship. Yes, the one who gave us all of himself ( Father, Son and Spirit) demands that we give him our all ( spirit, mind, will, intellect, emotion, and body). “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4: 23-24, NIV.

The other things Adam did was to live his life following the divine instructions he has been given. There are a few of them we see in Genesis chapters one and two.

Stay in the garden:
God has a specific garden that he plants and puts each of us in. He did the same thing for Adam, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”, Genesis 2: 15. This garden is first a physical location. It is Eden, and its borders where clearly specified in Scriptures: “ The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 1The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates” Genesis 2: 8-14, NKJV. There is a location that God intends for each of us. It is there that he visits with us, as he did with Adam. That location may change with time, but if it does, it is only because he gave a fresh instruction to relocate. God’s manifested presence has something to do with the location, the meeting place.

It is important for us then to stay located in the place God has specified. This in itself is glorying God. There may not seem to be a lot of tangible resources in the place God locates us, but then, who makes all resources? God is not limited by physical or human resource capabilities. In the case of Adam, he made Eden thoroughly fitted with almost everything Adam would need before He put Adam in there. Then as Adam stayed in there and had fellowship with God, God gave him a companion that best fits him, Eve. But in the case of Elijah, God sent him to the brook Cherit, and it was as he obeyed and stayed there that the birds brought him food. Are you where God has located you? That in itself is an act of worship, a deliberate step to glorify God; it is a sign that we recognize him as all wise, all loving and all powerful, and yield thus to him.

Tend the garden:
Adam was not only to stay in the garden, he was to tend it. It was an act of worship. As he tended the garden God planted, he was honoring the God who planted it. He was acting in God’s stead to care for what God would have cared for. His tender care of the garden was Adam’s way of acknowledging that:
1)Tthe garden was important to God. How can he claim to respect God but despise what is important to God? That will not be honoring to God.
2) He was a co-laborer with God, a participant in God’s affairs
3) It was an act of obedience that says ‘I will do what God tells me to do”. It shows that Adam was not in charge, God was.

Are you tending the garden God has given to you? Remember the garden may not even be spiritual, as in the case of Adam where the garden was a physical garden. Your garden may be a job or business. How are you tending it? Taking bribes, getting there late and leaving early, and being a bully to everyone that works with you? Your garden may be a church congregation. How are you tending it? By being more concerned about their tithes and offerings than you are about the individuals, or by telling them to do one thing while you do another, or by treating some members with preference over others because they are wealthy or politically influential? The thing to remember is that if God gave you the garden to tend, then that garden is really important to him, and it belongs to him. One day, he is going to demand we be accountable to him. But the exciting thing about tending the ‘garden’ is that it presents us a wonderful opportunity to show God how much we love him, and worship and glory him

Don’t eat the forbidden fruit:
I don’t know exactly what this forbidden fruit is, but one thing I know is that God has a right to tell us which fruit we should not eat. Why? Because he is God, period. After all, he did give Adam enough fruits in the garden to keep him busy all his life if all he did was eat one fruit after another. But God must set boundaries. True love creates boundaries. Boundaries are the barriers that love sets up to prevent its focus from being hurt. Thus a caring mother sets boundaries for her toddler, to prevent him from harm. An all permissive society is a godless society, for in a godly environment, boundaries exist. Removal of boundaries is an invitation to anarchy. True freedom constrains, humbles and directs.

On the continuum of maturity, there is the initial childhood stage of reckless abandon to do whatever the child wills. Immediate gratification rules in the child’s world. Self-control is not only lacking, it is all together alien to the child. He cries and kicks if he does not have his own way, right here and now. But as the child grows, he learns that he must not always have his way, or that certain gratifications could be delayed for long term goals, with the help of parents and school workers of course. As a result, he learns to forgo play for homework, for example, because he wants to pass his exams later in the semester. Then, as he goes away to college, he has his ‘freedom’. There are no parents to tell him what to do; even his college professors respects his ‘rights’. Now, he is a free man, he could do anything he wants. But he soon realizes that freedom comes with a price, a necessary burden - vigilance. It is up to him now whether he succeeds in life or fails. No one tells to do it, but as he matures, he learns to do without many things, only a few years ago, he thought he could never do without. He imposes more restrictions on himself, exercises more self-discipline than anyone else could have done for him. Then one day, he marries, bears children and now he his heart aches as he tries to teach his own children that you can’t have freedom without boundaries.

God’s man, Adam, must also know the ‘burden of freedom’, the price of vigilance, the value of responsibility. He could enjoy God’s life, his love, his wealth, everything. But he must also learn to stay away from just one fruit if he must continue to enjoy all those. It was a divine trust in man, a rare opportunity for Adam to have honored God. Well, you know the sad story; Adam did eat that same forbidden fruit. The result was not only that he lost the life of God in him, he also became naked, empty and vulnerable; and had to be sent out of the garden. We honor God simply by staying away from the forbidden fruit. The forbidden fruit may be sex before marriage. It may appear so attractive, all your friends may have done it, the world may tell you it is ok to do it, but none of that matter. The one who put you in the garden and gives you freely of all things to enjoy objects to it, and that is the most important thing. The fruit may be the temptation to take bribe, or cheat, or change figures or forge signature, or spend church or company money on you. It doesn’t matter what the particular forbidden fruit is, the important thing is that it is forbidden. If you stay away from it, you honor God. That is what you are called to do, that is what your life, like mine, is all about. We may lose money, miss promotion or be ridiculed, but what does that matter? As long as we are pleasing the one who planted the garden in the first place, no good thing will he withhold from us. “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly”, Psalm 84:11, NKJV.

Furthermore, this matter of the forbidden fruit is even more troublesome than we realize. When we eat the forbidden fruit, not only do we disobey and dishonor God, we actually worship and honor the devil. That is what happened when Adam ate the forbidden fruit; he obeyed and honored the devil. “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living” Romans 6: 16, NLB. No wonder, God sent him out of the garden. How can you be in another man’s garden and still be obeying his enemy’s voice. The danger of eating the forbidden fruit is two-fold: we could lose favor with God, and lose the garden itself. Are you misusing the money and opportunities and congregations God gave you? Then beware, because, soon, you could lose it all, including God.

Be fruitful:
‘Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”’ Genesis 1: 28, NKJV. Right in Eden God gives a specific instruction: be fruitful. Bear fruit. No way around it. God has planted trees already, but there are other trees to be planted. There are other kinds of fruits to be borne. You see, it is glorifying to God when we bear fruit. “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father” John 15: 8 NLT. Those words are from Jesus Christ himself, did you notice? Being fruitful is not the prerogative of a privileged few; it is for everyone who wants to discover and live their purpose. Begin where God has placed you. Bear fruit of joy, love, kindness, honesty, faith.

To ‘bear fruit’ means to be productive. Are you adding to the ‘garden’ or subtracting from it? What contributions are you bringing to your workplace, to your church, to your family, to your spouse? Since you became manager or supervisor, what positive additions have you brought to bear on the organization? Or have the organization, even if it is a church, made more money by dubious means, by stepping over people’s heads, by bribery, and lowering of standards?

There is also another dimension to fruit-bearing. And that is about bearing fruit in your own personal life. Are you being personally productive? Are you better today than you were ten years ago? In what specific ways have you improved your life over the past fives years for example? Have you learnt any new skills since the last 20 years or so? Please bear in mind that these kinds of positive improvements do not necessarily need to be done by enrolling in a university for a new degree. Sometimes, being fruitful and growing does require going back to school. But many times, you can change your life by reading one good book at home and acting on it. Sometimes, all it takes is to ask a friend or spouse to hold you accountable to improving your life, or to stop that bad habit. Other times all it takes is a decision, say, a decision to be whole and in harmony with God and with yourself; to live worthily and accurately. This personal growth may just be a decision to not shove and push and maneuver your way through life, whether it is at the bus-stop or at work, at home or even at church. That change in itself is a most worthy fruit in itself; it enriches your personal life and opens opportunities for you. But the greatest motivation should be the knowledge that you are glorifying God when you choose to grow, to increase in a healthy manner, to be ‘fruitful in all good works’.

Multiply:
Being fruitful is good but there is something even better. It is taking the good fruit that you have borne and multiplying it so that more people could benefit from it. It is taking the fruit that has blessed you and making it into a blessing too to other people around you.

Over many years, I have given attention to the question: how can we discover God’s purpose for our lives, fulfill it, glorify God and live to our maximum potential? I have read the bible with this goal in mind. I remember the very first bible I used after I gave my heart to Jesus Christ in 1987. I was so hungry for divine truth that I marked most verses as they were illuminated in my heart, especially the New Testament. I have also read many leadership and self-help books and many Christian books in search of the chief purpose of man and how he could truly glorify God and fulfill his life assignment. Over those years, I have grown some. I have made changes in my life that has moved me forward. I made discoveries that made me sing, dance and change. I can’t forget the day in 2000 in a small town in Southwest of Nigeria called Sagamu, when , while reading ‘The Hidden Man’ by E.W. Kenyon, life and light came flooding my soul, and I fell on the floor for hours in worship as God’s primary purpose for me became so clear. Just one book, but God used it to change my life. That was growth, bearing fruit on a personal level.

But out of that one book ( in unison with all the other things I have been thought by many teachers and mentors, of course), came messages to my congregation, seminars, and tracts; which took what was essentially my personal discovery and transformed it into a form that other people could use them and be blessed by them. That is what ‘to multiply’ may mean in one sense. Let’s say, as a matter of illustration, that you made a personal decision to live whole and pursue only that which is whole and wholesome. Over time, you see how this decision has shaped and enriched the quality of your life, and gave you a sense of wholeness you have never known before. You have been fruitful and productive, even if it is only on a personal level. Ok, let’s say you then choose to reproduce this ‘fruit’ in your family, or congregation or fellow workers, and equip them to teach the same principle to other people. You are beginning to multiply. But keep in mind that your chief goal is to honor God and glorify him. The fruits we bear and the fruits we multiply serve to honor and glorify God. They show our desire to take seriously what he has committed into our hands.

Fill the earth:
God is in heaven but he has given us the whole earth. Any person who wants to fulfill his life destiny must think in terms of the whole earth at some point or the other. Adam must begin with the garden in Eden, a rather limited place, but he must continue to grow and multiply until Eden could no longer hold his fruits. God puts us in a particular ‘garden’ at a particular time, but he does expect that we outgrow that garden until the whole earth becomes our mandate.

The earth is important to God. He worked long and hard to make it beautiful. And then on the evening of the sixth day of creation, he made man. After that, God took a ‘vacation’; he rested. The reason he rested was that he has found human being, this amazing new species of being who is equipped with all it will take to take care of the earth. God has confidence in you and me. God took a ‘vacation’ because he knows Adam was in the garden, and by extension, in the earth. What an amazing trust.

God has always chosen to co-work with mere mortals in the things that concern this earth. “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building” 1 Corinthians 3:5 -10. Even in the work of creation, he left some things for man to finish up. Think about cars, electricity, houses etc. These were man’s ‘creation’ out of the things that God has already made. Imagine the great privilege God gave us to fellowship with him in bringing other human beings to life. It is so amazing that it blows the mind: that God wanted Adam and Eve to bring other God-friends, human beings into life. Or, in the New Creation era, think about Jesus leaving only a bunch of Jewish men to bring the rest of the world into salvation that cost his life. ‘And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”’ Matthew 28; 18-19.

I don’t know about you, but I shudder each time I read that. What if these feeble men failed him, just like Adam did? That is how much God trusts you, to take the gift or life he has given you and use it and multiply it until it fills the whole earth. None of us has any excuse. If these twelve men did it, we can do it too, after all, it is God himself who works in us all both to will and to do his good pleasure according to Philippians 2: 13:“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”. They were mainly uneducated. They did not have political power, or even economic power for that matter. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” Acts 4:13. They did not have any god-fathers. In fact, the god-fathers in the land were out to get them. The odds were stacked heavily against them. But they had Jesus on their side. They did not only have his promise to them, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world’; they had also been with him. The key to filling the earth with our ‘fruit’ is to be with Jesus Christ. That means fellowship with God in prayer, praise, holiness, and in the Word.

You may not be highly educated; Thomas Edison was not. You may not be very wealthy; but then, Mother Theresa was not. You may not have any god-fathers or god-mothers; you are not alone, John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress in prison because the god-fathers of his land were against him. But if you are willingly to walk with God and be faithful and patient, he will take your fruit, multiply it and fill the earth with it.

However, it is important to remember the trend here, God did ask Adam to visit every nation on earth in order to ‘fill the whole earth’. But He did say that Adam’s seed or his fruit should fill the whole earth. I don’t think Thomas Edition ever visited Nigeria before his death, but his fruit, the electric filament, fills this nation. Peter and the rest of the Apostles did not visit all the world in person, but their seed, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, did. Sometimes, we spend more time trying to run away into the entire world rather than filling the whole world with our fruits. God gives us an Eden, and expect that we fill not only Eden but the whole earth with our good fruits.

It is helpful to notice that this ‘fruit’ , as much as it could certain mean other things, refers mainly to persons, human beings. ‘Why is that so?’ you ask. Human beings are more important to God than any other thing in this universe. You matter dearly to God. He wants more of us; Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Aborigines etc. In a literal sense, then, God wants us to fill the earth with godly children that grow up to honor him and fellowship with him. With all the talk today about the right to abort babies or the right live and marry as homosexuals, it is important to remind ourselves that part of God’s purpose for us all is to be fruitful, and as a group, fill the earth with other worthy human beings who honor God. If we start aborting our babies or start living as homosexuals, we certainly dishonor God, and live contrary to his glorious purpose for us. So, while we extend this ‘fruit’ to include other forms of productiveness, we must not lose sight of the fact that, primarily, God’s instruction is to fill the earth with godly ‘seeds’, that is, human beings. Of course, there is a place for planning and wisdom in the number of children that we bear; so that we can raise them up with enough resources to help them become the kind of persons God intends them to be.

What has God given you? It’s time to fill the earth with it. Bear fruit, then multiply your fruit. But don’t stop there, go all way and fill the earth with your fruit. If you ask God and stay long enough with Jesus Christ, he will show you how and when to do it. But we must keep this in perspective. It is all about glorifying God with our lives, giving him praise by being faithful, honoring him as we care for the whole earth he made; telling him it is ok for him to ‘rest’; that his confidence in us is not misplaced.

Share Companionship:
The last mandate God gave Adam was a spouse, someone to share his life with. Companionship. God expected Adam to glorify him by accepting his diagnostic that he, Adam, needed the ‘other’ to be whole. ‘And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”’ Genesis 2: 18-23.

Imagine how busy Adam was, so busy he did not even realize his need, a fitting companionship. But let’s just suppose for the sake of this piece, that when God brought Eve to him, Adam was to argue that he didn’t think he needed her. After all, he was getting the job done alright without her. He would have utterly dishonored God if he said that. Eve was God’s addition and complement to Adam’s life. God knows our needs much more. God wants us to honor him in the family life, by being a family and caring for the family.

Three kinds of family:
There are three kinds of family God expects us to honor him by. The first one is the natural family- Husband, wife and children. Family is important to God. Do you know that just by marring and producing godly seeds you are glorifying God? It is a most sacred opportunity to partner with God in bring living souls into being. Pause to think about that. And as those kids grow up to fear and honor God, you are a part of that wonderful plan.

The other family is the church. By church here, is meant both the body of Christians in general, wherever they are found all over the world; and the local congregation of Christians who assemble regularly to worship God through Jesus Christ. It honors God for you to belong to a local congregation that assembles in the name of Jesus Christ in truth and in spirit. Being a part of the body pleasures God. That is why Jesus came, to have a body, one body: the Lord and his people joined together as one. In becoming a Christian, you become a member of the Body, a part of Christ. You also complete this divine plan when you join together with the rest of the Body, the church. We should take the pressure and performance out of church. It is a place to worship God, and share fellowship with Christ and his people. Fellowship is a word we need to recapture in our churches, in its truest essence. The world is hurting, they need a place where they can be authentic without being rejected, vulnerable without being abused; a place to be loved and cared, not fleeced, like the rest of the capitalist world, a place to find rest for their weary soul. God made such a place in this world. It is called Church. Let’s take the pressure of money and showmanship out of church. It’s time to keep it simple and real.

The third kind of family is the human family. There is a sense in which both Christians and non-Christians are the same: we live together in this one planet called earth, and we are all sinners who must be saved only by the grace of God alone. We share similar trials, pains and triumphs. It’s high time we started acting live we are brothers and sisters. It’s time we began asking God to give us a love for the human family. God loves the whole world, sinners or not. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” John 3: 16-17. Persons who have accepted Christ into their hearts do not belong to this world any more in the sense that God expects them to live a higher life, of worth and integrity. However, Christians are also asked by God to be the ‘salt’ and the ‘light’ of the world. In other words, God wants us to care about the world he gave us, the people around us, whether they are believers or not. To show some decorum, respect to others even if they are of a different faith, religion, nationality or race. Imagine if we honored God this way- Muslims and Christians and Jews could live in peace even though they may have different beliefs, racism or ethnicity that plagues nations from US to Nigeria will be at its minimum at least.

It’s time to honor God and pleasure him, by having a healthy respect and love for human family. “From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries” Acts 17: 26, NLT. God cares for every person in the world today. Is it not only logical that one way to show our love and respect for God is to respect and care for what he loves tenderly? We must not get sucked in by the evil ways that abound in our world, but there is certainly a place for a theology that recognizes that human beings, even unsaved human beings, are God's beloved creation which deserves our love.

2006-12-31T10:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

This morning, as my wife and I were praying into 2007, a passage of scripture was inspired in my heart. And I thought I should share that with you today as we count down to the new year. It will banish fear from you, hopefully, and inspire faith in your heart as we step into 2007.

The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

That is from Psalm 118: 22- 24, NIV. This scripture is a prophetic psalm about the chief corner Stone, Jesus Christ. Although, he was rejected by the ruling powers of Israel and Rome, tortured and crucified, he is today the Prince of Peace, the Savior of the world, and King of kings.

But as we were praying this morning, it occurred to me that we are also referred to as 'living stones' in the bible. And so, what was true of Jesus would be true of us too if we believe in him. "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" I Peter 2: 4-5, NIV.

So, here is a word of hope for you as you enter this new year. 'The stone the builders rejected will become a capstone!' Many times, we don't have all it takes to succeed in a highly competitive world like ours. The 'builders' of society may look at us and vote us least likely to succeed. But there is a God in heaven who calls the things that be not as though they are, and raises the poor to positions of prominence overnight. Your weight, height, physical looks, level or education or even economic ability may limit you by this world's standards. But, thank God, God looks at the heart, and is not influenced by our sense-ruled parameters.

'It is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.' Yes, in this new year, I sense that God is going to raise help for us where our natural strenght could have failed. God is going to take you to places that your human qualifications could not take you. It is going to be God's doing. Grace will intervene where human effort and human laws have failed. Glory will take the place of shame. God will open new and effectual doors that will give us the opportunity to glorify him and reap his blessings.

It is the day the Lord has made. I do sense that 2007 is a year God will show up in most unusual ways in our lives and in this world of his. I think that, come 2007, God is going to remind us all in very clear terms that he is still in charge of this earth - not the scientist or business persons, or political leaders. 'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness there of; the people and all that dwell in them' Psalm 24:1.

We will rejoice and be glad in him. God will give us reason, as his children, to rejoice and be glad this new year. 'With joy shall we draw water from the well of salvation.' 'The joy of the Lord is our strenght.' Learn to stir up joy in your heart this coming year. The enemy may try to steal your joy, but don't let him. It is in the place of joy and heart cheer that we receive of His fullness, grace upon grace.

But notice that this huge promise began with the 'upright' principle. Righteousness or uprightness is the gate that leads to God's favor. "Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter" Psalm 118: 19-20, NIV. You can not disregard this principle, and still expect to enter the blessings and favor of God. Let us remember to be fair, just and equitable in our dealings with others, and God himself will be committed to your defence and promotion.

These were some of the thoughts that filled my heart this morning. And I hope that they motivate and encourage you as you step into 2007. We are thankful for your friendship, and for the opportunity to share with you all. Happy new year!
Free free to contact us any time.

2006-12-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

New Video - How To Discover Your Purpose In 15 Minutes

Only yesterday, my wife and I made the very first video on purpose, right in our living room. As you can imagine, its quality may not be the very best you have ever seen. But may I ask you to watch this video. You will be touched by the simplicity of it all.

But in case you have thought your purpose can only be discovered by some esoteric, high-sounding psychological means; then this video will shock you in its profound simplicity. Life is a simple deal. We do our best to try and complicate it.

After watching this video, there will be no doubt as to what you are here on earth for. You matter a great deal to God. Happy viewing.

2006-12-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! But What does that mean?

Since we are in Christmas mood, I thought a conversation on the meaning and purpose of Christmas may be fitting.

For sure, the Christmas holiday is a welcome break for many from work and business, to connect one more time with friends and family. So, for a lot of hardworking folks all over the country, Christmas is just a well deserved holiday season. It does not hold any spiritual meaning to such persons. Is that why we are doing our best to subsititute 'merry christmas' with 'happy holidays'?

Others go even further. They see Christmas, in addition to a holiday, as a season of joy. A time to be merry and make sure the merry-making goes round. Is that the sense in which we typically greet each other with “Merry Christmas”? And spend a fortune on the good practice of gift-giving?

For the capitalist, it is a good time for business. All kinds of marketing gimmicks abound to drive consumers to spend more and more, both on things they need and things they don’t need. Some people shop until they drop dead.

But what does Christmas mean to you? I challenge you to really do some reflecting.

Christmas is a historically Christian holiday. Whether Christ was born on the 25th of December or not is not the main point here. The issue is that the world has chosen a day to honor Him, and celebrate his birthday. We have some national holidays dedicated to the memory of either some of our past leaders or military heroes. On such days, it is politically correct to sing their praise. Yet, it is politically incorrect to talk about Jesus Christ, the greatest of all leaders, on his own birthday? Give me a break.

Christmas means Christ’ mass. Christ means messiah or savior. Mass is a religious celebration. So, Christmas literally means the celebration of Christ. Christmas is supposed be a day we devote to celebrating Christ. That is exactly what the angel of God meant when he announced his birth to the shepherds: The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."(Message Bible, Luke 2: 12).

The birth of Jesus Christ was ‘a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide’. He is the Savior, the Messiah and Master. He who is divine has entered the realm of humanity in order to save us. Divine Incarnation! A mystery of the highest magnitude, supreme gesture of love. He gave up his all to be your friend and savior.

But notice the sign the angel gave those shepherds how they would find him. They would find ‘a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger’. The One who is Savior and Lord came to us as a baby, lying in a manger. Think of the lowliness and humility depicted here by this deliberate message God is sending to us. Yet, how grandiose is our celebration of ourselves in all pomp and pageantry, in the name of Christmas.

Matthew gave us another important response to Christ and his mass. “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11. Those are the ‘Wise men from the East’. The way they celebrated Christ was to worship Him, and to give Him gifts!

I wish we could learn to celebrate Christ at Christmas, and in fact, at all times. A lesson we learn from those wise men from the East. They worshipped Him and their gifts were to Him. Yet, how often we tend to forget Christ himself in all our partying and gift-giving. It is also important we heed God’s sign for us about Christ’ celebration – humble orthodoxy.

Let us celebrate Christ this season. He is the reason for the season. And let us do it in humility, and in worship.

Glory to Jesus Christ, and merry Christmas to you!

2006-12-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

Geico's Caveman: A Peep Into The Mind of The Marginalized and Maligned

If you are in the academic sector like I am, you will know this is an exam period on most campuses nationwide. So, after a busy week of academic 'stress', I feel like reflecting on life's lighter side today... I have always thought that some of Geico's commercials dealing with the caveman are so hilarious. I like those caveman ads for two reasons: for one , they are so funny they get me laughing all the way through the ad session; two, it is a very creative way by Geico.com to deal with some of the social issues that their ad raises - like common stereotypes.

Have you seen some of those Geico's commercials lately? "It's so easy a caveman can do it". You know the one I love most? 'Geico.com- so easy a therapist can do it'.
Mr. caveman comes to see a therapist ( most likely forced by his employer, Geico, to go see one for 'anger management'!), but the therapist doesn't understand why he is upset by being so maligned. Well, the caveman replies her by suggesting that the ad says, 'Geico.com, so easy a therapist can do it'. But surprisingly, the therapist who a moment ago said that 'it was just an ad', protests, saying it wouldn't make sense to her. Click here now to watch it. It is so funny and thought-provoking.

The other one I love is this: 'Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the rock'. Click here to watch it
I think this caveman is too smart for this kind of malignant. He reminds us that his men discovered fire, invented the wheel, and laid the foundation upon which we are building are modern society. That doesn't sound to me like a dumb fellow! But all we could answer to what he just said, was that 'he woke up on the wrong side of the rock'. How ironic.

This one makes me empathic, and also respectful of the caveman: 'Everywhere he goes, there is something to remind him'.
Even at the airport, there is still this poster, 'so easy a caveman can do it'. Who could understand the struggle he goes through seeing those posters everywhere, spreading a stereotype that he sharply disagrees with?

From far away, the so called caveman sounds too uncivilized, too crude and uneducated; that is, until we see him up close. Then we realise he is just like all of us - smart, intelligent, resourceful, and can hold his own any day with the so called modern fellow. Just because someone is different from us does not give us a right to treat them as dumb or inferior.

I hope you enjoy these ads as I have. But as you do, I hope you will join Geico.com in this creative approach to confronting some of the negative stereotypes in our society; stereotypes about blacks, whites, hispanics, fat people, Africa, etc etc. Remember, just because people in your own little world accept that it is alright to feel certain way about people who are different, that does not make it right, especially when you happen to see it from the perspective of those who bear daily the brunt of such cruel stereotypes.

Let's laugh, but let us think too. That is the twin challenge that Geico's caveman poses to us.

2006-12-03T19:01:00.001-08:00

HIV/AIDS – Why Should We Care?

Friday, December 1, is World’s AIDS Day. It’s a day that is set aside to raise awareness about this deadly epidemic. But the question is, why should we care, even as Christians, or as Americans?

To begin with, there is a slight difference between HIV and AIDS, from a technical point of view at least. Yes, from a practical, public standpoint, there may not be a difference. HIV, you already know, stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a virus that could be passed on from one person to another through sexual contact or through blood contact with an infected individual. So, the first thing to notice is that while sexual contact is the main way HIV is transmitted, it is not the only way. What this virus does is to attack T cells of the human immune system, thereby weakening the ability of the body to defend itself against diseases and infections. This is why it is often called a retrovirus.

So, what is AIDS? AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This is the terrible result of becoming infected with HIV. AIDS is the medical condition in which the body, not being able to defend itself from germs, diseases and infections, is susceptible to all kinds of infections and diseases. God made our human body to fight a majority of diseases and infections on its own! Most drugs, if not all drugs, are usually administered to help the body regenerate itself or induce the production of specific anti-bodies which will fight specific diseases. But, in AIDS patients, the ‘defense army’ of the body has been routed up by the wicked HIV, and so, sadly, they fall victim to almost every germ, infection or disease out there.

It is possible then for someone to be infected with the HIV, but not yet a full blown AIDS patient. You see, if an individual gets to know on time that he or she is HIV positive, and has access to the some of the costly drugs available, they could actually live a longer ‘healthier’ life than would have been possible if they did not know on time or if they could not afford the drugs to help extend their lives.

There is a surprising degree of apathy about HIV/AIDS among those of us living in Western world. There is this feeling that, ‘AIDS is more of a problem for the developing countries…for those in dark and poor Africa.’ But did you know that…
There are two types of HIV; HIV -1 is distributed worldwide, and HIV-2 is primarily confined to West African countries
Two young people become infected with HIV every hour in US alone. Think about that.

No country is shielded. It may be more prevalent in a particular part of the world today, but in a global community in which we live, it is becoming increasingly dangerous to ignore the threat that HIV posses to all of us.

You may wonder, 'But what can I do?' Here is what I think you could do.
Heart-felt compassion, not condescending pity, is key. We must become empathic with those who suffer with AIDS. Yes, it is true that many people contact the ‘disease’ by some sort of sexual perversion or the other. That’s sad enough. But what would Jesus do even in that case? I think he would be kind, patient and compassionate. I think he would judge the sin and not the people. ‘ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd’ Matthew 9: 35.

Next thing we can do is pray, that is, for those of us who believe in prayer. That's what Jesus requested we do in Matthew 9: 36-37. We should pray for breakthrough results in research into cure for AIDS, cancer etc. We should pray for the victims of AIDS and their families. We could pray for healing for those we know around us...yes, I do believe God can heal even AIDS victims. God is not limited by our limited medical abilities.

If you happen to be in a position to do so, I think it is a good idea to communicate the need to our politicians and pharmaceutical companies; so that they stop playing political or money game with this 'disease'. Two years ago, I signed a letter which World Vision sent to the President of US and the Congress, to increase funding for HIV/AIDS research and cure. A few weeks later, I got a mail from one of the President's aids thanking me for my letter and assuring me that government is doing its best on the matter. That suggests to me that, although the President may not have read my mail ( I did not expect he would anyway; he is a busy man), but his assistant did. That is important.

Finally, if you ever have any doubts, please go for an HIV screen/test. Discovering this virus on time could help extend one’s life and also avoid transmitting it to loved ones. But even as you visit the hospital, be cautious. I read the other that over 90,000 new infections or diseases (not necessarily HIV/AIDS) are contracted in US alone by visits to hospitals.

Ultimately, we should place our faith in God for protection and deliverance. If you are a Christian who does not believe that God can shield his beloved children from some of these deadly diseases, then, too bad. I believe that God loves us and cares affectionately about us. We must live worthy and accurate lives, but we must never forget that ‘it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy’. We are not holier than those who have contracted this deadly infection, but we could consciously and deliberately put our hope in God to protect us and our loved ones from this deadly ‘pestilence’. I like this promise that God made to us in Psalm 91: 7-14 is relevant and encouraging:

A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name".

2006-12-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

A Father’s Elaborate Preparation for Fellowship

In the last post, we concluded that it is in the place of fellowship that we get to know God, or if you like, to enjoy God. Do you remember how the dictionary defined ‘fellowship’? It is ‘friendly relationship; companionship: the fellowship of father and son.’

Please recall that the chief purpose God made human beings was so we could enjoy Him and glorify Him. It wasn’t because he was needy. He did not wake up one morning and realized how lonely he was, and then said, “You know what? I am going to make human beings to keep me company.” God is self-existing, self-sufficient, complete, entire, and does not need our affection or company to be complete. If he needed our love and affection to be in some way complete, then, he would not be God, would he? Any way if he did, then he must have been a thoroughly starved God, don’t you think? Why, you say? Because we hardly ever give him the love or praise he so richly deserves. So, this whole deal is about us, and for our sakes. It is a father’s desire to birth and bless a son that compels the divine heart to seek us out in order to bless us.

I think it is so important that we get this paradigm shift. Until a revelation comes to our heart that God chose us only in order to love and to bless us, we may continue to act as though he owes us, or as though we do him a favor by fellowshipping with him. In fact, some people have rebelled against God and ‘religion’ because they think that God is so demanding. It’s like saying, ‘Who in heaven does he think he is to demand so much from me or to demand that I submit to him? Why does it always have to be about him?’ But when we see a loving and caring father that seeks our company and even our obedience only in order that he may have the opportunity to bless and impart our lives, then we can’t help but cry, ‘Abba, Father!’.

So, let’s go back to the beginning and take a peep into the divine workshop on the sixth day of creation morning. That was the day he made man, with the goal of fellowship in mind. Now, here is the marvelous thing about this. He was eagerly anticipating our coming. He made elaborate preparations. He could not just speak the word alone this time. Before now, all he had to do to create anything was speak the word, and it was so. Check it out for your self in Genesis chapters one and two.

But when it was time to make man, his beloved friend and companion, he spoke the Word first, yes, but then he did something he had never done till this time. He dug his hands into clear dust and mud, digging and molding his man: “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being” Genesis 2: 7, Amplified Bible.

No wonder Ephesians 2: 10 tells us clearly, according to the Amplified Bible, “For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]”. You are God’s deliberate handiwork. All of us humans were deliberately and thoughtfully created by a loving God with ‘good works’ in mind for us. Oh, he wants us to live ‘the good life which he prearranged and made ready for us to live’. It’s a good life he planned in the beginning for all of us. If this doesn’t make you dance, then you need to read it over and over again until it does.

Notice a recurring theme in the passage we just quoted is ‘plan’. God made elaborate preparations for our ‘birth’ on creation morning. None of us is a product of accident or chance occurrence. God planned well in advance for your coming into being. And it gave him immense pleasure thinking about his good plan for you. This is how the New Living Bible puts it in Ephesians 1: 5, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure”.

‘This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure’! It gave God great pleasure thinking about you and the plans he has for you. The Message rendition of that verse clearly shows that he not only took time in planning man’s being, it was a pleasure for him - “Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)”. It wasn’t a bore. It was a carefully thought out process, but it was also an exciting one.

Now, you are thinking, ‘I will like to know some of the elaborate preparations he made in advance of having me fellowship with him’. Genesis 2: 7 tells us two of those right away. “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.”

Did you notice that? God made a form which resembles any of us today, and then did something that was utterly amazing. He breathed (exhaled purposefully and intentionally) into man the breath or spirit of life. The word used here is ‘neshamah’ in Hebrew, or ‘pneuma’ in Greek; and means either breath or spirit. That is why the Amplified bible safely translates it as ‘breath or spirit’.

So, the first thing that God did was exhale into us the ‘spirit of life’, and we became living souls. Ah, you get it; until he did that, we were nothing different from any other organic form he has already made. It was the ‘spirit of life’ that rushed into our being on creation morning that made us unique, highly elevated above all other forms of animal or plant life. There are then two key factors here that make us in a large degree what we are as humans – spirit and life. In the next post, I am going to continue to explain how these two factors interplay to prepare us for fellowship and wholeness.

If you ever have a question or prayer need, feel free to contact us at anytime.

2006-12-02T12:11:00.001-08:00

HIV/AIDS – Why Should We Care?

Friday, December 1, is World’s AIDS Day. It’s a day that is set aside to raise awareness about this deadly epidemic. But the question is, why should we care, even as Christians, or as Americans?

To begin with, there is a slight difference between HIV and AIDS, from a technical point of view at least. Yes, from a practical, public standpoint, there may not be a difference. HIV, you already know, stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a virus that could be passed on from one person to another through sexual contact or through blood contact with an infected individual. So, the first thing to notice is that while sexual contact is the main way HIV is transmitted, it is not the only way. What this virus does is to attack T cells of the human immune system, thereby weakening the ability of the body to defend itself against diseases and infections. This is why it is often called a retrovirus.

So, what is AIDS? AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This is the terrible result of becoming infected with HIV. AIDS is the medical condition in which the body, not being able to defend itself from germs, diseases and infections, is susceptible to all kinds of infections and diseases. God made our human body to fight a majority of diseases and infections on its own! Most drugs, if not all drugs, are usually administered to help the body regenerate itself or induce the production of specific anti-bodies which will fight specific diseases. But, in AIDS patients, the ‘defense army’ of the body has been routed up by the wicked HIV, and so, sadly, they fall victim to almost every germ, infection or disease out there.

It is possible then for someone to be infected with the HIV, but not yet a full blown AIDS patient. You see, if an individual gets to know on time that he or she is HIV positive, and has access to the some of the costly drugs available, they could actually live a longer ‘healthier’ life than would have been possible if they did not know on time or if they could not afford the drugs to help extend their lives.

There is a surprising degree of apathy about HIV/AIDS among those of us living in Western world. There is this feeling that, ‘AIDS is more of a problem for the developing countries…for those in dark and poor Africa.’ But did you know that…
There are two types of HIV; HIV -1 is distributed worldwide, and HIV-2 is primarily confined to West African countries
Two young people become infected with HIV every hour in US alone. Think about that.

No country is shielded. It may be more prevalent in a particular part of the world today, but in a global community in which we live, it is becoming increasingly dangerous to ignore the threat that HIV posses to all of us.

You may wonder, 'But what can I do?' Here is what I think you could do.
Heart-felt compassion, not condescending pity, is key. We must become empathic with those who suffer with AIDS. Yes, it is true many contacted the ‘disease’ by promiscuity. That’s sad enough. But what would Jesus do even in that case? I think we would be kind, patient and compassionate. I think he would judge the sin and not the people. ‘ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd’ Matthew 9: 35.

Next thing we can do is pray, for those of us who believe in prayer. That's what Jesus requested we do in Matthew 9: 36-37. We should pray for breakthrough results in research into cure for AIDS, cancer etc. We should pray for the victims of AIDS and their families. We could pray for healing for those we know around us...yes, I do believe God can heal even AIDS victims. God is not limited by our limited medical abilities.

If you happen to be in a position to do so, I think it is a good idea to communicate the need to our politicians and pharmaceutical companies; so that they stop playing political or money game with this 'disease'. Two years ago, I signed a letter World Vision sent to the President of US and the Congress, to increase funding for HIV/AIDS research and cure. A few weeks later, I got a mail from one the President's aids thanking me for my letter and assuring me that government is doing its best on the matter. That suggests to me that, although the President may not have read my mail ( I did not expect he would anyway; he is a busy man), but his assistant did. That is important.

Finally, if you ever have any doubts, please go for an HIV screen/test. Discovering this virus on time could help extend one’s life and also avoid transmitting to loved ones. But even you as visit the hospital, be cautious. I read the other that over 90,000 new infections or diseases (not necessarily HIV/AIDS) are contracted in US alone by visits to hospitals.

Ultimately, we should place our faith in God for protection and deliverance. If you are a Christian who does not believe that God can shield his beloved children from some of these deadly diseases, then, too bad. I believe that God loves us and cares affectionately about us. We must live worthy and accurate lives, but we must never forget that ‘it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy’. We are not holier than those who have contracted this deadly infection, but we could consciously and deliberately put our hope in God to protect us and our loved ones from this deadly ‘pestilence’. I like this promise that God made to us in Psalm 91: 7-14 is relevant and encouraging:

A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name

2006-12-02T12:01:00.001-08:00

Who Is Your Mentor? Who Are You Celebrating?

We are still looking at dedication, the secret of greatness. It was true in the life of Paul. It has always been true for all individuals in all of the world’s history who have left a mark upon their generation.

So, dedication is key to success at any level. But dedication to what? If you are dedicated to chemistry, you will become a chemist, right? So, it is very important to be very discerning when it comes to choosing your hero. In America, we a country that tend to 'worship' our celebrities – people who are famous for their money or talent. Again, whether in athletics, music or science, concentrated focus is the key that led these people to excel. And no one has a right to detract from that important fact.

However, in modeling one’s life after a celebrity or a hero, you must be sure of what you want to become, first and foremost. You want to be a great golfer? Then you may want to study Tiger Woods – his immense dedication to golf. If you want to become a great basket ball player, you may want to consider modeling after Michael Jordan for example. So, in choosing a hero, or in choosing the person we mentor, we have also chosen to become what or who they are. The end result of dedication is not merely an accomplishment, but a becoming. In wanting then to learn how to live a purposeful, worthy and accurate life, my goal certainly will not be to study some celebrity who does not have the faintest idea of what a purposeful, worthy and accurate life is all about.

Tell me who your celebrity is, and I could almost accurately predict what you will become in the years to come. Yet, how many people make this huge life decision everyday, not consciously, but by default? How many young people allow peers to influence their choice of a model or a mentor? Think of the amount of time that our youths spend each day of their formative years watching MTV and admiring celebrities in music or art. Yet we wonder that our nation is lacking in the number of young people going into the science or technology fields.

It is almost an inviolable truth that the chief secret of success is not merely talent or even genius, but persistent, concentrated focus in the direction of our dream. It is also true that we become what we are dedicated to. So, as we end this conversation, may I suggest we become consciously involved in choosing who we are learning under, who our celebrities are, or what we are devoting our life to? This is why, in the next posting, we shall go back to examining in close detail what Paul was dedicated to. Yes, I want to follow in the steps of someone like Paul, not merely because he was a distinguished apostle, but because he was a committed and celebrated follower of Jesus.

2006-12-02T10:48:00.001-08:00

The Power of Dedication – Concentrated Focus

We started looking at the ‘Three things that made Apostle Paul Great’. One of them was that he understood the power of dedication; of concentrated effort. By his own admission, Paul tells us right away what exactly he is dedicated to: “separated to the gospel of God… concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 1: 1-3.

The discovery of purpose eliminates guess work from the great endeavor of life. Identifying our chief mission on earth eradicates dissipation, and introduces focus into our lives. It defines our path, and guides our feet so that we can walk through life ‘purposefully, worthily and accurately’.

This is exactly what happened to Paul, and reveals the secret behind this great apostle of Jesus Christ. Once he discovered his life assignment, he dedicated himself to it, and to what it would take to fulfill it. In this case, according to Paul, it is the gospel of God, concerning Jesus Christ our Lord.

It is not enough to dedicate ourselves to something definite, it is even more important to be very careful in choosing that to which we become dedicated. You know why? Because we tend to become what we are dedicated to. What we dedicate our time, effort, resources to, defines our personality, shapes our contributions to the world, and determines the ultimate outcome of our life journey. Aristotle was once quoted as saying that, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not act, but a habit”. Yes, I agree with him, we tend to become what occupies us the most.

For Paul, he was clearly dedicated to the gospel of God, concerning Jesus Christ. It defined his person, and shaped his contributions, not only to Christianity, but to humanity in general. If you think of Paul today, what comes to your mind? An apostle of Jesus Christ who taught extensively about Jesus Christ and what he did for us, right? That is right. Because that was exactly what he gave his whole life to accomplishing.

As I end this discussion today, the question we may want to ask ourselves is, ‘Am I dedicated to anything? If so, what is it? Is it anything that I will love myself to be defined by? Is it anything that could bring a positive contribution to my life and those of others?' You see, it’s time to concentrate your effort in the direction of God’s plan for your life. We must always be ready to serve at anytime, but there has to be something or person to whom who are supremely dedicated. Life’s greatest joys are discovered via this path of whole-hearted devotion to another.

2006-12-02T10:03:00.001-08:00

Three Things That Made Apostle Paul Great

Today, I am going to begin a study with you on the book of Romans. But as I was going through that Book, the manner in which Paul introduced himself struck me as a bit unusual.There was something about that introduction that revealed to me why this humble guy became one of the greatest apostles of Jesus Christ. This is how the New King James Bible puts Romans 1:1

“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
separated to the gospel of God”.

There has to be something to this introduction, because Paul made sure to begin all his letters, except Hebrews, this way. I don’t think Paul was a vain babbler, do you? So, I began to ask myself, ‘What is the point that this man of God was trying to make by this repeated introduction?’ I really think he wanted us to learn something, after all, ‘learning is an exercise in redundancy’. Jesus would often repeat himself, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you…’ Peter would defend his repetition of certain truth by saying, ‘Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you…’ I Peter 1: 13.

You say, ‘OK, I get it. What was his point?’ Let us then look at that one-sentence introduction to find out what Paul meant to tell us, the way I see it.

The first thing he said was, ‘Hi, I am Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ.’ We see here someone who was not ashamed to be who he was. ‘I am Paul, not Peter, or James’. There was, in my mind, a complete acceptance of who he was. But notice, the greatest thing is what he said next. ‘I am Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ. The word Paul used was, “doulos”, a Greek word for bond-salve, one who is the complete property of another. I don’t know about you, but I think that is a most unusual way to introduce oneself. It is even more remarkable because Paul seem to be happy about it, as if to suggest that it is a thing of honor to be a bond-slave, the complete property of Jesus Christ.

Well, yes it is. It is a great honor for Christ to ‘capture’ a soul so entirely that He is the owner of such a life. This was Paul’s greatest secret. In fact, on the ship to Rome, he ‘boasted’ about this same issue, ‘For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve’ Acts 27:23. Or, this one in Philippians 3:7-8, ‘But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.’

As you listen to that kind of intense comment, you can’t help but wonder, ‘What is wrong with this Paul. Is he out of his senses?’ How can he rejoice in the fact that he is owned by Another? How can an individual lose all things for this person, and still count all his loss as nothing? It beats our imagination. It stares sharply in the face of our what-is-in-it-for-me Christianity, and rouses our selfish soul from its slumber.

Yet, this is the very beginning of a meaningful walk with God. It is this very fact - a total surrender to the Person and will of Jesus Christ - that made Paul who he was, not his call to apostleship. This blessed yieldedness that calls all but nothing, and counts Christ to be all in all. It is clear, the person who will count with God is someone who can truly say with Paul, ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me’ Galatians 2: 20.

The second thing Paul said about himself is equally revealing. He said, ‘Did you know I am a man on assignment from God? I am an apostle of Jesus Christ.’ He knew not only the source of his life and the nature of that life; he also understood his life assignment. He was called to be an apostle, a sent one, not to the Jews but to non-Jews. Once he knew this fact for sure, he gave all to fulfilling it. He may read his own account of this in Galatians 1:15- 24.

This one thing I think we need to notice, Paul discovered his assignment by revelation. It was a divine call. He did not presume his way into apostleship. He merely discovered, and responded, to the heavenly call. Isn’t it time to ask God for his assignment or mission for you? Many times, when Christians talk about discovering purpose, they actually mean discovering their unique assignment or mission in this earth. There is something, a ‘good work which God has pre-ordained that you should walk in it’ on this side of eternity (Ephesians 2: 10). Let us be content to stay in our calling and not wish or try to do something else He has not called us into.

Lastly, Paul concluded his intro by saying, ‘You know what? I am sure dedicated to my assignment. I am separated to the gospel of Jesus Christ.’ This guy is hitting on something here. The gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). In other words, it takes the gospel to fulfill his mission as an apostle. So, he made a choice to commit himself to this gospel. Paul understood the power of concentrated focus that avoids distraction and eliminates dissipation. But do we? Literarily, are we committed to the gospel, to the word of God? Isn’t it still the power of God to bless, save and uplift any soul? The postmodern world may celebrate relativity and shun absolutes with all its might, but dare we not stay true and focused to the gospel that brought us to grace and peace?

2006-12-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

The God Of All Comfort Is For You, Not Against You

The Bible is clear on the fact that God is a Comforter. For example, let us examine this particular Scripture found in 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4:

‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God’¹

Blessed be God!
The enjoyment of the comfort of the Lord always begins and ends with praise. God is good and blessed for ever more. We love him because he first loved us. God is worthy of praise and adoration. ‘Bless the Lord oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits’ (Psalm 103:1). ‘Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 2: 14).
‘But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15: 57). Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Colossians 1:12). How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him² (Ephesians 1: 3). May our heart sing of the blessedness of the Lord, who is blessed for ever more!

Yes, I know, it is not always easy to praise God in the time of pain or difficulty. But then, that is why it is called 'sacrifice of praise'. Besides, God is God even in times of trouble, right? In reference to the seeming absence of God in the affairs of Israel for 430 year of servitude to Egypt, in his new book, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Eugene H. Peterson wrote, "We need this Exodus validation that a sense of the absence of God is part of the story, and that it is neither exceptional nor preventable nor a judgment on the way we are living our lives...Any understanding of God that doesn't take into account God's silence is half truth - in effect, a crucial distortion - and leaves us vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation by leaders who are quite willing to fill in the biblical blanks which the Holy Spirit never tells us." Sometimes on our journey through life, difficulty or pain may present itself for apparently no reason at all. Even then, God is still God, and worthy of worship and adoration.

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
The One who is our comforter is the same One who loved us so much he gave us his only Son. We can count on him. Why? Because he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the act of giving his Son for us, God has demonstrated once and for all that he is on our side. ‘So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?’² (Romans 8: 31-32).

The Father of Mercies
‘Father’ simply means ‘source and sustainer’. God is the source and sustainer of all the mercies we enjoy. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning’ ( James 1: 17). ‘And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ’ (John 1: 16-17). It is out of the goodness and mercy of the Lord that his blessings flow toward us. None of us is deserving of it all. ‘If it had not been the LORD who was on our side’ (Psalm 124:1). Think about that for one moment, where would you be if it had not been for the mercy and grace of our Lord God, the Father of mercies.

God of all Comfort
Hallelujah, he is the God of ALL comfort. What is ‘comfort’? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ‘comfort’ means ‘consolation in time of trouble or worry’, ‘feeling of relief or encouragement’, ‘contented well-being’. Whenever we go through trouble, worry or distress, we count on God for relief, encouragement, consolation, and even a feeling of contented well-being. God cares for us affectionately. And let me remind you that God’s comfort is not merely a pat on the back, but an actual deliverance from trouble. He who keeps Israel does not sleep nor slumber! Rejoice in this thought, that God is the God of all comfort. The situations may differ, the needs may be so much, yet God has the deliverance that you need.

Being a Christian does not exempt us from trial and pain, but it sure gives us the assurance to count on God as an ever present help in time of trouble. The God of all comfort is our God.

It’s Your Turn to Rejoice
Yes, I feel like telling you that it’s your turn to rejoice, and to be glad.
'To everything there is a season…
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance' (Eccl 3:1-4)
‘'For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning’ (Psalm 30: 5). It is ‘morning’, the glorious dawn of a new day. God is wiping away tears from his people, and executing judgment on his adversaries. It’s your day to be blessed. Expect his blessings in full. May the days ahead be some of the most glorious ones you have ever known. Amen.

Reference:
1. All bible quotations, except otherwise indicated, are from the New King James version of the bible, Copyright © 1982 by Nelson Thomas, Inc.
2. Message bible, Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.

2006-11-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

What Past American Presidents Truly Believed About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is around the corner. It's going to be another time for eating and drinking, and more than enough turkey to go round. But have you ever wondered what the purpose of Thanksgiving was all about? What if I told you that Thanksgiving is an essentially Christian festival? In fact, as I was doing preliminary search on Thanksgiving, I was sturned to read how reverently past American Presidents approached the issue of thanksgiving.

I have decided to reproduce for you here what two of those presidents said about this national holiday, just so you will know how much we seem to have gone away from the original intention of thanksgiving. This is going to be bit long, but it will be worth your time, every bit of it.

Let's start with George Washington. Here is his reason for signing this National Day of Thanksgiving into law:

"to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be--That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us." (signed) G. Washington, The Massachusetts Sentinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789.

As I read that, I am thinking, even my local pastor couldn't possibly have preached a better sermon on thankgiving to God, the Almighty. But before you think, 'Oh, that was just one isolated instance', listen again to President Abraham Lincoln, even in the middle of the civil war:

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth."
Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, 3 October 1863.

I am telling you, as I read this exact words by past American leaders, I stand a bit shocked. Not because they openly and gratefully acknowleded God as their source and sustainer, but because the nation they fought and worked so hard to preserve is doing everything it can to disavow the "watchful providence of Almighty God" over their lives. An average American today grows up treating God as 'suspect', or outrightly hostile towards God. I am wondering, where did God go wrong with America? In blessing us so much that we have become the greatest nation in the world today? The way things are run in some quarters in America today, especially in some of our academic and news media, you will think God was the greatest enemy US ever had. But my question is, why are we so unthankful even at Thanksgiving?

Today, Thanksgiving has been secularized. To the degree that our children do not even know to Whom we are thankful. We glibly talk about the things for which we are thankful, but we omit the One to whom we are thankful. Our past Leaders didn't think that was the way to celebrate Thanksgiving, why should we? Unless, we are suggesting that our past leaders were...actually, dumb. But I know that our past leaders were not dumb at all. They were smart, intelligent, hardworking, and godly folks. They were so smart that we elected them to govern this great country. So, I am thinking, who is being dumb here - my generation of Americans who are rejecting God and refuting his loving kindnes, or our past leaders who had sense enough to acknowlege the "watchful providence of Almighty God".

Think about this the next time you are in a group that makes God the butt of their mean joke; or at a Thanksgiving dinner that makes fun of God, and celebrates its secular posture.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Just so you know, I got some of the materials I used here from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving.
You may choose to visit that site for more details on the above subject.

2006-11-18T12:41:00.001-08:00

How To Discover Your True Identity- Part 1

It isn’t what we do that matter the most. It is not even what we are. It is who we are, first and foremost. I may be good at teaching; that is my gifting. I may even be a well trained teacher who is really good at my life career. Well, that is what I am, a really good teacher; but that is not who I am. Does that make sense?

Jones was caught stealing the other day. That’s what he did. To be sure, that is bad. But then, over time, Jones took to stealing ever so often. Too bad, that is what he is now – a thief. But is that all there is to Jones? Having known that Jones is a thief, have we known all there is to him?

It is so easy to define ourselves by what we are or by what we do. ‘He is a medical doctor.’ ‘She is an actress.’ ‘That guy is a fine gentleman.’

We live in a culture that likes to categorize and put a label on people. Have you noticed? ‘She is black.’ ‘He is white’. ‘Oh, Grace? She is Latino.’ Somehow, if we can just define and categorize one another, then it becomes easier to deal with the other group, right? Like, if I know Grace is Latino, then I sort of know what to expect from Grace – because somehow, in my mind, there is an assumption that I know how Latinos or Blacks or Whites or Asians behave. That way, I don’t have to deal with Grace on an individual, unbiased level. You see, I don’t have to get involved, or be genuine and whole and sincere or vulnerable. I can simply deal with other individuals, especially those from a different group or race, from a distance.

Ok, let’s admit it; this type of discussion makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Why? Precisely for the same reason that we don’t want to honestly deal with our inner selves. So, we sort of prefer to deal with the externalities; to live our life from a distance, shallow and shielded.

Well, you know it as much as I do; it is a lame way to live. It is the way of weak-minded, somewhat ignorant and shallow individuals who have not yet understood the basic fact about who we are, as different from what we are or what we do.

But don’t get me wrong. What we do is important. What we are is even more important. But who we are is much more important. This was the lesson that a middle-aged man in ancient Israel was to learn several years back.

His name was Jacob. He cheated his brother out of his rightful inheritance, and ran away. But chicken will always come back to roost in, right? After several years of running, he decided it was time to go back home and face his brother, and deal with the consequences of his behavior.

Now, just a short distance away from home, Jacob became desperate. What if his brother was still angry with him? Was he endangering his life and those of his two wives and many children? Was he being reckless? If anything, at this point, Jacob really needed God’s help. This time, he could not afford to be distant or shallow with God. Men, he was either going to be honest, real honest with himself and God, or he was going to be in real trouble. With this attitude, Jacob went into the woods to pray; somewhere private, where he could be real honest without being ashamed, where he could cry if necessary and not be embarrassed, where he could let it all out and not wonder who took note. It was written that he prayed all night. This guy must have had quite a lot on his mind. Ever been there where you have to stay up all night because of a major need?

You say, ‘Yeah, but what has this got to do with understanding who I truly am?’ I will tell you in a moment. But notice, in response to his all night prayer, God simply asked Jacob a question (the ‘Man’ in the text refers to God who appeared to him in the form of an angel):

[The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]! And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed. Genesis 32: 27- 28, Amplified.

“What is your name?” That is the question we must honestly answer, just like Jacob, before God may help us. Name represents identity, definition, and categorization. What ways have we been defining ourselves and other people? By what you do, by what you are ( such as tall, black, white, asian, handsome, ugly etc), or by who God made you to be?

Jacob replied, ‘My name is Jacob - a cheat, a schemer, a swindler; that’s what I am’. You see, Jacob had to be honest this time. In his deepest moment of reflection, the person that Jacob could see in him was ‘a cheat’. Yes, what we are and what we do are very important. They becloud our true identity and obscure our purpose, if they are the wrong things.

But thank God, now at last, Jacob could be honest enough to face himself, courageous enough to admit his sin, humble enough to admit it to another, repentant enough to look up to God with pleading eyes.

To discover the real reason we are here on earth (purpose) and take our place (assignment), we need to take a clue from Jacob, and be real honest with God and with ourselves; courageous enough to admit our sins and change from our ways of error.

But in the next post, I am going to share with you what is the most interesting discovery Jacob made. It wasn’t just the blessedness of being real and authentic (as if that was not enough in itself); it was the discovery of his true identity. Discovery of purpose begins with a clear understanding of our true identity.

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