It's confusing sometimes; life's confusing. I see autistic kids (that almost sounds cool doesn't it?), and kids with Downs syndrome, and I'm confused. It's sad because I can only do so much; and that kills me because I know I can do more. Maybe if I stopped buying clothes and geared all my money towards foundations for disabled kids. You know, when I sponsored the Louis Abayo from Rwanda, most of the pain and emptiness that I felt whenever I watched clips of "World Vision" started fading; and I thought, maybe, I've done what I am supposed to.
But, it's back again. We live in a very foggy world; we don't see beyond our stupid rooms. And I feel so stupid sometimes when I lose consciousness of the things happening in the world around me.
Do something about the situation of children in the world; make a change! No matter how little, take that first step. Children are the light of the world, and they do not need to suffer, if we can do something about it! DO something!
Monday, March 31, 2008
World Domination
1 Corinthians relates to us God's love, in that He cannot allow us to be tempted above that we are able to bear. This revelation should impress in us, not a frivolousness in our mannerism in the world, but an acute sense of victory. Usually, we are plagued by constant reminders that we are flesh and blood, and not the spirit that Paul so readily refers to us as. These temptations cut deep into us, more than we usually consider; and increases our frustration with God and thus weakens our faith in God. We begin to think things like:
God, why did You give us eyes to see then? Why didn't You save me from this knowledge till I am married?
Why would you put me in this a position where I have to lie to keep my friendship? I don't want to lose this friend!
In this first case, lust eats into our soul and makes every little joke we hear appear risque; there is no innocence in our hearts anymore. In the latter case, we are often very willing to lose God instead of our "friends", even if just for an evening.
But, we forget the words of 1 Corin. 10 which instill the fear of God back into us: we remember that 23 000 people were killed for fornication; we remember the number that did not make it out of the desert as a result of their idolatory, and we shiver (and rightly so; for God is a God of judgment).
In my preceding post, I touched on our race; I emphasize the importance of running that race knowing we run for a prize. Many Christians believe that we all have equivalent rewards in heaven, and I do not necessarily oppose that; but if one does not run the race (with fear and trembling), as though for a prize, how can God take it? For we run in faith that our prize is everlasting life in God; can't you see the glory that awaits us?
Hearken to this analogy: the world is like the Microsoft Word application; if you are Nigerian, or British, you always think you have terrible spelling because Word always underlines your words in red! But, once you realize that Word is erroneous by highlighting your words as wrong, you can continue to type on in faith, only glancing from time to time at your spelling.
Do not "live" in this world, but renew your mind with the Word of God; conquer your mind every morning, and its urgings will turn more and more into static, as you radio in on God's station.
God, why did You give us eyes to see then? Why didn't You save me from this knowledge till I am married?
Why would you put me in this a position where I have to lie to keep my friendship? I don't want to lose this friend!
In this first case, lust eats into our soul and makes every little joke we hear appear risque; there is no innocence in our hearts anymore. In the latter case, we are often very willing to lose God instead of our "friends", even if just for an evening.
But, we forget the words of 1 Corin. 10 which instill the fear of God back into us: we remember that 23 000 people were killed for fornication; we remember the number that did not make it out of the desert as a result of their idolatory, and we shiver (and rightly so; for God is a God of judgment).
In my preceding post, I touched on our race; I emphasize the importance of running that race knowing we run for a prize. Many Christians believe that we all have equivalent rewards in heaven, and I do not necessarily oppose that; but if one does not run the race (with fear and trembling), as though for a prize, how can God take it? For we run in faith that our prize is everlasting life in God; can't you see the glory that awaits us?
Hearken to this analogy: the world is like the Microsoft Word application; if you are Nigerian, or British, you always think you have terrible spelling because Word always underlines your words in red! But, once you realize that Word is erroneous by highlighting your words as wrong, you can continue to type on in faith, only glancing from time to time at your spelling.
Do not "live" in this world, but renew your mind with the Word of God; conquer your mind every morning, and its urgings will turn more and more into static, as you radio in on God's station.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Strive not to fall
"I therefore so run, not as uncertainly..."
Oh, don't worry; it happens all the time. You'll pick yourself back up.
So many times, we have received such encouraging words from our pastors, and friends. With certainty, if you pick yourself back up, you'll be fine; thing is you're all dusty and scarred. You honestly can't be thinking about running this holy race with grimy clothes! What will others say? Trust me, they'll say a lot.
"My grace is sufficient for you; my strength is made manifest in your weaknesses..."
Why do we have to worry about cleaning ourselves up when we have the grace of God through the blood of Jesus? Who cares what the world throws at us; at the filth that litter the path to our salvation? Jesus cleanses it all; when we pick ourselves up!
It's not all good though, because in a race, if you stumble and fall, you have to pick yourself up and try to catch up with the persons ahead of you. That's where the danger lies: when we fall, we lose our momentum and have to start building it up again; and this is not an encouraging period. Many Christians have fallen away because they became fed up with this regrowth season.
Strive not to fall, but when you do,
"...run the race that you may obtain the prize..."
that is our command in Christ.
Oh, don't worry; it happens all the time. You'll pick yourself back up.
So many times, we have received such encouraging words from our pastors, and friends. With certainty, if you pick yourself back up, you'll be fine; thing is you're all dusty and scarred. You honestly can't be thinking about running this holy race with grimy clothes! What will others say? Trust me, they'll say a lot.
"My grace is sufficient for you; my strength is made manifest in your weaknesses..."
Why do we have to worry about cleaning ourselves up when we have the grace of God through the blood of Jesus? Who cares what the world throws at us; at the filth that litter the path to our salvation? Jesus cleanses it all; when we pick ourselves up!
It's not all good though, because in a race, if you stumble and fall, you have to pick yourself up and try to catch up with the persons ahead of you. That's where the danger lies: when we fall, we lose our momentum and have to start building it up again; and this is not an encouraging period. Many Christians have fallen away because they became fed up with this regrowth season.
Strive not to fall, but when you do,
"...run the race that you may obtain the prize..."
that is our command in Christ.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Friendship
Friends...who can live without friends? It's a huge shock to come into the midst of friends after a period of solitude; it's like coming back to 20 degrees of Potsdam from 87 degrees Florida, except warmer, a lot warmer. I wonder what makes me believe that I can survive without friends? Maybe it is a result of being told in my younger years that I had too many friends; maybe it is a selfish pride that does not want to give because it cares for itself or receive because I think I can do it on my own. Whatever it is, it is a wonderful place to draw strength from; it's just like a man who sees his house, which he worked all his life for, going down in flames and runs into the acridity and darkness to save his cats. When he emerges on the other side, cats bundled up in terror against him, he understands that the important things in his life; he realizes that the loss of his house was not that bad after all: he appreciates the feline creatures completely at that moment. I've seen my house go up in flames, and I have gone in and saved my cats, and even though I will mourn my house, I experience not only solace, but true joy from the mewing cats in my arms.
Friendships are very easily made and very easily broken. In their early stages, they are like shooting stars, shining brightly for a period, and then they disappear. After this, someone has to go in search of the dust the stars leave behind, and often, an incredible surprise awaits: love. Isn't that incredible? Isn't that what we all want? Love? Ah God how can we not hear Your voice at times? After all you've done for us; after all the pieces of stardust you've blown onto our paths; how can we forget. How can't we forget? The world weighs us down; it makes its demands on us. Delusion is compulsive. We are deluded into thinking the world is real (now I sound like John Nash, no insult intended to his personage), which it is in a certain manner of thinking. But really, this world is just a thin veil in front of a very real spiritual world where God reigns over everything. The only reason we don't see His kingdom is because we are on the Island of the Lotus eaters and with every bite of the lotus we share with the natives causes our minds to circumvent the otherwise obvious world that God has laid out.
Where is the man that will look eye to eye with God?
I'll do it and die, if He suffers me. Why do I want to continue living in this schizophrenic state? Hmm....because I have a destiny, we all have our individual destinies: God has a perfect plan for our lives and it will cause Him pain if we don't live it out. Go out there peoples, the world, our world, desires to be reigned over.
I love Labib.
Friendships are very easily made and very easily broken. In their early stages, they are like shooting stars, shining brightly for a period, and then they disappear. After this, someone has to go in search of the dust the stars leave behind, and often, an incredible surprise awaits: love. Isn't that incredible? Isn't that what we all want? Love? Ah God how can we not hear Your voice at times? After all you've done for us; after all the pieces of stardust you've blown onto our paths; how can we forget. How can't we forget? The world weighs us down; it makes its demands on us. Delusion is compulsive. We are deluded into thinking the world is real (now I sound like John Nash, no insult intended to his personage), which it is in a certain manner of thinking. But really, this world is just a thin veil in front of a very real spiritual world where God reigns over everything. The only reason we don't see His kingdom is because we are on the Island of the Lotus eaters and with every bite of the lotus we share with the natives causes our minds to circumvent the otherwise obvious world that God has laid out.
Where is the man that will look eye to eye with God?
I'll do it and die, if He suffers me. Why do I want to continue living in this schizophrenic state? Hmm....because I have a destiny, we all have our individual destinies: God has a perfect plan for our lives and it will cause Him pain if we don't live it out. Go out there peoples, the world, our world, desires to be reigned over.
I love Labib.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
God does not live here anymore. Why do you seek for Him here? You have driven Him away with the words of your mouth and with the pride of your heart. Your eyes can only see as far as you are able to. Your wisdom clouds your justice, and your justice takes away your vulnerability. You cannot feel and so you cannot love; you cannot love and so, you cannot be of God. Despair and bury yourself beneath the earth, and so let her spit you out.
But listen to the voice of My heart and I will save You, says the Lord.
But listen to the voice of My heart and I will save You, says the Lord.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Revelation
"And unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall rest upon His shoulders..."
With certainty, I proclaim Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of the world. He came to this world as a man and died on the cross, on the third day, for our sins.
Some of us have fallen away; return home, for you never really fell away. It is so easy to "break habit" and forsake the grace of God and live for yourself and the world. The world is not for you. What is it? What entices us? Sex? Pretty girls? Fame? Fortune? Pride? Be careful what you choose because you are going to live with it and die for it. No matter what situation you are in, you have a choice; never forget that.
Never take that for granted. Christ is revealed through His works. His revelation awaits manifestation in the hearts of man.
Wow! It's been a week since I last posted a note. Wow. How easily we fall away. Unfettered habits die young.
With certainty, I proclaim Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of the world. He came to this world as a man and died on the cross, on the third day, for our sins.
Some of us have fallen away; return home, for you never really fell away. It is so easy to "break habit" and forsake the grace of God and live for yourself and the world. The world is not for you. What is it? What entices us? Sex? Pretty girls? Fame? Fortune? Pride? Be careful what you choose because you are going to live with it and die for it. No matter what situation you are in, you have a choice; never forget that.
Never take that for granted. Christ is revealed through His works. His revelation awaits manifestation in the hearts of man.
Wow! It's been a week since I last posted a note. Wow. How easily we fall away. Unfettered habits die young.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Hell's Kitchen
There's no one like You
There's no one like You
There's no one like You Jesus
Are we waiting for Jesus to come? How are we waiting for Him? Are we looking over our shoulders every time a whisper about the end of days comes our way? We are all ready to be taken out of this sinful world, away from these sinful people. Really how are we waiting for Jesus? Are we trying to live out religion by doing everything "right"? Are we staying away from the danger zones for the sake of our purity. God calls us to protect ourselves from the fire of the world, but there is a place for adventure. Maybe we do not all have the same personalities and destinies, but we all have one calling: to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. I think we can love Him with more but we do not even know it there is any more.
Recently I went into a danger zone and I got burned, bad, at least by "my" standards (I mean God's standards). I could not look myself in the face, I just couldn't. But out of that place, I have come to recognize even the scent of sin, and Christ's place as the One who died on the cross. How can we expect to live out perfect lives? Maybe it's possible to live perfect lives if we live by our standards, if all we do is read our Bibles and stay among our "good" Christian friends. I'm not calling anyone out; stay in your comfort zone until you are ready. I can tell you from experience that it does not feel good to fail. If you fear failure, stay in your rooms. But if you know you serve a Living God, ask Him to prepare You. Maybe you will go in too soon or ill prepared like I did, but at least you would have taken that step in faith.
Once again, I am not calling any one out. Only the Spirit of God can do that. If I'm wrong, you'll feel nothing when you read this, but if I'm right, you'll know.
There's no one like You
There's no one like You Jesus
Are we waiting for Jesus to come? How are we waiting for Him? Are we looking over our shoulders every time a whisper about the end of days comes our way? We are all ready to be taken out of this sinful world, away from these sinful people. Really how are we waiting for Jesus? Are we trying to live out religion by doing everything "right"? Are we staying away from the danger zones for the sake of our purity. God calls us to protect ourselves from the fire of the world, but there is a place for adventure. Maybe we do not all have the same personalities and destinies, but we all have one calling: to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. I think we can love Him with more but we do not even know it there is any more.
Recently I went into a danger zone and I got burned, bad, at least by "my" standards (I mean God's standards). I could not look myself in the face, I just couldn't. But out of that place, I have come to recognize even the scent of sin, and Christ's place as the One who died on the cross. How can we expect to live out perfect lives? Maybe it's possible to live perfect lives if we live by our standards, if all we do is read our Bibles and stay among our "good" Christian friends. I'm not calling anyone out; stay in your comfort zone until you are ready. I can tell you from experience that it does not feel good to fail. If you fear failure, stay in your rooms. But if you know you serve a Living God, ask Him to prepare You. Maybe you will go in too soon or ill prepared like I did, but at least you would have taken that step in faith.
Once again, I am not calling any one out. Only the Spirit of God can do that. If I'm wrong, you'll feel nothing when you read this, but if I'm right, you'll know.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
What came first the Word or the beginning?
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
This statement seems contradictory: how can the Word be with God, and also be God? I sit on a green plastic chair and ponder this mystery. What can it mean? I know the Bible is not false, and so, it is only wisdom that I lack.
"The same was in the beginning with God."
"God is greater than Jesus..."
This is another oxymoron isn't it? Isn't Jesus God? Isn't the Word of God a part of God? Reread this last statement. Do you see it? No, reread John 1:1. Ah. The Word of God is a part of God, but it isn't the only part. There is so much depth to God. Our wisdom barely scratches the surface, and saying this is pushing the limit.
"It is the glory of God to hide a matter and the honor of kings to search it out."
What glory! What honor! What a stupendous privilege! Glory and honor and majesty be to our God! Is it the journey that makes us kings, or does actually finding out the matter give us this honor? My answer to that is: Isn't it God who allows us to find out spiritual things?
"For if any draw close to Me, I will draw close to them..."
In that case, if any draw close to God, they shall drink of His glory and receive a crown of life. What is the way to God? Only through the Word can we draw closer to God.
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one may come to the Father but through the Son."
This statement seems contradictory: how can the Word be with God, and also be God? I sit on a green plastic chair and ponder this mystery. What can it mean? I know the Bible is not false, and so, it is only wisdom that I lack.
"The same was in the beginning with God."
"God is greater than Jesus..."
This is another oxymoron isn't it? Isn't Jesus God? Isn't the Word of God a part of God? Reread this last statement. Do you see it? No, reread John 1:1. Ah. The Word of God is a part of God, but it isn't the only part. There is so much depth to God. Our wisdom barely scratches the surface, and saying this is pushing the limit.
"It is the glory of God to hide a matter and the honor of kings to search it out."
What glory! What honor! What a stupendous privilege! Glory and honor and majesty be to our God! Is it the journey that makes us kings, or does actually finding out the matter give us this honor? My answer to that is: Isn't it God who allows us to find out spiritual things?
"For if any draw close to Me, I will draw close to them..."
In that case, if any draw close to God, they shall drink of His glory and receive a crown of life. What is the way to God? Only through the Word can we draw closer to God.
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one may come to the Father but through the Son."
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Glory
What glory! What glory to give up something of yours so someone else can become better through it. What absolute glory!
A murderous home breeds murderers. And few escape its grip.
When I pick paper and pen, it is an honor, glory untold. An honor I do not deserve.
A murderous home breeds murderers. And few escape its grip.
When I pick paper and pen, it is an honor, glory untold. An honor I do not deserve.
Fight Your Battles
Isn't it hard to be yourself sometimes? To just be goofy when you need to? To remember that you cannot really know what other people are thinking about you? Isn't it hard to be real when the world expects you to be a certain way?
Irrespective of how difficult it may be, it is something we are called to. Be yourself! Express yourself! Pick a favorite color, one that describes who you are, and guard it jealously lest it fade away. We can't all be red; there is nothing wrong with wanting to be the life of a party, absolutely nothing. But if it is not who you are, all your attempts will fail.
Be yourself baby! We must all fight our own battles!
Irrespective of how difficult it may be, it is something we are called to. Be yourself! Express yourself! Pick a favorite color, one that describes who you are, and guard it jealously lest it fade away. We can't all be red; there is nothing wrong with wanting to be the life of a party, absolutely nothing. But if it is not who you are, all your attempts will fail.
Be yourself baby! We must all fight our own battles!
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