I’ve got so many Questions
many things I can’t deduce
Everyone thinks they’ve got the answers
And it makes me think, “What’s the use?
Must I believe everything they say,
Accepting what they say is true?
What if they’re wrong?
What do You think I should do?”
Maybe someday I’ll get the answers
to the questions that fill my mind
May not be now, or even tomorrow
Or after ten more years are left behind
Maybe I’ll get to ask You these questions
on the Day We finally meet
Maybe by then, my quest for understanding
will finally be complete.
Or maybe…
Maybe…
Maybe by then I would be overtaken
By your Awesomeness and Beauty
the Questions may just fade away
into mere inconsequentiality
Compared to You, my questions are nothing
just a chasing after the wind
‘Cause all I’ll need to know, You’ll tell me
So I can be all You made me to be.
You know what?
I think I’ll just start gazing at You right now.
(Originally written Jan 21, 2014)
Tag: Jesus
Teach me, Lord Jesus
Some people are reading
their Bibles each day.
They’re learning how God works
And what He would say.
They’re growing and feeding
On Heavenly Food.
Lord, teach me to study
That I may think like You would.
Some people are praying
And seeking His face.
They’re gaining direction
And strengthening in Grace.
He’s sharpening and pruning them
Enlightening their gaze.
Lord, teach me to pray
that I may follow your ways.
Some people are serving
The Lord with their all.
They’re giving their best
‘Cause they’ve answered His call.
They’re spreading the Gospel
And doing what He pleases.
Lord, teach me to serve
As you want me to, Jesus
May I be Your sacrifice, given to You, living to please You in all that I do.
That I may be Your gift to all; to Gentile and Jew, ’cause You’re all that matters, Jesus. It’s true.
Amen.
Amen.
‘Along the Way’ is Coming!
Hi there! I’ve got a new book coming, and I’m really excited to share it with you.
Along the Way is a compilation of some creative pieces and lessons I’ve learnt in my walk with God over the years. I’ve learnt to see life as one big treasure hunt that God has placed before us, with new mercies every morning and treasures every day. With eyes open wide in wonder and hearts impressionable to His Word, there is so much He’ll show us along the way.
My dear friends at Householder Publishing are providing opportunities to pre-order the book in paperback form, so head on over to pre-order a copy. A book like this should definitely be in your library, I can assure you of that.
The digital copy/ebook is also available for pre-order over at Selar, so head on over to Selar to order a copy.
For more details, check out the book page right at this link.
Thank you so much!
Pablo
A story about one dog’s journey home.
Three young dogs were milling about at the rubbish dump one morning, but it was the dump that was the main attraction to the Labrador that was watching from afar.
They called him Bones, and he was the toughest canine in the neighborhood. Whenever there was a fight for territory, once he came on the scene, the fight was over. His howl was the loudest at night, and other dogs could only hope to match his domineering influence. He especially loved rubbing it in their faces. And so, with a smirk on his face, he hurried over to the three and climbed up the dump.
“Now, now,” he said whimsically, “Argue all you want, dawgs, but you know who the real king of this hill is.”
Garr, a cross between an Alsatian and a Terrier, stared up at him. “Hiya, Bones,” he said dryly.
“Now, y’all be nice to me,” Bones continued. “And I’d even let you grab a bite or two from this here dump. I can imagine it must be tantalizing to your eyes right about now, eh?” He licked his lips, but they did not seem amused in the slightest.
“Um… thanks Bones,” Ruff the pug said. “But if Nada here is right, we might not need to come to this dump ever again.”
Bones was taken aback. “Huh?”
Nada was a Doberman, and she was the youngest of the pack. She nodded with glee. “Yeah! There’s this human you’ve gotta meet. He’s really nice and I think he likes me.”
Bones arched a brow. “You’ve got a human? But … but we’re strays. It’s who we are.”
“Yeah, I know,” Nada said, her tail wagging faster as she spoke. “But this guy treats me like I’m a … friend. Anytime he sees me, he pats me on the head and pets me.”
“I’ve never been petted before,” Garr said with a pout.
“Me neither,” Ruff added.
“And he sets out food for me too,” Nada said. “Like I’m his ‘person’. One day he even gave me a bath!”
“A what?!”
“No way! What’s that like?”
Bones watched in disbelief as Nada shared more stories about this human that had caught her fancy. It sounded too good to be true, and Bones knew that human-attachment was a road to heartbreak.
“I’m suspicious,” he said as he approached them. “He your former owner or something?”
“Nope,” Nada said. “I was born on the streets, Bones. I’ve never had an owner before.”
“What do you think, Bones?” Ruff asked.
“I think this is a load of hogwash,” Bones said. “We can never trust the humans. They think we’re pests.”
“This guy doesn’t,” Nada said.
“So what you gonna do?” Bones said, staring her down as he stood in her face. “Take us all over to your human friend so we can be begging for scraps?”
But Nada was not intimidated. “He gives me more than scraps. I think he’s—“
“I mean, look around, dawgs,” he said. “See the assortment of grub we’ve got in this dump. Food from yesterday, some from last week, some from last month – a variety of all kinds just waiting for you to take. And the search, oh, searching through the other garbage and stuff is the real adventure. Getting to taste and spit out the stuff that don’t taste good to your liking, and trying out new stuff. What could be better than that?”
“But it’s not good for you,” Nada said. “Some of it is spoilt. Some of it can kill you.”
“Why?” Bones snapped. “Cause your human’s gon’ give you something better?”
“Actually, yes. And I think he can give us all something better.”
“What if he stops? What if one day he don’t like you no more?”
Bones felt more and more humiliated as Nada extolled the virtues of her friend.
“What’s your damage, Bones?” Garr asked. “Why are you so against this human?”
Bones shook his head. “Trusting humans is dangerous,” he said. “You don’t want to go that route. Once you’re emotionally-invested…” As he spoke, he realized his eyes were getting misted as memories flooded his mind. “No. It’s a can of worms. Just trust me on this. You can’t trust them two-leggers.”
Ruff placed a paw on the ground. “Well I wanna see what Nada be talking about.”
“Me too,” Garr intoned.
“Then come along with me!” Nada said. “He usually has food ready around this time.”
“You’ll come back here!” Bones called after them as they hurried away. “You’ll all come back here. Just you wait and see. Y’all gon’ be back here, with your tails between your legs, begging me to let you come to this dump! You can count on it!”
But as they ran off, their tails wagging in hope, Bones felt defeated. He had had his own experience with a human, and he had seen the slippery slope of trusting a human being. But after the conversation they had just had, the dump was no longer appealing to him. Curiosity got the better of Bones, and he hurried after them, if only to watch from afar.
Nada, Garr and Ruff crossed into the backyard of a quaint house on the edge of the street. Bones hid behind a tree and watched as Nada called.
“Hey!!!” she called. “It’s me, your friend, Nada!”
Bones had to stifle a chuckle. Nada probably forgot that the human would only hear her barking, and not actually hear her words.
But sure enough, a human opened the door. Bones had not seen that coming.
“Ah, Nada!” he came down to his haunches, petting her, her tail wagging like it had a sense of its own. “You came back!” He looked at the other dogs, who were already stepping backwards already. “And you brought friends too!”
He beckoned to them and they sauntered cautiously as he pet them on the head. Sure enough, those tails began to wag like Nada’s. Bones felt sick of it.
The Human held a hand up. “Wait for me, alright. I’ve got food ready.” He hurried into the house and returned with a bag of treats which he poured into bowls for them. “You must be hungry. I’ve got enough to go around.”
Bones had not tasted doggie treats in a very long time. The sight turned his stomach and tugged on his heart. But it was at that moment that he realized that this scene was all too familiar. It dawned on him even more when the human looked his way.
The Human’s eyes widened as he took in Bones from afar. There was a scar on across his left eye.
Oh no… It can’t be.
Bones’ mouth felt dry as he realized that he had known this Human, and the Human knew him. Shame and regret clouded his heart as he took a step back.
Nada looked up and noticed the Human staring, only to turn and see—
“Bones?!” she said.
Bones gasped. I’m not supposed to be here!
He scampered off, blinking away the tears from his eyes. He only stopped to catch a breath behind a wall. Nada’s Human was the same Human he had known all those years ago. He couldn’t believe it. The memory brought nothing but pain.
“Bones?” He turned to see Nada peeking from behind the wall. She came over to him. “Are you okay?”
He wiped a paw across his eyes. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Were you crying?”
“Me, cry?” he chuckled. “Don’t be silly. Go on, back to your friends.”
But Nada would not be so easily shrugged off. “You knew him, didn’t you?”
Bones shrugged. “Maybe. I-it doesn’t matter. Just forget about it.”
“Bones, it’s okay. I won’t think of you less.” She sat beside him. “You were once his pet, weren’t you?”
He wanted to deny it once more, but he just couldn’t. He nodded silently.
“What happened?”
There was no pretending with Nada. “You see those scars on his left eye? That…” He lowered his head. “That was me.”
“What?”
He took a deep breath. “It was a different life, a very long time ago. I was his friend too. We played and went everywhere together. He used to call me Pablo, if you can believe it.”
She chuckled. “Pablo,” she whispered, trying it out.
“But one day I saw this dump. I saw all this grub with many scents that I’d never tried before and I knew I just had to get a taste. But he didn’t let me. He kept pulling me away, saying, ‘No, no, don’t go there!’ Until one day I snapped at him and…”
He shut his eyes as he wiped his paw in the air, re-enacting the moment he struck his Human’s face.
“I was stunned, seeing him bleeding that day. He was shocked too, crying on the ground. I didn’t know what to do. I had broken our bond and his trust. I’d drawn his blood. I couldn’t go back again. I had to run away and make a life of my own, far away from him.”
They sat in silence for a moment, staring into the horizon.
“And you’ve been a stray ever since,” she said.
He nodded.
“It wasn’t him that messed up,” Bones said. “It was me. There’s no way he can forgive me for that. He’s Human. They don’t forget stuff. I can never forget that day, myself. It’s why I can’t allow myself to trust a Human again, because I could break that trust one day.”
Nada stared up at him in stunned silence. She didn’t know what to say to that, too.
But in that moment, the Human came from behind the wall. “Pablo?” he called.
Bones gristled, becoming defensive in that moment. He took a step backwards.
“Hey,” the Human said, stretching a hand towards him. “It’s me. Your friend.”
Bones bared his fangs, growling in warning. “Stay away from me,” he said. “I may bite you again!” Of course he knew the Human wouldn’t hear his words, but the growl would pass it across.
“Bones, what’re you doing?” Nada asked.
“Stay out of this,” Bones snarled.
The Human was undeterred. “All these years I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “Thank God you’re still alive. My, what has happened to you, Pablo?”
“Stay back!” Bones warned, barking. “I’m warning you.”
But the Human still approached him cautiously. “I’ve wanted to protect you from the dangers around,” he said. “I want you to be my friend again, Pablo. I want to feed you to good health and take care of you. I don’t want you to be harmed ever again.”
“I’m doing fine all by myself!” Bones snapped. “I don’t need you!”
But the Human would not get the message. He still came closer, reaching out with his arms. “It’s okay, Pablo. I’m not going anywhere. It’s okay.”
Bones kept trying to retreat, growling, but as the Human’s hand touched his head something changed. Sensations he had not felt in a very long time coursed through his body. His resistance withered away as healing flooded his heart.
The Human embraced Bones, and Bones sank into his embrace. All the shame, pain, fear, pride and regret he’d carried all these years were dissolved in the pool of love and acceptance that he plunged into in that moment. His tail began to sway on its own accord.
Is this what it feels like to be loved? Bones mused.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, licking the Human’s facial wound. “I’m so very sorry for all I did.”
“I forgive you,” the Human said, tears in his eyes as well. “I forgave you, Pablo.”
They remained there for a while, as they made up for years of distance and estrangement in that hug. Bones was a baby once again, in the arms of the Human.
Garr and Ruff came around to Nada, shocked at the scene before their eyes.
“I don’t believe it.” Garr said in shock.
“Is that our Bones?” Ruff intoned.
“I’ve never seen his tail wag before.”
“Never knew it even had the capacity to do that.”
“Alright, guys,” Nada said with a smirk. “Let him have his moment.”
The Human looked up at them with joy in his eyes. “Can you believe it? Pablo has returned!”
“Pablo?” Ruff asked.
Nada sighed. “It’s a long story.”
Bones turned to them. “Don’t you tell anyone about this or else—“
“Go tell your friends,” the Human said, oblivious to what he had just said. “Bring them over. We’re gonna have a dog party to celebrate. Pablo has come home.”
Bones sighed. He was going to have to get used to this.
He was loving every second of it. He didn’t know what the future held, but all he knew was that the Human – his Human – loved him and forgave him.
And that was enough for Pablo.
THE END
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Jesus (Luke 15:10)
Did this bless you? What parts did you like? What’s on your mind? Kindly sound off in the comments.
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The Step Down
For one president, the way up may be to step down.
The Mind Council Chamber sat at the lowest floor of the Presidential Villa, several stories below ground, inaccessible to all except the Federal Executive Council. We only held meetings there when very important decisions were to be made.
I was the first to be seated along with my Guest, as the Federal Commissioners walked in one by one. In their flowing regalia they all trooped in, each bearing one responsibility or the other. I smirked as I thought of the many arguments we had had over the past couple years, and how many times they had prevailed over my decisions with their many ideas birthed from their varied exposure and expertise. In many ways, I felt intimidated by them. There was an air of concern as they all took their seats, watching me eerily and casting glances at my Guest every occasionally.
When they were all seated, I stood.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,” I began, “Thank you for honouring my invitation for this impromptu meeting. There’s precious little that would make me call you urgently from your domiciles at this time of the night.”
I could see the Commissioner of Sight nodding vigorously. He always appreciated his sleep and never appreciated disturbance. He had been known to doze off at meetings every now and then.
I cleared my throat. “The path to where we are as a nation has been one of ups and downs. We’ve made many decisions on policies regarding the nation, and our surrounding neighbors, in this very room. We have debated ideas, had our arguments, celebrated the victories of some of our decisions and also shared in the blame for some of the losses too.”
The Commissioner of Thought grunted. “That’s what you think,” she said. “I never lose.”
That elicited chuckles across the room.
I took a deep breath as I got to the core. “I take responsibility for every failure,” I said. “I have tried, God knows I’ve tried. I’ve tried out new paradigms and systems to satisfy our urges and needs, but while many of them persisted for a while, none has fully served their purpose. We have sought consultations from experts, held numerous training-and-upgrade seminars, and … yet, I can’t help but think that this country … this council is not serving its rightful purpose. I fear that we’re on a road to doom.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” the Commissioner of Emotions interjected. “We always come with ideas from what we’ve seen and heard and felt, but you’re always the one second-guessing us.” There were murmurs in the affirmative all around. “Yes, because if anything, you’ve been our weakest link. You’re supposed to be President, but you never have the right ideas. With all due respect, you suck, Mr President!”
“I’m telling you!” the Commissioner of Speech added. “If it weren’t for our ideas, you could never make a good decision.”
“Yet some ideas are better than others,” the Commissioner of Action said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m just saying. Actions speak better than words.”
And that is how the arguments began again, each trying to overshadow the other. But the Commissioner of Thought, ever the introspective one, had been watching me silently. “Why have you called us here, Mr President? And, if I may ask, who is your Friend?”
She was the first to acknowledge my Guest, even though I am sure most of them must have been wondering Who He was all along. I stared up at my colleagues. “We need new leadership. We need to realign to what the Creator made us for. I have … we have done a good job of messing things up. I think it’s time for a change. And that is why … I am stepping down as Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of You.”
It was as though the air was sucked from the room in the silence that followed. They stared at me, waiting for the other foot to drop.
“While I remain as President, I am handing over authority over myself and this nation to this Man here,” I said, gesturing to my Guest. “His name is –“
“Jesus Christ?!” the Commissioner of Hearing interrupted. “I’ve heard a lot about this guy! You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“I’m sorry?”
“This Jesus turns people into weaklings!” the Commissioner continued. “I heard he turns people into mindless religious zombies. We don’t need this in our nation.”
“They say He stifles our free speech,” the Commissioner of Speech added, and he swore for good measure.
The arguments started rising once again, and I knew that getting them to calm down would be a herculean task. But Jesus placed a hand on my shoulder. “Let Me take it from here,” He said.
As He stood in the room, the arguments stilled as they sized up the new guest. I felt more confident with Him by my side.
“Before You were formed in your mother’s womb,” Jesus said. “I knew You. I made You for a purpose.”
“Excuse me,” the Commissioner of Thought interjected. “Are you claiming to have made this nation? How old are you? Who do you think you are?”
I did not see his face at the moment, but something about the way he stared at the Commissioner of Thought made her to recoil in silence.
“Sin and its corruption have made a mess of the order here,” he continued. “You, Federal Commissioners, have been compromised by the decadence of the age and are now imposing its pressures and suggestions on your president, at the expense of sound judgment. That something is lawful does not mean that it’s always right or hlpful
He turned to me. “Your president here has tried on his own to repair the damage, but he was never strong enough. He was never meant to debate with you about what is right and wrong. I am here to help him make the Federal Republic of You what God intended it to be. It would mean a renewal of this Mind Council, so that you all can know what you ought to do, and to do it too.”
For the first time in my life, I felt confident. There really was going to be hope for us. But my Commissioners did not share the same sentiments.
“So what?” the Commissioner of Thought said. “You’re going to be some kinda Dictator or something?”
Jesus folded his arms, standly regally. “I am a King, actually, and I am bringing my kingdom here. And in my kingdom it’s all about pleasing God, living at peace, and the joy that comes from God’s Spirit.”
“And are those supposed to mean something?”
He winked. “Trust me, you’re going to find out soon enough. I am going to help you think the right thoughts by teaching you in my Word.”
“And why should I listen to you?”
He gestured towards me. “Because your president has placed me in-charge here, and you are subject to the law he is subject to. Before, he found himself doing the things he did not want to do, and not doing things he knew he ought to do. You have known that conflict too, madam, haven’t you? But now I’m bringing him under a new law: the Law of the Spirit of Life in Me.”
She blinked, and when she spoke her words came out with less resistance. “It’s not been easy,” she said. “There’s so much information we get, and we have to act on it.”
“You never had to,” Jesus said. “But you weren’t strong enough to resist. I will help you. Madam, it may seem tough now but, believe me, everything I’m doing here is for your own good. There are boundless possibilities for the Commission of Thought that you’re not exploring because you’re limited to what you know. But I can help you get there.”
The Commissioner of Thought considered that for a moment, but at least she was silent now.
Jesus turned to the Commissioner of Speech. “And it would influence Speech too,” he said.
The Commissioner of Speech raised his hands. “Whoa, leave me out of this, mister. I’m fine the way I am.”
Jesus smirked. “Oh, that’s what you think. Your Speech will do so much more. You will bring healing to many, salvation to many more, encouragement to the broken and comfort to the mourning. I will train your tongue, to speak the right word in season to the weary. Can you imagine just what we can do when your words are life?”
He was genuinely amazed. “I never thought that could be possible. I thought you just wanted to, you know, keep me from saying whatever I want to. I may want to just catch cruise every once in a while, and I don’t need to be stuck up with a guilty conscience every single time.”
“But your words can get you in trouble,” Jesus said. “And can hurt others and yourself, much more than you know. I can help you refine your words.”
The Speech Commissioner grunted. “I uh … I guess I could do with a fixer-upper,” he said.
Jesus smiled as he turned to the Commissioners of Sight and Hearing.
“Oh no, no, no,” the Commissioner of Sight said. “You’re not coming here.”
“Yeah,” the Commissioner of Hearing said. “I don’t need your help.”
But Jesus wasn’t done. “You sure? Sight, some of the things you’re looking at are affecting Thought.”
The Commissioner of Thought nodded. “Exactly! The information we get comes from these guys.”
“Hey, you can decide what to think by yourself,” the Commissioner of Hearing retorted. “Don’t blame us for your lack of control.”
“But it’s true,” Jesus said. “Even for you, Hearing. The things you watch and listen to get into your thoughts one way or the other. You need to keep a watch over them.”
Sight folded his arms. “You just wanna suck the joy out of everything.”
Jesus chuckled. “All things are lawful for You, but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for You, but you don’t have to become a slave to them*. If you absolutely can’t do without something, tell me, are you the master or the slave to it?”
They were clearly gearing up for a comeback, but they could not come up with anything in time. We all knew that we needed all the help we could get, and Jesus was the one to help us. It may not have felt nice, but it was worth it. It reminded me of the one time I heard that he had chased out some moneychangers from God’s Temple. This kinda felt like it too.
And one by one, Jesus kept on addressing each of the commissioners, analyzing their blueprints and the challenges they had faced, and explaining how He would make it new. I was so glad I brought Him onboard. I was learning as he taught us, gaining more confidence to guide each of these commissions with his wisdom and might. It would take a while to get into the new hanfg of things, but I knew I was now in good hands.
“It’s going to be a new day,” Jesus said. “The old is gone, the new has come.”
“Indeed,” I muttered under my breath, a smile on my face. “Amen.”
THE END
God for the rest of us
Many times He’s called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but these three men had very different stories. But theirs are pictures that many of us can identify with, showing a God Who is not ashamed to be identified with us and our past.
There’s this thing I read in a book called Changed into His Likeness by Watchman Nee that really revolutionized my understanding of how God came for each and every one of us. Take a look, you just might identify.
Throughout the Scriptures, ever notice how when speaking to the Israelites God is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It meant a lot to the Israelites because these guys were their ancestors. It was a reminder that the very same God that did awesome wonders in their ancestors’ day was very much alive and well with them.
But then these three guys were very much unlike one another. They each represent different personalities and show how God interacts with different kinds of people, and with us at different stages of our growth.
Abraham and Isaac
Abraham was the father of faith himself. Right off the bat, as soon as we meet him, God’s calling him to take a giant step of faith and Abraham (then called Abram) obeys. This man had a very amazing and exemplary walk with God. He experienced miracles, lived prosperously and fought and won battles all by God’s strength. See, God had a covenant relationship with Abraham that gave him an edge.Abraham is like the picture of that stellar child of God. His life is marked with so many exploits and wonders done through God’s favor. He has testimonies of the miracles and wonders God has done in his life, of the many battles he’s won by God’s might. He talks casually about how God is His closest friend and how God reveals secrets to him. He’s that believer we all aspire to be like. If this is where you are in your walk with God, it’s legit, and it’s a good place to be. Oh the adventures you will have in God!
Isaac, however, is majorly known for being Abraham’s son. Not to belittle or invalidate his own experience, but much of what we see him doing is as a result of what his father has already done. His father got a wife for him (Genesis 24:1-67). One time Isaac was going to dig up wells but they were his father had dug years before (Genesis 26:18). He was basically living a life enjoying his father’s inheritance. He had entered into rest by heritage, enjoying the blessing of his father.
Isaac reminds us that, as believers, we have entered into a Victory already purchased for us. The battle has been fought and won, and we’ve been crowned ‘More than Conquerors’ through our Father Who loves us. All our accomplishments in Him are based on what He’s provided already. We won’t be speaking cliche when, like Paul, we say, “I am what I am by the grace of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)
This understanding is very important so that our confidence is never in the exploits wrought by our hands, but in Him Who birthed us. Always.
Meet Jacob
But Jacob … now here’s a real zinger of a story. Jacob was the quintessential picture of a hustler if there ever was one. He tricked his brother, Esau, into selling his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34), he tricked his father into bestowing his blessing upon him instead of Esau (Genesis 27:1-40), and he later tricked his uncle Laban into giving him the best majority of his herd (Genesis 30:25-43). He got tricked too, like any hustler has experienced, but he owned those scars. He went through life winning seemingly by his efforts, with the wisdom of the world. He had street-smarts, and they had worked for him for so long.But then many years later, his brother, whom he’d swindled out of his birthright, was on his way. For the first time, the trickster was said to be greatly afraid (Genesis 32:7)
Jacob was so scared that he sent part of his family ahead in case Esau was ready to kill him, so they’d get killed first.
The night before their fateful meeting, Jacob fought with God. Or an angel of God, it’s not explicitly clear, but it’s heavily implied that it was God in human form (Genesis 32:24-32). They fought until daybreak. Jacob’s thigh got dislocated out of joint, leaving him with a limp for the rest of his days.
“Let me go,” the Angel of the Lord said.
“Bless me!” Jacob cried. “I won’t let you go unless You bless me!”
And God blessed him and gave him a new name: Israel. Jacob went on that morning to meet his brother, ready for the worst, but Esau instead embraced him.
Jacob is like the rest of us
I’ve come to love Jacob’s story because while most of us are not like him, he’s like so many of us. We may not all have tricked our way to the top, but we’ve all gone through circumstances that looked like we had to work our way out of. We’ve all had those times when we’ve come to depend on our efforts because they’re what have come through for us. We can relate better with the physical reality of the works of our hands than the faith the Bible speaks of.Everyone of us will come to that wrestling place. It may be a difficult circumstance that causes us to realise that the arm of flesh can only go so far, as we start to wrestle in our minds with the idea that we really can’t do everything on our own. The question that’s played at the back of our minds comes to the fore: “Where has God been all this time? Is He even there?”
And in the midst of this, God is telling us to let go. Let go of the right to understand or work your way out of everything and depend on Him. We really can’t get beyond that difficulty by our effort. All He asks — all He expects of us — is to trust Him. To trust that He loves us enough and is powerful enough to get us through.
It’s a wrestle because letting go is a hard decision. It may leave us with a limp, like Jacob. The limp isn’t physical, but it’s a reminder that we will always need His help. It would be a constant reminder that you may have been able to sort out everything else by your abilities, but there are some things you know are way beyond you and show you need God’s help. It’s humbling, trust me. But like Jacob, that’s the only way we’re getting out of that fight.
Even the Apostle Paul had his own ‘limp’, but he called it a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7). He prayed and prayed, asking God to take it away. But you know what God said?
My grace is sufficient for thee, for My Strength is made perfect in weakness.
Can I put this in perspective? One of my pastors, Dr Samuel Oyeyinka, once put it this way. Do you realise that, to this day, no one can fully decipher Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’? Some have speculated that it was an eye defect because Paul once wrote about having to write in BIG LETTERS (Galatians 6:11), though that could have just been for emphasis. Some said it was the pain of constantly being persecuted. Some suggest it may have been loneliness from his singleness. Or, who knows, maybe it was a literal thorn that was lodged in his flesh! (creepy picture, I know)
Whatever it was, it was something so difficult that The Paul, writer of two-thirds of the New Testament texts, kept asking God why He didn’t take it away. That was his wrestle with God. This ‘thorn’ could have been any of many things but we really don’t know for sure what it was!
Why?
Now this is the best part.
It shows that, whatever it may have been, God’s strength and grace overshadowed it so much that it didn’t become an issue anymore! It was a constant reminder to Paul that he really needed God’s help, but to others Paul was just fine, even super-fine.
It did not impede Paul from fulfilling God’s intent for his life. Whatever this thorn may have been, Paul was still able to say at the end of his life, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” (2 Timothy 4:7)
Because Paul trusted His life to God, God helped him walk despite his limp.
Wow!
The God of Jacob
Jacob came out of the fight with a new name, Israel. But do you notice that God was still referred to, more often than not, as the God of Jacob and not simply the God of Israel? Do you see how God was not ashamed to be associated with Jacob, with all of his crooked past?It’s a reminder that, when we commit our lives to God, our past, present and future are committed to Him. He’s not ashamed to be identified with our past because not only has it been a part of who we’ve become, but He’s going to work it out into His beautiful glorious future for us. You would look back and see the beautiful thread God weaved through and out of that past. In the pain and hurts, He would strengthen you so you can even be a comfort to another going through theirs.
He’s not ashamed to be identified with our past…
This is why Paul would say, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon Me.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
My limitations are a reminder that God is able to help me. When I face my own thorns, those situations where I still have questions, I’ve come to a place where I deliberately commit them to God. It’s not always easy, but I’m willing to trust that if I trust Him with the parts of life I find difficult, He would help me walk. By His strength and grace I will walk on water with Him. Where I limp, I’ll trust He’ll help me walk. And if I get overwhelmed by the waves, I know He’ll carry me.
I’m learning to live from that place always, not just when I face difficult circumstance. When I’m weak and aware of my weakness, I’m at my strongest (2 Cor 12:10) because He has more license to work!
And, like Don Moen’s song, my heart constantly sings…
Lord I offer my life to You
Everything I’ve been through
Use it for Your glory
Lord, I offer my days To You
Lifting my praise To You
As a living sacrifice
Lord I offer You my life.
Abrahams have learnt this lesson of trusting God, early. That’s why they have such a close walk with God. That’s why God can do so much through them.
This, trusting in God, is the only life Isaacs know because Abrahams taught them. But they, like we all, will come to points where we have no choice but to trust God. A literal moment of truth. It stretches us, but it builds our faith.
We tend to define Christian life based on the Abrahams and Isaacs, but don’t forget that even the Jacobs are special to God. He also wants to be identified with their journey, to show forth His glory and awesomeness through their story. We all come into His plans through the door of faith, trusting in Him. He meets us right where we are.
Right where you are.
Faith is like coming to a cliff. Our Father calls us to step off. Our common sense tells us to stay on solid ground, and we wrestle. But when we trust Him and step off, we land in His arms.
The more we step off of these cliffs, the better we know the One waiting to catch us. Over and over again.
Let me finish…
Let’s bring this home, shall we?- Abraham shows us that we can have a close walk with God, and that we would see His strength and might working through us.
- Isaac reminds us that we’ve come into an inheritance we did not work for. Christ provided everything that we would need for life and godliness. Our part is to trust Him, receive what He’s done, and walk.
- Jacob reminds us that there’s a point where the strength and knowledge we’ve always known would not be enough. In those places where we see we have to trust God, we come to see His power at work in us and for us. The ‘limp’ may remain, but it’s an opportunity to see His strength in us.
And that’s why He’s not ashamed, but really excited, to be known in the mouths of the people as the God of (insert your name)!
Thanks for reading!
Who do you identify best with? Abraham? Isaac? Jacob? A mixture? Have you ever had your wrestling moments with God? Kindly share in the comments. You just might encourage someone 😊Got the Update?
From seeing how my phone needed updates, I learnt that I need updates for my growth in God. Updates of wisdom, strength, reminders of His love, godly perspectives and mind-sets, and so much more.
For weeks the apps on my phone have been reminding me to install the new updates. I’d become quite used to seeing the numerous reminders in the Notifications tray, but I put it off for later.
It came to a head one day when my Twitter app wouldn’t let me open it until I installed the latest updates. According to them, the new update would help to protect my app from recent security issues that previous software definitions were not prepared for. Now I saw reasons not to put off that update, so I set out to do it.
I could go into explaining the lessons I learnt from that experience, but there’s more.
One of the reasons I hadn’t downloaded the updates hitherto was because my phone’s storage capacity was quite full. Every time I tried to download an update my phone would require me to uninstall one of my other apps. All of them were important to me, so I would instead look for photos, videos, audio files or documents that I could delete to clear the space. It’s usually difficult for me because I find it a little hard to let go of these. I can be quite sentimental, I find.
But this time, I had to give in. I deleted I think over a thousand files that day to make room for the new update. Some were dear to me, some were easy to let go of, and others had me wondering what they were doing on my phone in the first place. In the end I cleared enough space and the download could go through.
The app’s now got a couple of changes in its interface but it almost looks exactly the same. I may never know why it needed the update or the security risks it’s protecting me from, and that’s probably for the better. Unless, of course, it’s a backdoor channel for them to monitor me (cue the ominous music: dun dun DUUUNNN!)
Not all my phone apps are updated yet, but I’ll still get to them.
Updates from Heaven
Do you know that just like my phone app needed an update, we also need our God-updates at every point in time? That every day, there are heaven-rooted updates tailored for you?
I’ll explain.
As God’s people we’ve received His Life through the finished works of Jesus Christ in Redemption. Our spirits are renewed so that we can be all God intended for us to be; His children bearing His nature. That’s perfect and, like Jesus said, “It is finished.”
In this world there are new challenges in every season and every day. Like Jesus said in Matthew 6:34,
…Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Now the life God has given us in Christ is powerful enough to face these challenges. Through the power of God at work in us, God is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we could ask or think, even beyond whatever adversity there is out there. But our minds and bodies are exposed daily to experiences in opposition to God’s Word.
Whether we like it or not, there could be circumstances to try and make you feel discouraged, people ready to ruin your day with unreasonable words, and news and online threads ready to order the course of your thoughts and mind-set for the day. It’s not all bad, but more often than not, they are content created without our best interests in mind.
In the midst of this, Lamentations 3:22 and 23 reminds us of the words you probably remember from that song;
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.
Just to put it in perspective, just as the days are evil, the Lord has new compassionate and preserving mercies for you every day. Every. Single. Day.
Tailored for your specifications, beyond and above whatever could be thrown at you. 2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
One of my former pastors loved to describe it as you having a full tank of water but having an empty bucket. It doesn’t change the fact that you’ve got water ‘cause there’s a supply available with your name on it. You receive from your supply when you turn the tap. He was talking about the grace of God available to meet our needs and help us give, but I think it also applies here.
For each and every task you are given and each circumstance we face, for everything that would lay a demand on the life in you, God is able to make all grace abound toward you so that you can have all you need to have an abundant supply for every good work.
Why you can download the update
No matter how hard I try, that Twitter app update could never work on my computer. That particular update could never work for the Facebook app or the Instagram app on my phone either because it was not made by them or for them. The reason I can download the update on my phone is because the update is made for the app on my phone. It was made by Twitter for the specific version of the app that’s present on my phone.
In the same way, because I belong to Jesus, I am capable of receiving the updates of strength, instruction and grace that are my inheritance as His child. It is His delight for me to receive and walk in them. Because I have His Spirit in me, I can receive from Him.
In 1 Corinthians 2:12 it says
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
When we got born again we received the Spirit of God. And it is because we have the Spirit of God that God can reveal to us His will at every point in time. Like it says earlier in that chapter in verses 8 and 9,
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
God is willing to show you things beyond what you’ve seen, to let you in on secrets beyond what you’ve heard, and to cause you to conceive thoughts and ideas beyond what you’ve ever imagined. Just as He shared His plans with Abraham like a friend, He intends to have that kind of relationship with you. Even much more, because now you are His child.
You are the child of the Maker of all that is. Wow!
So just like a child learns to talk the more he/she hears us talking with, God’s updates are to bring you to His level of thinking so that He can relate with us and guide us well in all the peculiar circumstances that we could face.
So How do I Download the Update?
In Romans 12:2 Paul writes,Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him.
Have you noticed that the more time you spend with an individual who makes puns and cracks dry jokes, the more you’d find yourself deciphering puns? Soon you’d probably be the one others will be running after crying, “Don’t leave me! Take me with you!” (someone reading this in 2038 didn’t get this reference. Sorry, kid 😉)In the same way, we let God change the way we think (our mind-sets) by actually spending time with Him, by giving our time and attention to reading and studying His Word and in prayer. That way we can know what His will is and we can do it, empowered by His Spirit in us.
Paul also wrote about the importance of making the best use of time in Ephesians 5:15, 16
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
When we live our lives by the wisdom of God we are walking circumspectly, making the best use of the time, and equipped not to give in to the adversity we may face in the day.This is why it is usually encouraged to start your day with a time set apart to read the Bible and talk with God. Some call it Morning Devotion, others call it Quiet Time, but nobody calls it Steve 🤷🏽♂️.Either way, the value is not in what we call it but in Who we’re setting out time for. It helps to set the agenda for our minds and to get His agenda for the day.
Clearing the Clutter
Just as I had to remove some apps from my phone, opening our hearts for His updates may require letting go of some things we’ve held on to.
It could be things we love and prize above all else. It could be our time, some of our friendships, some of our goals, or even the feeling of entitlement from our rightful achievements. It could be our media choices or our online presence. Sometimes the Lord may be instructing us to let go of some of these so that our attention can be on Him. For some of them, it is as He becomes our priority that we can have a healthy understanding of their roles in our lives. Otherwise they could become idols in our lives, distracting us from the Lord and all that’s important for our lives.
It could be things that have hurt us or guilt in our past. We don’t hold on to them deliberately, but they may have a hold on us, defining our approach to things and keeping us from reaching for all God has for us. I touched on this partially in my story, Portal.
For all, Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Offer your past, present and future to the Lord and trust Him with it. It may not be as easy as an instant thing, but trust Him with the process.
When we let go of things that have a strong hold in us, our hands can be open to receive all the Father has been trying to show us.
Spending Time with God
This is a lesson I am still learning. I wish I could come to this article from a place of mastery in this aspect, but I am a learner. And I don’t mean that in the Christianese sense where I’m really a pro trying to be humble, NO! I’ve literally found myself going through days without reading my Bible and I’m trying to work on that too. So, now that I’ve burst your expectations of me, hope you can see that I’m really a learner.
But it’s in spending time with God that we receive these updates.
In 2020 of course most of us may not be able to gather with other people yet, but I encourage you to be part of a church. Be regular and committed to the community. The teaching and fellowship (friendship) are essential for our growth. There are some things God would give you through your fellow believers, and some things He wants to share with others through you.
You can also set apart a specific time for it. You can find moments in the day to spend time with Him, cut off from your phone and other distractions. You can even take a day off to spend time with God. The Christianese term for these are ‘Retreats’. It’s allowed and very essential.
You can have devotionals and Bible reading plans that help you keep at it. Pray about what you’ve read. Bible apps like YouVersion can help with that too.You can have a prayer list of people and things you need to pray for and about. The thing is even as you pray He would show you more that you should pray about.
What if it’s boring?!
Don’t worry, you’re not an evil person for thinking that these times can feel boring sometimes. Sometimes it can feel like we’re not getting anything done. Your mind may have trailed off while reading a chapter and you’d find yourself 50 verses away from the last thing you remember in the narrative. You may have prayed for what felt like an hour only to check the clock to see that only 5 minutes have passed. If you’ve never experienced any of these then you’ve either not tried it out or you’ve got a special gift I really want to receive🙌🏼. Please, share in the comments🙏🏼.In these times, I like to be honest with God. I can sit and just talk with Him, telling Him what’s going on in my mind. Truthfully, these conversations don’t end there. They go throughout the day. Sometimes I get instruction or things become clearer. Sometimes it feels like nothing is happening.
But don’t stop. It is in seeking that we find.
Don’t look for a disembodied voice. The primary means of God talking to us is through His Written Word. Every other impression is by the Holy Spirit within us, not compulsorily by an external audible voice. He could use that, but my advice is not to set out looking for the spectacular. Seek Him.
I once heard a quote by someone that said prayer is like starting the day by saying, “In Jesus Name,” then going to bed saying, “Amen.” That’s because throughout the day you were talking with God.
Share your day with God. See what that does to your interactions.
When my heart is overwhelmed…
What about those moments when we really don’t have the strength? When the day has just been terrible and we don’t feel like doing anything ‘spiritual’?
One of my favourite verses is Psalm 61:2
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
David’s desire when his heart was overwhelmed is to be reminded of the One, his Rock, Who is bigger than that problem. Knowing that my world does not revolve around me because I have Someone bigger, greater and wiser on my side and at work in me, gives me courage to face the challenges. It’s one of the reasons we find another Christianese word in the psalms a lot: magnify.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3
Or even Psalm 35:27
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
Ever used a magnifying glass before? It makes things look bigger. It doesn’t make the thing bigger but it makes my perspective of that thing to be bigger.
God doesn’t need to be bigger or more powerful or wiser or stronger. He already is! But sometimes I forget that the Greater One is for me and with me. That’s why I need that reminder.
I need God to be magnified in my eyes.
And that only happens when I look at Him. When I behold Him, I can see Him. Not literally now because I’m still mortal, but as I read about Him in His Word and listen to others talk about Him, as I listen to music that expresses His wonder, as I worship Him, I realise that I really am not as big as I thought, and neither are my problems. He is so much bigger, so much richer in love, and He is so much able to help me more than overcome.
We see this pattern in David’s life. One time when his people’s families were carried away by raiders, his soldiers were angry with him and mutiny was afoot. They were even talking about stoning him. David, whose own family was also carried away, was in great distress. But the Bible lets us know that he ‘encouraged himself in the Lord.’ (1 Samuel 30:6) And right after he asked God for direction, and God told him what to do to get his people back. His stability was in that place where God was bigger than everything else.
Our stability is in the Holiest Place like in the temple (Hebrews 6:19), where Christ is seated having conquered all and redeemed us. Where our sins are forgiven and we obtain mercy and find grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). It is why we have the Spirit of God in us. You, God’s child, are evidence that God is more than able to deal with whatever problem comes your way.
You have access to the King and Conqueror of Eternity, especially at your weakest moments. He’s your stability.
This is what I do. I tell Him exactly what it feels like. Sometimes I just play worship music and sing along to Him. It helps lift my thoughts and feelings, and I worship along.
It takes our attention off our fears and limitations and focuses it on His strength available and at work in us. Like He said to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9,
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness
Share your experience
In recent times I’ve had a couple of interactions with friends who are also making a deliberate consistent culture of spending time with God. What’s your experience like? What lessons have you learnt?
Please share with us in the comments. It could be an encouragement to someone too.
Thanks for coming by!
Charge Your Phone!
Lately my phone battery has been dying at moments when I needed it for work or crucial discussions. It’s not that it’s faulty per se, no, rather it’s because I didn’t charge it when I ought to.
I used to charge it overnight so that it would last for much of the following day. When, however, I didn’t get it charged overnight it dies during the day. There were many moments during the day when it could have been charged, and should have been charged, but many times it felt like those were the moments when I should be using the phone.
One time I was using its WiFi hotspot to do some online work on my laptop even though the phone battery was low. Not only did my phone die that evening, but it did not come back on for hours even after it was plugged in to charge. That was the moment I realised that I had gone too far.
Yeah, I’m probably the worst phone owner out there. I’m trying to improve though, and I will.
But the experience taught me something. My phone taught me a couple things about my life.
I need a consistent power supply
Just as my phone needs to be charged for it to work well, my life needs a consistent supply of God’s Word if I’m going to live effectively. Every day, with every word we speak, every thought we think, every move we make and every breath we breathe we are expending life. There’s a saying that the source of a thing is what sustains it. We become children of God by believing His Word in the Gospel, and it is His Word that sustains us.
Or like Peter put it
For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a Parent who is immortal, not mortal.
(1 Peter 1:23)
God’s Word is eternal and abides forever. If I want to live effectively, I need a supply of God’s Word to frame my mindset. If God wants to speak to me, it would primarily be through what is written in the Bible.
Remember, the tree in Psalm 1 is planted by the rivers of water. That’s a constant consistent supply. We all need that. Like hugging a transformer and staying fully charged. Yes there’s a death, but there’s life ’cause God’s Word gives life😉
We afford ourselves of this opportunity when we connect regularly with our local churches to be taught God’s Word, when we listen to it being taught elsewhere, when we discuss and study it with one another and when we study the Bible for ourselves. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand. All of these are very important for our growth spiritually.
If it is not charged well, it would die
If I am giving out more than the quota of God’s Word that I am taking in, I will burn out.
As children of God, the inclination of our God-renewed spirits is to reach out to others. We may reach out to people with God’s love and message through our words, our acts of service, our social media, but primarily, our lives. Many times God provides opportunities for this. But if I have not been feeding on His Word regularly, I may be a blessing to others but I would not be in the best frame that God wants me to be. In explaining His Word I may have faulty situational explanations opposed to His Word, defined by my emotions and not His context. In some cases, I might even not know or be aware of what He would have me do. In some other cases, I might even refuse to do what He would want me to do because I don’t feel like it.
Notice the common denominator in these examples: my feelings. When God’s Word is not my priority, I am going to be live based on how I feel. Feelings change, people. But God’s Word endures.
God wants me to be fruitful. Psalm 1:3 paints a very interesting picture. Here, check it out:
…they find joy in obeying the Law of the LORD, and they study it day and night.
They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.
Psalm 1:2,3
The kind of person that is spiritually healthy and fruitful at all times is one who finds joy in obeying God’s law and studies it day and night. And do you know the fruit that God wants to produce in our lives?
But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.
Galatians 5:22, 23
I want to be loving, joyful, peaceful and at peace, patient, kind, good, faithful (trustworthy) and full of faith, humble and self-controlled, and I want to be like that all the time.
Love, for example, is a primary quality of God because He is love (1 John 4:8). And the Bible lets us know that love endures, it is kind even when it suffers long (1 Corinthians 13:4). Living just by feelings wouldn’t cut it. If I want my life to remain loving through all seasons, if I want to be fruitful in God’s measure no matter what happens, I need a consistent supply of God’s Word.
I’m not made to work 24/7
I’ve covered much of this particular lesson in my other article on REST so you can check that out too (thank you!). But I’ll summarize that here too.
Our phones were not made to work 24/7. They need moments to recharge so that when they are charged we can use them for all the tasks and fun stuff we desire.
We also weren’t made to work 24/7/365. God gave the Israelites a pattern of 6-days of work in a week with one day set aside to cease from work. While it’s not a law for non-Jews like me, the essence of it is very essential for every one of us.
Rest gives our bodies and minds an opportunity to recharge. To let go of the stress and work that have weighed it down so that we can later tackle it with revived energy, creativity, excitement and better coordination.
That meme or WhatsApp discussion won’t run away if you let your phone charge. The world won’t end if you take a day or a couple of hours to rest before heading back into the work you’ve been doing for hours. That rhythm of work and rest is essential to us all. When God rested on the seventh day, I’ll bet it’s not because He was tired.
I wrote a whole article about this subject that I really love, and I think you would too. Please check it out here when you have the time.
It is my responsibility
My phone is my possession and as such its well-being is in my charge. If its screen is broken, it’s my fault. If it is ruined beyond repair, I am responsible. The state of my phone and my other possessions says a lot about my attention to responsibility. If my phone battery is dying consistently when it could have been charged, then it means I have been lax concerning my responsibilities.
This makes me consider how I’ve been treating the people and systems placed in my charge. Do I only use them or am I deliberate about adding to them? Am I more concerned with what I can get rather than what I can give?
These opened up a lot I needed to work on, and much of that work is inside where no one else can see, except the Audience of One.
This leads in to something very important.
My life belongs to God
The phone may have been purchased by me, but does it make it mine? Who provided the money?
James wrote it this way:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17
My life and every good thing in it is a gift from God. In taking care of it well, I am honouring Him. But when I do it deliberately for Him, life becomes a life of worship. The best way I can honour Him is to give it to Him. Like Paul put it,
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1
He also wrote it this way in his letter to the Corinthian church,
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:20
In honouring Him with my life, I am serving Him rightly. In taking care of my phone, for example, I am honouring it as a gift from Him. This gives me a sense of higher responsibility.
Many times we forget that God is actually concerned even with how we treat our secular things. Jesus told a couple of stories to illustrate just how important this is.
Remember the one about the talents? Jesus told a story in Matthew 25 about a man that was travelling but he gave a couple of talents to his workers. And, no, he didn’t magically give them the ability to sing or play the violin. A talent in those days was a unit of money some have estimated to about $5000. The servants were rewarded for using and gaining profit on the money he gave them. But the one servant that kept the one talent he was given was said to despise his master, and was punished for it.
Jesus wants us to be responsible with the things He has given to us. Our friendships, our family, our secular work and ministry work are all important to Him. We honour Him when we see it all as an offering to Him, choosing to honour Him in them all.
And it all starts from honouring Him with our lives.
Let me finish…
So if I were to sum up all I’m trying to say:
- Keep your phone charged!
- Have a consistent supply of God’s Word.
- God’s Word makes us fruitful and effective
- Your life is a gift, a responsibility bestowed on you by God. Make it an offering to Him.
Yeah, I think that about covers it. This particular article has a lot more to do with actions so I’d better get to work.
Thanks for reading!
What have you learnt or are learning? In what ways can we honour God in our lives? Please share below. Thank you!
What if I lose everything?!
I almost lost this blog a few weekends ago, and I was terrified. If you’re reading this then you know that it’s back up (like, obviously) but more than anything, what the experience showed me was my own vanity and things that I need to work on in myself. I mean, it’s just a blog! I should get a life 😁
It all started when I saw an advertisement for a task that would require storytelling and I was so excited to get on it. One of the requirements on the application form was for a link to some of my past work. Now I’m ashamed to admit this, but in that moment I felt really proud to put in the links to my recent stories-turned-books (Have you read Portal and The Curious Case of Doctor Maundy? Please do!There’s a behind-the-scenes series on writing I’m planning to put up here, so follow the page too so you’d be the first to know when it’s up. Gracias! 😁 🙏🏼). And when I say that I was proud, I don’t mean that in a good sense.
So I came over here to do a little touching up on the pages so that any visitor would see excellent and quality work … or something. I made a couple of edits here and revisions there when, all of a sudden, I found that I couldn’t save changes anymore. After trying a few more times I assumed it was just a fluke so I stayed off the ‘Net for a while. It wasn’t until I tried logging in again when I saw the message in a red block on my dashboard.
This blog had been suspended 😳.
I tried to access the URL on different browsers, but it said the same thing.
Now I’m usually generally chill, and I deliberately take myself away from undue tension, so I wasn’t anxious at first. I just figured there was something I needed to do to change this and that I’d figure it out soon enough. Maybe there was one of those Terms and Conditions I usually don’t read that I’d violated, I thought, so I scanned through them. As far as I could tell everything was in order.
As the hours turned to a day and nothing had changed I gradually realised that this was a serious problem. I came face-to-face with the possibility that I could actually lose this catalog of articles, stories and writings dating back to 2013.
The thought of it all shook me to my core.
What if I actually did lose everything?
Before I get to how we got it back up, I should point something out. This period and looking at it all showed me a bit about problematic perspectives I held.
What do I really have?
I realised that I had considered the blog as a possession of mine, something I worked to build, and an extension of myself. Sometimes I look back at the archives and feel that “started from-the-bottom-now-we-here!” feeling. This blog has been an experience all on its own. Many life experiences have occurred in its day. I’ve had days with so much traffic and dry spells stretching for months, but it’s all been part of the experience that’s been building up gradually. I’ve been learning what works and what doesn’t. I’m learning not to judge based on responses, but to also write in reader-friendly ways. I had every right to see this as my own.
Or did I?
Perhaps it’s valuable, and it is. But if the loss of something ‘valuable’ to me was going to affect me, then that says more about me than about the thing itself.P.S.: Someone reading this is wondering, “Dude, It’s just a blog! Get a life!” And writing this out now, I see that you’re absolutely right! I feel like an idiot now, but I hope you can learn from my idiocy.
My Value
Seeing how the thought of losing this made me feel less of myself made me realise that I had, somehow, tied my value and esteem to this blog and, by extension, to my accomplishments even offline. And that’s definitely not a good thing.
I find that many times I feel down when I’ve not got something new going on, or when I’m not being praised for something. And that’s completely unhealthy and destructive.I apologise if I’m being too open about my flaws here. I find that this year I’ve been doing that a lot.It’s subtle, but if my perspective of my value is defined by my accomplishments, then that means that I have also been determining the value of others based on their accomplishments. And as the cycle goes, I would also judge my value based on the applause, rejection or indifference of others.
This is the core of an inferiority complex. It’s something I was sure I had dealt with, but I was now seeing signs of it peeking out again.
Who Owns it, anyway?
In recent times, I’ve been encouraged towards, and am considering and planning the conversion of this blog to a full-fledged website. The thought process of it all has made me go back to the beginnings of this platform and to be reminded why it exists.
This is not really my own. It’s never really been mine!
Many things on this page have changed over the years, but the tagline has not.
Life, Hope, Faith … with some humor.
It’s my playground to show my works, but it’s really a channel for the Real Owner to reach others through me with the creative tools He gave me. It was an extension of myself because that’s how I’ve learnt to see myself: I am God’s Instrument to reach the world, and every of my platforms will do the same.
But what’s at the core is my life.
It’s my heart.
Jesus told the story of the rich fool, the guy who defined his security based on what he had. He described the man as “…he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21) I certainly don’t want that to be me. I want my life to be one that blesses and lifts others, yes, but it’s nothing if my life is not a delight to the Lord.
Like Jesus also said, “…where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34). If the Lord is my treasure, then that’s where my heart will be. That’s Who would define my desires and life’s purpose and esteem.
What does it say about me?
I am learning to remind myself where true value lies. I am valuable, not because of anything I’ve done or can do or will do, no. I was valuable long before I could do anything! I am valuable because of the One that made me, that knows me, that loves me. That owns me.
I am valuable to God.
My favourite verse, and more like a lifeverse for me over the past couple of years, has been Isaiah 43:1:
“…Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
You are Mine.
I am His.My value is not tied to my accomplishments or possessions. Like Jesus said,
“…Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” (Luke 12:15)
For a child of God, you never really lose. If we lose anything good, by God’s grace it can be restored and we can get back up again. That’s the promise of God’s Word. Remember Job? Everything he lost was restored by the end of the book, in doubles!
Proverbs 24:16 tells us that a just man may fall seven times, but he rises up again.
But you know what?
Even if what was lost is not restored, even if our hopes and dreams don’t materialise the way we would have desired, God’s promise is that His own can still be secure and at rest, stable and unshaken. Hebrews 11 tells us about the wonders and exploits done by many by their faith in God, but it also tells us of many who through their faith in God were able to go through trials and mockings, imprisonment, stoning, temptation, torment and even death.
They lost so much, but their true treasure was never taken away. Their true Treasure could never be taken away.
I want to be that strong and stable on the inside.Like Psalm 46 shows us, God is our home and refuge, and He is the One alive in us, like a river flowing through a city, bringing springs of gladness. Even if the things that have defined our stability are ever moved out of place, we will not be shaken. We can always be glad.
It would hurt, and real loss should hurt. But with God, that’s not where the story ends.
We can always be at rest.
What am I learning?
I’m learning to understand true value. When I underestimate anyone or anything, I devalue them in my eyes and lose out on some of God’s greatest gifts, treasure in “jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). When I overestimate them, I make them idols and I project my expectations on them, thus missing out on what God would have used them to be or do, and unable to see the bigger and much more that God has for me beyond that thing/person. Idols keep us from seeing what’s really important. I do the same to myself when i underestimate or overestimate myself. I’m learning to know what God sees, and esteem as He does.
I’m learning to enjoy every moment. The Bible lets us know that while “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof,” (Matthew 6:34) God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22,23). Every single day has an allotment of God’s supply for me and for you. We can actually enjoy His peace and rest, our own God-given Garden of Eden experience where I never feel the need for validation or affirmation because we’re constantly reminded of His validation and affirmation of us.
I’m learning to Live. Jesus said that He came so that we can have an abundant life, life to the full (John 10:10). I can face life trying to meet targets and deadlines and expectations, or I could actually live, and in so doing meet those targets without being shaken by the strain. To breathe in all that He’s got for me so that I can breathe out all that the world needs. And all of this both deliberately and ‘subconsciously’, I’m able to relate well with people, see myself and see them through God’s eyes, and without judgment.
I’m learning to be Free. Free from the allure of accomplishments, from the limitations I’ve known about myself, from the fear of failure or judgment, from the shame of my past mistakes, and free to lay hold on the ‘something better’ that God has for me.I’m learning to receive what He’s got for me freely, so that I can freely give. And, yes, even if it means I’ll never get it back. I’ve got Him, and He’s got me. And in the final analysis, that’s enough.
The blog will continue. I will keep doing things for the Lord by His strength and ability. I will keep creating things. But we can, and I will also have times where I’m not producing anything per se, and I will still be secure and joyful through it all.
That being said, Lord willing, you can look forward to a major release toward the end of the year 😉
And I’m also learning to clear the clutter. But that’s a post for another day. I think I’ve bared my heart beyond comfort enough here 😅.
Oh yeah, I sent a message to WordPress and the community personnel reached me to explain that my browser had was generating spam from my serial saving, and it was automatically suspended. So they got it fixed. Thanks, WordPress. 😁
So what are you learning, or what have you learnt, about loss and value? How do you handle it? Please share.
And thanks for reading!!!
REST: An Invitation to More
Ever since this year began, one thing that I’ve been learning is the value of Rest and what it is. Little did I know that in a couple of months most of the whole world would take a compulsory break. Many are working from home, some are laid off from work, and some are alone or with their families.
But even when work and activity are reduced it does not mean that we are resting, you know. In the past few weeks I’ve come to appreciate this more, and when it’s lacking I know I need to seek rest.
In this short series I’ll be writing about Rest and why it’s God’s intention and provision for us all. You can get the whole lowdown in the Twitter threads I wrote earlier this year here and here. I just thought I should bring it here as well, including what I’ve learnt since.
In this short series I’ll be writing about Rest and why it’s God’s intention and provision for us all. You can get the whole lowdown in the Twitter threads I wrote earlier this year here and here. I just thought I should bring it here as well, including what I’ve learnt since.
There’s so much activity around us these days. On and off the online superhighway there’s so much news, so many trends to engage with, mouths to feed, work to get done, deadlines to meet, expectations to reach and goals to, well, score I guess. It can be so overwhelming sometimes. I for one can identify.
The Net used to be my avenue for fun until work moved here this year. I found myself weighed down and overwhelmed. I just don’t seem to have the capacity for so much information and trending topics, with conspiracy theories sewn between. Deadlines whizzed by like traffic, horns blaring an’ all 😅, and I knew I needed a break.
This makes me to better appreciate the concept of the Sabbath.
The Sabbath, or Shabbat, is a Jewish tradition dating from the time of Moses. The seventh day of each week was set aside as a holy day of rest. It was one of God’s commandments to the Jews in separating them to be His very own people. In Exodus 20:8-10 He said,
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
It is still the hallmark of Orthodox Judaism to this day.
Shabbat means ‘rest’ or more correctly, ‘ceasing from work’. See, that was the point. They could do all their work for 6 days but on the 7th day, all work was to cease. Even if it was harvest time, they would either harvest their crops before Shabbat or after Shabbat. As soon as the first star was seen in the sky, families would gather in their homes for the Shabbat meal, commemmorating it with a prayer of blessing. The day of rest would extend until the next evening, and thus Shabbat was done.
Note that this was not idleness. It is rest from work.
Now I’m not advocating the Sabbath day as a rule for all, no. It was an instruction as part of a covenant relationship God had with the people of Israel only. But, like with much of the Law, it was for their hygiene and well-being as well. If we understand the essence of it, it would be of great blessing to us because of what it tells us about ourselves, our work and of God’s nature.
And this is the three-fold essence of Shabbat as I’ve come to learn it.
– Rest for you
– Rest for your field (Note that I didn’t say ‘rest FROM your field. There’s a difference); and
– You know what, this is the best of the three so I’ll leave it for the end.
Shabbat is Rest for You
You need rest.
Our bodies need rest, and the Israelites were no different. They were a majorly subsistence and agrarian society at the time of Shabbat’s origin, so much of their work had to do with their survival. They relied on their fields and crafts for their livelihood, for their food and shelter and as a basis of commerce. They NEEDED to work to live, yet God was telling them to leave it for 24 hours.
It’s kinda like us today. We have needs to provide for, mouths to feed, and deadlines to meet. But if we stay in the constant grind of work it becomes slavery: a curse, far from God’s intention for us. We need a break even if we don’t feel like it. Unless there is a law some of us won’t stop working because we NEED to work.
This is one of the reasons I’m extra thankful for the concept of the Weekend, a legal break from work.
Do you know that the word holiday came from the term holy day? Or that the origin of a five-day workweek and 2-day weekend was tied to the need of Jewish workers to rest on Shabbat? (Check it out, it’s worth googling) It gradually extended to others, and Saturday and Sunday became legal holidays.
Just like Shabbat gave the Jews an opportunity to spend time with family and think on their covenant with God, weekends and holidays give us the opportunity to look at the things that matter apart from our work. To spend quality time with family and friends. It affords us the opportunity to see life as something much bigger than the bubble our work squeezes us into. It’s why when people go to relax they say they need to ‘unwind’.
When we are well-rested, we can go into the new week refreshed.
Just like the beauty of music is in the sounds and the pauses between, life and work are best enjoyed when there is a rhythm of rest even in a schedule of work.
Shabbat is Rest for your Field
Rest is necessary FOR the work you’re doing.
I first learnt this from the concept of the Sabbath years given in the Old Testament for every 7-year interval. After every 7 years, God instructed, the land was to rest from all tilling and cultivation. For a whole year!
Exodus 23:10 and 11 says
“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove.
I constantly look at that and wonder how they would have eaten or coped during that Sabbath year.
I imagine that they would have had to become more creative and strategic. In the time leading up to the Sabbath year they may have worked extra hard to have an abundance to enjoy in the seventh year. For money they may have had to explore other crafts like carpentry and pottery to make a living, opening their minds to other possibilites as opposed to the monotony they were used to.
I believe God, the primo Creator who paints the skies, loves variety! But that’s a discussion for another time.
The Israelites may have enjoyed a ‘Garden of Eden’ experience, where they are eating without cultivating or planting. For that one year they ate without working because the work had been done. The land was fruitful. That’s some rest.
I have found that when I face my work only for a long stretch of time, I lose the passion and drive that called me to it in the first place. When we see our work as our sole supply and focus it puts more pressure on it than it needs. Like driving an 18-wheeler on a road made for bicycles, the road will wear down until there are more potholes than roadways. Productivity suffers when there is no passion or capacity.
Whether it’s a 9-5 or freelance work or a creative endeavour, this still applies. I have seen it in my work too. When I’m overwhelmed I take a walk, or spend time with family and friends. Anything worthwhile to keep me away from the work. Sometimes my weekly meetings with church are my opportunity to cut loose and relax (And any of my church fam reading this can tell why my dry jokes come easily when I’m with them. It’s me unwinding, really.) And when I do return to the work, my mind is refreshed and rested. The time has afforded me the opportunity to consider and reconsider ideas. Some alternative methods of getting the work done have passed through my mind, or I have sought counsel from another who knows how to do it. Either way, I am coming back to it better because my mind is less burdened.
My mind is refreshed because I rested.
Because, you see, my mind is the field of supply, not the work itself. The work is just a medium to bring out what God has placed in me into a substrate (a job, or assignment, or task) in which it can be fruitful.
This is, in a sense, why academics go on a leave or vacation that is aptly called a ‘Sabbatical’. It is an opportunity outside of the grind of their usual grounds, so they can learn and practise in their field in a different environment. They are still working, but the novelty adds colour to an otherwise drone of monotony.
There are targets to meet and fulfil, but be deliberate about taking time to rest. Not all of us can afford to rest on weekends, but make the time. I know someone who I was told takes his rest on Mondays due to the nature of his work. Some take periods of rest everyday, which I also encourage.
Either way, for the field (your mind) to be refreshed, take time to rest.
The Core of Shabbat
So far I have looked at the essence of rest for you and for your mind for your work. But here is the best part, which gives meaning to the previous two.
You ready?
OK, here we go.
God patterned the Sabbath rest after His Creation Story of Genesis 1 and 2. After working in creating for 6 days He rested on the 7th day. In asking the Israelites to follow this pattern He was inviting them to share in a pattern that had been exclusive to Him alone all this time!
This is why the seventh day was set apart as a holy day. It was God’s Day, the day He set aside for them to come and join Him. So despite the problems they encountered day-in and day-out they celebrated God’s Rest in hopes of a future and completed Rest He would call them into.
Shabbat is God’s invitation to Himself.
Shabbat is an invitation to faith. It beckons us to a way of life where our trust is not in our work or livelihood or our abilities and limitations, but fully in God. That way we would see all these other parts of life as channels through which God, our True Source, can supply every need of our lives.
And, oh, Shabbat is a shadow of a deeper reality that Jesus called us into as He whispered, “It is finished.” Or as the Contemporary English Version put it, “Everything is done.”
Now all who enter in can face life’s battles, and indeed face all of eternity, from the Victory that Christ has already won. Living as something more than conquerors. It’s a life we gain access to by trusting our lives to Him, with the promise of seeing and experiencing greater and greater expressions of His glory in us through us and around us as we go deeper and deeper in Him.
Like in Romans 5:1 and 2 Paul wrote,
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Shabbat has always been about God calling us to His own domain of rest. As if God called us to visit Him for lunch, so we can experience what His kind of life is like.
And in Jesus, He opened the doors wide open so we’d never ever have to leave. In Christ, God is our home.
Hebrews 4 lets us know that there still remains a Rest for the people of God. But didn’t we enter that rest when we came to Christ? Or is that Rest Heaven?
Well, yes and yes. This Rest is an eternity with God, but it’s also the experience of the journey towards that. Truly, eternity with God begins when we accept God’s gift of eternal life in Christ, but the fullness of this will be when we are present with the Lord either in death or at His Return. There is really nothing like it, and it is absolutely something to look forward to.
Until then, it’s a crescendo of a journey as His lifestyle of Rest invades ours.
Even as believers sometimes we have those Martha moments (not the Batman “WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!” kind 😉. But the Luke 10:40 kind). I can personally identify with Martha in that story much of the time. I have those moments where legitimate work and needs cloud me from the value God has for us outside of it in the quiet stillness, opening the door to pressure and eventually missing the point of what God is saying or doing. And that, missing God’s point, is sin and the root of all sin.
Trusting in His ability. Submission to His Lordship. “Not my will but Yours.” This is His Rest. Anything outside of this is disobedience and causes us to miss out on the Life He’s provided for us.
So I’m learning to live from this place and understanding. To live from His rest and, in my work, take time to rest. To work in and from peace, not the pressure of fear or loss.
His Perfect Love casts out all fear. There is no fear or pressure in love.
Living from that assurance that God is for you and that He loves you, that’s rest.
The Sabbath of the Lord is not bound to a day but for all eternity. The 7th day unended.
Jesus beckons us in. He says,
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 NKJV
It’s an invitation for all to enter.
Have you entered?
Thanks for reading!
I’ll continue this subject next week with ‘Breaking the Sabbath’ (and now you’re probably like, “Wait what?!”)
I’ve also got something planned for writers in my own journey that could be of help. Should be this week.
😁 See you then.
Emmanuel Onimisi 