Posts from — March 2011

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” –John 12:46 (NIV)

Several years ago in the region where I live, there was a major blackout. For nearly 24 hours we were without electricity. When the lights in our home were suddenly shut off, I remember stumbling through pitch darkness trying to find anything that would illuminate the rooms of our home. Spending our evening and night by candlelight was a new and interesting experience. However it was clear that we all wanted our electricity back. Imagine our joy then when we came home to find out that the power had been restored! No longer did we have to go about the activities of the evening in darkness, but now we had bright lights to help us see and guide our steps.

Humanity continues to remain in darkness. Why is it that everywhere we turn we are reminded of our wickedness? It is because our eyes and minds have been tainted by our innate sinful nature. Man was meant to live in relationship with God. But because man chose to forsake Him and His knowledge, we have separated ourselves from God. Wanting to fill this void we have created in our hearts as a result of choosing to reject God, we look for that which will satisfy this need we have for Him. Yet in our search, sin has blinded us, and we stumble and fall into its clutches no matter where we look in this world. However, God sees our stumbling and does not wish for us to remain in such a state. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ for us. Through His death His blood has washed us clean of our impurities once and for all, and by His resurrection we have the promise of being restored and renewed. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and redeem us from our sinful nature, He will enter us as a light that dispels the darkness with which sin has blinded us. By His enabling we will be able to see clearly the way in which we should walk in fullness of life; allowing Him to make us lights for others as He shines His righteousness through us.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” –Romans 12:21 (NIV)

Human behaviour is tragically repetitive. It is repetitive because we use the exact same methods time and time again to deal with conflict. It is tragic because we often resort to such violent and vengeful means to somehow ensure in our minds that justice has been served. When someone strikes us, our instinctive response is to strike back and sometimes with even more malice. But if we do this, what is it that separates us from the one that has harmed us? Though we may think that we are justified in our reactions and that this gives us the moral high ground, we are no different from our enemies if we use the same underhanded and destructive methods they use. Instead of overcoming evil it has conquered us and made us its slave.

How then can we escape from this dilemma? As long as our sinful nature continues to hold sway over us, our concept of justice will be skewed and warped, and this will be reflected in our actions and reactions. The solution therefore lies in dealing with our innate depravity. But how can this be done? It is only through Christ, who entered this world so that humanity may be freed from their slavery to sin, that we have the hope of being restored. When we have acknowledged His death and resurrection for us and have allowed His Spirit to enter our hearts, He will give us wisdom and discernment as to how to live as His children. Through His righteousness being worked out through us, He will teach how to walk justly and to love mercy. In this we are able by His enabling to overcome the evils we may face with the light that He shines forth from us; bearing witness to the fact that we are new creations in Christ, holy and blameless before Him and before men.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” –Psalm 34:10 (NIV)

I am unable to count the number of times I have seen nature documentaries featuring lions. But every time I happen to watch such documentaries, I am always amazed by how they portray the lion’s power and might. With the way they hunt and chase down their prey, it is no wonder they are often associated with the label, “king of the jungle”. In fact, it should come as no surprise that with its regal appearance and strength, the lion has been adopted as a symbol for many kings and empires. However, even lions can grow hungry and lose their vigour. A weakened lion may not even pursue a nearby gazelle if he is sapped of his energy and his legs cannot give chase.

Sometimes we may feel as if we are in the same position. Weary of everything around us we sink into fatalistic hopelessness. Though we reminisce of those days where everything seemed to be going our way, we resign ourselves to a false view that we are powerless and have been defeated. But the wonderful truth is that in our weakness, Christ is able to make us strong. When we have allowed His Spirit to enter our hearts and seek after Him, He will renew and restore us. When our situations wear us down, we are able to take hope in the promise that we are able to surrender our burdens to the One who holds the universe in place, and whose grace is more than sufficient for us. By entrusting ourselves into His hands, He will prove Himself to be faithful; giving us His strength so that we may find total fulfilment in His provision. In Christ we have victory, a victory that can never be taken away nor can ever be eclipsed, for nothing will be able to stand against Him.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying “I repent,” you must forgive them.’” –Luke 17:3-4 (NIV)

Forgiveness is not something which comes naturally for us. The resentments and grudges we hold, and our willingness to hold onto new ones, continues to remind us of this fact. When we have been slighted and hurt by someone else, it is easy to allow anger and bitterness to settle in. We might boast about our abilities to forgive, but we will always be reminded that our forgiveness has limits. The moment we declare an action to be unforgivable we have confessed to ourselves that we are unable to show that unconditional love and grace we are so keen to show off. We may be able to forgive the first time, and perhaps even the second. But our patience soon begins to wear thin, and we deem our offenders not worthy of our mercy.

Why choose forgiveness? When we are faced with injustice we want our enemies to feel retribution, not give them clemency. But if we allow our desire for revenge to fester, it will consume us. We will become prisoners of our anger, and we will soon find that in our thoughts, words, and actions, we will have fallen into sin. As children of Christ we forgive because we do not deserve it ourselves. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s holy standards. Yet, in His unfailing love, God sent down His Son, Jesus Christ, so that through Him we may find forgiveness. When we accept this free gift of salvation and allow the Spirit of Christ to cleanse us of our sin, we are able to stand before God not because of anything we have done, but by the grace He has willingly shown us. If He does not withhold forgiveness from us no matter what we do, why should we refrain from doing so as His children? Only through allowing Christ’s Spirit to perfect His love in us will we be able to truly extend the hand of forgiveness; in that finding freedom and life.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” –Luke 6:21 (NIV)

There are times when circumstances seem as if they are nothing short of bleak. We look back on our hopes and dreams and compare them with our present realities. Perhaps we have not made it to the point where we would like to be in our lives. Maybe situations have come along our path, and these have pulled us into the depths of despair and sadness. In times like these it is hard to laugh or to find joy. It may even seem impossible to do so when all around us we see failure and misery. We cry out saying it is all hopeless. Those cherished times of celebration and merriment seem to be distant memories we cannot reclaim, and sorrow appears to be our only friend.

But there is hope! A hope that will never fade, and can never be taken away. It is not within the will of God that our suffering be permanent. Indeed it was never a part of His plan in the first place. This world is a fallen place, caused by man’s deliberate choice to forsake Him. Yet despite this, God has not forsaken us. He is the restorer of all things and desires that we be brought back into relationship with Him. When we have allowed the Spirit of Christ to enter our hearts and have submitted every area of our lives to His redeeming work, we will be able to take assurance in the fact that He cares for all who call upon His name. We will find laughter again and find fulfilment knowing that in Christ we have victory over whatever may come our way. God is able to use our sufferings and sorrows to fulfil His perfect will, and He will do so with gladness when we choose to trust in Him and allow ourselves to be guided by His hands.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” –Proverbs 16:5 (NIV)

Arrogance is one of the most destructive and humiliating attitudes to have. By playing upon the ego of a person, it inflates man’s perceptions about themselves and creates a fantasy of their abilities. Those who have succumbed to arrogance accept this lie and strut with haughty pride. Thinking that they are better than everyone else they lord their self-proclaimed superiority over others and look down upon those they deem inferior with contempt. But when the day comes when someone with humble confidence exposes the arrogant for who they really are, the same men who marched with pride are put to shame. They learn the hard way that there is no room for conceit and that the proud are sure to fall.

Do we have pride within our hearts? Sometimes we may think that we know better than God. Blind to our own folly we say to God that we do not need Him; that we are perfectly capable of living independent of Him and controlling our destinies. But such a pride has its cost. By forsaking the wisdom of God, our minds have become dulled and we are unable to see the folly of our choices. Thinking ourselves to be wise, the punishment we receive for our arrogance is that God allows us to go our way only to realize, after a painful reminder of the consequences of our actions, that we are fools. However, the beauty of this punishment is that there is hope if we choose to grasp it. God will never point and laugh when we have fallen. Rather, He wishes that all men come into relationship with Him so that they may find abundant life and lasting joy. When we allow Christ’s Spirit to enter our hearts and surrender our pride to His infallible wisdom, we will find that being within God’s perfect will is the best place to be.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys.” –Psalm 104:18 (NIV)

Mountains have forever served as natural fortresses for both animals and humans alike. Their tall peaks and rugged landscapes have created sanctuaries and strong defenses for those who look to them for shelter. Wild goats and coneys are safe from predators when they seek refuge in the hills. The advance of armies can be stopped and repelled by those resisting from the safety of mountain heights. Even with technological advancements in flight and travel, traversing a mountain range is a difficult task. To do so is a costly endeavor in more ways than one and that is why mountains are always looked upon as being a place where one is assured protection and security. They are near impregnable barriers which no one will be able to overcome easily.

Where do we run to when disaster strikes and when trial come along our way? Frightened and looking for sanctuary, we search everywhere for that place where we can find rest. But often times we turn to the wrong things in our pursuit. Convinced that these can be our fortresses in times of trouble, they soon prove to be easy to crumble and fall. This leaves in disillusionment, and in our despair we cry out asking if there is any place where we can run to in our distress. But there is! God is all-powerful and eternal. Nothing will be able to shake Him or stop Him from carrying out His perfect will. When we have our relationship with Him restored by allowing Christ’s Spirit to enter our hearts, we will be able to take refuge in Him knowing that in Him we have victory. Living under His providence and faithfulness we will know that even in the most desperate and darkest of moments, Christ always has the final word. He will preserve and protect us while using our sufferings to restore us and fulfill His great purposes for our lives. Will we trust Him with our lives today?

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.