God is Holy

In the past few weeks I have been studying about God’s holiness. I used to think that I know what holy means, but as I keep digging deeper, I realize that I don’t know much about what holy really means and furthermore, how holy God is.

One of the meanings of holy is “to be separated from evil”. We know there is no evil in God, but God also calls us to be holy just like him.

You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.. “Leviticus 20:26”

I find it hard to be holy because I know there is evil in me, but at the same time I know that God’s sacrifice on the cross has freed me and has given me an opportunity to walk towards the path of holiness. I know I can be with Him for eternity and enjoy His holy presence. I love the fact that I worship a God who is against everything evil or in a other words against everything that can hurt me.

What is your true face?

One of my favorite Farsi songs translates as follows: 

“The stranger who has become a pain in your life is you, yourself! Sometimes the mirror lies, the face you see is not your true face.”

Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and wonder if the face you see is your true face? Are you really the person, you pretend to be, or are you someone else? Do you ever wonder maybe the reason you are in trouble, is because of you, yourself? Do you ever wonder if you are judging other based on your own actions and in reality you are the one who needs to be judged? 

Luke 6:42

 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

What if you try something new? What if you looked at yourself in the mirror every morning and said to yourself: “I am not going to wear a random mask to cover my true self today, but instead, I want Jesus to be seen in me, I want to wear His loving face”?

I promise you that your life would be transformed.

Hungry

This week is the first week of Ramadan in Muslim countries. Ramadan is a month that Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and do not eat or drink anything. My wife and I experienced the darkest spiritual attacks in this month when we lived in Turkey. As Christians one of the best things we can do is to pray over all the Muslim countries (Specially this month) and be thankful to God for the salvation that we have because of His son Jesus.

Pray for Muslim countries. God will hear your prayers.

 

Jeremiah 17: 7-8

“… blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
   whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
   that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
   its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
   and never fails to bear fruit.”

Thorn or Flower

One the famous Persian expressions says: “From love thorns will turn into flowers.”

Translation: when you show love to those who hate and dislike you, the ugliness in you and that other person will eventually turn into something beautiful like a flower. No more  of the harmful sharp thorn, but a beautiful, good smelling flower.

It is hard to love those who hate you, but it helps us grow as individuals when we show love.

Matthew 5:44
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Matthew 5:46
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

It’s our choice to be thorns that heart others, or flowers that please others.

Burglary

This morning at around 2:00 AM I received a phone call from ADT Security regarding a burglary alarm at church. Thankfully no damage was done, and nothing was stolen. After talking to the cops and driving home at around 3:00 AM, I started thinking of the Words of Jesus in Luke 12:39-40:

“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

These are powerful words which make me wonder if I am ready for the Lord to come or not.

Busted

         For more than four years,  in a Farsi (Persian) blog I have been posting Christian materials, such as Bible studies, a downloadable Bible in Farsi, etc. The site that maintains blogging is based in Iran, and it is one out of the few, that allows blogging in Farsi transcript. Unfortunately, yesterday I noticed that they have shut down my blog. On top of shutting down the blog and deleting all the content, they have put a note on the link that translates,  “This blog has been shut down due to criminal activity and not following the Islamic Republic of Iran's laws”.

        The good news is that no one can stop God’s word from reaching into Iran, or any other country.

Philippians 2:10-11 

….at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
  and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.

Joy, Joy, Joy

Even in our human natures, it is apparent that the joy we carry with us, can bring joy to others around us. A proof of that is the laughter of our children. Their joy gives us joy.

Below is a video of my daughter! Every time I look at it, I get filled with joy.

John 15:11
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Disliked or Hated

Have you ever felt like you are disliked or hated by someone? You try so hard for that person to like you. You go to that person with the anticipation of being liked, but it never works. You try to talk to him/her, but you receive negative comments. Your presence is like a discomfort for him/her which makes you uncomfortable with yourself.

What should you do in those times? It seems like you try, but the results are always the same. You want to give up, but in your heart you really want him/her to at least try liking you!

Well, don’t ever give up? God never gave up on you when you disliked Him. He tried hard to draw your attention to Himself, but you rejected him. Eventually though, you accepted His love. God’s love is the perfect example you need to show and follow.

The world will always hate you for following God, but deep in your heart you know that you are doing the right thing. Be strong and don’t give up trying. Don’t be afraid for being hated, but in return show love.

 

Mark 13:13

Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

True Freedom

Lately I have been thinking about freedom and what it really means. What is true freedom? Is it being able to do whatever you want? Is political and physical freedom enough to truly set one free?

The truth is that even though we might have physical and political freedom, we still put ourselves in bondage. We are never entirely free, unless we find a way to set our spirits free.  We often chose to put our spirits in captivity for the pleasures of this life. There is indeed nothing that will keep us truly free from ourselves and other harmful things except one thing.

Knowing the SPIRITUALTRUTH is the only thing that can set us free.

John 8:32
………“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The only thing that can set you free is acknowledging the truth of Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can set your spirit free and show you the real and true freedom. Without Him, you will never taste true freedom.

John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

We need freedom….

Psalm 142:7
Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name……

Are You Ready?

 

Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. (Revelation 6:4)

There are so many signs that indicate Jesus’ second coming is near. Even though I would like to know exactly when that day would be, it is impossible to know because that is how God has planned it.

 

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24: 42-44)

The best thing we can do is to be ready! We might not know the exact date, but we know that day is near. We need to start storing our treasures in heaven, rather than on the earth.

 

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:32-34)

This world does not give us any peace; there is always something disturbing or a problem to deal with. That is why we trust in Jesus to give us his peace and prepare us for his second coming.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:330)

Elam

If you have watched the news lately, you have realized that a lot is going on in the Middle East. On February 25th Iran was one of the hot spots. People protested for their long desired freedom.

Last night as I was reading my bible, I came across a passage that amazed me. I had read the passage many times before, but never realized how the prophecies of the Bible come together.

A Message About Elam (Jeremiah 49: 34-39)

³⁴ This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah: ³⁵ This is what the LORD Almighty says: “See, I will break the bow of Elam,
   the mainstay of their might. ³⁶ I will bring against Elam the four winds
   from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter them to the four winds,
   and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go. ³⁷ I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them; I will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger,” declares the LORD. “I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. ³⁸ I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,” declares the LORD. ³⁹ “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the LORD.

 

Map of Elam (Old Testament time)

 

Map of Elam (Present Time)

 

It is really true that God keeps his promises and that is why I am waiting for verse 39 to happen (“Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the LORD.) God is faithful, he sees all things including the terrible things that are going on in some Middle Eastern countries such as Iran. Yet He never gives up and he will fulfill his plan.

Tiredness

Here is another old Persian Expression.

“It’s Ok to see yourself tired, but always know your friend is more tired than you are.”

Lately I have been really tired. There is a lot going on and a lot to think about. When I get tired I neglect to spend time with God in prayer. I tend to carry the burden myself and the more I try the worse things get.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The truth is that every time we are tired, and in our tiredness we seek God, He gives us strength and power. I know that the best thing for me to do is to spend some time with God and ask him to strengthen me to help others when they are even more tired than I am.

Fruits of Our Trees

I love expressions and especially old ones! I was going through some old Persian expressions when I came across two which I really liked! Both of the expressions talk about trees which represent a person’s life!

The translation of the first one is:

The tree of laziness only bears hunger!

And the second one:

The more fruit a tree bears, the more humble it will become!

The first one doesn’t really need any explanation. The second one however, is a bit more complicated! The word for “humble” and “lowered” in Farsi (Persian) are the same. So think about it, the more fruit a tree has the heavier it gets and its branches start getting lower and lower till they hit the ground or at least get close to the ground. This expression is often used to signify that a wise person considers himself lower than others and respects others. The fool however, will not bear any fruit, and will never learn to be humble unless he decides to bear fruit! That is why it is said: “The more fruit a tree bears, the more humble it will become!”

Matthew 7:17-19
Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

John 15:4
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Sheep

I saw a picture today which made me realize people all over the world need hope, encouragement, and most importantly something to look forward to! This desire usually leads them to seek God, but unfortunately many are mislead and go the wrong direction. Instead of getting close to God, they go further and further away. We are all just like sheep, without a shepherd we will be lost and perish.

It is really a good to know that there is a good shepherd that we can follow:

 

In John 10:14-16 Jesus says:
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”