STOP THE WHINING

For months, we have been reading posts on the elections, listening to the whining of people from each side, and seeing people be on each other’s throats. Well, now the elections are finally over, but WHEN DOES THE WHINING STOP?

If people spend half of the time that they use to whine to do good things, the world would not be in the place it is today! There is so much wisdom that can be gained from God’s word. There is so much understanding that can be attained.  Proverbs 6:6-11 says,

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man”. 

What is it within us that puts complaining, arguing, and slandering before all the blessings that are out there?

I will tell you what it is. It is our inability to trust in God. It is our incapability to surrender to His will. It is the power of sin working within us. Followers of Christ are meant to imitate Him and to be representations of His Character. Unfortunately, often many of us, (sometimes without knowing) chose the way of Satan. Did you know the word Devil literally means “slanderer”?

Well, now that the elections are over and you have done everything to see your party win (assuming that is true), and now that you know slandering is Satan’s character, instead of slandering and whining, what if you focus on learning from God’s wisdom and trust Him to fulfill His promise for your life? You see, we can have His power within us to bring transformation to the brokenness of this world. So, let’s use it. Let’s make a difference. You might be upset, you might be confused, but DO NOT FORGET THAT YOU HAVE MORE BLESSINGS AROUND YOU THAN CURSES.

Rundown and Beat

I remember some years back, when I lived in Istanbul, there were so many old buildings around and they were considered historical buildings. The owners of these buildings were given two choices, they would have to either sell their properties (which no body would really want to buy them), or to renovate them. The owners did not like to renovate them because as historical buildings they would have to go through certain codes and regulations that cost lots of money and time and on top of that, the cost of renovating and ancient building was almost as high as building a brand new one. Along with that, these historical buildings were not beneficial to the owners because even if they renovated them, there would only be three or four apartments in them. In a city of over seventeen million population, three or four families worth of rent does not bring a lot of money for the owners. For the same money, they could tear the whole thing down and build a ten or twenty story building and make a lot more money, but the government would not allow them to do that. So to deal with the government, the owners, would abandon their properties, pay taxes for them and not do anything else to them, hoping that over the course of time due to the lack of up keep these buildings would collapse on their own. Some did. I remember one of these buildings that was right next to our building were we lived collapsed one day and scared the life out of us all. Thankfully no one got hurt. Yet, many of these buildings have lasted decades and will continue to stand for many more years.  

If the buildings collapse, then the owners could try to get permission to build something new in place of the old building. Their trick involves taking the risk of waiting for so long to see what happens. It involves carelessness and even messing with the lives of other people.  

As I think about this story, I wonder how often we treat our own spirituality the same way. Instead of thinking of ways of which to take care of our souls, we wait and wait, hoping that one day we can renew our inner self all together. We leave our lives to chance thinking that the cost of fixing our lives at this moment is too high and we do not consider the fact that the more we wait the more we will lose. Yet God calls us to be new creations in Him today. He asks us to come to Him as we are with the promise that He will transform us and build us up. His promise goes beyond renovation and up keep of our spirituality. It is a promise of grace that takes away all the filth and old mess. Imagine yourself as an old run down building that is about to collapse, but God’s grace gives you the promise of renewing you daily and fixing you up. Don’t get me wrong, there are still risks in following God too, but they are not risks of carelessness and selfishness. They are risks that help build you up into a mighty creation. They are risks that help you lift others who are about to collapse.

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5: 17).

Did You Say "Survival of the Fittest"?

About two weeks ago, I went to the store with my daughters and bought six baby chicks. When we got home, five of them seemed to be doing just fine, but one of them looked as though she was struggling. The other five would trample on her and she seemed like she just didn’t care. When I told my oldest that she might not make it, she started crying. You see? She had already named her “Cotton ball”.

You may have heard many times that in nature, only the fittest survive. You might have also heard that only the strongest make it and those who are weak will end up perishing. Some even say that the weak deserve to die. Is that really the case? I mean, by observation it seems like within the animal kingdom the weakest animals end up dying in their primal stage. Often humanity lives in the same manner, thinking that life belongs to the strongest and those who can take the things they want should go ahead and do so and crush the weak. I have always had an issue with the “survival of the fittest”. Well, within the animal world it might make sense, but we are not animals. Despite science’s elaborate efforts in making us think that we are animals that have evolved through the years, I believe that we are God’s unique creation. We are humans, created in God’s own image. Not a work of chance thorough years of evolution, rather hand crafted to perfection by the creator. As it comes to survival, I also believe that even the weakest can make it if they are shown tender love and are cared for.

I did not want the baby chick to die, I also did not want my daughter to be upset. So, I cared for the chick. I gave her water. At first she had no idea where the water was. I forced her to drink by dipping her beak into the water. I did the same with food. I placed her in places where she would not get stepped on. Soon, she started going back and forth to the water. Then she started eating. Within three to four days, she was following the rest of the chicks. All this to say that this morning, I was trying to take a picture of her, and I couldn’t even catch her. With some care and love even the weak can find strength. What the world may see as worthless and deserving of death, may indeed live and make this world a better place.

To compare my story of the chick (Cotton Ball) with humanity, the example that Christ set for us is not on the basis of the fittest. Rather, Jesus encouraged His followers to tend to the needs of the poor and needy. He calls us to help those who cannot make it on their own and stand by them. It is through this kind of behavior that we can achieve wonders. Needless to say, that Christ came to bring significance to those whom the world sees as worthless. 

Matthew 25:31-40

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Get Rid of Aphids

I have two apple trees in my yard. When the time is right, they have beautiful blossoms and get filled with flowers all over them. The flowers are beautiful white with shades of red and pink and the trees are just a beautiful sight to the eyes, needless to say that most of the flowers turn into delicious apples. Well, just a few days ago, I was looking at the flowers and noticed that some of them are drying and look disorientated. As I examined them, I found out that the trees were infested by black aphids. The aphids stop or slow the process of pollination and they also stop the trees from accomplishing their purpose which is to bear fruit. After spraying them with some neem oil, I started wondering about our lives. How often do we try to be good trees and to accomplish our purpose, but then the things of this world come can crush us? How often do we have good intentions, but the matters of life bring us down? Each aphid on the tree represents an element of the worlds destructive desires, sinfulness, and selfishness. The only way to a prosperous spiritual life is by destroying the spiritual aphids. Alone we cannot, but God is a great gardener. As we remain in Him, He does not only get read of the things that are destroying us, but He also prunes us, nourishes us, and helps us to bear good fruit. Let what the Psalmist says in Psalm 51 be your prayer: 

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    so that sinners will turn back to you.

White as Snow

Every aspect of God’s creation declares His glory and his mighty works of art. Every unique, individual snow flake that falls and attaches itself to another flake, works collectively with the other flakes to cover the surface of the earth and they collectively are called snow that create a beautiful white and clean cover which is absolutely beautiful to the eye.

The interesting thing is that every snow flake at the same time can represent a person who follows Christ. As we are released into the earth and we as Christians and true follower of Christ join hand in hand, to declare the truth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ which brings salvation and eternal life to the earth, we can cover the surface of everything and everyone we touch and make them white as snow. Christ’s sacrifice, His love for us, and our faith in Him makes us white as snow, but at the same time enables us to bring the same beauty to others.

Psalm 19:1-4

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

    night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;

    no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

    their words to the ends of the world.”

Can you be the Answer?

Today, at a quick store, I was reminded by a lady of how much the world looks at us as Christians and hopes that we have the answer to the brokenness of this world, yet so very often we disappointe the people around us by living as hypocrites and using God as the means of justification for our own mistakes. She told me of how the Christians in her life have only deceived her, lied to her, committed adultery, cheated, etc. yet they have rarely failed in bringing judgment to others and her who could really use God in their lives.

All I could say was, I am sorry an I gave her a hug. For I know that I have been that person myself many times. I also told her that we as Christians, should imitate Christ, but we usually fail. Our goal however, should always be to truly represent Him.

I pray to God to help me and you to not be hypocrites, but rather genuine followers of Christ who show this world the true character of Jesus.

Impostors of Faith

Lately the internet has been bombarded by words of hatred.  Whites hate blacks, blacks hate whites. People hate cops, they hate homosexuals, they hate Muslims, and the list goes on. The thing that is the most saddening and hurt piercing to me, is the fact that many who emphasize their words of hatred are amongst those who claim to be Christians. Although as Christians we are supposed to hate sin, yet we are called to love the sinners and bring the hope of eternal life that only comes through Christ, to all.

Well, I am here to tell you that if you have Christ in your life, you would not spew words of hatred, nor act hatefully towards others, for Christ died for the sinners and the lost sheep. If you claim to be a Christian and hate others, you dishonor the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7) If you have Jesus in your life, you do what it takes to share the Gospel of salvation with those whom you are against. In John 3:16-17 the Scripture doesn't says that Christ loved a group of people and only died for that particular group. It says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

If you claim to be a follower of Christ, yet you don't have the same love for others as Christ did for you, then you are merely an impostor. My fellow brothers and sisters, follow God with eternity in mind, not only for you, but even for those whom you dislike and disagree with. Mark 2:16-17 says, “When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” If you act so self-righteous, then you don't need the healer (Jesus) and you have already condemned yourself. Along with that, Jesus is most likely to hang out with those you consider sinners and the worst of worsts than spending time with you who claims to be self-righteous.

Pray to God to remove the veil from your eyes and allow you to see with His eyes and to love with His heart. Pray for your heart to transform and be renewed by the love of Christ. Pray for those whom you hate. Don’t let your hatred drag you into eternal punishment.  

Find Your Strengths

Recently I was reminded of a concept which provoked my thoughts quite a bit. As I was reading through a book called "Strengths Finder" Written by Tom Rath, I came across a quote that hit me hard.

“When we’re able to put most of our energy into developing our natural talents, extraordinary room for growth exists................ Across the board, having the opportunity to develop our strengths is more important to our success than our role, our title, or even our pay. In this increasingly talent-driven society, we need to know and develop our strengths to figure out where we fit in.” (Rath, Pg. 8-9) 

Why is this such an important concept to think about? Well, let me put it this way. We live in a society were at work, at school, and even at home we focus more on people's weaknesses rather than helping them develop their strengths. For example, at home, those of us who are parents, work hard with our kids to help them achieve things that they are terrible at, yet we never put any effort into their natural talents or abilities. At work, your boss might call you in his or her office to remind you of how terrible you did in something, yet he or she rarely focuses on the areas of which your are really good at and assign you tasks based on your strengths. 

When it comes to our personal selves, we spend an enormous amount of time to be things that we are not meant to be, whereas our focus should be on what God made us to be and what gifts He blessed us with. for instance, If you are not good with history, and studying history gives you a headache, you can put so much effort and time into developing yourself to be better with at remembering all the historical events and dates, yet it is not likely that you will become a historian. On the contrary, if your gift is in teaching and you actually focus on that gift and spend your time and effort into developing yourself, you will soon realize that you are not only growing, but you are also enjoying what you are doing.  

God's words says in Romans 12:3-8, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."

So, the button line is, if we are each parts of the body and you are a "hand", don't try to be a "foot". It is just not going to workout well for you or anybody. Be what your are meant to be and if you don't know what that is, then try to find out your strengths by seeking help and guidance.

Work cited

Rath, Tom. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths. 1st ed. New York: Gallup Press, 2007. Kindle Edition & Web

Freedom Defined

Freedom Defined

Do you ever wonder about what freedom really is or means? Many think that freedom is the ability to say or do what you want, in fact the dictionary defines freedom as, “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint”. But is freedom really that simple? If this is really the definition of freedom, then in my opinion no one is really free!!!! I look around and I observe people who claim to be free, yet it seems to me that they are more in bondage than those who don’t live in a “free country”.

I believe that there are two kinds of freedom! A false kind which the culture and the world teaches us, and a true freedom that only comes from God.

So what is true freedom you ask?

• Freedom is respecting the price that was paid (in my case remembering the sacrifice of Christ on the cross)
• Freedom is the recognition of your weaknesses and taking actions before you are enslaved by them
• Freedom is not the ability to say what you want, but the ability to build people up whit what you say
• Freedom is not the capability of doing what you wish, but it is the ability to make a difference and leave a legacy behind
• Freedom is knowing that hatred for others is a bondage on its own
• Freedom is the acceptance of differences, while not participating in evil
• And most importantly, freedom is the realization of boundaries

In my opinion, there is also another idea which I personally call the Absolute Freedom. Though many of us think we are free to say and do what we want, or practice any religion, yet no one on earth has absolute freedom. What I mean is this, even those who think they live in a free country are still under the authority of the laws of that country. Break the law and you will have to face the consequences. So if freedom is defined to be as “acting as you wants”, does it mean that you can drive 25 miles over the speed limit without being pooled over by a cop and having to get a ticket or going to jail? So, you are only free if you are within the premiers of the law and therefore that means you do not really have what I call the absolute freedom.

Now, the Bible says in John 8:36 “So if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed.” In my understanding of God’s love, true and absolute freedom comes from faith in Jesus Christ and nowhere else. Don’t get me wrong, as long as you are alive on this earth you will never experience absolute freedom, but if you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you follow His ways, then you will not only get a glimpse of peace and true freedom, but you also have secured your eternal destiny in a place where absolute freedom is the only freedom mankind will ever know.  

Hear Me, Lord!

I don't know about you, but at times I find myself confused and lost in my own thoughts. I feel as though I am forsaken. I cry out to God, "hear me, o Lord!”, “Please hear me”. There seems be no voice of response, other than the deafening noises of anguish echoing in the depths of my heart and my mind. There seems to be no comfort other than knowing that I am not the only one who has felt this way. I find my comfort in Psalm 69 as the author pours out his heart to God.

Psalm 69:16-18

Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.

Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.

“God will you deliver me?”, “Are you even hearing me?”, “I need you!!!” The loud noises in my heart become even louder. I have to stop myself. I have to quiet the noises. I have to find peace. But, how? Then I think about Jesus. I think about the CROSS. I think about why He died. Suddenly the noises are quiet. I can hear! It is His voice. The same gentle voice of the savior that called His disciples one by one by saying, “Follow Me”. There He is, telling me to follow Him, but here I am sitting and wondering why He has forsaken me.

Deliverance sounds simple and easy, but it is not! He had to die for me! He had to be tortured and crucified. “Follow me”, He says. But, where? How? “………. Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

Now, I understand it again. How could I ever forget? I am reminded again just like the psalmist. 

Psalm 69:29

But as for me, afflicted and in pain may your salvation, God, protect me.

Psalm 121:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

I am not alone nor forsaken. I never was. I was just looking down, not up to Him! I praise Him, for being my deliverance indeed. What would I do without the hope of salvation?