GOD IS A UNITY

We think of God as a God of Love, Grace, Wisdom, Infinite Power, Mercy, Justice, Righteousness, Holiness, etc. These attributes which He has revealed in His Word are not to be thought of as separate and independent of one another. These are better understood when viewed as acting in unity just like the members of the Godhead.

This is what I mean. When He exercises any of His attributes, it is always consistent with the rest. Take His infinite power for example. Just because this attribute enables God to do whatever He wishes to do does not mean that He exercises it capriciously. He uses His might in love within the perimeter (or is it parameter?) of wisdom, grace, justice, and righteousness.

Every act of God is an act of love, always. Each move He makes is wise, just, holy, and righteous, always. There is never a conflict among His attributes. This is because God never changes and cannot deny Himself.
God is also a God of mercy. To many, mercy is in tension with justice. Why? Because mercy is getting what we don’t deserve, while justice is getting what we deserve. There is a perceived “pull” from opposite directions, but is there really. Ah, not when you bring in love as the arbiter between the two. Love negotiates for a higher end – mercy when it can be dispensed wisely; justice when it becomes a necessity.

I therefore see a beautiful interactivity of these divine qualities. It builds confidence in Him as we see the wonderful imagery painted for us by the intertwining of His attributes.

Let us bear this in mind when we study the Scriptures. Oh, may we know God for Who He is!

Gem from my Inbox - Part 10

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go higher than you think."
----Benjamin Disraeli----

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he (NKJV)

How To Know What Is True or False

Basic Criteria to use in determining what to believe as true or false:

1. Who said it?
Identifying the source of information is very critical. Is he/she an expert on the subject? Is he/she known to be a person of integrity? Has the person proven to be trustworthy? Our focus here is on the character and qualification of the source.

It is true that even an expert can misrepresent the information intentionally or not. Furthermore, he may not be in a position to render judgment because his expertise does not include what is purported to be. We know so well that disagreements exist even among experts themselves.

When judging the sources based on integrity, we should look at their track record and discern their motives. It is a known fact that so called authoritative advocates sometimes manipulate data to achieve their selfish interest. We need to be aware and vigilant so that we are not duped into believing it is true when in reality, the endorsement is only self-serving.

2. Is the information verifiable?
There should be a way to objectively confirm the veracity of information being propounded. If it cannot be independently verified, then we should not commit ourselves to any conclusion whether or not it is true. We should be leery of it.

When the Apostle Paul preached to the Berean believers, they searched the Scriptures to see if what was being said was true even though “they received the message with great eagerness”.

Often times we readily accept without further analysis what we hear, read or listen to because, after all, it comes from someone we respect, trust, and acknowledge as authority. We fail to “test everything and hold on to the good”(1 Thess. 5:21).

Happy Father’s Day, Abba Father God!

Father’s Day! Whoever came up with the idea is to be commended for indeed fathers are to be honoured, not just today but throughout the year. God ordained them to become channels of life for us. We would not be alive without them and that is why in recognition of this fact, respect for parents spans all cultures. Showing disrespect is taboo and utterly disdained.

Personally, I had not appreciated my father to the extent that I should have had until I became a father myself. If he was alive today, I would not hesitate to express my deepest gratitude to him for being my father. Oh yes, he was far from perfect (no father is) but looking back, I am fully convinced that he did what he believed was best for his family. He worked really hard to provide for them and meet their needs. He tried his very best to communicate his love and care for us however verbally scant it had been, for he was a man of few words but lavish in action.

I hope that you had a chance to convey your appreciation to your father today. Let me encourage you to do it regularly and as often as you are able.

Today in church, the guest speaker expounded on the familiar story of The Prodigal Son. Unlike messages I heard in the past based on this parable of Jesus, the speaker focused more on the father – how he handled the request (or was it a demand?) of the son to get his portion of inheritance; how he perhaps periodically looked out the window hoping to see him coming back; how he ran to meet him when he eventually showed up; how he embraced him and kissed him profusely not minding the stench and his dishevelled appearance; and, how he celebrated with friends the return of his prodigal son. In all these, the father broke a number of what were considered “politically correct” in the culture of the day, but notwithstanding, he unreservedly showed his love.

This is a wonderful picture of the Father heart of God . We are all undeserving of salvation but because of His grace, He welcomes us back to His kingdom with open arms. He is our Father and He deserves all the accolades that we can offer Him today, and always.

Happy Father’s Day, Abba Father God!

OMG! Did I hear it right?

I usually listen to Christian broadcasts while driving to work. It is part of my daily routine to connect with God. Today is no different. What made it unusual is what I heard from a bible teacher which sent shockwaves through my spine. Literally! Here’s what he said: Your sin is God’s gift to you when you know it.

What?? Did I hear this gentleman right? I wanted to make sure that I did, so much so, that I visited his website and listened to his message again. I heard him correctly alright. Now, what was he saying? Was he trying to diminish the awfulness of sin? I’m sorry but I just can’t figure out how sin is God’s gift to me.

How can it be God’s gift when the Bible plainly and clearly states that “the wages of sin is death?” Just think of what it cost God to provide salvation for us because our sins had separated us from Him – death on the cross of his one and only Son. The truth of the matter is that sin breaks the heart of God. His gift to us is eternal life, not sin. I wanted to yell this to the gentleman if only he could hear me. There is no benefit at all, not even an iota to be derived from sin. Let us bear in mind that God’s will for us is to be holy as He is holy.

An Accolade

One of few rare breed of employees for whom I would not hesitate to give an unqualified endorsement or recommendation.

That’s an excerpt from an extemporaneous speech I made today in recognition of an employee in my department who will be leaving the company to become a full-time mom to her two lovely girls. Having worked with her for the last fifteen years, she will indeed be missed as she leaves a void that’s tough to fill.

Perhaps more that she realizes, I have learned a lot from her over the years. Her work ethic is beyond compare, her efficiency is consistent, and her meticulousness is unmatchable. To me, she is more than the ideal employee. Any firm would be fortunate to have her as part of its workforce.

So long Shamela.

When Culture and Conviction Collide

This has been on and off my radar screen for quite sometime now and it’s getting more intense as the days go by. Perhaps discussion on this should really be in the “Stand Out or Blend In” topic posted earlier but I figure it deserves a space of its own.

Culture in this discussion refers to the secular as opposed to Christian. I will refer to Christian culture as Conviction so that the separation is clear.

2 Corinthians 5:15-17 states, “and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

As new creatures in Christ, we adopt a value and belief system that’s not patterned after the world. We should view things through the filters of God’s Word. Our lives are not to be dictated and shaped by the standards of the world system and its culture, but by the teachings of our Lord and the Holy Scriptures. After all, we are now citizens of heaven, aren’t we? Our allegiance is first and foremost to the King and our commitment is to kingdom living.

What do we do when secular culture and Christian conviction collide? We can either compromise or count the cost if veering collision is not an option, but compromise is cowardice and opting for it puts a big question mark on our commitment to Christ. That leaves counting the cost as the viable choice, and to most, that’s easier said than done. Counting the cost of what? The cost of firmly making a stand for your conviction which is Christ-honoring; hoisting high the banner of truth amid threats, intimidation and even persecution; and, choosing to be principled rather than popular.

Worship-Driven or Workman-Driven

I negotiated through unbearable rush hour traffic lately to hear Ravi Zacharias speak. Ravi is one of those speakers I will not miss to listen to if ever possible. The first time I heard him speak was during my early years as a Christian. His message had such an impact in my life that 31 years later, it is still very vivid in my mind. In his message, he presented Jesus as the “Pearl of Great Price” contrasting it with man’s selfishness and his propensity to “watch out for number one”.

Ravi has over the years gained a lot of following and popularity. It is evident that God is using him to spread the Gospel and to contribute to the building up of Christ’s body. He continues to be an inspiration to me. If you know Ravi, please include him in your prayers. If he happens to be in your area, don’t miss the opportunity to hear him speak.

What has Ravi got to do with my main subject? To underscore the point that a “workman” as well-known as Ravi does influence us. How many times do we say, “Let’s go see So and So” or, “Let’s hear this or that” just because they’re popular and considered celebrities? We even would not mind waiting and standing in line for hours just so we can catch a glimpse of these people. Televangelists, TV and Radio teachers, the latest and hottest Christian singers, have to issue tickets (free or not) ahead of time prior to their appearance to manage the crowd. There is nothing wrong with the fact that what drives or prods us to attend a Christian gathering is the presence of personalities. Many of these individuals are indeed being used by God for His glory.

Let’s take a case that is closer to home. What motivates us to go to church – worship or workman (pastor)? Why is this question important? When we attend church because of the pastor, we may be disappointed when he does not meet our expectations. This can lead to criticism and unfair comparison. “He is not as good as ….”, “He is not as funny as….” If he meets our expectations, then we become ecstatic and start developing our loyalty around a personality instead of Jesus and His Body. This approach to church attendance is divisive instead of cohesive and contributes to spiritual weakness that is so prevalent in church circles today. Tell me of any divided fellowship and I will tell you of a group whose main focus is anything other than the Lord.

In contrast, worship-driven church attendance is Christ-exalting as it should be. “We are gathering together unto Him” as a song goes. He is the focus, the reason. When our motive is to worship, we offer praise and honor to the One who’s deserving – Lord Jesus.
We are disinclined to look around to find fault; we look up, to lift Him up and to behold His beauty. Let us echo what the psalmist said. “I was glad when they said unto me – Let us go to the house of the Lord”.

Let every act, be an act of worship. Essentially, that’s what Paul is exhorting us about in Romans 12. The next time we attend church or any Christian gathering, let us go to worship Christ and focus all our energy for His glory.

IMPOSSIBLE IMPASSIBLE GOD

The first time I heard and read about “Impassibility” as supposedly God’s attribute, it boggled my mind that someone would even come up with such an idea. The Westminster Confession of Faith states that God is “without body, parts, or passions, immutable.”

God does not have passion or emotion? The Bible is replete with passages that describe God showing passion or emotion. They’re aplenty that you will not miss running into them even by reading the Good Book cursorily.

One reason given for thinking that God is impassible is the thought that He is immutable, meaning He cannot change. If He feels emotions, then He changes. If He changes, then He is neither immutable nor impassible. If He is neither, he is not perfect.

It is amazing to me that men erect a Box and try to fit God into it forcibly. This Box is made up of what they conjure up God to be and make those their unbending parameters in telling us what God must be like. Scriptural passages are then explained away to fit their definition.

Do you see the flaw here? Man comes up with what he thinks God should be, then, interpret the Scriptures based on it, instead of the other way around. The Scriptures should shape our concept of God. It is through the Holy Book that He had chosen to reveal Himself to man. Any view not consistent with what the Holy Writ reveals should be cast aside.

So what do the Scriptures say? (As a side note, this question should be asked every time a view is presented to us. Somewhere here, I talk about the Berean Christian mindset.) Accounts of God grieving, relenting/repenting, rejoicing, getting angry, sorrowing, loving, etc. abound.

“Ahh! You are referring to anthropomorphisms,” they’ll quickly say. “You don’t believe that God has arms, wings, and feathers, do you,” their rejoinder further continues.
I admit there are figures of speech in the Bible, but they are there to convey truths about God such as:

Strong arm of the Lord = God is mighty and able to bring about deliverance
Under His wings = God’s protection and provision of security and comfort
God is Rock = He provides security and stability

Now tell me. If grieving, rejoicing, relenting, sorrowing, and loving (these are better referred to as anthropopathism) are not what they are literally, what are we to understand of these ascriptions to God?

If we remove God’s ability to express attributes of personality we run into greater problems. We ended up with an impersonal God unable to relate to us and a static being unable to interact with us, why? because expressions of personality and interactivity are violations of Impassibility and Immutability the way these attributes are presented to us by their proponents.

Do I believe in Immutability? If you mean that God never changes in terms of His love, wisdom, justice, and mercy, and how these attributes intertwine in their operations to achieve God’s noblest goals, I say YES. But to say that God is devoid of passion, and He is beyond the reach of our sufferings and hardships, NO. I reject such notions about God for it appears that the God of the Bible reveals Himself differently.

Let me introduce You to Yourself

"Hi I'm......,"

Would you be pleased to meet "Yourself" face to face?

Among other points that stood out to me personally during the overnight men’s breakaway sponsored by our church recently, was knowing the real “You”. Is the visible “You” the real you? Who are you really?

You have erected a façade to give others a good impression of you; become adept at acceptable public behaviour; earned for yourself a reputation based on your interaction with others and their perception of who you are, but is that the real “You?”

Think of yourself in situations and places where you were alone and nobody knew you. Honestly now, what were you like? Did you think and/or engage in activities which you would never do if others are around? THAT WAS THE REAL YOU.

Integrity is living in line with the Scriptures in uncompromising way. It is being upright in our conduct even when no one is around to notice it because we know it pleases the Lord. It is being on guard of our thought-life to make sure that we resist any notion or idea inconsistent with Philippians 4:8(NLT) Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Someone wisely said that adversity does not build character, it reveals it. Your responses to, and ways of dealing with whatever comes your way –good or bad – are indicative of the REAL YOU.

Gem from my Inbox - Part 9

"Wisdom is knowing what to do next; Virtue is doing it."
-David Starr Jordan-



"He who has not forgiven an enemy has not yet tasted one of the most sublime enjoyments of life."
-- Johann K. Lavater

A Concept Collapses - 2nd Installment

Concept: Eternal Life cannot be lost once possessed because if it can, it is not eternal.

The quality of life as eternal does not depend upon its possession. It remains as such whether or not one accepts it. Does a diamond jewelry lose its characteristics just because you happen to misplace it? Absolutely not! It still retains its attributes - cut, color, clarity, and carat. Similarly, eternal life remains eternal regardless of whether or not it is possessed. In fact, it was eternal even before it was given to us. “But isn’t this reasoning at odds with Romans 8: 38, 39 and John 10:28?” you may ask.

Alright, let’s look up these passages of the Scriptures...

Romans 8:38, 39 reads,”For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NIV). Note that these verses declare that nothing will be able to separate us from the love (not life) of God. The preceding verses further shed light on this. Paul is referring to the persecutions, hardships, and constant exposures to danger that faithful followers of Christ experience. None of these Paul says can separate us from the love of Christ because in Him we are more than conquerors.

Another way of looking at this passage is from God’s perspective. He loves everyone and will continue to do so. Nothing in this world will cause Him to stop loving us. Clearly then, no one is separated from the love of God but the wicked are separated from the life of God (Eph. 4:8 Isaiah 59:2).

John 10:28 says, ``I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.`` In this verse Jesus is referring to His sheep. His sheep hear his voice and they follow Him (John 10:27). What Jesus is saying here is this: For as long as they are hearing His voice and following Him, they shall never perish and no one can snatch them out of His hand. The conditions are therefore clear. This promise cannot be claimed by anyone who lives in sin and rebellion to God.

This Concept then crumbles in the light of logic and Scriptures.

ROAD RAGE IS RAMPANT

If you’re like me you find yourself on the road regularly whether doing the driving yourself or someone else. You have witnessed road rage, reckless driving, and plain discourtesy. It’s getting worse by the day. It will not be an exaggeration to say that most road accidents may be traceable to these dangerous conducts.

On my way home from work a few days ago, a female driver nearly hit me when she tried to change lanes even though there was no way in the world she’d make it, let alone doing it safely. I had to get her attention twice by pressing my horn for which I got a dirty look. I confess I was a little upset. This is a kind of stupid behavior that results in unpleasant consequence most of the time.

I know of people who are the most kind and amiable when you deal with them in person but behind the wheel they are totally the opposite. Why is that? Is there something about driving that causes life-threatening behavior? What can we do about it?

Let me propose some “mitigating measures” – something you and I can do. First, as someone wisely said if you want change, look at yourself. We should identify factors contributory to road accidents mentioned above. Distracting acts such as - putting on make-ups, reaching for stuff beside or behind you that takes your eyes off the road, holding gadgets such as telephones which leaves you with one hand to maneuver – must be avoided. This is plain common sense. Honestly, we may be as guilty as the next guy driving by. Let us resolve to amend our ways and become more responsible commuters.

Second, courtesy will go a long way making travel safe if not totally enjoyable. Yielding to our fellow drivers when necessary will contribute to a smooth and accident-free ride going home. Often, we will also be rewarded with a gesture of gratitude which we should readily reciprocate when we find ourselves in the receiving end. Moreover, we will be happy to note that we affirm a positive driving behavior.

Third, be mindful of the recommended speed. Speeding is costly not just in terms of money but irreversible consequences and even death. Remember, the life we save may be our own.

Happy driving everyone!

THANK YOU, CANADA!

Exactly 20 years ago today, I set foot on Canadian soil as an immigrant hopeful of a better life. Trite as it may sound, but it seems only yesterday when that happened. That’s how fast time flies for me. Originating from a third world country where time seemed to stand still and melt in heat and humidity, Canadian Life is many times fast-paced in comparison.

Twenty years, eh? So, has life been better for me and my family? Well YES, in countless ways. Professionally, it has been fulfilling. As a CPA back in my country of origin, transitioning into my present field of occupation has been smooth albeit challenging. Spiritually, my involvement has been broader and more faith-building. We are grateful to belong to a church family that fosters growth, sense of community, and above all love for God. Family life has been rewarding in terms of our being together, unlike before when my spouse was occupationally based thousands of miles away. The "Canadian Dream" is still a mirage in the horizon but hope is high and fortitude solid that it will become a reality someday, somehow.

My family and I are proud to be Canadians. We are happy to note that over the years we have been able to contribute to the society in a productive manner. CANADA IS OUR HOME.

Looking back I believe as I did then that the Lord directed our steps to relocate here. He answered the desire of our hearts. We embarked on uncertain, but fresh and new direction for our life holding on to His promise that He would not leave us to our own device. He would be there to sustain and uphold us. He has been FAITHFUL.

Remembering Mrs. J

Mrs. J,
June 1 is a special day for you. Here's a simple poem I wrote to honestly convey my gratitude for what I can never repay you.

A SPECIAL ANGEL

She was an angel no doubt to bless
Coming my way when expected less
She knew the goal I set to achieve,
Insurmountable hurdles unwilling to give.

It was a dream I did not mind
Such we are, not much to grind
Mind is free, to roam; to fly;
Unnoticed times of days gone by.

The hand she offered I could not resist
Extended freely she must insist
“Reach out and grasp” I heard her say
“Waste no time now while it is day”.

“Look to the sun and see it shine
There’s hope for you no need to whine
The night will come but face it boldly
Your soul’s equipped, your heart beats fully”.

Doubtful, I did her advice heed
I set to reach the sun ahead
The mountain’s high; the valleys low;
The rays of hope must I to follow.

The ball of fire I now adorn
My heart and soul without forlorn
As Angel beaconed my life assured
Goal achieved though hurdles cured.

Gem from my Inbox - Part 8

“The Word of God is shallow enough for a child to wade in, deep enough for a theologian to drown in” –Anonymous-