Posted on by intentional4christ

The Blessing of Hope

Yesterday, I was feeling very sorry for myself… feeling like my life is not going the way I want it at all. As I reflected on my life choices over the past two years it felt like other people are living the life that should have been mine. I woke up today wanting to feel better so I reached for a devotional and found some encouragement, which I share with you today: the blessing of hope!

You see, we move so quickly through our daily lives, often thinking about the next “to do”, next deliverable or project or responsibility to be fulfilled. As has been my experience, living a fast paced life leaves little room for pause, rest, and connection with God or discovering Him in His word. This may lead to us detaching from those God-given longings, dreams and desires that He wants to fulfil in us. Or perhaps, the rhythms of our lives have been riddled with disappointment and delay that those godly things that once has roots in our heart seemed to have withered away.

Today, I share with you about “hope” and why this blessing of God is so important in our lives. First of, I call hope a blessing because it is fundamentally grounded in God Himself and in His word and not determined by what will or will not happen in our lives.

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

Psalm 42:11 NLT

God gives us the gift of hope so our minds and hearts can be anchored in the face of adversity. When life as we know it feels like its gone off its rails or we feel like we are like a ship gone adrift in the storms of life, hope anchors us and keeps us grounded and sane. It reminds us that there is something bigger to life than what is going on in our mind right now.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Hebrews 6:19a

Hope takes center stage and is forged through adversity (Romans 5:4); this is where we experience hope’s greatest work in keeping us focused on what is most important, God and His plans for us. Hope brings us back to the godly desires and fulfillments in our hearts and rekindles the spark in us. Hope is that “scent of water” that causes a dead stump of a tree whose roots have grown old in the soil to bud and put out branches again (Job 14:7-9). When our souls and minds are overwhelmed, hope leads us to the rock that is “higher than us”- to a place of safety so we are not stuck in the dark doldrums of despair (Psalm 61:2). Hope pulls us out of despair and leads us back to God’s plan for our lives which is always bright and future oriented.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…”

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

So this all sounds great and promising but if you are like me, you are asking, “How can I access this hope now or whenever I am feeling like my world has come crushing down on me?” Famous for this lament, Prophet Jeremiah said,

I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

Lamentations 3:20-23 NLT/NIV

I encourage you to start with an honest throwback of when God has been faithful and his mercies has been available to you. Recollecting how far God has brought us brings a perspective shift: that what we are going through today is only a page, a scene in our story and not the entire story. Allow God’s spirit to illuminate to your mind the instances of His goodness and kindness towards you and with these instances in mind, dare to hope! Call out to God and He promises to incline His ear to us and lift us out of the miry clay (Psalms 40:2). “This I recall to my mind therefore I have hope!”

I also cannot stress enough the importance of taking times each day to step away and retreat from the grind of life to reflect and pray. We have an example in Jesus who did this very often while He walked the earth to be alone with Himself and with God. Incorporating rhythms of Sabbath-rest during our day helps us to purposefully connect to the desires God has placed in our hearts. It helps us to evaluate why we are busy in the first place and if our busyness is in line with the future and hope promised in God. It helps us to reflect on why we are feeling weary and tired in our minds and souls and gives us opportunity to observe God’s workings in our lives. You see, when we activate hope, we are looking future-forward to a bright hope for tomorrow, which is hard to do when you are feeling hopeless. What better way to envision that bright hope than during intentional moments of pause when you can listen for God’s whispers as they rekindle the flames of your heart’s desires and consequently refuel your dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

Now I will back track to something that caught my attention in the passage from Lamentations. it says: “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” When an inheritance is bequeath to another unless that person gives it away, it is theirs for as long as they live and as long as the inheritance remains. What a blessing to have God as our inheritance; that even on our darkest days, God is our portion- He is ours and we are His! We are never alone. He promises never to leave or turn his back on us and that is cause for hope!

So dear friend, I don’t know what you are going through but I want to leave you with this prayer:

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 NLT

Yours Truly.

p. s. Adapted from and inspired by Colette Stewart’s ‘Rekindling hope in life’s fast lane’.

Posted on by intentional4christ

The Economics of Eternity: God or Money?

Last month I discovered something about myself: I have an unhealthy relationship with money. My everyday thoughts and functioning is subsumed by what I term “the economics of money in action” i. e. earning money, buying goods and services, paying for bills and utilities- it takes over your life completely. I realized my first thought in the day is about the everyday cares of this world and my last thought at night is about the cares of this world. As I have reflected about my relationship with money, I have come to realize how pervasive it is, even to the extent that all my relationships have become somewhat defined by the economics of money. My dealings with family, friends, colleagues, bosses, significant others, children, and even acquaintances have money at the center of it. Many of my friendships and relationships have been built on the capital of me giving of my time and resources (cash and kind) and while this is not necessarily a bad thing, God has been pushed away from center place in my life as the economics of money has taken centrality in my thoughts and actions. This poses some major problems.

First, money is fleeting and with it, the joy and stability it brings. Unfortunately, when we build on the foundation of the economics of money, the relationships, worldviews, and foundational principles are anchored in a system of shifting sand. Money comes and money goes and nothing that is built on this ephemeral concept has eternal value. Jesus told a parable to illustrate this:

“The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated? This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12: 16-21 BSB

It is even more problematic when our relationship with God is built on the currency of the economics of money. Our prayers stop having Kingdom impact as we turn inwards to ask for our daily bread and our daily bread alone. Most prayers, like mine have been for the past 19 years, become about God’s blessing to make us comfortable in this world. Our trust in God is built on God’s ability to answer our prayer requests to meet our physical, material, and economic needs and has very little to do with the fact that He is God. How dependable God is judged by how quickly our prayers for things that have earthly value are answered or how quickly these prayers manifest into reality. Over the years, I have stopped praying for things that I think God may not answer quickly enough or may be too “big” for God to handle so I am not “disappointed in God”. Many of us have relinquished God to a genie in the bottle whose sole purpose is to serve me and grant me my wishes. Afterall, God operates on principles and so if I give like He instructs in scripture (tithes and offerings) to then He has no choice than to bless me. Such is a life that tries to build a relationship with God on the economics of money.

Jesus knew that besides sin, money has the greatest potential to keep us chained to this fleeting world so we are swept away with it at the end of all ages. He described the economics of money as mammon. The term mammon stems from the Greek word mammonas and related root words appear in Hebrew, Latin, and Aramaic. Mammon can be defined as “earthly goods, property, riches, etc.” Mammon are the things of this world that can divert our attention and love from God to the pleasures and comforts of earthly desires. Jesus theorized that there are two masters in this world, God and mammon and one can only serve one master at a time.

No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24 BSB

Although mammon can provide fleeting happiness, ultimately it is a deadly distraction from the salvation of our souls. However, God in his goodness for us did not leave us helpless to the wiles of mammon. That is why He showed us the secret of how to overcome this dilemma. He encouraged us to seek His Kingdom first and leave the economics of money to God to take care of.

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need…”

Matthew 6: 31-33 NLT

Here is the secret: If you seek God and give Him centrality in your heart and life, the economics of money follows and you also store treasures that are of eternal value. But if the economics of money has centrality, it will consume you and at the end of times it will profit nothing you will lose it all; you will have no heavenly investments.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

Mark 8:36 NLT

Today, I encourage you to reflect on which master you serve on a daily basis by examining what percentage of your day is devoted to God or to mammon. Compare how often you think about what you will eat or feed the family, what you wear, economic opportunities, paying bills and utilities, exchanging of material goods and services against how often you think about God’s kingdom being established on earth and your role in this endeavor, the masses coming to the saving grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, the whole earth being filled with the glory of God and the part you play in this etc. Ask yourself, “who or what has centrality in my life? God or mammon?”

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

Yours Truly.

Posted on by intentional4christ

Redemptive Thinking- And It Was Very Good

A few blog posts ago, I introduced you to the concept of redemptive thinking with an understanding that it begins from knowing and believing that God is good. But how can we believe that God is good when we do not see goodness in ourselves or in the people around us? I recently saw a post titled, “My first abusive relationship was with God” and it truly gave me pause. I had to really think about that post not because it is true but because it represents a sentiment felt by many today who have abandoned their faith or are at a point where they are questioning if Christianity is worth it.

Many of us have been socialized to view salvation in a one-sided light and it becomes easy to fall into a trap of feeling low self-worth when we should be feeling like princes and princesses of a Glorious King. We have heard and come to believe that God was angry with humankind and did not like us because of our sin and the only way He could deal with us was to send His Son to die for our sin. God is a perfect God, who demands perfection and sin separates us from the perfect God and so Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God paid the price of sin and now imputes on us His righteousness. So when God looks at us, He sees the sacrifice of Jesus for us and is able to relate with us because of the blood of Jesus.

Now while this narrative of the gospel has many elements of truth embedded in it, there are still pieces of the salvation message that are grossly underdeveloped. One of these is that God first loved you in spite of you. Even before the blood of Jesus washed you of your sins you were first and foremost loved. This is a very important principle in being able to live a victorious Christian life, free from the guilt and condemnation that Satan brings as we try to live lives that are pleasing to God. In Gen 1:31a the scripture says:

And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. BSB

It was very good. Humankind was very good. YOU were very good. Before the blood of Jesus, it started out with a God who made you in His own image and likeness and declared that you were very good; and He is trying to get you back to His vision of very good for you through the sanctifying work of the blood of Jesus. When He looks at you, He sees you- where you are today in His perfect plan and the you He created you to be. As we strive to live and walk with God on a daily basis, we sometimes falter; we are not our best selves somedays; and sometimes sin gets the better of us. This is why it is important to remember that while we were yet sinners, God’s love for us was so great He died for our sins. Even though Christ never sinned and so this is not an exact illustration, there is a powerful illustration of this point at the baptism of Jesus which I heard in a sermon last week.

Did you know that when the heavens opened and God said of Jesus, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”, Jesus was yet to perform a miracle? He had not started doing all the amazing things we would come to know Jesus for and yet God spoke over Him that He was loved! What a powerful way to begin His ministry on earth, empowered by the love of the Father. Can I advance to you that before you become or became this amazing Christian whose walk with God is flawless, that Holy Ghost filled believer whose faith can move mountains, that powerful prayer warrior that is tearing down the kingdom of darkness, that person who loves the word of God, that man or woman who is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, etc., GOD FIRST LOVED YOU!

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 NIV

Love came before the blood. Our ability to be victorious over sin and the condemnation of guilt and shame is in the fact that above all, we are loved and because of this great love Christ died and we are now in Him (and being in Christ give us a positionality over sin that is a whole new ball game and deserves a topic of its own). The love that God has for us gives us confidence in this world and confidence to stand before Christ at the day of judgement.

And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgement for in this world we are just like Him. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.

1 John 4:16-18 BSB

Once we come to an understanding of how much we are loved, this knowledge does not give us a license to keep living in sin or in our brokenness. Instead, this knowledge should drive us to see ourselves as God sees us…as very good and to motivate us to work with God to attain this perfect state! Our sufficiency, our successes, our goodness comes from Him through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. This is certainly not the characteristic of an abuser. This is who our God who loves us and wants to restore us to the Manufacturer’s setting through the blood of Christ. Do you sometimes feel you are not enough? Even in my shortcomings, He is there to let me know His strength is perfect in my weakness and I am enough because I am loved!

Yours Truly.

P.S. I was totally blown away by this encouragement and so I am going to share it with you. As a mother, there are many times when I have felt clueless and unsure of what I am doing. I have felt discouraged and have beaten myself up more times than I would like to admit. Last week during the sermon, the pastor in expounding on the fact that ‘Christ is in us, therefore we are enough because He is enough’ said, “If God needed someone else to mother those children He would have found someone else. He chose you! So choose you! I encourage you to choose you this week.. because God saw that everything He had made including YOU was very good!

Posted on by intentional4christ

Redemptive Thinking-“O God Why?”

This week’s blog is by Pastor Kwashie Tettevi and begins the blog series, “Redemptive Thinking”. As I delve into the book of Job and grapple alongside Job with the realities of loss and grief, this post offers a great perspective into understanding the goodness of God which is a paramount in redemptive thinking. So let’s begin by looking at some scriptures:

Psalm 135:6 (KJV) “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places”

Daniel 4:35 (KJV) “He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?”

Isaiah 14:24, 27 “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?”

Eccl 3:14 “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him”

These verses introduce us to God who is a sovereign supreme ruler, has ultimate power, is completely in charge of His creation, and does what pleases Him in His universe. And when disasters strike, like devastation caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, accidents of all kinds or in the face of accidents, poverty, breakdown of family units, abuse of various forms, violence, wars, illnesses (terminal or otherwise), and death, it is human nature to ask, “O God why? Why?” “Why did you allow this or that to happen?” “Why did you not intervene and prevent this or that from happening?”

Some Christians believe that if they have sufficient faith, God will not allow them to suffer severe trials or tribulations. However, this is an erroneous, non-biblical belief which is often a manifestation of the false gospel called the “prosperity gospel” where adherents declare, “No tragedy or calamity can touch my life!” or “I can never be sick!” or “I can never be poor!” and so on and so forth. When adherents of the “prosperity gospel” make such declarations, they place a huge burden on Christians who are going through struggles with tragedy, sickness, loss, etc. which can be very discouraging and can potentially overthrow their faith during those times. The reality is that such declarations misrepresent God and His plan for His people. Tragedy, trials, and tribulations do not negate the fact that God is good but they are not meant to leave us in hopeless despair either.

There is no scriptural teaching that promises a life free of tragedy, suffering, sickness, or losses. What we are assured of is that God is with us in our earthly sufferings (Jn 16:33). He comforts us, helps us, and enables us to endure them. He also redeems and makes our suffering serve His good and glorious purposes (Rom 8:18, 28). There are three truths I would like us to ponder on.

First, Jesus Christ understands our suffering.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 NIV

We do not have an unfeeling High Priest who is far removed from our suffering. He is the Father of compassion and He comforts us in ALL our troubles. For some the comfort comes right away, for others it may take some time. Regardless of the timeframe, He comforts us in every single one of our troubles. Our comfort overflows in Christ (2 Cor 1:5). He promises to be with us through all of lives circumstances – rejoicing over us with singing and accompanying us through our darkest days with His comfort.

Secondly, God is always working everything out for our good and to achieve His good purpose.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28 NLT

The Old Testament illustration of Romans 8:28 is found Genesis 50. In that story, Joseph’s brothers betrayed him, sold him into slavery and falsely presented him dead to their father. Decades later, Joseph says this to his brothers:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Genesis 50:20 NIV

We see two wills at work here: Joseph’s brothers’ who successfully perpetrated evil, and God’s will that successfully brought about good from their evil. There is a principle involved here – God sovereignly works so that the evil committed by men or Satan or his demons are dramatically reversed to achieve God’s good purposes. God is sovereign over the schemes of men and hell and He is working everything out for our good, to bring about an expected end. Now, God is explicit about His expected end in Genesis 50: 20, as He is today: the saving of lives! Restoring people back into fellowship with Himself is His ultimate goal and He works out this “good” in every situation of our lives.

And finally, our earthly suffering is temporary and cannot be compared with the transformation and joy we will experience for eternity in the world to come.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18 KJV

When we are going through difficult times, it can be a hard thing to believe assuring words like those above. When we witness or are plagued with horrific illnesses, the aftermath of wars, or when death snatches away a loved one, it is difficult to fathom how it “works for our good” and how the glory of God will be revealed in that situation. It is easier to ask, “Why doesn’t God do something about the suffering to begin with?” Let me tell you something dear friends: He has!

The cross is God’s answer. God did do something! Jesus’ death brought about an end to the reign of evil and suffering. Born into this fallen world, Jesus Christ suffered the punishment which was due us. He who was without sin suffered the guilt, pain, and humiliation of having the sins of the world placed on Himself (2 Cor 5:16–21). In His agony on the cross, and at the point of death, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “It is finished” and scripture records that the veil of the temple was torn into two (Mark 15:38). Our sins were fully atoned for and the power that sin (and suffering and pain) held over us released its grip and was broken forever. Now here is the “good” and expected end God worked for us through Jesus’ sacrifice:

Eventually, we will be able to identify with John who said, “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever’” (Revelations 21: 3-4 NLT).

What the enemy meant for evil in crucifying the LORD was meant for good, even the saving of many lives and the permanent abolishing of death, and sorrow, and crying and pain. That is the glory we look forward to – the day when God will fulfil this promise. Lord hasten the day when our faith shall be manifest! Hallelujah!

When “bad” things happen to us, there is always God’s (hidden) purpose in it. He will use it for our good; He will use it for His glory—perhaps in this life we will know it as such; and if not, we can be assured that we will know it finally, at the return of Christ. So then, let us be men and women of great faith, trusting our God completely with all of our hearts! For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. This, dear friend, is a change in our mindset. It is redemptive thinking!

Yours Truly

P.S. Pastor Kwashie Tettevi is the founder of Glorious Liberty Outreach Church in Ghana, West Africa. He has been pastoring for almost 40 years and remains active in ministry.

Posted on by intentional4christ

The Price of Love

Today is Valentine’s Day, a day the world has so romanticized with flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and a very unrealistic portrait of what love looks like. In fact, many people around the globe are feeling the pressure of outdoing themselves to celebrate the ones they profess to love. However, love is not always as glamorous as mainstream media portrays it. In December, I read a blurb from the book “Quiet Spaces for Christmas” and I will share pieces of this reading with you today as we celebrate this day of love.

Love is not painless. It carries with it the likelihood of being wounded. Every relationship has the possibility of hurt. You can love and not be loved back. The ones you may love may not be loveable. Words can be said without thought, regrettable actions that can’t be undone can be undertaken, all in the name of love. God is not immune to the price of love either. He too cannot love without the possibility of being hurt and He has been hurt. He lamented over the hardness of the heart of His people throughout the Old Testament (Psalms 81:13) and continues to grieve over the hardness of our hearts in this present age. God created us and loves us and yet throughout history, God has been maligned, misunderstood, ignored, criticized, and mocked. Still, He continues to shower humankind with His grace. He extends favour to each of us in countless ways. His mercies are renewed every morning. He is patient and persistent with His love. He did not stop loving when the price of love cost Him his only Son.

As followers of Jesus, we can expect to share in the cost of love. We are not immune to the heartache of rejection, persecution, misunderstanding, strained relationships or losses. These may come from our own family or friends whom we deeply love. In those moments, remember that God understands what it is to love and not be loved in return. So today as we celebrate love, not everyone will be celebrating the same way.

Today may not be a pleasant day for people dealing with the pain of rejection, heartbreak, distance, impending divorces, child custody battles, the loss of a loved one, etc. Here is my encouragement to everyone whether you are being wooed in the thrills of the day, or if today leaves a bad taste in your mouth:

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Psalm 37:23 NLT

God knows; He cares; He delights in every detail of your life- the good, the bad, and the ugly! There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus! Take a moment to share with Him how your day is going.

Yours Truly

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Posted on by intentional4christ

Derailed- A Dream Deferred

Did you have certain goals for your life that have not materialized? Have you ever felt like the plans you had for your self and the outcomes of your life have been derailed? My whole childhood, I groomed myself to be a medical doctor. I graduated one of the top of my class from elementary school all the way to high school. I got accepted into two reputable medical schools, got recommended for partial and full ride scholarships to three countries outside my home country to study medicine, and actually started to pursue a career in medicine by virtue of one such scholarship. Then through a series of events, I switched my majors with a hope to find my way back into medical school. 17 years later, I have settled in another career and with each passing day my career as a medical doctor becomes a distant dream…a what could have been! I know I am not alone in having a dream or life plan be seemingly derailed. Let’s look at a story from the Old testament:

One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.

Genesis 11:31-32 NLT

Terah was headed for Canaan, which was God’s promised land for the people who would come out of Abraham, the Israelites. This was land that God describes later as a land flowing with milk and honey… and Terah was headed towards his set destiny but got derailed. He stopped in Haran and settled there and there he died. His dream of a land flowing with milk and honey died with him in Haran. End of story. I could end my blog post here… he died and so did the dream of Canaan. But thank God for redemption.

I was recently introduced to the concept of redemptive thinking through a 2 minute podcast I heard from Susie Larson. I am going to explore this concept more in another post in the near future. But what I want to say about this for now is redemptive thinking is about changing the way you think and it starts by believing that God is good. When you believe that God is good, you can also believe that He works everything out for your good and for his glory. The dream of Canaan appeared to have died with Terah but it was always in the heart of God that the Israelites would possess the promised land. However, so much had to happen between when Terah had this plan and when his descendants would actually live in that land- including a name change of Terah’s great grandson from Jacob to Israel. And with each passing year, this dream became more a distant past but one day this happened…

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1-3 NLT

God put Abraham back on course towards the set destiny and plan! Funny enough, this dream was not Abraham’s to see fulfilled. In fact Abraham got to Canaan and there were people already there and so he had to move on. However, what Abraham had that Terah did not, was the blessing of God. God blessed him and his descendants and in so doing the dream even though was not fulfilled physically in Abraham’s lifetime, was fulfilled through his seed. The blessing of God ensured that God remembered Abraham long after he was dead and God fulfilled the promise of Canaan to him (Exodus 2:24). Abraham had a future and a hope and even though he died, the dream was preserved and fulfilled in its appointed time.

Many times we are so busy making and pursing our plans and desires that we forget to ask for God’s blessings. Other times, we forget that it is His plan for us that prevails despite our skilled planning. We forget that He is good and therefore His plans for us are good and are bringing us to His expected end… His vision of Canaan for us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3 NIV

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 NIV

When Abraham went through Canaan, there was no mention of a land flowing with milk and honey. In fact, there was famine in the land and so he had to go to Egypt. Abraham’s version of Canaan was not God’s expected end for Abraham and his descendants. I say all this to say that our plans are not always aligned with God’s expected end for our lives and so sometimes a dream “derailed” or deferred is not necessarily a bad thing. It could be the best thing that ever happened to us. The key is to trust God like Abraham did and even when plans seem derailed, God can bring us to His expected end.

There are a few concepts that I have touched on briefly that you can spend time reflecting on: God’s purpose [will] vs our plans; the blessings of God; the function of appointed time in the fulfilment of our plans; and the goodness of God. I will end with some questions and encouragement for you: Has your life in recent times or time past felt like a winding road? Have things not been going smoothly as planned? Does your career path feel like it is all over the place? Are you feeling tossed about by the billows of life? Then may you find encouragement in this:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight [emphasis mine].

Proverbs 3:5-6 BSB
Posted on by intentional4christ · 2 Comments

Beyond the prodigal

Unveiling the Hidden Struggles of the Faithful Son in Luke 15– By John Owusu

In the very familiar Parable from Luke 15:11-32 – the Parable of the Prodigal Son- our focus is on the journey of the younger son, whose story of rebellion, repentance, and reconciliation vividly portrays God’s boundless grace. Yet, within this parable lies another, equally profound narrative – that of the elder son, a character who mirrors a different aspect of human nature and spiritual struggle. Let’s turn our attention to this often-overlooked figure and get a better insight into his struggles.

The elder son, steadfast and diligent, remains at home, toiling on his father’s land. His response to his brother’s return, however, unveils a struggle not with prodigality, but with resentment and entitlement. It’s a tale not just of a wayward brother, but of two sons, each lost in their own way, and a father whose love encompasses both. As we explore the elder son’s story, we are invited to reflect on our own spiritual journey. Through his eyes, we may uncover insights about grace, compassion, and the joy found in God’s unfailing presence. Let us open our hearts to these lessons, finding in them a deeper understanding of God’s love and our own path to spiritual growth.  Let’s delve right in.

I. The Elder Son’s Hidden Struggle  

In the shadow of the prodigal son’s dramatic story, the elder son’s internal conflict offers a different, yet equally important, spiritual lesson. Unlike his younger brother, the elder son is not guilty of wild living or squandering his inheritance. Instead, he remains at home, the picture of obedience and diligence. Yet, his reaction to his brother’s return reveals a heart troubled by deeper issues. 

Luke 15:28-30 captures the moment of his turmoil. When the younger son returns, the father throws a lavish celebration. The elder son, upon hearing this, becomes angry and refuses to join the feast. His words to his father are telling: “All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.” His sense of injustice is palpable. He feels overlooked, unappreciated, despite his faithful service. 

This is where the elder son’s true struggle lies – in his sense of entitlement and lack of compassion. He cannot fathom why his father would extend such grace to a brother who seemed to have forsaken everything their family stood for. His dedication to duty has blinded him to the essence of his father’s love. In his mind, love and reward are earned, not freely given. 

The elder son’s problem is one many of us can relate to. It’s easy to fall into the trap of equating our worth or spiritual standing with our deeds. We, like the elder son, might struggle to accept that God’s love is not a reward for good behavior, but a gift freely given. His story is a cautionary tale, reminding us that even the most dutiful can miss the heart of God’s grace. 

In our spiritual walk, it’s crucial to recognize this pitfall. The elder son’s attitude reflects a misunderstanding of grace – a fundamental aspect of Christian faith. It shows us that even in our faithfulness, there’s a danger of developing a spirit of entitlement, overshadowing the true nature of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. 

II. Spiritual Lessons from the Elder Son 

The elder son in the parable teaches us crucial spiritual lessons about entitlement, joy, gratitude, and the nature of God’s inclusive love. 

Entitlement vs. Grace: The elder son’s sense of entitlement is a stark contrast to the father’s grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Unlike earthly rewards that are earned, grace is a divine gift, unmerited and freely given. The elder son’s struggle to understand this mirrors our own challenges in comprehending the breadth of God’s grace, which extends beyond human notions of fairness and merit. 

Joy and Gratitude: In focusing on his sense of injustice, the elder son fails to appreciate the blessings around him. James 1:17 tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” His inability to find joy in his continuous access to his father’s wealth and presence is a reminder for us to recognize and cherish the blessings we receive daily. Psalm 16:11 declares, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.” The elder son’s lack of joy reflects a heart disconnected from the true source of fulfillment – the father’s love. 

Inclusiveness and Forgiveness: The father’s inclusive love is a model for Christian living. Galatians 3:28 proclaims, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This inclusiveness extends to the elder son, despite his resentment. Similarly, the importance of forgiveness is underscored in Matthew 6:14-15, where Jesus teaches, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” The elder son’s struggle to forgive mirrors our own challenges in extending grace to others, a crucial aspect of Christian discipleship. 

III. The Father’s Unconditional Love and Grace 

The father in the parable epitomizes God’s unconditional love and grace. His reaction to each son’s actions reveals profound spiritual truths about God’s nature. 

Unconditional Love: The father’s love for both sons is unwavering and not based on their deeds. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” The father’s love, much like God’s, is proactive, reaching out to both the repentant and the resentful son. 

Forgiveness and Reconciliation: The father’s eagerness to forgive the younger son, symbolized by his running to meet him and the celebration that follows, highlights God’s joy in our repentance. Luke 15:22-24 illustrates this beautifully, as the father restores the younger son without hesitation. This unconditional acceptance is a powerful portrayal of divine forgiveness, which is not earned but graciously given. 

Generosity and Celebration: The father’s response – throwing a lavish party for the younger son – is a testament to the joy and generosity inherent in God’s grace. It’s a celebration of reconciliation, not past actions, mirroring the heavenly joy over one sinner who repents. 

Inclusiveness: The father’s grace is inclusive. He goes out to invite the elder son to the feast, demonstrating that his love and grace extend to both sons, regardless of their attitudes or behaviors. This reflects 2 Peter 3:9, where it’s stated, “The Lord is…patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 

IV. Steps Towards True Repentance for the Elder Son 

For the elder son to embrace true repentance, he had to undergo a transformation of his heart and mind in seven key areas and his journey is as relevant for us today as it was for him.

Recognize His Own Faults: The first step was acknowledging his bitterness and self-righteousness, i. e. understanding these feelings as barriers to a relationship with his father and brother. 

Empathize with His Brother: Developing empathy for his brother’s experiences helped him overcome resentment, which allowed him to see value in forgiveness and reconciliation. 

Accept His Father’s Love and Grace: Realizing that his father’s love was unconditional and not based on merit was crucial for his transformation. 

Celebrate His Brother’s Return: Joining in the celebration symbolized his acceptance and joy in his brother’s restoration to the family. 

Rebuild Relationships: Strengthening his relationships with his father and brother emphasized the value of family and connection over duty. 

Express Feelings to His Father: Honest communication about his feelings of being overlooked helped to clear misunderstandings. 

Reflect on His Blessings: Appreciating the constant presence of his father and the blessings he already had was key to his spiritual growth. 

Grasping the depth of our Father’s love for us is essential. At the heart of God’s intentions is the hope for everyone’s salvation and for all to gain an understanding of His Son, His precious gift to humanity, intended to draw all people to Him. Luke 15:11 tells of a father and his two sons. Each son’s choices significantly influenced their relationship with their father, yet the father’s love remained constant and unwavering in the face of their actions. While the missteps of the prodigal son are apparent, it’s just as crucial to consider how easily we might overlook our Father’s grace, mercy, and love. This is especially true when, like the elder son, we mistakenly believe our rewards are earned by merit, not granted through His grace. My prayer is that you will reflect on this and let God speak to your heart. 

Yours Truly

P.S. Thank you John Owusu for this very insightful post. John has been a long time reader of this blog and the owner of Revo Driving School in Alexandria, VA. He loves music and is part of the worship team at Word Performance Church.

Posted on by intentional4christ · 1 Comment

Identity- Our Sense of Self

My drive in life comes from a fear of being mediocre. That is always pushing me. I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being but then I feel I am still mediocre and uninteresting unless i do something else. Because even though I have become somebody, I still have to prove that I am somebody. My struggle has never ended and I guess it will never end.

Madonna

I recently came across this quote from Madonna and how truly apt it is for many of us. Even without all the fame and acclaim like Madonna has, our sense of self, self-worth and desire to be “somebody” are insatiable. Towards the end of last year, I faced a lot of turmoil and upheaval at my place of work which led me to an identity crisis. Everything that I had come to believe about who I was and my motivations in life no longer made any sense. As I have searched for answers in scripture, reassuring words of loved ones, counselling, among others, one question has stood out for me: what have I based my identity on?

We go through life looking for the ultimate verdict that we are important and valuable and we look for that ultimate verdict in situations and people around us. Our identities become rooted in our accomplishments or in our failures. There is an invisible standard set for us either by ourselves or by others and we strive to live up to these standards each day. Our self-esteem is driven by whether or not we are able to meet the standards. So we fluctuate between high and low self-esteem because every minute our lives are on trial- some days we feel we are winning and other days we feel we are losing the trial. We judge ourselves and we allow the judgment of others to condemn or acquit us each day. But the truth is that trying to find self-esteem and build an identity by living up to a set of standards is a trap. I recently read a book by Timothy Keller, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness- The Path to Christian Joy, that shed light on a way to be free from the entrapment of this skewed view of self-identity. Using the example of Paul from 1st Corinthians 3:21- 4:7, Keller states:

When [Paul] says he will not let the Corinthians judge him nor will he judge himself, he is saying that he knows about his sins but does not connect them to himself and his identity. His sins and his identity are not connected. He refused to play that game. He does not see a sin and let it destroy his sense of identity. He will not make a connection. Neither does he see an accomplishment and congratulate himself. He sees all kinds of sin in himself- and all kinds of accomplishments too- but he refuses to connect them with himself or his identity.

All too often, we allow our accomplishments, achievements, shortcomings, or failures to be what defines us. If our accomplishments define us and something threatens that or we receive negative criticisms then we feel undone. If someone has been defined their whole life by a certain profession and then due to unforeseen circumstances like an illness, they can no longer practice in that field, their whole life falls apart. They ask questions like, “who am I if I am not a ________!” Similarly if someone has been defined by their material possessions and wealth and through a bad investment, an economic downturn, or fraud, they lose their wealth, it is game over. Today I offer a reassurance: THE ULTIMATE VERDICT IS IN.

Here is the ultimate verdict- the trial is over. There is no more condemnation for you if you are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). God does not care about who you are (accomplished or not) or what you have done (good or bad). Your performance does not lead to a verdict. The moment you chose to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, His righteousness was imputed to you. You do not have to perform to gain your identity. You have an identity as a child of the King of Kings and based on this identity, what you do will flow out of who you are. As my pastor shared in his sermon last week, Jesus loves you and accepts you for one reason and one reason only: You are His! Just as God once said of Jesus, He says of you: You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased. You do not have to impress yourself or anyone for that matter. You are already achieved! You are a son or daughter of the Most High King. You are loved beyond measure! You can go about your life doing the things you do, not to build up a resume or to look good. You are a doctor, a lawyer, a nurse, a street vendor, a cashier, carpenter, plumber, [insert what you do] not to feel better about yourself or to feel accomplished or to feel like “somebody”. You can strive for a better paid job or for higher education not because you derive your identity from that. You can let go of the anxieties, the disappointments of life, and the guilt because you do not find your identity in your accomplishments or failures. This is the blessedness of being redeemed.

Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.

Psalm 107: 2 NLT/ BSB

Yours Truly

Resources: https://www.backtothebible.ca/product/the-freedom-of-self-forgetfulness/

Posted on by intentional4christ · 2 Comments

Accept or Reject?

Earlier in the month I shared with you that my mandate from the LORD for 2024 was to consciously and intentionally accept Him everyday; and almost everyday of this year so far, I hear or read something that reminds me of this mandate. For example, on January 6th, my daughter’s bible devotion was titled “choose” and the message was very interesting. The scripture was from Judges 21:25

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Judges 21:25 NLT

The devotional’s author suggested that the cliches “follow your truth” and “you do you” are not new at all! In fact rewind a few thousand years and the Israelites were living the “you do you ” life! Everyone followed their own truth and it was a godless and debased time in the history of the Israelites. Sounds familiar? Let’s fast forward back to 2024.

Yesterday my daily bible readings led me to the book of Isaiah, Chapter 1 to be precise, and here we hear God speaking to the Israelites about their choices. In their actions, words, thoughts, worship, service, they had rejected God everyday and God was telling them He was tired of being rejected! He was lamenting over Israel’s choosing to continue in their own waywardness and rebellion. They had turned their backs on the LORD (vs. 4). And their lives were a sight for sore eyes: they were physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually battered. As scripture described it, their heads were injured and their hearts were sick (vs. 5-6) and their worship which they thought might bring them closer to God rather became detestable to Him. The simple reason was this: they continued to reject God. Just before year 2023 ended, I heard a preacher say this, “If you keep saying “NO” to God and continue to reject Him, one of these days God will accept your NO and visit His judgment on you”. And guess what, that is exactly what God is saying to the Israelites in Isaiah Chapter 1:15. He says:

“When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen…”

Isaiah 1:15 NLT

But all is not lost for rebellious Israel and neither is it for us today. Our Redeeming God offers a solution. “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool…” (Isaiah 1:18 NLT). But there is a caveat: We have to choose to accept Him and everything He offers! Do you feel beaten down and battered by life? Are your prayers appearing to not reach God’s ears? God wants to settle you! But first start with some self-reflection, is there something that you need to settle with God? In what areas of your life are you rejecting Him? One of the ways we reject God is by being so busy with the hustle and bustle of life that we leave little to no room for God’s presence or power in our lives. Isaiah 5:12 captures this so aptly:

They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties- lyre and harp, tambourine and flute- but they never think about the LORD or notice what he is doing.

Isaiah 5:12 NLT

When it comes to accepting God, I have a lot to learn and given my mandate for the year, I am sure I am going to learn a lot about this. If you are further along on the journey of what it means to accept and choose Jesus everyday or if God is teaching you something about this in your daily walk with Him, please feel free to share with me, leave a comment, I am excited to learn from you. This year I plan to be intentional about thinking about God every day and to notice what He is doing in my life, among the people in my sphere of influence, and in the world at large. I want to pay attention to what God is saying and requiring of me. That is one of the ways I want to accept Him each day. How? I will engage with my readings each day and anticipate that God wants to tell me something from His word. I will pose questions to God as I read my bible and actively listen for answers throughout the day. I will not hesitate to pray for the things God lays on my heart or if people request prayer of me and excitedly anticipate God’s move in my life and in those of the people I pray for.

P.S. For those of you who are curious about my daily bible reading plan, I use the Olive Tree Bible app on my phone and this year I am following the 52-week bible plan, “A different Genre Each Day”. If you are looking for a reading partner, feel free to join me on this reading journey.

Posted on by intentional4christ · 1 Comment

Today is the Day!

Sometime in October of 2023, I went over all my goals for the year and realized I had fallen behind on so many of them (one of which was to post to the blog every week). Feeling discouraged, I decided that since too much of the year had passed to accomplish some of those goals, I would just wait till the new year and then start afresh. However, there was a scripture that kept tugging at my heart:

As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” 

Hebrews 3:15 NIV

Today. Not next year, not next month, not next week, today! Many times, we take for granted that tomorrow is not guaranteed us and we put off for tomorrow what we can do today. January is a month where people push for change and it is a good time for change. Afterall, its the start of a new year! Many people just like myself will make new year’s resolutions and set goals for themselves to achieve through out the year and many of us will fall off the wagon of some of our resolutions before the month is out. Here are two thoughts on the matter- the first comes from my daughter’s devotional, and the second is a lesson from 2023:

First, before going through all the effort of trying to fulfill our goals whatever they may be, why not first slow down and submit them to God? Remember “in their hearts humans plan their course but the LORD establishes their steps (Proverbs 16:9 NIV).” God wants us to submit our plans to him- our wonderful ideas for a successful 2024 and ask Him what He wants to work on this January and Febrauary and every month thereafter. In doing this, you will find a satisfying journey with a Friend rather than an exhausting and lonely marathon to accomplishing your goals.

Secondly, if you start to renege on your goals- perhaps you have already missed a few days of your 365-day bible reading plan, or your exercise regime, or you have already fallen back into patterns and behaviours you were hoping to change this year, it is not too late to course correct. It is never ever too late to fix what is broken, to jump back into relationship with God, to take care of your emotional, physical, and spiritual health, to let go of that hurt or guilt, to forgive…today is the day. Although bright hope for eternity is promised us, another day on this side of eternity is not guaranteed to anyone.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

James 4: 13- 14 NIV

So today is the day. Whatever it is that you are putting off, today is the day.

Yours Truly