Posted on by intentional4christ

The Return of the King

If this title sounds like it should be a Lord of the Rings sequel, then, my friends, you are not too far off. Growing up I dreaded reading the book of Revelations. It sounded so apocalyptic and filled with doom and gloom. The few times I have read it, it has been with the hopes that I would be able to mine the mysteries about when Jesus would return so I can be more prepared. But you see, the book of Revelations does not tell us when Jesus will return. Here is a little history about the book of Revelations as presented by John Neufeld, of Back to the Bible, in his series, The Triumph of the Lamb: Volume 1.

Revelations was written to churches in modern-day Turkey circa 85 AD to 95 AD, and the entire book was to be understood by the seven ancient churches as it applied to them. It was a book of prophecy that predicted the future. Some of the things predicted in the book of Revelations did happen right away for the early readers of the book but many of the things have happened repeatedly in history. The book of Revelations is like a mirror of the future reflected in our own times. That is why events spoken of in the book of Revelations look like things occurring in our day. No wonder in every generation people have thought that Jesus was coming back in that era. Now the thing about biblical prophecy is that it has height and breadth but is little concerned with depth (depth represents the chronology of events). Revelations is less concerned with the time period in which things will occur and more concerned about the certainty that those events will happen. And so when Jesus says He is coming back soon, it is soon. The book of Revelations enables us feel the urgency of this event. It must happen and God will not delay it any second longer than it should.

Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:8-9 BSB

But Jesus did not leave us clueless as to when He will return or how He will return for his own. He spells it out clearly in the pages of scripture:

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. …“Where will this happen, Lord?” the disciples asked. Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”

Luke 17:26-30, 37 NLT

The day of the Lord will surely come and it is going to be on one of those “business as usual” days. That day is likened to a thief in the night (read 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10; Revelations 3:3; Revelations 16:15; Mark 13: 35-36; and Luke 12: 39-40 for reference). Scripture admonishes in Matthew 24: 43 that if a homeowner knows the day a thief is coming to rob him he would be prepared. Juxtaposing this truth, we do not know when, but because we know the what and the how of this day, we ought to be prepared daily. Live every one of those “business as usual” days like it is the day.

Yes, I know this message has certainly been around the sun a few times but here is the beauty of that: Because of God’s mercy you have the privilege to hear this message (again) today so you can take action and be prepared for the return of our soon-coming King. If this is new information, I encourage you to invite Jesus into your heart; no fancy prayers, just ask him to come and be your Lord and Saviour, and commit to living a life worthy of his return. And if this is old news, then today is another opportunity to reflect on your state of readiness. Are you prepared for the King’s return?

Yours Truly.

Posted on by intentional4christ

Why am I here?

In my last post, I spoke about the call of eternity in our heart and today I am going to linger in the same theme. If while on earth we are hearing the call of our home in eternity, then “why are we here?” That, my friends, is the million dollar question and I attempt an answer. Last week, I read a book by James Robbins titled The Call to Climb: A Story to Find Your Path, Conquer Your Fears, and Fulfill your Destiny, where he attempts to answer the same question. The insights gained from this book inspired this post.

In his book, James opines that your soul knows why you are here. He describes the soul thus:

“your soul has been with you since the day you were born. It’s the deepest, most authentic part of you- your true self, the part that knows the real reason why you’re here… (p. 21). Imagine you’re driving a car down the road of life, but your soul knows a better path- one that’s designed just for you. So it begins to pull the steering wheel slightly to one side. But instead of following it, you fight with the wheel and pull the car back in line” (p. 23).

Each of us were born with an imprint of eternity in us, in our DNA, and it comes from our Creator. It is an ancient path that pull us towards why we are here, our purpose on earth. And time and again, we get caught up in life’s busyness and forget to listen to the call of this path, which leads to unrest in our souls. We toil and toil, and yet at the end of the day, our toil does not make us feel fulfilled. If you are resonating with this then you can appreciate that feeling that your life is shallow, that it is missing something deeper and more meaningful. This is the feeling of living life out of alignment with the soul’s purpose. Now let’s look at a popular story in the scriptures to unpack this. Let’s read Luke 5:1-11:

1On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God, 2He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat. 4When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. 7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.” 9For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.” 11And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.

Let us start with a focus on verses 4 and 5. Simon was a fisherman who in this point in the story had toiled all night and had come up empty. Even though he was going about his everyday life activity, his net was empty: he was unfulfilled, he was not feeling accomplished, something was definitely missing. Then Jesus said to him, “put out into deep water” to which Simon responds, “Because you say so, I will…”

For many of us, that emptiness is because we are living life on the shallow side. Our souls call for something deeper. God is calling us to step into the deeper side of life: to live more authentically, to stop seeking the approval of others, to embrace our identity as sons and daughters of God, to stop living in the shadows of our fears or our guilt and shame for actions of the past. God is calling us to the deeper life but because we choose the shallower things of life: instant gratification, self-loathing and self-deprecation, a life controlled by our fears and limitations, a life rife with the should’a, could’a, would’a and regrets, our nets turn up empty over and over again. Even with the accomplishments we have (material, financial, status, etc.) our souls remain unfulfilled. The psalmist experienced the same thing. He felt the despair of his soul and confessed, “Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me” (Psalm 42: 6-7).

For others, our souls are coming up empty not because we are not hearing the call, but because we have refused to listen and obey the voice that calls us to go deeper. I started by saying that we all have an imprint of eternity within us. Our souls, understand the ancient path because our essence is from of old…from the Ancient of Days. And if our lives are even slightly misaligned to the purpose of God for our lives, we feel it deep within. We feel the nudges and tugs of our soul alerting us to this misalignment just as one would feel the steering wheel in a car tug to one side when the wheel alignment is off. God calls our attention to the dearth in our souls in many ways, in scripture, through our quiet times with Him, through the counsel of people, and sometimes through physical symptoms like stress, anxiety, or depression- symptoms we cannot ignore. And until we, like Simon can say, “because you say so, I will…” we won’t experience the peace our souls so desperately craves when it is in alignment with the Holy One.

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Jeremiah 6:16 NLT

The day we were born, we were imprinted with the mark of our Creator, who breathed his life into us to make us living souls (Genesis 2:7). Job 32: 8 tells us, “But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding” (BSB). That which the soul seeks, the ancient path, also known as the good way or the godly path, can only be revealed by God’s Spirit.

But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

1 Corinthians 2:10-12 BSB

To know what the soul needs, to answer the question of why we are here, we need to listen and obey the voice of God that says, “put out into the deep water.” And friends let me tell what you will find at the end of that obedience. Like Simon, you will see where the emptiness in your soul stems from. In verse 9 of the scripture we we looking at, Simon discovers the source of the emptiness in his soul and says, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Sin was the limitation on fulfilling his purpose which was to be a fisher of men (verse 10). For some of us, sin is the problem we need to confront. For others, it may be guilt, shame, fear- of disappointment, of starting afresh, of failure, of not receiving the approval of others, low self-worth, etc. Whatever the limitation is, God’s spirit will reveal it to us in the place of obedience.

So back to the question, “why are you here?” Well, the answer is simple: Only God knows! But He lets you in on this secrets through out your lifetime. His Spirit, at work in your soul, reveals to you your life’s purpose if only you will listen and obey the call of the deep, the ancient godly path, the imprint of our DNA to be the full expression of God on earth. You were created in the image of God to live in the character and expression of the God that created you and your soul knows this fully well. Will you listen to the nudges of your soul? Let this scripture wash over you:

Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?… For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and [my soul] know this very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.

Psalm 132: 7, 13-16 BSB

Yours Truly

Posted on by intentional4christ

Eternity in our hearts

For the past few weeks I have been feeling such great unrest: the kind that feels like an emptiness to be filled, a hunger to be satisfied, or a thirst to be quenched. I have been mulling over what the source of this nagging feeling could be and in church this week I finally understood exactly what it is. Eternity has been calling out to me.

Yes, I know this seems like a very odd phrasing but bear with me for a few minutes and I will explain. Over the last little while, I have been longing for the presence of God more than ever, I have been hungry for times of intense worship and prayer, and for good fellowship with others. Every time I hear a good sermon, I am left with this longing for more of God and his Word. At night when I lay down to sleep, I dream of loved ones who have exchanged their mortal shells for immortal ones and I yearn for their company again. Its been unnerving because I have all that I need and yet I feel like there is something lacking.

Today, in church, I was reminded of a scripture from the book of Ecclesiastes 3 and then it all made sense. Lets read together:

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT [Emphasis added]

Finally, today I have been able to put words to the void I am feeling. It is the call of eternity: a reminder that there is something beyond the everyday grind of life. The passage in Ecclesiastes reminds us that God has placed eternity in the heart of everyone. Day in and day out, eternity calls out to us. Some feel this as a sense of urgency; some describe it as feeling of a larger purpose to life; others might describe it as a feeling of transcendence.

When ever anyone talks of eternity, we naturally think of death and immortality. And while that is not wrong, there is more to eternity than just living forever after death. Eternity is not simply a construct of time, which is why even though we all have a sense of eternity we cannot fully grasp it as Ecclesiastes 3 tells us. Eternity is wrapped up in the very nature and character of God who is Himself the beginning and the end (Revelations 1:8); the One who existed before time began. The call of eternity is not as much about time as it is a call to relationship with a God who created us for solely that purpose: to be in relationship with Him. John 17:3 tells us what eternal life is:

Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

John 17:3 BSB [Emphasis added]

Eternal life is about having a personal relationship with a God and this begins right here on earth. Relationship between God and humankind has been severed and broken by sin. As Ecclesiastes 7:29 so aptly states, “…God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path” (NLT). And that feeling I have just described, that call of eternity, is the beacon that calls us to turn away from our downward path and find our way back into fellowship with God. It signals to us that there is something missing in our lives.

Unfortunately, we live in such a broken and perverse world which has responds to the call of eternity with the mantra YOLO! The world screams, “you only live once!” “you have just one life to live so make it count!” And while I do not disagree with the premise, our secular world does not offer a thirsty or hungry soul any more than a fear of missing out (FOMO). Instead of seeing the void in our hearts as a God-sized void, we are encouraged to pursue adrenaline-pumping activities as a response to eternity’s call. Afterall, YOLO! The world pursues knowledge and understanding in the form of scientific discoveries to make sense of and give purpose and meaning to life. But you see, this also does not answer eternity’s call because scripture is clear: “…the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). This scripture underscores the importance of knowing God personally and intimately as the path to true understanding.

Generation after generation, God has patiently waited for humankind to come back to Him and He has even helped us along with a beacon – eternity in our hearts – so we can find our way home. For me, I feel eternity in my heart as a longing for more of God. What about you? Do you hear the call of eternity in your heart?

Over the next few weeks I will be exploring how I am responding to the call of eternity as I journey with a few friends through the book of Revelations. Stay tuned for more.

Yours Truly.

Posted on by intentional4christ

Stay in the fight

Last night I had a dream. In the dream I was running a race and the only rule of this race was that you had to keep running until you got to the finish line. There were no race tracks in the race, and in my dream I felt helpless sometimes but I kept going. Even detours and setbacks were valuable in this race, as long as I did not stop. I woke up pondering what this dream could mean and I heard this phrase, “stay in the fight till the final bell.”

In boxing, the “final bell” marks the end of the fight. So “stay in the fight till the final bell” emphasizes the importance of continuing and enduring until the end of the match. As Christians, we are fighting the good fight of faith. We are encouraged to hold on tightly to the eternal life to which we have been called. We are admonished not to give up but to persevere: stay in the fight till the final end. Here are three encouraging scriptures:

  • 1 Timothy 6:12: Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. (NLT)
  • Philippians 3:12-14: I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (NLT)
  • 1 Corinthians 9:24-26: Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. (NLT)

Each of these scriptures paints a picture of striving towards an end goal as one would in a race. The life we live is not purposeless; it is a race to a finish line. And there will be a finish line. Paul said of himself as he came to the end of his ministry and calling on earth, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7).

It is not an easy journey. We do not race in competition against others. Instead, we race against a clock, a final bell. And when the bell goes off all that you will have left to show for the fight is what you have held tightly to. Everything of this world that we have gripped tightly will be left behind and only things of eternal value will be considered at final bell. So hold tightly to the eternal life for which God has called you. Press on towards the prize of the high calling.

Some days we will have set backs but scripture encourages us to hold on to the progress we have already made (Philippians 3:16 NLT), recognizing our race is not fueled by our own successes and neither is the fight won by brains and brawn. Instead, we win by daily appropriating the victory that Jesus has attained for us. God promises to be with us every step of the way from life’s first cry to final breath or in this case, final bell. I have been deeply encouraged by this scripture and so I leave you with it:

I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

Isaiah 46: 4 NLT

Be encouraged by these words and stay in the fight till the final bell.

Yours Truly

Posted on by intentional4christ

The path ahead

A few days ago, I read a verse from the book of proverbs and I have ruminated on this passage for a few days, wondering why it caught my attention and what God wants to teach me from His word. Let’s look at it together:

Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions. Watch where you’re going! Stick to the path of truth, and the road will be safe and smooth before you. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness.

Proverbs 4:25-27 TPT

Fast forward to this week, I have been reading about the life of Elisha. And every time I have read his story, I have been impressed by this one thing: Elisha was a man who simply refused to be distracted from his mission and goals. In today’s post, I want to zoom in on his life and show you specific areas of his life where he demonstrated this.

Elisha’s Call into Ministry

This story is found in 1 Kings 19: 19-21. One day, Elijah, a prominent prophet in Israel, found Elisha plowing a field. He went up to Elisha, threw his cloak on him, and walked away. Elisha, realizing that was an ordination to service, immediately slaughtered his oxen and used his plow to build a fire on which he roasted the oxen. Elisha gave up his everything, even his livelihood, and by so doing, ensured he was never going back to his life as a farmer. He severed all ties to his former way of life so he could be effective in his new vocation without any distraction. Elisha’s actions are reminiscent of the life God calls us into:

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy

1 Corinthians 5:17/ Ephesians 4:21- 24 NLT

So here are my first questions for you to ponder: What is distracting you from your life in Christ? What life’s distractions are preventing you from keeping your gaze ahead?

Elisha’s Desires for Growth: A Double portion

This event can be found in 2 Kings 2. Elisha found out that Elijah was retiring from his role as lead prophet. Elijah asked him what he wanted as a parting gift, to which Elisha responded, “a double portion of your anointing.” Elijah promised that Elisha would have what he asked for under one condition: that he would see him being taken away into heaven. On the day Elijah would be taken up to heaven, Elisha was on high alert and hyper-focused. Nothing was going to distract him from his goal. Even as he and Elijah journeyed along the way from Gilgal to the Jordan river, there were many opportunities to be swayed from his goal, but he refused to be sidetracked. He had his eyes on the prize and was acutely aware of what was at stake: a double portion of Elijah’s anointing.

I ask, after all is said and done, are you aware of what is at stake? What have you set your sights on?

Novice drivers learn very quickly that when you drive you unconsciously steer your vehicle wherever your eyes are focused to. If you look to the left, your car will drift to the left, and the same applies if you look to the right. Neither is it advisable to drive while looking exclusively in the rearview mirror. Apostle Paul, in the book of Hebrews, tells us where we need to fix our eyes as Christians.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. 

Hebrews 12:1-2a

Juxtaposing this scripture onto the one we read earlier from Proverbs 4, the path before us is our journey through life towards an eternal end. We are encouraged to stick to the path of truth in order to have a safe and smooth journey. And we do so by fixing our eyes on Jesus who is Truth, and the author and perfector of our faith. Detours along the way will lead to darkness. Jesus who is the only path to eternal life. Like Elisha, we need to strip off every weight that will slow us down or distract us from what is at stake: eternal life. Elisha indeed received the promise of a double portion of anointing because he was not distracted when Elijah was caught up into the heavens mid-conversation. Similarly, if we are undeterred, with our gaze firmly set on Jesus, we will make it safely home to eternal glory.

I conclude with a hymn written by Helen Lemmel in 1922. May its ancient words wash over you:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Yours Truly.

Posted on by zeevacawford

Grace Notes in a Noisy World

The world is loud. Not just with sounds, but with pressures, expectations, distractions, and endless noise vying for our attention. From the moment we wake up to the time our heads hit the pillow, we’re bombarded—by news, notifications, opinions, and to-do lists. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, be stretched thin, or feel spiritually numb.

But amidst all the noise, there are grace notes.

In music, a grace note is a small note—quick and delicate—that doesn’t carry the melody but adds something beautiful and subtle to the piece. It’s not essential to the structure, yet its presence enhances the music in ways that are almost hard to describe. It adds dimension, softness, and feeling.

And God? He fills our noisy days with grace notes too.

The Whisper of His Presence

In 1 Kings 19, we find Elijah standing on the mountain, weary and desperate to hear from God. A mighty wind comes—but God isn’t in the wind. Then an earthquake—still, no God. Then a fire—but again, no sign of Him. Finally, a gentle whisper… and that’s where God speaks.

Like Elijah, we often expect God to show up in big, dramatic ways. But more often, He speaks through quiet moments:

  • The warmth of sunlight through the window.
  • A kind word from a friend when you needed it most.
  • A verse that suddenly jumps off the page.
  • The unexpected peace in the middle of a storm.

These are the grace notes—soft, sacred moments that remind us He’s near.

Listening Differently

In a world that encourages us to hustle, prove ourselves, and always “stay in the loop,” it takes intention to pause and listen for grace. We must tune our hearts to hear what the noise often drowns out.

Jesus often withdrew to quiet places—not because He was escaping, but because He was connecting. He knew the value of silence, of margin, of soul space. We need that too.

Practicing this might look like:

  • Waking up a few minutes earlier to sit in stillness with God.
  • Putting your phone away while taking a walk.
  • Journaling the small blessings of your day.
  • Taking a deep breath before responding in frustration.

These small habits open up space to hear the grace notes that are always playing underneath the noise.

Grace for Today

Sometimes, the grace note is simply this: You’re not alone.

You don’t have to keep up with the pace of the world to stay in step with the Spirit. God’s grace doesn’t shout over the chaos—it sings quietly in the background, inviting us back to peace.

When the world feels loud, ask God to help you hear His melody again. It may not always come with trumpets or a spotlight, but it will come—in whispers of love, reminders of truth, and moments of rest.

Final Thought

May we become people who not only recognize the grace notes in our noisy world, but who also create them—in our words, our kindness, our presence. Because sometimes, the gentlest note carries the greatest weight.

Post by Zeeva

Author Bio: Zeeva Usman is an experienced content manager at Christian Marketing Experts and a content specialist at Salt of Heaven, where she uses her expertise to create impactful, faith-centered content. When she’s not crafting words, Zeeva finds joy in worshiping and singing for the Lord Jesus, drawing inspiration from her faith to encourage others.

Posted on by intentional4christ

May we never lose the wonder!

Growing up I looked forward to Palm Sunday with so much excitement. I was excited about finding the perfect palm branch that would be woven by my uncle into an intricate pattern to prepare for our hosanna march through the streets. You see, on Palm Sunday, it was not uncommon to hear kids from every corner of the city singing songs of adoration and waving intricately woven palm branches to Jesus, our King and Saviour.

Over the past few years and particularly this year, Palm Sunday and the Easter season has caught me by surprise. This is not because I did not know it was coming, I just have not felt as prepared for it as I have in my younger years. Whether I chock it up to the busyness of this past couple weeks or the sheer familiarity of the season, I recognize that over time, the magnificence of the season has been lost on me. I have forgotten how truly deep and overwhelming the story behind Easter is. And I am not alone in this.

There are some people who attend Easter services as their once-a-year “fulfill all righteousness” obligation. There are still many others who attend because that is what they have done for many decades of their lives. You attend Easter service. period. no questions asked. Many Christians have heard the Easter story so many times that the novelty has worn off. They know what is coming next in the story and there are no surprises there. This reminds me of the two men on the road to Emmaus. Here is their story:

That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago…Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself… By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem… Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.

Luke 24: 13-21, 27-33a, 35 NLT

I intentionally did not paraphrase this story because there are a few things I want you to note. On the way to Emmaus, these two men rehashed the events that had happened over the past three days over and over again. They kept at this conversation for a while until Jesus disrupted the monotony of the narrative by explaining to them the significance of the three-day event. This ignited something within them that they had never experienced before. They described it as a “burning in their hearts” but I describe it as WONDER! They experienced the wonder and depth of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

This story can be likened to many Christian traditions that will recount the events of those historic three-day period we have now come to know as Easter. And like those two men, perhaps many of us, even though we have heard the story over and over again, have never been caught up in the wonder and profoundness of it all. As we go into the Easter season this year, I pray that your eyes will be open to behold the beauty and the wonder of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I also pray that as you hear the same “old” story being re-told that something new will be (re)kindled in you. May your heart burn within you as your eyes are open to the wonder of it all. May we never lose the wonder of the Easter story.

Yours Truly.

 

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The Joy of Salvation: Shame & Guilt

For a long time in my life I have not felt joy. Desperate to feel joyful, I asked my counsellor, “How can I have more joy in my life?” For the next twelve months, we went through a series of exercises that would help me to be joyful. And after a year do I feel joyful? Well, the therapeutic exercises were eye-opening and helpful. I am certainly less stressed and less depressed. But joyful, I am not quite there yet. This is not because my therapist failed me or counselling did not work. Truth is, joy cannot be found through human undertakings.

One day last week, I heard God whisper to my heart that I am not joyful for three reasons: shame, guilt, and fear. God reminded me that because I have held on tightly to the shame and guilt of my past wrongs I am unable to enjoy His manifold blessings in my life. I feel undeserving of every good thing in my life because at some point in my life I decided that “if only people knew me, the real me, and the things I have done, they would not think so highly of me.” I have no joy because I live in bondage to shame, guilt, and fear.

Fortunately, God did not just drop this bombshell on me and leave me to wrestle with it alone. As God always does, He has also filled me with His encouragement on how to overcome guilt and shame so I can live a life full of joy. For the past few days, every scripture I have read has been a weapon to counteract the voices that scream “guilty,” “undeserving,” and “unworthy.” I will share one with you. Let this scripture wash over you:

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases… The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!

Psalm 103: 3, 8-18 NLT

God’s voice of truth reminds me that I am forgiven by a loving father who understands that I am only human. God does not accuse me, and neither is He angry or disappointed. My sins and missteps and associated guilt are removed as far as the east is from the west. In place of guilt and shame, God offers His love and salvation.

When we accept His free gift of salvation, God deposits His Spirit in us (2 Corinthians 1:22). The Holy Spirit fills us with His fruit which is joy, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22 – 23). This gift of joy is also known as the joy of salvation: the Holy Spirit is the conduit and joy is the fruit. Let me contextualize this with another scripture. When David was convicted of his sin after he had slept with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and killed him to cover up the ensuring pregnancy, he prayed (Psalm 51: 10-12 NLT):

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

The joy I speak of is not just the feeling of intense happiness; neither does it propose a state free of suffering and sorrow. It is that quiet confidence that I have knowing that regardless of whatever is going on around me I have found something of value: God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26). This is the joy of salvation. Jesus described this joy with many parables, one of my favourites being the parable of the treasure: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field…” Matthew 13: 44 NIV

Recognizing that in our salvation we have gained everything and then some (eternal life in glory) ought to fill us with great joy. But shame and guilt rob us of the privilege of experiencing this. Instead of appreciating the gift of salvation and all it brings, we shy away, and like our first parents Adam and Eve, we hide from God. Even though I know cerebrally that God loves me something fierce and unconditionally, shame tells me I am unworthy of this love that He so freely gives. What a sad way to live! However, this is not our reality at all. Our reality is more like this:

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

Zechariah 3:1- 4 NIV

Jesus takes away our filthy rags and exchanges them for His righteousness. Shame and guilt do not stand a chance when we stand in God’s love. With his nail-pierced hands, He points to the accuser and rebukes him for your sake. “Forgiven” ,“Redeemed” and “Loved” that is who you are. Now scroll back up and read Psalm 103: 3, 8-18. This ought to fill you with joy, the joy of salvation.

So what am I going to do with truth? I am going to spend sometime chatting with God about every thing from my past that brings me shame and guilt. I am going to speak God’s forgiveness over all of those situations and give myself permission to be forgiven. I am going to visualize God removing those sins as far away from me as the east is from the west and hold on to that visualization. This is so I can recall this image the next time shame or guilt comes calling. I am going to meditate on Psalm 103 until it sinks in. Finally, I am going to revel in the fact that God is my portion forever come what may! What a blessed assurance!

I may have to do every time guilt and shame rear their ugly heads. But soon it will get easier, and the process will be less onerous and less frequent as I lean in to the Holy Spirit and allow my heart to be overwhelmed by the joy of my salvation. I pray this for you too.

Yours truly.

p.s. I will deal with the topic of fear in another post. Stay tuned.

Posted on by intentional4christ

Monuments

For the past few weeks, I have been thinking about something I read about in the story of the Israelites as they crossed the Jordan into Jericho. Let’s read the scripture together:

So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.” Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down. Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.

Joshua 4: 4-9 BSB

Joshua, Israel’s new leader loved to erect monuments as reminders to Israelites. He erected two monuments, one in the Jordan River and one in their camp site after they crossed the Jordan River, as memorials of God’s faithfulness in keeping a longstanding promise to the Israelites. Later on we see that when Achan sinned against God, Joshua erected monument of stones over his grave to remind the Israelites to fear and obey God (Joshua 6). Whether as reminders of God’s faithfulness or His holiness, these monuments were important to Joshua. And every time he erected them, they were meant to point people back to God.

Now fast forward to the New Testament in Mark 13 and we see one of Jesus’ disciples describe the temple of Jerusalem. He said “Teacher, look at the magnificent stones and buildings!”  (vs. 1). But Jesus’ response was rather astonishing: “Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (vs. 2).

The temple of that day was a magnificent edifice, a monument, that had become significant to the Israelites. Unfortunately, the majesty that was accorded to the temple far surpassed that which was accorded to the God who inhabited the temple. Jesus pointed out to the disciple and anyone else who was listening that the manmade magnificent monument was going to come crashing down.

Let’s backtrack to Gen 11 where the early human race decided to erect a monument, a tower that reached up to the heavens.

“Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth.”

Gen 11:4 BSB

Their aim for erecting a monument could not have been more different from Joshua’s. The purpose of Tower of Babel was to make a name for themselves. As we go about our lives on a daily basis, our accomplishments and achievement become monuments and memorials that signal that we walked this earth and left a mark. Monuments are very important because they remind us of how far we have come (1 Samuel 7: 12). Monuments only become problematic when they do not point us and others towards God. When we begin to ascribe more majesty and glory to ourselves than the God who inhabits the temple of our bodies, then we are setting ourselves up for a great fall, where not one stone will be left on another!

Almost a year ago, one of our pastors in church preached a sermon from Gen 11 and she asked us to consider two important questions:

  1. What have I built in my own strength for my own fame that needs to be deconstructed?
  2. What towers have I built that shine a spotlight on my self instead of God?

Today, as you go about your life’s activities and work towards leaving a legacy behind, I ask you to consider these two questions above. If the stones of remembrance that you are erecting do not point you or others to God, then I encourage you to reorient your accomplishments back to the Source and Giver of good gifts. Jesus encouraged us that our works, our accomplishments, our fame, should always be for the glory of our Great God.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 BSB

This word is timely for me and hopefully for you as well. I leave you with the lyrics of this song:

All the glory must be to the Lord, Only He is worthy of our praise;

No one on earth should claim glory for Himself;

The glory must be to the Lord.

Yours Truly

Posted on by intentional4christ

Give us this day our daily bread

Manna. The bible describes manna as a white flaky substance that looked like coriander seeds, and tasted like wafers made with honey. Manna was the heavenly food that God provided for the Israelites during their forty-year sojourn through the wilderness. God spoke manna into being, and for 6 days/week, this food from heaven never failed to appear with the morning dew. Manna sustained the Israelites for decades, providing them with all the nutrition they needed on their pilgrimage to Canaan, their promised land.

Manna was physical evidence of the word of God that was manifest daily for the Israelites. They literally lived and survived on the words that had proceeded from the mouth of God- fresh manna almost every morning. That was the lesson of manna for the Israelites: that their daily survival depended on God’s word being activated as physical food (manna) to feed them.

Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 

Deuteronomy 8:3 NLT

You see, in the desert, God cautioned the Israelites not to save manna overnight but to expect a new batch everyday (except for day 6 where they would have to take extra to account for not working on the sabbath). Those who did not believe God’s word stocked up and the next day the manna became maggot-ridden. Those who also went out to gather manna on the sabbath were sorely disappointed. The Israelites had to rely on the very word that came out of the mouth of God. Any deviation from those words led to epic disappointments in their daily sustenance.

Fast-forward to the New Testament and we see Jesus teaching the disciples to pray. He taught them to pray thus:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

Matthew 6: 9-11 NLT

This statement would have resonated with the disciples who would have been familiar with the story of their ancestors eating manna in the desert. Jesus was teaching the disciples that just as the Israelites depended on God then for their daily bread (manna), so were they to depend on God for their daily sustenance. Manna was not about physical food only; it was about learning to trust in the word of God as what sustains life.

When we pray, “give us this day our daily bread,” we should not only be concerned about our physical and material needs. We need to be asking God for his life giving word, our manna, for the day. We ought to be praying, “God, what word do I need to survive the day?” We should be connecting to the source of life, which is the word of God. Jesus reminds us that the words he spoke (and continues to speak over us) are spirit and they are life (John 6:63 KJV).

So instead of only making a barrage of requests to God to meet our physical and material needs, would you consider thinking of your daily bread as a life-sustaining word from God? If so, then next time when you pray, ask God to give you a word for the day: one that would not only nourish your body but will also feed your soul. Perhaps you might want to pray:

My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!

Psalm 119:25 ESV

Now lets take this a little deeper. John 1:1 tells us in no uncertain terms that Jesus is the word of God personified. And if Jesus is God’s word, then He is the manna I have been talking about so far. Jesus is the life sustaining word we need on a daily basis. Jesus Himself confirmed this to over 5000 people who had just witnessed Him perform an epic miracle of providing food for them. They said:

Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 

John 6:31-35 NIV

Jesus is our Manna and our daily bread. So when Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray “give us today our daily bread,” He was essentially saying to them just ask for more of him. Earlier I challenged you to pray for a word from God everyday. Well, if you are unsure how to pray for this, then just pray for more of Jesus everyday. He is the word of God, and your daily bread of life.

I encourage you to pray “give us our daily bread” every day throughout the month of March and see how God answers that prayer. I can guarantee that you notice a difference in your month: You will experience more of Jesus!

Yours truly.