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 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.

 

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.

Posted on by intentional4christ

Your Kingdom Come

Over the past month, I have been following the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land. And I have been intrigued and awestruck by God’s mighty power among the Israelites. From parting the Red Sea to opening up the earth to swallow up Korah, and everything and everyone associated with him, the Israelites experienced a raw demonstration of God’s power. This week, I am in the book of Deuteronomy and here, Moses is nearing the end of his tenure of leadership and time on earth. In one of his final speeches to the Israelites, he summarizes their experience of God’s rule and authority thus:

“Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived? Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes. “He showed you these things so you would know that the LORD is God and there is no other. He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today. “So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other… Deuteronomy 4: 32-39 NLT

If you rushed through reading these verses, I encourage you to go back and read slowly and picture what is happening in the texts. Allow yourself to be amazed by what these Israelites experienced with their own eyes! God demonstrated to the Israelites that He was truly a God both in heaven and on earth! Now lets fast forward to the New Testament where the disciples ask Jesus how to pray and make some connections. Jesus teaches his disciples (and us) to pray:

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 BSB

As the Israelites sojourned through the desert and into the Promised Land, they experienced the Kingdom of God among them. For them, the Kingdom of God may have looked like rolls of thunder, flashes of lightning, the voice of God amidst clouds of fire and billowing smoke- the sheer terror of it all! But they also experienced the providence and provision of God- food, water, shelter, protection from wild animals and other nations. More importantly, they had the tangible presence of God with them day and night. God sat as a cloud over the Tabernacle:

Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle…Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the LORD hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys. Exodus 40: 34, 35-38 NLT

The Israelites were constantly reminded that God was with them and for as long as they let Him, He was their King and Captain of their army. His kingdom “had come” for them. In light of the experiences of the Israelites in the wilderness, I ask myself, “What does it mean for us today when we pray God’s Kingdom come?”

In the current dispensation in which we live, it is easy to forget that God is still as powerful as He was back then. We do not see Him like they did or hear Him amidst the billowing smoke like they did. In fact, for many of us, praying His Kingdom come is asking for something we presume to be metaphorical. But let me challenge this presumption: God’s Kingdom is not a metaphor.

He is still doing the miraculous among us on a daily basis, In fact, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and by the workings of His Holy Spirit, He is more accessible to us and even more so present with us than He was then. We seldom see his Kingdom here on earth not because it is not here, but because His Kingdom has been reduced to commonplace in our lives. Scientific and evidence-based discoveries have taken more pre-eminence in our world. The abilities that God gave humankind through the Adamic blessings in the garden of Eden- the ability to create and multiply knowledge, till the knowledge of God fills the whole earth have become perverted (then and even more so now), that we no longer see God’s Kingdom at work among us. The Kingdom of God is still manifest in the clouds, in the seas, in the mountains just as the Israelites experienced. We just do not see it anymore.

When we pray His Kingdom come, I believe we are asking to see manifestations of His power at work in our lives. We are asking for the intangible to be made tangible. We are asking for that which is hidden or has become taken-for-granted to be revealed in our everyday world. We are asking for the God of Heaven to be revealed on earth in palpable ways. We are asking to be awestruck by His power and presence among us. We are asking not just to be known by God but to know Him enough that we can see Him at work in the ordinary things as well as the complex ones. That is what I believe we pray for when we say “Your Kingdom come.” We are acknowledging that The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other (Deuteronomy 4: 39). God’s Kingdom is all around us, and more importantly in each of us who have come to know Him as our King (I will pick this up in another post soon).

I conclude with a hymn I learned as a child to remind us all of God’s kingdom among us (If you know this hymn belt it out as you reflect on God’s Kingdom come):

1. I sing the almighty power of God, that made the mountains rise, that spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies. I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day; the moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey.

2. I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food, who formed the creatures thru the Word, and then pronounced them good. Lord, how thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye, if I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.

3. There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes thy glories known, and clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from thy throne; while all that borrows life from thee is ever in thy care; and everywhere that we can be, thou, God, art present there.

Yours Truly.

Posted on by intentional4christ

Our Father who art in heaven…

In my readings this week, the Israelites have journeyed from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai where God was to meet with them. They spent three days consecrating themselves and preparing for this moment of meeting with God. Finally, the day arrived and Mount Sinai was covered in smoke and fire. God descended onto the mountain amidst thunder and lightning and the blast of a ram’s horn. However, the anticipation and maybe excitement the Israelites were feeling very quickly turned to fear.

When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”

Exodus 20:18-19 NLT

So terrified were they of God and so fearful were they for their lives that the Israelites did not want to have a personal relationship with God. They were content to know God from afar, through Moses as a mediator. Earlier on, God had revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14 as YHWH- I AM. This name was the most revered name of God that the Israelites would not even dare speak this name out loud (There remains some Jews to this day who replace YHWH or any proposed transcription forms of the word, such as Yahweh or Yehovah, with other names of God rather than say that name aloud). Psalm 103:7 tells us what kind of relationship God had with the Israelites: He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel (BSB). The Israelites knew God by the things they saw Him do: their deliverance from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea so they could walk across, the provision of food and water in the desert, and keeping their neighbours at bay while they sojourned to their Promised Land. But Moses, on the other hand, knew God’s ways and His character.

As generations came and went, God continued to show the Israelites that He was the I AM: Anything and Anyone they needed Him to be. Now fast forward to the New Testament and one day Jesus is approached by one of His disciples who says, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus opens up with what would have been the most unheard of phrase: Our Father…

Our Father? Are we talking about the same God whose very name simultaneously evoked fear and deep reverence? You mean that God? Even though the Lord’s prayer is so commonplace now that sometimes we miss the power in the words, to the disciples hearing this for the first time this would have been a shocking and novel concept. Jesus, through his miracles, was showing the people of that time the deed of God but was also steering them towards knowing Him beyond the deeds. He was introducing them to the concept of God as ABBA FATHER, a concept that would sweep through the early church and be passed down through faithful stewards to us today. In fact, we do not even need the Lord’s prayer to remind us that God is our father. That is one of the workings of the Holy Spirit: to tell us that we have a Heavenly Father.

Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father.

Galatians 4:6 CEV

Did you know that it was not only Moses that saw God’s face? Although the Israelites were afraid to approach God and Mount Sinai for that matter, there were at least 73 other people who went up the mountain to see God but did not die as the Israelites had feared.

Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

Exodus 24:9-11 NLT

The rest of the Israelites had nothing to fear at all. They also could have approached God just like the other 73 to eat and drink in God’s presence and have fellowship with Him. The same thing applies to us today who have come to hear about the character of God as our Father. We have no excuse. Others are enjoying this side of God: I AM FATHER. So if you are not, why not? What is standing in your way? What are you afraid of?

Join me today as we proclaim:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Yours Truly