The Good and Bad Life

As humans there are many questions which we are sometimes forced to think about especially after a tragedy or an unpleasant event. In those sometimes rare moments of reflection, when we sit down quietly or take a solitary walk in the park just thinking about things: Is Assad really responsible for the shelling of all those innocent lives in Syria, including children? Will I really die someday? And if so, what will happen? Will I know? What state is a person when they die anyway, after all it is popularly said that man is a spirit being that lives in a body and has a soul? What happens to the soul of man when the body dies; does the soul die too? What about the spirit? What part does that play at death?
These questions are not in themselves exciting or palatable but if one accepts that death is inevitable and that man is a tripartite being, then it really should not be much of a stretch to wonder what would happen to one when one day the body does give up.In Christianity, we believe that Christ, Jesus Christ, has swallowed up death in victory. Yes, but what does that mean? and why is that relevant to you? To understand this, one would have to understand that as man is said to be tripartite, so is God. That is God the father, the Son, and the Spirit.
We Christians believe that all three were present at the time of creation. That is to say we believe not in the Big Bang theory but in the word of God which says God created the world by his word (Genesis 1).We believe that God spoke the world into being and made the first man Adam, and out of him, his wife, Eve (Genesis 1 v 27). And that when man fell by reason of disobedience, as manifested in Eve

IMAGINE BEING ADOPTED BY GOD! (2)

Jesus said, ‘Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.’ You need to become a little child again, to allow yourself the kind of relationship with the Lord that you may have missed; to allow Him to heal and adjust the damaged places of your past. God provides arms that allow adults to climb up like little children and be nurtured through the pain of earlier days. The new birth gives you a chance to start over. God will not abuse you when you come to Him. Through praise, you approach Him like a toddler on unskilled legs. In worship, you kiss His face and are held securely in His embrace. He has no ulterior motive, for His embrace is safe. That’s why it’s important that you learn how to worship and adore Him. Even if you were exposed to grown-up situations when you were a child, God can reverse what you’ve been through. Here’s what He told His people: ‘I passed by and saw you kicking about…and as you lay there…I said to you, ‘Live!’ I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became…beautiful…I…covered your nakedness. I…entered into a covenant with you…and you became mine. I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments’ (Ezekiel 16:6-10 NIV). And God can do that for you too.

IMAGINE BEING ADOPTED BY GOD! (1)

The Bible says, ‘…[We] received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…’ (15-17 NKJV). Adoptive parents understand what it’s like to have an emptiness in their hearts, to search, to set out on a mission, to take responsibility for a child with a troubled past and an uncertain future. And that’s what God did for you. Knowing full well the trouble you’d be, and what it would cost, He sought you, found you, paid the price for you, took you home, gave you His name and the right to call Him ‘Abba’, which means ‘Daddy’, a term of endearment. Adoption isn’t something you earn, it’s a gift you receive. You’d never hear adoptive parents say, ‘We’d like to adopt little Mary but first we want to know—does she have a house, money for tuition, a ride to school in the morning and clothes to wear every day?’ The adoption agency would say, ‘Hold on, you’re not adopting her because of what she has, but because of what she needs. She needs love, hope, a home and a future.’ You don’t earn the Spirit of adoption, you receive it by faith. That’s important, because if you can’t gain it by your stellar efforts, you can’t lose it through your poor performance. How reassuring! And it gets better; you’re an ‘heir’ to all your Father owns. That means you’ll never have a need He cannot or will not meet. How good is that?

WALKING ON WATER (3)

Let’s observe two final things: 1) Between the dread and the devastation, look for the Deliverer. Picture a boat lashed by huge waves, and frightened disciples who thought they were going under. They forgot the promise: ‘God is…a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…’ (1-2 NKJV). They didn’t look for Jesus to rescue them. Yet as the night advanced and things looked hopeless, ‘…Jesus went to them, walking on the sea’ (Matthew 14:25 NKJV). Did they rejoice? No, their fear intensified and they said, ‘…It’s a ghost!...’ (14:26 NKJV). Look out! Your fear can distort your perceptions and make you see the answer as just another problem. Often what appears a threat is actually a blessing about to manifest itself. For example, you lose your job and God opens up a better one, but your fear and inadequacy make you avoid the interview. Look to Jesus in your time of fear; when He takes away the lesser it’s always to give you the greater. 2) God’s best always requires facing what you fear. Jesus called Peter to come to Him. Deciding it was safer in the storm with Jesus than in the boat without Him, Peter walked toward Him. But there’s always a moment after you step out in faith when you hear, ‘What if I’m not up to this?’ Peter heard it, and the waves began to engulf him. Panicked, he called and Jesus immediately rescued him. Peter wasn’t drowning; he was learning and growing! When you walk by faith, even your failures will lead to success. So step out with Jesus; He won’t let you drown.

WALKING ON WATER (2)

Notice: 1) Trouble doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. The disciples learned that Jesus may be out of sight, but He’s never out of touch. To ‘…walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV) means sometimes you’ll walk in darkness without visible cues. Someone put it this way: ‘When you can’t trace His hand, you can trust His heart.’ When the disciples were being tossed like a cork on the waves, Jesus was up on a mountain praying for them! He was aware of the problem and He was working on the solution. He was their mediator and their ‘need meet-er’, just as He has one hand on your need and the other on your answer. ‘…He always lives to intercede for [you]’ (Hebrews 7:25 NIV). Can you imagine Jesus praying to the Father for His fear-filled disciples? And can you imagine the Father refusing to answer His prayers? Never! ‘…The Spirit himself intercedes for us…’ (Romans 8:26 NIV). With both Jesus and the Holy Spirit talking to the Father on your behalf, your victory is guaranteed. 2) Between the command to ‘Go’ and your safe arrival on the other side, there’s often a crisis. Jesus commanded them to cross to the other shore, but before the trip was completed their world experienced upheaval. What’s buffeting your life today—loss, guilt, loneliness, financial reversal, illness, addiction, rejection? When our faith is low and our fear high, we cry, ‘If only I had (or hadn’t)…If only I could…’ Learn to trust God. It’s not over until He says so. And He hasn’t!

WALKING ON WATER (1)

When you find yourself in trouble, do you sometimes think, ‘I must have done something wrong, perhaps I’ve missed God’s will and He’s punishing me’? No. Trouble is multi-sourced, and frequently unrelated to our wrongdoing or God’s punishment. The disciples weren’t in the storm by disobeying, but by obeying Jesus; not by rejecting God’s will, but by embracing it. The Bible says, ‘…Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go…’, and they obeyed. At times you’ll find yourself in troubled waters because you did what was right rather than what was popular, easy or selfish. When that happens, here are some helpful lessons from the disciples’ experience: 1) Obedience doesn’t guarantee there will be no storms. The disciples had just seen Jesus feed five thousand people with five bread rolls and two fish, and end up with more food than He started with. Shouldn’t their faith have been strengthened? Yet they forgot it completely when fear came knocking. Jesus had told them He’d meet them on the other shore, yet they forgot His miracle-working power and His promise and gave in to anxiety. Understand this: When God doesn’t solve your problem, He will show up in the middle of it and cause you to come out with your faith fortified. 2) Fear doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It’s just a reminder that you’re human, and, like the disciples, you’ve forgotten Who has the power and Who’s in charge. And these are lessons that transform your trial into triumph.