I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
But sometimes I wonder what He can do for me
No great success to show, no glory of my own
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on
Raised in His power, the weak becomes strong
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect

My brothers and I nicknamed my dad, Papa Lee, last week among the thousand other nicknames he has lol. This particular one was given him because of his recent fascination with a biography series about the life of Bruce Lee. In case you are a millennial without any clue who Bruce is, this nineties girl will enlighten you in a short Wikipedia history. I actually did not know any of this information until I researched for this article. Lol.

Bruce Lee is a well known name in Hollywood’s hall of fame. For many old school fans of martial arts movies, he is considered the most influential martial artist of all time; developing his own branch of martial arts known as Jeet Kune Do. He was a celebrated movie actor, director, producer, philosopher among other achievements. After a quick read about him, you will like me, conclude that he led a very illustrious life on earth. A quick search online will give you more than enough content to turn this article into a boring or maybe interesting history of a multi talented Chinese/Hong Kong fighter but thankfully, that is not the reason why I’m writing or the reason you are reading this. Lol. So we move.

My brothers and I wondered why my dad was so taken by this particular biography. My dad explained that the character of Bruce was fascinating to him. He described Bruce as an extremely intelligent, focused, talented, arrogant, perfectionist and workaholic who was absolutely brilliant at what he did. I took the time to sit in with my dad in one episode one evening and guess what? It was the last episode. Coincidence or the Holy Spirit? This article is proof of which it is.

In the episode, Bruce blacked out while shooting a movie called, “Enter the Dragon” (name gave me the creeps honestly). I discovered that he had experienced several similar blackouts in previous episodes and these blackouts elongated progressively. According to the doctors in the film, Bruce had by his enthusiasm for martial arts and movie making, stretched his body beyond limit, even to the point where he had no iota of fat in his body. The doctors considered him a walking man of steel (step aside Superman, you’ve got nothing on Bruce). After the diagnosis, following his recent blackout, a recommendation was made to him which we will discuss later in the write-up.

Anyway, right before I fell asleep, the plot of the film reached its climax. Bruce Lee was preparing to act His last movie, “Game of Death” (which also gave me the creeps). I would love to tell you I was awake to catch all the juicy details but I went to La La Land. Later in the night, when I woke and consulted with my dad, I was told death beat Bruce at the game. I was shocked. Bruce was a virile 32 year old with a body of steel before I dozed off. Now he was dead. (well technically he died in 1973). Did he die from an accident? Was he assassinated? Was he poisoned? What caused his death?

No rest.

One crucial thing the doctor told Bruce was that he needed to rest. He needed to allow his body, mind and emotions to take a break, to be treated and to heal. Rest. Although a prescription drug is considered the trigger of the brain edema which killed him, doctors believed it was largely due to a slow unseen breakdown of a system pushed far beyond its limit. He died from lack of rest. And so at a ripe young age of 32, with a final blackout, Bruce expired. Tragic. Avoidable. Yet inevitable.

With this super long introduction, it would be nice to talk about the advantages of taking a long nice vacation to rest on an island just to sip cool coconuts and bask in warm beautiful sunsets. Which is good. But there is a better offer of rest I want to discuss which you can enjoy from the comfort or discomfort of your home (hopefully it is the former).

There are many Bruce Lee Christians. We have embodied religion like steel but we are internally breaking down. Often unbeknownst to us. Unfortunately, the religious machine we rely on will suddenly shutdown because it runs mercilessly without halt. We are doing everything and anything for God. We are playing “the Game of Death- Religion Version.” The spiritual fainting spells and blackouts are warning us that something is off but we have refused to accept what the Doctor is offering. Rest. We are running around feeling superficially strong when our spiritual bodies are clearly protesting the futility of our ways.

On the outside we seem fine. We are clearly doing church. Present in the front seat every Sunday (excluding those reserved for the deacons and elders) even on weekdays and holidays. Singing in the choir. Looking very spiritual. Speaking mighty tongues and lifting holy hands in worship. Fasting 21 days and binding every demon in the milky way. Yet in spite of all these activities, we feel dry. We are sick emotionally, physically and cognitively. We are missing divine realities. We feel at the same time unfulfilled and overwhelmed with life. We cannot seem to grasp the spark of the Faith we so profess. We are aware of how hard we have been trying to live right. We are paying tithe without fail. Eating holy communion. Constantly asking forgiveness for our wrongs. Obeying commandments and fleeing from sin even faster than Joseph run from Potiphar’s tempting wife. Yet still, the spark of our Faith is elusive. We seem strong to the eyes of the world and sometimes even to ourselves. But the yoke of religion is terribly heavy and difficult to pull. Like Bruce, we may suddenly close our eyes and never wake.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matt. 11:28-30

There are many of us Christians that need to revisit this offer from Jesus Christ. Why? Because we have become so lost in our own burdensome works. If you are not a Believer, this offer is also for you.

Hebrews 4 says in verses 9-11, There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their [disobedient Israel’s] example of disobedience.

Why act “the Game of Death”? When we can take the recommended rest presented freely. This is an eternal vacation we don’t pay a single dime for. We receive a rest so perfect and true. The kind that is not centered on a place but a being. The kind that permeates spirit, soul and body. The kind that secures our existence here, now and forever. Rest in Jesus Christ.

He clearly tells us union with Him will present rest for our souls. So if you are missing rest, if your yoke is heavy and burden thick and weighty, then I prescribe a re-examination of whether you are yoked to Christ. He promises freedom, ease and lightness.

How do we enter this rest? Simply by believing in Him as Savior and Lord of our lives. How do we fully benefit? Understanding and accepting to the fullest extent all of what Christ has done for us. I cannot explain how crucial this gift is. It is the best reality of my entire life. I recommend it to you.

You know, Bruce Lee never accepted the doctor’s recommendation. He was convinced he could keep on in the same direction he had previously been. He did not allow the doctors to treat him. He did not allow his friends and family to convince him. He decided to rest after shooting the Game of Death. But death did the shooting instead. He never got to take the rest avidly advocated by those who cared for him and his health. Some might say he is at rest now. Well, that is to be discovered when this life is no more.

Jesus Christ loves us dearly. It is His desire to give us 100% rest in every nook and cranny of our lives. Time and time again, He proffers this precious gift to anyone who would take a second to listen to Him and another second to accept.

What did the Psalmist say in verse 7 & 8 of chapter 95 and the writer in Hebrews 4? “Today when you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.”

Awaken.

I discovered this song as I wrote this and have had it on repeat. Come to an end of your strength and hook up with the perfect strength. Grace upon grace.

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Jesus friend of sinners, open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers.

Let our hearts be led by mercy.

Help us see with open hearts and open doors.

Jesus friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours.

Why is the human race so prone to hypocrisy? Have you ever been a hypocrite? Are you mulling over whether you have been one or not? Because the answer is, “You have!” Wait. Are you saying no in your mind? Because then you would add “lying” to the fact that you actually have been hypocritical at a certain time in your life.

Every one of us has been a hypocrite in one way or another, or at a particular time in our lives. We expect others to meet a standard that we are ourselves lacking. We expect people to be moral when we are unable to be moral, we don’t want people gossiping about us even though we gossip about others. We expect people to be fair when we are unfair.

Classic example straight out of the good, no, best book. Specifically, John chapter 8. A bunch of Pharisees (who have become synonymous with hypocrisy) throw a woman at Jesus’ mercy. They are ready to crush her head into brain putty with rocks and stones. All they require is the bang of the gavel from Jesus. But Jesus does what He does that makes me love Him so much. He bends down and writes in the sand. (which isn’t what I’m speaking of. lol). He makes one of the most poignant statements I have ever heard in human history. “Alright, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

Silence!

Now that Jesus has silenced us, let us try to understand the reasons why like the Pharisees who had the embarrassment of their lives, we throw people to the ground ready to stone them. Mind you, I believe we have each also been thrown to the ground at the end of someone else’s rock.

You see, like the Pharisees, we do it because it fuels our self-importance and self-approval. It’s a subtle ego booster. The more we magnify someone else’s flaws, the less we see ours. Maybe no one will get to see how we’re messing up in our own lives. We put on a show for the imaginary crowd. Maybe we sincerely believe we have it all together. But no. That is where we are wrong. Understand this, if we are going to hold someone to a certain standard, then we must ourselves appraise our lives by the same measure. And the truth is that we fall short!

That is why Jesus asked in Matthew 7, why are you so concerned with the speck in your brother’s eye when you haven’t taken out the plank in yours. Deal with yours first before you can deal with another’s. (paraphrased). According to Jesus, the more you magnify your neighbor’s flaws, there’s an automatic magnification of yours. If you can’t see your own glaring flaws, how can you see someone else’s flaws clearly. Jesus in those words simply communicates to us that we not the best judges of ourselves. Do you know why? We usually judge others by our own standards (which is sub-standard at best). I mean consider the scenario of the accused woman. It takes two to tango, yet somehow, only one dance partner showed up at the trial. Smh. (Sub-standard Human Standard).

Pastor Mike Novotny explains the same text (Matthew 7) in such a beautiful way. Once we take a look at the plank in our eyes and try to deal with it, we realize how difficult it is to change or discipline ourselves. We discover our helplessness. We realize even more how much of grace we need.

You see, once we humbly approach the giver of grace, Jesus Christ, we receive grace to overcome. And by this, we are better positioned to approach that other person; be it a bro or sis, friend or family who has the speck, with the same grace we have received. At this point, we are truly helpful to that person. Wonderful right?

So instead of hurting those around us with the eye plank which blinds us to the right way to take out their  speck, let us take time to experience God’s grace to heal our flaws so that we can extend that same grace to others. In the same vein, others will extend grace to us. 

Remember, Jesus was perfect. He had no plank in His eye. And no one extended grace to the imperfect or sinful more than He did. 

See this, if each of us is working on taking out the planks in our eyes, discovering grace and extending grace to each other, won’t we be better built up? Loving each other. Getting better and better together.

There are many theories regarding what Jesus may have written in the sand that day. Most theories point to this action as an act of grace toward the woman and judgement toward her accusers. I would like to believe that as accusations were thrown at the helpless woman from left, right and center, he probably wrote grace and mercy in the dust for that lady (I really wish the disciples had taken a peek and told us though).

Notwithstanding, until we have been at the end of a killing stone and received of Jesus’ mercy, we will hold that stone in our hand and be at His judgement.

Remember, when we are not blinded by our self-righteousness, we see with compassion and grace.

Awaken.

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A very good one. Do y’all listen to the songs I post. (just wondering)

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