Father we love You.  We praise You.  We adore You.  Glorify Thy name in all the earth. Glorify Thy name. Glorify Thy name. Glorify Thy name in all the earth.

I wonder why Jesus said these words:

“I am the way, the truth and the life…”
John 14:6

Jesus said many things during His ministry on earth. He told the world that He had come as a Savior in order to make the Father known. He also made one of the most profound statements that would ever be uttered; that He is the way, the truth and the life. I want us to dissect the text a little bit.

First, take note of the use of the definitive pronoun. “I” in the statement. In a world where pronouns are starting to lose their meanings and any standard definition is begginning to lose firm ground, this word, “I” is important. It was and is not meant for just anyone. It did not refer to a random person. Not you. Not me. Not they-them. Not any of the disciples with Jesus Christ. Not a group of people. Not the religious leaders. Jesus was referring to Himself. As what? As the way, the truth and the life. Now, the emphasized word “the” is another important use of reference. It is a definite article, and also notable. According to the dictionary, is denotes that there is *only one*. Just one!

Considering these words Jesus uttered, anyone listening to Him must have thought “Whoa! This man is crazy”. No wonder the Bible says that some of His sayings were so hard to accept that many abandoned Him (John 6:60). What audacity must cause a man to claim not only to be the way, but the truth and then the life. So what about every other way people knew of? What about their personal perceptions of truth? What about ways they had carved out for themselves? What about their human lives? Did it matter at all? Jesus was essentially saying to them that all of that was nothing. “I am the embodiment of life”

What discussion led to Jesus make this statement? Jesus was telling those who followed Him about a place beyond the existence of the earth (John 14:1-5). He was telling them that life after death existed, and that life after death was controlled by God. He was telling them that after death, there was a reward for His followers. He informed His followers that there was life after death for them.  However, His followers at the time wondered how they could go where Jesus spoke of to collect the rewards that He had mentioned. They asked Jesus to show them the way. Jesus told them that they knew the way because He was the way.

Interestingly throughout this discourse, the use of the definitive article is used. This leaves one wondering why Jesus and His disciples spoke as they did? As though nothing else matters but this end. Jesus called God the Father. Meaning there is truly only one Father. He continued then declaring who He is. Although the conversation with His followers was about going somewhere it ended up being about who Jesus is. Jesus did not end by saying He is the way leading to the place He had spoken of. He continued further to say two other things. That He is the truth. And that He is also the life. The way, the truth, and the life is a person.

Why go a step further? I always believe that Jesus is always a step ahead. I want to zoom onto His second statement that He is the truth.

We live in a world now where truth is pushed into subjectivity. Now more than ever, these statements are common: ‘This is my truth’. ‘Know your truth’. ‘My truth is what I think about me’. ‘You determine your truth’. ‘No one can tell you what your truth should be’. ‘Speak out your truth’. ‘I determine what is true’. Truth has become fickle.

Truth according to the world is now subject to everyone’s whim and desire. The world wants a fluid truth. ‘Don’t tell me what is right or wrong. I determine that for myself’. ‘I am my own truth’ is the gospel of the world to itself as it continually elevates self-worship, self-adoration and self-glory over God. ‘The man sitting in the sky cannot come and tell me how to live my life’. ‘If He loves me or even exists, then He has to love what I do, support all my sins, and handle my truth’. ‘Who has the right to say that what I do is a sin anyway?’

There’s is a part is the passion of Christ movie that is unforgettable to me. In a discourse between Jesus and Pontius Pilate, Pilate had qualms about crucifying Jesus. He asked Jesus, “What is truth?” The people who wanted Jesus Christ crucified had said so many things about Him. And Pilate wondered what the truth was.

Today, that is the critical question of this age. What is truth? What is the truth that transcends all generations no matter the shifting shapes of time? Jesus makes it clear. It is Him. Truth is a person. And that person is Jesus Christ.

Jesus reveals to His disciples something so critical to life. Which is, despite the many ways of the world, there is one way that really matters. It is the one that leads to the Father. There are many good and bad fathers. There are many relationships that exist but the one that is important is the one with the only true Father and only that really matters. There is only one truth. And that is Him because He leads to the Father. There is only one life to live and that is His life (Galatians 2:20).

Taking us down history, we learn that centuries ago in a world of polytheists the Israelites believed in one God. They were what we call monotheistic.  They were hated for that. All the nations that surrounded them were polytheists.  Believers of many ways. Many gods. Many truths. And even many lives. No definite standard.

Christians today are hated and rejected for believing in one way, one truth, one life. One God. One salvation. One faith. One baptism. One way to heaven. Rejected for saying Jesus is the truth like He said. The world wants a polytheist many ways to many gods where their personal truth leads them to themselves. And they have crowned themselves as their owns gods. They do not want to be confronted with accountability to someone who demands a higher standard. They do not want a definite place after death to be held accountable. They would rather turn into a plant or dirt when they die.

Truth, subject to the world has changed so much.  In a world where stability is almost non-existent, Jesus is the truth. He brings stability. He is the life. The only life worth living is the life of Christ. One would ask how? Jesus said said it, “Believe in Me.” When you believe in Him, He prepares a place for you in the House of His Father. When you believe in Him, you begin to live His life. Because you give up yours for His.

Do you have your truth? Your own standard? It is unwise to measure yourself by your own self and your own standard.

Yes, you can ask me, “how do you know that what Jesus said is true?” History testifies. Truth endures. I believe it to be so. I believe that He came from God and that He is God And when I believed, He has by many ways confirmed to me that I have chosen the truth.

I cannot defend God. He needs no  defender. But I can testify of Him. And that is what I can offer you.

We all believe in something. Some believe in God. Some also believe in self. Our own standards. Our own good works. Our own abilities. Our own truths. Some believe that we are our own gods. Our own masters. But even though that may present itself as true, it is grossly false. It is so interesting that in Genesis 3, the only time man by his judgement considered something to be good was right before eating the fruit in the garden. He judged the fruit by how pleasant it looked to his eyes and the godhood it promised him. But his own judgement led to his fall.  He moved from God’s higher standard to create His own standard.  His own concept of what was good in direct contradiction to the direction of God. A wrong one. How does the creation determine good and bad?

We all came from someone. None of us made ourselves. We were born. There is no one in the world right now who was not born. We do not pre-exist and that proves our inherent weakness. Our inherent shortcoming. We are created. And where there is a creation, then there is a creator who cannot be denied. And the creator sets the standards. The creator determines the truth. The way. And the life. Submit yourselves to God and be saved. Seek the truth while He may still be found. The truth will set you free from yourself.

The path to the truth is the knowledge of Jesus. The knowledge of the truth through belief gives you life. The life you receive is Jesus Christ who is the eternal God. The eternal life you’ll live is Christ. So many things have been said about Jesus but believe what He says about Himself. He is the way, the truth, and the life.

Veritas. Jesus is the objective Veritas.

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I press towards the mark of the high calling. I’m pressing on to reach my goal. I press toward the mark of the high calling.

I press. I press. I press.

I forget those things that are behind me and I stretch myself to what’s ahead of me. I press towards the mark of the high calling.

I press. I press. I press.

I will never give up.

I’ve been binge watching Netflix competitive shows for a while now. My favourites are obstacle courses that test your endurance, perseverance, tenacity, strength and determination. I found a particularly captivating one that had me on my tippy toes. “The Ultimate Beast-Master”.

It was a joy to watch athletes put in their very best to overcome greatly challenging obstacles and tests of their strength and will to win. A particular athlete quickly stood out for me. Firstly, because he had a beautiful family and a super cute baby rooting for him. Secondly, because he was previously diagnosed with autoimmune multiple sclerosis but had overcome the disease to become a full blown athlete. Thirdly, because there was a light about him I couldn’t quite place my finger on. I just found myself rooting for him from the start.

By the semi-finals, a little background story revealed him to be a Christian missionary. At first, I thought, “every Christian missionary should look like that!” Lol. It was no wonder that I just supported the super ripped handsome Christian guy on the TV.

Now to the fun part. I hope I describe the scenario properly.

The semi-finals was down to six athletes and only the top three could progress to the final. The obstacle course comprised three separate parts. Each athlete had a chance to go at it twice. Therefore, if they failed at the first try, they had the chance to try it one more time although with a penalty.

The first athlete to run the course had a whopping mark which put him at the top of the leader board because he managed to run through the first and second parts of the course.

My favourite, whom I will call Christian was the second athlete to run the course. Before he run, he spoke about his missionary experience and love for God. He also shared another significant thing. The scripture he had read that morning. Psalm 115. He stated that he was not in the race for himself, but for the Lord because the Lord had given him the strength to run. And he wanted all glory to belong to God. Lastly, he said this, “it is not about competing, I am running my own race to win the prize.”

Wow. If I was half-heartedly rooting for him at the beginning, he had my full support from this point until the end.

Now, let me get to the interesting part of this story. Christian started the first part of the course, and just as he was almost at the end of it, he fell! Bummer right? He had a decision to make. He either had to use his lifesaver to run the course again (therefore loosing some points) and hope to finish the first part completely, or reject the lifesaver and stick with the points he had – hoping he could still somehow make it to the finals. Bear in mind that he was unable to beat the athlete in first place. He had no idea how the other athletes after him would do. His marks were also average at best. But he said something. He said that a voice deep inside him had told him not to do it again. He had done his best with his strength. Christian admitted that the area he had failed at was a weakness for him as an athlete and he was not sure he would be able to finish it even if he did it a second time. Yikes! I’ll bet that people thought he was a quitter.

The commentators called his decision a chess move of chance. I called it faith. He took a leap of faith. To be honest, the odds were against him. There were four excellent athletes attempting the course after him who had done waaay better than he did in previous rounds. His decision seemed to be completely foolish. The worst thing was that the immediate athlete who run the course just just after Christian messed up at the same place he did but decided on a do over. That do over took that athlete at first place and put Christian in danger of being eliminated. I was on the edge of my seat!

Christian understandably began to doubt if he had made the right decision. At this point, I was almost giving up with him. But people! Keep the faith. Because what came next blew my mind. The final three athletes who had to beat his mark to oust him all failed in their first courses. They failed right before the area that he had failed at. What even made it more interesting was that they all used their lifesavers yet still they all could not complete the course. It was as if an angel was at the exact same point of the obstacle, blocking them and pushing them into the water. It was hilarious. It was miraculous! I was grinning from ear to ear like a clown. I could not contain my excitement. I was blown away. So blown away that I picked up my Bible to see exactly what was written in Psalm 115!

I will share from verse 1 to 11 below:

Psalm 115

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name goes all the glory
for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Why let the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in the heavens,
and he does as he wishes.
Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
and eyes but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear,
and noses but cannot smell.
They have hands but cannot feel,
and feet but cannot walk,
and throats but cannot make a sound.
And those who make idols are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
Israel, trust the Lord!
He is your helper and your shield.
O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord!
He is your helper and your shield.
All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord!
He is your helper and your shield.

Wow. This is the kind of revelation that empowers you for any obstacle.

First of all, my first lesson was to do my devotion. Because it is that word that will lead me to make a winning decision in my day.

Most importantly, this showed me how God works. Our God is not asleep. Everyone thought Christian was done for. But instead, they all watched the rest of the athletes fall like helpless dominoes attempting obstacles they had previously bested. Right there, Christian realised that his faith in God had not failed. God showed him in the most fantastic way how He works. God does as He wishes. And men are but mere men. Christian realised where his strength ended and where God’s sovereignty could elevate him to. It was marvellous to see.

In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul had a weakness, and he wanted it to just go away, but he had to learn that God’s strength is perfected in his weakness. Christian learned that on this course. And I also got to learn it too as I watched it unfold. I especially needed it because I have been trying my best to overcome my own weaknesses. Hoping that going at it again and again will do the trick. But my strength can only go so far. Grace is what I need.

Grace is also what you need. Grace doesn’t say keep trying, it says keep trusting. The point has come to trust in God’s all encompassing grace. The grace that covers our wrongs and shortcomings. The grace that tells us that no matter how much you go at it, your strength will fail so trust in Me. Trust even if you fail. Trust in My divine power. Trust in My mercy. Trust in My love. Trust in My Son who gave His life to perfect you. Trust in the One who can make you into what He wants you to be.

Like Christian said, we are each running our race. Running not against each other. But running to each win our prize. We are on our own obstacle courses filled with so many weights and sins and temptations. Trying to tame the beast. The biggest obstacle in the race being our own selves and our weaknesses. But like Paul said in Hebrews 12, we get to run and finish only with our eyes set on Jesus. The grace giver. The prize giver. The author and finisher of our faith.

So it might seem like you have failed. It may seem like you have fallen into the water with a big splosh. it may feel like you have hit the hard ground with a huge splat. But where your strength ‘felled’ you. Grace will lift you up. And you will finish knowing that grace won you the race.

Press on by faith.

This one is an all time favorite. Don’t pass it over and be blessed.

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Calling me, calling me.

Voices in that far off somewhere calling me
One of these days I’ll off and fly, then I can answer here am I
I hear voices, up in glory, calling me.

The voices.

In my head. Turning my mind around. Tying my stomach in knots. Twirling my focus in circles. Confusing the thoughts of my heart oh…

The voices.

To which do I listen? In which do I believe? Can I ignore the sound of…

The voices?

The ones within? The ones without? Inescapable at every turn. Asleep or awake I cannot deny…

The voices.

A confusing labyrinth of highs and lows. Harsh and mellow. All of sorts. Intertwined in a confusing web of truths and lies and half-truths. Confronted with all..

The voices.

How do I decipher the good from the bad, when there are no clear-cut boundaries in? …

The voices.

An amphetamine to feed the addiction of my indecisiveness; attempting a mental breakdown; further making incoherent the ever-increasing din of…

The voices.

Letter after letter. Word upon word. Consonants and vowels. Note after note. La ti do re mi fa so without melody are…

The voices.

I can’t seem to keep them out. The better won’t sink in. The worse find the hidden crevices into the subconscious. I wish I didn’t have to deal with..

The voices.

But the world is no mute. Each creature its voice. Though some with no sound but still a voice is found.

So rather than hide from…

The voices.

I will sit still. Alone. And listen. I will listen until I hear above the noises. The silent one. He speaks not like anyone. He doesn’t shout. He doesn’t crowd. He whispers in the innermost part of my heart. He will run a fine toothed comb through the messy tresses of my mind and take out the kinks until the strands hang fine. My consciousness at peace. So…

The voices.

I cannot keep at bay. Try as I may. I cannot “unhear” the lies. So with truth I fight by and by. I thank God for…

The voices.

They pushed me toward The Voice of the True One. My Jesus…

Your voice, in spirit I sense. Your whispering provides a fence. The world shall scream till hoarse. But far above the throng. Speak Lord. This heart is Yours.

Awaken.

This one is a very old one I discovered. Made me think of Heaven and being with Jesus. Pay close attention to the words. When we are assured of where we are destined to be. We embrace the voice that calls us home to glory. Enjoy.

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My hope is built on nothing less but Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood; When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found; In Him, my righteousness, alone. Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the sold rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.

Before I begin this post, I would want to put forward that none of the words I speak are intended to condemn anyone, it is definitely not to vilify the subject of my write-up or others who may be in a position such as his. It is to encourage soldiers in the faith battle. A poke at the enemy because he has to know we are not shaken by his machinations. And a morale boost for those at the precipice of doubt. Hang in there, please.

Now to the issue at hand. I have recently discovered the proliferate news of Christians falling away from the Faith. This is even observable among those considered to be active Christians in the eyes of the public. It may possibly be that due to the age of technology and social media, such news are easy to find or easy to hype. Perhaps, faith falling believers are losing the battle to doubt and unbelief. It is however worthy to note that the many Christians still holding on to Faith hardly makes the headlines, which leaves me wondering about the news. That would be another subject for another bright day. The news I mean.

Anyway, the bible tells us in 1 Timothy 4 that in the last days, many shall fall away from the faith, chasing after the false doctrines of demons (paraphrased). I am inclined therefore, to believe that the fulfillment of scripture is the phenomena playing out before our eyes. And Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 that it is only going to get worse as lawlessness increases and love for Him grows cold.

A quite recent and sad fall away is bestselling author Joshua Harris. If the name sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because you may have read one of his very popular bestselling books. “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”. I recall getting a copy of this book in the university but unfortunately, I never went beyond chapter one (1). (Very typical of me and books in the university. Aside my textbooks of course) Anyway, now I wish I did make time to complete the book because, he has completely renounced that book and the doctrines espoused in it, leaving my curiosity at its peak!

Joshua, as the media puts it, has kissed Christianity goodbye. Definitely not a bestseller if you ask me. Although saddening, it is not surprising as well. Why do I say this? Joshua was a baaaad guy in school……. lol. Just kidding. Gotchu. Didn’t I?

In the wake of the news on his departure from the Faith, I have encountered various articles and thoughts on his actions. Some have lauded it (mostly unbelievers) and others condemned it (often time Christians). There are also those trying to answer questions like I am doing right now.

What sucked about the whole situation was how the people of the world rejoiced and wrote articles to celebrate his falling away. And for many such breakaways similar to Joshua, the world happily welcomes such into their fold. This is expected even though it sucks.

In a battle between two very opposing sides, a win over of a defector is a glorious celebration. Christians are joyful when a soul is won from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Christ and in the same reaction, the world is too. The world feels a justification in the win of a Christian who has lost faith. Technically, we don’t consider a loss, what was never ours, but let me not get ahead of myself.

For the Kingdom of Christ, anyone who falls away from the faith presents no surprise to the brethren. Although, the world finds it an extraordinary feat, the Faith community takes it in stride through prayer and the word. We look to Jesus Christ, our Head, to find answers. In prayer, we do our part to rein in that person to whom Faith is seemingly lost.

Christ always gives answers through His trusted word and I found the answer in this.

Jesus had with Him twelve disciples. The famous Peter, James and John, among others, and the infamous Judas Iscariot. Now mind you, by this scenario I am about to expatiate, I am in no way making Joshua Harris a Judas character nor am I condemning him to the fate of Judas. No way. I am rather drawing your attention to an expected reality of which the world is surprised, but the Christian should not. Certain Christians get surprised or shocked into unbelief when such things happen. But let us be of the mind not to question our faith based on seeming ardent believers who fall away.

In fact, in some years from now, if you find that I have fallen from the faith (which by God’s grace I hope never to) it should in no way cause you to question whom you have believed in. I recall hearing Dag Heward Mills (Founder of Light House Chapel International Church) say in one of his sermons, a statement that stuck with me. He said (paraphrased) that if he falls sick and even dies from it, it will not stop him from believing that God is a healer. It goes with the bible text in Job 13:15(a) that says, though He slay me, yet still shall I trust Him. Our faith should be  uncompromising in the face of all circumstances. We should not practice conditional faith. It is expedient to build a rock solid faith. That solid rock to build on is Jesus Christ.

Sand building believers find their faith collapsing in the storm of world events, personal tragedy, worldly desires, false doctrines etc. For some, the next point of call becomes the denouncement of the Lord Jesus Christ and the existence of His Father. Unfortunately, this happens out of overlooking the rock solid foundation freely given in Jesus Christ.

So please follow me with this illustration as we try to place a right block on a right foundation. Now, back to Jesus Christ and His disciples. 

Judas (is carrot as we say in jest) was a disciple of Jesus. Note that by disciple, he was not just a part of the throng that followed Jesus. He was neither a part of the seventy extended discipleship team Jesus sent out. Nor was he even just a random self appointed follower of Jesus. Judas was a member of the Twelve. Carefully, handpicked by Jesus. He walked with Jesus throughout His three-year  tenure of ministry. He went where Jesus went. He heard what Jesus taught. He ate and drank with Jesus. He slept where Jesus slept. He had an important role in the team as a money keeper. The minister of finance if I might say. He was friends with the other eleven disciples. They had fellowship together with Jesus. All of them.

But Judas kissed Jesus goodbye in the Garden (lool. sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun). He invented the metaphor “kiss of death” when he offered his Rabbi to be murdered for crimes He did not commit at a bribe of 30 silver pieces. Contrary to what everyone may have seen of Judas ardently following Jesus, his secret foundation on which he was building was money. Someone whom he had called Master and Teacher for three years, he gave up for some coins.

Look. There are so many people who are seemingly walking with Jesus but have hearts far away from Him. They may seem to be doing the works, singing the songs, writing the books, going to church, hanging out with other Christians but have hearts far way from Him. Judas literally followed Jesus everywhere He went but figuratively followed his selfish desires.

When Judas betrayed Jesus, it did not in anyway undermine Jesus or the work He came to do. On the contrary, Jesus had the upper hand all along. He did what He came to do on earth and that was to save mankind from eternal damnation through his death on the cross. Even if Judas chose to exclude himself or not, Jesus’ work for which He was sent by the Father got done. For as the one (1) chose to perish, remember the other eleven (11) chose to live. Jesus was not surprised at Judas’ antics. Christ has always had the victory and the upper hand.

The world feels justified in its standpoint of faithlessness simply because a Christian has lost faith. But, the thought that a believer falling away from the Faith undermines it is flawed thinking. The Gospel of  Jesus Christ is built on no other foundation but Himself. The firm foundation. Unshakable and immovable in its purpose to save the souls of men. A win for the world  it may seemingly be but not in the greater scheme of things.  Who knows? The apostate may never have been Jesus’ in the first place. Why? Jesus said that anyone given Him by the Father, He shall never lose. And I tend to believe what Jesus says. Check out John 6:39.

Are we apathetic to the fallen one, not at all.  For even as that soul remains on this earth he or she may very well belong to the Lord. He alone knows those that are His. What we do is pray. 

The truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom is singular and unshakable in spite of those who truly believe and those who do not. The very gates of hell cannot contend with it. Why? Hell cannot contend in a war already decided. Jesus won. If you must know.

What are my sentiments toward Joshua because he really got be putting my thinking cap on. I pray he would search for truth. When we lose our way, it doesn’t spell doom for us. When we have doubts, it doesn’t align us to condemnation. Rather, it begs us to really find that which is true. Re-affirm faith. It begs us to dig even deeper.

Someone else failed Jesus too. Peter did. He swore and cursed himself in denial of any relation to Jesus. Three solid confident times, he said in no same words, “Who the heck is Jesus. I have no idea who He is. I have not even seen Him before.” But the difference between denier (who even swore to Jesus he would not deny him) and  betrayer, was repentance. Peter made a choice not to entirely give up on whom he first believed, leading him to become the legendary Peter we know. The story was not so for Judas. He only saw his mistake. His way out; a noose by no other hand but his own.

The reality is that the Lord knows those that are His. I don’t. No one knows but He who searches the heart. No one can be forced to believe in Him as Truth. Joshua cannot be forced, I cannot be forced. You cannot be forced. Nobody can be forced. We are only graciously chosen to choose Him.

As you read this, if you feel a nudge in your heart to surrender to this truth, at this moment, forget about the extraneous factors of who does or does not believe in Him. Focus on this.

Jesus is the only Way, the real Truth and the real Life. Absolutely, no one comes into reconciliation and eternal fellowship with the Father except by believing in Him and His finished works on the cross. He loves & calls you.

That is the Unshakable Foundational Truth of the FAITH.

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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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How shall I begin to speak about a God that I will never comprehend. So high and mighty and yet closer than a friend.

The Beginning and the End. The mystery of His Holiness, the wonder of His Humanness are one and same.

One and the same. I can’t do Him justice with any one name.

The Holy God of heaven and the Humble Man who bore my shame are one and the same.

How can I begin to speak about a man that I will never comprehend. How can I begin to speak about a God I can never intellect.
How do I begin to describe a love I can never articulate.
How can I begin to understand a sacrifice I could never anticipate.
My Future and my Hope.

That Man Jesus Christ.

The world was made through Him. My world revolves around Him.
He is my way In and my way out.
My day and my night.
My dawn and my dusk
My morning, noon and night.
My darkness and my light. Cause no darkness is found in Him. My complete delight.

He’s my sunshine and my rain.
The reason I am sane
My earth and my sky.
My moon and my stars.
In the firmament; He has filled my skies.

That Man Jesus Christ.

He’s my wind and my calm.
The tempest that upturns the ship of my life, and the calm that sets my sails right.
My up and my down.
He’s my going and my coming
My heaven and my earth.
He’s my world.
My TOTAL EXISTENCE.

He’s my body, soul and spirit.
My life, my heart, my mind.
He’s my dream, my vision, my mission.
My fantasy and my reality
He’s what my whole existence comes down to.

I can’t do without Him,
I can’t be without Him,
I can’t live without Him.
I don’t want to exist apart from Him.

That Man Jesus Christ.

He’s seen my crazy and my calm.
My foolish and my wise.
My highs and my lows.
My bigs and smalls.
He’s righted my wrongs
Calmed my storms
My success and failures
My love and my heartbreak.
He’s felt them all.

You know, He’s the air I breathe
The song I sing
My daily litany
Be still my heart

He’s the step I take.
Every move I make.
My purpose and my destiny
The very fiber of my being.
Scientifically proven and true.
My heart may just burst not from how much I love Him, but more so from how much He loves me that I cannot even begin to love Him back.
I cannot fathom what it means to love like Him; and to be loved by Him. The length, breath, height and depth. The very measure of His love, how can I have all that to myself.
I cannot even be greedy enough.

Am I into a figment of my imagination? Does there exist such a man who is perfect and flawless? Only in heaven. Only God can be that perfect.
That God, Jesus Christ.
Solely in my heart can I cherish such splendor without guilt and owe no man but my God.

Who can separate me from this treasure that I’ve found in earthen vessel.
Who can come between us?
Who can snatch me from His arms?
What can I do that could make Him abandon me or stop loving me? Nothing.
How do I take my life out of my life cause He is my life.
We are one and the same. I in Him, He in me. Hidden in our perfect love. Intricately intertwined. We are truly inseparable. A match made in heaven.

I’m talking about Mine. I am His and He is mine. My love story.
My life’s only glory. My beloved is mine and I belong to Him. His loves covers me. Oh, I am in love with Him.
I am in love with Perfection.

That Man Jesus Christ.

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♪ ♪ Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear from you. It’s not that I want you not to say but, if you only knew how easy it will be to show me how you feel.

More than words is all you have to do to make it real

Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me, because I would already know. ♪

Growing up, I had a favorite song; ‘More than words’. I don’t think I completely understood the words of this song as a little girl, but there was something about it that drew me in. Now as an adult I fully appreciate the depth of it. Consider the number of times you have said, “I love you.” to somebody and the number of times somebody has told you, “I love you.”

Contrary to popular belief, saying, “I love you” is easy. It is a bunch of words, so simple to say. Were it dependent on the number of times we say, “I love you” alone, there would be so much love in the world. But no. That is not the case.

The Bible answers the why for us in this statement in 1 John 3:18; “Little children, do not love in words and speech but in deed and truth.” (paraphrased)

How do we measure our love? Is it by our actions or by our effusive vocabulary?

Corinthians 13 measures love not by words, not by feelings, but by actions. if we would be patient, kind, not irritable. If we would bear with our brethren, believe in each other and have the greatest hope for each other, you know what? we will not fail. Because love which reveals itself in action, never fails.

Unbelievers have discovered that, “♫♪ more than words is what you have to do to make [your love] real. ♪ Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love [someone] cause [they] would already know♫” [by your actions]

Let us not love only in words but more so, in deeds. Christ our perfect love showed us His love not by staying in heaven and shouting down to earth, “I love you! oh ye living creatures on earth! with all My heart I do!”

No. He came down from His place of glory, and died a miserable death at the hands of His “love interest” to save His “love interest” because He knew without a doubt that by this, His love is truly demonstrated to us. By so doing, His love is the greatest love of all. You too can love like Jesus did. By laying down your life for your brethren. And trust the Holy Ghost, you cannot do this on your own! You need the One who did it best to show you. 

I agree with Whitney Houston in the context of the Christian faith that the greatest love of all is not only happening to us in the person of Jesus but it is also found on the inside of us by His Spirit in our hearts. I hope Whitney understood this.

Let us give to that brother or sister in need, let us  speak a word of encouragement, let us mourn and laugh with our brethren. Let your brother, let your sister experience Jesus’ love through you. Not because he deserves it, but because you have it to give. Love is not meant to be kept but to be given. Love is not passive but active. Love is not said but done.

Love beyond Words

The post More Than Words (As beautiful as “saying” can be, “doing” seals the deal) first appeared on .

I wonder why his words come to me now.

“…these streets remind me of quicksand. When you’re on it, you’ll keep going down. There’s no one to hold on to. There’s no one to pull you out. You keep falling. No one hears you calling. You end up self destructing .”

music by Akon – Ghetto

…Poetic.

How easy it is to feel that way. To be that way. Like you’re falling through quicksand. The more you struggle to get out, the quicker you sink deeper into the quagmire. You wonder how the ground began to swallow you up. You thought the bog was just a shallow puddle you could waddle through. Until it began to suck you into dark depths.

…Merciless.

You see solid ground around you, just beyond your reach, but you cannot touch. You can only watch as your world slowly disappears before your eyes. You start to fear, freak, cry, despair, accept defeat as you feel that slow sucking power of the ground that was meant to bear you up.

Is there really someone to hear me call? Is there someone who sees me struggling? Who sees me drowning in myself? Self- destructing. You are at your wits end and frustrated with yourself. You feel what Paul feels. You wonder why you don’t do the things you ought to but what you would rather not. Yet you know the answer…You are maybe tired of trying to do right. Trying to be on the straight and narrow. The perfect picture.

…You’re weary.

But there is someone who sees you falling. Who hears you calling. Who feels you worn out and exhausted. Who knows you’re giving up on yourself. Unwilling to hold on another second. There is someone who can pull you out. Don’t try to get out on your own. Your efforts will push you faster beneath the surface.

…Lost.

Cry out! Cry out to the One on solid ground. Shout, “Lord! Deliver me from me! Because me, hurts me! Me, destroys me! Because me, betrays me.”

He will come and save you. His word will draw you from the miry bog. Upon solid ground, you will stand. I wish we will stay on the path of life and not wander into the mysterious jungle. It’s allure is but for a moment.

…Fading away.

Leaving you empty inside. With tempting steps, sucking you into a lifeless, breathless, never ending pool of darkness. You wonder how you got so deep and lost.

…Far from the path.

I cried to the Lord and He answered me. No, I did not cry out like I should have. I whispered to the Lord. Right before I slipped into the darkness. “Lord, do something before I lose my mind; before I lose my love; before I lose my life.” He heard me. He gave me peace.

I am rising

Out of the sand, out of the dust, out of the mud, out of the pain, out of the hurt, out of this mess, out of the stress, out of the rain. I am rising.

To the One who gives us victory…

Over our selves. Over our temptations. Over our trials. Over our weaknesses. Over our thoughts of defeat. Over our sin. Over our choices of wrong. Over our emptiness. Over our sighs of hopelessness. Over our pride.

…I give my life

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