Flaming maple?

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posted by Finney @ 4:45 PM 0 comments

Because, you're worth it

“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father” John 16:16.

Gone are the days when the world was ignorant about Jesus. Today, and with every passing day, more people get to hear or find out about Jesus. A precious few listen to, and accept what they have heard, and fewer still understand the purpose – that supreme purpose for which Christ came into this world.

The human race has lived on the earth for a few thousand years, and historians would tell you, that since the beginning, there has been a marked sense of sin and retribution – every civilization has had its views, but the idea of sinless blood to atone for the sins of all has never been disputed! People have always wondered where they got it from, but God knew. And sinless sacrifice, it was! God alone knew where it had to come from…

God sent His only begotten Son into this world – to His children, formed of His likeness and image, except, they knew Him not… It was painful? Yes. Love manifests itself in many ways, but more often than not, the process involves pain. The greater the love, the greater the threshold of pain love has to cross, and “greater love has no man than to lay down one’s life for His friends” John 15:13. It was love that required shedding of His blood on the excruciating cross.

Jesus came to this world, and went about doing His Father’s will. Up close and personal, Jesus went through things we ourselves go through everyday. Cold and hunger, hate and envy, lies and betrayal, exhaustion and temptation – He didn’t have it any different from any of us; only a much more painful life, considering where He had come from. From a place of no sin, no evil and being surrounded by God’s presence to being surrounded by the mutation of Satan’s ugly work in every direction He turned – suffering, disease, desperation and turmoil… Of course it was painful.

But He went on with His job description. Followed God’s instructions to the tee. And here is where I am most surprised. He had a really hard time convincing His closest companions – the crowd listened to the parables, while his disciples questioned everything. I mean, you would expect the people who spend most time with Him to understand who He was and what He’d come for, but NO! Read John 16:16 to John 17:5 and you get the idea.

Jesus’ work on earth was not complete, not until His disciples believed He came from God. And surprisingly enough, that was the last thing He accomplished. Let this remind you too, that the ones who are really important would be the hardest to persuade, and the pick of the lot.

“A little while, and you will not see Me…” God probably told Jesus that, reminding Him about the time on the cross, when, groaning under the weight of humanity’s sin, God’s only Son couldn’t feel His Father anymore. A time, when the cry of overpowering agony “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” was met with deafening silence, justly reminding us, that sin separates us from God, no matter whom we are. It just had to be done, because…

“A woman, when she is in labour, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. “ John 16:21. Jesus told His disciples this, moments before they confessed their understanding of what He came for. Minutes before His work on earth was completed (John 17:4).

So there you go. The most painful of childbirth’s had to take place. It involved pain to the point of death on the part of God’s Son, so you, a human being, can be born into the world. But not just any world. His world – the world He has been preparing since eternity began, just for you. Because, to Him, you are the child the pregnant mother has been eagerly waiting for. To Him, no pain was too much – you are worth it.

Labels: God love

posted by Finney @ 2:52 PM 4 comments

A kiss, and a hug

I must confess; I have no idea how to start writing a blog, after all these days - it's practically been over six months since I blogged last. The time in question has included some of my darkest hours while also holding those days I have been at complete peace with no worry whatsoever of whatever my life held - so much infact, that I added quite a few kilos and four inches (I'm not kidding!) to my waistline!

And interestingly enough, it's been all about the way God led me [the path He'd prepared for me based on Ps 139: 16 "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." ] I'm still not sure of what He has been doing al this while in my life, truth be told, but then, a few days ago I realized (remembered would be a better term) that there are a few things I should have completed aeons ago but had been procrastinating for years; areas I should have become competent in by now; responsibilities I should have taken more seriously... and then it struck me. What if, God was waiting for me to do the things I was supposed to do before He dug into his boots and started shovelling? Worrisome thought, that one! Considering mom and dad have been trying their very best to drill this concept in me, me head's been surprisingly resilient to (or should I say impervious :D ) getting it through to the left side of my brain (in accordance to Tickle.com tests which say I'm more left-brained, whatever that means)

I was surprised, to put it 'mildly'! Why hadn't it reached me sooner? And then another worrisome though cropped up. A bit of history - my personal history - would show a marked decrease in my bible reading as my age progressed [I'd still blame that wane on having finished reading all the stories the bible had to offer [as far as I can remember, I took to reading fairy tales (including two huge russian faily tale books though this is definitely missing the point]. That worrisome thought? My lack of spending time with the Bible, actually. I had my reasons, naturally. For some time, I was ready to forget everything the Lord had ever promised me because I saw something that made me seriously doubt the truthfulness of Matt 7:9-11 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ". God responded with the most beautiful Christmas message I had ever heard. I really wanted to post it here, but then, I guess I was lazy... time went by and I never did anything about it.

Not that I had an easy time, mind you. I kept receiving things I had not bargained for; Things I wish I never knew, things I wished had never existed, which soon progressed to me wishing I had never existed. That is something about the Devil, though. He can and will use your thoughts against you, making you in effect, responsible for the mess you get yourself in - not him or Him! If you don't believe me, put yourself in Eve's shoes (I'm sure she was barefoot then, but still...)

Anyways, the saga continued. God kept sending His packets of biscuits, and some tasted really good, whereas I couldn't savor most of them [Recently, I heard a person talking about how goats eat grass when compared to cows which kinda explains my experience with God's biscuit packets, but then, I'll leave you to ponder that one ;-) ] I landed myself responsibilities with the church and so on, and while I have been spending time with God, I'm beginning to realize it just has not been sufficient.

This has to go on longer, but what I want to convey is this. God loves you and me. There are times when we don't feel His presence, but He usually comes up with just a little reminder that He is all around. Nothing more. Nothing less. In such times, I have often made the mistake of just carrying on with little regard for Him, but today, I begin to wonder if He had been looking for a little ackonwledgement, if not more. Let me explain.

It was mom and dad's birthday last Friday (yeah, there were actually born on the same day!) and I actually don't mind admitting I'd blundered wrt my gifts. What gave more sense of fulfillment was giving them a hug and a kiss each, and get one back in return. It never occured to me that as much as they loved it, I seemed to need what I got in return more than what I gave.

And here I am; wishing I'd done the same with Him sooner

posted by Finney @ 2:12 PM 0 comments

Now that's what I call a furlough!

I'm sorry.

I suppose that is all I can think of right now. I should have blogged this ages ago and yet... I simply wasn't feeling up to it. I'd been writing down every single thing (well, almost) that happened with me that I was sure was through the Man upstairs; and then, suddenly, with things happening rather wierdly around me, I figured I'd keep my thoughts to myself.

Truth is, I have always wanted to pen my thoughts down in a more orderly fashion, give it a cover, a reason, a title... basically, make it something more accessible to common folk (read something that doesn't expect the user to go online). The idea, I'm sure, was sound; except, I hadn't counted on how lazy I actually am.

Anyways, it took me all this while (until a couple of days ago) to realize if things went this way [plan and wait for my more accessible idea], I would probably never blog again and so, I'm back at it thanks to the proverbial kick up the backside...

Do continue checking. I'll keep this er... post updated!

Cheerio,
Finney

posted by Finney @ 1:51 PM 0 comments

Writer's block, and a missing army...

Again, another long overdue blog. I guess you know the drill - got lots to do or practically nothing to do, but just about everything is at a premium, and considering I'm currently waiting for a project, getting my hands on a computer is bad enough... can you believe it?

Anyways, it's always struck me how I can get myself attached to specific topics... take Abraham for instance. Was thinking about his sacrifice the previous time, and how, by the time I'd posted my thoughts, God had given me something else to think about... and here I am now; fingers poised, ready to send in army of words (not even thoughts, alas) at the slightest provocation, and I suddenly get... writer's block!

At least, that is what I think it is. Can't remember what I wanted to post! So much for my army, I can hear you thinking...

From the far reaches of my head, another voice beckons. Another cry that went "Where's my army???$@#%#@$" And there goes my block, and another army sounds the trumpet. Funny thing is, this was a one-man army, and that was no man - it was God's angel.

Read II Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 37 for details (http://biblegateway.com/) The king of Assyria had Jerusalem in siege, and the king of Judah, Hezekiah, humbled himself before the Lord. He acknowledged his position, that he could not stand ground, nor fight against the Assyrian army. Back in biblical times, the Assyrian army was one of the most powerful enemies of Israel and Judah, and the king was sure his army could lay waste God's chosen people. And he spoke against God.

I find it interesting that God waited for Hezekiah's response. The enemy was blaspheming, but God waited for Hezekiah to humble himself, to acknowledge that His name was being misused, that they had no one they could put their hopes on...

The rest is history. God sends a message through Isaiah the prophet saying He would defend the city for His sake, and I don't know about you, but I can still sense fear in the hearts of the people of Judah and their king. But the next few verses are simply unbelievable.

35 ...‘ For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”
36 Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. Is 37:35,36

Can you imagine losing an entire army? The king of Assyria came around to find only corpses. Nothing!

There have been so many times when I go to God hurt. Despised. Made fun of. Busted. And He simply says "Wait!". I throw a tantrum. Again, "Wait!". I keep quiet. I sulk. Still, "Wait!". I ask Him to hasten His plans. I tell Him I trust Him to do something, in the hopes that He does something soon, and still, "Wait!". I burst into tears, and walk back home dejected and despondent, and I suddenly find Him in battle armor. Read to fight. A friend sent me that wonderful verse from Eccl. today morning "He makes all things beautiful in His time", and I realize how true it is. God emerges from nowhere when we're at the very end of our faith. Remember hope and biscuits? You nibble on your last bit of hope, and your faith threatens to let go, and He reaches in.

Remember, nothing is impossible to the Lord. There's a hymn that goes "For the God of the mountain is the God in the valley..." and it is so true. The God of the BIG things is also the God with the small things. And who knows. An army might besiege you, but God can always send one of the angels to protect you, his little angel.

posted by Finney @ 3:28 PM 1 comments

He cared...

Sometimes I feel so lazy. This blog was meant to be written nearly two weeks back, and I just could not bring myself to write it down. The day I really wanted to, I found that I hadn't prepared adequately, and I still have a feeling I haven't. But, somehow, whatever I learnt was just too beautiful - something I hadn't seen before, and haven't heard anyone bringing this particular idea out either, and so, here's the little treat.

I have covered Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac already, over a year ago in the article "Scapegoat" but there is something about the Bible - the fact that every time you read it, God can show you something you've never seen before... and sometimes, what NO ONE else has seen before. That is when you realize that God's Word is living, and it is multi-faceted, and if only we understood just how much thought God put into His Word for you and me, how much of a wonderful positive force it could be in each of our lives.

I remember reading somewhere that Isaac was probably 24 when this incident happened (or was it David? I'm not too sure...) but whatever it is, it serves to show some very interesting facts. Of course, the Bible emits a lot of history, but it is more than possible that Abraham didn't spend as much time with God as he used to once Isaac was born. And the Lord who created Adam and Eve to enjoy their company missed Abraham's!

Think about it. God saw a companion in Abraham the way most of us do. He found someone, who, though small and insignificant, meant the world to Him. [I'm sure a lot of you are thinking about pet frogs and toads, and if you're anything like I am, the Frog Prince :D] He found enough to enter into a covenant, a treaty with Abraham, humbling Himself to take the place of the inferior party [The ancient Semitic tribes had a custom where the losing king was made to walk through the bleeding corpses of animals, symbolically meaning “May the Gods do to me like these animals if I violate this treaty” – read Gen 15:1-19]. He found enough in him to confide his plans to destroy a group of people Abraham had no idea about.

And then it happened. The promise child was born, and, I sure can’t fault Abraham for spending more time with a little kid – after all, there are diapers to be cleaned, bedtime stories to be read, human horse-rides to be given… but God missed Abraham’s company. Haven’t you felt the sting of your loved one not spending as much time with you as he/she used to? Can you imagine God feeling the sting of human neglect too?

He did. Or, He probably did. But a God who clearly despises human sacrifice asked one Abraham to sacrifice his only son “whom he loved”. And Abraham – only God knew what went on in his mind - said yes! And this, is what I wanted you to focus on. The actual incident happened around 2000 years later, when God’s only Son died on the cross to erase the debt of what we would never have been able to bear, but what a forerunner!

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t think about anything else for some time. It still echoes in my head. Before God actually sent His only begotten Son to be a sacrifice for us, to be the ultimate proof of His love toward us, there was a man -an ordinary man - who was ready to sacrifice his son; ultimate proof of his own love toward the God who loved him as no other.

At this juncture, please note that I am not undermining the sacrifices of parents who have lost their only children – if anything, throughout history, a lot of people have gone through things harder than anything my brain can imagine, but I would rather shift your focus toward someone who tried his best to love God as much as He loved him. You must remember; God didn’t want the sacrifice – God wanted the heart, and as painful a test as this was, this doesn’t compare to an extract from Max Lucado’s daily devotional that I feel compelled to paste here.

--- School's first day - Max Lucado.

Jenna, wake up. It's time to go to school."

She will hear those words a thousand times in her life. But she heard themfor the first time this morning.

I sat on the edge of her bed for a while before I said them to her. To tell the truth, I didn't want to say them. I didn't want to wake her. As I sat in the silence, I realized that my words would awaken her to a new world. For four lightning-fast years she'd been ours, and ours alone. And now that was all going to change.

I didn't want to wake her up because I didn't want to give her up. But I woke her anyway. I interrupted her childhood with the inevitable proclamation, "Jenna, wake up.… It's time to go to school. "I knew it was time. I knew it was right. And I knew she would be fine. I gave her up as much as I could today. Today's events took it from black-and-white theology to Technicolor reality.

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31, 32)

I was releasing Jenna into a safe environment with a compassionate teacherwho stood ready to wipe away any tears. You, Father, released Jesus into a hostile arena with a cruel soldier who turned the back of your son into raw meat. I gave up my child fully aware that were she to need me I would be at herside in a heartbeat. You said good-bye to your son fully aware that when he would need you the most, when his cry of despair would roar through the heavens, you would sit in silence. The angels, though positioned, wouldhear no command from you. Your son, though in anguish, would feel nocomfort from your hands.

Before the day was over, I sat in silence a second time. This time not beside my daughter, but before my Father. This time not sad over what I had to give, but grateful for what I'd already received—living proof that God does care.

>>>

…I can’t close. My mind is numb. I can’t think of anything that would fit in here. I started and planned to write about the kind of love God expected from a human, and the sacrifice the man was ready to make, and God brought to my attention His sacrifice. Two sacrifices. So very similar. Man got a lifeline. God… didn’t.

posted by Finney @ 11:37 AM 0 comments

God - Mary's baby

It's amazing how every now and then, God does something that pushes back the limits of our imagination. A couple of nights back, I was thinking about the whole concept of us being His babies, and last evening, going back home from work, I was suddenly reminded of God coming down to earth as, you guessed it, a baby.

I have just finished reading Lucado's "Just like Jesus" and compared to his books, this one is even simpler. The theme goes "God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to become just like Jesus" and the book is as usual, beautifully written. One of those sentences that really touched me was the way He portrayed God's eagerness to be with His ultimate creation.

The book goes on to say how Jesus welcomed everyone who wanted to see Him. Everyone. It didn't matter whether the birthday present was gold or a surprised stare. It didn't matter if they were wise or foolish, little kids or grown up men, shepherds or sheep. What mattered was the heart, and I found myself wondering if, given the chance, I would have done so. Quite a hard one isn't it? After all, the busy, busy lives we live?

That was when it struck me. The Creator of the universe, and He valued us most of all. So much, in fact, that He wouldn't mind dying for us. Wouldn't mind coming down to this mutilated creation of His, so you and I could see what He'd prepared for us all along. Sometimes, we can never understand the supreme sacrifice until we look at every jot and tittle of what He did for us. Thirty three and a half years in a place so full of darkness, hatred, jealousy, covetousness, falsehood... no matter where He turned, how far He went away to pray... And while we look toward our life beyond full of untold blessing - a place of perfect everything - perfect righteousness (no sin), perfect love (no lust), perfect peace (no fear), perfect joy (no sadness) and a million other adjectives - we need to realize just how painful it must have been for Him to come from such a place... But truth is, He wanted to!

This is what I meant about God pushing the limits of your imagination and mine. The One who struts among the stars; who looks as us the way we'd look at human babies, loved us so much He was willing to do all this - give up heaven for a smelly manger and a lifetime of sawdust. And not one facet of what we've covered so far expresses His desire for our company as much as the next sentence. He began his journey to becoming mankind's Savior, as Mary's little baby.

Ever desperately wanted a hug? a shoulder or a lap to sleep on? a good night kiss? little gestures of real affection? How unbelievable is it that our Savior did too! Or that He still desires such affection from each of us, His most favored creation?

posted by Finney @ 2:54 PM 3 comments

God's babies...?

So, after another furlough, here I am with… babies? Believe me, it wasn't my idea. Never. Somehow you always relate poopy nappies and long hours with no sleep whenever there is a baby in the equation. Not that babies are not cute. Oh! the surreal joy that a baby brings into the family it comes into (after all, not everyone is expected to change poopy nappies…)! Those tiny little hands and feet, and wittle baby chuckles and smiles and laughter. The best things do come in little packages, holding on to mommy's little finger with a tiny little hand, eyes wide with expectation and mostly, nothing at all.

I'm sure many of you have a lot more to explain. I don't. The last time I saw a baby in my family, I was pretty much one myself . Sometimes, my folks think I'm still one. I'm not exactly what you might call the cootchie-wootchie sort but occasionally I try to be, at least, during those few moments before the baby takes one good look at me and next thing I know, the kutti volcano erupts. But all this is beside the point I want to make. And to be honest, I didn't even come up with it at all. Was discussing about God's love with Michelle when she came up with this idea. And because she let me use her 'baby', here it is.

I know there are a lot of you who take God's Word very seriously; some of you who may not; and then again, some who haven't found good reason to. Maybe it is your fault. Maybe it is not. I'm no one to judge, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit I've questioned the Lord a lot of times as to His promises and the lack of signs thereof. And then, let us not talk about the times I might have misread what He really was telling me. We humans have something in our defense – it is called 'selective hearing'. Hearing only what we want to hear. True. This could have worked in our minds, selectively absorbing what God said and at times, we can be positively deaf to what He tries to tell us. It can be as simple as looking at only the second half of Ps 37:4 or it could be deeper. But what I want to show you here is the fact that we tend to make more than one important decision based on what we interpret the Word of God to be. So, now, what if we've made a mistake? What if we've gone wrong in our calculations? And now, when things make us wonder if we're the ones to blame, what do we do?

There is a lot I have learned from Max Lucado's books. He has this unique (among Christian authors at the very least) way of sharing something so simple in a language so endearing, and God has really used his books to drive a point home. One of them was this. "God loves you just the way you are…" Lucado goes on to add that God wouldn't love you any less because you've been a sinner and similarly won't love you any more just because you pray more. His love for you and I is unchanging . And here, is where the baby comes in (after his day out?)

No matter how much older we grow, and no matter how mature we think we are, fact is, to God, we're nothing more than babies. Think about it. You're 23? He's upwards of 23 million. A thousand years of your time would probably feel like a minute to Him. He's beyond your math; Beyond your Physics; Beyond Einstein's theory of relativity. He's timeless! And in the eyes of such a Person, you and I are 'little' more than babies.

Now, remind yourself about everything you love about babies. Just incase you're worse than I am where Mini-me's are concerned, you'd do well to read (the second half of) the first paragraph again. Who's to say if God didn't create humans as babies if only to give us an idea of how much fun He has in watching over each of us?

I know I can add a whole lot more here, but I have a feeling the more I leave to your imagination, the better you understand God's reasons for creating you. As an example, you might realize that as much as you'd enjoy watching a little baby, there's always a much higher sense of happiness when the baby wants to come into your arms. Switch places. You take the place of the baby and God takes yours. Get the picture?

Truthfully, this whole baby episode was primarily about when you poop. And here's where God's love is most beautiful. So you've done something wrong. Your mind says you ought to have known. People around you say you should have seen it coming. And here you are, a cute, smelly little mess, or (trying to be a bit more ' grown up'), you've broken something and eyes wide with fear and guilt, you look up at the Father, and burst out crying.

Isn't that what we do? Get ourselves into cute little messes, often innocent, and often not, and look up toward the Man upstairs with guilt and fear, and not knowing what to do, burst out crying? "I'm sorry, but I thought…" or "I was sure I could do it that way…" or "Didn't you tell me I could handle it? Now look…" And so we go on. Mentally bringing up images of racks and iron maidens and torture chambers and… (I'm exaggerating here, but you get the drift)… And what does the Father do?

A vase broken is a vase broken. A pooped nappy is a pooped nappy. But the Father understands you're just a little baby. You may be covered with mud and slime, but underneath, the Father sees His little baby. And to Him, you are precious. Nothing you do could change the fact that you are His little child. A correction or grounding may be in order, but the Father's love is the same as ever.

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 8:38, 39

Hoping there is more? Of course there is. Like every parent, the Father knows what's best. From clothes to mattresses to food to whatever-else-is-there, He takes care of it all. You reached out for a job and you mishandled it and it fluttered away? No fear. Reached out for a relationship and it er… broke? never fret. Daddy's here, and He knows better than to rake the coals on you for something you didn't quite understand in the first place. You're God's little baby, and you're gonna stay that way for a long time to come.

posted by Finney @ 4:41 PM 0 comments