How to make the best of 2013

Having finally entered into the New Year, I decided it might be a fitting time to outline some tips on how we can make the best of 2013.  I hope you find them encouraging and helpful.

-Put God first in your life and seek Him for guidance in your decision - making. (Ps 119:105, Ps 37:23)

-Embrace a positive attitude and surround yourself with positive people of faith. (Num 13:30, Num 14:6-10)

-Decide on the legacy you would like to leave behind. Your legacy will impact on the vision you have for your future. Remember, legacies are not comprised solely of things of monetary value but rather the priceless treasures of eternity. (Prov 13:22, 1Pet 1:3-5, James 5:1-7, Luke 12:13-21)

-Write down your visions and break them down into manageable goals for the year. Break each goal down further into action plans for easy implementation. Set dates for each task to easily keep yourself on track. (Prov 29:18, Hab 2:2)

-Commit time in your schedule for the important things in life. Letting your busy schedule intrude into your devotional time is akin to spiritual suicide; it will negatively affect every other area of your life. (Matt 6:33)

-Next to God, the most important thing in your life is your family. Remember, a man’s wealth or happiness is not found in the multitude of material things he possesses. Commit uninterrupted time in your schedule for those you love. (Eph 5)

-You CAN say “No!” Count the cost every time  you overcommit. Delegate wisely. He who accepts help when he needs it, is wise. Only a foolish man attempts to do everything himself. (Eccles 4:9-10)

-Prioritize your tasks to ensure that you spend the most time on those that are most important. This will help you keep focused and prevent you from getting overwhelmed or unduly stressed.

-Don’t discount small beginnings. Remember what Jesus said about the mustard seed?(Matt 13:31-32, Lk 17:6)

-Celebrate your successes! Small goals achieved give you greater faith to tackle the bigger things in life.

- Learn from your failures and use them as stepping stones to success! Experience is a great teacher and trials result in patience and endurance. (James 1:1-3)

 -Take care of your health. Without it, you will not achieve anything you plan to accomplish. It is a precious gift of God often trivialized by the world and oftentimes only appreciated once it’s gone. Eat your veggies! Drink enough water. Work smart, so you can play hard! Remember to take 10,000 steps a day or carve out half an hour a day to exercise. Don’t over-indulge; although it may not seem serious, gluttony is a sin. (Is 58:3-8, 13, Prov 23:21)

-Resolve to use all your talents and to learn something new each day. (Matt 25:14-29, 1 Cor 12)

-Don’t look for faults in others, but focus on what YOU can control! Time spent gossiping is a waste of time! Don’t give the enemy room to plant the seed of hypocrisy in your life, because it will destroy your witness for Christ. Be true to God, and honest with yourself!(Lk 6:41-42)

God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 2

God’s grace is revealed in Gen 12 when God chose Abram and made him a promise that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Abram did not choose God, neither was he immediately the man of faith that Hebrews 11 refers to.

It was a gradual transformation as Abram learned to trust in God’s grace. In Gen 12, God instructed Abram to leave  his country, kindred and father’s house and journey to a land which God Himself would show him. Abram obeyed God, but not totally. Instead of leaving everything he knew behind, he took his nephew Lot with him (Gen 12:1-4).

Many times Abram doubted God’s Promise. In Egypt, he was fearful and sought to preserve his life by lying that Sarai, his wife was his sister (Gen 12:13). Abram was still learning to trust in God. God was gracious, preserving King Abimelech from sin because He could see the integrity of his heart when he took Abram’s wife into his royal court. God was patient with Abram, blessing him with great riches, honour and favour despite his failures. When Lot chose the best land for himself, God in His grace reaffirmed His Promise to Abram. Abram became a generous and respectful man. He respected the property rights of others even though he knew that God would give his descendants the whole land. God’s grace was already changing him (Gen 13:10-18). He was learning that it was God’s great grace that made him a prosperous and successful man and he gave God all the glory for his success, attributing none of his success to others or to himself (Gen 14:22-24).

In Gen 15, God affirmed His Promise to Abram yet again. Abram had a crisis in faith, as he had no idea how God planned to fulfil the Promise; all he knew was that he remained childless and he couldn’t  see past his  circumstances. God was patient with Abram, conceding to his request for a sign or assurance that God would indeed give him the land as promised. God asked Abram to prepare some sacrifices and Abram fell into a deep sleep as God revealed in prophetic vision to him the things that would befall his nation.  The 400 years of oppression under Egyptian rule was revealed to him as well as the glory of the exodus from Egypt. God’s grace to the Amorites was also revealed to Abram; God was giving them time to turn to Him and repent of their evil. While Abram’s descendants were yet to possess their inheritance, the Amorites would have opportunity to turn to God.

God Himself passed between the slain animals. The Almighty Himself condescended to make a covenant, binding Himself on pain of death as an earthly king would bind himself when making a covenant with another. The difference was that it was a one-sided covenant. Abram did not pass between the animals for it was God alone who had made the Promise and He alone who would see it to completion through His plan of redemption by the blood of His own Son, “the seed of the woman”. Abram could not break the covenant for he had no part in the making of it. Neither his good works, nor the lack thereof could change the Promise and God’s plan to fulfil it. God’s grace was, and still is, beyond comprehension.

God's Grace in the Old Testament-Part 1

Most people are comfortable with the notion of grace in the New Testament, but find it difficult to reconcile to the God of the Old Testament. Most, when reading the Old Testament, see a God of judgement and wrath whereas the New Testament reveals through Christ, a God of mercy and Truth.

As much as we cannot in our finite minds hope to understand God, the Bible assures us that He never changes (Heb 13:8). That means His character is constant. He has always been a God of grace! God does not have a split personality. Genesis is the book of beginnings, foundational to our belief and doctrines, and I have learned some amazing lessons on Jesus Christ, faith and grace right from page one of the Bible! In order to understand the deep truths in God’s Word, it is essential that one have a strong foundation and what better place to start than in Genesis?

What is “grace”? Many have described it as “unmerited favour.” Somone once described it as “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.” The very essence of grace means that it is God -initiated; grace is not a reward of obedience. Rather, it inspires obedience by the transformation of the heart that it engenders. Let’s look at some examples of grace in Genesis.

Gen 12 records the call of Abram. God makes a promise to Abram, a heathen man living in Ur of the Chaldees (otherwise known as Mesopotamia). The people of this nation were known for polytheism, the worship of many gods (Josh 24:2).  In Gen 12:1-3 God makes a promise to Abram to bless him and make him a great nation and that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. Only a God of grace would choose to make an idolator into a great nation! God affirms this promise  to Abram many times, eventually even making the promise part of his name by changing it from “Abram” (exalted father) to “Abraham” (father of nations). (Gen 13:14-17, Gen 15:1-5, Gen 17:5).

The fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram did not rest on his obedience, but rather he believed in God and God accounted it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). Our salvation is not based on our good works or lack thereof; it is based entirely on God’s grace. If the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram were based on Abram’s works or obedience, he would have failed on many accounts. He lied on more than one occasion that his wife was his sister; he doubted and conceded to his wife’s plan to “help God fulfil His promise” by sleeping with Hagar, etc. God intervened through all of this to ensure that His plan would come to pass. Abraham’s future obedience was only a response to God’s grace that radically changed his heart. In Gen 17:1 God commands Abram to walk before Him and be blameless. God was merely telling him to let the result of His grace (the “credited righteousness” in 15:6) to shine through Abram’s life. Have you experienced God’s grace? He  wants you to let His grace transform you into a shining light for Him in the world today so others may experience His grace too!(Matt 5:16, Eph 2:1-10)

Scripture references: Gen 12-15

Keeping the Faith

In the world we live in today, it’s easy to find ourselves disillusioned and distracted. However, it was no different in the days when Jesus walked the earth performing convincing miracles, signs and wonders which testified of His divinity. In Matt 14:24-33, we see the well known story of Peter who got out of the boat full of disciples as he desired to walk on water to go to Jesus. This story has been used in countless sermons to illustrate important foundational Christian truths e.g. faith and the fact that Jesus is with us even in the midst of the storms of life. However, the Word of God, when carefully studied, can reveal new truths and insights to those earnestly seeking them. New truths can be learned from an old story!

Like all of us, Peter desired to grow spiritually and to be closer to Christ. He succeeded as long as he kept his eyes focused on Jesus. Today, we face greater challenges than ever before but in order to succeed and attain to greater spiritual heights, we will have to leave our comfort zones behind and desire to walk with the Lord, wherever He leads us.

One of the greatest hindrances to the Christian is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is like the raging waves of the sea that Peter chose to focus his eyes on and when he did, it left him faithless and sinking. When you focus on the hypocrisy of others who call themselves brothers in the faith, you are actually shifting your gaze off Jesus and resting it on man instead. Rev 17:15 confirms for us that waters symbolize people and nations. Therefore, when you choose to feast your eyes on the hypocrisy of others, using their hypocrisy as an excuse to allow yourself to stray from the path the Lord has chosen for you, you have essentially affirmed that you look to man and not to Christ as your role model. There are many professing Christians who leave the faith and forsake the fellowship of the saints because they are searching for the “perfect church”. There is no one perfect church; the church today is made up of imperfect members, broken vessels that the Lord in His grace has chosen to fill with His Spirit and with whom He is still working to make perfect. (Phil 1:6)

When you leave the church that God has established because of the perceived hypocrisy of others, you are basically demonstrating that you regard yourself superior to them! You may find that you are suffering from a serious bout of self-righteousness and pride which in itself is one of the most abominable sins. Why would any person in their right mind leave the only One who can save him because of the untoward behaviour of another who has chosen to go his own way? It begs the question: Did you ever even truly know Christ, because if you did you would not let someone else’s hypocrisy get in the way of your eternal destiny in His Kingdom!

Keeping the faith is a daily choice that you must make. You must choose to keep the connection with Christ alive and strong every day of your life. He has promised that if you abide in Him, He will abide in you, and anything you ask according to His perfect Will for your life will be done for you. Instead of judging others for the hypocrisy and sin in their lives, choose to let Christ’s gaze meet yours. Choose to let the fire in His eyes penetrate your soul and remove all the dross and self-righteousness until you are covered only in His robe of righteousness. Don’t give up-remain steadfast!

Scripture refs: Matt 14:23-31, Rev 14:12, John 15:7

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he [Jesus] went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.   But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Matt 14:23-31