Do You really want to be made Whole?

One of the interesting things about the God we serve is that He never forces us to receive anything good from Him. He respects our free will so much that He holds back even when He really longs to wrap His arms of love around us.

An example is in Matthew 23:37 where Jesus overcome with emotion at the impending doom of Jerusalem cried out,

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!”

Jesus is the saviour, but He only offers salvation to those who want Him to save them. Not only that, He wants joyful, trusting obedience from those who need it.  I can imagine Him saying, “Are you willing to do everything I tell you to make you whole? Do you trust me that I have your best interest at heart?"

The 'Zaccheus' Factor

Most of us probably know the story of Zaccheus, the short man who climbed up a Sycamore tree to see Jesus (Luke19:1-10). He was not only short, he was a tax collector for the Romans.

He was considered a traitor by many Jews who hated the way the Romans oppressed them by harsh rules and taxes. People like Zaccheus also collected extra to line their own pockets. You can see why he and many like him were unpopular.

But, perhaps there is more to Zaccheus than what many people saw. Perhaps the greed of Zaccheus and treachery was the symptom of a much deeper problem?

Metamorphosis

When a caterpillar is ready to become a butterfly, it eats as much as it can because it knows it will soon be time to birth into something better. What happens next is amazing. 

It builds a cocoon around itself and continues to develop. I see this as a period of reflection, thinking for itself, trying to understand itself. And then it emerges out of the cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. 

However before it does that, you must understand that the butterfly is bigger now than when it got into the cocoon. It is therefore more difficult to come out than when it went in as a caterpillar. So what does it do? Give up? Complain?

Mothers' Surprise!

Jesus often talked about the surprises that will abound in the Kingdom of God. He talked about the first being the last and also of those who assume they would be invited on the basis of having done great things like miracles, teachings, etc only to be rejected.

But there is another group of people He didn’t talk about who I think will be honoured in Heaven: Mothers! Yes I know some mother abuse their children, but this article focuses on those who do not abuse their rights and privileges over their kids.

Be angry but…

It’s not easy to remain unperturbed by the events in our world. As I write this, Boko Haram has attacked another town in Northern Nigeria. Behind the statistics of the dead and wounded are precious lives; fathers, mothers, sons, daughter, friends… 

My cousin’s husband is a soldier stationed in one of those areas, and every day she fears for his life, just as we do too. What’s happening there is unfair and evil. No one deserves such horror, yet innocent people are going through that on a daily basis. What can we do as Christians? Pretend everything is well or seethe with rage?

Some time last year, I became overwhelmed by anger. As I read about the atrocities of Boko Haram, ISIS and Al-Shabab, I lost it. I became very bitter. I had just read a survivor’s story of the brutal execution at the hands of one of these groups and I was livid! The whole day I walked around with rage in my heart and great bitterness. Verses from the Bible reminding me of anger and prayers did not dissuade me from this course. I refused to accept Biblical injunctions that said, “pray for your enemies…” I felt like cursing them instead. If I could, I would have prophesied instant and brutal death on them!

The Gradual Descent to Evil

As the world remembers the Holocaust, the word evil has been used often to describe the genocide of Jews and other people at the hands of Nazi Germans. 

Regular folks like us usually associate evil acts with equally evil and savage peoples. The reality is quite different; a picture I saw recently convinced me of that.

Some months ago I saw a very disturbing picture in a World War 2 book. A mother was clutching her toddler tightly, she was slightly bent and had an expression of anticipated pain. Behind her stood a Nazi officer with his gun pointed at them, ready to fire hot lead into their bodies. What was their crime? They were Jews. Simple. 

Lessons from Rahab

One of the most amazing characters in the Bible who encourages me when I am down is Rahab.

Yeah, the same ol' Rahab you know, the Canaanite prostitute.

 In the book of Hebrews 11, there is a listing of the Who-is-Who with regards to Faith. There is Abel, Enoch, Noah, the Patriarch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, …. And then somewhere tucked in verse 31 is Rahab!

What makes this list profound is that most of the people listed in it are men and of the ‘chosen people’ of Israel. Rahab was a foreigner, an idolater whose country was destroyed as a result of their wickedness, a woman and worse still, a prostitute! She was the poster girl for the opposite of faith. Yet, she is listed among mighty men who are models of faith. What can we learn from her?