Thursday 19 February 2015

This Lent:Not Blinded by the Immediate

"We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God"-Hebrews 12:6 God's Word Translation

Yesterday a friend of mine came to pick her daughter from my place . I offered her some food that I had prepared but she declined saying that she had the urge to eat pancakes which she intended to make when she got home,Although she loved what I had prepared, she knew that if she did take my offer,she would  not be able to enjoy  her pancakes. Jokingly but persuasively, I told her that her  craving for pancake  was a little bit late as  the day before was pancake Tuesday.As you know,  yesterday was Ash Wednesday which marks 40 days before Easter.  She finally gave in but stopped halfway sticking to her original decision. I woke up this morning and thought about how my friend practised the law of delayed gratification to an extent yesterday.We however see this exhibited completely  in the life of Jesus as we begin to prepare for Easter.

 He very much could have given in to the devils' temptation of collecting the whole world without going to the cross .That was the short cut that was presented to him during his temptations(Matthew 4:1-11) .But Jesus was not dissuaded, he did not come to do his will but his Fathers' and he knew that the cross was part of the whole package.The cost was self-denial which he painfully did..How so much like Joseph who is deemed by any scholars to be a prototype of  Christ. He also as a full-blooded young man refused the advances of the wife of his master, Mrs Potiphar(Genesis 39:1-29). No one would have known about it and probably he may have had some  kind of backyard favour now,serving as a sexual partner for Mrs.Potiphar. but he vehemently  refused all this.He had a dream(Genesis 37:5-11) and knew that God was able to establish him without compromise.It is not always that the option we have is bad,sometimes it may be  good but as is often said,the "good" can sometimes be the enemy of "better".

As we begin this Lent, let us remember  Jesus as an example of complete delayed gratification. Perhaps this season could serve as one that will enable us put things/people in our life  in the proper perspective,We would need to ask ourselves on a continuous basis   how an activity  contributes to our overall purpose.Just as the cross meant self denial to Jesus then, he still demands a daily life of  self denial of his followers(Luke 9:23).He had the Cross before him and the salvation of man was dear to his heart.Every other thing was looked through the lens of his purpose.He was not blinded by the immediate  rather had his driving passion and   purpose to do  the Father's will.
.
It is my prayer that in this Lent season ,we will be moire aligned to the Father's will.

In His Service ,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

Saturday 14 February 2015

A Look at Blindness 5 ;blinded by Spiritual Lust

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.Psalms 138:8 English Standard Version
I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.Psalms 57:2 New Living Translation 


Sometime last year, there was a flyer of a programme which circulated via whatsapp and Facebook that I eventually  got to see. It was supposed to be a night of prayers or deliverance but the title was both humorous and amazing.It was titled "Give me a husband or I die".While I may not be able to judge what the intent of the organizers were, the caption probably connoted the feeling of desperation we sometimes have (trust me , I have had my times of desperation )when we are seeking something from the Lord  and while I am not against earnestly   stating specific requests before God,there is a line we  can cross when we become so consumed by our requests. We  then become guilty of Spiritual lust which is  best described by Oswald Chambers.

According to Oswald Chambers, Spiritual lust is the demand that God does it now. Somehow we manage to keep our lives on  hold, all in anticipation of the answering of a request, while everything else revolves around it.We pout and fret and refuse to see anything further apart from the need for God to answer immediately. This is not to condemn a bit of frustration    which may sometimes be  inevitable especially as  some of these desires are legitimate but when it becomes an overriding passion, then we are apt to be denied   peace and contentment.
Spiritual lust also has pride in its roots as we think this ought to  have been  done by now but the truth is that as human beings ,we are all  afflicted with a degree of blindness and cannot say for certain what will happen next. This pride takes the responsibility of wanting to run God's timetable and denies him he freedom to act at his own timing.

If life has narrowed down to one thing that we fail to recognize others or even be grateful for what we already have , then it is possible that we are being consumed by Spiritual lust which can be likened to physical lust.This usually leads to a sense of desperation that makes us do things we ought not to as  seen in the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:5-17) which is unfortunately repeated with a twist   when one of his sons, Ammon  in the name of love raped his  very beautiful half sister,Tamar.(2 Samuel 13:1-22).

But God is not consumed or moved by our desperation.Rather his one consuming desire is that we be conformed to the image of his son (Romans 8:29)who was so sold out to his father's will. One of such times  just before the cross at the Garden of Gethesamane. He cried"..not my will but yours be done"( Luke 22:42).Sometimes to achieve his purpose, there might be circumstances and things we have to go through which would bring us closer to God and enhance our dependency on him.

Lust is best combated by love, a need for understanding again that God loves us .King David had so many troubles following his anointing and ascension  to  the throne. He  sometimes  had to become a fugitive but  he still held on, assured of God's love and thoughts towards him.(Psalms 139:17-18;8:4).It is our responsibility not to allow ourselves to be seperated from the love of God. It is God's personal love for us that should keep us going .So many times we quote the great chapter of faith but forget that it is through faith and patience these people received the promises ( Hebrews 6 :12) and  that some of them did not even still receive the promise(Hebrews 11:37,39) but continued to believe God.And that is what God expects as we mature. It is what differentiates children from grown ups.That rather than being consumed by lust, we have to come to the point of realization that he is all powerful and all knowing, that what we are asking him to do, he sure is able to do it  but he has his own timing and he would do it at the right time.

I must confess that I am not fully free of spiritual lust   but I have gradually learnt that God is  good and is able to do it and that at his own time to suit his purposes best and then it will be beautiful(Ecclesiastes 3:11). 

So today, just as a little reflection is there any prayer request you have that has  now turned into spiritual lust, making you not to function, it could be prayer for healing (how many turn away from God just because he has not healed  them or a loved one) or for a child, a better job or even a partner.Trust me if it is going to enhance God's purpose he will eventually bring it to pass.He is big enough to be concerned about his purpose  and sees the bigger picture.This season of love we should do a house check and make sure we are not blinded to the love of God by spiritual lust .


Happy Valentine
Grace Tom-Lawyer

Sunday 1 February 2015

A matter of hearts

This month in America has been declared the month of the heart in order to raise awareness of heart disease which is one of the major causes of death in women. But on a more global scale,this month  is also special as there is the commemoration of the  St.Valentine's  Day in  which many couples along with  those who have a romantic relationship celebrate their significant other. However for some others it could inadvertently be a  painful reminder of the absence of  that special person in their life due to death ,divorce, separation, death or disease to mention a few.

Apart from physical diseases that affect the heart, our hearts can also be affected psychologically and the fruitfulness of the Word of God in our lives is dependent on the state of our hearts. Jesus described different types of hearts in the Parable of the sower and later conveyed the meaning to his disciples in private( Matthew 13:1-23).Unfortunately , most people are not as concerned  about the spiritual state of their heart as compared to the physical or the emotional state. The pendulum is far towards the emotional state and in a month like this, when love is celebrated, the probability of needless heartaches is certain.

For those who are actually enjoying the love in the air, this is  yet another opportunity to let the people in our lives know how much we appreciate them.If you are are still shopping for gifts for your loved ones, it may be a bit difficult to imagine fully the longing of another friend who desires to just receive a card but this  is surely a good time to be sensitive to their feelings as the Bible urges us to identify with our brethren.

And for those whom this season approaches and they are yet alone, there are several things not to do. It is not  a time to quickly say yes to a last minute date whom has previously been told No severally for reasons true to one's convictions. Neither is it a time to have  another pity party for me, myself and I, where a moaning  about singleness is done .Truth be told embedded in that attitude are  pride and  ingratitude.

Pride here comes subtly as there is a reasoning  that by this time, this ought to be happening to me and I know more than God on how my life should run and secondly, ingratitude  which readily blinds us to the fact that there are many more blessings that God has given which we should acknowledge and be thankful for, starting with the gift of life .There is more to life than being in love  and if all of our self worth is measured by who loves us or if we are in love, then there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Still unsure of how to spend the day? Well I would like to suggest that if you are the stay home type of person, by all means do so, as long as you engage in fruitful activities. This might be a good time to sow a seed of babysitting so one of your friends can actually enjoy their evening. And if you are the outdoor kind of person, it might just be time for you to take yourself out to a treat and celebrate yourself well .You have the full backing of heaven with a mandate to be the president of your fan club. There is no need waiting for someone else to do what you are unwilling to do.

So wherever this season finds you emotionally, celebrate it with gratitude and use it as another occasion to examine and guard your heart diligently , for out of it springs all the issues of life.

In His Love,
Grace Tom-Lawyer