What Really Matters

Jeff Goins the author of The In-Between: Embracing The Tension Between Now And The Next Big Thing is presently in the African country of Uganda. While in Uganda he has been visiting with underprivileged and at risk children in the country's slums. I have been reading his blog posts about his experiences with the children and their families. While writing about his experiences in the country, he has also written about about the lives of the people he has come across. Because he made the deliberate decision to go to Uganda, his life has intersected with those of the people he has met. Because of this deliberate and intentional meeting, their lives have been forever changed.

Today he wrote about the power the words we speak or write have. He tells the story of a 25 year old mother of four children who ran away from home and ended up in the capital of the country at the age of 12. She ended up being a prostitute and getting into destructive relationships. Her oldest child is currently in a programme run by the international charity Compassion where thanks to the sponsorship of people in the United Kingdom. According to Jeff, the exchange of letters between the boy and his sponsors made him realise how little communication he had previously had with the child he sponsors.

While reading the story, it strengthened the beliefs I had about why we are all here. Recently I have been thinking about the fact that we are all here not because of ourselves but because of others. For the past few years, people have been talking about how people need to become all they can be. While I don't have a problem with wanting to be the best and reaching the top of your profession, I believe that more importantly, we are here to reach out and help others. People think that all you need to be happy is to do things that will make you happy. But I believe the secret to being happy is to make other people happy. That I believe is the difference between being known and being remembered. For me, being known is all about doing all the right things regarding our careers such that we are famous and regarded and possibly rich. Being remembered is all about touching people's lives such that when we are gone, people bless God for us. Personally I believe Steve Jobs is well known but Mother Theresa will forever be remembered.

We were not put on this earth to think only of ourselves or what we can be if only we put our minds to it. I believe we are on this earth to help as many people as we can as we come across them on our way to where we are going. And it's not about money. It's about giving our time, our words, any thing we can give to help. And it's not only about strangers in far corners of the world. Our parents, children, spouses and friends are part of the people we need to help. When we do this, we fill not only find happiness, I believe we will find ourselves.

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO published by WestBowPress, a division of Thomas Nelson publishers, http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU000194087/Deceptio.aspx and LOST, BUT FOUND available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/. You can follow him on Twitter @Cruz_JCReal.  

Taking The Test

I was talking to my brother the other day on the phone and by the time our conversation was over, I felt like a better person. At least I felt extremely wiser. I have come to understand that my brother has great wisdom. But there was something he said that especially caught my attention. He said that the world as it currently is has just one major function. The trial of our faith. At first when he said it I was startled. But as I thought about it the more, I realized that he was right.

Jesus told us that we are in this world but not of the world. The Bible tells us that we live in a fallen world. A world that is extremely distant from God’s glory. The Apostle Paul tells us in the book of Romans that we should not be conformed to this world but rather we should be transformed by the renewal of our minds. That tells me that there are things and situations that we will face that will try to make us conform but we need to rise above them so that we can be transformed. It tells me that transformation involves a lot of work. It tells me that transformation will not happen by itself but we need to take an active part in the process. Transformation will not occur passively.

The book of Galatians tells about the fruit of the Spirit in Chapter 5 at verses 22 to 23. The Bible doesn’t refer to them as “fruits” but fruit. That means that if you find one of them you are most likely to find the others. I believe the fruit was what Paul was referring to when he said we should let Christ be formed in us. The presence of the fruit shows that how much of Christ we have imbibed or how much we have matured into measure of the stature of Christ.

The world we live in is radically against Christ. The world hates him. To be able to live successfully as disciples of Christ, we need to have the same attributes and gifts he had. Just as the world did not like Christ because its works were those of darkness, the world will also be violently opposed to us if we decide to come out of darkness into the light. If you decide to say you belong to Christ, the world will test what you profess. How you respond to the tests the world throws at you will determine how much you grow as a Christian. Someone said Goliath was actually Saul’s giant to kill but he cowered and hid and David killed Goliath and received the reward. There are tests waiting for us when we wake up every day.  The Bible said for the glory that was before him Christ endured the cross. There are tests we need to pass daily so that we can grow and receive the crown. Rather than cower in fear, we should go out in boldness and faith every day, seeking to conquer the things that seek to conquer us. We should go out every day knowing the Holy Spirit in us will cause us to win. If only we would ask for his help. Like Lecrae said, “We have the power to start a riot, how can we deny it?”

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO published by WestBowPress, a division of Thomas Nelson publishers.http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU000194087/Deceptio.aspx and LOST, BUT FOUND available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/. You can follow him on Twitter @Cruz_JCReal

We All Need God (And So Does Justin Bieber)

Can I make a confession? A tiny, little confession that's a little bit big? I hope you won't judge but I just have to say it. Justin Bieber looked just a little bit funny in his mug shot. Every time I turned to another channel or another news story came up and they showed the now now infamous mug shot, I couldn't help but laugh. Not at his situation (I would never laugh at that) but at the fact that he looked too young and baby faced to be in that situation. Most times when I think of a mug shot, I think of some hardened career criminal with a frown that would scare anybody. He also looked scared, uncertain, bewildered and a little bit lost. He looked like he was asking himself how he had gotten to that point. I hope he continues to ask himself that question and that he finds the right answer. Sadly as I watched him, I wondered if this was just the first of several visits to a judge.

In the last few years, we have watched Justin Bieber's life play out in front of the media and we have watched the slow but sure descent down the road to possible infamy. Not only Justin but Lindsey Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Britney Spears and others. We have stood back and watched as they got high not only on fame but marijuana, cocaine, barbiturates, amphetamines, uppers, downers and then speedily went on to make train wrecks of their lives. Some are able to get their lives back on track. Others are not so fortunate. They are privileged to have so much money, many advisers, retainers, bodyguards that they don't have to listen to sound advice anymore. Some of them are encouraged and enabled by their own parents who sadly see them as a way of making money.

According to reports, a cocktail of marijuana, alcohol and amphetamines were found in his system. There are also reports that he recently hosted a party where cocaine was one of the main things on the menu. I ask, what is wrong with this world that someone needs a narcotic to try and escape from? How can you have so much money and fame and yet you're looking for some kind of escape, an escape that doesn't last? Why does every generation that comes round think that a quick fix of a narcotic is what they need even when they can see what it did to others before them? That's why I'm worried about what's happening in Colorado and other states thinking of legalising drugs. According to President Obama, what's happening in Colorado is an "experiment". Okay, if the experiment is successful, what next? The legalisation and over the counter sales of cocaine, heroin and crack?

Solomon speaking in Ecclesiastes said God has put eternity in the heart of man. I believe there is a God sized hole in every man which can only be filled by God. Alcohol, drugs, sensual pleasure, ambition, fame, money, friends or whatever is the latest craze cannot fill it. But that has never stopped people from trying. It seems the emptier life feels, the more they try to fill it with something that was not designed to fill it. Only God can fill it. I earnestly pray that this will be a wake up call for Justin. I hope that he puts on the brakes and realises that things are either going to get better or worse. I pray he comes to know God and not just hear of him. I pray this is the last time we hear a negative Justin Bieber story and that he realises he doesn't need drugs to enjoy his life which is the lie the world has told him. He just needs God, just like I do. Like we all do.

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO published by WestBowPress, a division of Thomas Nelson publishers.http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU000194087/Deceptio.aspx and LOST, BUT FOUND available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/. You can follow him on Twitter @Cruz_JCReal

Syria On My Mind

I recently had a telephone conversation with my brother and I had wanted to share what I had learnt from that conversation. However some other things caught my attention and I believe it is more imperative to talk about them.

The civil war in Syria has been raging on for a long time now. In fact, the conflict has been ongoing for the past three years. The United Nations has organised a conference known as Geneva 2 to which it has invited the President of Syria, Bashir Al-Assad, the different warring factions that are looking to replace him, the US and other powers. Iran, Al-Assad's main backers were initially invited but the invitation was withdrawn after pressure from the United State. While I do think dialogue is a good thing, I understand that one of the stated aims of the conference is to create a transitional government. I do not understand if this means that they want to replace Al-Assad or they want to put in place a process that will lead to elections and democracy. From the comments made by Al-Assad, he is not willing to accept any members of the opposition as ministers. The opposition have also said that the only thing that will satisfy them is Al-Assad stepping down. I don't know if they both mean it or it's just posturing on both sides to strengthen their negotiating positions.

The problem I have with the negotiations going on at the conference is the same problem I have had with the United Nations, the United States and other powers from the beginning. While all the talk is about finding a solution to the conflict, no one has said anything about the plight of the Syrian Christians being killed by the Islamist groups that are trying to replace Al-Assad. These groups, some of whom are Al-Quaeda linked have been killing Christians and no one has taken them to task about it. The United States and other seem more concerned about entrenching democracy at the expense of religious freedom. They seem in a hurry to negotiate with people who want to impose Shari'ah law on the whole country regardless of whether they are Muslims or not.

In September 2013 the Al-Quaeda linked jihadist group Al-Nusra Front invaded the Christian city of Ma'loula and occupied it till they were dislodged in October by the Syrian Army. While they were there they killed innocent people, raping women. According to reports, nuns who were kidnapped from the city are still missing today. I fear that the United Nations, the United States and other powers are guilty of trying to impose an unsustainable picture of their idea of what democracy is all about on the country without thinking about religious freedom or thinking far enough ahead about the consequences. We only need to look at Iraq, Egypt, Libya just to mention a few where the democratic ideal has failed.

Now is the time for us to remember our brothers and sisters over in Syria because we might not share the same ethnicity on earth, we share the same ethnicity in Christ. we need to let them know that they are not alone. We need to raise an awareness of what is happening to them and what would happen if Islamists were to end up ruling the country. We also need to pray for them. The world would be a sadder place if Christianity were allowed to be extinguished from Syria or the Middle East. We all have a duty toward them to see that this does not happen.     

No Fear

I remember reading about the Pope's Christmas message. According to him, Christian's needed to live their lives free of fear. As I read about the message, it occurred to me that it was something all Christians needed to take to heart.

A new year is here and we have made resolutions, we dreams and hopes for the new year yet before we've even started on the path to seeing the achievement of those things we long for, we are already crippled by fear. Our fear causes us to make excuses as to why we shouldn't even try walking down that path. Then of course there us the fear of failure. Apart from being afraid of not achieving what we set out to do, we are worried about how people will laugh when we try, fail and fall flat on our faces. We are afraid of people's opinions.

Okay, can we come to a stop right there? With all those thoughts going through our minds, it's obvious as to why the Bible says that dear has torment. We are tormented by the thoughts of things that might never happen. Jesus has promised that no matter what happens, he will be with us. We need to keep the thought constantly at the front of our minds that not only is he with us, he is for us. We need to take him at his word.

The Bible says that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and of a sound mind. Therefore fear is not only not from God, it is not of God. The question what if is not only a negative one as we like to think. It could also be a positive one. So instead of thinking "What if I fail?" wouldn't be better if we thought "What if I try and I succeed?"

The year us just beginning and it has the potential of being the best year of our lives yet. But it's not going to happen that way just because we think it. We need to act so that it can be. For that to happen we need to live unafraid. We need to stop letting fear write the story of our lives. That's God's job. And so my friends, as I go on my journey to find those things that I was meant to do and be, I ask that you go with me on the journey, even as we both go with God.