LOST, BUT FOUND (EXCERPT)

Jessica turned to look at Anna. “What happened?”

“Excuse me?” Anna said startled. She had been staring at the other woman’s clothes and she had missed the question or something.

“I asked what happened. How come you’re in a wheel chair?”

Anna thought about it for a few moments. “Are you asking because you really want to know or you’re just trying to make polite conversation?”

Jessica’s mouth turned up at one side in a hint of a smile. “I’m sure a lot of people won’t think it’s polite actually. They would think I was being intrusive.”

Anna stared at her in silence for so long that Jessica wondered whether she was going to answer the question.

“I’m very sorry,” Anna said. “Please sit down.” She waited for the other woman to settle into the chair. “I was in my first year of college. I went out for drinks with some friends. It seems that we all had a few too many drinks. No one was sober enough to drive or to tell the person who drove not to drive. We all should have taken a taxi or something. On the way back to school, we had an accident. We hit another vehicle. There were five of us in the car that night. I was the only one who survived although I later found out that I was paralysed from the waist down.”

Jessica shivered. “I’m sorry.”

Anna shrugged. “I really don’t think about it that much anymore. I’ve accepted what happened. I don’t beat myself asking if the story would have been different if we hadn’t gone drinking that night. Or if only we had taken a taxi. You just hurt yourself more that way.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t offer you anything. What will you have? I’m sorry I don’t have any alcohol but there’s soda.”

Jessica shook her head. “I don’t want anything.”

Folding her hands in her lap to stop them from trembling, Anna looked at her. “Why are you here? I’m sure that you didn’t come just to ask about why I’m in a wheel chair.”

Jessica looked at her, her eyes narrowing. “If I remember correctly, you’re the one who came to me. You also didn’t object when I asked us to exchange numbers and addresses so that we could keep in touch.”

Anna was silent. The other woman was right.

“I came to ask you why you decided to come and introduce yourself,” Jessica said. “And I also came to find out if you were actually miserable and unhappy.”

Anna was taken aback. “Why?”

Jessica smiled but there was no mirth in her eyes. “Let’s just say that since I met you again a few weeks ago, I’ve been wondering what would have happened if I had done some things differently.”

“Meaning you’re comparing your life to mine and you think yours falls short somehow so you’ve come to see if I am, as you put it “actually miserable and unhappy”.”

The smile on Jessica’s face grew wider. “I see that you’re smart.”

“So, what conclusion have you come to?” Anna asked stiffly. So she had come here to compare their lives. Anna was sure that she held failed whatever test had been applied.

Jessica didn’t answer the question but instead turned her head to look around the room. There were a few pictures of Anna and her husband around the room. They were smiling and looked extremely happy in the pictures. There was also a couple of a baby.

“Where’s your child?” Jessica asked. “It it a boy or a girl?”

“A boy,” Anna answered. “He’s with Ben’s parents for the day. Ben and I wanted to catch up on some work.”

“How old is he?”

“He’s 2.”

“So why did you come to me?” Jessica asked again, turning her attention back to Anna. “You said quite a few nasty things to me the last time we spoke.”

“Let’s just say that we were friends once and when I saw you some part of me thought that maybe we could be friends again. Or something like that,” Anna added as she rubbed her eyes. “Let’s just say that I didn’t really think it through.”

Jessica considered the answer. “So you thought that once you came over and introduced yourself, I would fall on your neck in happiness and gratitude that you wanted to be my friend again?”

“I didn’t say that,” Anna said through gritted teeth. “Look, I’m sorry that I came over to you. I really don’t appreciate you coming here and making fun of me. I think maybe it’s time that you left.”

Jessica looked at her for a few moments. “I didn’t steal him from you,” she said softly.

“Excuse me?” Anna seemed to have trouble understanding things at the moment.

“I said that I didn’t steal him from you,” Jessica said, her voice stronger. “He didn’t want to go out with you.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Anna said quickly. Even though it was all in the past, she was surprised to feel a twinge of hurt that someone she had liked had not like her back. If it was that way, she didn’t want Jessica dredging up old memories.

But Jessica couldn’t stop. The words she had wanted to say all those years ago were building up inside her and she needed to let them out.

“I didn’t even know that I liked him but we met that weekend when you went to your grandparents and we got talking.” The words were falling over themselves, seemingly in a hurry to leave her mouth before she forgot them. “That was when I knew that I liked him. He asked me to go out with him and I wanted to say no because I knew you liked him. But I also desperately wanted to say yes.”

Anna felt like pressing her fists to her ears so that she wouldn’t hear the words but she didn’t. Her hands stayed in her laps.

“I always wanted to tell you but I didn’t have the courage. I knew you would be angry. Peter wanted to tell you but I told him not to. I wanted to be the one to tell you but I just couldn’t summon enough courage to do it. Peter said that if I didn’t tell you, you would find out and that it would be worse. He was right.”

Anna wheeled herself toward the other woman and held one of her hands as she cut into the flow. “I understand Jessica. The thing was that it was Peter’s choice to make who he wanted to go out with but I didn’t want to understand. I was hurt. My pride was injured and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

Her words seemed to take the wind out of Jessica’s sails. She looked blankly at Anna as if she didn’t understand what she had said.

Anna continued. “I’m sorry that I was so mean to you. You gave me your friendship and I tossed it back into your face. It was terrible of me. Forgive me?”

Jessica pulled her hand out from Anna’s own and stood up. She went to the window of the apartment, staring out sightlessly at the scenery.

The silence in the room stretched out till Anna wished she would say something, anything to fill the silence.

“I think that’s why I came to you at the antique center. I was hoping that maybe we could start afresh, be friends again. To know that you had forgiven me. I know that God has forgiven me and that Jesus has taken all my sins away. But I would love to know that you too had forgiven me.”

Jessica turned from her position by the window. “What’s this? God has forgiven you? Jesus has taken away your sins? You’re beginning to sound like my parents with all their religious babble. Don’t tell me that you’re one of them now?” she asked as she gave a mirthless laugh.

Anna straightened her body as much as she could and held herself up with dignity. I don’t know what you mean by “one of them”, but if you’re asking if I’m a Christian, yes I am. I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible. Everything.”

Jessica was shocked. For the first time she looked at Anna. It was then she noticed some of the things that were different about her. The extra piercings in her were not in use and the few tattoos she had were gone. Anna, a Christian?

It wasn’t as if she considered Anna the greatest sinner in the world or anything like that because she didn’t believe in those things. But if there was someone from her high school days who she would have said would be the last person to become a Christian, it would be Anna.

“So you believe in Jesus and all that nonsense now? And you probably want me to say that I’ve forgiven you so that you can feel better.”

Anna shrugged. “It’s not about me feeling better Jessica. I’m just sorry that I hurt you.”

“Why did you become a Christian? Was it after the accident?” Jessica asked. “Did you convert because you thought that a non-existent God was going to suddenly forgive your drunken mistake and miraculously “heal” your legs? Even when you know that you’re never going to walk again?”

Even as the words came out, Jessica knew that she had said too much. She watched as Anna’s face lost its color and became ashen. She wanted to apologise as soon as the words came out.

“That’s enough. I think you’ve said more than enough and I think you should leave.”

Jessica turned to see Ben Palmer who had walked into the room unnoticed. There were bags of groceries on the floor where he had evidently dropped them. Fruit rolled on the floor and a few found their way under the settee.

“I ...”

“I said that enough Mrs. Carver,” Ben Palmer said his face flushed and his voice high and angry. “I don’t know who you think you are coming here to insult and upset my wife but I think you should leave. Now.”

Jessica looked from Ben Palmer to his wife. Anna was crying, the tears rolling down her cheeks. Her chest was beginning to heave with the sobs wracking her body.

“I just ...”

“I don’t want to hear anything from you. I suggest you leave now before I physically throw you out.”

Jessica looked at his hands and saw that they were clenching and unclenching by his side. He looked angry enough to carry out his threat. It seemed that it might be wise to do as he said. She walked back to the chair she had sat on and picked up her bag from the table beside it. She walked past Ben Palmer on her way to the door and she could have sworn she felt the anger emanating from him. She opened the door and turned to look at Anna one last time. The other woman was sobbing openly now. She felt something painful in her chest. Then she walked through the door and closed it behind her.

Ben Palmer waited till he heard the door close behind the intruder, then he hurried to kneel beside his wife’s wheel chair and hold her as she cried.

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/.

LOST, BUT FOUND (EXCERPT)

Anna was looking around the sitting room. The place was lovely. It was a beautiful blend of antiques and modern furniture. She wondered if the place had been done by Jessica or by an interior decorator. She would bet that it was the latter. The whole place spoke of wealth. Again seeing evidence of the wealth that Jessica lived in made her start feeling sorry for herself all over again. Her apartment was nothing compared to this. In fact it looked downright shabby.

Stop it, a voice in her head said. She might not have all that Jessica had but at least she had Ben and their son and she was happy. And nothing could take that from her. Jessica might have all this but who knew if she was happy? And besides, she didn’t have the most important thing of all, even with all her wealth.

“I’m surprised that you’re here.”

Anna was startled out of her reverie by the words. She turned her wheel chair to see Jessica coming into the room behind her. As usual, she seemed to be dressed in the latest and definitely expensive looking clothes.

“I would have thought I was last person you would want to see,” Jessica continued as she sat on a settee that was opposite to Anna. Her words came out stilted and forced.

“I know,” Anna replied. “But I felt led to come and speak to you.”

Jessica stiffened. So Anna felt led. Jessica had grown up hearing her father say such things. It was supposedly Christianese for saying that some greater power was at work. It was a Christian’s way of saying that he was being made to do something he would normally not have done. Or something like that.

“Really,” Jessica said. She looked at her watch wondering how long she would let her speak before she threw her out.

Anna saw her looking at her watch and suddenly felt nervous. All that she had wanted to say and the order she had wanted to say them in became a jumble. She had to find a way to get her point across.

“Remember what you said when you were over at my place?” Anna asked. “What you said about me becoming a Christian just because I thought God would heal me?”

Jessica stiffened. “I believe I apologised for that. I’m sorry if I caused any offence.....”

“You were right,” Anna said cutting into Jessica’s rambling.

“Excuse me?” Jessica said, confused. She thought that was why she had brought it up, to get an apology from her.

“I said you were right,” Anna said speaking out. “For a long time, the reason I was calling myself a Christian was because I wanted something from God. I wasn't serving God because I should. I was serving him because I wanted something from him.”

Jessica was silent. She didn't know what to say. She thought both of them were the same thing.

“When the accident happened, I blamed myself every day. I used to tell myself that if I only I hadn't gone out drinking, I would still be walking. Or that if only I hadn't gone into the car not caring that the driver was drunk, I would still be walking. On the other hand, I thought about how life was so unfair and that God must be so wicked that he allowed it to happen. You can imagine that I wasn't a very happy person in those days. I could say that I was depressed.”

Anna stared into space as her mind went back to the days following her accident. “In the end, I slipped into denial. I began to tell myself that the doctor must be wrong and that I was still going to walk. Every day when I woke up, I expected that I was going to be able to move my legs. That I would suddenly get up from my wheel chair and begin to walk to every one’s astonishment.”

“I couldn't really find any peace from the worries on my mind so I began to go to the church in the evenings to pray. Then just because I felt there was nothing else to do, I started going to church. I would come late and sit at the back and then leave before the service was over.”

“Then one day, I got to church and the pastor was preaching about how there was nothing God could not do. How there was nothing impossible for God. He said that there was no disease, no sickness that God did not have a cure for. That all we needed to do was believe and have faith and trust in him like a child.”

Anna’s face lightened up with a smile as she remembered. “There and then I decided that if God could make me walk again even if the doctors had failed, I was going to try him. So when there was an altar call that day, I came out. I converted to Christianity because of my selfish desires. All the talk of being a sinner, needing Jesus, being repentant, everything went over my head. I didn't think I was a sinner at all. My whole aim was to get God to heal me.”

“I fasted and prayed for months that God would just make me walk again. It was as if that was all God existed for. To ensure he did all within his power to make sure I walked again. I went back to college and I started attending fellowship. I did everything I could do to deserve that healing. I practically worked or it. I didn’t mind all the people who made fun of me as I knew what I was going to get from God.”

“It was in college that I met Ben. From the first day that we met, I knew that there was something special about him. We hit it off immediately. But I was scared. I wondered what someone like him would want with someone like me who was in a wheel chair. But I would like to think he looked past the shriveled body and saw something that even I didn't know was there.”

“He was the one that made me understand that God is not some waiter waiting at our beck and call just to grant our demands. That God doesn't really need us but we are the ones who need him. Salvation and becoming a Christian isn't about God taking all our pain away, it’s about helping us bear the pain and trouble we go through so that we can share God’s love with other people.”

“I honestly believe that God does have the power to heal. I honestly believe that God can heal me. But I believe even more that God has a purpose for each of our lives. I believe that he uses the circumstances we go through to minister to us and to the people that we meet. Like he told Paul, his grace is sufficient for us. His intention is that even in the midst of our pain and trouble we will come to know and understand the purpose that he has for our lives.”

“I used to think that life was all about me. But I have come to understand that life is not about me but it’s about the people I meet every day. It’s about the people who come into my life and those who I meet. God wants us to be able to reflect him properly to them and show them his love.”

Jessica shifted uncomfortably in her seat.  She wasn't comfortable with all this talk. She wanted to ask Anna to leave but she didn't say anything.

“I believe that there is something on the inside of every man that makes you search for God. That makes you want to worship him. It’s when people don’t find him that they worship other things like wood, snakes, trees, iron, and goats. It’s when people don’t know where to look for him that they end worshiping the wrong things or they end up in a cult.”

“There are people who have come to God because they heard someone preach about him. Then there are those who find him in times of great pain and trouble or personal grief. But regardless of how they found him, they realised that they needed him and they held on to him. I believe that regardless of who we are or what we are or are not going through, we all need God.”

Anna held up something she had been holding in her lap. It was a small book and she held it out to Jessica. “That’s why I brought this. It’s a Bible. I’m not so foolish as to ask you to make a decision right now. But I want you to have this. I want you to read it and I’ll be hoping and praying for you that you find him too.”

Jessica stared at the Bible as if she had been offered a snake. She folded her arms across her chest and said, “Thank you but I think I’ll keep my problems to myself.” She made no move to accept the Bible.

Anna wasn't surprised. To be honest, she was a little hurt but she wasn't surprised. She wheeled herself over to a table and dropped the Bible on it. She turned to Jessica and smiled. “Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it. I’ll be on my way.”

Jessica followed her to the door. Just before they got to the door, it burst open with some force and Catherine stormed into the house. She slammed the door after her and began storming into the room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw her mother and another woman in a wheel chair.

“What’s wrong Catherine?” Jessica asked.

“I am so not going to be friends with Carrie again,” Catherine said fuming, “She is so mean.” She however refused to elaborate on how Casey had been mean. She was also busy staring at Anna as if she was from Mars.

Anna held out a hand to the girl and smiled. “Hello. My name is Anna. Anna Palmer.”

Catherine’s eyes widened as she shook hands with her. “I’m Catherine. Are you the one who fought with my mom over a boy in high school?”

“Catherine!”Jessica shouted, embarrassed.

Anna didn't know who was more embarrassed, her or Jessica. However, she was more surprised than embarrassed. She was looking at Catherine in surprise and there was a question in her eye. She would never have thought that Jessica had a daughter this old. The girl looked like thirteen or fourteen.

“It’s nice to meet you Catherine. I was just leaving. Maybe I’ll see you some other time,” Anna said as she wheeled herself through the door that Jessica held open. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Jessica closed the door behind her and walked back into the sitting room behind her daughter.

“You didn't tell me what happened between you and Carrie.”

“I don’t want to talk about it mom. At least not now,” Catherine said. She looked down and saw the book on the table. “What’s this?” she asked as she picked it up the Bible from the table. She opened the leather bound cover to look at first page. “Oh, it’s a Bible.” She looked at her mother in surprise. “Are you the one reading the Bible mom? Is it yours?”

Jessica removed the book from her daughter’s hands. “It must be Anna’s. She must have forgotten it. I’ll keep it for her.”

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/.

We Came With A Purpose: Chase After Him To Find You

I feel sad for anyone who doesn't believe that we are here for a purpose and a reason. Those people who believe that our lives are random happenings that blot the face of the planet for a while before we pass away from the world to go somewhere no one knows. It is my firm belief that the idea that we are rudderless and without direction leads to a point where people do not see the big picture and grand design of the world and end up living selfish, self-centred lives that add nothing to the world. However when we realise that we humans on this planet are all connected and we all have something to add to the lives we come in contact with, and we act on this, the world becomes a better place.

I believe that there is nothing on earth whether created, made or manufactured without a purpose on the face of this earth. We understand the issue of purpose when we understand that there is nothing whether animate or inanimate that does not have a purpose. From human beings to chairs, the air we breathe in to the clothes we wear, everything has a purpose. If inanimate objects without awareness have a purpose, how can we say that human beings, the greatest of the living species do not? Simply put, everything has a purpose for being, for existing. In fact, a purpose is first discovered and then a thing is made to fulfill that purpose. Therefore I believe that there was a purpose that God wanted man to fulfill collectively and individually when he made him. The purpose, then the thing to fulfill the purpose.

When God called Abraham (then Abram) in Genesis 12, he told him him what he wanted to do with him. When he called Jacob in Genesis 28, he revealed what he wanted to achieve in his life. The same thing when he called Joshua in Joshua 1. He followed the same pattern when he called Cyrus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elisha and Paul. Wherever in the Bible we are shown the moment God called one of the elders in the faith, we see a process where God calls them by name and reveals his plans and purposes to them and lets them know the part they have to play in the fulfillment of that plan. There is always a big picture and God tells us what he wants to achieve. He never tells us the processes we have to go through but at least he gives us an indication of the end so that we can press forward.

I am of the firm belief that God has created each and every one of us with a purpose and he has a plan for our lives. Our lives are not aimless and neither do they lack meaning. I believe that when God called us, he spoke on our lives the plans and the purposes he desires for us to achieve and fulfill. Whether or not we come to a full realisation of this plan, depends entirely on us. The Bible says that His word is forever settled in heaven. He cannot and will not change. Therefore there is a responsibility placed on each of us shoulders to seek his face and find it. For us to truly have a relationship with the world we live in, we need to have a relationship with him. If we pursue him, we will not only find him, we will also 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.  

Victory In the Face of Defeat

Whenever we think of God and following Jesus, there are certain things that come to mind or are associated with our thoughts of the Godhead. We think of things like power, victory of everything that comes against us, being rich in money and other things. If I were to categorise these thoughts I would say that the thoughts are rosy in nature. We all have these thoughts that because we believe in God and follow Jesus, everything will be fine and dandy and we will never have to worry about anything. Or some things. I have discovered that at times, the things we believe are more founded in our belief in the assertions of whoever ministered to us when we gave our lives to Christ or even our pastor or the people speaking into our lives than they are founded in the Bible, the word of God.

The book of Hebrews is a fascinating book. The authors name is never mentioned in the book but theologians attribute it to the Apostle Paul. The book is basically on the issue of faith. Faith and trust in God. However the most fascinating part of the book is Chapter 11. The chapter starts by giving us the picture of a Hall of Fame of heroes of faith. Men and women who trusted in God and they received what they were trusting God for. Chapter 11 of Hebrews is mainly a glowing report of the testimony that people had of the goodness of God. In the midst of all the glowing reports, verse 13 gives us something of an inkling of what will come later. It tells us of people who died without handling the promise but seeing them afar off. Abraham and Isaac and Israel were all promised that their seed would be like the sand of the sea shore. Though they never saw this, the fact that they saw the next generations after them gave them hope it would happen, so they had faith.

However by verse 35 things take a decidedly “negative” turn. In the latter part of the verse we are told of people who were tortured and preferred to die in the hope of a better resurrection. Verse 36 tells us of people imprisoned and beaten for their faith while others were killed. Verse 37 talks of people stoned to death, some sawn to death, others living a life of deprivation. According to the writer of Hebrews, the fallen world we live in was not worthy of these people. Yet the curious thing was that all these people died without being “victorious” by the standards of the world today. Yet the writer of Hebrews tells us that these people were victorious because they died in faith and in the faith. They were tempted but yet they overcame. They were victors not because of their circumstances in life but of their circumstances in death. They were tried, afflicted and burnt in the furnace of affliction yet they remained steadfast in the faith.

Issues of faith are not always evident in our circumstances but they are evident in our character in the face of affliction. Christ is more interested in our character than in anything else. What we throw up our hands for and call defeat is not necessarily a defeat but a chance to ask ourselves, how does this glorify God? How does my life and what I’m going through glorify God? Jesus told the disciples that they had not yet resisted the Devil to the point of death. We all think that our lives only glorify God when we are alive or free. We need to have a rethink. Just maybe, our incarceration, loss of freedom and possibly even death might glorify him more.

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. 

It Should Be About Him .... And Us

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of a period of fasting, praying and alms giving known as Lent which is associated with several Christian denominations most especially the Catholics. Interestingly I have read two interesting articles from the Federalist website which were posted by Mollie Hemingway (@MZhemingway). The first article written by Rev. Todd Peperkorn, a pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Rocklin, Carlifornia argues that we should not generally reject the practice of Lent because we believe they are ancient customs which have no place in this modern world. He recognises the argument that some make that such practices tend to make us feel self righteous in our observance of them. He quotes Matthew 6:2, 5 and 7 where Jesus points out what hypocrites do and admonishes us not do do those things. Rev. Peperkorn argues that while Jesus did not want us to go the way of the hypocrites, he is certain that Jesus wanted us to do the opposite of what the hypocrites do. He argues that in a world of several distractions, Christians need to block out the distractions and focus more on more thing, Jesus.

On the other side of the spectrum is Brian Lee, pastor of Christ Reformed Church in Washington DC's Logan Circle neighborhood. His argument is that such observances lead to a form of self righteousness which arise out of pride in our works. He argues that this gives the feeling that we can please God with our works. According to him, Jesus fasting was all about purifying us while our aims with regard to fasting are about purifying ourselves which is wrong. He also argues that some of the rules regarding abstaining from certain foods and practices goes against the grain of the doctrine of sanctification. He argues that the most important thing is to love. Love God with all our heart, our strength and our might.

I agree with both sentiments to a certain extent. I believe that every Christian should practice some form of spiritual discipline not just at a particular time of the year but if possible, every day. I really don't believe in Valentine's Day, the commercialised day of love because of the associations. I believe God and Christ are the epitome of love. If there was to be a day of love, it should be celebrated on the day the birth of Christ is celebrated. But Jesus said we were to love God and our neighbour. I don't think that is something to be practiced or observed on a particular day. Therefore while I do not think Lent is a bad idea, I also do not believe fasting or prayer should be left to a particular period of the year. It should be an every day lifestyle. Like my pastor says, prayer is for God while fasting is for us. Fasting helps us discipline the flesh in order to be more attune to God. If there is a benefit to it and draws us closer in our pursuit of God, then we should eagerly adopt it shouldn't we?

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

Our Attachments Tell The State Of Our Heart

Like a lot of Jews at that time, James and John thought that Jesus was going to establish a kingdom in Jerusalem. There was the expectation shared by most that he would declare himself as a king and the people would have the Jewish kingdom they had long sought and hoped for. James and John therefore decided to meet Jesus and get first dibs on the political appointments in the soon to be established kingdom.They wanted to be the people that would seat on his left and right hand side signifying that they were his most trusted advisers.

Jesus was at pains to explain to them that his kingdom was not of this world. At his resurrection, he set up the kingdom he had been talking about and invited us to take up positions in the kingdom. Our positions in the kingdom are not determined by an appointment or by how much we do. Our positions are determined by the depth of the relationship we have with the king of the kingdom. Being a member of the kingdom is voluntary. However, once we declare allegiance to the king and bow the knees to him we have to live according to the rules of the kingdom. But the great thing about the kingdom is that there's something called grace that offers us forgiveness for our mistakes.

I believe that when we say we are Christians, our first allegiance is to the kingdom that we say we belong to. However there is a tendency we have to try to force other people who do not belong to the kingdom into living by our terms. However, people do not get converted into a new way of thinking or living by force. If you had asked me last year whether legislating was the best way to get people to change I would have said yes but I changed my mind after a conversation with my brother. While it is right to speak out when unrighteous and man made laws are being drawn up, we really have no right to try and force a form of fake godliness down other people's throats. That's why I worry when like James and John Christians seem to think that one political party or the other embodies our vision of Christ's kingdom.

Following Christ is a choice we decided to make and no law we make in this world can legislate righteousness. Christianity is a choice and there can't be a worldly version. Also righteousness is a state of the heart. It cannot be forced. While we should seek to make the world a better place we shouldn't be too attached to the things in this world. When we get more attached to Christ, we grow more like him as we grow in love, grace, truth, peace and joy. When we grow more attached to the things of this world we grow more like the world. We grow angrier, we are less graceful and grow more entrenched in the things we do. We get more entrenched in our position and we are less filled with the love of Christ. And we are more likely to try and force people to our own way of thinking. And we are less like Christ. The things we are attached to tell us who we are. And what we are. Our focus should be on Christ and him alone.

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

I'm a Christian (But It's My Right To Be Nasty & Obnoxious)

Some years ago when I was still kind of addicted to Facebook, while going through my timeline, I loved reading Pastor Rick Warren's updates. There were times when I not only loved what he had said, I also wanted to add my own comments. And every time I opened the comment box, as regular as anything there was this guy who was there not to testify to the lie or truth of the comment but to insult and abuse. If you went through every comment on Rick Warren's timeline, you would find at least one comment from the guy being nasty and critical. And the sad thing was that you couldn't put your hand on why he was the way he was. I got into something of an argument with another person following Pastor Warren who assured me that it was the man's right to be nasty and obnoxious because that right was was guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.

The other day, I looked at a picture posted in Instagram by Dr Mike Murdock. I read through the comments as I love to do. I was therefore shocked to see a nasty comment from a female follower. I don't know about you but I was taken aback that someone would actually take the time to actually follow someone just so you could be nasty to them. I don't have an issue if you have a bone to pick with someone, but why take the time to aim nasty and terrible comments on social media when you could spend that time doing other and better things. If you have a bone to pick with someone, why not start a blog or something instead of practically stalking them on social media because in my view that's what it is, stalking.

The other day, Jars of Clay retweeted a comment by someone who claimed that he the group's new album, Inland proved his point that Christian music was at least 2 years behind the rest of others genres. Personally, I don't know what he meant by that. Maybe he wants Christian ministers to be like Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga for us to be like the rest. Personally that's why I love Christian music because it's about Jesus. A week or so ago, the group also retweeted a comment by another person who had come to one of their shows. According to him, Jesus was not seen because of the people they came to sing with. According to the group, they will retweet people even if what they say is really not complimentary to group. Based on that, my respect for the group has increased. I also respect the right of those who tweeted their comments to make those comments. They were making comments based on their views. However they didn't see the need to be nasty to get their point across.

I love Michael Hyatt. If you want to make a comment on his blog, you see a notice that tells you that he retains the right to delete comments that are snarky and offensive. Sadly that's not really possible on social media like Twitter or Facebook. The sad thing is that the people who go on social media to hurl abuse and insults on people who don't even acknowledge them grow even bitter when they do not receive any validation. I don't have a problem with you having a right to speak but the problem is that when stand on a right we exclude love. Love should be what moves us, not proving a point or being right.

We Are Not At War (Are We?)

There were two quite interesting posts on Michael Hyatt’s blog on Tuesday this week. For those who don’t know Michael Hyatt, he was the former CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers and he is the current chairman. The first was a link to a post by someone called Anne Marie Miller. Her post (http://www.annemariemiller.com/2013/08/19/three-things-you-dont-know-about-your-children-and-sex/). She is a children’s counsellor and she was basically talking about the threat Google posed to children. According to her, children were searching for answers to questions they couldn’t ask their parents on the search engine. Not only were they finding unwholesome answers, they were getting pictures as well. Also, children were getting involved in unspeakable acts at a much younger age and there was a need for parents to be closer to their children and develop a rapport with them so that the children would trust them enough to ask them questions they needed answers to.

His other post, Whatever Happened To Modesty (http://michaelhyatt.com/whatever-happened-to-modesty.html) reflected on the attire worn by the artistes at the MTV Awards and some of the comments made. Personally, I think modesty is dead in America and that it has become a dirty word. Unfortunately, I think that has also become the case in the Church. What struck me was how there were people on the comments page who defended people’s rights to wear whatever they wanted. I have no problem with that argument as long as they aren’t Christians. However, there were those who saw the argument about modesty as an attempt by men to control women in the Church. Those are the ones I have a problem with. According to Rebecca Maynard, one of the people I disagree with, the “legalism” of modesty was designed by men to control women. This was allegedly done so as stop men from falling.

I find it hard to understand why men are accused of misogyny or the oppression or suppression of women whenever they comment on female issues. I also fail to understand why it is that women, even Christian women, seem to retreat behind the wall of women liberation and give the impression that we are at war. Even in the Church. You’ll have to forgive me but I believe the Bible is the final authority on our lives as Christians and not the United States Constitution. Not the laws of the United States. I might have said it before but I do believe that most of the laws of the United States are against God’s laws. We have sadly taken the view that human concepts like equality are better than what God says. We believe democracy is better than theocracy. The Bible says women should dress modestly. It also says that a woman should cover her nakedness. I don’t think that’s misogynist. Unless of God and the Apostles are now misogynist. Don’t get me wrong, I believe modesty applies to both men and women. I have never understood why a man should walk about in his vest instead of a shirt. They say the law is an ass. When we take the concept of equality too far, we discountenance the differences between us all in the name of sameness. Whether we like it or not, we are anatomically different. Which is why I think the present rage of women bathing topless in public because “men can do it” is a step too far. Unless of course we take the view that anything the law says is right.

I honestly believe that God’s laws are better than man’s law. At times, we have made the mistake and error of presenting God as a God of do’s and don’ts who is trying to spoil our fun. Nothing could be further from the truth. When God asks us to do or not to do anything, it’s for our benefit. Besides, I really do not see how being naked in public glorifies the God we say we serve. How do we think God is represented to people when we can’t keep our clothes on? The Bible says in the book of Peter that a woman should be known more for her character than the type of clothes she wears. I would add that a woman should be known more for her character than her lack of clothes.     

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO published by WestBow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers (bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000194087/Deceptio.aspx). He is also the author of LOST, BUT FOUND,  (www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ)