This House We Live In!

When a person or a family buy a house, it's always a reason for joy, there is a sense of pride in ownership, knowing that It belongs to you, and that, even if you owe most of it to the bank, it is registered in your name, you are paying into your own, you're investing on your dwelling for now and for the future.

When a child is conceived in the womb of a woman, there is a spiritual act which takes place together with conception; God creates a soul to inhabit the house which begins to take shape in the womb.

Now, conception is the creation of a life, a soul which God conceives. What a man and woman do in the natural sets in motion the creation of a new body which will serve as a dwelling for that soul.

And it does not matter what color or shape or size or sex that body is, and it does not matter whether it is short or tall or perfect or faulty, missing a limb or an eye or its nose, the soul God's created is always complete, it's always whole, it's always perfect. And that soul comes equipped with a set of skills and endowed with a preset purpose designed by God.

Now, our fallen nature has caused our surroundings, and society at large to see us for what we are in the natural, in the exterior, and we have attributed to the body all of the value of a life; in other words, we have transferred to the house the values of the individual. This is equivalent to us saying I am my house and my house is me! This has caused us to become enslaved by our bodies and its natural cravings. Like a man owning a broken house, we spend our days seeking to please the desires of our bodies, trying to fix the cracks and the holes and the dripping pipes.

The thing is, in the natural, we can own a house made of bricks and mortar, and dwell in it for as long as we can afford it, and even pass it on to our children, but In the spiritual we are always renters, our body, the house in which we live is not our own, is just a temporary dwelling were we are allowed to stay for a season, and in order to exercise the skills we've been given, and to fulfill the set purpose God has assigned to us, and whether we exercise our skills, and whether fulfill our purpose or not, at the end of our journey we are going to be evicted.

Something we do need to think about is the fact that we do have a choice of dwelling when we vacate our present house, and we can either be upgraded or downgraded, that is entirely up to us.

When king David was affirmed in his kingdom and finally build a cedar house, a palace for himself, he saw the need to build a house for the Lord, and set his heart to it, (2 Samuel 7) yet the Lord told him he was not the one to build a house for him. And He added; "The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you". In his natural thinking David understood that his kingdom would be transferred to his children and that his son would build a house for the Lord, yet God was revealing that He would create a flesh in which to dwell in our Lord Jesus Christ, a natural descendant of David, yet a spiritual offspring of God.

"He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." (v 13)

And Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. And furthermore, he says: Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:6-10).

A House made of wood or brick and mortar may last hundreds of years, yet nothing which lives in the natural lasts forever, in the same way our body, the house we live in, is also temporary, and it will last up to 70, 80, maybe 100 years if we do not destroy it before. There is an eternal dwelling which God has prepared for you, a home in which you are meant to live forever.

Jesus tells us: In My Father's house there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3 NKJV).

Take this words to heart, and realize that our body is a slowly decaying house, and that no matter how many repairs you do, it will soon collapse and we will move on to a new house, and I must announce to you that only Jesus can lead you to your eternal dwelling of peace and blitz and joy everlasting, any other option leads to darkness and doom!.

As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him and His righteousness to children's children, (Psalm 103:15-17)

Rev. Jose A. Luna

A Friend Servant of Christ Jesus

Still Too Bad For God?

In a similar-titled article I recently introduced this question, but now I must take it further. There are some pressing issues you may have, and perhaps not everyone who read my first article will be satisfied that their deep concerns were adequately covered. So here are some further issues which I hope will help you.

1. WORSE THAN WHAT?

Yes, I understand that many people may say, 'Hey, thanks for being concerned, but you haven't got a clue about some of the things I've done!' Well, yes, I have to agree and an article like this has limitations. Also, I am only dealing in general terms and you may have given yourself to corruption and plunged into it to excess and got others to do the same and now you think you have passed the point of no return. And then, your conscience may have become so dulled you now have little sense of moral right and wrong. Maybe though you still resent lies being told you or your legally held property stolen! When people object to such things, 'they show that the work of the law [of God] is written on their hearts' (Romans 2:15). This doesn't excuse you, but it may explain why you still disapprove, even your own behaviour.

We must also emphasise what we mean by 'sin' - God's word reveals that 'sin is lawlessness' (1 John 3:4). That is anything that breaks or is contrary to God's perfect standard, as summarised in the Ten Commandments. By nature we are all transgressors, 'all have sinned' (Romans 3:23) - we have all broken the law of God and cannot repair that breach by our own efforts.

2. MERCY FOR ME

King David is a well-known biblical example of someone who let lust take over his mind and let it run full course. He committed adultery and followed this by arranging the murder of the woman's husband who was away on active military service when his wife became pregnant. This was serious moral failure, for which after a while David was rebuked by Nathan the prophet. David was conscience stricken and sought God's mercy, and God graciously forgave him. See how David expressed his plea: 'Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! (Psalm 51:1-2). Did you or I ever pray like that - maybe it's time to do so today? You feel your sins are great? Then seek the living God who is great in mercy!

If anyone has committed a criminal act - whatever the colour of your collar, you ought to confess this both to God and to the appropriate civil authorities. And if you owe restitution or compensation to offended parties, to individuals or to an employer, or, say an apartment store - then settle the matter, and offer serious apologies, whether they are going to be accepted or not.

And be sure you don't think this is a first step to earning God's forgiveness, which is never earned but always undeserved. God is never in debt to anyone - we ought to make restitution for wrongdoing as part of our repentance, but never as moral leverage, upon which God might be more inclined to forgive us.

3. HOPE FOR THE FALLEN

Some Christians have fallen away from their earlier professed faith and have got into serious trouble. Now, after reflection, they know they would like to come back to faith, but feel so hard-hearted, so insensitive to the things that once concerned them, they are discouraged and feel hopeless. Many sins have a cultural notoriety, but it is not necessarily public disapproval that makes them any worse to God. Draw a line between the sinful behaviour and the sin-darkened heart as the polluted source that led to that behaviour. We are in urgent need of having our sensitivity to sin's seriousness brought home to us.

I mention this because there are large numbers of very pleasant and cultured religious people who will be cast into outer darkness for all eternity, in spite of all their church attendance and support for religious institutions, if they never repent of their sin of unbelief in Christ and earnestly seek God's mercy and grace as a wholly undeserved gift! They have never sought to be reconciled to God and justified by his grace on the basis of Christ's finished work upon the cross! Never - instead, they thought that climbing up the ladder of good works was the way to heaven - how appalling to have thought that they were good enough to bypass the sin-bearing sacrifice of the Son of God - Oh no, they weren't sinners like the rest of humanity! But there is mercy and grace even for the worst, blind religious pride, for God's forgiveness is not according to the limits we set for it, but 'according to the riches of his grace' (Ephesians 1:7).

So, knock on that door and ask to receive his overflowing and undeserved favour, and don't give up, and you may find there is plenty, way more than you ever dreamed, even enough for you! And then live a transformed life by faith in Christ, your Lord and Saviour.

4. NO GRADES - ALL HAVE SINNED

There are no two grades of 'sinners' - the notorious and the cultured - not at all, even though some may be more conspicuous than others, because it is God himself who knows the heart - 'for you, you only know the hearts of all' (1 Kings 8:39).

The point of this is to explain that some actions are more serious from society's point of view. If you engage in drunken driving and kill someone, you are both a sinner and guilty of a criminal act, and you will have to face the consequences. God will forgive you through Christ's death and shed blood, if you repent and turn to him in penitence and simple trust, but you will pay society's price in the way society specifies - that is pretty obvious.

5. RELIGIOUS SIN NO EXCEPTION

Whereas, if you have been a religious person for many years, perhaps a clergyman, pastor or office holder, but have never actively trusted in Jesus Christ to blot out the ugly sin of proud self-righteousness, you must do so without any more shilly-shallying. I say that because the sin of religious pride that sets up a pass mark for heaven and then awards that pass mark is a terrible rejection of the sacrifice of Christ. In effect, it says, 'I'll get there under my own steam thanks; I'm quite good you know - Jesus didn't need to bother about dying for my sins!' That sort of widespread religiosity is Christ-rejecting religiosity. Turn from it quickly before you get so impressed and blinded by your own wonderful good deeds that you see no need of turning to Christ, as someone who has never loved God, not even for a moment, but have rather loved your own fine reputation!

Still too bad for God? Don't write yourself off any longer! Ask the Holy Spirit of God to convict you and show you the awful seriousness of sin and the astonishing wonder of Jesus' love that he would die for sinners - even the worst, taking the penalty of their sin upon himself! None are too bad for a lowly, gracious Saviour who understands the depths of human depravity and 'is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them' (Hebrews 7:25).

The Last Word!

You know, Peter was quite sure about Who Jesus was. Even though he denied Him three times in one night, he knew beyond a shadow of any doubt exactly Who Jesus was. As a matter of fact, Jesus knew that he knew exactly Who He was, testifying and grounding Peter in the fact that it was God the Father Who had revealed Jesus' true identity to him through personal revelation knowledge (Matthew 16:16-17).

Peter knew Who Jesus was. After all, he was there at Jesus' transfiguration on that mountain - seeing with his own physical eyes the Lord's glory revealed, and hearing with his own hot little ears the Almighty God's voice announcing His personal approval of Jesus, when He declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; [take heed and listen to] Him" (Matthew 17:5). Other than Jesus Himself - along with the possible exception of Mary His Mother (Luke 1:28-35) - no one else on earth could have been more sure about Jesus' identity and nature than His disciple Peter. Perhaps that's why Matthew 10:2 calls Peter the 'first' - that is, the 'chief' - apostle (because in mere 'order of selection' Andrew, Peter's brother, actually came to follow Jesus before Peter did [John 1:35-41]). But, I digress...

Here's an issue we're probably all familiar with: You're trying your best to believe the Lord for something, or you desperately need His wisdom in a matter. You're struggling mightily, feeling around for the right direction to go, but you're just not sure which of the thoughts you're having is the 'right' one - or if any of them are, for that matter. In short, you don't have a clue what to do, and God doesn't seem like He's in that much of a hurry to give you any concrete answers. Finally, in some combination of confusion, dismay, exhaustion and, yes, even irritation, you cry out, "Lord, please; if You could just give me some kind of sign here! Can't you see that I'm struggling, and that I'm looking to You for help??"

I assure you, He sees it. But, largely unbeknownst to us, the fact of the matter is that even if the Lord relented and gave us a big red flashing sign with an arrow pointing in the appropriate direction, that's still no guarantee we'd actually believe it enough to act on it. We could find our brains 'rationalizing' us right out of what our natural senses had experienced. (Of course, this would actually be Satan whispering to us to disregard God's leading, trying his best to either 'talk us out of' or 'into' something.)

The Apostle Peter came to realize this truth, and we as apostles (yes, we're all apostles also - we've all been 'sent' into the world as Christ's ambassadors for the Kingdom of God [2 Corinthians 5:20; Mark 16:15]) must become aware of it, as well. Peter taught that, even though he saw and heard of the Messiah's glory with his very own eyes and ears, even though he himself was there and had firsthand knowledge of Jesus' majesty; when push came to shove, he didn't rely on any 'sights' or 'sounds' he'd received through his physical senses. He relied on something even more stable and trustworthy: the 'written down' Word of God! (2 Peter 1:16-19)

Now, I'm not saying that God will never, ever give us any types of signs. I'm not saying that at all, because He certainly will - when He deems it appropriate. After all, He's in the miracle-working business - always has been, always will be; because He doesn't change (Malachi 3:6). And, signs can be big, hugely conspicuous events that nobody can miss; or they can be very small, quiet, inconspicuous "coincidences" that nobody sees - except you (because you're the one it's for... and because of the fact that there's no such thing as a 'coincidence'). But, signs are generally not for believing Christians; they're largely meant to show unbelievers that there really is a God behind the scenes doing work (1 Corinthians 14:22). Believing Christians are supposed to (indeed, we're commanded to) live not by our eyes, ears or by signs, but by our faith in God's Word (Isaiah 11:3; 2 Corinthians 10:7; Romans 1:17; John 1:1).

The point here is that forty-eight hours after you received a 'sign,' you could be questioning all over the place just what it was your eyes saw, and why they saw it. But, forty-eight hours after, God's written Word is going to say the same thing it said forty-eight hours before - or forty-eight years before, or forty-eight centuries (Hebrews 13:8). That's what Peter meant when he called the Holy Scriptures a "more sure [stable, firm, steadfast, trustworthy] word of prophecy" (2 Peter 1:19), and we're much better off to put our ultimate faith and trust in them than in anything else. All of God's Word is profitable for teaching, convicting, correcting and directing us (2 Timothy 3:16). His Word should be the first place we look to, and it should be "The Last Word" for every question and decision we need to make in our lives (Revelation 1:11, 22:13).

The Psalm of Habakkuk

Psalms litter the Bible beyond the book of Psalms, and they even appear outside of the Bible - for instance, in the Mesopotamian literature. These poetic utterances, usually accompanying high emotion, teach us much about the worship of God. Habakkuk 3 - the Prophet's Prayer - or, as others have called it, the Psalm of Habakkuk - is the type of Psalm that could be set to dramatic music:

"O LORD, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O LORD, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known; in wrath may you remember mercy." ~Habakkuk 3:2 (NRSV)

The psalmist, Habakkuk, begins the Psalm in reverent fear for his LORD. He knows something of the infinite power of Yahweh. Habakkuk is desperate to see God's power for righteousness prevail in his time.

THE CONTEXT OF THE PSALM

Reading Habakkuk we notice a flow. The first two chapters are about Habakkuk's lamenting enquiries, which are followed by the LORD'S answers. There is a real mode of prayer and intimacy with God as the Minor Prophet raises his concerns and casts them upon God.

Habakkuk commits to wait patiently upon Word from the LORD (2:1-2).

It is clear throughout the first two chapters - where Habakkuk seeks God twice and then God answers twice - that an understanding of faithfulness is communicated to the Minor Prophet from the LORD.

Chapter 3 comes about because Habakkuk notes the faithfulness of God and he is inspired to trust the Divine nature.

A PSALM OF GOD'S ANGER

God was coming to judge the people of Judah and Habakkuk accepted that, hoping that through such discipline, mercy, too, would be known.

There is a true essence of fear in verse 2, profiled above. God's judging nature has been known through the timeline of creation. Just like when we quiver at a lightning crack overhead, or we shudder in amazement at the sweeping tide of a tsunami - the Earth sees and trembles (Psalm 97) - God can bring us to quaking fear in an instant.

But such is the Minor Prophet's faith that he concludes the Psalm as psalmists generally do; there is a fresh commitment made to trust God - to rejoice in his Saviour.

***

No matter what we fear our best response is to trust God. Perhaps fear, of all the emotions, brings us closer to God - because we must rely on our LORD in order to survive. As Habakkuk found, the Fear of the LORD brings us to a faith-response of reliance in trust.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.

The Social Justice In Action

There are myriad concerns in our world today, So many we find our thoughts run astray, But to what does God call every woman and man? It's simple, really; we act where we can.

Plenteous are feelings that rip our hearts apart, Of injustice and greed of those without heart, How are we to reconcile the issues of grace? It's simple, really; we seek God's face.

Wondering aloud within the privacy of our minds, In this, God will help us sort out our binds, Again, to what does God call every woman and man? It's simple, really; we do what we can.

***

The issues of social justice are poignant and pressing on a Christian's mind. Mindful Christians cannot help reading their Bibles with hearts split asunder for the injustices that played out in biblical times, because of thought for the same injustices that play out today.

This can leave us with a very heavy burden, especially if we are confused about what God is calling us to. There are at least two courses for social justice, which, for the purposes of this article, is a verb and not a noun: social justice is not a name, it's about action.

THE ACTION IN SOCIAL JUSTICE IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY

There are things in life, in our day-to-day, that ought to inspire the social justice of action. When we see someone treated rudely, we don't fight with the offender, but we 'meet' the offended, offering our support, encouragement, and love.

When we notice that things aren't going well for someone, because they appear a little more distant, depressed or worried, we have the opportunity to give them not only our time, but our very selves. A true heart is beyond pretentious listening; it hears the groans and shrieks of the soul in distress. Such understanding transcends words.

There are so many day-to-day situations that we are called to act in - little situations and large, and all between - just because we are there.

THE SPECIFIC CALL OF SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR OUR LIVES

Not everyone has a particular call to go and serve in some foreign land to fight for the rampant injustices of a foreign culture in the name of Christ. Some do, but many don't.

But there is still a specific call of social justice - where God calls us to action - for every human being. My particular call is the protection of the outlier; I hate it when people are excluded because of bigotry, prejudice, bullying, etc. The characterisation of my action is quiet but immediate. I believe in inclusiveness wherever possible.

We all know what social justice issues tug at our hearts. These occur without even a thought. They are more about instinct for right and wrong. So it is not difficult to know what God is calling us to do. We ought to do what we can do.

***

Social justice is truly a verb, not a noun: it's something we do. At's action-oriented. Where God's Spirit leads us to make a difference we are blessed to obey. We are blessed, also, when we don't let the devil make us feel guilty for the things we can't or don't do.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.

Logistics and Progress in Poland

Logistics in Poland is very well thought out. On a recent road trip from Lwowek Slaski (a small town close to Germany on Poland's western border) to Warsaw, Poland, I passed through the center of Poland and saw a landscape filled with warehouses - distribution centers for many retail stores.

Central Poland is home to millions of meters of warehouse space. Major cities in Poland will soon add even more warehouses as their economy continues to improve.

According to an August 2012 issue of The Warsaw Voice, by 2020 Poland will become the main logistics center in Europe. Colliers International, a real estate services company who conducted the research, expects distribution centers to grow the fastest in Gdansk/Gdynia, Lodz, Katowice and Wroclaw. Twice as much warehouse space was constructed in the first half of 2012 as the year before with the largest amount of new space built in the vicinity of Warsaw. The midwestern city of Poznan, central Poland and Upper Silesia also gained a significant amount of warehouse space.

I have been to most of the cities mentioned in the article I read. I love Poland and the Polish people. Some of my best friends live there.

It wasn't too long ago that shelves were empty and goods were difficult to obtain in this country. I am thrilled to see progress come to Poland. To me, these warehouses do not mar the beautiful countryside as they are strategically placed simply to make it easier to deliver goods throughout the country.

As a Christian, I know where everything I need is located. Every material, physical or spiritual need that I have comes from one source.

Every good and perfect gift is from above...(James 1:17). Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'... for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:31-33).