A Time To Keep

I remember when she told me about her fiancé. She showed me the gifts he bought. She told me how loving, kind and generous he was. She told me the places he took her to. She told me the pet names he called her. You can’t imagine what it was like seeing them together in public.

I envied the passion and fulfillment in her voice when she spoke about him. He was the man of every woman’s dreams. His acts, as she had listed to me, became the yardstick for judging mine. Mine was nothing close to this man she described. Glaring was the fact that mine did not call me pet names. He had to go.

When shortly afterwards she got married to someone else, I was curious. How could she leave someone who was so perfect? I inquired. It was then the truth came out. He was not so perfect. He had his shortcomings. After hearing in details about the other side of him, I realized that though mine was not perfect, he was a blessing from God. Simply saying kind words to him changed him to an affectionate, lyrically-tongued man.

Many a times, we build our expectations based on what we get from our senses. If only we could see what we have through the eyes of God, we might just realize that we are possessors of God’s great and precious promises. Maybe we’ll become conscious that we have what others want.

Your desire may be “Do something new in my life” while your heart whispers “It is A Time to Keep”.

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven:
...A time to keep and a time to throw away…
Ecclesiastics 3:1; 6b.

Indeed it is a time to keep: relationships with friends or siblings that could be mended; love grown cold due to neglect and hurt yet could be healed, jobs that seem demanding or not up to par yet are God’s gifts; memories of God’s goodness drowned in new expectations; and do I mention admission pending the visa to that school that is a form of escape? The list of things to keep is endless.

The grass on the other side may not always be as green as you hope. After leaving all you had for it, you might turn back to meet a shut door that will not be opened again.

But if you think it is a time to throw away, please speak to a person who longs for what you have.

You may desire something new in your life, but all it might take may be for you to do something new [different] in yourself. Then you will see that what you already have is worth keeping.

Speaking of keeping, your belief and trust in God is one thing to keep at all times. Keep your hope and faith alive and set your mind on Him, for He is faithful that promised [1]. Keep your relationship with Him alive because His love has been the only love that never hurts you or leaves a door shut in front of you. Because of the joy awaiting Jesus Christ, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame [2]. That joy was simply the joy of your acceptance and faith in him, the joy that grace, reconciliation and salvation will come to you.

Happy Easter! Enjoy God’s Sweet, Sacrificial, Unconditional and Unfailing Love.

Please note: This post does not suggest that if you are facing a situation that is detrimental to your physical, spiritual or emotional well being, that you should stay in it. It just might be for you “A Time to Throw Away”.

Bible References
[1] Hebrews 10:23b
[2] Hebrews 12: 2b paraphrased.

The Race

I want to say a big Thank You to Blogville. You all were so wonderful during my Sept. 11 memorial. Just to let you know that you made it a joyful memorial. I felt love from above and from almost every part of the world. I will print out your comments and share with my family members. God bless you.

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The Race
I was on my way to see Guy. I had been missing him all the while his girlfriend was around. Now she had gone, I had to seize the opportunity to be with him. I had plans on my mind. I felt excited but deep down, I felt a pang of sadness. Because I was second best. I had settled for it because it seemed I had no other choice. What I really wanted was not just to be a “first best”, but a “one-and-only”.

I took a walk down to Guy’s house to kill two birds with one stone. First to exercise and secondly to think. I was enjoying my walk and thoughts when I got distracted by a group of children playing. One that particularly caught my attention was a little boy, dirty looking, thick catarrh running down his nose, no pant, spots and rashes all over his body, and with a bent leg. I love children but I could not see myself touching this child. Let’s call him Sboy. He was persistently flogging another boy, probably an elder brother. Let’s call this other one Bboy.

Then one of the children suggested they have a race to get to the end of the road and back. Trust children, anything to run around and disturb. They all bought into the idea. On your marks…set…go…and all the children ran off with the speed of light. Except Sboy (who could not run) and Bboy. This is where I had to stop walking and watch.

Sboy reached out to Bboy and asked to be carried for the race. Bboy reached out and took the cane from Sboy’s hand. In my mind I said, “This is time to flog Sboy back”. Bboy dropped the cane aside, carried heavy Sboy on his back, and joined in the race. Of course, the other children were on their way back while Bboy and Sboy had only gone halfway. Together, Bboy and Sboy completed the race. We know who took last.

To me, Bboy was the winner of the race. That was love, forgiveness, grace and help he had ministered. Three tear drops slid down cheek.

As I turned to continue my walk, it dawned on me that Bboy just enlightened me on the relationship between God/Jesus and man. Like Sboy, we are not perfect and we commit sins, sometimes without a conscience. Yet God forgives us and completely forgets what we did. Despite our flaws and imperfections, He loves us and accepts us for who we are. When we reach out to him, He receives us with open arms. And then, it does not matter when others get the things/to the place we desire. As long as we are with God, we will get there, victorious, using less effort, at His appointed time, and finish well. He will bring us to an expected end.

See me fighting for first and second best, when there was someone who loved me more than anything or anyone. By the time I had reached Guy’s house, I had a different thought on my mind. Enough of second best.

“Guy, I just came to tell you I’m going back home. There is someone there waiting for me. I just realized He loves me so much.”
Guy thought I was being funny. But after I explained everything to him (as logically as possible), he understood. He let me go, knowing he did not love me as much as God loved me.

That happened years ago. Today, I am a “One and Only”.

What's in a Name?

I brought the car to a halt in the available parking space adjacent to my office. After listening to Joel Osteen’s message that said “The Favor of God”, I took advantage of this free parking space provision as favor from God.

I had just locked the car door and hoped to hurry into the office when three hefty men in army uniform and long guns started running towards me. My heart was pounding frantically against my chest. I asked myself, what crime have I committed to warrant 3 men coming towards me? It would only take a slap from one of them to finish me, I thought.

I tried to ignore them and started walking away. One of them thundered, “Hey you! Hey you girl, will you stop there!”
I stopped in my tracks and turned to face them. The security guards around my office turned away, pretending that they did not know me. I was on my own.
“Why did you park here?” one of them shouted when they got up to me. “You just parked the car there and started walking away. Who gave you permission to park here?”
I did not reply immediately because fear had seized me. By the time the three men surrounded me, I knew I had to defend myself.
“I saw parking space here, near my office, so I parked,” I replied. I was shaking. So was my small voice.
“You are not permitted to park in this place," the man continued. "Oya, carry your car and go. This place is only for residents in this area!”
I smiled. My husband works for this organization that had the residential area.
“Even the wives of staff are not allowed to park here?” I asked.
“Wives of who?” Now his tone was less harsh.
“My husband works for the company…”
“What proof do you have?”
I said, “Go and check your directory for my husband.”

Then I called his name.

The other two men started moving back slowly.
“Madam, we are very sorry,” the chief attacker said. “You could have told us the first time that your husband works here. We are very sorry.”
I accepted their apologies and headed for my office. In my heart I said, if I did not respect my husband, from now on, I will respect him. Merely calling his name had given me freedom.

I liken this situation to when we pray, and we call the name of Jesus. This event reminded me of the name above every other name – Jesus Christ. I could imagine negative spirits fleeing at the mention of this sweet, powerful name. I could see circumstances taking a bow at the utterance of this awesome name. This is one name I should never take for granted.

Whatever you ask in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the will of God, consider it done, for Jesus Christ is the name above every name [Philippians 2:9-11].

To Be Rich or Not To Be Rich

How I know you love me

I know you love me
What makes me convinced
Are the blessings before me
A pinch of your abundance and riches;
Wealth and health you did not withhold
Life and Smiles you make part of my whole
I own all good and perfect gifts that come my way
So much you give that I cannot repay;
I know you love me
I know I am blessed
I am convinced
Because of the riches you’ve given me.

The Inspiration
I had walked into the office when I heard some people involved in a heated (but friendly) argument. I did not want to get involved in such but I could not help overhearing what was the cause of the apparent inferno. The basis for the argument was that Jesus Christ should be the model for Christians, and while He lived He was not rich. Therefore, Christians should not be rich!

Whether or not I have facts to back this statement, I will state clearly that Christians are meant to be rich. We are princes and princess, the children of the Most High God, the creator of heaven and earth, who owns the earth and the fullness thereof; the world and all that dwell in it [Psalm 24:1]. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood [1 Peter 2:9], why then should we be living in poverty?

Before I start talking about why we should be rich, let me also point out that Jesus Christ was not poor (For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was RICH, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich [2 Corinthians 8:9]). HE was humble [Philippians 2:5 – 9]. Humility is an attitude. Jesus Christ taught us so many things while HE was on earth, never did He say we should not be rich. With His humble nature, He taught us not to worry about the future [Luke 12:29-31], He taught us what faith really is, He taught us that we have power and authority over the enemy, He taught us that riches and abundance comes from God. Having riches is not the problem. Being wealthy is not the problem. It is what you make out of that state and what you do with the money that determines whether there is a problem with Christians being rich. For instance we know that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil [1 Timothy 6:10]. It is not money that is the root of all evil.

I remember a statement my pastor made last week. She stated that, “The Devil’s greatest nightmare is wealth in the hands of the righteous!” This is simply because the righteous man knows what to do with wealth. He will use it for the things of God (as money answereth all things [Ecclesiastics 10:19]). Why will God withhold wealth from HIS children when HE wants them to live like HE does and use it to accomplish HIS will?

What has God promised you concerning HIS blessings? They that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing [Psalm 34:10]. The blessing of the LORD, it makes rich, and HE adds no sorrow with it [Proverbs 10:22]. If I say I am blessed by God, then I should know because I am rich, and the riches do not come with sorrow. Rich means having an abundant supply of DESIRABLE QUALITIES or substances. It also means possessing MATERIAL WEALTH. It also means marked by great fruitfulness and very productive. Child of God, you are blessed and you are rich. If you did not know, you know now. If you have not started enjoying your richness spend time with the Word and find out what to do to become rich. The secret has been revealed to us and it is in there.

Paul said in Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. He did not say some of your need. He said ALL. King Solomon talks about the gift of God when every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, HE has given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour [Eccl. 5:19]. This gift of God is for HIS children and you are one of them. David said “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” [Psalm 37:25]. God is faithful. HE will definitely supply all our needs.

You might say, “but Jesus said, ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God’ [Matthew 19:24]”. But if you read just above in this scripture, it came after the rich man was told to sell his possessions and give to the poor. It clearly shows the attitude some people have towards their riches (and I’m using all the definitions of riches mentioned above, not only material wealth). Jesus was only telling the rich man what He should do to enter the kingdom of God, to be as a son. It is written in Psalm 41:1 – 2 “Blessed is he that considers the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and the LORD will keep him from the will of his enemies.” It is also written that, “He that gives to the poor shall not lack”.

Being a Christian is not synonymous with being poor. It is not a reflection of the glory of God. What we should learn as Christians is the attitude of Christ towards riches. This is a topic for another discussion. But I can quote Paul here, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” [1 Timothy 6:17-19].

Have a wonderful day and remember you are meant to be rich.

The Loss Causation Model

You Open My Eyes

You open the eyes of my spirit
To see new treasures
Along the path
Of my walk with you;
You open the eyes of my heart
And enlighten me
With the hope that surrounds your calling
And the richness that you are;
You trust me enough
To reveal your secrets and mysteries to me
Knowing I will use it
For the purpose you want of me;
You spend quality time
Teaching me
The Truth
And the truth;
And now I know
That my walk with you
Is forward and upward
With revelation and understanding.

The Inspiration
You have not heard from me in a while now. I was on a course. I didn’t have the best of internet connectivity. I didn’t have time at all. All I told God was, “You have taken me away from writing. I am not happy about it at all.” HE definitely replied but I was too stuck up in my emotions that I did not hear anything. HE must have said, “Wait on ME, I want to show you something!”

My course was on QHSE - Quality, Health, Safety and Environment. I learnt so much from the course and from the people I met. If I start on this, I will have another novel in the pipeline. I’m sure you’re not ready for that here. This message is a bit technical but if you are patient enough, you will get the treasure in this story.

One of the most important things I took out of that course was the Loss Causation Model. Before a loss occurs (Injury, illness, damage, loss in process), there are series of events that take place with a root cause that begins this series of events. The root cause is called a Lack of Control (Inadequate standards, lack of compliance for preparedness, knowledge and skill training, etc). This leads to a basic cause (or personal factor) such as lack of knowledge, stress, inadequate capabilities. This in turn leads to an Immediate cause (substandard conditions and actions) such as operating without authority, working under the influence of controlled substances, inadequate barriers. This then leads to an Incident – a fall, a strike, stress, or being in contact with an unfriendly environment. The incidence leads to the loss. The concept of the Loss Causation Model, hence is that when a loss occurs, we need to go back that chain, realize that the root cause is not the incident nor the immediate cause, and solve the problem from the root cause in order to prevent the loss from reoccurring.

Let’s take a simple example. Someone is hospitalized because of Malaria. That is the loss (time, money, etc). The Incident – being bitten by a mosquito with plasmodium. The Immediate Cause – Sitting outside in the evening without adequate protective clothing. Basic Cause – Lack of knowledge of the implications of sitting outside in the evening without the right clothing. Lack of Control – The information was not communicated (Lack of compliance for communication). Many a times, when handling a “loss”, we usually target the immediate cause. This is only a temporal solution. Going down to the roots is the permanent solution to the problem.

This Loss Causation Model can be applied to so many areas of our lives. Someone dies of lung cancer and we say the cause is smoking (that is the immediate cause) but in truth there is more to this. What about falling into temptation? A spouse cheats. We say it is because of temptation. Again if we look deep into this issue, we will find out that there is more to this. Unless the root causes are identified and treated, such things are likely to occur again.

I want you to open your eyes to look at the malaria example again. Loss - Someone is hospitalized because of malaria. Incident – Struck by the enemy (illness is not from God therefore…). Immediate cause – Operating without authority (if you went to someone’s land and started operating, the person has every right to do with you as he pleases. If you have authority, then you can even take the land from the person). Basic cause – Lack of Knowledge (My people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge [Hosea 4:6]). Lack of Control – Inadequate Standards. Standard means the ideal in terms of which something can be judged; established or widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence. My Spirit is quickened.

God had years ago evaluated HIS Loss Causation Model and provided ADEQUATE STANDARD and basis for compliance to prevent loss in mankind. HIS Word (the bible which HE inspired) makes us compliant. HIS Son, Jesus Christ, is the Standard HE put in place to ensure there is no loss to mankind. All other means were inadequate. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and The Life [John 14:6]. Knowing the truth sets us free [John 8:32]. We will not be destroyed by lack of knowledge. Having Jesus Christ as your standard against loss and the Word of God to be compliant with, you do not find yourself in lack of knowledge that HE has died for you and HE has overcome the world [John 16:33]. This in turn eliminates operating without authority (Immediate cause) for we were given dominion over everything on earth [Gen 1:26]. We also have the power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt us [Luke 10:19]. Then we will not get struck by the enemy (this does not mean the enemy will not attack but our Standard, our Word of God, our authority will give us enough courage to face the enemy). That way, we are far from having a loss.

You might ask, “What does it mean when a loss occurs even though we have been doing things right?” This is not a time to blame God, yourself or “the people in the village”. Ever since God gave us dominion over everything on earth, the enemy has been trying to take it from us. The battle continues. What is true is that years ago God identified that the cause of loss/death is sin, HE sent HIS son to take away all our sins and die with them, and even when there is a physical loss, it is not entirely a loss because it was a spiritual battle fought and won, of which we enjoy the fruit of His salvation in the physical realm.

I could go on and on about this, but I have to stop here. I thank God that I learnt something about HIM from the course. I thank God for HIS infinite wisdom to put in place the Standard that will help us remain in check and prevent us from falling victims to loss.

Have a lovely day. You are a victor not a victim.

Mistaken Identity

I Look Just Like You

I look in the mirror
With my physical eyes
All I see is the same old,
Same old pretty face the world knows;
I fail to see
What my spiritual eyes see
The continuous evolution
To your image;
But my spirit is glad
That one day I will hear
I’ve seen you before
Are you not Jesus?
And then I’d be matured to know
It’s not a mistaken identity nor an insult
But the truth
That I look just like you.

The Inspiration
I was not ready for any inspiration. I had just walked past the pedestrian gate into the compound of the people I wanted to see. It had been a 3 min struggle to open that gate and I felt all my energy had gone into trying to force the gate open. The Rita of before would wear a frown and transfer all aggression on anyone that comes my way. But I remembered the words of my best friend before he travelled. He said, “smile”. So, I forced the smile. Then the strangest thing happened – a little girl ran to me and called me “Mummy”. I laughed and replied, “How are you? So you don’t know who your mummy is?” And as I walked off I said to myself, “this is a case of mistaken identity”. My spirit man replied, “Should your identity be mistaken, whose identity do you want to have? I want to be mistaken as Jesus Christ!” Then I listened to the words of my spirit.

Let me share the words of a friend to another (you know yourselves and as you’re reading this, please take no offence. Your names are withheld but just to let you know your words really got me meditating). The friend said, “I don’t want to share this problem with you because you are going to tell me exactly what Jesus will tell me. If I want to know how Jesus will react to this situation, I can always tell by the way you will react.” If anyone has told you this, please consider it a compliment and a blessing.

If your identity is mistaken, who do you choose to resemble (it is a choice by the way)? Is it Jesus Christ, who is a son of God like we are? Or a pop star? Or anyone around us that we idolize? Let me start with the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:12 which says “Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.” God’s word, which is also likened to a mirror [James 1:23-25], makes us understand Christ only dimly in comparison with how we will see and know Him when He returns and we are with Him face to face. The good news to this came with the words of John who said, “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but HE has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. BUT WE DO KNOW THAT WE WILL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE WILL SEE HIM AS HE REALLY IS.” [1 John 2:2]

Let your spirit help you imagine seeing Christ and the moment you see Him you know Him because you are like Him. Right now, when we look at ourselves in the mirror we do not have complete knowledge of how He looks like (or how we look like). But we were made in His image [Genesis 1:27} and we are all sons of God, so we can be rest assured that we look like Him. As long as we have Christ in us, daily He is transforming us to His image.

What would it mean for your identity to be mistaken as Jesus Christ? It means someone sees you with characteristics that could only be likened to Jesus Christ (based on our imagination or what we know of Christ). It could be the way we talk, the faith we have, our approachability, our inner beauty, the compassion we show for others, our dedication to assignments he has given us, our integrity, how we show love, our moderation, our aura, self-control, thankfulness, our warmth, etc. The list is endless. But I wouldn’t call it mistaken identity anymore now that I know we look like him. All we need to do is reflect His character.

Beloved, I have learnt that we have what it takes to be like Jesus (there goes my favourite line again – He has given us all that pertains to life and godliness). Not only in character, but also in abilities [Power and Authority has been given to us – Matthew 28:18; 2 Cor 10:8]. This day, I choose to resemble Him.

Have a lovely day. As you reflect HIS character and glory, do not take it as mistaken identity when they say you look like (or are like) Jesus. That is what we are supposed to be.

Because of You

Because of Me

Oh God, Oh Lord, Oh Love, Oh King
You looked down from Heaven
And saw me so filled with sin
Then you came down because of me;
Because of Me
You left your comfort, riches and glory
You resisted the temptation of the devil
You remained focused on your mission to redeem me;
Because of me
You walked this world ruled by darkness
You wanted your light to shine through me
You wanted me to know what true love is;
Because of me
You bore betrayal and rejection
You bore hatred and persecution
You bore the cross and so much torture;
My God, My Lord, My Love, My King
Many years ahead you looked and saw me deep in sin
You had mercy and compassion for me
And you came down as a ransom because of me;
Greater Love has no one shown me than this
That you lay down your life for me
Bore my sins, infirmities, iniquities
Came down to give me life, peace, joy and bliss;
So much you did and sacrificed
Because of Me
Once a sinner
Now your righteousness.


The Inspiration
I had read the words in PlugIN titled “Who are you? What is in a Name?” I had always known that my names “Esuru” and “Rita” meant the same thing – Pearl (precious, beautiful and expensive beads) but the Holy Spirit directed me to go and check the meaning of my name again. Reluctantly I did, after all I knew the meaning of my names by heart. But I was in for a shock when I saw that one of the original meanings to the name “Rita” was “Righteous” {http://www.babynamesworld.com/meaning_of_Rita.html}. Words can’t explain how I felt. I instantly spoke in other tongues. You mean to tell me that for every time someone called my name what they were actually calling me “Righteous”? For example “Righteous, you are such a wonderful friend”, “Righteous, could you lend me your pen?”, “Righteous, I’m not happy with the way you behaved today!” (Anyone guilty of this one?) Just knowing I am righteous (by my name) destroyed the last shred of self-condemnation which I did not know still existed.

One good news for you today is you are also called "Righteous" because you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus [2 Corinthians 5:21]. To be righteous means you are morally justified {http://eastonsbibledictionary.com/j/justification.htm}. This is because God has pardoned all the sins of those who believe in Christ and accounts, accepts, and treats them as having met all the demands of the law. In addition to the pardon of sin, being righteous declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in our respect. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. THE LAW IS NOT RELAXED OR SET ASIDE, BUT IS DECLARED TO BE FULFILLED IN THE STRICTEST SENSE; AND SO THE RIGHTEOUS PERSON IS DECLARED TO BE ENTITLED TO ALL THE ADVANTAGES AND REWARDS ARISING FROM PERFECT OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW [Romans 5:1-10]. When God sees you, HE sees you as spotless, without sin, without blemish, flawless, and right before HIM. All these are possible because of Jesus [2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him]. Thank you, Jesus.

Some of us try not to read scriptures, hear the Word or watch movies that remind us of the torture and sufferings Jesus Christ had to go through for us. We don’t want to be held accountable. But the truth remains – HE died for us. Please personalize it. Jesus Christ came to this earth to die because of you. HE looked at your life even before you were conceived. HE saw the trials and temptations you will go through and died so that you could overcome/resist them. HE saw the sins you will commit and died so that God will forgive you and forget them (and you will forgive yourself and forget them!) HE saw the sicknesses you could be prone to so HE died to make sure you do not suffer from them. HE saw the changes in economy and died so that despite the status of the economy, you will never live in lack. He saw that the enemy will devise all strategies to steal from you so HE died that you will live a prosperous, victorious and successful life. You cannot be cut off from your destiny as long as you are in Christ Jesus. He saw the days of sadness, grief and depression, so HE died that you will have joy. This is between you and HIM only. HE loves you so much.

This is not a fairy tale. More than 2000 years ago, GOD walked this earth in the form of a man – Jesus Christ. HIS reason for doing that is simply because of you. There is nothing you could possibly go through that HE does not understand, so go to HIM with any and every need of yours [Hebrews 4:14 -16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need].

Assignment for you. Take out time to read scriptures that talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also take out time to find out the meaning of the salvation HE has given us. Meditate on the words. I am sure you will be more than blessed and your love for HIM will be new.

Righteous, have a blessed day.

Awaiting the New Creation

Awaiting the New Creation

The seed has been sown beneath the ground
And for a long while nothing seems to sprout
But I remain patient, patient on the Lord
For the time of blooming and blossoming will soon come;
The roots are being formed, slowly but surely
Deep into the word, enriching and nourishing
Steady growth is taking place, so is transformation
And that tiny seed will bring forth a new creation;
Things are happening beneath what my eyes can see
It seems to take a while but the sprout will surely be
The roots are forming with that needed for life
And I wait for HE has made it perfect in HIS time.

The Inspiration
I have always been waiting for the day I will become the “perfect” Christian. This perfect Christian knew all the hymns and songs, knew all the passages in the bible by heart, committed no sin and also had the best character anyone could think of. That was the hunger of one who had made the altar call and expected the transformation overnight. In my innocence I went to GOD and asked, “It’s been a year after I gave my life to Christ. Why am I not like my Pastor who knows all the verses in the Bible? Why am I not like my friends who know all the hymns and Christian melodies? Why am I not like my friend who can pray for 1 hour without interruption?”

HE was loving, as always, to answer me. HE reminded me of a line I used to like in a rhyme. The line was “from a tiny seed HE makes a tree.” Then the story of germination began.

Let me share with you a statement by Sherry Rindels from

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1996/2-9-1996/seed.html on Seeds.

A seed is a miracle waiting to happen. The embryo comes pre-packaged with a food supply and the vital genetic information needed to become a plant just like its parents. Seeds exist in a state of DORMANCY, absorbing oxygen, giving off carbon dioxide, and slowly using up their stored food reserves. During this process the seed continually monitors the external environment waiting for ideal conditions specific for the particular seed. Once the ideal conditions occur, the seed breaks DORMANCY and germinates.

The word DORMANCY began to make sense. DORMANCY is the period from when the seed is sown to when it germinates. But the good news is that during that period, something is happening. It helped me understand that as I daily take in the Word, I am growing. Just as it takes some seeds 3 days to germinate and some others 18 months to germinate, that is the way it differs for us as Christians to begin manifesting the blessings of being a New Creature. But as long as we desire the sincere milk of the Word [1 Peter 2:2], there is growth taking place in our spiritual bodies and it is only natural we grow (whether horizontally or vertically) as much as we feed. That was the much needed motivation for me to passionately feed on the Word. All other things would come later [Matthew 6:33].

I also learnt that there is no “Perfect” Christian, for all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God [Romans 3:23]) and no human should be my basis for comparing my growth as a Christian. My role model should be Jesus Christ.

Let me end now…
You are a New creature [2 Cor 5:17] as long as you are in Christ. You grow everyday with the food you eat. Every word of God you take in is a seed and it is a miracle waiting to happen. The walk with Christ is continuous. Your role model in life should be Jesus Christ. And even if today you do not feel you are attaining the level of growth you should have as a Christian, trust HIM and be confident that HE who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ [Phil 1:6].

Have a blessed day.