Category: Inspiration

Dilemmas and Catch 22s

Featured by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Dilemmas and Catch 22s, Inspiration, Walk of Faith

dilemma

Everyone in this world at one point in their lives has had a dilemma, a classic catch 22 situation, where one had to choose between two options (and in today’s world several options) and not making any choice was not among the options!

I’m yet to meet someone who loves dilemmas and savors in the uncertainty of not knowing which way to go, what step or action to take especially if all available options seem grim. Perhaps there exist such free souls out there; I’m certainly not one of them. So you can imagine my default state when faced with dilemmas! It’s a struggle that requires one to carefully weigh the options with 20/20 vision, emotions, fears and all prejudices aside.

I recently stumbled upon some interesting stories in the bible, they are quite common actually but it was like I was seeing them for the first time and understanding that the characters here were also facing enormous dilemmas in their time.

Story of Tamar (Genesis 38)

Tamar was the daughter in law of Judah and wife of his first born son Er.
Er, however was wicked in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD put him to death. At this point we aren’t sure exactly what he did, as the bible does not explicitly reveal this, but there has been speculation among Christians that he must have done what his younger brother did.

Onan, his brother, inherited Tamar and was instructed as follows by his Dad: “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.”
Genesis 38:8

With this sudden turn of events Judah thought it wise to send her away to her Fathers’ household as his third son was still too young to marry her. So she obeyed and returned to where she hailed from to await her future husband to grow up.

At this point we can assess Tamar’s character as submissive and very obedient. She must have had a spotlessly clean record as we do not see her angered or acting out of disobedience.

Tamar however was in a dilemma, her very name, Tamar in Hebrew means “fruit” or “Palm tree” , the “date palm” to be specific. She knew that she was destined to be fruitful and bear children, but her husband was put to death by the LORD and her second husband as well. She must have been in pain and experienced such great losses over a short period of time, yet she does not rebel against the LORD for she knew that he is righteous and just. Her only possible future husband that would take her out of widowhood as Shelah, Judah’s last born son who was only a boy. She would have to wait for him to mature, but it would be at her expense for she would probably be unable to conceive by the time he was ready.

Being a widow in those times was horrifying; one had no sense of belonging, had no economic power and could hardly meet their basic needs. As a widow, one had only two options either be inherited by your deceased husband’s family or be abandoned altogether. In Tamar’s case ,she was send back to her Father’s household and lived as a widow there, no potential suitor in the neighborhood would marry her let alone approach her for she was condemned to wear mourning clothing that shouted her current state – “young unavailable widow!”

She was in a serious catch 22 situation, She wanted to be who she was destined to be; fruitful, a mother too many, but she was widowed young, widowed twice infact! She would also have to be married to bear children, and the only possible father to her children was still a child himself!

Yet this desire to fulfill her destiny still gnawed at her spirit day after day. Until one day, she figured she would have to seize the opportunity and change her fate. Knowing full well the repercussions of her actions. She risked facing a physically painful death on one hand  and  on the other, a death caused by sorrow .Which ever route she took, death was on the other side waiting for her.

Judah’s first wife later died, and he went to a nearby town with his buddies to shear sheep. I don’t know if this is what they did to overcome sorrow or he just need some time with the boys out of town and do guy stuff. She somehow got wind of their plot (I also can’t figure out how they did this without cellphones) and decided to way lay him en-route to this town. She had a quick change of wardrobe and covered herself with a veil to disguise her and sat down at the entrance. Judah thought she was a prostitute and fell for the plot hook line and sinker. She became pregnant by him and conceived twins.
Sometime later Judah got word that Tamar was pregnant. I bet he must have wondered “how on earth did that happen? This atrocity was punishable by death!

When she proved that he was indeed the Father to her unborn children, her life was spared and Judah admitted that she was more righteous than he for he wouldn’t let her marry his only remaining son, Shelah.

The twins she bore Judah were Perez and Zerah. Out of Perez’s lineage Christ Jesus came to be. Tamar through her resolute action came to enter into the lineage of Kings and the King of Kings – Christ Jesus.

Story of Rahab (Joshua 2)

Rahab seemed to have been a well-known woman, but known for the wrong reasons. She was a prostitute and her trade must have been well known even by foreigners, for when Joshua sent his spies to Jericho, they ended up in her house.

The reigning king of Jericho got wind that they were indeed at her residence and sent word ordering her to bring them out.

She was also in a dilemma, she feared the people of Israel and knew that their LORD was mighty and powerful and watched over his people and ensure that they got victory wherever they went. That meant that they would most certainly conquer her city and kill all who lived there.

On the other hand, she knew that if she helped them she would be aiding an enemy of the state and would most certainly be murdered by the King of Jericho. Whatever option she took ,she risked her very life and those of her family .She opted to go with the first option and informed the King that she had indeed received the spies but they  later left at dusk just before the city gates were closed .She also went ahead to urge him to chase after them for they couldn’t have been too far off

She hid the spies on her roof and later had a very candid  discussion with them confessing that she knew for a fact that the LORD had given Israel the land of Jericho and  heard of the miraculous wonders the LORD had done for this people and even confessed  how her fellow citizens  were melting out of fear of them .At that point she struck a deal with them. They pledged that they would spare her life and those of her loved ones when they come to take over the city of Jericho for the kindness she showed them.

She let them down with a rope through the window down to outside the city wall and advised them to run to the hills and lay low there for 3 days till the pursers tire off can call off their mission.

 The men said  to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us  unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

“Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.” Joshua 2:17-21

Needless to say, the scarlet cord remained in its place and when the people of Israel attacked the city, Rahab and her entire household was saved.

We learn later that she later got married to Salmon and had a child with him – Boaz who happens to be the great grandfather of King David. Hence Rahab’s dilemma and the action she took by faith ushered her into the lineage of the Kings.

Story of Ruth  (Ruth 1:-4:)

One of the many love stories in the bible is the story of Ruth.

Ruth a Moabite was also widowed young. We learn that she was resilient woman who was not afraid of work and was submissive to her first husband  for she completely abandoned the ways of the Moabite people and fully embraced life as a Hebrew Woman.
Even after his death she still showed her faithfulness, her Mother in law Naomi urged her return to her mother’s household but she refused and even went ahead to release her  from Hebrew obligations and allowed her to leave and remarry anyone she desired. Ruth would hear none of it. They wept aloud and parted ways with her sister in law Orpah but Ruth clung to Naomi and said to her this famous phrase;

“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:16- 17

So the two widowed women returned to Naomi’s ancestral home in Bethlehem and Ruth took the initiative to look for work and ended up in Boaz’s farm. The beauty of this story is that Naomi realizes that Boaz is a kingsman redeemer, only he could legally marry Ruth for he was related to her deceased husband. She then advised Ruth to dress up ,perfume herself and make her intention known to Boaz.

Ruth was in a catch 22, she desired to settle and get married, the only person on earth she was permitted to marry was a kingsman redeemer, and the one in cross hairs was Boaz. She would have to speak to him in private; the threshing floor  seemed to be perfect for there was no other opportunity she would get to be that close to him to discuss such weighty matters. She would have to risk her reputation to have that discussion and not to mention to make the first move in the night!  Ruth risked going to the threshing floor .Being a patriarchal society there were strict rules of what women shouldn’t do. Had her plans been found out and caught red handed in the threshing floor and at that time, probably would have been stoned to death. As soon as she spotted him ( Night vision goggles must have come in pretty handy) she approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. He got startled and  woke up .Dazed to find a woman on his bed ,he asked who she was  and right on cue she said

“I am your servant Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment  over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family” Ruth 3:9

Boaz was very touched by her gesture , which he understood as a marriage proposal, and promised to take action and redeem her legally as his wife the very next day.

Boaz eventually married Ruth and acquired the land of her deceased husbands family and together, they had a son, Obed, who became the grandfather of King David. Ruth through her act of faith, entered in to the lineage of the Messiah.

Key Lessons to learn on how to deal with dilemmas

  • All three women in the stories above; Tamar, Rahab and Ruth had faced huge dilemmas. They had to take decisive action. -We need to learn to take decisive action in spite of fear
  • None of these women complained or groaned to people about the problems that stared them in the face – No pity parties
  • None of these women complained to God ,their actions show that they must have been seeking the Lord’s guidance and went ahead to act – No complaining to God or to his servants but seek God’s will
  • They were intentional, didn’t act on a whim or a fad – Be intentional!
  • Their actions were fueled by Faith in the LORD, thus the LORD saw them as righteous.   “ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction” James 2:25
  • They sought the Lord and believed in him and went ahead to act out of that faith they had in Him. Faith without action is dead.
  • They all risked their very lives – We need to trust in the LORD and take risks
  • They each got what they were seeking – REDEMPTION and so much more, entered into the lineage of Kings and of the King of Kings!

 

Righteousness

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Grace, Inspiration, Walk of Faith

The Righteous

Definition of Righteousness of an individual

  • According to Google – it’s the quality of being morally right or justifiable.
  • Ethicalness, saintliness ,purity ,noble – mindedness, piousness
  • In worldly sense you are judged righteous by your deeds, hence it can be earned. One may seem as “righteous” to the world but in God’s eyes they are far from it.

Definition of Righteousness of an individual in God’s word

  • Believing God and in his son Jesus Christ
  • Having Faith In the Lord and trusting him ,despite the obstacles we face
  • Abraham believed God when he promised him descendants as numerous as the stars. He simply believed without doubt and it was credited to him as righteousness
  • It cannot be earned by work or effort ,it is given by the Lord .Hence when He declares a person righteous , they really are ,despite what the world thinks

Genesis 15: 5-6

“And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He declared, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 Abram believed the LORD, credited to as righteousness.”

Abraham was in a strange predicament; He was in his 70’s, his wife in her 60’s at the time when God gave them this promise. It was a well-known fact that she was barren, and the likelihood of bearing healthy children in menopause was actually not biologically possible, to this day it isn’t. On top of that, God tells him that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars! To bring it into perspective , I checked out the number of stars in the  Milky way galaxy  (that’s  a tiny part of the universe where the earth floats about) ,turns out there are approximately 100 – 400 Billion stars according to google ! There’s no way Abraham would have been able to count them, let alone sire that many a population. Oh and by the way, the 400 B stars are only in our galaxy and there are a total of approximately 100 Billion galaxies…..you can do the math.

Now, that we see the full picture of the promise given to Abraham, no amount of technology or pseudoscience or law of attraction can make that possible, only the LORD Almighty! And He promises, no matter the known facts of your situation, if you simply believe in him, then you are righteous in his sight!

Romans 1:17

17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith”

Romans 3: 20 -24

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

The Gospel refers to the teachings and revelation of Christ Jesus. This reveals something totally new to the people that righteousness comes from God. One no longer had to do works to tick out check boxes to prove that they are righteous ,this instead came from the Lord Almighty land it is HE who decides if one is righteous or not. This righteousness was given to one who believes that Jesus died on the cross to saves souls of men and through.

Benefits of Righteousness

This understanding now allows us to fully claim all the promises that were given to the righteous .There are many instances where the bible speaks about this attribute and those who have it and the blessings that have been given to them.

The LORD has given promises to those who pursue righteousness. One can claim them boldly  in speech and in prayer. He has promised to deliver them and to strengthen them.

He promises that though they go through trials ,and when they cry out to  him ,he will hear and deliver them.Here are a few examples of this;

“The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD he is their stronghold in times of trouble .The Lord helps them and delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him”. Psalms 37: 39

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower the righteous run to it and are safe”  
Proverbs 18:10

Psalms 34: 15 – 17 & 19 – 20

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to blot out their name from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.

The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken”

Psalms 97:11

“Light shines on the righteous
    and joy on the upright in heart.”

How to develop an attitude of Righteousness –pursuing righteousness

Now that we can see clearly that it is not earned, but rather it is given by the Lord most high, the bible tells we should seek it out and pursue it even!


Timothy 2:22
“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

“Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous,
    and praise his holy name.” Psalms 97 :12

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” 2 Timothy 6:9 -10

 “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness”
2 Timothy 6:11     

These reveal to us that to pursue righteousness we need to cultivate an attitude of praise and worship of the Most High .We need not praise only when things are going great for us but also during challenges and when facing obstacles.

It also urges us not to pursue evil or harmful desires that will make us wander from the faith ,but rather to righteousness and a godly life that is pleasing to the LORD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All about Easter

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Inspiration

Easter Eggs come in all manner of vibrant colors during this time of year and at times laced in chocolate and other yummy stuff. Easter bunnies also seem to surface from hiding typically bringing the Easter eggs with them. I’m not sure where the bunny gets the eggs from, he possibly could not have laid any of them ; that that’s for sure! I want to burst your bubble if your thought Easter is all about them, because it is not. Neither is it about mega shopping offers, or get away holidays to exotic destinations. I’m not saying that shopping or holidaying is a crime; don’t get me wrong .They just aren’t the center of what Easter is.

Easter is a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It also coincides with the Jewish Passover .Why is this so significant? One may ask.  Simply put the Passover was symbolic of what Jesus would accomplish through his death and resurrection. To get this into perspective let’s go back in time to when the Passover was instituted ,then forward it by a couple of thousand years  to the time of Jesus’s death and resurrection then fast forward it again to the present .

During Passover the Lord instructed the Jews to sacrifice a lamb, a 3 year old male lamb, without blemish .Each family would do so on the fourteenth day at twilight. The lambs blood would be then smeared on the sides and the top of the door frames of the houses where they ate the lamb (after it was roasted of course) This would be a sign to the Lord as he went through the land where they were in captivity, any house that had the lamb’s blood the Lord would pass over it and they would be spared ,no destructive plague would befall them .The converse would be true for those that hadn’t smeared lambs blood on their door frames. The blood applied on their homes would spare them and ensure that they lived on. The lamb sacrificed here was the Passover lamb.

Now, let’s jump back into our time travel machine and go to the time of Jesus’s crucifixion.

Crucifixion was a historical method for capital punishment in which the victim would be impaled to a wooden beam ,sometimes in the shape of a cross ,and left there to die. This method was one of the Roman’s favorite as it caused the victim such pain and humiliation, and sent a clear warning to all observers that you did not want to be in the Roman’s bad books.

So how come Jesus was crucified? He wasn’t a roman .He should have been tried and punished under Jewish custom. But this wasn’t the case ,It all happened  as it did ,so that all that was written concerning him would come true.

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert ,So the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believed may  have eternal life” John 3:14 -15

“But I when  I am lifted up from the earth ,will draw all men to myself” John 12:32

After he was tried by the Jewish leaders ,they took him to Pontius Pilate ,who found no basis for a charge against him. Pilate then took him out to the people ,but they demanded him to be crucified. “Crucify  your King ? “He asked them  They responded that they had no king but Caesar. It was as if they wanted him punished for treason , for claiming to be king ,yet they had Caesar for a king.    Jesus was indeed King and still is King ,but of another kingdom.

He was sentenced to death by the Romans. They had him flogged, severally, with a whip that tore off Jesus’ flesh with every single whip. This whip was made of leather and knotted with a number of small pieces of metal or sharp bones. Already weakened by this, he was made to carry his large wooden cross uphill to where he would be crucified .They nailed him to the cross and left to hang there for hours.

In the case of Jesus, he was not a victim, he had no sin in him, and he did nothing deserving punishment.  He did not attempt to fight back or save his own life. He could have called unto his Father who could have sent 12 legions of angels to help him (That’s  like an entire platoon or battleship of reinforcements!)  but he did not. He knew he was going to die this way, For this very reason he came to the earth .

He knew that his blood had to be shed ,and enough blood to cover all people on earth , those living back in the day and  those living now approx. 7 billion and even for those in  the future. He knew that for all of humanity  to be ransomed ,a few drops of blood wouldn’t do , it had to be all his blood ,every drop of it. He hang on the cross ,feeling his blood draining from his body for 3 hours  and just before he gave up his spirit, he proclaimed  “ It is finished”  .The work he was sent to do on earth was done ,he shed his blood so that through it we may be forgiven our sins and have eternal life . “…This is eternal life, that they May know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17: 3

It had to be HIS blood to be shed because HE was holy from birth ,born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit, lived without sin in this  vile world ,and was in constant communication with God, he was and still is perfection.

All this happened during the Passover feast  . This is the reason  Jesus is referred to  as the lamb of God ,who takes away the sin of the world. After his death ,the people no longer needed to sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood .Jesus IS  the Lamb of God ,without blemish , without sin ,Pure and  Holy .HIS blood is now what we need to apply symbolically .By declaring that  one’s loved ones and homes are covered by the blood of Jesus .

He was later laid in a tomb , and its entrance sealed but Lo and behold , the earth quaked and the stone was rolled away and he rose from the dead on the third day ,Easter Sunday.  Jesus had told his disciples  before his crucifixion that he had the power to lay down his life and take it up again.

“ The reason my Father loves me is that I  lay down my life – only  to  take it up again. No one takes it from me , but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:18

Jesus suffered willingly .He was not a victim of circumstance as some have portrayed him to be.

Most of us enjoy watching movies ,for me I have a weakness for action.  Don’t we love it when the hero  or heroine in the movie takes a bullet for another, jumps on a grenade to save a loved one ? Or even the outlandish ones of carrying a huge missile that was directed on earth and the hero manages single handedly to  propel it to outer space and into a huge black hole, risking his very life to save all of humanity!  And we all adore the hero saying “oh so brave!” some even shedding a tear “how self-less, he must really love the country ”, and the hero is honored as the movie ends  and  he sometimes gets called back into active service. We then rush for the premiere tickets and tweet about how awesome the hero was and  the  film directors lauded for their inspiring work…..

Wait a minute ; Jesus is the real Hero here !Why don’t we react to him  the same way ? He alone died selflessly  and had to have his blood drained ,poured out,  for all of us  so that we may live. So that anyone, anyone   from any part of the world ,any race  ,no matter what you did  or didn’t do would have eternal life just by simply believing in him and his word.

How come we don’t live our lives adoring him  and being thankful for saving us ,yet we are the sinners ,we are the ones deserving the punishment ,but he took it on our behalf ,so that we can be free .

He Died for you, are you willing to live for him?stencil.default

The Cross

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized

There is a lot that has been said about the cross  and along with it  many perceptions about what it is and not, what it should be and shouldn’t .

Most of us have used it as a fashion statement  or as an ornament that denote various groups  and lifestyles .Some outfits just don’t seem complete without hanging a shiny  cross on the neck , either  huge and chunky or the  less  obvious tiny ones  and in some cases  worn as ear rings ,anklets, you name it.

For some  it’s just another symbol with ancient origins of past civilizations  while to others a sign of condemnation  ,judgment ,rebuke.

In ancient times it was used as a form of capital punishment ,where the offender would be whipped and then finally impaled to  a stake or cross and left there to either bleed to death or die of asphyxiation. It was the most  excruciating pain  one would have to bear for their wrongdoing also aimed to shame the victim.

Yet there was one who willingly took this  shame ,this agony  and death on  your behalf ,on my behalf. Now that’s real Love .  I no longer believe anybody who tells me they would cross the oceans for me let alone catch a grenade for me!

The amazing thing is , He  had not committed any  crime as heinous as the death he endured. He was without sin , holy, pure, righteous. A beautiful exchange happened  in his death. All our wrongdoings ,wrong think-ings and sin that we ever did and will ever do were impaled on that cross with him ,his blood was shed so that it can purify us all. Records show that he died for only 3 days and resurrected  and  sits in heaven with the LORD Almighty. And in exchange for his death, we received his righteousness  and eternal life  . For those who simply believed in him  ,they got eternal life ( once you die and are buried  on this earth ,you will still live on  with him in his dwelling!)

Instead of shame and rebuke that we so rightly deserve after messing up , getting caught in the wrong side of the law ,almost ruining our lives ,wrecking our relationships and even trying to take away our very own  lives ,he offers grace and mercy. Don’t get me wrong ,there is always consequence for our actions but as long as you are with  him ,he will give you grace  and mercy even when you  know that you don’t deserve it.

You may have heard of the one I’m referring to  but if not ,his name is Jesus. So today when I look at the cross ,it reminds me of his undying love  for me that he willingly bit the bullet for me and you! If that isn’t  love then tell me what is.

By believing in him ,he forgives you your sins even when it’s hard to forgive yourself ,and looks at you just  as if you’d done nothing wrong. There will be no shame, no condemnation ,as many of us have been told to  believe.

The cross reminds me that I have been made whole again ,just by believing that he died in my place  so that I can live  , so one becomes a new person ,with a new mind .He lets you start fresh ,aren’t we all looking for a fresh start ? A clean break of some sort? Well if you are then jump on it.

In him  (if you hang out with him n trust him) there is eternal life even though you die and leave this world , peace even when you are in a storm, grace even when you know you don’t deserve it ,mercy when what you should be getting is a whopping ,hope in even in the disparaging moments and best of all eternal love even when you feel unlovable.