Grace Like Rain

The weather was crazy today, and while it didn't exactly resemble the picture above, it was pretty darn close!  Tornadoes touching down, random splatters of rain, elementary school evacuations...  And I heard about it all, while I worked on the 19th floor of my office building in Rockville, MD.  Honestly, I looked outside and just saw GRAY EVERYTHING, so I didn't think much of it.  After all, I felt safe where I was.  All that changed when my boss told me to leave early because of the threatening weather.

I walked out of the lobby of my office building and was nearly lifted off of my feet by the wind, alone!  (No short jokes)  Sensing the danger, I rushed to the Metro.  After all, when there's trouble up high, it's best to get low.  (Who's got short jokes now?!)  Due to the relative safety of the Metro, I forgot about the weather.  Then I boarded the MARC train to head home...

My train left Union Station and stopped in the middle of the tracks with rain pouring down all around it.  I couldn't even see out the windows.  At this point, I was a bit concerned--didn't bring a jacket or umbrella.  After 20 minutes of sitting still and another 20 minutes of riding, I finally made it to my stop.  I got off and the rain was still pouring!  I ran to the underpass to get to the other side of the tracks, but when I got to the other side, the rain had stopped!  For what seemed like no reason at all, the rain stopped for the entire time until I reached my car!

On my brisk walk to the car, I paused--only mentally--to thank God for the gift of a dry commute.  That's when He hit me with the wildest truth:  The fact that the rain had paused had nothing to do with anything I had done.  I was totally helpless before the elements--no jacket, no umbrella, no roof.  It was all God.  You may be thinking, "Jamil, aren't you making too much out of this?"  Not at all.  Think about it:

I sat in my office building in relative comfort, totally unaware of the destruction that awaited me.  I was content to continue working in my "safe zone," but I was removed from that environment and confronted with the danger that I had only glanced at through a window.  Going into survival mode, I tried to fend for myself by going underground, only to find myself stuck on the tracks.  Then, when all hopes of remaining dry had dissipated, God stepped in and cleared the way for me.

In the same way, in the past I walked through life, unaware of the destruction that awaited me due to my sin.  I was content to continue living my sinful lifestyle until I was confronted with the danger of my apathy (thanks, Steven).  I tried to DO things to make it right, but came up short.  It wasn't until I got to a point, realizing that it's all GOD and not me, that I found a reason to smile and whisper three words that have become a favorite phrase:  "Thank you, Lord."

Paul, inspired by God, makes it clear:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

My sins aren't counted against me.  There's no debt to pay, no hurdle to get over, no mountain to climb--Jesus paved a flat pathway to God that I might fellowship with Him unhindered!  And He's done the same for you.  If you aren't already, I implore you:  "Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

God!  I love Your creation...you teach me so many things through it..."nothing in my hands I bring; only to the cross I cling..."

A Trip in Missions, Pt. 9

My goodness!  The past few weeks have been busy!  We all know how the holiday-packed month of December can get busy in the U.S., but who knew it'd be just as busy in Mexico?!  Well, it's been busy here for a few different reasons....

The first is:  CAMP SONSHINE!!!!  For those who don't know, Camp Sonshine is a summer day camp ministry based out of Silver Spring, MD.  There is also another one in Roca, Nebraska.  In addition to these ministries in the States, there is Camp Sonshine International!  There are Camp Sonshine camps all over the world, in places like South Africa, China, Australia, and of course, MEXICO!!!  Actually, Camp Sonshine International is how I got hooked up with the missionaries where I am currently.

A team of 12 people arrived for Camp Sonshine International last week!  I was more than happy to see them (and not just because I had already worked with most of them).  We put on a 5-day camp for the kids in Mezcales, full of games, crafts, songs, skits and Bible discovery time!  I can honestly say that the kids had a BLAST!!!  (after all...they're still talking about it and asking when everyone is coming back)  Good times, indeed!

I've already noticed a change in some of the kids who came to camp.  A lot of the older kids seem to have more confidence.  Perhaps it's due to Whiley's explanation of how God values them each individually...or Havilah's songs as they traveled from activity to activity...or dancing with Trisha without a care for who saw...or just being around older males who show love freely like Daniel and Corey...  Whatever the case may be, God truly used the counselors in the lives of the kids!

Some of the smaller kids are smiling more, where before they would just hide or push joy away from their expressions.  One kid in particular, Dulce, definitely benefited from being around Brenna!   (that isn't Dulce in the picture...I didn't have a picture of the two of them together)  Anyway, my point is that Dulce smiles a lot more now, adding to the English meaning of her name:  Sweet.

While in Mezcales, we also helped the missionaries with various construction needs for the community center.  We used a pulley system to hoist sand, gravel, and bricks to the roof of the building.  The repeated phrase became "20 more buckets..."  Lol!  

After camp ended in Mezcales, the team and I headed to Arroyo Seco to meet up with Artemio Rosas and his family.  We had met Artemio back in February on our first trip in San Pancho.  He has a surfing ministry in Arroyo Seco (the guy is a pro surfer!!!), so we put on a 90 minute camp session for the kids there.  Afterward, I can honestly say that the entire team wished we had more time to spend with the kids there!  Who knows...maybe Arroyo Seco can be added to the CSI: Mexico trip...(Jeff, I hope you're reading this).  Lol!  Plus, it's always fun when I get to hang out with Artemio's youngest--my lil buddy, Israel!

Camp Sonshine left last weekend amidst tears and smiles (from both the kids and the counselors).  Right afterward, a clinical nurse from the U.S. arrived to give a two-day presentation on the importance of health and personal hygiene for the kids. I became "Captain Germ" as I carried spray bottles of colored water and sprayed the hands of the kids, forcing them to wash them clean.  Lol!

Now, as the program is winding down for the end of the year, we're gearing up for the end of the year Christmas party!  It'll be my first Christmas party with pinatas!  Lol!  That's coming up on Tuesday, and we've received many donations to give to the kids as gifts!  I'm definitely looking forward to partying with the kids and using the opportunity to share about Christ's birth.  Hopefully my Spanish will hold up...heh-heh...

Speaking of opportunities, I was talking with a group of the older girls (middle school age) after the program last Tuesday.  One of them kept going on and on about how she really loves this guy, so I asked her what "love" is.  Perfect segue, because after she gave a very emotion-filled response, she asked me what I think "love" is!  ...honestly...my Spanish failed me at that exact moment...  Perfect timing, right?  Though I tried to explain love from a Scriptural standpoint...I just lacked the vocabulary.  The good thing is that where I suffered in speaking the language in school, I excelled in writing!  So I've written down my thoughts on the subject and plan to give it to her when I see her next.  I hope this gives her a clearer view of Christ and love, in general!  Please continue to pray for opportunities to spiritually feed the people here!  Camp Sonshine shook up some stuff, and I'm excited to see what falls into place!

Lyrically Inclined

I absolutely LOVE the word-smithing skill known as lyricism!  Those who know me know that I love listening to/writing creative song/poem lyrics!  If I had to pick my top two favorite poems, I'd pick the two below.  Enjoy!

"My Heart"

A Tale of Two "Loves"

I sat down to study this morning and realized that I had come to the end of the Gospel of John.  It's been a wonderful trek, I'll admit!  But the end was truly the climax--from which there is no falling action.

 "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"  "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."

This discourse between Jesus and Peter was repeated 3 times in the passage of John 21:15-19.  Each time Jesus was asking Peter for something very dear to him--something so cherished and hidden by man that God has sought it since the Fall.  If you look up the Greek word that Jesus uses for "love", you'll find the following:

Agapaō: To love, indicates a direction of the will and finding one's joy in something

Contrast with that the word that Peter uses for "love":

Phileō: To love, with the meaning of having common interests with another.  To befriend.

When looking at these two definitions, would you conclude that Jesus received the type of love He wanted?  I see a key element missing as I read.  Peter's use of the word "love" only included the range of the word "phileo."  Phileo has a limited range, in that it may or may not include a choice of the will.  Think about it.  If God only loved me in the sense of "phileo", then the moment I did something that was opposite of His desire, He could elect to stop loving me--there would be virtually no room for GRACE.  Still, this is the type of love that Peter offered, and sometimes I offer, Jesus.  Let's continue...

"Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?'  'Yes, Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you.'  Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'"

 Check the response that Jesus gives:  "Feed my lambs."  The word used for "feed" is:

Boskō: To feed the sheep, swine.

Keep this in mind; we'll return to it in a bit.  Let's look at the second time Jesus questions Peter:

"Again Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me?'  He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.'  Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.'"

This is interesting.  Peter's answer is still the same, but gets a promotion in responsibility?!!!  Actually, yes!  Check the word used for "take care of":

Poimainō: To shepherd, tend.

"Poimaino" involves much more than "bosko."  It implies the whole office of the shepherd--guiding, guarding, and folding of the flock, as well as leading it to nourishment.  Let's look at the third questioning:

"The third time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?'  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?'  He said, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.'  Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep.'"

The interesting point of this dialogue is that the definition for "feed" switches back to the original "bosko."  Jesus recognized that Peter wasn't at the point He had wanted him to be; so, meeting Peter where he was, Jesus gave him instruction to fit his heart condition.  It makes me wonder:  "How often has God wanted to give me a task, but upon recognizing that I wasn't fully dedicated and ready, simply met me where I was?"  This isn't a condemning thought, but one to grow from; for from this point onward, I can CHOOSE to find my joy in God as He does in me.

I know many of you who are reading this are like me; you say, "Lord, I want to be used by You!  Be exalted in my life!"  If you are really like me, then you read this and start thinking of the past and things you could have done differently...how you could have stood for God at that point...how you could have shared with that person...  God's message to you and me in this situation is simply that HE ISN'T DONE, YET!

At the end of His personal discussion with Peter, Jesus tells him the type of death by which Peter would glorify God (v. 18-19).  Afterward, Jesus says, rather strongly I might add, "Follow me!"  Much like He does with the psalmists in the book of Psalms, God doesn't leave his people without hope.  Can you hear His heart in this?

"Peter, at this time you aren't ready for what I have planned for you.  That is fine; I'll come to you.  Don't be downcast, my son; for off in the distance, I see you glorifying me greatly with your death!  Simply follow me and I'll lead you there, with plenty of chances to be used by Me along the way!  I [agapaō] you!"

Be encouraged, dear brother or sister in Christ!  And please don't misread what I'm saying.  We don't "mess up God's plan" by our lack of readiness!  God's will is absolute!  As Mordecai encouraged his cousin Esther, "If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place..." (Esther 4:14).  There is absolutely no pressure on us as far as ruining God's plan (as if we could).  Still, God wants to use us!  Let's let Him!  In order to do that, we must do as Jesus said and  FOLLOW HIM.  

PS - You'd never even believe me if I told you that my study this morning really focused on verses 19-22...  Lol!  All of this was noted earlier, but expounded upon just now...talk about chewing on the meat of the Word!  Be blessed, family!

Willfulness

If I asked you how you define sin, what would you say?  If you asked me, I'd probably answer with, "Missing the mark," or, "lawlessness" (1 John 3:4).  I recently listened to a message by a guy named Ken Graves.  Coincidentally, that message was entitled "Be a Man."  Lol!  If you want, you can check out that message here.  In any case, in his message, Ken Graves defined sin as "willfulness."

What's interesting is that his definition lines up with what I've been noticing as I've read through the Gospel of John.  What did Jesus come to do?  Some would say that He came to die for the sins of the world.  Others would say that He came to demonstrate for us the "most excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12:31).  Both of those answers are correct and point to the larger reason for Jesus coming in the flesh:  to do the will of the One who sent Him.

Numerous times in the book of John, Jesus mentions how He can only do what the Father does, how He only seeks to please the Father, or how His words are not His own (John 5:19 & 30; 6:38; 7:16 & 28; 8:28-29 & 42; 12:49-50; 14:10 & 24).  Jesus was truly all about His Father's work and will; He wasn't caught up in what He willed, but deferred to the Father.

In fact, we can see examples of Jesus denying Himself so that the Father could be glorified by others.  If we look at John 11:4-6, we see a situation where people whom Jesus loved (v.5) were in distress; yet, instead of going to them immediately, He, being led by the Spirit (v.6), stayed where He was for 2 more days.  Of course, we know the rest of the story of Lazarus' death and how Jesus raised him from the dead.  But think of Jesus in His humanity.

He had emptied Himself of His divine power before coming to earth (Philippians 2:7)--He was working in the power of the Spirit, just as you and I can today.  He wasn't peaking ahead in time and seeing how it would end; rather, Jesus was trusting in the Father (v.4).  So when Jesus received the news of Lazarus' sickness, I'm sure His flesh did the same thing that our flesh usually does--spring up with anxiety.  Can you hear the anxious thoughts?  "Lazarus is dying!  You have the power to save him, so do it!"

But Jesus pushed back His own will to see Lazarus, and those anxious thoughts, and did the will of the Father (through the prompting of the Spirit).  He waited 2 more days and Lazarus died; however, ultimately, Lazarus lived and God was glorified by multitudes (John 11:45; 12:9-11).  In Jesus we see the perfect example of how to have a trusting and loving relationship with God!  Yet, when issues arise in our lives, everything just goes right out the window, right?  Lol!  I know it gets like that with me.  Recently, I've had issues with college--my professors don't want me to graduate on time.  Though I've done the required work, they've told me that I haven't done enough to graduate.  They've even began to throw out suggestions that I could graduate in May of 2011.  I'm in a 5-year major, so you can imagine how them suggesting another year made me feel!

Almost immediately I was upset and anxious, crying out to God because of the situation.  Then I recognized how Jesus lived His life--in TRUE self-denial.  Thoughts came to mind like, "What if God wants to get glory from your graduation struggles?" and "Why are you really upset?"  Honestly, I was upset because this wasn't happening the way I wanted it to happen, and because, ultimately, I don't want to fail.  Truly, I have never read of Jesus having such an attitude as this in the Scriptures.  Lol!

Willfulness is the sin that flies beneath the radar.  It gets you and I to think that we are truly souled-out for the Lord, when really we just want what we want--not God's will, but our will be done.  God has given us LIFE!!!  Are we willing to abandon all else for this marvelous gift and the marvelous Giver?

I'm not even going to assume to know what you, the reader, needs; but I need to continually remember that God is not some unruly dictator who could care less for my well-being.  God knows what I need, and He gives it to me.  That may sometimes line up with what I want; but I must trust God regardless because He can see the things that I can't--He knows better than me.  After all, He is sovereign.  So when the issue of will arises, I must live as though I have none; for my will died with Christ, and only the Father's will resurrected with me when I was born again.

The Seriousness of IT All

Lately, I've had a few conversations with interesting persons. What makes them interesting is that they claim Christianity, yet their lifestyles reflect a world of sin. When questioned about their lifestyle choices, they shrug off the sin choices as if they're no big deal.

Let's check out Mark 15. Really, you can look at any of the Gospels for the crucifixion story, but I'm focusing on Mark. The question asked is simple: "How seriously does my sin offend God?" For the answer, any one of us could visit Romans 6:23 and point to the fact that the cost of sin is death, and thereby surmise the seriousness of it. Instead of doing that, let's look at what Jesus endured to clear the sin debt of the world:

- He was bound (verse 1)
The Greek word for "bound" refers to being in chains; but whether He was bound with chains or ropes, we know that Jesus was made to be a prisoner.

- He was slandered (verse 3 & 4; and Mark 14:60)
The testimonies against Jesus before Pilate were strikingly similar to those against Him before the Sanhedrin in chapter 14--they were false. These verses are great for anyone seeking to understand what it means to "bear false witness." They were outright slandering Jesus' name and making Him out to be something He wasn't.

- He was beaten and spat upon (verses 15 & 19; and Mark 14:65)
Matthew records that members of the Sanhedrin spat in Jesus' face and struck Him with their fists (26:67). The King James Version uses language like "buffeted" and "smote" in this verse. The Greek word for "buffeted" is kolaphizō, and it means "to strike with the fist, give one a blow with the fist; to maltreat, treat with violence and contumely." The Greek word for "smote" is rhapizō, and it means "to smite in the face with the palm of the hand, to box the ear." Mark records that the soldiers beat Jesus over the head with a staff and spat on Him (verses mentioned above).

- He was mocked and insulted (verses, 18, 20, 29, 31, & 32)
To add insult to injury, Jesus was ridiculed throughout the entire process. Whether He was made fun of by the soldiers, passers by, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, or the thief being crucified next to Him, the psychological effect must have been great!

Then, as if all of that wasn't enough, after enduring it all, Jesus was crucified. While being crucified, Jesus only cried aloud twice. The first time was when He cried out to God, saying, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (verse 34). The second time was when He breathed His last, saying, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Can you imagine the emotional anguish that Jesus must have been experiencing? Jesus had never feared death or the attacks of man. It was the thought of being out of fellowship with the Father that had greatly troubled Jesus while in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33-34). Compared to that, everything else paled in comparison...

(Sidenote: Because we have grown accustomed to being out of touch with God, the things that terrify us are bounced checks, not getting the promotion, or a boyfriend or girlfriend breaking up with us. I find it interesting that the one thing that troubled Jesus is the one thing that we can so easily ignore, and barely notice when it's gone...)

THIS is how serious God is about the sin in my life (our lives)! He's not sitting back, content with my (our) compromises! God is deeply moved by my (our) choices to sin. So much so that He endured physical, psychological, and emotional pain just to do away with sin! I (We) must look at sin seriously--God certainly does! I (We) can't take it lightly. I (We) must constantly reflect on the seriousness of sin in my (our) life (lives)!