Lying on God

I find it quite interesting that when people fail to understand things that happen, they turn to blaming people not responsible for things they witness. Psalms 31:18 reads “Let the lying lips be put to silence.” It is certainly wrong to lie on someone when you can’t seem to find the answers you seek to understand what’s going on in your life. It is probably worse when you fix your lips to lie of God and say things such as this, “God has revealed this to me.”

You may find it hard to believe that not all things you believe are revealed to you are indeed true. They can’t be true when I have heard someone tell me that God revealed something to them that was untrue. I have heard someone say I was guilty of one or two things, and neither of those things were true. That concerns me a great deal. It concerns me because this person was for a brief moment someone I could discuss matters of spirituality and religion. However, they lied on God.

I hope that I will never make the mistake of telling someone a thing that is untrue and back it up by saying God revealed that untruth to me. That would cause great pain and grief and kill the momentum I hoped to gain by finding faith.

I think we are challenged at times to ascertain the truth when making sense of difficult situations. I believe that a clear mind can read signs that point us in the direction of truth. For instance, if I have questions of what to expect of someone, I look at their body of work in my life. If a friend brings me food if I am hungry, water if I am thirsty and medication if I am sick; I can assume this person is genuinely concerned with my well-being. When people share what they have to assist you with the goals you want to achieve in life, I would assume they care about the success of others.

When people are honest with themselves, others and God they should be able to discern the truth when they are face with uncertainty. When the truth you think you find is actually falsehood, you have some work to do. Lying on God makes you look very bad, and is sin I would never want to be guilty of.

Good Preaching

At Bible study, we are asked the following question, “what is good preaching?” A good sermon has a number of important elements for me. A good sermon has knowledge, wisdom, understanding and love. The most important of these is love.

If called by God to share his word a preacher has to keep the believers in line with God’s will while also teaching the Good News to the on-believer. This has to be a difficult task. You can have a church half filled with people who know the Bible word for word and the other half filled with folks who would not know the Bible from the Koran.

Good preachers are well versed in scripture. They are able to teach you from the Bible, with mastery of understanding the various translations of scripture. They also understand how to apply scripture to our everyday experiences. They can relate world events and news to events mentioned in scripture. They are able to share how the God’s word was applicable in the past and in today’s world.

Good preachers are transparent. They are good storytellers who can demonstrate wisdom by sharing lessons learned from their own experiences. This helps show they are men and women of the people, flaws and all. This transparency helps the sinner and saint reach the most of their potential.

At the end of the day, the most important component of a good sermon, good preaching and a good preacher is love. A truly good person is well aware of the presence of God’s love in his/her life. A truly good person loves God, him/herself and the human family. The words and actions of the Elect should reflect God’s love. I am listening for that in a sermon.

Open Letter/Prayer to God

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for waking me with enough energy and excitement that makes me pass up the caffeine, nicotine and other substances that many rely on every day to give them that jumpstart we all need in the morning. I also want to thank You for reminding me that every day is a re-interview for the job I hold and ongoing career assessment by myself, peers and consumers I serve. I want to thank You for making me feel so blessed and highly favored that I usually take these moments for granted. I am hoping that by admitting that sin in this open prayer/letter to You will accept my humble apology.

Move my thoughts, words and actions in ways that are pleasing to You, on this day.

Amen

Faith Based Relationships

In a diverse society as this, it is common for people who are both alike and unalike to find themselves working side by side in the workplace, as neighbors, fellow citizens and even dating. When we consider partners in marriage, I had long believed this was not much of a concern. As a child I heard people recite the verse from Second Corinthians Chapter which states “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” I see the value in the conservative interpretation of this scripture. Preachers, parents and others certainly meant well giving advice about dating those we are compatible with.

I can say that I have been encouraged over the years reading and hearing stories of people from different backgrounds marrying and living happy lives. I would hope that everyone who makes that leap into marriage to be able to do so and experience everything that union has to offer. There is no greater relationship one can have than being and having a life partner/spouse. I know that for every success story is another of failure and misery.

On one hand, we live in a society that needs people to accept who they are and how they are unique. We also must accept others, who are uniquely different from us. That seems kind of simple. When we get a little more specific, the lines between us them are drawn when it comes to those very close interpersonal relationships we develop in our lives. Can I blindly accept all people in all aspects of life?

Should my acceptance of difference have limits? Am I to only accept believers as potential partners? Am I to discard non-believers as unsuitable to be a spouse?

James 4:4 has an interesting take on this as it reads, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

The beautifully written Ephesians 5 does a masterful job of telling believers to “…walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us…” Also, we are told to “…have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them…” There are even clear instructions for believers on how to behave towards one another. This book clearly demonstrates the benefits of believers having a shared understanding of what is to be expected of one another.

Clearly, in practice we all filters through which we select suitable partners. It is not hypocritical for a believer of any faith to state their preference for someone who shares values and beliefs. This helps people build a solid foundation on which successful relationships are built.

In my last post, I talked about how difficult it is to transition from being a man of the world to one of faith. In my post I talked of how fast rewards from doing wrong come. I know that a big part of this is perception. I realize that for me, personally, I must learn to see the world from a new perspective.

It’s not like this is the first spiritual transition I have made in my life. If it were, this would probably be an easier experience. When I chose Islam over Christianity, as a young man, I did so rationally. I did so knowing that some of my ancestors were probably Muslims, or believed according to some other faith when they were brought to the Americas. I also had some specific reasons to leave the Christian faith, feeling failed by the whole experience.

When your father tells you to be a Christian because he says you should. When he backs that up with the fact your mom, grandmother and great grandmother were all Christians as well as he reasons you are a Christian, it doesn’t leave you room to make a choice. It also fails to be much of a convincing argument. Malcolm X converted to Islam and people revered him for making that move. Muhammad Ali changed his name and religion, and people adored him even more after the fact than they did before. My thinking was, “Why not me?”

I can be pretty vain, at times and usually hold myself in high regard. However, I am constantly looking for and praying to improve myself as a man. I have tried to seek improvement on a spiritual level. It’s not so much about being a member of a particular faith, but more about building a deeper relationship with the Creator. That’s something the most popular world religions have in common.

I am starting to learn to pay attention to the small details in life. Or should I say those things I label as small things. Sometimes the small things or the details you give the least of your attention turn out to be meaningful things. I am hoping that as I am looking for signs of progress, for a sign or two that great things are ahead, that I will be able to notice those reminders along the way. I’d hate to give up my journey shortly before rewards are reaped for all goodness requires.

Reaping Good Things

As I journey towards becoming a better person spiritually, I realize there some mental obstacles that need to be hurdled along the way. Some of these obstacles are easier than others. However, when I realize the need to change my way of thinking about some things, it is easier said than done. There are so many things I have adopted to help me become the person I am today that are difficult to let go. I have been thinking hard about doing the right thing. I have thought about this because there are times I feel that I have no choice but to do the right thing. Other times I ask myself “why do I even bother?”

I wonder because sometimes the journey of doing the right thing is a long one. I am not talking hours or even days. Sometimes you are challenged with doing something for months or even years. For example, it sometimes hurts to give of those things that are in short supply like time and money. We are all blessed to live but time is measured pretty much the same for all people. I’m not saying we all have the same amount of time to live, just that a day is measured by twenty-four sixty minute hours. That’s about as fair as life gets. When you give your time to charity, or to those close to you who require your help, you sometimes want to see your efforts pay off. Even if that payoff is just a small measure of progress, it feels good to know your contribution mattered.

However, I have noticed that doing good takes a long time to pay off positive dividends. I think about dedicating time and energy to people and things hoping to see the fruits of my labor pay off before I die. That sucks. Since I have thinking about this, I went to the Bible and found in the book of Galatians 6:9 the following words “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

At first read, I interpreted this verse to mean that we will reap the positive things we sow. This helps give me a reason to feel I can be patient when seeking results of my labor. But at second thought I wondered, “I have to damn near pass out to see some good of all my truly good work?” If so, my thinking went, is it really worth it?

I believe that a person who lives a truly good life will see this pay off by being able to accept God’s gift of life everlasting. It’s just no easy road. It’s no easy road because we are tempted to do bad because sometimes the efforts we put into wrongdoing seem to pay dividends rather swiftly. In the past, when I have given people my time energy and efforts at doing things that we had no business doing, it always seemed to pay off fast. I think that is the draw. I was thinking about an investment I made a year ago. Someone asked me to invest in the publishing of a book. It took about a year and a half for me to get word back that the project is finished.

I can think back on money wasted over the same time period, the money wasted on foolishness brought the desired results rather swiftly. Here’s the thing, none of the time, energy and resources spent in wrongdoing added a positive thing to my standard of life. In some cases, I faced setbacks because I wasted time, energy and resources on the wrong things.

All in all, as tempting as swift returns from a life of wrongdoing may seem, the goal of achieving life everlasting seems worthy of a little hard work and patience. Every good thing I have ever achieved or been privileged to experience has been born of sacrifice. I have often had to turn down things that would have yielded quick returns. However, the value of achieving the long term goals and reaping rewards I could have never imagined have made the stress of sacrificing time, energy and resources in the right place things worth doing. I just hope doing more things right yield results far greater than what I have seen so far.

Contentment

Every now and then, when I steal a moment to myself, I realize how important it is to feel content with my life. Most of the time, I find myself measuring where I am related to the goals that I set for myself. It’s hard to be content when you are constantly focused on your goals and dreams. Dedicating time, energy, money and other resources chasing dreams can be overwhelming. I often feel as if I am over my head with life.

Some days I feel this sense of urgency to get things done. Sometimes I find myself wondering how much time I have left in this life. When I think about my life in that way, I sometimes wonder what tasks that I start will go undone upon my death. I have no idea why this is. Sometimes, I wish I could leave instructions for the people I leave behind and say things like, “Publish a book of my poetry.” I may want to say to another loved one “Publish a series of my photographs.”

I can’t think of any scriptural reference that deals with unfinished business. However, when you read Acts 24:16 which states “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men.” This verse helps me have a deeper understanding of people of faith.

I find myself attempting to make sure that I live a more Godly existence the rest of the way. I hope to leave no work undone in the time I have left. When I take a moment to step away I can, with a clear mind, develop a deeper understanding of myself. This helps me feel a little more comfortable in my own shoes, enabling me to feel some contentment in the midst of the chaos a typical day can bring.

Having a moment of clarity like that this week has me in a different state of mind. Can’t wait to see where my mind wanders next.

Does God play favorites?

“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.” Romans 2:7-12

One of the most annoying things a person of faith must deal with is hypocrisy. It’s amazing that people can speak words of faith with their mouths, but engage in actions that clearly are not in line with professed faith. Demonstrating one’s faith is a critical element in providing a good example for non-believers who may influenced to join the community of faith. Some people set a good example, while others run people away from faith.

People of faith throughout history have been persecuted for their beliefs and practices. If acting according to one’s faith could lead to death, when practiced in the wrong place and at the wrong time. We are constantly reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s peaceful rebellion that we refer to as the March on Washington. Dr. King lost his life as a result of his demonstration of faith. He appeared to firmly believe his actions were within the accepted range of actions condoned.

Dr. King lost his life as a result of leading a peaceful assault on the social structure of the society in which he lived. He appealed to people of faith. Why does it seem hypocrites often seem to get the desires of their hearts, when good people like Dr. King lose their lives in the struggle against oppression? Is this even fair to those who not only say they believe, but also show that their prayers, everything they sacrifice, their chosen endeavors in life and even how they die are for the love of their Creator?

I imagine that the words quoted suggest people of faith should go beyond their imagined boundaries of faith to maximize the opportunities they have for being blessed. The faithful can often become so engrossed with building their spiritual foundation that many don’t seem to reap the rewards that seem available for people of faith. Discontinuing praying and sacrificing may produce an unbearable degree of frustration.

If there is any potential for favoritism, I firmly believe it would come from within the community of the faithful.

A Brush With Death???

So, last night I dreamed that I died. What’s that about? Why does a person dream about death?

In this dream I was in a tall building. I can’t remember what I was doing in the building. I was not climbing the building? I don’t think I was working construction. I just remember being in a building and the building collapsed around me.

As the walls started to crumble and the reality of the building collapse became real, I began to realize that death was near. I felt anxious, but my life did not flash before my eyes. There were no memory flashbacks of days past. There was no screaming, nor crying. For some strange reason, I prayed the Lord’s Prayer as I fell to my death.

After the prayer, there were no images of me hitting the ground. No images of being buried under rubble. I remember feeling a sense of calm. I remember feeling a sense of peace that while my life was over, I am assuming in the physical sense, there was something else. I felt conscious. I assume I was still in existence but in another state.

The state I found myself did not feel permanent. I didn’t see faces. I didn’t see water. There were no streets paved with gold or anything. I don’t remember seeing a road, nor a gate to paradise. I remember feeling that I was being drawn into another place, just no idea where that place was. I remember seeing something I’ll liken to looking directly into the sun. I have seen the sun shine so brightly, that is all you see, the brilliance of that light and nothing else. As I was making my transition and my breath started to shorten, I saw this bright light flash. I felt that momentum of being drawn someplace else.

I believe at this point I awakened. As soon as I awakened I reached for my inhaler, as I felt shortness of breath. I hit my inhaler and knew that I was still alive. It was the weirdest of things. This was probably the scariest moment of my life. I feel like I was extremely close to answering that eternal question of knowing if there is life after death.

Reaching Potential

“You come from a bloodline of champions. You are not average. You are not mediocre. You have the blood of a winner—the DNA of Almighty God—and He has equipped you with everything that you need.” Joel Osteen, It’s Your Time.

It’s funny that I have chosen to switch to a sports theme with my last two blog entries. The previous quote reminds of how athletes often find motivation to keep at their craft. Oftentimes, athletes who are believers will praise God when they achieve some of the big things that stand out in their careers. Those moments of greatness that last forever in the memory of fans. In today’s world, those images live forever in photographs and video clips of sporting events.

The best thing about those moments is that they serve as a reminder from where the good things we showcase in our lives originate. Those great things we do in our jobs and the things that we see others do in theirs all have the same source, the Almighty God.

As we learn the rules of the games we play we are reminded of how important they are to our ability to achieve the heights destined for us in that particular activity. We learn how the limits of the game will unlock the unlimited potential within each of us.

As children, there are always those who seem preoccupied with the rules. They watch as the games are played and are quick to point out the deviance of others. I could not stand those kids. They saw the violations that coaches would miss. Sometimes a coach or other authority figure would overrule a previous call once these facts are brought to their attention. Sometimes this could erase a play that was deemed great by the person in violation of a rule.

I remember running outside of the baseline, when laying down a bunt. Being small and fast, players like me occasionally bunted the ball in hopes of getting a hit. If a defensive player gets the ball and tries to tag you out, it is instinctual to attempt to avoid that tag. In this, and probably other, instances I did that. In doing so, a ran (just a little) outside the baseline to avoid the tag. Initially, I was called safe at first base, giving my team a base runner ahead of the bruisers in our lineup. I envisioned myself scoring on a long home run by the next batter.

While I was daydreaming, a conference occurred. An umpire coach and defensive player overruled the call on the field. I was called out, and the hit was erased. I had a short temper and was furious. I felt cheated. Was that stupid rule that important to erase that beautiful hit I had achieved? Apparently this was the case in all minds, but my own. In that instance, I felt confined, even belittled by the rules of the game. I felt the world was against me.

It was very difficult to console me, in my youth. I was one of those children that was difficult to control once they felt wronged. In an effort to comfort me, my coach told me that sometimes called are made in our favor, and against us. In the end, I was told, it all balances out. Nobody is perfect.

When you play a baseball game, it is possible to hit a ball that is very hard to tell is fair or foul during gameplay. When you are the player who hits the ball, you may pray for the call in your favor. If there are runners ahead of you, you hustle hard around the bases, hoping one of more of your teammates scores. This is what helps your team win.

Being a small hitter, I was always taught to make contact and try to hit line drives. I was discouraged from attempting to hit the ball as far as the bigger kids. I was also instructed to try to hit the ball way from the defensive players and run as fast as I could on the base paths. In another game, I hit a ball to right field, on a line and away from the defense. It was hard to tell if the ball was fair or foul. I ran until I was told to stop. I ran all the way to third base. I was able to run so far, because the defense played me shallow, because of my apparent lack of power.

Play was halted for a few minutes, when the opposing coach and players contested the call of a fair ball. There was no way they could except a triple by such a scrawny little kid, as I was at that time. After a lengthy discussion, the call was upheld. I got my triple, eventually scored and was celebrated by my teammates afterwards.

It’s funny that as a recall these moments I am reminded of all the times I have doubted my ability to achieve in my endeavors. I have sometimes let others discourage me with their words and actions. I have felt limited by the rules of games, at work and other places in life. I have felt that I could not reach my potential because of the damn rules.

I have learned that it is important to remember the source of all things good. I think it is also important to remember from where we all come. If we remember that we, as Joel Osteen says get our spiritual DNA for God, we can achieve all we desire, regardless of the limitations of this world.