Our Choices...(What are the end results)

Choices…

While on my way to work this morning, I stumbled upon a new television series, and the caption of the series caught me so hard, I actually stopped to read what the advertisement said. The caption read, “The future of humanity begins with a choice…” This statement is so true and realistically there is no way around this. Upon that phrase will I base this blog. I only pray that you open your heart and let it bless you.

I stopped immediately to ponder the truth in that statement. If we really think about this phrase, we indeed must admit that truely the future of humanity was determined by a choice, made by MAN and WOMAN. Both Adam and Eve, made a choice; a choice to eat of the forbidden tree, they were not forced by any one, not even the serpent. Actually, the serpent could not force them, because the Bible lets us know that the Serpent, was cunning and trickster, and tricksters do not physically force you to do something, they manipulate you, so you may feel vulnerable to CHOOSE what you will do.

"choose this day whom you will serve ... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord ... you are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD for yourselves, to serve Him." (Joshua 24:15,22)

There is one truth that Christians must understand, and that truth is that our choices, determine our future. Godly choices determine a righteous future, and ungodly choices determine anger, jealousy, hatred and even eternal death. Check with the prodigal son. In this blog I will do my best to present two cases in the word of God that supports this fact. Yes, there are times that we find ourselves in places, which had nothing to do with our choices. In those times, all you as a child of God can do is trust and hope in Christ, who is the hope of our calling. Like Lazarus, he allows the worst to happen, to prove his sovereignty and and for his GLORY.

Now let us take into account the story of Adam and Eve and what we have come to know as the “fall of mankind.” What really happened? What really went down in that beautiful Garden of Eden, between the serpent, the lady and her lover, Adam. First Satan, through the serpent, presented a twisted question to Eve. Eve not really taking time to make out what Satan was asking answered the question. At the nutshell, the conversation ends when Eve, makes a conscious effort to eat the fruit and then gave some to her husband to eat. Please bare with me because I have summarized this story to the best of my ability because to really go into detail, will require a dissertation.

The choice Adam and Eve made ultimately determined the introduction of corruption, and death to our world. The choice we make comes with its responsibilities. One of my good friends always told me, Life is all about choices, and that is very true. When we read Genesis 3, we realize that God distribute to all 3 participants in this story the appropriate punishment for them. For the man, he said we will toil to make earns meat. For the woman he said she will have great pain in pregnancy and child birth, and that her offspring step on the head of the serpent (first prophesy of Christ as savior) and to the serpent his was that he will crawl on his belly till the end of time and that he will bruise the heels of the woman (temptation, trials and tribulations). So we have it, the future of a future generation, would be determined by a choice by the same people who had direct fellowship with God.

On the same token, one has to make a choice of salvation. Joshua the one who took over the leadership for Moses, cautioned the people of Israel, to choose this day whom they will serve. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, that except a man be born again he can not enter the kingdom of Christ, and whiles Nicodemus fathoms what really Christ was saying, the basic understanding was that except a man accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, he will not see the kingdom of Christ. We are in our suffering, our dismal life, and our hopeless situations because we have made a choice to stay there. Even us Christians, have bought into the lies of this world, and we too have made the choice to stay in spirit where we are. Jesus Christ told John the Revelator in the book of Revelations that I stand at the door and knock, if anyone opens…the condition of if, tells us that he is not forcing us to come into our hearts, but rather he will only come, if we choose to allow him.

All this to ask, what choices are we making as God’s people, as individuals, as a church and as a nation? Are our choices going to bring eternal death like that made by Adam or are we going to make choices to bring eternal life like that spoken of by the Apostle Paul that he awaits the crown of glory and the phrase well done you good and faithful servant? Not only spiritually, but even in our existential life. Have we made a choice that we will never succeed in our education, our jobs, and the church can never grow spiritually? In reality when we make such low standard, self-gratifying choices we minimize the power of Christ in us. We tell God that listen buddy, your power is really nothing and so we will go as we plan.

Why don’t we change that habit and make the choice in Christ that we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. Why don’t we make the choice that we can live a righteous and holy life because his word said he has given us ALL power to tread upon scorpions and serpents. You know the Promises of God for your life, for your walk in Christ and for your family, please just make the right choice and in the words of Spike Lee, DO THE RIGHT THING!

Your Servant…

To Obey or not to Obey?

Before even going into this inspiration today, I will like to dedicate a part of my blog to our brothers and sisters in Haiti. I need not remind you about what is going on in that pat of the western hemisphere. To any one who is reading this, please find a way to help this people. You may not make it to the country of Haiti, but your money, your treasures, your gifts, your unused clothing, your canned foods, your phone skills, etc can reach Haiti.

My faternity, MALIK Fraternity Inc and my Church Youth Group are doing something (respectively) for our Haitian brothers and sisters. Is called Project Salvation and I will give details in the future as I get them. Also I have added a link of places you can go to help.

http://www.yele.org/
http://www.lambifund.org/

God bless Haiti! Tourjour et Tourjour!


Now the topic of Obedience should not take Christians by storm. All our lives, we have been taught to obey from our parents, to rules, to school teachers, to marital relationships, to GOD. But really what does Obedience of God mean? What does Obedience mean to the individual? To the church of God? To a country? Or to God himself?

1 Samuel 15: 22
New International Version (©1984)
But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.


The Sacred Text of the Most Holy God, The Bible is full of stories of people who chose to obey the instructions of God and those who chose the contrary. In the text above, Samuel addresses the disobedience of King Saul. I will really encourage you all to read both books of Samuel. You will learn a great deal. King Saul, an annointed servant of Christ, had made a conscious effort that instead of obeying God, to destroy the enemies to the nitty gritty, he rather chose to save some of the property of the enemy so he can SACRIFICE to God. Wrong move Saul!


Isn't this the story of our Christian walk? We have to realize that the way to God is thru complete and total obedience to God. See even Christ, (God made flesh) had to obey his fathers' will before you and I could have atonement of our sins! See Christ could have chose not to obey and could have commanded ten thousand angels times ten thousand angels to atomize the Roman soldiers. But guess what? He didnt, he obeyed unto death, just so you and I could have the chance to come to that Holy Throne, which sets us free beyond imagination. That throne which gives us the power to make wealth! That throne which provides peace, which the world does not provide...THAT THRONE OF OUR MOST HIGH KING.


We like King Saul, love to sacrifice. We rather go to church all day everyday, but not live a righteous life. We rather give money, but rather not obey God's law/word of giving our bodies as a holy sacrifice, which is our reasonable service/ministry. Hmmm. A happy life, a joyous life, a victorious life, a complete life in Christ, is a fruit of obedience. Remember what happened to Saul. Due to his obedience, God took away the annointing from him. As a Christian, without the anointing, you are no different from an Atheist! Remember is the anointing which makes the difference, and is the anointing that breaks the yoke (makes you question what the yoke is, don't worry that inspiration will come in due season).


Now compare the kingship of King Saul to the one who came right after him, King David. We see a vast difference. Due to David's obedience, and even true repentance when he sinned, God maintained his name on the throne of Israel, to the point that that child Christ, born in the manger of Bethlehem, was from the lineage of David. If you think I am lying, refer to the book of Matthew 1! Obedience may be hard to do, especially when we look at it from our human understanding, but at the end of it is life, life eternal.


Obedience to God's word is synonymous with Obedience to Parents. It makes me wonder why there is a promise to children who choose to obey their parents. God is the parent of our mind, body and soul, and once we choose to obey, just like obeying our existential parents, we will be promised with a never ending life, even after physical death has taken its place in us; we will live in heaven. Hmmmm!


Without obedience you can not have faith. How do you have faith in something when you do not see it. But guess what Obedience to God's word will prompt you to say yes you can not see it, but have faith in your God, because he calls things which were NOT, as though they ARE! Have faith because with Christ's power, YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS. (I just came from a job interview, and at this point I have faith that I have gotten the job, so all i am going to be doing from now on is thanking God for the job and making preparation for it). See obedience is what led you to Christ anyways. So why have you left it behind, just so you can sacrifice. God does not care for your sacrifice, if you can not love someone, if you can not preach to some one, if you can not live holy.


Lets do something revolutionary today, and lets obey.


God's spirit be with you all.


Your servant!

Great Missionaries

We as a people have often minimized the concept of Missionary to just preachers or lay men and women. We often think of missionaries as people who just go in far away countries to bring the liberating gospel of Christ. However, I think we need to start looking at teachers as missionaries. Nope am not talking about teachers in the church, or the synagogue, am talking about your neighborhood teacher, that third grade teacher you disliked, that 12 grade math teacher that you thought was a bum, that college professor that made you stay up all night because his classes were just too hard.

See, to be a teacher is not an easy task. Teachers are responsible for going out there into a world, where children are hurting from abusive homes, irresponsible parents, a world where some families have forsaken the call of love, to make sense to these children. As Pastor Matthew Hagee may say, even some of these teachers may stay longer with the children than the parents. Yet we as people, have forsaken to recognize these teachers, when we pray, we refuse to pray for them, and when we give gifts they may be last. These teachers are responsible for continuing the moral upbringing of your younger siblings, our sons and daughters, our church members, even our future mentees. To me I think they are great missionaries because they have the ability to shape the thinking process of the next generation.

I for one, had the chance of meeting such a teacher who put me in the right path. He was hard on me, when everybody thought I was the smartest dude alive. He pushed me to the limit, when everyone had settled for mediocrity. I will not mention names, but had it not been for this teacher, seeing the potential in me, and bringing out the potential in me, I don't think I could have found the motivation I have today. He thought me in 5th grade how to network, when at that time chasing women was my biggest objective.

What I am trying to say is teachers are great missionaries too. Some of them may not carry the Bible, but they may carry with them, the love the Bible talks about, the perseverance the Bible talks about, the understanding the Bible talks about, and the self-discipline the bible talks about.

To any one who has ever thought a child, or thinking about teaching, May God bless you and always remember to teach these children the RIGHT THING!

- Peace!