Jesus, the Son of God, the Prophesied One

Christmas is next week and I wanted to remind myself of the prophecies concerning Jesus' birth. Jesus was prophesied to come from the beginning and prophets throughout the Jewish history proclaimed this with the latest being 450 years before Jesus was born. This is a look at some of these prophesies and how they reflect in one person only, and these all came true in the man of Jesus.  He was predicted to come to this Earth, to serve, to heal, to proclaim the kingdom of God, and ultimately to die on the cross for our sins and resurrect on the third day.

Born of a Virgin:
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel(God with us)." -Isaiah 7:14

Jesus will be the Son of God:
As the prophet Nathaniel spoke to David, he said: "When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as i took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever." -1 Corinthians 17:11-14

From the offspring of Abraham:
"And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." Gen. 22:18

From the offspring of Isaac:
"..because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." -Gen. 21:12

From the offspring of Jacob:
"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel." -Numbers 24:17

From the tribe of Judah:
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples." -Gen. 49:10

From the town of Bethlehem:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." -Micah 5:2

From the family line of Jesse:
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit." -Isaiah 11:1

From the offspring of David:
"'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; and he will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.'" -Jeremiah 23:5

Will be presented with gifts upon birth:
"Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts." -Psalms 72:10

Herod will kill the children to get rid of Jesus:
"Thus says the Lord, 'A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.'" -Jeremiah 31:15

Jesus shall be called Lord:
"The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." -Psalm 110:1

He will have a messenger come before Him to declare his way:
"A voice is calling, 'Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.'" -Isaiah 40:3

Lastly, we have to take into consideration the prophecy of Daniel in chapter 9 and Moses in Genesis 49:10. Jesus would come prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. by Daniel and before the Jews would lose their power as a nation, which the Romans stripped away around 10 A.D.

In Genesis it states:
"The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his." -Gen. 49:10

The ruler's staff and the tribal staff's(scepters) were taken from the Israelite's around 24 years before Jesus was crucified, thus the Jews had to ask permission from Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus. This had to be done prior to the full destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. which is when Daniel prophesied that Jesus would have to come by. So either Jesus, the Son of God, did come exactly at the prophesied time or it's too late now and the Bible was lying.

"the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 1:2-4

Part of the old temple that was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans. If you look closely on the left of the corner piece, you'll see some Hebrew writing. With this destruction, there was no more power by the Jews and they were scattered far and wide.

To Touch the Edge of His Cloak

A reflection of Luke 8:43-48

I see, I hear, the rabbi who heals the sick, the lame, the deaf, the blind.

His face, stricken with weariness as the soldier in the heat of battle, does not show signs of anger though surrounded by a pressing crowd. Compassion and sadness is the only thing that can be seen through His eyes, mirroring the actions He took for others. His caring for those around him was like a father would for his children. His voice softens my soul and encourages my heart. The truth of His words sinks deep to the core of my being like a rock falling to the bottom of the sea.

I did not notice until the thud of the ocean floor broke me into tears.

I crumble, hurt and in pain. Nowhere to turn, no place to go. But would a rabbi such as He, ever care for me? Would He look at a lost soul with those same eyes of compassion? I am the worst of the worst and I do not deserve mercy. But just maybe, if I could only touch the edge of His cloak. If I could only taste a drop of the living water, to take the smallest portion I could, then maybe it would be enough for me. I don’t need much, I don’t ask for much. He would not know that I am in pain or alive. What could I give to a man such as Him? He came for others, but not possibly for me.

I had to reach and touch His cloak.

If I could just crawl on my hands and knees. To approach with my face scraping the ground that others walk on. I have nothing to be proud of, nothing to keep me from being judged. I push through the crowd, only my will driving me closer. I had to know if He was real, that His power could heal a broken soul such as me. I reached out, blinded by the crowd, my desperation for salvation the only thing that kept me focused. My fingers grazed the cloak, touching the edges of a thick cloth. I felt and sensed the power of life flow through my finger as the rushing force of a mighty river.

A voice, filled with compassion and love, said, “Your faith has healed you. Go in Peace”. 

Reflections on Israel - Olive Press

One of the hardest things in life is enduring trials of many kinds. While in the middle of the pain and sorrow, it is hard to see past the hurt.  We tend to be short-sighted, to demand an answer to our pain and anguish. We know that the pain will end at some point, but logic does not triumph over emotions when it matters the most.  Prayer seems empty, the silence is deafening, and pain is constant. We want comfort and demand answers, just like Job.  We start to question why we are having to go through the trials and why God didn't save us from the pain.  We feel crushed under an immovable object, unable to understand why it is happening to us and why it hurts so much, often questioning if God truly loves us.

An Olive Press that would be found in the time of Jesus.

The picture that comes to mind is that of Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives. Luke writes in chapter 22: 

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Jesus experienced pain and sorrow to the point of shedding blood. He prayed if there was any other way that this cup, this burden, can be taken away. But there was no other way, Jesus knew it, He knew that it was to fulfill the covenant made to Abraham, that He had to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin. Jesus was pressed just like an olive press and the sweet oil that would come from it was the salvation for us all. We, in the same way, experience much pain and sorrow in our lives, though we sometimes cannot see it as something that God is using to mold us. We will be squeezed and drained, the pure oil from the olive pressing will come out, and it will be the sweetest taste in the end.  God knows that to help you grow as a Christian, to grow closer to Him, He needs to squeeze you, and it will hurt. Sometimes, it is the only way that we can learn. God takes away that which blinds us so that we can rely on Him for our strength and support. And the pure oil that comes out is more precious than the hard, old, and dirty outer shell. 

Romans 12:12 states that we should rejoice in hope, have patience in our tribulations, and be constant in prayer. It does not say that God will save us from our pain and hurt, He wants us to turn to Him in the pain and hurt. We are to remember and rejoice in what Jesus did for us on the Cross, to pray to God for our support, and to have patience through our suffering. Rely on God, because He is faithful and His will is to guide us closer to Him.

The Presence of Sin

Sin lurks like your shadow that is forever pervading

It is part of you, always there, always waiting.  

Looking for a weakness to attack for its own amusement

It imitates your actions and mirrors your movement

Waiting for your guard to slip so it can seep in and destroy

It has no mercy, no remorse in its pain that it will exploit

When the light shines the brightest, it hides itself below

It waits patiently for you to move so its presence will grow

It wants to see you slowly fade away, surrounded by its caressing tendrils.

Making you forget to fight, numbing you to the pain of sin and its perils

Engulfed by the darkness you forget the light

Shame and fear covers you like the darkness of night

It wants you to stop fighting, to give up and give in

Hoping you will forget the sun and not overcome your sin

The Lost Generation of Believers

Dear Elders and Teachers of God,

You lost us. You failed us. You have not taught us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Had not the Holy Spirit grabbed us and shown us, we would be lost.  There is no compassion, no empathy, and no love. We read the scriptures and we do not see the church acting the way it should. Where did you lose God? Where did you lose your way? Your churches are losing us by the thousands and we are finding God elsewhere. Do you not see? Has God not opened your eyes to your sin and the change that is going on around you?

You speak of Christ, yet you did not teach us to love. Your thoughts speak of abortion as being wrong, to tell us to hate it, to speak out against it, to hold signs in front of abortion clinics and making sure others know. You teach us to yell in the faces of those whose life is lost in sin, but not with the gospel, but a reminder to them that we consider ourselves better. Is that what first century Christians did? Is that how God taught us to be? I read how Christians gathered the female babies left to die outside the city gates of the Roman cities, how they raised them and cared for the babies whose life was fated to end. I wonder why you didn't teach us to do the same? Where are the signs that say, "I'LL TAKE YOUR BABY! PLEASE LET ME HAVE IT! DON'T LET THE BABY DIE!" Where are those signs? WHERE?!? I dont see them, I dont. And the babies still died. Their lives still ended. You taught us that others should follow our rules, even if they do not believe. There was no love in your words. You tainted God's love. You preach it and we do not see it.

You speak of Christ, yet you did not teach us to love. You tell us to hate our president. That if you didn't vote for him, you do not need to respect him. To speak all kinds of evil and blasphemous words against him. To believe that he is the anti-christ. You taught us that we should do whatever we can to remove the president who you did not elect. But you failed to teach us to pray for our president. To pray for our leaders, to let God get the glory and to trust in God for whomever He chooses to put in power. Why did you not teach us to pray? You lost us, you did not teach us to trust God above all else. That it is God who elects leaders, not us and not for our purpose, but His alone.

You speak of Christ, yet you did not teach us to love. You tell us to focus our hate on those who need God the most. Those who we should love, the gays, lesbians, transgenders, or bisexuals. You taught us only to love those who are like us, that have similar moral standing. Did God not tell us to go out to the dirtiest, most sinful places in the world to reach those who need God the most? Why did you not teach us to love, to care, to be next to those who are broken by sin and shame? Who are we without God? We are no better! WE ARE NO BETTER! Only through Jesus do we have salvation and eternal life. We could be that other person. We could be the one who needs help. Why would you deny someone love? Yet, this is what you taught us to do.

You speak of Christ, yet you did not teach us to love. You tell us that securing jobs for your kids is more important than helping the desperate and needy immigrants. You teach us to hate those who try to take your jobs and your livelihood. You do not care about the poverty that they came from or who they were. You did not look them in the eyes and see their tears. You tell us to tell them to get out! How is that love? How is that caring for others? Does not all things belong to God? If God would let you keep your job, would he not do so? But you teach us that security is more important than helping immigrants in need. That faith in your own money is more important than faith in God. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed by the name of the Lord! So says Job, but not you.

You have alienated us. Yet, you wonder why we do not think like you or believe like you? You taught us to seek after our heavenly Father but did not do so yourself. You are lost in the yesterdays and have let the enemy creep in amongst the comforts of technology and wealth. You stopped fighting the spiritual battle, stopped caring for the poor, and riveted our country in racial warfare. We do not see the leaders of faith that we hoped. We are in desperate need of mentors and leaders, but we see only a few. Where are you men and women of God?  Have you been blinded by the devil's schemes? You leave us to fight the battle on our own and the broken country that you left for us, devoid of spiritual health.

Reflections on Israel - Sabbath Day

I do not think, we, as gentile(non-Jewish) Christians, understand the importance of the Sabbath as much as we should. We have the freedom to live without following the Jewish customs or way of life, nor are we subject to be put under the law. Though, why are we not gleaning from the Bible the reasons behind why God put such an importance on the Sabbath day?

The business of life has taken away our day of rest, keeping us from worshiping God as fully as we can. Finding time just to read the Bible is hard. Most Christians in the western world have turned their ideas of Christianity into a "I think that being a Christian means..." instead of "The Bible says this about the world and these passages speaks to how we can be a light in this fallen world...".   We are too caught up in our life to truly understand the importance of reading scripture.  How can we defend ourselves from deception without understanding what the Bible says? Look at Jesus in Matthew ch 4.  While He was tempted out in the wilderness, he answered Satan's questions and misuse of the Scripture with another passage.  How many of us can do this in today's time and age?  We are so easily swayed too and fro in our culture, living off of emotions and feelings as a Christian without a grounded knowledge of the Word of God. Muslims learn the Qur'an from an early age, Jews learn the Torah at an early age, Buddhists learn how to seek Nirvana at an early age, and Christians...well, we are taught to go to church and pay attention.  Though, how many of us were told to read the Bible at an early age...or have yet to do so?

The first day after God created man, He gave man a day of rest to see the work that he did and to worship God. This is why the Sabbath day is so important. We need a day to worship God and delve into His word. Of course we should be reading the Bible and praying every day, but a day where we can fully seek Him. To find rest in His arms. We cannot forget it, we cannot forget the importance of it, and we cannot let our busy lives take it away from us. Find your Sabbath, find your day to seek God and to leave the worries of the world for the other days of the week. Get to know the Father whom first loved you, who gave everything for you. Study scripture and let His word speak into your life.

2 Timothy 4:1-5
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Psalm 53 - No One Who Does Good

It is only a fool that would dare to proclaim in their fame
That there is no God,
They believe there is no one that could put their claim to shame
And prove them wrong.
They have been corrupted by this world and their ways are vile by a mile
For there is no one who does good, no not one

God looks down on earth, to seek and find amongst all mankind,
A person that sees themselves as meek and would turn the other cheek
Someone that would understand the ways of good
But everyone has turned away and gone astray
They have been corrupted by this world and their ways are vile by a mile
For there is no one who does good, no not one

Do all evildoers know nothing, how to freely give in this life they live?
They devour the people of God without a care, which is too much to bare
But there they stand, overwhelmed with dread in each living thread
It was God who scattered them to a last man, for against Him they could not stand.
It is righteousness that will prevail and protect the frail
For there is no one good but God and His unfailing love.

Being a Light in a Society Filled with Darkness

How do you explain violence?  How do you explain why society cannot learn from the mistakes from the past? The world can seem very dark at times and the pain and hurt is felt beyond the people involved.  Many, even I, have tried to explain what is going on, but to no avail.  Others grasp for the best answer they can find and hope that understanding the reasons will fix the problem.  Though, in the end, it does not satisfy. People still mourn, people still die, and the cycle continues. We wish for the past days where life was simpler, where ignorance blinded us from reality and happiness was found in the small world we lived in.

Though, when this veil is lifted, we are left with a choice. Hide in a small hole or stand up and be an example to those around us. And in times like this, those who need us are those who are hurting the most. I could never understand what it is like to be a black male or female in the U.S., but what i can do is to stand up for them. To show others that they are just the same as me and to cry out at the injustice. Though, I also mourn with the families of lost loved ones, who did serve as police officers
to the best of their capacity. There is no war on races in Christ, we are one and the same.

Galatians 3:28 says:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And in this darkness, the only light some might see is what we can bring. Jesus calls us to be this light to the world.

As Matthew 5:16 says:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

How can we be a light to those around us? It is a simple solution. Instead of pointing fingers and trying to choose a side, we should love those who hate us, love those who persecute us, mourn with those who mourn, build peace amongst brothers and sisters, and forgive those who do us harm.

As Romans 12:21 says:
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

So let us not forget the great words from Martin Luther King Jr. A man who served God and fought for justice in a society that would not give it. His words hold true today as they did in the past. Let these words remind us that hate does not end with more hate.

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Reflections on Israel - The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea. The name couldn't be more true to its characteristics. The sea itself has a one-third salt to water ratio. Nothing living can be found in the sea and it sits at the lowest part of Earth, more than 400 meters below sea level. Floating in the dead sea was a surreal experience in itself as it takes very little effort to keep your head above water. Though, the deeper meaning to the Dead Sea lies within the context of the story of Moses and the Israelite's.

After 40 years of wandering the desert, the Israelite's were finally on the threshold of the promised land, just to the west of them past the dead sea and the Jordan River. Moses had gone up to Mount Nebo to plead with God to let him lead the people into the land. Though, due to his sin, God would not allow him to go(Deuteronomy 3:21-29).  Instead God told Moses to have Joshua lead the people across the Jordan River, directly north of the Dead Sea, and into the promised land. This story does not seem to have much meaning at first, until you see its greater context.

Moses is a representation of the spiritual leaders throughout the world. A person of great significance, moral standard, and considered a righteous person. Though, not even he, or others such as Mohammad, Buddha, Moses, Abraham, Krishna, or any current or past world leaders, not even ourselves, have the ability to save us and to bring us into Heaven(the promised land). We have to go down to the deepest and lowest place on Earth to die, to pay the price for what we have done wrong. We have to be cleansed of our sin(the living water from the Jordan River), into a place where nothing that has life can live, not even our guilt and shame. Only until we have died to ourselves can we be raised into a new life and into the promised land. As Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it(by trying to find some other way around the Dead Sea), but whoever loses their life for me will find it(Following Jesus through the Jordan River so that our sin can be cleansed into the Dead Sea)"(Matt 16:25).

Though, how? How can we do this? Someone has to have first lost their life in the Dead Sea and come out alive in order to lead us, to cleanse us of our sins.  Who could do this? Only Jesus would have the power, being fully human and fully God. Someone with the power to lead us out of death and into life. To be the living water to cleanse us. How can this metaphor be so close to the crossing of the Israelite's? The significance is in the word and name of Joshua. In Hebrew, Joshua, is another pronunciation of the name Jesus.  So even by reading the story of the crossing of the Israelite's through the Jordan River at the northern tip of the Dead Sea, we have a leader that God chose to do it. Not even a great person such as Moses had the power, only someone appointed by God, someone who was God Himself, a beacon in history that pointed towards Jesus himself.
John 14:5 reads, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way(across the Dead Sea) and the Truth(only real answer to our meaning on Earth), and the life(whom all good things were created from). No one comes to the Father(the promised land..Heaven) except through me.'"

This story could only point to one conclusion, one major event in history and a plan that God had put in place way before the beginning of time. The coming life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Because He died on the cross and took our sin with him into the Dead Sea and came out of it alive and into the promised land, we will as well if we believe in Him and what He did for us.  Let the washing of the living water(Jesus) cleanse you from your sin and send it into the dead sea so that you can enter the promised land(Heaven).

Reflections on Israel - Caesarea Maritima and the Hippodrome

Paul had a unique experience that allowed him to connect with the gentiles(non-Jews) such as ourselves. He was born a Roman citizen while being raised in a Jewish family. He was the top of the top of his class, a soon to be famous Pharisee(Philippians 3:4-6). Yet, God changed his life and revealed His glory to him through Jesus(Acts 9:1-19, 1 Corinthians 15:8).  While Paul was in captivity in Caesarea Maritima, awaiting his trial and ultimate sending to Rome, he had a view of the Hippodrome from the cell in Herod's castle by the sea(behind the picture shown below). He could view and witness the events of the races that took place. To hear the sounds of the chariots, to see the crowds cheering, and witnessing the rewards that each winner received. Paul, through his experiences that God put him through, was able to connect to us in a way that a normal Jew could not.

Even in our culture today, racing and winning is ingrained in us, the sports we play and the teams we follow. We understand what it means to run a race. It is through these experiences that Paul could use races to connect with non-Jews. To run the race set out for us. To leave all we know behind and to strain to what is ahead. To see and know God above any worldly pleasures and allowing us to leave all that is behind, straining to what is ahead, pressing toward the goal, and to win the prize for which God has called us to through Jesus Christ(Philippians 3:12-14).

Run the race to win, don't aim for anything less. It demands our utmost, our very lives.  Even in sorrow, in loss, in heartache and persecution, it is the goal that is set for us that keeps us going. To know that the end of this life is not the end, but only the beginning of eternity with God. It is in this that Jesus said that to follow Him you have to pick up your cross daily(Matt 16:24) and to carry within you the death of Jesus in order to bring life to others(2 Corinthians 4:12). Let others see the love of Jesus Christ in you through your actions. This is the race that God has called us to as disciples of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Reflections on Israel - The Desert

The desert land is something so very different up close compared to only seeing pictures of it. The barren land is a reminder of how empty, how different it is, in relation to the world we live in. To stand at the edge and understanding its true implications can change your soul.

The Israelites were made to wander the desert land for forty years prior to entering the promised land. Jesus spent forty days in the desert before starting his ministry. So what makes the desert so important?  Why the desert?

The implications are simple. In the desert, in the wilderness, we have only one choice, that is to rely on God for our every need. We will only be able to get what we need day by day.  We cannot look ahead and save for the following weeks. Each morning we will have to trust God for what we need. The Israelites had to learn this as they were molded into a people that God could use to enter the promised land and inherit it.

All of us will go through a time in the desert. We should never shy away from this or run from it. We should bear the desert in our lives every day. To remind us how much we need to rely on God for our every need. You can be moved away from the desert, but never should the desert leave you. It is in this place, this barren land, that our faith in God grows. As a famous quote goes, God builds character, not comfort.  And true character and faith in God can only be built in the desert.  So yes, God will send us to the desert many times in our lives, though He does this to grow us, to prepare us for what He has planned in our lives.  Do not be afraid of this, God will provide for you during this time. And He will create something better in you, something more like Him. As Psalm 22:1-5 says:

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

    and by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are holy,

    enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4 In you our fathers trusted;

    they trusted, and you delivered them.

5 To you they cried and were rescued;

    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Reflections on Israel - Matthew 16:13-20

Matthew 16:13-20

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus was the most humble man when He walked on this Earth. He never used his power to take advantage of anyone or any situation. He came to seek and save that which was lost(Luke 19:10). He was a comforter to those in need and a healer to the sick. He came to fulfill prophecy and to die on the cross for our sins, not as a King and conqueror over the Roman Empire but because He loved us. His mission was to set us free from the chains of sin in our lives. To bring us everlasting life.

As Jesus turned His focus to this final mission of the cross, He took his disciples all the way north to Caesarea Philippi to see the idol worship that took place there at the Temple of Pan and the Gates of Hell. This place was considered the dirtiest and most sinful place that the Jews would know of. And Jesus took them there and told Peter that on this rock, on this place, He will build His church and not even the gates of hell will prevail.

Jesus didn't want his church to be built in the religious capital, but to bring the gospel message to the poor and downtrodden. To the places where it was the darkest. This is the essence of Christianity. It is not to live a good life and be a good person. It is to go to the places and to the people that have no hope, that have nothing left to lose, to the places where no other person would want to enter. To seek and save that which was lost...  Seeing this area today, one can see how Jesus did break the Temple of Pan and caused the Gates of Hell to stop flowing with a massive earthquake in the 300s. It is only a site of ruins today and no pagan worship could be done there again.

If there was one place of peace in Israel that I experienced Jesus' presence, it was here. I walked the Temple Mount and moved through the Holy Sepulchre, and both felt completely and utterly dead spiritually. Satan has used these areas to try and deceive people and lead them astray from knowing Christ. Only where Jesus wasn't worshiped through images and buildings was I able to feel His presence. A calmness and spiritual happiness. To see how Jesus promised that He would build His church on this rock, this place of pure evil is something else.  Yes, he ultimately destroyed and conquered the devil through His death and resurrection, but to see Satan's handiwork utterly devastated first hand is something else. Nothing, nothing in this world can stand up to the power of Jesus. It is something that we can hold onto, even through our trials and tribulations.

John 16:33 says: 

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

And He has overcome the world indeed! 

Reflections on Israel - Joel 2:12-13

Joel 2:12-14 (ESV)

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

    “return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13     and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the Lord your God,

    for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

    and he relents over disaster.

These images and verses explains repentance in a new way for me. Repentance is turning from your old ways, the sin that you committed and making a full 180 degree turn. Though, most of us only do this with our outer selves. To tear our "garments" so to speak. To show others your outward shame but without making a true repentance form your sins. And when the next opportunity arrives, you will just go right back to your old self, your old ways. This is not where true repentance lies. 

What God wants from us is not to seek repentance by just showing it to everyone around, but to rend our hearts, to break down in tears towards God for what we have done. This is where true repentance lies. It is turning towards God in our pain and sin, and not to seek it from the outward repentance we try to show to others without a true heart change. We should seek for forgiveness from our wrongs,but to do so knowing that we sinned against God first and foremost. 

As Psalm 51:3-4 says:

3 For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

    and done what is evil in your sight, 

 In Jesus there is no condemnation since we have been forgiven for our sins. Though,we should never take lightly any sin we do. We should be truly humbled by our faults and the knowledge in knowing that without Jesus we are without hope. To repent with the knowledge that God loves us and chooses to see us as perfect even through the mistakes we make because of the blood that Christ shed on the cross for our sins. This will allow us to stand up and move forward with the knowledge that we can continue to grow and keep following in our Rabbi's footsteps. So rend your hearts unto God and not your garments.

Creatures of Passion - Reflection on Proverbs 16:9

Oh, how we are creatures of passion. We seek to find ourselves in the waves of emotions that guides our path to what we want and what we think is the path that God has for us.

There have been many times where I thought, where I believed that God had something for me only to have it taken away. Or where i believed that this was His will in my life, only to see the door close. It wasn't until God showed a verse to me that it really hit home. Proverbs 16:9 reads:


The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (ESV)


That verse hit me like a ton of bricks. Oh how I'm a creature of passion that plans what I think is God's will. Only to have Him completely shatter it, remove what I thought was in line with His will. I'm humbled, torn apart, and, in the end, turning to God in repentance for my sins. Then He guides me into the path that He has established for me. Ecclesiastes 7:13 reads:


Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? (ESV)


God purposely puts things in our path to teach us and to grow us. He let's us run off with our hearts, to seek after what we want and then lets us fail. And He does this only because He loves us. He loves us so much that His main purpose is for us to root out the deep, dark, sin that resides within. To bring us closer to Him and to remove the chains that binds us from being truly free. Our God is a jealous Father. He does not want us to strive after things in our lives that will kill us spiritually in the end.


The question that ultimately comes from this is, when you fail, when you are brought down to the edge of desperation, what will you do? Do you blame God for not giving you all of your hearts desires? Do you blame Him for not giving you a perfect life of comfort? Do you fall deeper in sin? Do you seek joy or comfort in temporary pleasures?


Or will you turn to God in desperation and repentance. Will you find comfort in His arms and peace in His presence. If this is what You do, He will heal you and bring you everlasting joy that cannot come from anywhere else. Our gratitude should be to praise God and thank Him.for caring for us more than what our earthly father ever could.

Psalm 142 - In Desperate Need of You

I cry to my Savior and Lord
To block the Devil's evil sword
In my weakness I pour out my heart
Not knowing where I should start

My spirit grows faint within
I do not see a way I can win
My path is covered with many traps
When I stumble I hear the devil's claps

There is no one who is by my side
Nowhere to run, no place to hide
My life seems meaningless to most
So I look up to the heavenly host

Listen to my cry oh Lord, I beg!
I am desperate, walking with a broken leg.
Set me free from this crippling and dark prison
So those around me will know your mighty mission

Seeking Wisdom in How We Think

I felt the need to write this based on many interactions that I've had currently and in the past. I have come to realize the importance of knowing that emotional responses to a subject are dangerous. Our actions and reactions to a subject or issue in today's society should always be with love and thoughtfulness of the person we respond to and through wisdom and understanding. We should seek knowledge and knowledge should always be filtered through our faith in Christ Jesus.  I have seen too many Christians respond and react based on prior biases without a full understanding. I myself is to blame. I'm writing this for myself as well as for anyone who is reading this blog post. These conclusions have come through personal experiences and what God has taught me.

Proverbs 3:13-20
"Happy is a man who finds wisdom
and who acquires understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver,
and her revenue is better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels;
nothing you desire compares with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left, riches and honor.
Her ways are pleasant,
and all her paths, peaceful.
She is a tree of life to those
who embrace her,
and those who hold on to her are happy.
The lord founded the earth by wisdom
and established the heavens
by understanding.
By His knowledge the watery depths
broke open,
and the clouds dripped with dew."


1) Seek Wisdom and Understanding prior to making a judgement on an issue.  
Proverbs 8:14 says that wisdom posses good advice and competence. It has understanding and strength.  9:6 says, "Leave inexperience behind, and you will live; pursue His way of understanding."

So where does wisdom come from? Wisdom ultimately comes from God and we should continuously pray for Wisdom. Pray that God can help you find answers to questions and to break any wrong ideas or thoughts that we have on a subject or issue that isn't Christ-like. We should be finding it from listening to others, asking questions, and reading sources that helps us understand a given subject.  Media today gives us a false perception of reality. It is warped by the need to get an increased audience and keep people entertained. Also, meme's or pictures with words on it are no source of knowledge. Be careful what you choose to post or comment to others to illicit a reaction.

Know what sources are out there for a topic and that are greatly respected among scholars.  A Christian should read books on an issue, look at research papers, and seek information from those who have studied the topic or subject.  Can an issue ever truly be unbiased? Probably not, it would be very hard to find it. Though, one great way to look at something is to gain full understanding of the opposite side of an issue. Seek to know first so that any response you make is based on a good background on a topic. Even if you end up in disagreement, the other person should come to respect you, see your wisdom, your knowledge on the topic, careful and tactful responses, and your love for them.  

2) Do not react out of ignorance or through an emotional response

Proverbs 9:7-8, "The one who corrects a mocker will bring dishonor on himself; the one who rebukes a wicked man will get hurt. Don't rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you."

When you correct someone who is wise, they will not lash out, but seek to learn and will love you for bringing a different point of view to the discussion.  I think this speaks more to how, as a Christian, we should be careful about our reactions. Are we seeking to learn or to force our ignorant point down the throat of others? Are we looking to make an argument? Defending a point of view that lacks any basis of facts behind it? The more knowledge you gain, the more you can see ignorant comments for what they are. It is foolish to post or react based on a lack of understanding. You will gain respect from others from your knowledge on a subject or be seen as a fool if you do not.

3) It is better to correct someone in secret than in public

When you try to correct someone, even if it's out of love, you can get a hurtful reaction. Proverbs 9:7-8 speaks on this as well.  Though, as a Christian, i believe we should help each other with being careful what we say and how it is portrayed. We are to seek wisdom, for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."(Proverbs. 9:10). "The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction."(Proverbs 10:14).  We should be helping each other gain wisdom.  How we can do this though, is through three ways.  First is to do so with a loving heart. We come with the knowledge that we make mistakes as well and that we should look to bring our fellow brothers and sisters closer to Christ. How we portray ourselves to the world is how people see Christ and we might be the only Christian that someone has an interaction with.  Secondly, do so in private. Do not put your fellow believer down in public if at all possible.  I'm not perfect on this myself.  To see bickering between believers is never edifying to anyone. Thirdly, do not mock the person who you are talking to. Proverbs 9:12, "if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences".

4) Pray to God for Wisdom and study the Bible

It is important to understand that we cannot let culture control our thinking. We are to view the world through the lens of the Word of God. If we aren't reading the Bible and aren't praying, how can we guarantee that our thinking and conclusions on a subject aren't first in line with the Bible?  Ask that God will reveal his purpose and thoughts prior to drawing a conclusion. How a Christian in the U.S. views government is different than a Christian in Europe, or Africa, or in Asia. Does that mean that any system of government or social program is correct? No, we cannot draw this conclusion without having any extensive research background on the subject.  Can we have different views on an issue? Yes, we can. And we should seek to better understand if our views are founded on solid ground or not. We should ask God to bring us an understanding that surpasses that of what the world is trying to say. To look at issues beyond our own capacities and limited understanding.



We are living in a time where people in the world will choose to see us based on our actions and words more closely than before. Are we viewing issues in the way that is correct? Are people seeing us as emotional, bigoted, and ignorant? If so, we should look closer at how we are seeking wisdom. Folly leads to destruction. To be a Christian is to get away from the influences of the world and to cleanse ourselves through the renewing of our mind. I am no different and cannot claim to have found  full wisdom or knowledge. To be continuously challenged and open to different opinions is how we can grow in wisdom and to love God and others.

Psalm 107 - Let the Redeemed Tell Their Story

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story
How He brought them to safety and into His glory
Gathering them from different nations far and wide
Protecting them from harm as their enemies collide

The stories are many and different through time
Each one unique with a God given sign
The people who spoke had a common theme that was told
That they all needed saving from Satan's deceiving hold

Some wandered in deserts of their own making
Caught in their sin, slowly falling without waking
They were hungry and thirsty as their lives ebbed away
Denying the bread that the Lord was providing each day

Some became fools and trusted in their pride
Laying all wisdom and knowledge to the side
They suffered from their choices that they made
Refusing the God who could see their life begin to fade

Some traveled to get away from their past
Finding happiness in places that did not last
They saw the nature that God created for all
But lost courage and ran as it turned on their call

God blessed those he saved from Satan's chains
Filling them with His love in their every veins
Let those who are seeking God find Him
Before the light in their soul becomes too dim

A Reflection on Racism

During my first year and a half in Houston, I used the bus to get from work and back. I had to learn to survive in a city that seemed impossible to do without a car. Sometimes i still miss the systematic approach planning my weekends around bus schedules. Though, it also allowed me to meet some very nice people who rode the bus.

There were two conversations that i had which hit home to me which I wanted to share briefly. The first was with a really nice black lady who went to school at Texas Southern(close to UH). At the end of the conversation and where she got off the bus, she mentioned to me that I was the only white person that she had ever spoken to at length and that she didnt have any friends who were white. I was saddened at the statement since I thought that in a city with such diversity as Houston. the color of your skin would mean little when it came to friendships. The second instance was when I had a great conversation with a black elderly man and a younger black lady during my way home from work. I really enjoyed speaking to both of them and learning about their lives. I happened to mention that i had grown up in Sweden close to the end of the conversation and the elderly black man said to me that it now makes since why I would even talk to them. The allusion to his statement was that he was under the impression that no white American(born and raised in the U.S.) would've spent the time listening and speaking to him or the younger lady. All i did was make some effort to have a conversation with a normal human being.

I had made the decision long ago that skin color did not matter to me. I wanted to see each and every person in the eyes that God wants me to see them as. I'm saddened that this is still a struggle in the U.S. and around the world. I can't believe how much hatred there has been and still is for someone that happens to have been blessed with a different skin color than my own. God has made every human being in His image and we should not judge God's work based on our own sinful understanding. May God remind you and I this day that we should love one another as He first loved us.

Psalm 32 - Forgiveness in Repentance

In the darkness I tried to hide
Keeping my sin pushed to the side
I had no one that I could trust
Not a soul, not even if I must

Hiding in my sin I could not sleep
My heart pounded as if it tried to leap
The transgressions that I did commit
Was ones that I wish I could omit

Your hand on me was too heavy to bare
I could not forget, not let go without a care
Day after day I struggled and tried to fight
You wouldn't let go, even deep into the night

You humbled me to the point of defeat
I could no longer hide or live in deceit
To you I confessed my sin and shame
That which before I was too afraid to name

You forgave my sin and rescued me with your hand
You took away the pain and allowed me to stand
You instructed and guided me in the path I should go
Loving me as the father that I have come to know