Defying Death

IMAGINE BEING TOLD this by Christ:"You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God..."  More reason for us begin studying our Bible more.  An good example for us is Father Zakaria Botros, World Magazine's 2008 "Daniel of the Year."  Father Zakaria, famous for challenging Islam on his television program "Truth Talk," has caused quite a stir in the Muslim world.  

Father Zakaria's arsenal is his knowledge in not only Christian Scripture, but also the works of Islam.  By knowing this, he is able to point out the inconsistencies in the religion and question many of their commonly held beliefs.

Father Zakaria's story can be found in his biography Defying Death: Zakaria Botross: Apostle to Islam.  Although I am yet to read this book (I just found out about it before writing this), I am sure it will be a great read and his story an example to all of us.  Let us not worry whether we will be asked if we know the Scriptures, but rather be like Father Zakaria and know not only our own Scripture but the opposing viewpoint.

Do I Want to be Made Well?

IN THE MIDST of Great Lent, we must remember to be walking always in the way of Christ.  Today's reading from the Coptic Lectionary is the story of Jesus healing the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda. This is my favorite story in the Gospels for the reading is very profound and also very relevant to the life of a Christian.

What strikes me most about this passage is when Christ asks the man: “Do you want to be made well?” I imagine in this instance, a doctor looking at a patient while holding the potential cure for the patient and then asking “Do you want to be made well?” I can't imagine being in his position and not looking at Him and saying sarcastically, "well what do you think?!"  I mean, it is a really ridiculous question.  I can't help but ask myself, why did Christ ask such an obvious question when, being God, already knew the answer?  The truth is, this is really a question of our faith and our willingness to accept the process involved in actually being made better.  Christ knew this man was willing to believe and therefore asked him so that we may have an example.

In our daily lives, we should be asking ourselves, do we want to be made well?  Not well in the sense of being healed from an infirmity, but rather healing of our souls.  Anyone in their right mind would answer yes, but do our actions reflect this?  What if being made well required us to stop our destructive habits?  Or be up early for liturgy, or up late for midnight praises?  Or read the Bible and pray many times daily?  We should then be asking ourselves if we are really want to be made well.  I am all too guilty of this myself, but remembering my salvation and the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to the paralytic man really pushes me when I am tempted to be lazy.

When we are struck with an illness or deficiency of any sort, we tend to feel as if it is of the utmost importance and we would be willing to do anything to let it pass.  This man was living homeless and paralyzed for 38 years.  Now, before the advent of modern medicine, God provided humanity with certain technologies such as an angel coming down and stirring a body of water giving it the power to heal the first to reach it.  Well, this man sat by this pool and watched as other beat him to the pool, because he had no one to push him in.  He had also endured people passing him by and spitting at him, because at that time people believed that deformities were caused by sin.  It made sense to them, for how else could a random person be struck with such an awful deformity?  This person had to be the cause of sin and the appropriate action was to disgrace him as people passed.  Thankfully, Christ came and corrected us.

After healing this mystery paralytic man, Christ instructed him to "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  There is an important message in this.  Christ reminded us that there is something more important than our worldly well-being, and that is our spiritual well-being.  This man was paralyzed, homeless, and disgraced for many years, yet he was told that there was something worse, and that "something" is eternal damnation.  We should remember this after our repentance, for there is no reason to repent if you are just going back to committing the same sin repeatedly.  "Sin no more" Christ says, and that is what He asks of us to receive salvation.  So this is essentially the cliff notes of the passage; if you really do wish to be made well, do something about it, because something worse than you could possibly imagine is the consequence.  

Fairness is Fair

WHAT IS FAIR? From where did this preposterous notion come from? Since when do people think they are deserving of anything? It comes as no surprise to me that the world is filled with greed and sorrow. These people are ungrateful and searching for happiness in a sense of false justice. These people searching for fairness in the world will be coming up very short. I am not a cynic, nor am I what people refer to as a "realist" (which, in my opinion, is simply a boastful claim that everyone else is wrong and that the "realist" is the only one with a perception of "reality"). I am simply a Christian. I believe in a Higher Law, and a divine justice that will punish the proud yet reward the meek.

Life is not fair; nor is it arbitrary. God's plan is for us to withstand trial so that we may prove ourselves worthy unto Him. Unfortunately, people have decided that life should be a simple walk in the park and have accused the Lord God of being too cruel and, shockingly, unfair. In essence, these people are claiming to be able to do God's job better than Him. This is why I enjoyed the movie Bruce Almighty. The premise of the movie (for those who wisely stay away from television) is of a person being given God's power and responsibility, failing miserably, and then finally realizing God's plan is perfect. Life is better than fair, it is how God Himself intended it. Our free will allows us to live freely and our circumstance is dictated by God. To conclude, it is written that:

I returned and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.

Destructive Words

MY FRIENDS AND I like to poke fun at one another. It has come to be a force of habit at this point, and it is quite a destructive habit. Sometimes, a joke can be misconstrued and really get under a person's skin. Here is a great post regarding this topic: Click me!

King Hezekiah

IN MY LAST post, I wrote briefly about King Hezekiah being healed by the Lord. I left out a good portion of the story, the juicy part if you will, and I would be doing a disservice to not continue the story. The Lord had spoken to King Hezekiah saying:

Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: 'I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you, and on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.'

King Hezekiah then asked Isaiah what the sign would be that God would do what He said. Isaiah replied that either the "shadow of the sundial will move forward ten degrees, or should it go backward ten degrees?" Hezekiah asked that the sundial be moved back ten degrees so Isaiah cried out, and it was done as the Lord said.

Last year I heard an excellent sermon on this story in which I will reference. In this story, King Hezekiah represents humanity; he was near death, scared and suffering, and pleading to God for deliverance. Hezekiah had fallen to pride and was stricken with an infirmity to which he was pleading with the Lord only after he realized his days were numbered. God was merciful to Hezekiah, even though mercy was probably undeserved. This represents Christ's coming to Earth and dying for our sins. God then turned back the sun ten degrees. Why ten? The ten degrees represents the ten commandments humanity failed to uphold. Thus, Christ's atonement of our sins is our second chance to make it right.

Hezekiah's story is overflowing with symbolism, prophecy, and examples of God's might and power. Think about it, God moved the entire universe backwards, just to prove that He was good for His word. But as a Christian, this doesn't impress me. I already know this is within God's power; the impressive part is God's mercy and patience. Hezekiah was disobedient and forgot about the Lord, and then remembered Him only in his last days. This is sufficient for God, but he wants so much more from us. This story should be an example for us. Yeah, God wants us to keep His commandments, but He is also abundant in mercy and will do so much to have us back. Even after He has done more than we are deserving of, He will give us signs to show us His glory. May we set the bar high though and not resort to falling into King Hezekiah's position by withholding God's commandments.

Raised Bill 1098 Tabled

EVEN AFTER THE bill was tabled for the time being, a rally of protesters congregated before the State Capitol to be heard regarding Connecticut's Raised Bill 1098 which I had written about earlier. Details on the rally can be seen here: Click me!

Tears of Hope

JEREMIAH CRIED OUT: " I am the man that sees poverty, through the rod of His wrath upon me." Affliction is tough to bear, especially when you look around and feel the world is unjust and simply too difficult to endure. I believe this is something many people struggle with, for how can a just God show favor to some and forsake others? It is easy in times of distress to look upon others and feel that you are worse off, but a discerning man understands God's mercies are perfect for us.

Jeremiah lamented, but never lost focus on his hope in the Lord's mercies. This is the difference between a complaint and Jeremiah's lamenting, and that difference is the presence of hope. Knowing the Lord has His plan and that He will never place us in a situation we are not equipped to handle is what helps us triumph above our tribulation.

This reminds me of the story of King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah was sick and near death, and pleaded saying: "O Lord, remember how I walked before You in truth, and with a full heart, and did what was good in Your eyes." Hezekiah then "wept with a great wailing." The Lord then appeared to Isaiah instructing him to pass on the following message to Hezekiah:

Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: 'I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you, and on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.'

The Lord heard Hezekiah's cries and because he did not lose faith, the Lord answered his prayers. This is where we fall short, when we ask God for comfort, are we asking with a genuinely caring and hopeful heart?

There must also be a willingness to accept God's will. St. Paul suffered some sort of infirmity (obviously the specifics are not important whether it was a physical ailment or a spiritual weakness), and pleaded repeatedly with God for mercy. The Lord simply affirmed: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." God may not fulfill your request, that does mean He is not listening or is dissatisfied with the request. The Lord knows what is best for us, and we must be willing to surrender to His will.

Therefore we must be hopeful in the Lord and learn to submit to His wisdom. Even when it seems the world is unjust, we must hope in the Lord that He will deliver us. Do not be boastful in tears during prayer either, pray with a humble heart. Simply pray with thanksgiving and know that He has a plan and His mercies are infinite. Also, don't be duped with false promises of hope, for the only true hope is in the Lord.