MEN & SUCCESS

Psalm 112:1 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds GREAT DELIGHT in his commands.

Every man on the face of the earth wants or desires to be successful. And while..its right to desire to be successful, there are only two ways to get there. SUCCESS can either by FEAR-DRIVEN or FAITH-DRIVEN.

FEAR-DRIVEN SUCCESS says:

Blessed is the man who wakes up early and stays up late; the man who has a life insurance; the man who has savings for a rainy day; the man who exercises and eat health; the man who knows the rules of the game etc.

Psalm 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat_ for he grants sleep to those he loves.

But…something goes missing for this man….HIS HEART! No matter how sure or secure he is at his present or perceived future….HIS HEART IS ALWAYS FEARFUL. Why? Because he has no fear of the Lord in his heart.

On the other hand…the man who has the fear of the Lord in his heart walks securely. His present or future is sure…as he walks by faith.

FAITH-DRIVEN SUCCESS says:

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY…all year round!!!!

You are called a FATHER because you have a CHILD or CHILDREN. They might be your natural seed, adopted or spiritual children. But whatever the case, ONCE A FATHER, ALWAYS A FATHER. Fathers have their God-given role to raise up children into responsible adults. But the GODLY FATHER has a defined task to raise up children into a GODLY OFFSPRING… which in turn makes up a GODLY GENERATION. Throughout the history of the children of Israel, when the FATHERS failed in their role to raise up GODLY OFFSPRING, the next generation became godless and began worshiping foreign god.

Today, you as a GODLY FATHER… as you celebrate your first or more years of being a father…remember, your role has not changed. God desires for you to continue in the following:

FATAL ATTRACTION

2 Samuel 13:15 Then Amnon hated her with INTENSE HATRED. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, ‘Get up and get out!’

The stories in the bible are not always what we would like them to be. Of all things, we hate to read the possibility of RAPE or INCEST among those who were chosen of God. But…truth be told. The bible stories are the very same stories we read in our modern newspapers or watch in our television screens in the safety of our homes. Everyone…wants to be loved and appreciated for the right reasons, and by the right person in different ways. No-one wants to be loved by a brother…not as a sister but as a lover! NO-ONE. Absolutely, no-one. But that’s exactly what happened to Tamar, King David’s daughter. David had several wives…hence, Tamar and Amnon had different mothers, but the same father. So in reality, they shared the same blood.

But that fact did not stop Amnon from falling in love with his half-sister, Tamar. Moreover, long before this, God has issued instructions about how to behave towards blood relatives in the book of Leviticus of which Amnon was fully aware.

Leviticus 18:6, 9 ‘No-one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.
‘Do not have sexual relations with your SISTER, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same house or elsewhere.

However, Amnon was too much in love…to think rationally. He was so much into HIS FEELINGS… that he never once stopped to consider the consequences of following after his own heart. Yes…that’s what FATAL ATTRACTION

A TIME TO REMEMBER AND CELEBRATE!

Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday. It will be the 8th birthday we will be CELEBRATING together…as a couple and now, as a family. His birthday is made up of many fine and treasured memories of our times together. The Lord has been gracious…oh, yes…too gracious. Like David, I REMEMBER and in prayer I ask;

‘WHO AM I, LORD GOD, AND WHAT IS MY FAMILY, that You have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in Your sight, O GOD, You have spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. You have looked on me as though I was the most exalted of me, O God. 1 Chronicles 17:16-17

Our past….has been MEMORABLE
Our present...is PALATABLE
Our future…will be INCREDIBLE

I met my husband almost 8 years ago while he was a missionary brother in the Catholic congregation of the CONVENTUAL FRANCISCANS FRIARS...whose founder was ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI in the 12th Century. On that first birthday together, I gave him a little book with beautiful proverbs and sayings unaware that 8 years down the road…some of the words in that little book who come to pass…in ways unimaginable.

SHATTERED DREAMS: DEALING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT

2 Samuel 12:19-20 David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realised that the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, ‘HE IS DEAD.” Then David got up from the ground. After he has washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and WORSHIPPED. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

SHATTERED DREAMS: How do you deal with the disappointment? Truth be told. There is no easy way to deal with the disappointment of broken dreams? But there is always a way…THE WAY! Every time I go back to read about David’s encounter in 2 Samuel 12, my heart is deeply stirred. Why? Because I see an attitude which is so rare today…yet is badly needed especially when all hope seems lost! Let me give you a little background on King David’s encounter. We all know about David’s extramarital affair with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. A baby is conceived…and a husband who has no idea about it…gets killed on the front-line to cover up for the King’s sin. But God cannot be mocked. He sends Nathan the Prophet to David…and uncovers his sin…and with it, the consequences which includes the death of that child conceived in an act of adultery. Of course, it would have been worse. But God spared King David’s life in exchange for his baby’s.

For seven full days and nights…David touched no food as He PLEADS with God to spare his son’s life to no avail. His whole household is also deeply affected by the unfolding events in the King’s house. On the seventh day, his child dies.

A JOY OF SORTS!!!

Today, I just picked up my Polish ID which now identifies me as a rightful and lawful citizen of this country, Poland. It is strange, but when I got the identity card, I felt a JOY OF SORTS. But why do I say that? Because a couple of years back, after I had qualified to become a citizen of this country under the Polish marriage act, I resisted the idea. On one hand, I wasn’t yet ready to disconnect from my roots, while on the other, there was need for me to be a part of where God had placed me, that is, at my husband’s side. Then something happened in early November, last year that made my decision…either way inevitable. A decision had to be made…and made quickly. When I finally made the decision to give up my country’s citizenship…which is the requirement before you become a Polish citizen, I felt a strange relief and peace.
After what has been a four month process…today…I get the TANGIBLE EVIDENCE that I am part of this society.

BE WARNED: HE IS YOUR COVERING

Ruth 3:3-4 Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing-floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and UNCOVER HIS FEET and lie down. He will tell you what to do.

I love the love story of Ruth and Boaz. Of all the Bible love stories, this one means more to me than any other. Why, because it represents my love story! I remember how God put these words in my heart a couple years before I met my husband. Right from the time I was a baby Christian, I knew I had a calling for service. And of course, my calling wasn’t obvious but I served for years within my local church all the same. Then…as time went by and a husband seemed almost out of reach, God put these words in my heart. ‘I WILL GIVE YOU A MINISTRY BUT FIRST I WILL GIVE YOU A HUSBAND FOR YOUR COVERING!

When the Lord spoke those words, they meant little or rather made no sense to me then. A covering? Never before had I heard someone being given a husband for a covering. But…when my husband came along and consequently God made my call to write so crystal clear, then I understood what He meant. In every sense of that word, I am COVERED!

What then is a covering?

INFIDELITY IN MARRIAGE

Matthew 5:27 ‘You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman LUSTFULLY has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Let me start here with a true story. Many years ago, when I was a baby Christian, there was a couple who I really admired and looked up to. From outside, their marriage looked so beautiful and genuine and of course, naturally I wanted to have what they had; A marriage built on love, tenderness and a quiet respect. Then one day, my innocence was brutally violated when I found out that he, the husband was having an affair with his wife’s best friend. For days and weeks, I pondered as my heart ached if to tell her what I knew or not. Without the courage to face her, I cut and ran. Oh…you have to forgive me…but that’s what I did! Hoping against hope, I prayed privately for their marriage to find a common ground for healing and restoration but it was never to be. Many years down the road, the marriage came to an END, a very painful end!

And while I still have no answer to the question if I should have intervened then or not, I know that Jesus did intervene in the issue of INFIDELITY. No…he did not give us a foundation for divorce or how we should deal with others infidelity…but rather, when He spoke about adultery, He was addressing the married couples. You see, until you are married…or you are single dealing with a married person, you might not think much about infidelity. INFIDELITY in marriage as Jesus puts it, starts not as we know it…that is, the actual bed act…but rather with A LOOK….yes, THAT LOOK!

A HANDSOME MAN FORGOTTEN

Genesis 39:6-7… Now Joseph was WELL-BUILT and HANDSOME, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

Genesis 40:23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not REMEMBER Joseph; he FORGOT him.

You are a Godly young man…hardworking, handsome and yes, a visionary with the future before you. The favorite of your father among many brothers. Your daddy makes you a coat of many colors which makes your stand out among the crowd. But the worst part of it all is you love to dream…and retell your dreams to a not very enthusiastic audience. YOUR NAME IS JOSEPH.

And while from the outside, everything seems to be going well, things are brewing from the inside. Before you know it…you are a SLAVE in a foreign country. But while you are not free…the things of nature still take their course. Oh…YOU ARE NOW A FINE HANDSOME YOUNG MAN…and a married woman cannot resist you. But you have not changed a bit. Your values are still intact. But this time, from the outside, everything seems to be going wrong, but things from the inside are unusual calm. Before you know it….you are a PRISONER paying for a crime you never committed. But while you are not free…the things of God take their purposed cause. Oh…YOU ARE NOW AN INTERPRETER OF DREAM…and a cupbearer is restored to his position. But your position is unchanged. Your existence is soon FORGOTTEN.

EXTRAVAGANT GRACE

Luke 7:37-38 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with HER TEARS. Then she wiped them with HER HAIR, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

EXTRAVAGANT is defined in my Collins dictionary as: spending money excessively or immodestly; GOING BEYOND USUAL BOUNDS; UNRESTRAINED; Ostentatious or showy; EXORBITANT IN PRICE; overpriced.

Before I start, I wish to pass my well wishes to all my fellow women readers as the world celebrates the INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY today. To all of you out there...YOU ARE LOVED AND PRECIOUS IN HIS EYES.

And with that note, let’s have a look at the story of a woman in Jesus’ earthly life. Its most probable that you have heard or read, or been preached to, the story of the WOMAN WITH AN ALABASTER BOX OF PERFUME. But until yesterday, I had never seen this side of the story before. So here in the UGLY TRUTH.

The woman in the story is a PROSTITUTE. That means…she earned her living by selling her body in exchange for money. Hence, it is most likely that her ALABASTER JAR OF PERFUME was bought with money from her immoral trade. But wait a minute. Why in the world would Jesus accept to be anointed by her knowing how she had obtained the jar of perfume? But here is the WHOLESOME TRUTH.