Time to Move On

And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Matthew 28:7

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish , let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" Matthew 17:4

Nothing causes so much agitation like the times when we are aware it’s time to move on.
Although most of us desire a change in many aspects of our live, but yet struggle to move on.

There is something about familiarity with certain places, people and even vocation that causes us to agitate against moving forward even when we know we have to.

I do not know about you, but change is one thing I struggle with. I hate changing location, daily routine, friends and even habits that I have become familiar with. This reality could be said to be responsible for the reason it takes me a very long time to make decisions in regards to things and people around me.

Just like me, I'm sure there are others reading through this, this morning that love staying put in a particular place even when they desire change. The truth is we must realize that God is always on the move and if we must keep up with Him, we must learn to let go and master the art of embracing change.

God cannot get us to the place we desire to be if we refuse to let go of our familiar places, people and even vocations.

I love the conversation that took place between the angel and the women who went to anoint the body of Jesus in the tomb the morning He left the grave.
Just like some of us, the women knew about His prediction of not remaining in the grave after the third day, but yet still prepared the spice to anoint His body.

I'm sure they were excited and truly believed He had the ability to exit the grave, but their agitation against change got them to rise up early in the morning to go about their daily routine. Friends nothing hinders our faith like our inability to accept change.

And the angel said to them when they finally got to the tomb; He IS NOT Here! He has moved on. Like most of us today, one account of the gospel recorded that Mary started weeping, saying to the angel, please show me, where have you taken the body of my LORD? Once she realized Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
No wonder Jesus had to appear to her just to prove to her that He had indeed moved on, and would be waiting for them at Galilee.

Just when I thought the agitation against change is something that is peculiar to only women in Bible times, the story of Peter and Jesus in Matthew 17:4 came to mind.
Peter obviously forgot that Jesus never told them while taking them to the mountain on this particular day that they would need tents as they would be joined by Elijah and Moses.

Most of us today are not any different from Peter who loves the supernatural move of God above His divine leading.

We are quick to build a tabernacle around a move, and wave of God in a place and time God is only taking us through. And we feel cheated by God when He comes telling us to leave. Some of us even have the nerve to ask Him, but God what about the investments of time, energy and resources I have sacrifice into this tabernacle?

Friends, God is not as moved by what He has done before through you like He is concern about what He could still do with you in a new place. He is not limited by the newness of the place, people and vocation He is leading you into.

The earth and everything in it belongs to Him. Psalm 24:1-3

The Hands that was Nailed

I cannot but imagine the scene of the cross in my mind. Over and over again I have tried to relive this whole scenario of what Jesus did for me by trying to put myself in His shoes but still cannot find closure with it. For God in the form of a man to suffer such humiliation and brutality from His own subjects is humbling to me. Never in my entire life have I been taught humility. Never in my wildest expectations have I been shown what it means to submit. To submit to a people and a course one has made and possesses the ability to overturn.

As I meditate on this issue of the cross and the hands that was nailed I came to the conclusion that there is only one factor that could actually motivate a person with all the ability and influence of this earth to give himself up to be humiliated and nailed to the same wood he fashioned, by a people He created. And this factor is LOVE.

He was wrongfully accused, but refused to contest the legality of the accusation laid upon Him because He loved me too much to allow me to pay for them. He knew very well that for Him to be acquitted, I need to be ready to pay for the offense I have inherited through the sin of the first man and woman who once lived. As there is a need for a scapegoat for the offense to be settled; He was mocked, spat on but yet refused to lift His hands to protest His innocence. Again this He endured because He loved me. He was stripped of His garments and was crowned with a crown of thorns all because of His decision to love me. He was nailed on the cross and was left for death and still didn’t blink an eye, because He had chosen to love me in spite of all this. What a way to define love, and what a way to prove to me He truly loves me.

As we celebrate Easter, we need to realize that without Easter, the Christian faith will not be any different from any other religion such as Islam, Buddhist, Rosicrucian, atheist, etc.

As a matter of truth the Christian faith only came into existence after this great sacrifice of love wrath by God himself in the person of Jesus Christ. This is why it will be ignorant for anyone to believe that Jesus was a Christian. He was and still not a Christian, but on the contrary the Son, follower and Lover of God. He is God.

I don't know about you, but as I recall His journey and accomplishment to and from the cross I realize accepting Him as my Lord and as my Savior has placed on me a demand to forego certain rights and privileges every ordinary human believes they are entitled to. And some of these rights and privileges are as follows.

The right to offense;
As someone who has truly made Jesus Lord, you have forfeited your right to take offence. Forfeiting ones right to take offence is not a guarantee that offence will not come knocking. As a matter of truth it’s impossible not to be offended, but always know that you do not have the legal right according to Jesus' expectation of us to take it when it does come. If He took offence;, Peter and the other disciples who denied and abandoned Him during His trying time would have had no place in propagating His gospel after His resurrection. If He took offence, the men and women who allowed themselves to be persuaded by the leaders of the synagogue and elders of the ruling council would have no possibility of making heaven as He would have closed the door of salvation against them. What about the soldiers who ridiculed Him, spat on Him and casted lots for His garment. And not to mention the ones who nailed Him to the cross. The list could go on until it included me and you who although may not have been in support of His crucifixion but yet refused to stand up for Him by just keeping quiet while evil prevails in our very society.


The right to forgive;
This right here is a very big issue within the Christian community. Perhaps it’s so because most of us are yet to truly comprehend what it means to forgive. I have encountered some acclaimed believers who struggle to forgive. Others have even sworn to settle for hell if not forgiving a particular individual will cost them eternity in heaven with Jesus. But the reality remains that as Christians we do not have the right not to forgive any one, in spite of what they have done to us. If Jesus could forgive after what He went through then it’s not a mistake that God himself tied our receiving forgiveness from Him to our ability to forgive others. There are so many good Christians who will never make it to heaven because of unforgiveness.

As you celebrate this great gift of forgiveness that has brought about salvation I want  to encourage you to do likewise to everyone that has offended you, even to the point of killing your relative. If Jesus could do it then you can do it too. Remember he said that greater works shall you do.

God bless you and have a wonderful Easter celebration.