Saturday, September 29, 2012

The Moon

3:00 AM. A riverbed is cloaked in a heavy navy darkness. Dark clouds cover the sky. Frogs are singing to the tune of the crickets' violins. Marsh-reeds rock slowly to and fro in a gentle breeze. On the other side of the river lays a vast field of wheat, still in the night. Far beyond the field lies a deep pine forest. All is calm. I take several deep breaths, slowly. My eyes flicker, enchanted into sleep by the peace. On my side of the river lies a steep slope, peaked by pine trees. I sit among the trees, at the edge, wearily looking down the slope and across the river. Minutes creep by as I lean against the trunk of the pine tree. I peer upwards into the night, and notice the clouds are vanishing and the moon is appearing. The sky grows brighter until the full moon makes its appearance. Soft light gives way to brilliance as the moon momentarily blinds my dark-accustomed eyes.

I weep at this beauty, and peer intently into its face. The longer I look, the more I see. Uniform whiteness melts into shades of grey and yellow as I look upon yonder moon. Deep crevasses and age-old craters scar and beautify its surface. Such a contrast to the darkened still night! This bright glowing orb which pierces the night and illuminates the world! I look into the river below and see a hazy mist hanging over its surface. The moon is reflected perfectly in its still waters. I stand up. Stretching, I wheel about-face and peer into the darkened forest behind me. Many hours ago I first came through this post-dusk land. Night had already settled its claws into the trees and the birds were settling in their nests. Now it seemed almost like day. Every few feet of darkness was punctuated by bright spotlights. The moon cast them.

Jesus is the moon.                                                                                              Image by wyldraven

I'm 30 years old. A world is cloaked in a heavy moral darkness. Dark figures cover its history. Small men sing to the sad tune of broken men. Apartment buildings and sky scrapers stand bitterly rooted in their concreted soil. On the other side of the world lies a vast slum, still in its death. Even further lies the mountain villages. All is silent. I have several years, but I quickly lose them. My eyes flicker shut, enchanted into sleep by the Devil. In my land lies a steep social hierarchy, peaked by the media and business giants, presidents and supermodels. I sit at the base of the ladder, wearily looking up the ladder of "success". Lives creep by as men die. I look away from the world and into the heavens above me. What I once knew as true was quickly disappearing. The clouds and veils that had always covered the face of God, vanishing. Jesus Christ was appearing. The heavens grow brighter and brighter until Jesus, Lord of Time, appears in all His brightness. Softer shades of morality give way to the full brightness of Holiness. My eyes are blinded.

 I weep at this beauty and peer intently into His face. The longer I look, the more I see. His Godhood encompasses also His compassion, His gentleness, His burning love - as jealous as fire. His nail pierced hands and side wound scar and beautify Him. Such a contrast to the darkened still world! This brightly glowing Son of God which pierces the night and illuminates the world! I look down into the world below, and see what I did not before. Poisonous mist hangs over its surface. Yet Jesus is even there. I stand up. Thanking God, I look behind me into the past. Many years ago I came travelling through time. Darkness had long seeped into my body: I was rooted into it. Yet now my past showed where Christ had worked to bring me to repentance. The Spirit of Christ did this.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A Poem of the Gospel


All our 'Christianity' is like filthy rags.
As pleasing to God as he who ever nags.
Religiousness does not please God's heart.
Our external hypocrisy is but the devil's art.
Many church-going bible-reading religious folk
Will be reduced on That Day to naught but smoke
But God is merciful to the humble and lowly and weak
From His heart pours gentleness to the abused and meek.

He sent His Son to pay it all.
On Jesus Christ God's Wrath did fall.
He drank the cup of pain and was afflicted.
The death he died just can't be fairly depicted.

And three days later Death felt a gentle tap on his back
He turned around and Jesus Christ gave him a face smack
Christ the Lord and Overcoming Saviour was alive!
His sacrifice was enough; Victory He wasn't deprived.

In Him is all Truth, Science and Revelation
Step out and touch the King now who swallowed Damnation.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Burning ever Brighter

A dancing spark
In darkened park
Alights on branches
Fire thus prances
The tree in flames
No man now tames
The forest bright
Fury in the night
The world now on fire
Burning ever higher

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Balance

A man whom I respect has been telling me for a while that, essentially, "You need more balance in your life. It's fine to be religious and have a passion for Jesus, but you also need to think about yourself and your career, your job, your material wealth, your health, your education. You need to have one foot in religion/Christianity and one foot in the world."

I completely disagreed with that statement and I told him why. I gave him a reason. Here are a few:

1) "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Mt 7:24-27)

To be balanced is not to have half of your house on sand, and half on the rock. "It's balanced!" No, it's a major architectural flaw, and the house is highly unstable. If half of the house collapses, the other half is no longer suitable for residency. The whole house is ruined by half a collapse. It's the most balanced to be completely on the rock. 


In the same way, you can imagine three men: one man jumps wholly into the support-less air of The World, the second stands firmly upon the rock of Christ, and the third tries to balance- on foot on both. You cannot balance with half of your body weight hanging over the edge with all the force of gravity (your desire to sin) pulling you down and expect to survive. You will fall, and you will die.

2) God does not recognize either the house built half-way nor the man balancing on the edge. He only recognizes two alternatives: you're either for Him, or you're against Him. "He who is not against us is for us." (Mk 9:40, Lk 9:50) and "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons." (1 Cor 10:21). Logic demands this be so; either Christ has died for you, or He has not. Either you belong to Him, or you do not. Either you love Him, or you do not. Either you stand upon Him and wish to do so, or you stand upon thin air and desire to separate yourself from the Christ in scriptures (although perhaps not your imaginary Jesus). So the appeal to "have one foot in Christ and one foot in the world" is really illogical and impossible.

3) Christ demands complete obedience, not half-way lukewarmness. Christ once spoke to the church of Laodicea, saying: "How I wish you were either cold or hot. But as it is, you are neither! Therefore, I shall vomit you out of my mouth." (Rev 3). He also says, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." and "He who loves: his mom, dad, sister, brother, son, daughter, possessions, wealth, or even his own life more than me is not worthy of me.

Christ does not demand some stupid, illogical, half-way balancing. He wants you to suck it up, be mature, and choose. And for you men, he wants you to be a man and choose the way of outward suffering. Be a man, die to yourself, pick up your cross and follow Christ into joy unspeakable.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

The Misunderstood Man

Although I'm just a teen, I've been able to travel to many countries, and in my travels I once met an Israeli named Josh. I've since become really good friends with him, and a lot of my friends also Skype frequently with him. He's probably the nicest guy I've ever met. As far as guys go, he's a really clever and interesting one, but it seems that his brown eyes can pierce to the soul when the topic is serious. He's had a life so interesting I think they should make a movie out of it - all his travels and adventures. And over all that he's also a super good guy - I can myself see no flaw in this Jew.

Once in a while, I'll talk with my friends about Josh and they'll tell me things about him that I didn't know - say, that he's been to Russia. Sometimes we'll disagree - one of my friends said that Josh is a pretty funny guy (I think he can be funny at times too), while some of my other friends don't really see Josh as a witty guy. Another time we disagreed if Josh had sailed down a river in Lithuania or Latvia. But it's obvious they all know him - they think he's an all around incredible friend as well.

However, some of my friends completely contradict me and paint a nasty picture of Josh - they say he's an arrogant snob, he's a liar, he's cruel, he's a thief, etc. One guy even told me that he doubts this interesting guy really exists - he's probably just a made up illusion, or a seriously exagerrated. Some other friends don't slander him per se., but when they talk about my well-traveled friend, it's obvious they don't really know him and are just copying what I and other people have said about him.

In case you haven't figured out who I'm talking about, I'm talking about Jesus (Josh comes from the same root as Jesus). Sometimes Christians disagree about minor things about Him and His Father - if Jesus ever told jokes, if God predestines or lets man choose, or both, etc. Small differences in opinion are not the same as someone who raises a slanderous accusation against Him or says something about Jesus that just does not fit with His character - Him being a lunatic or a liar. Other people just don't know Him although they pretend they do, but it's easy to see through such superficialism.

The point I'm trying to make is that sure, Christians don't know everything there is to know about Jesus and all the things He is done - or even minor things about Him - so disagreements in minor things are to be expected. However, people who just don't know Him would say things about Him that just go against everything Jesus is. Saying He is not one with the Father is calling Him a liar or a lunatic, things which He most certainly is not. Christ is a person to be known, and among the people who know said Lord are disagreements found.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The Curse that Christ Bore

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us..." (Gal 3:13)

Many thousands of years before a poor young lady was pregnant with Jesus Christ, the adopted grandson of an Egyptian Pharaoh ran away from home. As a young man he wandered to the land of Midian and became a humble shepherd. And then God met with him. And God gave him a job - a ministry - of death. It would both enslave a nation to an unsatisfiable master and point to the coming Messiah. This Messiah would free the people by obeying this unsatisfiable master, and then suffer every punishment due to the slaves.

The unsatisfiable master is the Law in all its glory of 613 commandments. And if you break even one of those commandments, there remains nothing for you but the consuming flames of Hell (Ja 2:10)

"All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."" (Gal 3:10)

So what is included in this curse?

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Last Words




“I marvel that where the ambitious dreams of myself and of Alexander and of Caesar should have vanished into thin air, a Judean peasant—Jesus—should be able to stretch his hands across the centuries, and control the destinies of men and nations.”
-Among Napoleon's last words 

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Where Men Die: A Riddle


I am a place where men come to die.
And if they do not, they live life a lie.
If they carry me not from earth to sky,
They'll never find rest, but ever heave a sigh.
The question now stands as thus: who am I?

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Changer of the World or the Word?

You can't change the world and the Word at the same time.

If God says, "Stay, wait on me, trust in me, pray, read, wait some more, and then one day I will visit you and make you useful," (Lk 24:49b) you cannot go out and change the world. You cannot change His Word, and act as if He said "Go and serve with all your might outside." If He says "stay," going will be useless.

If He says "Go! I've given you these gifts, now go and serve and reveal Christ, preach in streets and eat with the poor, edify brothers and praise my Son," (Lk 24:49a) you cannot stay in your house on your computer and change anything. You cannot change His word, and act as if He said "stay and relax." If He says "go," staying will be useless.

Either be conformed to the World or the Word.
Either change the World or the Word.