Why Start with Death?

Tunji, my Nigerian classmate, asked my Old Testament teacher concerning the Book of Ruth in the Bible. Good question. Within the first 5 verses of the Book of Ruth, the reader would have encountered a famine and 3 deaths. The next book, 1 Samuel, by no coincidence, started with barrenness, and hopelessness too. Why? Please allow me to attempt to give a response to this question.

It is interesting to note that for the Jewish people, their each new day starts at sunset, in darkness (not at 12 midnight). Hence, their day ends 'the next day' just before sunset, in light. Starts with darkness and ends in light. How well that depicts our spiritual life! Since the day Adam and Eve sinned, and Satan became the god of this world, each baby has literally been born into a world of spiritual darkness and gloom. Hopelessness.

But the true light, Jesus, that gives light to every person came into the world (John 1:9). Thus whoever receive Jesus into their hearts and lives are born again, spiritually this time round, into the world of Jesus - the world of light and hope, the world of joy and peace, the world of faith and love. Nonetheless, it is just the beginning of knowing Jesus personally.

We may infer from Paul's words in Philippians 3:10-11 that to know Jesus deeply takes one to first share in Jesus' sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so somehow (miraculously and mysteriously in that process), to attain to the resurrection from the dead. We each need to go through (not around) our personal 'Garden of Gethsemane' and 'crucifixion' before we may personally experience the power of the resurrection (revival).

Nancy DeMoss wrote in Brokenness: The Heart God Revives that revival often comes through times of brokenness. Philip Vancey in his book Disappointment With God highlighted from Hebrews 5:7-10 that even Jesus, the Son of God Himself, learned obedience from what He suffered before He was exalted high-up. Philippians 2:5-11 describes Jesus in the same way too.

Larry Crabb in Shattered Dreams: God's Unexpected Pathway to Joy explained that Naomi, in the Book of Ruth, was most probably, according to their culture then, just following her deceased husband's decision in leaving Judah for Moab. She ended up suffering the huge loss of her husband and both her sons. She didn't ask for it.

In her bitterness against God, Naomi was gracious enough to release her 2 daughters-in-law to go back to their parents' homes and remarry. This implied she was willing to suffer alone. And in receiving Ruth's loving-kindness in pledging to follow her and her God till death, Naomi let Ruth have Boaz as her husband when she herself could very well be the one to marry him since he was first her kinsman-redeemer, before Ruth.

The story ended with Naomi, an old widow, laying the son of Boaz and Ruth on her own lap and caring for him - a picture of celebrating over the blessings of others with contentment. Amazing! It could have been her own son. But the boy in her hands was really not her son in any way. And she could have been more bitter than ever. But she was at peace, celebrating over him and giving care to him! What a miraculous and mysterious transformation and revival! Through pain and sufferings. What a story! A story of death and life. A story of pain and healing. A story of loving-kindness and truth.

Larry Crabb then helped us see that in life, Jesus is the groom and we are the best friend. We get to celebrate with Him over all the glory that is due Him. Hallelujah! It is well with my soul. Read on...

A still small Voice

Since about a year ago, I've been hearing this gentle yet persistent Voice saying into my ears every now and then,

"Don't live as if you are an orphan. You're not.
Don't live as if you've been abandoned or forgotten. Your dear heavenly Father is always and forever with you and watching over you.
Don't live as if you don't have a Father who loves you dearly. Your dear heavenly Father loves you enough to sacrifice His son.
Don't live as if you are all by yourself. You have the Defender, the Protector, and the Provider with you and in you.
Don't live as if God is out to make your life difficult. The Father loves you deeply and is always working out everything in love, in grace, in truth, in righteousness, and in goodness.
Don't live as if you are miserable, to be pitied. You are blessed. You are the Almighty's beloved child. That's who you are.
Your heavenly Father loves you dearly. Now live out your true identity. Live it out."

Yes I hear You.

O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.

Oh, let me feel Thee near me; The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me, around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.

Oh, let me hear Thee speaking, in accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me, to hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.

O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow, My Master and my Friend.

Oh, let me see Thy footmarks, and in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;
And then to rest receive me, My Savior and my Friend. Read on...

Know "By Heart"? (Newsletter Sep07)

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your Word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. ~ Ps. 119:9-11

Why? How? What’s that? I wrestled as the all-familiar Ps. 119:9-11 struck me for the first time that the Psalmist kept God’s Word in his heart (not just “in his mind” – my understanding of the passage and thus of scripture memory all along). Slowly I saw the difference between memory and mechanical memorizing. The good Lord used a 40-year-wilderness and daily-manna-depending journey to teach the Israelites by heart: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. He used unbelievers, wicked Ninevites, a fish, a plant, a worm, and bad weather to teach Jonah the condition of his heart. And through my housing problem, He’s teaching me to wait patiently according to His timing, to trust by faith in His loving sovereignty, and to give thanks through times of inconveniences and unmet needs.

My family of seven moved into a three-room flat 29 years ago, with five siblings sharing a room (the only shift I’d in my first 23 years of life). In joining my company, I’d to move into ladies’ staff-quarters. While on short-term missions (India), staff in my home-country was encouraged to move home from staff-quarters. So upon returning from India, there’s hardly any staff-quarters and I wasn’t ready to share room with my brother anymore. During my depression days, I’d temporarily lived with my married siblings’ families. Then I rented a room. The lease was up on 7 Oct. I’d to look for a place again. In moving 12 times over 12 years, how I long for a home. Recently when I finally became eligible to apply for flats, the high prices say it’s only wise to wait. Jesus’ words comfort and challenge me: "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

“Life often comes at us with TNT force, leaving us emotionally tentative and spiritually bewildered. Our circumstances often don't seem fair and certainly don't appear to be normal.” Patsy Clairmont wrote. God often uses challenging situations to push us to be seeking Him for answers to urgent, personal, significant questions. Amidst the many alternatives of the world, Jesus has promised every persevering seeker to find life (Mt. 7:7-8). Larry Crabb’s writing reminded me: The Revealer has given us the Bible as His specific revelation, able to give wisdom for finding life. He believes of a legitimate approach to understanding Scripture that can provide us with a biblical understanding of every personal (non-organically caused) problem. I agree. So to be a more effective people-helper, I started taking some classes at a seminary school as a visiting student.

As I study, may I never be like the “experts” of the Scriptures, knowing Christ would be born in Bethlehem but didn’t go look for Him (Lk. 2:1-6). Instead, shepherds, three magi, Simeon, and Anna had the awesome privilege to wondrously behold their God, Baby Jesus. Sadly, those Scripture-teachers have God’s Word only in their heads, not their hearts. They were always saying the right things, but as 1 Sam. 16:7b goes, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” It’s tragic that they didn’t even recognize God when He was among them. No wonder Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” What do I really treasure? As I get into the Word of Life, may the Word of Life get into my heart more, that I maybe more humble and dependent on Him, living out the eternal life and blessing people. Read on...