09 · 04

Incentive

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When was the last time you read a book? Was it for class? How long did you spend reading? Did you finish the book? I believe that it is suffice to say that reading is not as appreciated as it use to be. The factors that contributed to this dilemma can range from home training to cultural context. However, whatever the cause, it seems to be gaining popularity as a practice. If you want to be a 'party-pooper' gather the masses for a reading experience (smile). It is time to consider what we have been doing with this wonderful thing call reading and see if we can re-introduce it back into our lives. As with most things in this world, people are looking for incentives. Four questions comes to mind when dealing with this:
  1. Is there a profit to be made?
  2. How much will the profit be?
  3. What is the sacrifice that is needed?
  4. Is it worth the sacrifice?
These questions are usually evaluated quickly without the  realization that the conclusions maybe erroneous due to missing considerations. If you really want to find the correct answer to something, you will leave no stone unturned (to the best of your ability). The conclusions that we reach will not only affect us, those that are around, but also those that depend on us—both present and future. The discipline that reading brings to the mind is a necessity for the growth and development of society. It is also important for the spiritual development of a disciple of Christ. In John 8.31, Jesus states what might be seen as a summary of what it means to be His disciple. This small verse can be broken down into three sections:
Section Title Text
Description (perhaps there is a better terminology) “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed in Him
If Statement-“A” If you continue in my word
Then Statement-“B” Then you are truly disciples of Mine
The ‘if-then’ declaration—known as the ‘conditional statement’—makes it possible to understand that in order for “B” to be true, the requirements stated in “A” must be met. In other words, it is impossible to remain a disciple of Christ without continuing in His word. The word that is translated continue [Gr. mei,nhte from me,nw] means to “remain, stay” (Gingrich, Greek NT Lexicon). The words of Christ are words that His disciples can’t do without. The understanding that Jesus brings to our minds is that His words are those with which his disciples ‘live’ by. They dwell according to the counsels found within because they themselves are connected with the One. The words of Jesus to the disciple must be as sweet as the saying; “There is no place like Home.” It is difficult to continue in a word that we don’t know. It will result in our doom if we submit to the present culture’s departure from reading. We need to know so that we can be sure that we are continuing. In order to know, we need to read. Hearing someone else read the scriptures to us can only go so far. Time need to be spent in reading, meditating, prayer, and applying. Is being a disciple enough of an incentive?
08 · 28

Of Kennedy and Empire

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The passing of Senator Ted Kennedy brings to mind the words of the wise man; “There is an appointed time for everything,” including “a time to die” (Eccl.3.1, 2). Every time we hear of death, it reminds us that we are finite. The idea of ‘coming to an end’ is a prison that mortals seek to escape. Whether one claims to be a theist or not, we all crave a different world where the pain of indefinite separation will not burden us because it will cease to exist. Indefinite separation must die. In order for this to happen, we must separate indefinitely from our present world and embrace a new one. The death of this American icon comes at a strategic time when Christians should be reflecting on the coming death of this world. This will include the death of the ‘empire-like’ United States. We may mourn the death of the Senator (pray for his family) and our love ones, but let us not mourn for the passing of the kingdoms of this world. In Daniel chapter 2, the death of the world is presented in dreams to Nebuchadnezzar and the Seer (another word for prophet. See 1 Sam. 9.9). The dreams were given within the context of a changing world. This was especially true for Daniel who had witness the conquest of his nation by the Babylonians (Dan. 1.1, 2). So even from the very start of the book a kingdom is being subdued and another is portrayed as taking over. Though the Babylonian statesmen, Generals, or king may feel that it is because of their brilliance or the power of their god that they are a conquering machine, Daniel presents a different worldview. After calmly speaking of the coming of Nebuchadnezzar and the besieging of Jerusalem (1.1), he simply states; “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand” (1.2). Not that the Babylonians took, but that 'Adonay handed the nation over. God is in charge of the destiny of nations. This same God gave a vision to both Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel depicting the kingdoms of the world from Babylon down to our day. He does so by showing them one statue made of different materials from top to bottom (2. 32, 33). This is followed by a stone, cut from a mountain “without hands” (2.45), that came and struck the toes of the statue resulting in the destruction of the whole structure (2.34, 35a). The dream revealed that the kingdoms of the world will not go on forever but will come to a violent and sudden end. They will be shattered to pieces and God will establish His everlasting kingdom (2.44). Whether we accept it or not the kingdoms of this world will be destroyed. Christians should never forget that. This should affect our attachments to this world and its political leaders. We must be grounded in the truth that the nations are only here for a time. Just like death strikes political giants it will also strike the nations. Have you thought of this lately?
08 · 23

Ok. Now get to it!

Lights,
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camera, action!
’ We have become accustomed to these three words, not because of an in-depth knowledge of the film making industry, but because of the film making industry’s depiction of itself at the cinema. In other words, we got them from the movies (smile). We can assume with great certainty that these words would probably be stated after the script had been learned by the actors. They would signal that it is time to ‘get to it!’ Though the film-making process can’t be presented as an authoritative guide to life, is there anything that the Christian can learn from this? During my High School years, I had a big problem. I had a hard time deciding on what I wanted to do with my life. I finally came to the point where I realized that I was interested in History, but reasoned that it didn’t make sense to pursue a History degree because the probabilities of finding a good paying job were not high. So, I went to study Information Systems Management at York College. This wasn’t a horrible move except for the fact that I just picked it because a role-model of mines studied in that field. Instead of studying, I was dreaming of what the position would be like. I never really got down to the work that I needed to do in order to be the person I was dreaming to be. That was the mistake. God has counsel concerning this. The NIV rendering of Proverbs 14.23 says “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Beautiful, isn’t it? The Proverb compares two different results by the processes that lead to them. These two are poverty [Heb. machsor-- need, thing needed, lack, want] and profit [Heb. mowthar-- pre-eminence, abundance, superiority]. To bring it closer to home, it is the difference between having more than you need and less than you need. Having more than you need isn’t always a good thing, but the word rendered here is in a positive sense, while the opposite reflects the negative. The problem is not the ‘talk’ but whether there is any ‘action’ (or work) after the talk. We can talk and plan, but if no action is never taken we can’t expect anything profitable to materialize other than new ideas. If the Christian wants to succeed, action must follow. They must realize that sometimes the labor [Heb. etseb]  that they undertake can involve pain, hurt, toil, sorrow, and hardship. This shouldn’t cause us to fear but rather trust in the word of God which guarantees us abundance in our actions.
08 · 14

Oh My God!

Anyone alive today can attest to the popularity of this phrase: “Oh My God!” It is typically used to express shock or surprise concerning an event or even a joke. With the appearance of social networks—such as Facebook and Myspace—the phrase has been shortened down to three letters: “OMG.” The shortening of this phrase, and many other phrases, is to keep in rhythm with a culture that requires rapid communication to function. Though there is nothing wrong with shortening phrases, there might be something wrong with using God’s name so casually. Should the Christian be different? Growing up in a Seventh-day Adventist home, I was blessed with the privilege of hearing the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) read out loud every Friday evening. Initially, I didn’t think that it was a blessing, but as I began to hear the voice of the Spirit speak to me, the Word of God had more meaning. Many years have passed since those initial stages, but I would like to go back to a particular commandment at this point to reflect upon. The Third commandment, found in Exodus 20.7a (cf. Deut. 5.11), reads “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” An extreme interpretation might be seen as not saying the name of God at all. However, there is many scriptural references proving otherwise. This verse primarily refers to the treatment of God’s name by His followers. It is not to be used in vain [Heb. shav' or shav: meaning emptiness, vanity, falsehood]. The name of God is not to be used as an insignificant term, spoken without thought. We should be conscience of when, how, and why we are using God’s name. Our social context may present alternative usages, but we must abide by what scripture says, if indeed we are the children of God. If we are to use the phrase “Oh My God,” then let it be used with thought of the being that we are addressing, the God of heaven. This is not a call for a conservative attitude, but rather a call for a biblical mindset. If God is God then let the people of God use His name as such. Article Copyright © 2009 by Jerry Jacques.
08 · 07

Form

In an article about cosmetic surgery in Saudi Arabia, Denise Chow of the Daily News writes a shocking report. In a country that is dominated by religio-political ideologies, it was surprising to read that in the capital city of Riyadh, there are "35 plastic surgery centers." It would have been understandable if these centers were permitted to be erected for the purpose of restructuring the deformed parts of individuals who were involved in some type of accident or perhaps disfigured from birth. However, this is not the case. Chow writes that "liposuctions, breast augmentations, and nose jobs were the most popular procedures among women" according to a recent study. These changes were done as an attempt to improve self. Is the Christian world any different? Most Christians would not spend money to restruct their physical appearance in such a dramatical way as cosmetic surgery provides. But however, they are willing to make some changes, and even wish that they resemble others. Few may have consider the verse found in Jeremiah 1:5 as being significant to how they view their physical form. This verse is typically labeled as part of the prophetic call narrative and pushed aside as insignificant to contemporary understanding. However in God's call to the prophet Jeremiah, He reveal His in-depth knowledge of the form, the person, and mission of the prophet. What concerns us at this points is God's opening declaration which reads: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." In this statement God reveal primarily His knowledge of mankind--specifically Jeremiah--prior to their birth. The word "form" [heb.yatsar] is used to reference to the formation of Adam and the animals (Gen. 2:7,8; 2:19), but it is also used to speak of imagination--meaning "purpose" or "intellectual framework" (Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Deut. 31:21; 1 Chron. 28:19). Our appearance upon this earth as the individuals that we are is no mere accident and did not occur without the fore-knowledge and permission of an omniscient God. What we sometimes view as flaws in our physical make-up were evaluated before our birth and concluded to be worthy enough to glorify God in whatever position in life that He had plan. Are you comfortable with yourself?
07 · 08

Mothers Before Their Time

I've been in a Seventh-day Adventist Church in Queens for about 19 years. Basically, I grew up there. Being in a church (or any community for that matter) for that amount of time has made me aware of certain patterns. There are certainly many good patterns, but today I will like to point out one that can have different results. The appearance of a new-born baby always bring joy into a community. Everyone is eager to watch he/she grow and to see what kind of individual develops. In the process of interacting with the baby, many young women find themselves playing the mother role. One might think that this is not a problem, and I would agree that it's not always a problem. The problem arises when every worship service is used as an opportunity to take care of a baby while the mother is worshipping. The problem is not that it happens once in awhile, but because it becomes habitual. The young women that I'm referring to, where usually between the ages of 14/15 to 21. They would miss the entire worship service and probably didn't get the real sense of the sermon. Is this entirely their fault? Certainly not, the mothers of the babies who are being taken also are to be blamed. It is their responsibility to make sure that they are the ones who are taking care of the babies during the worship service. Perhaps this pattern has contributed to young women leaving the church, or even to them having babies at a young age. Who knows? I certainly don't, but I do know that "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven" (Ecc. 3:1). I guess my concern can be stated in this manner; "What are they missing and what are they gaining when they are engage in such activity every Sabbath?"
jerryjacques

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