The full title of this text is “why bad things happen to good people and why you shouldn’t let the dark moon of today block out the ever-glorious sun”.

Chances are that you might have contemplated this question. Why is it that supposedly good people sometimes must face undeserved bad things, and if we are bold to say, sometimes, evil things?

Many have contemplated this often-unanswered question, and today, I wish to share the perspective given in the 5th Century by St. Augustine of Hippo. St. Augustine reasoned that we must begin from the fact that good things happen to both good and bad people alike and that they also receive similar measures of bad things. This is the way of life; God in His mercies have granted rain both to the good and to the bad. Now, it is important to state that God is a good, good father, that’s who He is, and, in His mercies, He has loved us.

Notwithstanding, if God made a world where good things happened only to good people, then men would seek to be good not because they truly desire the good, but for the benefits of such; hence, covetousness. The bad also experience the good so that good men may not covet the things of this material world which some bad people no doubt boundlessly enjoy; there are no material blessings exclusively reserved for the good.

Also, if God made a world where there are no good rewards for good and bad reward for bad, we might resort to the conclusion that there is no divine justice at all. There is divine justice and the Judge doesn’t give His judgments in this lifetime alone. If God didn’t answer prayers and grant to men their requests, we could conclude that these are not at His disposal; and if He granted us all that we asked, we would judge that those are the only rewards of serving Him. Such graciousness will not make us godly but rather greedy and covetous. So, not all our prayers get answered and we don’t get punished immediately for most of our wrongs.

If bad people received the full weight of badness for their deeds in this life, they would desist more from the fear of the consequence than from genuine love for the good; the fact that good men also suffer bad things, helps bad men not to deviate so much from the bad.

The Purpose

The fact that they suffer the same fate doesn’t make the good man the same with the bad men, it is the same fire that refines gold that consumes rubbles. Therefore, the question is not the ill that is suffered but the man that suffers it. On the other hand, when a bad thing happens to a good person; when he shares an experience like those deserved for the wicked, he comes to a place where he will have to choose the good for its goodness and not for the reward of doing so; he is forced not to hold so much to the goods of this world. Consider the late Pius Adesanmi who died suddenly in a plane crash; in our weak humanity, we can almost imagine the men and women we would have gladly swapped for his seat on that fateful flight. However, think of it this way: “if he knew the nature of the end he would have come to, would he have been the kind of man he was”? I believe the answer is yes, in fact, he would have been a much better version of himself.

A good man is refined, made better by the bad things that happen to him; he is not lifted by the good things of this life, neither is he broken by its ills. A good person who is possessed by the uncertain riches/pleasures of this world is hurt sufficiently by his light evil to appreciate the wisdom of God in His advice not to lay up treasures in this world; he is afterwards comforted by the loss of his treasures and learns the wisdom on the right use of earthly goods.

When a good man is broken by the pain of this world, then we may be right to wonder if he really was a good man…St Augustine argued that a good man should ponder at the evil that had befallen him, to search his heart and see why it is God would have allowed such a thing to happen to him and to if necessary, repent. This in no way means that he must have erred to have deserved his ill; many times, there are no good explanations other than the fact that such is allowable in our universe.

A bad person on the other hand, is either led to repentance when confronted by the apparent consequence of his actions or is provoked to even more evil, therefore reinforcing his true nature; like Job’s wife advised – to curse God and die. In other words, the bad things that happen to the good and bad man alike to a large extent define their true nature. There is no one who has ever died whose destiny it wasn’t to die; hence, the commonality of death puts to rest any concern to the nature of death to which we would all come, rather, it buttresses the need to be certain of the kind of men we ought to be when it comes.

St. Augustine gave an example of Christian women who were raped by the barbarians that conquered Rome. He argued that though adultery (rape) had been committed and there were two participants, only one of them is guilty. Evil can happen to you without your active participation, yet it doesn’t always feel that way – hence, the rape victim feels ravaged, almost as if she had brought it on herself. St Augustine goes on to say that if this rape victim out of the sense of shame commits suicide, then she had committed murder out of her own pride.

So, in a way, the experience of evil demands humility for us to respond appropriately to it. Yes, it has happened – don’t curse God and die. Rather reflect on why such a good Father could allow such evil and you will understand the depth of human responsibility and God’s eternal system of Justice. The good man experiences enough good in this world to be assured of the good to come and to be convinced that there is sufficient reward for being good; he also experiences enough of the bad to be affirmed of his nature; the bad individual experiences enough of good to comprehend the natures of which God promises Him should he repent and enough of bad to lead him to either repentance or further revolt.

It is therefore true and most commendable, the statement by Apostle Paul, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.

Bow Down and Die?

Should a good man then succumb to the evil that has come to him and accept it? No, evil, regardless of its work in us is utterly vile and reprehensible; the enemy seeks to kill and to destroy. The good man has a godly duty to resist the devil, to engage with all the weapons of the spirit to resist the operations of evil in his life; however, he does this not by becoming like the evil that has found him but by being goodlier. He must overcome without being overcome; he must search his heart, repent of every sinfulness and after his obedience is complete, be ready to punish every disobedience. He must be as gentle as the dove, yet as wise as the serpent; wisdom is seen in the ability to escape the vile and sometimes we escape not before the harm is done, but even after much harm is done.

The consolation of the good man is that beyond this life, God can make all things work together for the good of those that love Him; the evil that has befallen the good man, nonetheless.

The Close Moon and the Distant Sun

The sun is about 400 times larger in diameter than the moon, hence, it is much larger, however, the moon is closer to the earth (us) by a factor of 400, so, this very small moon can block out the sun to cause an eclipse. Bad experiences are like the moon, they can make us lose sight of the other bigger set of good experiences – the sun. Even in an eclipse, however, we are never in doubt that the sun is still there; and with it comes the dawn. David wrote in Psalm 34, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth”. Somehow, the young Psalmist figured out that despite the proximity of the moon – even in a total eclipse – we can be certain that the Sun is always there. May the blessings of God be yours.

God bless you.

Me:                      I am going to change the world

The World:         Change thyself first!

It is true that charity begins at home; it is also true that leadership and true salvation are inside-out; hence, when we meet potential change-agents, particularly the ones we know, it is a lot difficult to believe they can make significant differences. Particularly if we met them before they became “significant”; afterwards, everyone else can believe.

When David showed up to kill Goliath, everyone took him serious except his brother; to whom he answered, “is there not a cause?”. Of course, David, there is a cause; the only issue is why it had to be you that is concerned about it!

Why You?

The reason why this question is often difficult to answer can be attributed to knowledge – our knowledge of ourselves – our perception. David had an individual sense of significance and everyone who has achieved anything significant does. Your internal sense of mediocrity is not a virtue, particularly if you cannot rise above it.

For David, he rose above it, not because he found anything extraordinary about himself, but that He could see God in his very ordinary life. Our sense of significance need not come from ourselves, in-fact, it shouldn’t come from ourselves. It should come from the acknowledgement of our relationship with God and from our basic humanity; I will discuss the latter first.

Public Good and the Individual Sense of Significance

There is a correlation between the influence of individual liberty or the sense of it on the development of nations (public good). When men lived under tyrannical kings, the nobles owned everything of value and there were few incentives to be creative or aspiring; particularly for public good. Hence, when Goliath taunted Israel for 40 years, it was primarily King Saul’s problem – he had the most to lose. We see a similar structure in corporate firms and nations where CEOs and Presidents are the “kings”; the leader is deemed to be personally responsible for the socio-economic destinies of those under their jurisdictions. It is not common to see a “commoner” share these “kingly” burdens even though for the most part, the “king” is really no different from the commoner.

The result of this state of affair is that though everyone talks about the kings, few ponder on the things kings ponder on; it is as if we don’t know that this pondering, regardless of titles, is kingship itself. So, when for example, you take a look at the topics of our undergraduate and post-graduate thesis, particularly in Nigeria, you begin to see the incapacity of the current system to contribute significantly to the current problems of the society; we are not even asking the right questions, simply because of the lack of this sense of significance. You can do a better analysis by evaluating the quality and “kingliness” of the private meditations of the average young person.

Africa and The False Assumption of Significance

It is important to point out that it is often falsely assumed that those with positions are significant and should worry more about our development issues. Hence, it is not unusual that in Africa, it is assumed that the Colonial masters know better (the foreign-is-good syndrome), that the Professors know better, the PhDs, the Senators and the Executive Cabinet Members. Well, if they did, with all the AID money and support we’ve been receiving; the plethora of leadership and Academics at every level, our problems would have been solved.

It is even worse when these individuals believe they actually do know better. Good kings, however, know that the Davids, Josephs and Daniels of this world hold the answer and are not afraid to let them shine.

These false assumptions, to me, is one of the most limiting stereotypes of the African race, it breeds mediocrity, closes its eyes and is lost in perpetual prayer; waiting for a messiah. It is no surprise then that a lot of such “close-your-eye” religiosity is now focused on demons, witches and enemies; it is simply because the problems haven’t gone away – hence, someone need to be blamed.

In truth, Christianity is not a leap of faith into the dark but rather, into light. Arise from your slumber, allow Christ to give you light!

David believed God

David’s sense of significance came from His knowledge of God and His work in Him; all of us who claim such knowledge are called to find likewise courage in Him. Studying David’s life, we do not find a saint, rather, we find a man who sought and found God. By that knowledge (the truths he found) he literally changed the world, he changed himself too – he allowed truth to always conquer him and by that, he could conquer all, including his gravest errors.  

Me: You can change the world.

THE MANNER OF KINGS IN THE CHURCH, NATION AND WHERE WE ARE MISSING IT

“…If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus Christ

The words above have inspired millions of men, the words “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” – Veritas vos liberabit (Latin) is the motto of several leading global institutions, including John Hopkins and the CIA. For Harvard, it is just “Veritas”, meaning “Truth”. Somehow, the men behind these institutions have recognized the liberating power of truth. Bondage in all its forms, is a depiction of the various forms of falsehoods to which we are capable, and if we are to take the words of Jesus seriously, as we should, then the pursuit of truth should be the pre-occupation of everyone.

I’ve written extensively on this subject, particularly as it applies to life and enterprise; you can download a free copy of my 2012 book on the Heart and Art of Innovation here.

What is Truth?

Truth is the right picture of reality; it is the way things really are and when we comprehend it, we can be truly free. Jesus Christ is the ultimate truth, He is the express image of the Father for whom and by whom all things are.

The United States of America alighted on truth when the authors of their constitution wrote “we hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal and endowed by the Creator to certain inalienable rights”. We sometimes forget that it is the democratization of rights that has made the USA what it is today. The truth had set her free. Note also, that her many troubles and ultimate failure can be traced to the truths which she is currently trampling. However, the subject today is on the matter of governance and I wish to beg your indulgence, this article will be a little long but not too long.

I had argued in the 2012 book that truth can be gleaned from three main sources – the observation of nature, the study of relationships between humans and between humans and God (that is, judgments, as found in Scripture). Thirdly, by direct observation of reality (inspiration).

On the truth of governance, we will look at judgments (scripture) for our reference point to truth.

Judgment as Captured by Prophet Moses

Deut 17: 14 – 20

14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; 15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Note the Keyword here – “That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren”. It is important that we note that generally, all leaders have the capacity to multiply possessions, yet it is the express requirement of God that they do not. There is no king in Israel that has met this requirement, not even David. In fact, the Achilles hill of David is because of his incapacity to adhere to this injunction.

The Judgment According to Samuel

The children of Israel were served by Judges who God raised to save them from their many captivities occasioned by their sins. These Judges, relatively speaking, adhered to this injunction, until they requested for a King from Samuel, the Prophet. A notable case was that of Gideon who refused blatantly to be King (Judges 8:23); “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: The Lord shall rule over you”. The Israelites desired a King, but it has always been the intention of God to directly rule over His people. This is important, particularly for the Church of God.

1 Samuel 8:7-19.

7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, this will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;

Note that this is exactly what happened and is in many ways happening right now, even in the Church of God. It will come in many guises but the essential element is materialism in the name of God. Note what the Lord also said, “I will not hear you”; it is not every prayer that the Lord listens to, we must search out the truth of the matter, before we start praying, or better, pray to know the truth.

The Testimony of our Lord Jesus

Mathews 23:1-12

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Notes

Observe that our Lord’s grouse with the religious leaders was not their message but their lifestyle. “Listen to them,” He said, “but don’t copy them”. I am essentially saying the same thing, it is amazing to note that a lot of religious leaders know about the features and colour of the latest SUVs; the materialism is appalling to say the least.

The Lord desires to lead His people individually and though we must encourage and support the fivefold Ministry, of which I am also part of, however, they must not replace this Kingship of God over His people. In the old testament, it was Moses that saw God and narrated to the people; in the New Testament, it is different. “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate. the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:16-18. In Christ, we all, not some of us, not our special leaders, but we all have access to the Father.

Consciously or unconsciously, this common access does not serve the purpose of men, it is a lot better to have you believe that someone else has a much better access. Religion can be sweet, particularly if it profits you, it is not surprising the volume of start-ups in the “industry”.

The Lord’s Testimony in John 13: 12 – 17

12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

Christ was here, establishing the principle of service in the body of Christ, and it is important we note that the Kingdom of God is when we permit the uncontested rule of Christ and His truth in our lives and in the public sphere. For example, if the Church of God, which is the ground and pillar of truth does not practice accountability in its financial dealings, how can we hypocritically expect that level of integrity from politicians?

We lie and do deceive ourselves if we believe that political leaders will maintain a higher level of integrity, accountability, humility and service than we do in our Churches.

Conclusion

In summary, a good leadership that has humble, non-materialistic and truth-filled servant leaders will always deliver the dividends of governance – firstly in the Church and then in the nation. Regardless of the beauty and accuracy of the presentation, if we don’t see this, as long as it pertains to the dividends of governance, the Lord will not hear. Until Nigeria achieves this, nothing will save us.

The darkness is already here and we must embrace the light or be completely blinded by the Lie of the enemy. The dark ages in Church history interestingly occurred at the time when the Church was at its height of political and economic influence, the “Kings” of the day did not heed the Oracles of God as captured above, and there were grave consequences, particularly for the followership. That history is repeating itself, hence, the need for a more concerted effort at truth.

The revival we need is not necessarily a fresh outpouring of the Spirit; we just need to get men out of the way. I am convinced it will happen not too long from now; the Holy Spirit is at work already, a lot of people are disenchanted and interestingly, the disenchantment is not with Christ who is the ultimate wonder but with men who’ve captured His Church and it is in the true Spirit of Christ that we must say “get out of here! My Fathers house shall be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves.

I wrote this piece, particularly for the young yet to be revealed Minister, do not be part of this darkness; we must engage the earnest and noble task of redeeming the righteous mind of this young generation.

May God’s Grace be yours, veritas vos liberabit.

The question of the deadness of God is one that had resonated well in literal circles in the not too distant past and in this text, I seek to outline points for and against these positions within the context of observed human realities. In other words, I refer to the attitude and whims of contemporary society with respect to this theme.

Note that the question does not say “is there a God?” rather it posits that He had actually existed but no longer does. Consider it from the perspective of an observer of contemporary society and religion; of our practices, value system and evolving culture.

Before we continue, please note that the deadness of God is not a logical posture because God is a necessary being by definition – He is the inventor of life and death; if He were to die, then He is not God to begin with. That said, there is still plenty to gain by considering this theme.

Note also that this consideration is not altogether new and had been well written about by serious minded scholars who had romanticised the concept, particularly the German philologist Friedrich Nietzsche, who is ascribed to having invented the term. Like in all matters that relate to our notion of God, there are very serious applications, so, eager your mind and read in between the lines.

Below is a reading from one of his writings –

The Gay Science, Section 125: The Madman

By

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market-place, and cried incessantly: “I am looking for God! I am looking for God!”

As many of those who did not believe in God were standing together there, he excited considerable laughter. Have you lost him, then? said one. Did he lose his way like a child? said another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? or emigrated? Thus they shouted and laughed. The madman sprang into their midst and pierced them with his glances.

“Where has God gone?” he cried. “I shall tell you. We have killed him – you and I. We are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained the earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is it not more and more night coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning? Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God’s decomposition? Gods too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us – for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto.”

Here the madman fell silent and again regarded his listeners; and they too were silent and stared at him in astonishment. At last he threw his lantern to the ground, and it broke and went out. “I have come too early,” he said then; “my time has not come yet. The tremendous event is still on its way, still travelling – it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time, the light of the stars requires time, deeds require time even after they are done, before they can be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than the distant stars – and yet they have done it themselves.”

It has been further related that on that same day the madman entered divers churches and there sang a requiem. Led out and quietened, he is said to have retorted each time: “what are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God?”

(1882)

My Commentary

Nietzsche was not regarded as a great author for nothing, though I do not agree with his conclusions and life, I do clearly see his perspective. Life could appear as if man had actually killed God, in fact, God made that kind of life possible. We can, as he wrote, drink up the sea, find sponges to wipe away the entire horizon and smell the putrefaction that result from our actions. The Madman was apt, the deed requires time even after they are done and could be more distant from us than the distant stars, though we have done it ourselves. Religious institutions could become the tombs and sepulchers of an ancient deity – like many are today, though still thronged by ardent worshippers.

Note also the conclusions of the madman – “What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us – for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto.”

The consequences of killing God are that we have to become more creative, to invent new games and brace up to be gods ourselves. Is it not striking that we now have more living legends, idols and stars? Even luxury objects like automobiles and games like soccer have ardent worshippers. The days are darker; hence, lamps need be lit in the day. Does it appear as if we are perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions?

Another Perspective

If it is true, as I believe it is, that God is the source of life and hence cannot be dead but could allow us live as if He is, does it not infer that it is us that are dead? In other words, a life lived with the notion of the deadness of God is not all-together unlivable but lived within the confines of our deadness. Now, this deadness does not preclude our capacity to enthrone ourselves as gods to replace the one we’ve “murdered”. It appears to me that this is the more likely situation and like we said earlier, all notions of God have practical applications.

For example, the author of the text above, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, spent the last eleven years of his 55 years as an insane person, this is not to say that his writings made him mad but that madness is a very good illustration of a state of consciousness where absolutes are abolished. Hitler’s Germany was built by men’s strong notions about God and reality and sought to impose those notions on all of us; they were not altogether unaided by Nietzsche’s philosophy. The United States of America was built by men who held a particular notion of God and today those notions are fast changing with obvious effects. The religious terrorism of our days is fuelled by man’s belief of God.

Hence, the challenges are multi-fold. For one, if you believe God is dead, then prepare to take His place and be ready for Him when He actually shows up. If you believe Him alive, then be prepared to prove it as well.

The Challenge for the Church

As a Christian, my perspective of society is not from the perspective of pity and it should not be; this was something that Nietzsche struggled with. He believed the church took a pitiful stance on the world, believed in her inherent evilness and repressed creativity and adventure. This perspective of religion is still rife today; young people are afraid that God will “dull” them.

To counter this, some churches have resorted to become more “alive” and have without knowing it become dead; in other words, become like the world too.

To me, the balance is to love the world. Now, to “love the world” is not to love contemporary culture and value system but to love creation itself. “…for God so loved the world”. Love is not pitiful, which is an apathetic posture; Love is more engagement driven. When we love people, we would condemn less and build up more without approving the wrong or killing them in the name of God. If we love science, we would be great scholars without denying God and invent new things – good ones. If we love the people of our nation; we would naturally be patriots.

I see no better life than this and it appears to me that God made it so that we could arrive at this position of love; for Him, our fellow men and for ourselves, without which we would always stumble.

Cheers.

“Why Not Suicide?”

Faith is not man’s quest for God, it cannot be, for where can he find Him? It is God’s quest for man; hence, genuine acts of Faith are best seen in man’s response to the passions of God. When the Scripture says “seek Me and you shall find Me”, it is not because of the greatness of our efforts but in our response to the one who so earnestly seeks us. The true seeker is truly sought. Yes, in many ways, God has been really looking for you.

Man’s righteousness therefore is not a product of good deeds but in the obedience to God. If you have really tried hard at being good, you would agree that the self awareness posture required to pursue righteousness quickly leads to the discovery of one’s depravity. We are not perfect creatures, but we can be. The passions of God for us, makes such possible.

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The Nature of the Call
This call of God, however, is not essentially a physical or material calling, it is that and much more. It is true that God must not be judged by the material, many have missed Him by so doing.

The call of God is to God. ”Abraham” He says,”I am your exceedingly great reward”. For Abraham, his son Isaac was the promise – the material result of his faith, yet God wanted to bring him to the place beyond Isaac. This divine desire is same for all of us. The day Abraham believed God was the day he pleased Him and his faith was accounted for righteousness; yet, it took a longer while for Abraham to get Isaac. Our Isaacs are not as important as our response to the call.

Yes, material results are not as important to God as we think of them; though in many ways we deal with Him in the material, He is more concerned with what goes on in our hearts. Every business man knows how easy it is to lose money after it is made; the wise one learns that the critical thing is the nature of the heart of the individual, with or without the resources. By that, it is easier to judge men, not in the size of their pockets, but in the size of their hearts.

1Ki 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

God in the Mundane
God speaks to us, when we are in relationship with him and sometimes even when we are not. Now, it is difficult to claim to know God if such a relationship of hearing does not exist; if we are not in pursuit of Him on a daily basis. But if we are, we would find that even in every day things of work and living, God has a will for us as individuals; that agenda sometimes look mundane and not so spiritual but the source is always very clear, even when the message is not.

For someone, it was to literally help carry the cross of Christ. Another gave his tomb to be used for His burial and countless persons have in the ordinary course of human pursuit dedicated their lives and resources to doing the biddings of God. However, beyond these desires of God from us is His desire of our lives – we are desired to be creatures of a particular sort.

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

He desires us to be creatures of love in a world where such love is alien and of righteousness where corruption is rife. It is a calling away from ourselves and to God – for it is only in Him that we can truly find ourselves. We’ve not always lived up to call, yet like Paul, it should be the relentless pursuit.

The Glory and the Glorifier
God is both – the glory and the one that glorifies. True glory is to know the applause of God – the ‘well-done, thou good and faithful servant’ commendation. The pursuit of the high calling is to pursue that commendation above every other accomplishment. In pleasing God, we might gain the glory of men but must learn to count such as nothing and fleeting. His is the one that endures.

The Fear of the Lord
The Lord commandeers his own, like soldiers in an army, we obey the supreme command. There are times when in battle array, when in the thick of the battle we are jostled from our positions and shaken by enemy fire, it is particularly then that good soldiers listen to receive the orders of their commanding officer. The one who fears the Lord waits upon Him, he might be slow but eventually he would arrive right on time.

Who am I?
I am thine!

1Pe 2:9-11 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you- from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.

Muchas Gracias