I love stories, so here is one for you. I call it the tale of a headless bull: here goes.

I once heard of a bull that was led to the slaughter. Now for those who do not know, you can never slaughter a conscious bull, so they are first knocked unconscious before the slitting of the throat.

So in this case, our bull was knocked down as usual, what the butcher did not know, or did not bother to find out, was that the fallen bull was not really out, but just greatly weakened by the impact of the axe against its forehead. So as the butcher and his men busied themselves to take out the head, the bull suddenly arose, only this time, it was minus the head.

Stunned and perturbed, the men staggered away from the beast, and as they watched, the headless animal shot out from the slaughterhouse in full speed… the animal is not thinking, just running, each of the muscles doing what they were made to do, following the blind torso which cannot even think let alone see, bleeding out as it does so. Needless to say, this bull is heading for its death. Regardless of the power or might, or whatever else that might propel this beast, the poor devil is going to plummet to his death, and it’s just a matter of when it does.

Whenever I think of this story the words that come to mind are, “Children of wrath.” To describe this term I’ll use another illustration: imagine a vehicle speeding in a highway at a speed beyond a hundred kilometers per hour and up front there is a sharp bend on the road.  The driver goes to step on the brakes only to realize that they have failed, the steering is also effectively lost. By all intense and purposes that vehicle has just become a child of wrath, courting death. By this we see that that vehicle is headed for death, with absolute finality, one can conclusively say and bank on the fact that the vehicle will crash, in a messy way in fact.

Yet it is by this term that Paul uses to describe people before they come to Christ: Ephesians 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.(NKJV)

With absolute finality we were headed towards death, no two way about it. Yet not death in the physical sense, but biblical death: the kind where according to Jesus both your soul and flesh is destroyed in hell fire.

In another illustration, we see the disciples of Jesus wondering among themselves, “who then can be saved?” this is after Jesus finished his chat with the rich young ruler and conclusively said that “For the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it would be as hard as a camel entering the eye of a needle.” This is in Mark 10:26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"(NKJV)

They probably thought that it was easier to save the poor, maybe it is, but that was not Jesus’ answer when He perceived what they were asking amongst themselves. Jesus answered saying that with man this is impossible. He did not say improbable, or hard, a most difficult task, no, He said, IMPOSSIBLE!!!

So if there is any thought in you about how you can remain holy, let me break it down to you, YOU CAN’T!! Just like you can’t jump out of your own skin, or lose your head and still live, you cannot hold your righteousness before the Lord. In fact, He even told Isaiah that our righteousness is like filthy rags, polluted garments, (depending on the version you’re using) in Isaiah 64:6.

Yet this is our stark reality, in black and white. This is the quagmire we find ourselves in, buried in a state we cannot even pull ourselves out of, in other words, UTTER HOPELESSNESS.

One last illustration: I remember a Son, crying and seriously praying to His Father until His sweats becomes like blood, that the cup of suffering should be taken away from Him in Matthew 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."(NKJV)

If there could have been any other way or a chance that Jesus would have avoided the death sentence don’t you think He’d have taken it, but in pain and deep hurt He said in Matthew 26:42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."(NKJV)

That is why Paul says to Galatians that if there was any other way for us to be freed from sin, then Christ died in Vain. That is the fact, Jesus died so that He may pay the Price for our sins, DEATH. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(NKJV)

And that is the fact of the matter, it is a gift bestowed not because of our righteousness, but because we believe in Him, our Lord and Savior. Jesus died for you, for me, for all, such that, “Whosoever believes should not perish, but have eternal life!”

Finally Jesus stands up and says, John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.(NKJV).

So in the end it really is just a matter of choice, to have Life, and life more abundantly, or to lose it, be killed and destroyed??

That’s my question to you today, pick one that seems best to you.

sweet revenge... really???

I remember one time I was watching a Hit T.V. series, 24 starring Keifer SutherLand as Jack Bauer. It was in all the major billboards and there was much hype about it. People still watch and talk about it even after the conclusive season eight finale…

But one thing I distinctly remember is that towards the end of season one, Terry Bauer, Jack Bauer’s wife, was killed by a rogue agent Nina Myers, however she is apprehended before Jack could have his revenge. At the beginning of season two, she is found to have been even more treacherous than they imagined, and so she is kept under Jack’s custody. Eventually, he finally gets his moment, with a gun in his hand and a surveillance camera to back his story; he pulls the trigger, effectively ending her life.

Man that was a bummer! Nothing happened, no jubilation in his heart or in the hearts of the audience, in fact even the set did not play some victory song, just a vast emptiness as life escapes her. He’d finally done it, got himself in the right place and executed his heart’s desire; but for what?

That goes on to show how vengeance is such a raw deal! You focus on the heart, the pain, you even let the anger act as anesthesia, to numb the pain and grief, swear to kill, maim, murder, torture and all kinds of malignant deeds upon the perpetrator, but no one think beyond that… “THEN WHAT?”

I remember there was this time I was arguing with a particular person, and they said some really hurtful words, and so livid with pain and anger, I shot back some really venomous words. That effectively destroyed our friendship, and did so much more.

As anyone who has ever held a grudge against another quickly finds out, the negative emotions consume you, burning deep inside you and you can’t wait to become the devil on that person. In fact, I remember once some movie character said that the devil will have to get in line to destroy the opponent. It is these negative emotions that create the psychopaths, sociopaths and serial killers.

When God tells us that “Vengeance is mine,” and “Forgive one another,” He does that for us, because He knows the level of pain and suffering that these emotions inflict upon us, turning us into empty shells. He says that because He loves us, and cares about us, and wants us to release that into His hands and He will take care of it, not to exert vengeance, but to bring forth Justice, as He is the right Judge.

If you are out there and you are feeling embittered about something or someone today, choose to forgive, choose to let go of the hurt, and in it allow the negativity to go away.

The Chinese have a saying, “you cannot fill a glass that is already full.” Sounds dumb and obvious, I know, but if my cup is full of dirty water and I want to partake of juice what do I do, I pour out the dirty water, wash it and fill it with sweet juice, #commonsense!!

Same with our hearts, not unless you get rid of all the negativity that is in us, we cannot have the good, such as love, joy, happiness. And even if we have them, they are polluted by the hurt and the malice. Get rid of all this, and you will have life, and life to the fullest.

Solomon wrote in Proverbs, “gird your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” These same words I say to you.

Have an awesome day as you resolve to forgive and let go.

THE TRAP OF SIN

Recently I was in for a surprise. When I accessed my Facebook page, I was shocked to find a sweet message from a beautiful woman. Intrigued, I read on; she was proposing to be friends with me that she was a refugee from Rwanda living with her step mother in Dakar Senegal. Only that she didn’t want to just be friends, she wanted us to be in a love relationship and that distance doesn’t matter (at that I got wondering how desperate I must seem in Facebook). Similarly she wanted me to help in accessing some money, 6.5 million US Dollars, (easy way to get rich, right?) and feign to be her business partner.

So at first I smelt a rat, it all seemed too good to be true, but decided to humor them, you know, see how far all this goes. As the story goes, it all culminated to the point where she even started directing me to the Royal Bank of Scotland, and to one Mr. Nelson Smith, to help her cash her money since she had “refugee status” and could not do it herself.

At some point, I ran a search in Google on all names given, Patrick Maxwell, Nelson Smith etc., only to find that I am not the only one, there are so many websites and Facebook pages that have been started and dedicated to such marauding con artists, and they made first page in all of them. Even the Royal Bank of Scotland had issued an official statement denouncing this band of thieves and warning the public to beware of such. In fact I got to see those people who had pursued the matter further and how it finally gets to giving money to get more money, how each of the victims had started filling in legal documents and how they looked as the were the ones trying to steal the money, it all gets in a big mess and bottom line, you end up conned, BIG TIME!! (Thank God I didn’t fall into the trap.)

 

http://www.facebook.com/ericsiawn/posts/435067996541295

 

What gets me the most is that for all that they only change the name of the girl, everything else is copy pasted to your inbox, and at the end of it all you end up hurting and losing money while all he had to do was copy and paste, doesn’t even think or ponder what you say, it’s all the same to him or her (whoever they are.)

Yet thinking about it, I can’t help but notice how we all fall to that same trap every day in our lives, just a different brand of pranksters. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.(NKJV)

The Pranksters, the devil and his minions, all use the same ruse, the same fiendishly clever prank over and over again, regardless of our response to it. They lie and deceive and feed us these lies over and over again until we are all entangled in the mud and no way under it…

We are promised wealth, riches, and beautiful people at our beck and call; and the statement that has by far led so many people to the rut, “IT WILL BE FUN”.

 A civil servant imagines all the status quo and wealth he can acquire from the money obtained from bribery…

A lonely man imagines all the pleasure he is going to get from sleeping with a prostitute…

An estranged wife imagines all the love and adoration she will have from her husband if she went to consult witchcraft…

A child sees how he will get out of trouble from his parents by lying…

Such lies lead us to the pit without us knowing it, yet with our eyes wide open we do not see the snares set before us.

It is painful, to say the least, every time I see a man, woman, child, government official, a classmate, a police, a driver… succumb to those little stupid lies of the devil. People don’t see it while they do it, but it is only when the bait has done the trick do they find themselves strung out and unable let loose, now slaves, rather, captives of the sin that has them.

Yes, it is indeed painful for me, a person who has no prior interaction with them, just a casual observer, to witness as the trap works its way to the person. I remember one time I was in a Matatu, overloaded and still seeking for more, an elderly woman asked, “watakaa wapi?” (Where will they sit?). Yet we were stopped by a traffic police officer and a small token of fifty shillings was enough for him to risk the lives of the multitude of passengers squeezing in the matatu. One could argue, “why not get out,” but in real sense all matatus plying that area have that same trend, not unless you have a personal vehicle you don’t have a luxury of choice. ABIDE OR GET OFF is the golden rule, one that allows the driver and conductor of the matatu to dictate over the poor passengers.

 

So, how much more is their Creator grieved as He watches his beautiful works of arts, (us), fall deeper in the saddle, entrench ourselves in the quagmire.

I once heard the story of a boy who wanted to go swimming with the sharks but his parents won’t let him, they forbade him, they even put a fence around him so as not to let him go any further, A malicious person helps the boy cross the obstacles, and alas the boy takes a dive in the waters as the parents watch, unable to do anything but scream to their child, held by the very same restrictions they put upon the boy. The sharks quickly recognize the dinner that has just been served and within no time, the boy’s flesh is licked fresh off the bones…

How often do we find ourselves in the boy’s shoes, ready to do something that will ultimately kill us yet instead of seeing the threat we dive in it. SIN IS A scourge worse than DEATH, a monster more treacherous than our worst nightmare, yet it shows itself as our friend, a compatriot, but no sooner do we give it leeway than we are utterly destroyed. Paul had some sense when he said in Ephesians 4:27Neither give place to the devil.(KJV)

Why do people run away from God, our Saviour, and instead run towards sin, our destroyer? Jesus said in John 10:10: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (NKJV)

Choose not to be deceived today,

Choose not to fall in the trap,

Make a choice to abandon sin,

And ultimately choose the right way

The path of Righteousness

Few find it…

But those that do,

Reap more than they sow

Get more than they bargained for

And ultimately,

That is the best choice you can ever make.

Lord,

I choose you,

I leave behind whatever pleasures that the devil promises

And ultimately I pick you Father,

For your promises are not vain.

I pray that you receive me,

Forgive me when I stray,

And help me dust up when I tumble,

All this I pray,

In Jesus name,

AMEN.