Know a tree by its fruits - NOT by its roots

When I lived up north, I was often asked to divulge my nationality.  People seem to judge others based on one's race and wanted to know if I was Latina or mixed race.  After I moved down south, people were more concerned about my last name.  The determining factor in judgement was one's ancestry.  Regardless if I was being judged on my race, nationality or family history, I was being judged using factors that don't accurately define me.  I am Black but so are billions of other people.  Are all Black people the same?  My last name is my husband's last name.  How can you figure out who I am based off my husband's family tree?  This is something that has annoyed me since childhood.  It is frustrating to me that people think they can know me by inquiring about my roots.  It would be far more accurate a practice to actually get to know me for who I am as an individual.

When you walk through an orchard, do you examine the roots of each tree to determine what kind of tree it is?  Of course not!  That would be pretty silly since most roots look the same.  All you have to do is look at the fruit and you will clearly see what kind of tree it is.  Jesus warned us about false prophets who are wolves in sheep's clothing.  You shouldn't form an opinion of someone solely based upon their physical appearance, their level of education, their family history, etc.  You have to look at the person's character in order to know who they really are.

So what are the characteristics of an evil person?  There are many ways a person can demonstrate evil.  Some can be violent and perverted while others can be selfish and divisive.  Evil comes in many forms and some not as obvious as others.  

What are the characteristics of a godly person?  Galatians 5:22-23 tell us the fruits of The Spirit which are the characteristics of a godly person.  Those characteristics are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  As children of God, we must be mindful to practice displaying these characteristics so people will see us and judge us accordingly.  Behaving in this manner is not just pleasing to God, but it will bring others who are lost closer to God as well.  

So let's stop looking to know someone based on attributes that don't matter.  Instead, nurture the fruits of The Spirit inside yourself and be the person God has designed you to be.  

  

Log in my Eye

The white girl in the horror movies.  I hate her more than I have ever hated anyone else in my life.  She knows she is in imminent danger yet she does not protect herself.  She has a chance to escape but she fails.  All she manages to do is fall to the ground, most times half naked, and scream; ultimately getting herself killed.

The worst part is this girl isn’t even real!  She is a fictional movie character!  So why do I get so worked up about her?  Probably because we have so much in common…

You see, I have found myself running from monsters half naked through the woods.  I fell down and screamed until finally the monster caught up with me.  As he loomed over me, vulnerable and afraid, I did nothing but wait to be slaughtered.  I am a real girl, not a fictitious character in a movie.  I judge her because I am ashamed of my own life.  I wish I had the courage to stand up and fight against the monsters.  I wish I didn’t let him kill me nearly every single day. 

The fact is, when we judge others, it is often due to some deficiency in ourselves.  It’s like looking into a mirror and seeing a stranger doing all the wrong things.  You are mad at your reflection when you should be mad at yourself.   

The Bible instructs us not to judge others.  We can obviously discern right from wrong but we aren’t to condemn those who do wrong.  We are called to be merciful and forgiving.  God has mercy on me each time I am slaughtered in those dark woods.  He breathes new life into me, restores my health and gives me another opportunity to face the monsters with His armor.  He will never leave me nor will he forsake me.  It is time for me to pull this log out of my eye.  Maybe then I can have a better visual of my real enemy…   

He is jealous for me...

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There was a time when there was absolutely nothing in existence.  Not even time.  Nothing existed except God.  God conceived in His mind “The Creation” and spoke each molecule of it into being.  God established Himself as the creator of all life.  From this, we can know with all certainty that we are God’s creation, made in His perfect image and for His divine purpose. 

Now I want you to imagine you are Superman and you are married to the most beautiful woman in the world.  She is so beautiful, she constantly faces temptation from other men to leave you.  Your wife has a clear understanding of her vows to be faithful to you and the covenant that she made before God.  But one day you come home from a long day of being a super hero and you see your children are crying, dirty and hungry, and there is a note from your wife on the kitchen table.  The note states that she wants a divorce and she has left you for your arch nemesis, Lex Luthor!  How would you feel toward your wife?  How would you feel toward Lex Luthor?         



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Several verses in the Old Testament refer to God being a Jealous God.  Given that He created everything in existence, I would conclude He has the right to be jealous.  His arch nemesis, Satan, was able to sweet talk God’s most prized possession away from Him on numerous occasions.  When Adam and Eve lived in Eden, Satan took on the appearance of a serpent and was able to persuade Eve to perform an act which God specifically told them not to indulge in.  The very first commandment given to the Israelites while they were wandering on the wilderness was to serve God only and refrain from worshipping false gods.  Time after time, they allowed themselves to be influenced by other cultures and they disobeyed God’s command. 

In each of these instances, we see that the act of turning away from God to indulge in the temptations offered by Satan resulted in catastrophe for mankind.  God knew all along if we yield to temptation, there would literally be hell to pay therefore He gave us warnings to help us make the right decisions.  But we are oftentimes hard headed and need to learn the hard way.  Fortunately, we serve a God who loves harder than our hard heads deserve.

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Though God proclaims Himself to be a jealous God, he does not hold grudges.  He still loves us even when we turn against Him.  How do I know that?  Because The Word says so!  After Adam and Eve were banished from Eden, they had children and most likely lived the rest of their lives in hardship.  Being kicked out of Eden was not the end of their story.  Genesis 4:25-26 states that after Adam and Eve became grandparents, “men began to call upon the name of the Lord.”  Adam sought to re-establish a relationship with God as he saw with his own eyes that choosing evil was a foolish decision.  He wanted his descendants to know God and make better choices.  After God led the Israelites into the Promised Land, they almost immediately disobeyed God’s commands.  God already predicted that would happen and offered them a message of hope through Moses that “…you will return to the Lord your God and obey Him.  For the Lord your God is a merciful God…” 

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So God may be jealous and allow us to face consequences when we sin but He is also merciful and will forgive us when we decide to turn away from sin and return to Him. God’s Jealousy is not like man’s jealousy.  When we are jealous, it leads to sin.  Besides, we have no right to be jealous!  We didn’t spend a week creating everything in existence.  We are all part of the creation, we are God’s possessions and so is everything else.  God’s jealousy does not lead to sin.  It leads to redemption and restoration.   

With this being the month of love, let’s be reminded that God is our first love and His love covers a multitude of sins.  His love is unconditional.  If we want to give in to temptation, He will allow us to walk away from Him but if we decide to come back, He will welcome us into his loving arms.  God wants an exclusive relationship with us.  Make the choice to deny temptations like Jesus did and be faithful to God.



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I am an expert and I have a degree to prove it!

The last New Year’s Resolution I made was back in 2010.  I recall it being a huge deal at the time as I had a strong desire to “fix” myself.  I felt like I had quite a few bad habits that I needed to quit in order to get myself on God’s better side.  My resolution was to stop having pet peeves.  Yeah, I know that may be an odd resolution but trust me, it was the best resolution I ever made.  To this date, I am still working on fulfilling that goal and I am not making any more resolutions until I can accomplish this one.  

I made that resolution after I had a nice, long heart-to-heart with myself and realized I was quite judgmental and critical of others.  Considering how messy my life was, I really had no right to judge or even advise anyone else about their personal issues.  But from my perspective, I was so smart and had all life’s answers.  I even made plans to write a self-help book and title it “Do what I say!  I am an expert and I have a degree to prove it!”  I am not even joking...  I was really that full of myself.

 

This reminds me of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  The Pharisee came into the temple, feeling himself, bragging about his perfect lifestyle and how he is better than the Tax Collector.  As the Pharisee gloats with great pride, the Tax Collector is alone in a corner, acknowledging his own shortcomings and pleading with God for mercy.  Jesus told his eager fan club, “I tell you, the Tax Collector, not the Pharisee, returned home forgiven! For the proud shall be humbled, but the humble shall be honored.”  When we are so caught up looking down on others, we forget that we really aren’t as perfect as we think we are.  The mere act of belittling others is a sin in itself!  Jesus called us to love each other and live in peace with each other.  So am I being loving or peaceful if I am pointing out the faults of others with the intent of making them feel like crap?  Who am I to express any displeasure over the actions of another when I have shamed and disgraced God innumerable times? I should be as merciful and gracious to others as God has been to me.

Romans 14 and 15 is also a great source for a lesson in self-righteousness.  It deals with the issue of accepting others’ differences and avoiding unnecessary confrontations.  I have friends who are of different religions and sometimes our customs, rituals and beliefs clash.  My Jehovah Witness friends don’t celebrate birthdays or holidays.  My Muslim and Rastafarian friends have strict diets.  My Catholic friends don’t believe in birth control.  There have been times when we wound up arguing with each other because of these issues.  Mostly because of my feelings of superiority and

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 lack of tolerance.  These days, I avoid being critical of other people’s lifestyle in hopes of achieving my resolution and also to be a better Christian.  A self-righteous attitude does not attract non-believers to Christ.  No one wants to convert to Christianity if that means we all sit around and behave like hypocrites.  The only thing that sets me apart from a non-believer is the fact that God has given me mercy through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.  I make mistakes and fall short of God’s glory all the time!  What kind of idiot do I look like when I poke fun at someone for trivial things like not having birthday parties and not eating bacon?

What it all boils down to is that those of us in the body of Christ need to cease with the holier-than-thou attitudes and be more like Jesus.  He had no problems serving others.  He never thought twice about helping people in need, regardless of their background.  He never looked down on a single individual.  His actions were so remarkable, he drew crowds wherever he went.  To those people, he gave messages of hope and in turn, they believed in him and made strides to imitate him.  If Jesus was some self-righteous jerk, there would be no Christianity today!  I am learning to be less full of myself and more full of the Holy Spirit.  If you examine yourself and determine you have some work to do in that area, I encourage you to do so without delay.  You never know when you will be in a position to minister to someone and they will need to see the Jesus in you, not the Pharisee…

Hail Mary



Since becoming a parent, I developed a deep respect and admiration for Mary - Jesus' mother.  I have read about her in scriptures and books.  Every year when Christmas comes around, I look for postage stamps which bear her image.  The more I learn of her, the more I aspire to have the great qualities she possessed.  She is the epitome of motherhood and a woman who lives a life pleasing to God.

 

I think of how mature and faithful Mary must have been to be chosen by God to be the mother of our Savior.  At such a young age, she exemplified every characteristic a godly woman should possess.  When she received the message that she would have a child, even though she was an unmarried virgin, she did not fear earthly consequences or challenge God's messenger.  She trusted in God completely and was willing to accept whatever He had in store for her life. 

 



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In recent weeks, I noticed something about Mary's story I had never picked up on before.  It is actually a very significant detail which, in my opinion, illustrates what an amazing woman she was.  Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem to participate in a census.  The journey from their home in Nazareth was approximately 80 miles and took nearly a week to arrive at the destination on foot.  Upon their arrival, the town of Bethlehem was overwhelmed with visitors who were also participating in the census.  Joseph searched high and low for shelter for his wife and unborn son with no luck.  Well, I take that back.  He was able to find shelter in a barn.  Mary gave birth to Jesus in that barn and wrapped him up in rags. 

 

 

I am in my last trimester of pregnancy and I immediately became bombarded with images and thoughts of how horrible that trip was for Mary.  She rode on a donkey for several days over rough terrain.  Upon arrival to Bethlehem, she was not able to rest in a nice hotel.  She had to sleep in a barn surrounded by stinky, loud animals!  She didn't have a nice nursery set up for her son or even a somewhat sanitary environment to give birth.  Through all that, I could only imagine what my reaction would have been.  I know for sure I would have been very unhappy with Joseph for bringing me all that way and have no lodging set up, knowing good and well I was expecting our first child.  I would have been fussing and complaining and crying and probably even cursing.  After all that misery, I would have been on the first thing smoking right back to Nazareth and have that marriage annulled.  And for this reason alone, I know why God didn't choose me to be Jesus' mom.  The scriptures never illustrate her as nagging or expressing any type of disappointment.  Mary didn't complain to Joseph and she didn't question God.  She remained strong in her faith that God would take care of them and He always did.

 

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In the scripture passages about Mary, she is always described as someone who thinks things through before reacting.  Mary doesn't speak a lot but when she does, she speaks with wisdom.  Mary was chosen to be the mother of our Savior because she was 100% focused on living a life pleasing to God.  I can't recall ever reading about her doing or saying something foolish in a moment of weakness.  Even as she stood by and watched her Son being tortured and murdered, she cried because He had to suffer but she let God's perfect plan come to pass and did not interfere.  In the past, I would only think of the prestige and honor that came with being Jesus' mother but the more I think about it, the more I know her life must have been extremely tough to bear so much pain and adversity.  I am thankful that God, in His infinite and perfect wisdom, knew to choose Mary to be Jesus' mother.  If not for her, Jesus wouldn't have stood a chance in this world.  Mary, with the assistance of Joseph, were great examples of godliness for Jesus to emulate.  Mary and Joseph can be examples for us as well, for how we should be as parents and as believers.

 

In this last blog entry for 2015, I want to leave you with this question to ponder: "What am I doing to prepare myself for God's big plan for my life?"  God uses all of us- good, bad and indifferent - to fulfill His plans.  Is your destiny one that will be in history books someday for achieving something great?  Or will your legacy be one remembered in horror?  Or will people forget about you altogether the moment you pass away from this life?  I know I want God to use me to achieve great things.  As I grow closer to Him, I listen to His voice and follow His instructions.  I pray that God will use me to do great things that will bring people closer to Him.  I pray that God will let my light shine as bright as the sun.  As this year draws to a close, I know 2016 will have more exciting adventures for me as I walk along this path God has chosen for me.  I look forward to sharing all those adventures with you as you continue to walk along your path too!

                                 

 

Gills and Tails

Whenever I read news articles or browse through social media, I am bombarded with so much negativity that I feel disgusted.  Like literally, sick to my stomach.  There is so much that goes on in this world we live in that is considered normal and acceptable but makes absolutely no logical sense to me.  The evil acts people commit against each other is very disturbing to me.  The manner in which governments and businesses are allowed to run is completely shameful.  The amount of foolishness and ignorance that people display makes me want to leave this planet either by rapture or be shot into outer space.  I honestly feel like I don’t belong here…

 

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As I laid in my bed and pondered these things, two men from the Old Testament came to mind: Lot and Daniel.  What can the stories of these two men teach me to help encourage me in this messy world I live in?  Well, first of all, they both relocated to places where they did not belong.  Lot willingly relocated to Sodom and Gomorrah while Daniel and other citizens of Judah were taken into captivity by Babylonians.  Both men observed the ways of the people in the new land in which they lived and found their lifestyles were quite contrary to that of the natives.  Both men refused to participate in the behaviors and customs of the new land in which they lived.  In exchange, God had mercy on them and spared their lives from life/death situations. 

 

 

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As I read their stories, it reminded me that in this life, we are called to stand out.  To be a light.  To avoid conforming to the ways of this world.  We are called to inspire, to lead, to uplift, to minister, to witness, to testify, to be strong in faith, to be of good character, to be patient and loving towards our neighbors and to bring the lost into the light we found in Jesus Christ on the day of our salvation.  So maybe I feel like an alien in this world but there is a reason I feel that way.  I am suppose to ignite change in this world to help make it a better place!  Most of all, I need not fear consequences of this world because my God will protect me as I fulfill my destiny, walking in His good and perfect will for my life.

Are you utterly disgusted by what is taking place in your world?  Do not stand in complacency and watch it be destroyed!  Do not be overwhelmed by the pressures and temptations that come your way!  You can be an instrument of change in your world!  When you see someone making bad choices, counsel them in love to make wise decisions.  When you see injustice and inequality, work towards social change.  Be the change that makes this world a place were we can all feel we belong.          

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A Comforter Is More Than Just A Warm Blanket...

I am a lover of words.  I love to have a memorable word for every occasion.  Maybe one day, when I am dead and gone, people will quote some of the memorable words I have spoken or written.  The thought of that makes me feel like a celebrity (^_^)

I am not always good with words though.  I have difficulty using words to comfort people who are grieving.  That has been a pretty big obstacle for me when I am attempting to comfort someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one or suffering some other seriously traumatic life event.  I have tried to mimic some of my mentors who are proficient at using words to comfort but it feels so awkward and unauthentic.  I often wished this talent was more natural for me.  So... I looked to The Word to help me figure it out.

Many people know the story of Job.  You know, the guy in the Old Testament who was the target of a bet of sorts between God and Satan.  Job suffered the loss of his immediate family, loss of his wealth, deteriorated health, every unfortunate circumstance you could imagine. When I used to think of Job, I thought of his story as an example of having strong faith.  The more I studied his story, the more I was able to see his story was abut more than that.   Much of the book of Job covers conversations between Job and his "friends".  His friends heard of his troubles and came to check in on him.  For a few days, they sat and mourned with him.  For the bulk of the time they were with Job, they were not very helpful in encouraging him through the hard time Job was facing.  They did a lot of finger wagging, nagging, making accusations about his character.  They assumed he must have done something to offend God to be in such a horrible situation.  Fortunately, Job's faith in God helped him stay encouraged during his time of trouble because his friends were not helping at all.

I can recall back when I was in college, I found myself in a pretty tough spot and desperately needed someone to comfort me.  Many of the people I was close to were in no position to help me during my time of need.  I was fearful of going to my mother for help because I thought she would be like Job's friends and make me feel even worse.  Eventually, I got up the courage to call her and ask for help.  When I called her, I was still too ashamed to come clean about my situation so I didn't mention my problem right away.  Somehow, The Lord put it on her heart exactly what I was going through without me having to say a word!  Even more surprising, she did not fuss at me or make me feel bad.  She offered to help me during my time of need and encouraged me to get my life back on the right path.  If it wasn't for her positive encouragement, I can't imagine how my life would have turned out.  I am thankful that she acted in a godly manner with helping me through my situation.

One of my favorite parables is the story of the prodigal son.  We all know how the young, foolish, rebellious son demanded his share of inheritance, ran off and squandered all his wealth and came crawling back to the mercy of his father.  The most awesome part of the story is not just the fact that the son was welcomed back home but the manner in which his father welcomed him.  His father wasn't busy at work or watching sports center when the prodigal son returned.  The father was actually watching and waiting for his son!  The scripture states the father saw his son from far off and came running to greet him with open arms.  This story tells me not only about God's grace and mercy.  It also tells me how I should deal with people who come to me for help.  A godly person is eager to encourage and uplift those who are in a bad spot.  A godly person does not say "I told you so" or give harsh criticism. 

So basically, what I am trying to say here is that I have learned that I don't always need to know the right thing to say.  Sometimes just being present and silent is the best way to comfort a person who is grieving.  If someone in my life is experiencing a tough time, I don't need to put them down and make them feel worse.  I need to approach them with love and offer to help them in any way that I can.  Too often we judge others and say, "Oh, you deserve to suffer for the bad choices you made."  Instead we should genuinely say, "I'm sorry to hear you are suffering.  I am here if you need me to help." 

I hope you Sunday morning Christians understand my words!  Make the choice to be a warm blanket, not a wet one!