INSPIRATIONAL FILES

“ The pen is mightier than the sword ” is a statement coined by English author, Edward Bulwer – Lytton. What he left out of the statement is that for the pen to be mightier than the sword really depends on the person holding the pen. In the hands of a child, a pen could be really nothing more than an obje ct of fascination or even a mere plaything. Even in the hands of most adults the pen is nothing more than a mere writing instrument, but the same pen in the hands of a skillful writer could turn out to be a very powerful instrument of persuasion or a very destructive weapon of slander. In the hands of most shepherds, the shepherd's staff or rod served as a mere instrument of protection and rescue for endangered flock as well as a symbol of assurance of the shepherd’s power, but the same rod in the hand of Moses became a very powerful instrument of the enabling power of God for ministry. Moses’ “burning bush” encounter with Jehovah could be considered one of the most powerful calls

“ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some will even dare to die. But God commends his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ” [ Romans 5: 7, 8 ]. The text in quote implies that there is a “line” between good and righteous as there is a difference between a righteous man and a good man. The concept of “line” signifies a line of separation, usually between two opposing ideals, and it is abstract rather than physical. Such line of separation between two opposing ideals is expressed in statements such as “the line between good and evil,” “a thin line between love and hate,” and “the battle line being drawn.” “The line between good and righteous” on the other hand is neither abstract nor is it physical, but spiritual instead. The statement, “This is where we draw the line” also implies that whenever and wherever there is a line, there is always someone who draws that line. In the line between good and righteous, i

The 1954 musical film, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers , directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell tells the story of a backwoods man named Adam and his new bride Milly who marries him after knowing him for only a few hours. On returning with Adam to his cabin in the mountains, Milly found out that Adam is just one of seven brothers (Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frank and Gideon) living in the same cabin. And through a chain of hilarious events, Adam’s six brothers decided to have their own brides by kidnapping six girls named Dorcas, Ruth, Martha, Liza, Sarah and Alice. One Bride for Seven Brothers is really nothing more than a short narrative from the Bible but the lesson in it could turn out to be a blockbuster. As the story has it, some Sadducees came to Jesus in what was apparently a premeditated attempt to justify and support their own belief and said, “ Teacher, Moses said, ‘if a man dies childless, his brother should marry his wido

“For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth” [Isaiah 54: 5]. What does Isaiah 54: 5 mean to a 100 year old, African American woman from Mississippi? The answer could really make you see your circumstance the way God intends. “Married to Jesus?” is the story of one woman who saw more in herself than the world saw in her. Ella Mae Cole was a frail, elderly Christian woman who had it all when others thought she did not have much. She gave freely to others even when she didn’t have enough for herself. She was never married and never had any children of her own. She was the last surviving child of a family of fourteen children. And that could be the reason why she was so quick to tell others that she had seen more people buried in her lifetime than she had seen born. The story of Ella Mae Cole is definitely one good illustration of what Christians’ way of thinking about life’s circumsta

I n his 2000 autobiography " The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography " screen legend Sidney Poitier reflects and explores the depth of character and personal values as a man, a husband, a father, and an actor. Mr. Poitier takes a punch at the nature of sacrifice and commitment, price and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity. How does one measure a man? Do you measure him by his earthly riches or by his heavenly treasures? Do you measure him by his victories or by his losses? Do you measure him by his successes and his accomplishments? Or do you measure him even by his failures? The measure of a man is really what is at the core of human value and validation. The scale that society often uses to measure men and women, especially the scale of success, would make most of us worthless or even failures in life. The truth is most people never make it to the top of the ladder in their career or profession. Most of us would nev

Ben is a seven year old boy who lived with his grandparents in Brooklyn, New York. It was on a hot summer afternoon, and like most of the children on this block of row houses, Ben waited in the street with excitement for the arrival of the ice cream truck.   His excitement suddenly turned into sadness when his grandpa shouted to him through the window of their Brownstone that the ice cream man will not make his incursion into their particular neighborhood until the next day. Ben was suddenly filled with disappointment and sadness. Then as if it was by revelation, his face suddenly lights up. He ran to the window and with eyes as bright as the sun, he asked, “Grandpa, can I get two ice creams tomorrow, one for today, and one for tomorrow?” Grandpa looked at him and with eyes ever assuring he replied, “Of course, Ben of course, you can have two ice creams tomorrow”. And now with much greater excitement and restored hope, Ben uttered the words, “Thank you grandpa, thank you grandpa,

We read about two significant trees in the Genesis description of the environmental splendor of Eden [Genesis 2: 8-17]. One is called “the tree of life” and the other is “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. In the first instance of how knowledge could determine the distance between God and man, God’s instruction to Adam and Eve included a prohibition from touching or eating fruits from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. The instruction was in the form of a very strong and clear imperative - DON’T TOUCH! DON’T EAT! What followed was Satan’s first score in getting man to disobey the word of God in one process of distortion and guided deception. In one twinkle of disobedience and clear violation of God’s prohibition, Eve picked the fruit from the forbidden tree and somehow convinced Adam to do the same. And in a moment of justice, the first spiritual distance between God and man was established. The first line of spiritual demarcation between God and man was drawn, at

“ For in hope we have been saved, but the hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it .” [ Romans 8: 24-25 ]. “Hope Again” is a continuation of my reflection on the text as it applies to the circumstances of people and nations as they wait on the promises of God at one point or another. I stated this point in the last issue that the hope that anchored the lives of people in the Bible speaks of assurance and certainties rather than probabilities and uncertainties and it is rooted in the certainty of the fulfillment of God’s promises in the lives of people. One word that Bible hope does not have is the word “hopefully.” Hopefully is a word that communicates probability and uncertainty and a mere wish or desire rather than the assurance of hope as God intends. Hope sometimes involves complex generational dynamics. This simply means that the fulfillment of God’s promises sometimes spa

Discontentment is an emotional disease that takes away one’s joy and peace. Paul told Timothy, “But Godliness with contentment is great gain” [1 Timothy 6: 6]. The Hebrew writer instructs, “…be content with such things as you have” [Hebrews 13: 5]. Contentment has little to do with not getting what you want, but everything to do with wanting what you already have. It has been said that, “contentment makes a poor man rich, yet discontentment makes a rich man poor.” The poor man said to the rich man, “I am richer than you are.” And “Why is that,” asked the rich man? “Because I have everything I want and you don’t.” It just might be that the poorest person in the world is the one who has plenty of money and material goods without contentment. Sometimes we want things we do not need, yet need things we do not want. Two tear drops met along the river of life. One tear drop said to the other, “Where did you come from?” “I am the tear drop of a girl who loved a man and lost him,” replied the

There is really a direction which leads to significance. Your significance is the same as your destination and the direction is how you get there. It is a sort of the map pointing you towards your destination or towards the path that you travel towards significance. The Lord did not withhold the direction of his journey to significance from his disciples. The direction of His journey was stated explicitly in statements such as “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” [Matthew 16: 21]. You do not chart your direction towards significance just as you do not determine what your significance is. God charts the direction in which you must travel and also determines what your significance is. The path towards significance is neither a free ride nor an easy street. It is an obstacle course. An “obstacle course” is a series of challengin

In the words of Job, “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil”[Job 14: 1]. We should also not forget what Jacob said about his own journey when he was presented before Pharaoh. His words were “The years of my journey are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their journey” [Genesis 37: 9]. You should never think that you are insignificant. You are a significant piece in God’s puzzle known as life. Life itself gives you significance. You would not have been born if you are not significant. Our significance is not determined by people or by things. It is determined by the purpose of God for our lives. Purpose and fulfillment are wrapped together. And both are objective. It is in purpose that one finds fulfillment. You cannot find fulfillment in people. You cannot find fulfillment in things. You can have the best people and the best things in your life and s