I’m the ONE you’ve been waiting for!

I’m concluding my thoughts on my reading of the book of John. At my church, we have been studying the complex, ‘terrifying’ yet comforting book of Revelation. This coupled with my reading of John and the celebration of Palm Sunday and Easter has got me excited about many things: Jesus Christ Himself, the much anticipated full restoration of His Kingdom, the eternal joys and blessings of heaven which will forever cease the pains, tears and sufferings of the earth… I choose heaven! I’m an excited bride waiting for my Prince Charming, who is the triumphant and awesome King!

Imagine your father promises a gift but doesn’t tell you when he will give it you. So you’ve been waiting for the promised gift for a long time, watching out for the signs of when Daddy will unwrap this present. At the appointed time, Daddy he holds out his hands to give you the gift. Unfortunately, for some reason, you missed his open arms and questioned his Gift. How do you suppose he’ll feel?

I’m sure Jesus Christ must have been disappointed when the Pharisees and the Jews didn’t believe Him or His message. It must have been frustrating for Him to repeatedly try to convince them by His miracles and words that He was the Messiah, the ONE whom they had been waiting for all along (Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). It’s like arguing with someone about your own identity. “I’m the One, don’t you get it?!” You say you are “Barbara” yet the person calls you, “Betty.” You would correct somebody who mispronounces your name, wouldn’t you? How much more fight to establish your identity!

I was amused to read the response the temple guards got when they returned to the chief priests and Pharisees having failed to arrest Jesus Christ (John 7:45-52) and were accused of being deceived. “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! …” John 7:47; NIV. I loved reading that part aloud, haha!

It is amazing that in John 12:12-16, a great crowd waved palm branches and sung, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” Although they didn’t know they were fulfilling Scripture, a few days later, they shouted and condemned Jesus, “Crucify him!” Yes, he is Appointed One who was and is the Sacrificial Lamb, for the salvation of the whole world.

For me, I think the seminal Bible verses in John are John 17:2-3.

“For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,” NIV.

1. Jesus Christ establishes His mission on earth: that God had (has) given him authority over all people and is the key to eternal life.
2. The definition of eternal life: knowing God and Jesus Christ. It’s a relationship not a set of rituals or of dos or don’ts.
3. Now, how do you know get to know somebody you’ve never met? It is by faith (Hebrews 11:6).

Choosing to believe,
How about you?
Lady Akofa.

Perspectives: New Eyes

I was driving down through a street that I normally use, but for some reason I looked at the street with different eyes. The lineup of mahogany trees on both sides of the road suddenly appeared beautiful to me and I thought, “This would make a beautiful landscape photo like the ones I see in calendars and on desktop screens.” The only thing that prevented me from attempting to capture what I saw was that I didn’t have my camera with me at that time. That’s what I call the “photographer’s eyes.”

I know an architect who says he watches movies with an eye to check out building designs that he can use in his work. And I’m sure an interior decorator will have a different perspective when watching the same movies as the architect.

I also remember seeing a rainbow a few years ago. Between my sister and I, we briefly took turns taking photos of the rainbow. While I focused on the rainbow itself (hey, you don’t get to see rainbows often, right?), my sister focused on the rainbow and the surroundings. Professional photographers call this “composition.” In the end, her pictures came out better than mine.

While perspectives are good, they can be limiting in the big scheme of things. We all have view points based on our backgrounds, experiences, professions, etc but that’s not all there is to life. There is the Big Picture that includes all generations and all people. Even historians sometimes get it wrong, either because of misinformation or because their experiences skew their perspectives. Only God, the Beginning and the End, the Eternal God, who is also the Creator and Designer, has the Big Picture.

My encouragement for you today is to ask God to gives you “new eyes” to see beauty in the mundane. Live with the expectation that God will show you new things, and He will.

With new eyes,
Lady Akofa.