Earthly Living in Heavenly Anticipation

Don’t Ask For Whom The Bell Tolls

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6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7, 12, 15

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A short video on social media shows a pretty young girl, a pastor’s daughter, in an extra-tight and short pair of shorts and a sleeveless show-it-all top. A couple of young men meet and engage her in a chit-chat. Then one enquires about her choice of clothes, being a pastor’s daughter. Quickly, she fires back, “God called my father o! He didn’t call me. So don’t bother me!”

Well, she is right, isn’t she? Unlike her father, she never had a vision or anything like that from God. She was just born into that family. That’s all, right? Think again. Our key text above ties in with Isa 54:13, which reads, And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. Living right has to spill over and continue in subsequent generations in your family. In his most famous poem, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions and Seuerall Steps in my Sicknes (Meditation XVII, 1624), the metaphysical poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island entire of itself”[1]. In other words, we become complete with the support we receive from each other[2]. We were created gregarious beings who thrive on the fellowship of others. Read the ending of Donne’s lines…

…any man’s death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls {meaning funeral procession};

it tolls for thee.

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In effect, all are connected socially and spiritually. We all are affected by each other’s demise. No plant lives to itself; no river flows into itself; even animals pollinate plants as they move along foraging. While each person will be rewarded according to his/her actions, each person’s good (or bad) influence and deeds rub off on those close. And technology can increase that influence more. Social media, for instance, can quickly spread anything like wildfire across the globe. Leaders must live right lives. But followers must live right too. Integrity is everything with God. All the people in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews11) were people of integrity. God gave them second, third, fourth, and fifth chances to show integrity when they failed. He preserves the way of His saints (Proverbs 2:6-9).

The family bears the brunt when a parent is arrested as a criminal. It is the same with an irresponsible child’s irresponsible choices. Therefore, each must choose to the right thing. Clearly, our good deeds benefit even our community. The consequences of growing up in a godly family but choosing the opposite way of life can be grave. Think again! No person is an island. The human was created gregarious.

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Here is the poem:

No Man Is an Island

No man is an island,

Entire of itself;

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

**Donne’s bronz bust in London**
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As well as if a promontory were:

As well as if a manor of thy friend’s

Or of thine own were.

Any man’s death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.

–John Donne [1572-1631][3]

[1] No Man Is an Island by John Donne – Famous poems, famous poets. – All Poetry

[2] ‘No man is an island’ – what does it mean? (phrases.org.uk)

[3] No Man Is an Island by John Donne – Famous poems, famous poets. – All Poetry

What Our Complaint Meter Reveals

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⁸And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
Numbers 17:8

People love to complain about their families, the economy, school, jobs, the government … even God and His divine decisions. That these things don’t meet their expectations! And most of their issues are legit!

Parents teach their children to complain. The children turn these complaints on each other and eventually on their parents. Imagine a family sitting at dinner ‘eating’ complaints before the real food? Hmmm. Daddy will complain, mummy will share a grumble, and the children will also kvetch. After that, they eat the actual food.

The main difference between people who have many complaints and those who don’t is perspective. Your complaining behaviour – call it ‘Complaint Meter’ – reveals your perspective. During my sixth form years, a colleague, Rosemary prayed, “….O Loving Father, Your goodness and mercy are now tormenting me!” Imagine complaining to God about His own goodness!

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Now back to our story. Israel was always complaining. It had started with Aaron and Miriam. This time, Kohath, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16) felt that Moses and Aaron had taken too much responsibility upon themselves. And Israel supported them against Moses and Aaron. God, as usual, provided a solution – He revealed whom He wanted to do His work. He asked all the leaders to bring rods representing their families. Commentators say that rods were symbols of authority and used to guide the sheep[1]. Among the rods/staffs brought to the tabernacle representing the leaders of the families, only Aaron’s staff “sprouted–buds, blossoms, and even ripe almonds!” (Message Bible). Yet they were not satisfied. They complained until God made the ground open instantly and swallow them. The following day, more people had to die before calm was restored. Creating a questionnaire to help us discover more about complaining would be nice. Consider the scale below as a complaint meter. It reveals whether we want to help with the solution or, instead, with the problem, whether we wish for God’s resolutions or our own solutions. It shows us if we expect God’s answers, whether we trust Him, whether we’ll accept His response, and whether we are submitted to Him or not! What reads your complaint meter? Place a check on your current number of complaints in life:

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0 – 5 o – Want To Help With God’s Solution
6 – 10 o – Want God’s Solution
11 – 15 o – Want Any Solution Anyhow
16 – 20 o – Want To Always Find Problems
21 – 25 o – Want To Help Enlarge The Problem

A heart in love with God complains too. However, this is controlled/constrained by a perspective of submission, just like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42). That heart unites with God in finding and implementing solutions. It reviews and says, not my wish but Yours, dear Father. The other view is informed by defiance. This defiant view manifests in different forms. A constantly grumbling mouth usually is close to a heart not fully submitted to God. A Christian grumbler went on until one day, the pastor thought he had found something at last that she could not complain about – her potatoes. “Ah, for once, you must be pleased,” he said, beaming with smiles when they met in the street. “Everyone is saying you got splendid potatoes this year.” The lady glared at him as she answered, “Quite right. But what about the bad ones I need for my poultry?” She had wanted God to give her rotten potatoes for her poultry business!! Remember what my friend, Rosemary said above? Grumbling mouths may not emanate from hearts fully submitted to God. Are you entirely surrendered to God? What does your meter say?

[1] Difference Between Rod and Staff – Ask Any Difference; Staff vs. Rod – What’s the difference? | Ask Difference

The Rigour of Post Mortis

Inspired by Esther Jallah on Feb17, 2022

Death deals the body,

God keeps the soul,

Mind holds the memories,

Heart hides the love,

Eye eyes the dream left behind,

Hand heaves the despondent coal of former effort,

Mouth mumbles the worn mantra,

Tenderly tacked behind the bleating of the heart.

Life goes placidly on.

Experiences pick life’s pieces.

Our dreams may die in order to

Germinate.

Never give up.

Though they cannot see,

Their Maker does.

If we meet someday, we will share

What we walked in

After the life was done beyond revoke.

Pick up the pieces

Life keeps running on with those who are ready

Life keeps dragging on with those who aren’t

Work up the dreaming

Hustle your way forward towards what may not be clear yet

Wriggle your way in the direction of what you saw

Keep up your form

The doldrums have nothing but pain, misery

You may have fallen, don’t we all?

Tweak up your giftings

This tunnel may be solid and dark

It also hosts those striving to see the light they dreamed of.

How to Avoid Leprosy II

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⁴And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.⁵And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
Numbers 12: 4-5

Last time, we shared about Miriam and Aaron gossiping about Moses. We remember God called them out of the tabernacle to deal with it. Let’s stay with the criticism of leaders and preachers for a moment.

If a pastor’s hair is grey, he is too old; if he is a young man, he is inexperienced. If he is married, his wife is proud; if he isn’t, he’s not setting a good example for the youth. If his wife mobilizes the women, she presumes; if she doesn’t, she isn’t interested in her husband’s work. If he has ten children, he has too many; if he has none, he doesn’t pray; if his baby cries at church, he is not training him; if the baby doesn’t, he might be sickly; if the children take part in church activities, they always want to lead; if they don’t, he’s not bringing them up well. If he reads from his notes, he is a bore; if he speaks extemporaneously, he isn’t deep enough. If he stays at home, he doesn’t mix sufficiently with his people; if he is seen on the streets, he ought to be home writing better sermons. If he visits the wealthy, he is begging for alms; if he visits low-income families, he is pretending to love. Whew! Pastors are human too. They’ve just been called to do God’s unique work. No need to keep reminding them that they almost live in a fishbowl.

Moses’ case was unfortunate – his detractors were his own siblings, who should have been loving and supportive against all the troubles, complaints and criticism from the Israelites.

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One of the devil’s current strategies is to make family members look problematic to each other so he can effectively kill any love left in our families. And so he can convince our children that staying close to family is a drag. He has fought against these primary institutions that God established in the beginning – Sabbath and Family (Genesis chapters 1 and 2).

We help Lucifer and hurt God’s plan when we selfishly destroy our loved ones. So that day, God spoke hard. Picture the Almighty saying, “Read my lips. When it comes to Moses, I don’t need to give him visions or revelations. No! He sees my form, and we speak plainly, Ok? My servant, Moses, is more humble than any man on earth! And I read hearts correctly, so I know what I am talking about? How come you did not fear to speak about him with such disrespect? (Numbers 12: 6-8). Wao! Prophets see visions, but this man spoke to God “mouth to mouth” (verse 8).

The Almighty is almighty enough to leave in a huff after a gruff. That day, in front of the tabernacle, when God was finished speaking, He just left. And if He does that to you, you end up in a bad situation. When He went off from the tabernacle door, Miriam became white as snow, sickly white. Meanwhile, each of them was stunned by the sheer realization – Wow! We annoyed God so much that He left the whole universe and personally came down to warn us! Then Miriam noticed that her brothers were staring at her with fear! Her eyes followed their eyes to her own hands and feet. She had gotten leprosy!Aaron began to call his younger brother with respect, “M-my l-lord, please forgive us. Please pray for her”. Despite Moses’ pleading, God insisted that Miriam had to be quarantined out of the camp for seven painful days!

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Leprosy is also contagious. Without knowing the full details, we support, encourage, defend, and even rationalize people’s unfortunate behaviour. You and I can avoid leprosy. Let us take John’s advice (1 John 4:1). Be sure the leader is godly before even becoming a follower. And don’t be so critical. Let us have confidence from personal persuasion that leaders are human and do the best they can under the circumstances.

Don’t get leprosy. God loves all His children so He has provided directions on how to criticize[1]. Don’t listen to people who rationalize and give excuses without checking what God’s word says (Check Matthew 7:1-5; James 4:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:24-25; 1 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 25:8).

[1] Dealing with Criticism Biblically (biblereasons.com)

How To Avoid Leprosy I

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12 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.
Numbers 12:1-2

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People gossip and joke about their preachers and leaders though they may not mean to hurt their feelings. There is a song by Kingsmen Quartet titled “Excuses”[1]. In it, their tenor chronicles interesting excuses the devil gives to Christians to keep them from attending church. It begins with personal excuses and ends with gossip about the preacher – he’s too young, and maybe he’s too old, sermons are not challenging enough, and maybe they are too bold…, he needs to have more dignity, or else he’s too proud. In the end, the tenor says, ‘we all have them (excuses), don’t we!’

Running one’s mouth about leaders is an old habit. Moses’s own siblings – Auntie Miriam and Pastor Aaron – even gossiped about him! In this episode, the subject was Mrs Moses. She was a Cushite, Ethiopian, dark-skinned. I can almost hear Miriam breathing puckishly into Aaron’s gloating ears, “They say she can’t even cook our food well…. “Goodness me! Her skin is so dark; it’s as if she doesn’t want to bathe correctly; hmmm, “I even overheard them quarrelling last night… “Did God ask our brother to marry her? “Does God speak only through Moses? “What about us? “He speaks through us too! Hahahahahaha!

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To think this was coming not just from Moses’ siblings but also from the leaders of a complicated, painful to manage, 10,000+ wandering wayfarers. They were supposed to be leaders whose lives should be the examples God could count on.

God broke through their nitpicking in anger. He called the three siblings out of His tabernacle. Then God descended in the cloud and stood at the entrance to the tabernacle, effectively blocking any chance of getting back in there even if they dared to do so. He had stopped Aaron and Miriam’s chance of entering the only place on earth where God, Himself, had said people could go to obtain mercy. That is how despicable, how repulsive gossiping was and still is to the Almighty. And when He had finished speaking, He was not finished with them – He went ahead to show how repulsive it was to Him.

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One can manage problems from his enemies. But ‘negative friendly fire‘ is a damaging betrayal. When Julius Caesar’s closest friend, Marcus Junius Brutus, also stabbed him, Caesar stuttered, “Et tu, Brute?” Even you, Brutus?[2] Who hasn’t felt the burning sensation of ‘negative friendly fire?’ And how many of us have not given our loved ones that burning sensation of gossip, betrayal, and backbiting? “We all have them, don’t we?” But it’s so execrable (deserving of a curse) that God actually places the curse on Miriam (verses 10-15).

“When you are disposed to criticize a friend,

Just remember, the beginning’s not the end;

When within this urge you find,

These three questions bring to mind:

Is it TRUE? Is it NEEDFUL? Is it KIND?” – Anonymous

[1] excuses song lyrics – Search (bing.com)

[2] Et tu, Brute? – Wikipedia

Boy Little Me

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22:53hrs, on July 15, 2022

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Months have gone by

Already.

They grabbed my peace

By the neck beads

And hauled it

Scratching, jolting

To only God knows where.

But now it’s like my birthday.

Boy, little me!

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The days quickened into lazy weeks.

The weeks strengthened into youthful months.

And the months? They straightened up

Into 4 mature years with tightened fists.

Tightened around the now scrawny neck

Of my fast ageing peace.

But God Almighty

Called Joshua to turn July 15

Into December 14.

And now it’s like my birthday.

Boy, little me!

By the time my trouble

Matured and straightened up into adulthood

The Almighty,

Merciful, faithful,

Lifted His loving finger

Angered by the cruelty of my

Healthy and matured misfortune.

The Lord lifted Isaiah 49.

He picked verse 24

Stretched out all the way to verse 26.

God kept right on.

He was defending me against

The trouble I invited, no, invented

All by myself

But now it’s like my birthday.

Boy, little me!

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My whole being

Magnifies God,

The Holy One of Israel.

When He spotted Boy little me,

He saw an advert for Himself.

From now all generations

Will praise God for me.

They will choose God when troubles break into their lives.

And when they see bullets

From every glance, they will

Duck in the Almighty’s covering

So now it’s like my birthday.

Boy, little me!

For God alone

Over-rights the consistent competence of computers

Into foolishness.

The Almighty chooses digital natives

Who reject Him and

Metamorphoses them a little less

Than digital migrants to prove

That He is God.

He can turn the top-dog’s best

Social media campaign

In the under-dog’s best interests.

God lifts His loved

Along with their doldrums.

He floods them with heaven’s light.

“Ein Kolekeinu“

I will lift my only pulsing heart

In His praise.

He is not finished with me

And so far too good.

I boost up my only pounding heart and make it

Verdant in His praise.

Boy, little me.

For in His care

My trouble died at a ripe old age of 48 months.

And now it’s like my birthday

Boy, little me.

He can feed the unfed,

Heal the unwell,

Father the unfathered,

And love the unmothered.

He guides the unfound,

Lifts the unsound,

Prizes the unworthy, and

Dusts off the unclean.

He’s my manufacturer.

He alone keeps the human

Industry working.

He is the Hirer

Who trains the willing jobless

Till they become masters.

He can turn the “dunce” into an

Industry giant.

Now it’s like my birthday.

Boy, little me!

Successful Forwarder

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²⁸The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, ²⁹Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
John 4: 28-29

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That morning was bright and sunny. Jesus and His disciples had walked several miles teaching and healing. The feeling of meeting people’s needs was gratifying but also tiring. The vibrant afternoon sun rewarded everyone with warm rivulets of sweat that cascaded lazily down their foreheads and bodies. The strength-sapping heat continued as if the sun would shine brightly into the late afternoon.

Jesus had walked all morning. He had taught, His disciples had explained. He had healed, and His disciples had healed too. They had walked and walked. When they got to Sychar, He was tired. The sun radiated overbearing waves of heat. So He sat by the well while His disciples headed off to town to buy victuals.

Jesus was God. He could have called forth water from the well, but He did not. He could have commanded stones to become bread, but He didn’t (Matthew 4:4). He also refused to secretly inject Himself with some eternal youth elixir not to be tired. He would not use any powers not available to man. If He made it without getting contaminated with sin, then we would have no excuse – for, with God, all righteousness is possible! So Jesus sat there and counted His thoughts, carefully looking them over to identify which strategy would be most helpful in His subsequent encounter with people. Jesus was so fixated on saving people from sin that nothing else mattered.

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Presently, a slim brunette nimbled up to the well and lowered her jar into the calm, clear waters of the ancient well. She drew it up with strong hands and turned to go. Jesus stretched out an arm that almost touched her and calmly said, “Kindly let me drink some of your water.”

Of course, you know that Jews at that time wanted nothing to do with the Samaritans. Samaritans are the rejected results of the union between Jews left behind after the Assyrian invasion of 721BC and the gentiles[1]. Among other things, the Samaritans attempted to worship God in their own way. The Jews rejected this attempt as heresy, which messed up the relationship between Jews and them[2]. At this time, Jews did not eat food nor drink water from Samaria unless it was absolutely indispensable[3]. Now let’s come back to our story. So the woman asked Jesus,

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“How come you, a Jew, is asking me, a Samaritan woman (here in Samaria), for water?”

As for the woman, she was bantering away on a hot afternoon. But keep in mind that for Jesus, this was an opportunity to win a soul. Jesus soon had her attention and interest riveted when He assured her that He could provide endless, everlasting water. When she brought up the issue of worship, and Jesus’ answer blew her mind. She wanted more of that knowledge that Jesus had to share. Then Jesus dug deeper – into her private life. He desired to change her life, and she seemed willing to recognize her need for a Saviour!

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“Go bring your husband.”

“I have none.” She tried to be evasive. But the One who sees everything pried deeper[4].

“You’re right. You have had five so far. Even the One with you now is not your husband.”

With a trembling heart, she realized this was not an ordinary man. After a few more exchanges, this lady desired what Jesus had to offer. She got her invite. And what did this Samaritan woman do? She forwarded it!

In a matter of moments, the whole town of Sychar was holding preliminary meetings with Jesus at Jacob’s well. They invited him to spend two more days – to give them more invites!

An illiterate and immoral woman shared her invite immediately.

Recently, in a little town in Africa, several people accepted Jesus but could not find someone to baptize them. As a result, more than half returned to their pursuits by the time someone came. Great is the pain in my heart as I share this with you. Lord have mercy on us. We are receiving God’s bounties but not sharing His invitation. How come you know Jesus but cannot see the need to forward His invitation to an everlasting joyful life? How come it’s easy to forward jokes but not eternal life? The only way to succeed in sharing and forwarding God’s invitation is to become a broken record, endlessly forwarding that invite of Jesus. What do you say?

[1] Samaritans – Wikipedia; Who Were the Samaritans? Their Meaning in the Bible (biblestudytools.com)

[2] Who were the Samaritans? | GotQuestions.org

[3] The Desire of Ages — Ellen G. White Writings (egwwritings.org)

[4] The Desire of Ages, by Ellen G. White. Chapter 19: At Jacob’s Well (ellenwhite.info)

Josh Attoh At It Again

This one is medley featuring “The Cross Made A Difference & The Old Rugged Cross”

“Forward That Invite!”

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29 Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”30 He answered, “No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people.”31 But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. 32 If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us.”
Numbers 10: 29-32

That day, dawn established its arrival with a resplendent revelation of brightness that scattered the night. Somewhere in the wilderness of Sinai, three men stood in front of a cave on a hill. Each was lost in his own thoughts, and they created impressive silhouettes on the cave walls.

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Prophet Moses broke the silence when he turned to his brother-in-law, “Hobab, come with us on our journey to God’s Promised Land. You know you could be our official guide. What do you say, brother?” Without hesitation, Hobab replied, “I think it would be better for me to go back with my people, the Kenites”. Aaron grabbed Hobab’s elbow pulling him forward, “Look, brother, see the lush beauty of the land. You said that it is indeed flowing with milk and honey as God said. Why don’t all of you come with us”? Moses strode towards them, “Hobab, the prospects are good. I promise you that whatever good things God gives Israel, we will share with your people. Come now, show us the perfect routes and camping sites”.

Israel’s leaders knew God always kept His promises. They were sure the future was bright and felt that they should share their good fortune. Matthew 9:13; and 22:9 attest to the fact that God expects us to invite others to join us in the great Salvation He has for us. Revelation 3:20 reiterates that Jesus wants to come and bless all who let Him into their hearts as Lord of their lives. You may ask why it is so important to invite others. Well, consider D L Moody’s experience.

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During the early days of the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody’s ministry, he launched a series of meetings in Chicago with the promise of the largest crowds that anyone had ever seen up to that time. His theme was THE LIFE OF CHRIST. On the first night, Sunday, October 8, 1871, his topic was The Trial before Pilate. As he came to the end of his message, he sent his fascinated listeners to Matthew 27:22, “What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?” He then told them, ‘Friends, I want you to take this text home with you and turn it over in your minds during the week…. Till the end of the week![1] He did not know that as he was ending the sermon that night, fire tenders were already clanging noisily on their way to fight the Chicago fires.

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He said this even though Ira David Sankey (the great hymn compiler, pianist and singer) was in the background, singing, “Today the Savior calls; …. And death is nigh-“[1]. Asking them to think about it may have been a delightful way to end. Only that, around that same time, the Chicago Fire Service was already on its way to combat the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It lasted 3 days. Over 1000 people lost their lives, probably including Moody’s listeners. The series couldn’t continue. And the great evangelist called that statement his greatest mistake.[2]

Forward Jesus’s invite to your friends and family! Or have you padlocked your lips? Don’t be selfish. Forward that invite! Don’t try to repeat the same mistake. Yours may be the only gospel someone may understand. Your duty demands it says, the beloved hymn by Fanny J Crosby

Rescue the perishing, duty demands it(emphasis mine);
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.[3]

[1] 2020 and the Chicago Fire of 1871 – D. L. Moody Center

[2] D. L. Moody’s Lost Opportunity – Christian Heritage Fellowship, Inc.

[3] Rescue the Perishing > Lyrics | Frances J. Crosby (timelesstruths.org)

There Will Be Peace

My brother Joshua Attoh, is a renown singer. His song is so soothing I had to share. May the Peace of God fill you too overflowing.

Blessings