#I-Am_In_Love_with_The_One_I_love

Dear Diary,

#Love_Without_Reason

Dear Diary as you know, your faithful scribbler is in love with a certain human being. For now, this is a lil’ secret but steadily we’ll let the cat out of the bag. Last Sunday but one I attended a friend’s bridal shower and like every other guest, I was curious! So our facilitator pleased my curiosity, she asked the questions my ears were itching to hear, “Why do you love this dude?” “What made you choose him?” Well, the host’s responses challenged my perception. She said that on face value, perceived from her pink-colored glasses, she dismissed the one she now loves. Fortunately, the dude didn’t give up the pursuit, he kept pursuing her. So, one day she stopped running and asked God (paraphrased), “God, what is it about this guy? I’d like to learn something from him!” She gave the guy a chance and they grooved and finally walked down the aisle last weekend in a holy matrimony to live happily thereafter. Her advice to the single ladies in the house was this, “Girls, don’t despise a guy based on what you can see at that particular moment. Ask God to open your eyes to see beyond the now.” Wow! That’s a 10 million $ advice, I needed it!

Apparently, it’s like something must motivate you fall in love with someone. By the way, now that I am in love, why do I love the one I love? I know soon when the beans spill probably I will have my girlfriends taunting me, “Of all the dudes, why did you choose to love this one?” I have to look for a tangible reason why I love him so that when people ask me about it, I am fortified with 10,000 reasons. Okay, here are my potential 10,000 reasons for loving the one I love but there is a “What if…!”

1. Looks? Mmm, “the one I love is the most beautiful in the whole world?” Really? Well, according to my pink-colored glasses, maybe or maybe not. They said beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
2. Humour? Eh, well the one I love is very wry and melancholic but somehow I still have a genuine hearty laugh over his wry humour.
3. Smile? Well, there are times his smile sparkles but other times, story for another day.
4. Mental intelligence? Pass!
5. Material possession? Hehe, remember the Ezekiel’s Dry Bones scene? Pass!
6. Flamboyant, vivacious? Nah!
7. Generosity? Well, haven’t gotten any glitzy favours to warrant this quality but what I have observed is that the one I love doesn’t woo me with this quality. I have an ego; I earn my money so I don’t want someone to entice me with money. But once a while I get some descent treats. Sometimes, I determine to pay the bill. Ooops, I know you raised your brow but let’s move on!
8. Well-educated? I just got my 1st degree the other day to add to my one or two certificates and diploma. How about the one I love? Pass!
9. An excellent mega-vision worth submitting to? Huh!
10. A leafy-suburb kid? Not at all! In fact, their estate gives me ‘depression’. Ha ha #Nimeleft.

Doubt me but I have critically searched through a huge list but I haven’t found a definite reason. Aaaaiiii, NzakuNashipae! You are kidding! Alright, I give up! Let me keep looking for some tangible reasons then I will be right back. As cliché and cheap as it sounds, I don’t have a tangible reason for now but everything about the one I love is his being, a person made in the image of God! Every fibre of his being stringed together is what I love. So is it by choice or by chance? Eish! How do I answer this one?

Forget about my 10,000 reasons why I love the one I love, but I think love is dynamic and diverse. In the meantime let’s search through the scriptures to gather tangible reasons why I love the one I love: 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Romans 5:8, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 tells us what love is and what it is not. 1 Corinthians 13:13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” 1 John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” 1 Peter 4:8, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Hebrews 13:1 “Let brotherly love continue.” 1 John 4:11, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Songs of Solomon 8:6-7, “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, ... Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.”

Wow! I give up searching for reasons to love the one I love.

Yours faithful scribbler,

NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: EXPECTATIONS

KACHELBELA: EXPECTATIONS: Dear Diary, #My_Expectations_Come_From_Who? #My_Expectation_Will_Not_Be_Cut_Off Expectation is defined as a strong belief that somethin...

KACHELBELA: KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 10:The Once...

KACHELBELA: KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 10:The Once...: KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 10:The Once-for-All Sac... : From the diary of a faithful scribbler, this far the Christology of Hebr...

EXPECTATIONS

Dear Diary,

#My_Expectations_Come_From_Who?
#My_Expectation_Will_Not_Be_Cut_Off

Expectation is defined as a strong belief that something will happen; it is a state of anticipation; it is a state of looking forward to what will probably occur whether with hope or dread. Does one's expectations shape his/her future? Do  expectations determine the reality? Does your expectation impact on other people?

In #My_World, there are times I have some incredible, wild expectations and others quite unrealistic. For unmet expectations, most of the time I have found myself reacting with anger, frustration and bitterness. But I also give myself credit for the few times I have responded to unmet expectations with a calm spirit and ease.

Let me share an experience I had last month. A few days before my graduation I excitedly called a friend of mine to express my joy after managing a first class honors. This friend genuinely celebrated me and promised that before my graduation day am entitled to a treat. So I eagerly and patiently waited. Fortunately or unfortunately, that treat never came. When my graduation celebration came on 7/7/2017, I somehow expected that my friend would honor the promise maybe by giving me a perfect gift, lol, whatever perfect gift was in my wildest expectations. This friend attended my celebration but didn't give me anything, how could I be obsessed with such a silly expectation! Ok, I pushed the expectation somewhere at a corner in my mind. Fast forward, three weeks after my graduation i.e. last week on Wednesday, this friend told me something (s)he wanted to do this August but with a smirk I said, "Sorry, I can't take ur words to the bank." I went on to express my expectation and the disappointment I felt coz I didn't receive anything from this being. (S)he apologized that (s)he was broke, but out of frustration I responded, "I can't buy your excuse because you knew about this development since January. Am sorry I over-expected, of course I didn't ask you for anything but you promised it yourself. I blame the disappointment on myself!" That convo ended there but two days later, it emerged to haunt me. My friend send me a bitter text message saying, "I know your mom, dad, bro, siz, bro  and siz-in-law, friends etc came and gave you gifts, I didn't but remember I came! I apologized to my friend for having had an unrealistic expectation. The preceding exchange was bitter and frustrating and regretted for expressing my unmet expectation.

Well, over the weekend I have been thinking critically about my credible and wildest expectations. I am now consciously aware that communicating my expectations can seriously injure a relationship depending on how it's encoded and decoded and the attitudes expressed. I have also had to do an audit of my responses for unmet expectations and I must say I have learned a paramount lesson.

In Acts 3, we meet a crippled beggar who was put at the beautiful gate every day to beg from people going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John, he asked them for money and when they begun to speak to him, he intentionally gave them attention EXPECTING to receive something from them. Fortunately, Peter and John had something bigger than money, a miracle happened. Leaping up, the crippled beggar stood, walked and entered the temple praising God.

I believe that God wants to bless us beyond our wildest expectations but sometimes our expectations are small, unrealistic, shallow and selfish and other times we lack faith. Some other times we are unable to express our sincere expectations to God because we carry with us the past disappointment, anger, bitterness and frustration of unmet expectations. Other times proud attitude can be our hindrances. Certainly, we can expect God to fulfill His promise. We can take Him at His word. Psalm 62:5, says, "Find rest my soul in God alone; my EXPECTATION comes from Him." Psalm 9:18, " The needy will not always be forgotten. The EXPECTATION of the poor shall not perish forever." Proverbs 23:18, "For surely there is a hereafter, and your EXPECTATION will not be cut off."

Yours faithful scribbler,
NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 10:The Once-for-All Sac...

KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 10:The Once-for-All Sac...: From the diary of a faithful scribbler, this far the Christology of Hebrews has been exciting. In Ch. 9, the author made emphasis on the su...

The Christology of Hebrews 10:The Once-for-All Sacrifice

From the diary of a faithful scribbler, this far the Christology of Hebrews has been exciting. In Ch. 9, the author made emphasis on the superiority and efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice. The Christology of Hebrews 10 stresses on the character of the Once-for-All sacrifice and an invitation to persevere in faith.

Contrast between the shadow and the substance for the shadow, v. 1-4

Ø  The Old Covenant (law) is a shadow of the good things to come. Shadow in this case means the solid reality is not in the Levitical sacrificial system but in Christ.

Ø  Because the Old Covenant was a shadow, its sacrificial system could not deal efficiently with sin, v.1a.

Ø  Because the Old Covenant was a shadow, the Levitical sacrifices could not bring the worshippers to permanent perfection, v.1b.

Ø  The continuity of Levitical sacrifices year after year witness to their ineffectiveness, v.2. The author’s rhetorical questions stress that had the sacrifices dealt with sins, the worshippers would have been cleansed and there’d be no need for repeating the sacrifices, Ch. 9:9; 10:2.  I came across this quote, “The atonement that requires constant repetition does not really atone; a conscience that has to be atoned once a year has never been truly cleansed.” What a sobering challenge!

Ø  The annual sacrifice (Day of Atonement) reminded people of the problem of sin, unfortunately, the sacrifices were ineffective because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, v.3-4.

Scripture prove that animal sacrifices could not take away the sins of the world, v. 5-18

Ø  Because the Levitical sacrifices were ineffective in dealing with sin, a better provision had to be made, v. 5-7. Here, Jesus declared the insufficient character of Old Covenant sacrifice and declared His willingness to offer a perfect sacrifice under the New Covenant.

Ø  Undoubtedly, we can say that animal sacrifices did not avail much but God’s will had its ultimate fulfilment in Christ’s obedience to die on the cross.

Ø  It is true that the sacrifices were commanded by God and were offered in accordance with His law but they were not the final answer to the problem of sin, v. 8. So, what does this once-for-all sacrifice mean for you and me? It means that we have been made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in accordance to God’s will, v.9-10.

The finished work of Jesus, v. 11-18

Ø  First, the author affirms that priests cannot deal with the problem of sin, despite all their daily priestly activities, v. 11.

Ø  Second, Jesus finished work is contrasted to that of priests. While the priests daily and repeatedly offered sacrifices, Christ offered one sacrifice for sin, v. 12.

Ø  Third, day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties but Christ sat down having made a final sacrifice for sin, v. 12b.

Ø  Fourth, having finished His work, Jesus sat at the right hand of God. The place of highest honour, v. 12c.

Ø  Fifth, having accomplished His work, the Lord now waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, v.13.

Ø  Sixth, Jesus is capable of making people holy and set them apart for God’s service, v. 14.

Ø  Seven, the Holy Spirit testifies that Christ established the transforming New covenant which offers complete forgiveness, v. 15-17.

Ø  Eighth, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary because Christ’s offering has dealt with sin once and for all, v.18

Application: A clarion call to persevere in faith, v. 19-25

Ø  On the basis of Christ’s sacrifice, let’s make uttermost use of the blessing that has been provided for us. We now have a new attitude towards God’s presence. Initially, priests could not linger in the presence of God but now on the basis of His blood we can now enter the Most Holy Place, v. 19; Ch. 4:16.

Ø  Jesus is the Way to enter through, v. 20. By Christ body being torn on the cross, the way to God was opened up. 

Ø  Since we have a great high priest, here are some important exhortations, v. 21:

o   Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings (trust in Jesus) and cleansed within by His shed blood, v. 22.

o   Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful, v. 23; 3:6, 14; 4:14. This hope is the anchor to the soul, 6:19. When God makes a promise it will infallibly be kept.

o   And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, but encouraging one another, v. 24-25.

The Sequel of a willful rejection of Jesus' perfect sacrifice for us, 10:26-39

Ø  Having been acquainted with Christian teaching as absolute truth then rejecting Christ’s sacrifice; failing to respond to God’s saving sacrifice attracts dreadful expectation of judgment-raging fire, v. 26-27.

Ø  To reject the sacrifice of Jesus is to trample the Son of God under foot; it’s to treat the death of Jesus as common; it’s to insult the Spirit of grace, v.29.

Ø  Certainly, God will act against people who reject His saving sacrifice, v. 30-31.

Draw on your past experience to gain strength to endure for the future, v. 32-39

Ø  The author invites his audience to contemplate the days they became Christians. It had resulted in some form of persecution-verbal attacks, ignominy, confiscation of property, and other various kinds of persecution, v. 32-34. But they endured with fortitude and joy because they knew the value of their possession in Christ, v. 35.

Ø  The Christology of Hebrews 10 closes with an appeal not to shrink back and/or discard this valuable possession. What you endure for Christ’s sake entitles you a great reward. Let this ringing affirmation of confidence motivate you to persevere in faith, “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved,” v. 39.  The end result of shrinking back is total loss on the other hand persevering in faith brings salvation.

Yours faithful scribbler,

NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 9:11-28: The Efficacy o...

KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 9:11-28: The Efficacy o...: From the diary of a faithful scribbler, in the previous verses we understood that the real meaning of the tabernacle can only be understood...

The Christology of Hebrews 9:11-28: The Efficacy of Christ’s Sacrifice (Blood)

From the diary of a faithful scribbler, in the previous verses we understood that the real meaning of the tabernacle can only be understood in the light of the work Jesus accomplished when He died on the Cross. In the preceeding verses we will appreciate the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice.

1. Christ sacrifice is superior because He used His own blood and with it made sufficient offering, v.12, 25-26

-          Certainly, Levitical priests used non-comprehending and non-cooperating animal but Jesus used His own blood and with it made the one sufficient offering, v. 25-26.

-          As you can see, the decisive, definitive quality of Christ’s sacrifice is emphasized, it was once and for all and with finality it dealt with sin, v. 14, 26.

2. Christ’s sacrifice is superior because it obtained our redemption, v.11-12

-          The author exposed the reality that Levitical sacrifices in the Old Covenant were incompetent because they only concerned the external purification, v. 13; but in the following verses he turns to the High Priest of good things which are already here; the Blood of Christ and what it means to us. As we know, He (Christ) entered into the Holy of Holies by means of His own blood once for all and obtained our redemption, v.11-12. Christ died as a ransom for our redemption, v.15.

3. Christ’s sacrifice is superior because it is has potency to cleanse our conscience from acts that lead to death, and results in the cleansed people serving the living God, v.14.

-          Certainly, the greatness of Christ’s sacrifice is incomparable. It is has potency to cleanse our conscience from acts that lead to death, v. 14a. Categorically, Christ’s saving work works was on quite a different level from that of Levitical sacrifices. How? Levitical sacrifices dealt with external purification while Christ’s sacrifice dealt with sins that trouble the conscience.

-          Consequentially, those who are cleansed by Christ, they serve the living God, v. 14b. Wow!

4. Christ’s sacrifice is superior because He mediates the New Covenant so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, v.15.

 Necessity for Christ’s death

ü  It was necessary for Christ to die (there was no any other way), v. 15-16, 18

ü  For a testament/covenant to be effected and for its provisions to be in force, it demanded that blood be shed, v.18-22.

ü  Without shedding of blood , there is no remission of sin (forgiveness), v.22-23

5. Christ’s sacrifice is superior because He entered heaven itself (the true sanctuary/God’s presence) to appear for us in God’s presence, v. 24.

-          Certainly, we were not worthy to stand before God and plead our case, besides, we were here on earth.

Application

A sobering reality is this, men are destined to die and death is followed by judgment. After death man will render account to God, v.27. It is certain Christ will come back again, this time not to bear sins but to bring salvation to those are His, v.28. Now, ponder on this, when Christ returns for the second time, what will be your portion, judgment or salvation? #Kata_Kauli_Sasa

Yours faithful scribbler,

NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 9:1-10: Worship in the ...

KACHELBELA: The Christology of Hebrews 9:1-10: Worship in the ...: Part I. From the Diary of a faithful Scribbler, in the previous chapter we looked at the superiority of Christ’s Priesthood and the New...

The Christology of Hebrews 9:1-10: Worship in the Old Tabernacle

Part I.

From the Diary of a faithful Scribbler, in the previous chapter we looked at the superiority of Christ’s Priesthood and the New Covenant. Today we proceed to discourse the superiority of the New Covenant, the significance of the way of worship in the Old Covenant and the pre-eminence of Christ’s sacrifice. For better understanding of the significance of the New Covenant, let’s first understand what the tabernacle was like:

A tabernacle was a portable sanctuary that Israelites carried with them in the wilderness. It was considered to be the earthly dwelling place of God. It is first mentioned in Exodus 25 where God instructs Moses, “⁸ Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. ⁹ Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you,” (Exodus 25:8-9). Chapters 25-40 go into elaborate detail to describe the size of each component, furnishings, and design and construction materials of the tabernacle. it reaches its climactic conclusion with God's glory filling the tabernacle in chapter 40. I believe this indicates God’s absolute authority and holiness, and emphasis that people could only come to God on His terms.

I found this (http://the-tabernacle-place.com/articles), and thought it will give us a better understanding as you read Exodus 25-40. 

Beyond a tangible representation of the presence of God, the tabernacle also is intended to teach us something:

1.      The colours: White, Blue, Purple and red are prominent in the linens probably calling attention to purity, divinity and royalty of God and so on.

2.      Linen, gold and silver call our attention to the riches and the blessings of the heavenly kingdom

3.      Multiple coverings, the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of another durable leather over the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies

4.      The arrangement of spaces and objects.

-       The tabernacle had three areas: Courtyard, a Holy Place and the Holy of Holies

The Courtyard, (Exodus 27:9), “Make a courtyard for the tabernacle”

-       The court itself speaks of the separation between God and the sinner. This courtyard has a curtain at its entrance, v.16, and the gulf is further reinforced by the Holy Place, and one that closed off the Holy of Holies.

The objects in the Courtyard:

a.                       The altar (Ex. 38:1-7), the representation of the truth that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

b.                      The bronze laver behind, (Ex. 38:8). This reminds us that it is necessary for those who would come into God’s presence to be washed and made clean.

Objects inside the Holy Place

c.                        On the right is a table with twelve loaves of bread on it.

d.                       On the left was the lampstand where the light was never permitted to go out.

e.                        Directly in front of the worshiper was the altar of incense where incense burned day and night.

Object inside the Holy of Holies

f.                        The Ark containing the Book of the Law, along with the pot of manna and Aaron's rod.

The Christology of Hebrews 9 begins by drawing attention to the ineffectiveness of the old covenant reflected in the way the tabernacle was set up and used. He points out that the Old Covenant had been set up with regulations for worship belonging to this world in contrast to the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus ministers, v.1. The author’s principle aim is to show us the greatness of the New Covenant.  In (v.2-5), the author calls our attention to the arrangement of spaces, objects and furnishings of the tabernacle as illustrated below. In (v.6-7), he further moves to the rituals involved, his interest being on the events of the Day of Atonement. Here he brings home the inferiority of the whole Levitical priesthood by pointing the limitation attached to the priests’ ministry. ‘Ordinary’ priests could only carry out their ministry in the Holy Place (Outer Room) but only the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies only once a year and never without blood for his sins and the sins of people, (Leviticus 16). Additionally, the Holy Spirit brings our attention to the inferiority of the sacrificial offerings of the Old Covenant. They were only external regulations and could not come into grips with the real problem of man; they could not clear a worshiper's conscience, (v. 8-10).

Application

The worship regulations, rituals and limited access into the Holy of Holies indicate that ordinary men had no direct access to the presence of God but now we have the privilege of direct access to God, to His throne room through the finished work of Christ, the Perfect High Priest. Thus, the real meaning of the tabernacle can only be understood in the light of the work Jesus accomplished when He died on the Cross.

Yours faithful Scribbler,

NzakuNashipae