God: my Father and my Mother.

We all know that we were all made by the hands of our Father creator. We know that God is our Father. In a way God is our mother too.

As human beings we are brought into this world by our father and mother. Our mother knows that she is bearing a child in her womb, through modren technology she can also know the different stages the child in her womb go through. She can only own them but she cannot design the child in her womb.

The one who conceives us is God alone. For example an engineer can have a plan of a beautiful construction in his thoughts unless he puts it on paper the owner of the site cannot understand what the engineer thought off. So is on the sixth day of creation "the Lord God formed man...." (Genesis.2:7). The word 'formed', means to devise, to shape, not just the nature but also in the womb. Speaking to Jeremiah, God says, "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb" (Jeremiah.1:5). Speaking to Zechariah, in 12:1, "....laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the spirit within humans". David in his Psalm.139, in v13, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb". v16, "You saw me before I was born. Everyday of my life was recorded in your book....". God not just formed the nature but also conceived human beings in His thoughts even before He placed them in the womb and knit them in the mother's womb and also numbered the days too. Now, as a mother you can only contain a seed in your womb who was actually conceived in the thoughts of God; even every detail of the seed you conceive.

As a father his responsibility is to give his family utmost care and security. As a mother, her responsibility is towards more of love to fulfill the needs of the family more than care and security. We can see the providence of God in the Old Testament from the time of Adam to till now. There are very many examples to be writte. In New Testament Jesus speaks about God the Father how prudent He is towards his children. In Matthew.6:8,32, Jesus says that your Heavenly Father knows all your needs even before you ask them. In Matthew.7:11, Jesus says "...how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them....." This is the heart of the mother. The heart that cares for our needs. In God, the heart of the father can also be seen in 2Corinthians.6:18, "and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty".

To conclude, the word "Elohim" for God, in the Bible is taken as a masculine gender. The purpose of ascribing gender to God is to say that God is the Head of the whole creation and everything within, who is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. However, John.4:24 says, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth". So, to me God is not just my Father, but He is my Mother too.

The Stumbling Stone, Jesus.

Stumbling Stone - The stone that is in the midway causing the trespassers to stumble.

People who watch this will learn that they are passing by a Stumbling Stone, the passers who dosen't watch will be stumbled by it, making the stumbler to learn that it's there.
Jesus, quoting about himself in gospel of John.11:9,10, Jesus saying about those who are opposing him and of their ignorance of who He is, "If you walk during the day, you will have light from the sun and you won't stumble. But if you walk during the night, you will stumble, because you don't have any light". Quoting himself as a Stumbling stone, Jesus, tells that those who recognise Him are those who walk in light understanding the Scriptures, and those who don't recognise Him are those who walk in darkness.

Apostle Paul, in letter to Romans.9:33, "Look! I am placing in Zion a stone to make people stumble and fall..."  This Stumbling Stone, is a prophecy came true. In Isaiah.8:14,15, "I am the holy God, the Lord All-Powerful, Run to me for protection. I am a rock that will make both Judah and Israel stumble...." The prophecy that was fulfilled in Bethlehem with the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. He is our Stumbling Stone. The purpose of this Stumbling Stone is to be make known about it throughout the world for what it has done to the humankind, because the prophecies about the end of this world has to be fulfilled.

In gospels of Matthew.24:14 and Mark.13:10, When the good news about the kingdom (about the Stumbling Stone) has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come. The end of the world is very much nearer. We are in the midst of prophecies like threats of war, earthquakes, starvation, martyrdom, false prophets, false messiahs, strange signs in the sky are just to name some (Matthew.24, Mark.13, Luke.21).

Did you recognise this Stumbling Stone on your way in search of truth? This is the Stone that has cleansed you from all your sins and condemnation on the Cross of Calvary. Know Him now, and accept Him as your Lord and Savior of your life.

About picture: watch the picture carefully, did you recognise the name of the Stumbling Stone?

Simon of Cyrene

Simon of Cyrene who was mentioned in gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke; was happened to be coming from his fields doing all the toil. The time happened to be Jesus taking up the Cross to Calvary. Jesus has also done his toil in this world (Matt.9:35-38)*. He got his field ready (Kingdom). The people around Jesus were of mixed feelings with grudge, anger, compassion etc., on the way to Calvary. It was then this person Simon of Cyrene comes in and was forced to take up Jesus' cross on the way to Calvary. There are many interpretations on this situation. The best I can tell you is, Why only Simon of Cyrene was dragged to take up the cross when hundred's are watching and walking along? Because, Simon of Cyrene is coming from his field, which is an implication of Jesus has done all the hard work in establishing the Kingdom of God here on earth. At the same time Jesus also wants the implication as like Simon of Cyrene who has nothing to do with the situation in other words, he was innocent to take up this burden (Cross), so is Jesus too who is also an innocent to take up this burden. But Jesus willfully taking up the Cross which fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah.53:6, "... Lord hath laid on him the iniquuty of us all". Even though Jesus was innocent, He willfully wanted to be as in 1Corinthians.5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him". Jesus died on the Cross for our sake and on our behalf, for the "result of sin is death", so that we might live and live in righteousness without blame and guilt. My friend, this is an invitation specially to you to come and enjoy the goodness of the Living God.

*And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their Synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest". Matthew.9:35-38.

Simon of Cyrene, he was the one whom I have written about in the last post. We have seen two of his implications in the works of Jesus Christ; 1.Toil and 2.The innocence of guilt. Today by the grace of God we will meditate on more. Simon of Cyrene is from Cyrene a place in Libya, which is in Africa, this place was once part of Egypt at the time of Greeks, then it was been handed over to Romans peacefully. Simon of Cyrene is not a Israel born jew but was a jew probably born in Cyrene, was back to Israel (Judea) around the time of Jesus. There is no concrete evidence that Simon of Cyrene actually owned a field or a worker in the field owned by some one else. He was from Libya, settled in Judea and after the ascension of Jesus, he happened to be the part of the early church at Antioch. This is an implication; even Jesus as Christ was not of this world, He was with his Father and without Him nothing was formed (Psalm.33:6), born of a virgin in Judea, after crucifixion, resurrection and ascension He was with the church living in each and every person as Holy Spirit God as promised. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John.16:7). "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of the truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but what so ever he shall hear, that shall he speak: .... All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you" (John.16:13,15). We can see about Cyrenians in Acts.2:10, 13:1, who are of certain importance in the early church. One more implication: Cyrene is a place on south side of about 2000 ft above sea level and inclined towards north which has a great plateau and rich in agriculture. This region was of great importance from the times of greeks. People of this region are of great at hard work. By the time of Romans, Rome used to import most of it's  slaves from Africa. If Simon of Cyrene has come as a worker in his masters field, so is Jesus too. "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark.10:45). As a slave he done all the hard work in establishing the Kingdom of God. And at last He gave his life on the Cross for us, so that we can live without sin and its effects. The purpose of sharing the Cross with Simon of Cyrene is met with a great understanding and wisdom. Now it's time for you to take up your cross and follow Jesus (Matthew.16:24), if you save your life you will lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for Christ' sake shall find it.

These are the implications of Jesus Christ, why Jesus on his way to Calvary with Simon of Cyrene.
1. Toil
2. The innocence of guilt.
3. Likeness of Trinity.
4. To minister as a servant.