Month: April 2012

The Biblical Remix – Thirsty

April 19, 2012

The Biblical Remix – Thirsty

John 4:3-18 – http://bit.ly/IRD75x

Jesus was mad tired from his journey through the country of Samaria.  He and his boys stopped off at a hood called Sychar to rest.   It was around noontime.

Tired and thirsty Jesus copped a squat by a well.  He sent his disciples into town to pick up some food and some Twizzlers.

A Samaritan woman stepped up to the well to draw some water out of it with her bucket.  Jesus kindly asked her if she would hook him up with a lil water from the well.  She was mad surprised cause in those days Jewish people and Samaritans weren’t cool like that.

Jesus then started breaking down some spiritual truths to her but she wasn’t flowing with him.  So he then he got open on her and asked her to go get her husband.  She was honest and told him she ain’t have a husband.  (Then this is my favorite part.)  He then blows up her spot and tells her that she had five husbands already and the dude she is living with at the moment is not even her husband.  (Dag!  What did she feel like when this stranger just told her about herself?).

As she was reflecting on the truth of what Jesus said of having five divorces, this Stacy Lattisaw song was playing:

“With music softly playing, his lips were gently saying, “Honey I love you”, He held me in desperation, I thought it was a revelation, And then he walked out, I found love on a two way street, and lost it on a lonely highway…”

Reflection:

Break-ups suck!  How many of us have experienced the horrible pain that comes with a break-up?  You love the person but s/he no longer loves you.  Or maybe it is the other way around and they are in love with you but you are not.  Or perhaps you are both in love but can’t seem to work it out without emotionally killing each other.  Well, I have experienced all three…lol…and the pain did hurt.

I think parts of our heart are so hurt by these breakups we become numb to love or to relationships.  Recently I have been engaged in conversations where individuals seem more content on giving up on “love” rather than risking the danger of being hurt in a relationship.  Avoidance is safer than engagement for them.

This has caused me to consider my own singleness.  Am I avoiding pain?  Upon reflection, my answer is no.  Am I avoiding foolishness?  Most definitely, especially if I see it clearly in front of me.  Am I closing myself off to love and a relationship?  Sometimes.

The idea of sharing my life with someone is something I take very seriously.  Before I make an investment emotionally, physically, and spiritually, I do my research.  Patience for me in this area is a virtue.  I enjoy the friendship so I can get to know better who the person really is, not just get lost by her smooth presentation.  I also want her to see me for who I really am and not get lost in her fantasy idea of me.

I say this because I have witnessed some people who get into relationships because basically they are mad thirsty.  They just want to feel a little love and attention, even if the relationship is a train wreck from the get go.  Sometimes being touched or touching someone is the only language of love some of us know (or want to know).  I have watched  how destructive that has been from my past experiences as well as the lives of some people I personally know.

Now what is it like to have been the Samaritan woman and have gone through not one, but five different divorces (big time break ups)?  Finding rejection in five different marriages could easily shape a woman’s perspective on love and men (Can I get an “Amen”?).  Perhaps those experiences explain why she was living with dude number six and not married to him (I’m just saying yo).

With all that being said, I love how Jesus, against social and religious customs, takes the time to meet her at her point of need.  He goes into her hood, puts her business out there (in private conversation of course), and offers her a grace the religious folk and secular folk of that time (and even today) would never offer her.  That is real love.  That is real grace.  It affected her so much she became the first person to proclaim to the masses about Jesus being the Messiah.

I pray that whatever situation you have gone through or are going through, that you would call out to Jesus so He can give you a living water that will quench your thirst for love, grace, and acceptance.

The Biblical Remix – Bow Down

April 6, 2012

 

The Biblical Remix – Bow Down

Esther 3:1-6 – http://bit.ly/biblicalremixbowdown

When you step up to the big leagues you be rolling with kings.  That’s what it was like for Haman.  King Xerxes promoted him to be the top dawg in the government.  He was now such a G, the king even ordered people to bow down and kneel before Haman.

My dude Mordecai was def not feeling that.  He took offense at bowing down before a man as if he were God.  Mordecai loved God and knew worshipping a man was no bueno.

One day a few of the servants were cracking jokes on Mordecai cuz he wasn’t bowing down whenever Haman showed up in the spot.  Mordecai wouldn’t budge.  They kept asking him day after day why he was bugging and not bowing down.  When Mordecai got tired of them harassing him he told them he was a Jew.

You know how people are, so some of those same servants bounced over to Haman’s crib and started talking smack about Mordecai.  They told Haman Mordecai was being mad disrespectful and Haman ought to go handle that.  Haman had never peeped Mordecai before.  So the next time Haman rolled by he looked out for Mordecai.  Bam, that’s when he noticed Mordecai was the only person not bowing or taking a knee.

Haman was pissed off.  In the midst of his rage he started scheming.  In the background this Lox chorus rapped by Lil Kim was playing:

“It’s the key to life. Money, power, and respect, Whatchu’ need in life. Money, power and respect…”

Reflection:

Some of us want to be honored.  And some of us want to be adored and even worshipped.  We don’t say it outright but in our pride we want everyone to know how great we are.

When we step off the stage or when we step out of the pulpit, for some of us there is this craving for not just attention, but pure adoration.  We want to know our words moved people.  We want to know our stories not only got to people, but that we hit it out of the ballpark.

How do you stay humble in the things that you do very well?  What do you do?

I find in many occasions God keeps me from getting the attention my pride wants and feels it deserves.  When I don’t get it, that is when my prideful hearts starts jumping up and down.  It doesn’t usually last long because I have gotten better with strangling it.  But I cannot lie and act as if it doesn’t surface from time to time.

Truth be told, most people have no clue what I am involved in.  I believe that low key element is truly designed by God.  Perhaps if it were different I might get full of myself like Haman did.

Even though we may be achievers, we as a people are not all that.  From time to time we need to remind ourselves that God is sovereign and that He is number one.  We can easily be replaced.  We are not the be-all and end-all of things.

The Bible teaches us that pride comes before a fall (Prov 16:18).  Had Haman known that he wouldn’t have ended up beheaded (yeah, you have to read up to the end of Chapter 7 in the book of Esther).

Happy Resurrection Sunday!