C.J. Sinclair's Blog, page 4

What does it mean to LOVE?

So, yesterday, instead of the regular Prasie The Lord programme on TBN, The Passion of The Christ by Mel Gibson was aired. The first time I watched this amazing rendition of the way that God showed His Love towards us, I watched from a more personal revelation of the extent to which God had to go to have me reconciled to Him. Not only that, so that I would have the abundant life that he spoke of in John 10:10.

This time around, I was overwhelmed by the humility and vulnerability that it took for the Ha Mashiach to face the death that He endured for our sake. If that is not LOVE, then what is it?

I found myself also asking what my definition of LOVE is? I could not help but wonder whether if I were placed in a similar situation, I would take that unjust punishment with such dignity and humility without uttering an insult at my false accuser. That was not all, I could not help but wonder whether I truly had what it takes to love my enemies.

It is no wonder, after all I find myself living in an age when a lot of my values are being attacked. How would Christ have handled this had He lived in our times? As the crucifixion scene drew closer to an end and He asked His Father to forgive them for they knew not what they were doing, I got my answer.

Yeshua did not allow bitterness and anger to corrupt His ways. He was able to say those words because the LOVE in Him overcame all that was around Him. He always altered the environment He presented Himself in for the better and the gruesome scene of the crucifixion was not to be any different. Now that is a true testament of LOVE if there were ever one.

Perhaps if everyone truly understood the story, His name would not be as repulsive to some as it is today. The Truth is He allowed then to hurt His hands because He loved us.


I bid you Shalom,

Jacqueline

Unsettling Decisions

I guess the title of this blog posting says it all.

I have never been one of those to sit down and create a bucket list, but I have found that in my life I happen to stumble into things or places that others may identify as major bullet points on their bucket list.

The latest one for me was the decision to go ahead and self-publish. I visualised this overwhelming reception of a book filled with raw emotion. I guess it was an attempt on my part to showcase the feelings of a generation perdue.

It seemed like a great idea up until I had to figure out a way of getting the word out. As an introvert, I cannot even begin to explain to you how overwhelmed I felt. I am not particularly keen on the idea of being thrown into the chaos I call forced socialising.

Needless to say, I started to lose the excitement that came with this amazing opportunity. I, however, had a light bulb moment this morning when reading my daily devotional from Jentezen Franklin Media Ministries. One particular quote from a book entitled Thinking For a Change by Dr. John Maxwell caught my eye, " '...The right thought, plus the right people, in the right environment, at the right time, for the right reason, always produces the right result.' " I hope I got all of that right.

This got me thinking about the kind of people I have been associating with and the kinds of thoughts I have allowed to guide me through this "wilderness". Have I been making giants out of ants? Are my motives right? Am I depending on my own timeline or am I allowing God's timeline to patiently guide me through this process?

As I said in my introduction to this blog post, a lot of the great things that have happened in my life appear to have unexpectedly manifested themselves before me at weirdly just the right time. I like to call that God and His timing.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you had to make any unsettling decisions? How did you handle the decision process?


Until next time, I bid you Shalom.


Jacqui


P.S. Do visit my website to learn more about my book.

I Beg to Differ By C.J. Sinclair

 

When I think of existence, I cannot help but wonder, "What is life, anyway?" Where do I fit in the grand scheme of life? What is the point of it, anyway? Is this a test—and if so, am I passing it? Sometimes, when in this state, I prefer to think of the world as a big Hollywood production. It makes it that much easier to swallow all the pain and tragedies that are broadcast before our eyes day in and day out. How else can one possibly comprehend the extent to which humanity can be inhumane—to a point where taking a life is nothing but a gateway to paradise? Surely, with all this enragement and inhumanity, one cannot be blamed for hoping that it is all a big scam—that somewhere between all these takes, someone will shout, "Cut!"  

 The voice of reason usually comes knocking at about that time and I am drawn back to reality. At just about that point in time, I always find myself drawn to those wise words – Je pense donc je suis (René Descartes). Don't ask me why but it seems to be a good start to analyse this mystery that has been with us for time immemorial. Whether for the sake of sanity or rather to affirm my sanity, I am inclined to believe that the thought process itself is in many ways where the truth about life lurks. I have heard both from secular and religious leaders that our thoughts, hence the mind determines where we go in life. Our thoughts define who we are, how we act, and in the final analysis what contributions we make in this thing we call life. So, you see, Descartes was after all onto something.

 

 

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